#since i see them as being in the same universe

[really-fanny-longbottom]

okay sooooo

i had this little thought right

okay so maybe like reader has been a part of the inner circle for a looooong time like since the batboys were kids and they've all been friends forever, naturaly azriel has been in love with her since then, and a few years ago he realised they were mates (she doesn't know)

this one time she walks into the townhouse in just a bra and trousers, casually just walking in drinking coffee while the rhys and cass are just flabbergasted (cass being cass is eyeing the goods real hard because shes always been hot and he knows it) rhys is smirking and all (hes no less honestly)

then az walks in and hes just like what the fuck, she tries to explain smth happened to her shirt on the way and hes just grumbling and takes off his own shirt and is like put this own (cass is naturally making comments that make az's blood boil)

then you can choose where that goes from there

lmfaoooo im so sorry i couldn't get this idea out of my head

its okayyyy if you can't write it!!!

hi! sorry it took me so long to post but i've been really busy with university and only now have i had some free time.

anyway, here it is! thank you so much for this request, i loved writing it!

i hope you like it! 🫶🏻

my hero

summary: a small but very happy incident.

warnings: none

pairings: azriel x reader

words: 2.2k

tick 

tack

tick 

tack 

"ugh," a heavy groan escaped your lips at the sound of the clock. you seated slightly, your head pounding without mercy. 

as you looked at the window, your eyes fought against the early sunlight, before adjusting and finally allowing you to fully open them.

it took you a few seconds to remember your surroundings, and to be honest, to remember anything. 

the confusion didn't last long when all the memories from last night hit you all at once. 

you had gone out for the night with morrigan. you went to rita's for a girls night.

a night with a lot of drinking and dancing and singing and drinking again — mysterious headache solved.

you looked down on you, seeing the shiny short black dress you had chosen for last night specifically. 

you passed your hands through your messy hair and took a glance at your bedroom, absorbing the chaos that a very drunk you had caused.

how could just a person cause such a mess?

tick 

tack

tick

tack

"ugh!" a loud annoyed groan left your lips again

at the sound of the clock that kept attacking your brain. 

before you could think twice, you turned and reached out to punch the clock, causing it to fall to the ground.

you lowered yourself on the bed sheets with an arm over your head.

this was going to be a very long day.

and that's when it you.

your eyes and two seconds later, your legs were fighting against the bed sheets. 

after losing that battle, you ended up falling to the ground with a loud noise. 

a small 'huff' came out of your mouth before getting up and running to the clock as quickly as possible to check the time. 

10:07 am

"oh, shit."

you were late for your internship at the clinic.

"oh, shit."

you quickly begin to look for clean clothes at the same time you try to get rid of your dress. 

you manage to find something that looked relatively clean and put it on, your heart racing as you tried to get your hair to not look like a complete mess.

when you finished putting your hair in a more presentable state, you hurried to put on your shoes, but when you noticed the time again, you only managed to put on a sock before grabbing the first pair of shoes in sight and running out of your room. 

as you run for the stairs, you didn't have time to react before a body collided with yours and spilled coffee all over your t-shirt.

the hot contents against your skin forced you to let out a small scream and dropped the shoes to the floor as you struggled to pull the fabric of your t-shirt away from your body. 

"shit, shit, shit!" you cursed at the same time you blew on your t-shirt.

great, as if your day wasn't already going badly. 

"sorry," a small voice said.

you met your attacker's gaze as you looked up to see a beautiful female with green eyes and brown hair — morrigan's friend. 

right, you had forgotten that she had come home with the two of you — with mor. 

the female looked mortified as you stared at her annoyed. when you saw her opening her mouth to say something, you quickly stopped her.

"don't," you raised your hand at her, you didn't have time for this, "just. . .just go."

you pointed at morrigan's bedroom, whose door was slightly open. the female followed your direction, shrinking a little as she passed through you.

"idiot!" you cursed quietly. 

you looked at your bedroom and considered your options: the chances that you may find a new clean t-shirt in the middle of that mess, were very low and you were already late.

so you gave up and made your way down the stairs, starting to unbutton your shirt before completely taking it off, leaving you in your black lacy bra, and entering the kitchen.

rhysand and cassian who had been enjoying a late breakfast found themselves speechless upon your entrance. 

their gazes followed you as you moved to the sink and started working on removing the stain.

the males shared a gaze between them, identical smirks forming on both of their faces.

"good morning, y/n." rhysand greeted you as he took a sip of his tea cup.

you jumped startled, your eyes found theirs immediately, "gods, i didn't see you there."

rhysand's smirk grew wider. "oh, we know."

"did you get mugged?" cassian asked as he took in your figure.

you were barefoot with only one sock and shirtless.

"what?" you asked confused. 

cassian's eyes roam over your body.

"oh, no, morrigan's friend though it was a good idea to spill her coffee over me. freaking idiot," you murmured the last part, still focused on the task in hand.

cassian let out a snort "well, i'll make sure to thank her personally for this amazing view."

you rolled your eyes at his comment "oh, shut up, cassian. we grew up together, we've all seen each other naked at one point."

rhys smirked and grew before adding "sure, but we were either kids or teenagers at those times." 

cassian glanced at his brother, amusement all over his features "maybe we should go back to those times."

with another roll of your eyes, you tried to suppress a smile at your friend's comment while trying to get rid of the stain.

as on cue, the shadowsinger entered the kitchen to join his brothers for breakfast.

instead, he was surprised with a view of you shirtless — his shirtless mate.

the very reason, rhys and cassian had begun to tease you in the first place. 

what made this whole situation much funnier — the fact that you weren't aware of this detail. 

and things had just become a lot more interesting now with azriel in the room. 

his eyes widened at the sight of you but when he turned to find his brothers, his eyes darkened and a low growl was released.

"nice of you to join us, brother," cassian said casually as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest.

he can practically feel the heat coming off of azriel, like smoke coming out of his ears.

"what's wrong, az?" rhys asked him, knowing exactly what was going on but seeing azriel riled up was too funny to miss it.

at the sound of their voices, you looked up and your eyes found a pair of hazel ones.

"oh, hi, azriel." you greeted him with your sweet smile — the one he liked so much.

the shadowsinger found himself melting at your words, at the way you said his name. 

his eyes instantly softed, a small blush coming to his cheeks and a goofy smile on his lips, "h-hi, y/n." 

you gave him a warm smile before going back to your task.

azriel regained his composure at the sound of his brothers' muffled laughter. 

he sighed and rolled his eyes at their behavior, he hadn't catched a break from them since he revealed the mating bond on one drunken night.

cassian elbowed rhys gently in the ribs to get his attention, when his eyes found his, the general gestured with his head to the shadowsinger. 

"hey, az" cassian tried to contain his urge to laugh, he knew what was about to happen. 

"what?" azriel managed to say, his eyes still on your figure.

"we were just talking. . ." cassian started, his voice teasing "about going back to those times when we were teenagers." 

azriel face scrunched in confusion, he shot his brother a look. 

"you know," cassian continued, his peripheral vision caught rhys trying to control himself  "those times where we didn't care about being naked in front of each other." 

both rhys and cassian snorted at the sight of azriel's face turning red.

"what?!" the male let out a little too loud then he had intended.

rhys proceeded, "yeah, you know. when we didn't care so much about formalities. don't you agree, y/n?" 

you rolled your eyes again at rhys comment, "i think you two have too much free time" you chuckled, "cauldron has mercy on the poor females that will ended up as your mates."

"hey!" both cassian and rhys protested.

azriel smiled at your comment, but it fell when he observed both of his brothers eyes roaming over your body, grins splattered on their features.

azriel moved to the edge of the table, placing his hands on the surface of it before giving them a glare and clenching his jaw.

"stop looking at her like that before i break your faces" he threatened through gritted teeth. 

cassian and rhys were quick to lift their arms in surrender, both muttering a small "yes, sir." 

azriel rolled his eyes in annoyance. his attention was caught when he heard you cursed quietly. 

he sent one last warning look to the two males before moving to stand behind you.

he was so close, that all it took was another step of his for your back to be pressed against his chest.

azriel would love to know the feeling of that sensation, but he remained where he was.

he peeked through your shoulder and saw that you couldn't get rid of the annoying coffee stain. 

"gods, madja is going to kill me for being late." 

without a second thought, azriel took a step back.

"here," he told you.

you turned to find him taking off his own shirt.

your eyes roamed his body — his sun-kissed skin, his muscles, his illyrian tattoos. 

you loved those tattoos. 

"put it on," he extended his hand to you, holding out his shirt.

"oh, that's not necessary, az. i-"

"it's okay, y/n. i- i want you too. by the way, why don't you go get your shoes and i'll take you to the clinic? it's quicker that way and you don't have to walk." 

your face softened, "really? you would do that?" 

the corner of his lips lifted for a small smile, only you to make him feel this way.

"of course." 

you grabbed his shirt, "ugh, thank you, az."

you put it on and azriel tried to not let the sight of your small feature into his too big of a shirt to affect him, but he failed when his heart skipped a beat.

you moved forward and grabbed his cheeks, kissing him on the left one.

caught off guard, azriel tried to hide the fact that his skin had heated up under your touch. 

a new blush came to decorate his cheeks. 

"hm. . .i-" the male couldn't find his words with the sound of his heart roaming in his ears. 

"you're my hero, az" you gave a big smile before making your way to the stairs to collect your shoes. 

azriel stood there in the middle of the kitchen with a hand making it's way to his face to touch the place you kissed him.

cassian and rhys burst out laughing, not being able to remain composed of their brother in love. 

cassian got up from his seat and walked towards his brother, clasping a hand on his back.

"behold of the big bad scary shadow-," cassian leaned over in laughter, "shadowsinger" he managed to complete. 

rhys appeared on his other side, "oh, brother. only if your enemies could see you now, they would think how big of a fool they are."  

azriel clenched his jaw again, and when he turned to answer them, he was stopped by a honey-sweet voice.

"i'm ready," you told him from the entrance.

once again, the shadowsinger was left completely disarmed.

a goofy smile reappeared on his face. 

he didn't even spare a glance at his brothers before making his way to you, "let's go then."

cassian and rhys were left in the kitchen laughing to themselves.

•••

the trip to the clinic was quick.

azriel landed softly on the ground, keeping a hand on your waist and another on your back to make sure you were stable.

you took a step forward before turning to him.

"thank you again, az. you literally just saved my morning." 

and there it was that goofy smile again.

"oh, it's nothing really. my pleasure." 

you let out a small giggle. you reached forward, surrounding his neck with one of your arms and gave him a kiss on the cheek again.

azriel's heart raced and his voice caught in his throat. 

you took a step back "you're my hero, azriel. what would i do without you?" 

you caressed his cheek with the back of your hand before giving him one last smile and moving towards the clinic.

"hm, i-" was all the male managed to say while watching you entering the clinic with his shirt.

he watched as you grabbed the door, and turned to him to wave goodbye. 

azriel returned the gesture. it was at that moment that he realized how much power you had over him.

he didn't push away that feeling, in fact he embraced it.

it was about time to let the walls he had built so long ago disappear. 

and you were the right person for that.

azriel made a decision at that moment.

at the end of the day, he would come pick you up and ask you out on a date.

he would buy you flowers, tell you how he felt and take you to dinner.

he just hoped you felt the same way.

and that you said yes.

general taglist: @emryb @fantasyandshit @azrielover @shadowsingercassia @littlelou22 @brieflyclassymortal @lilah-asteria @meul-a @lure-of-writing @pruvii @olive-main @mybestfriendmademe @anuttellaa @mrsjna @lively-potter @avajustreads @talesofadragon @circe143 @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @dark-chaos-314 @tequilya @scoliobean @saltedcoffeescotch @charlotteintumbleland @agirlwithwifiandalaptop @987coley

*if you asked to be tagged and you weren't, it's because I couldn't find your blog.

the beautiful dividers belong to @cafekitsune

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 796: The strongest cheer!!

Pag 1

4: You're coming soon, huh, Onoda?

Pag 2

1: Beyond the

Pag 3

1: “peak of their limits”!!

Pag 4

1: Here at the point of 300m left until the mountain stage line!! Gaha!!

3: I think I've seen him before, that huge guy there

That's Tadokoro! He was a third year when Sohoku won two years ago!

Ahh... the one who won the green bib!

4: Oh, it's you?

Did you see that?

5: Tadokoro Jin

6: Any time now!! They're almost here, I can feel it on my skin

Pag 5

1: The wave of cheers is getting closer with huge pressure!!

3: The two people in the lead are passing the 500m left point, and Manami is accelerating!! And he's getting a little ahead!!

Pag 6

1: They passed the 400m left mark!!

Gooo Kanagawa!!

Sohoku is being left behind!!

Pag 7

1: Hakogaku's Manami accelerated!!

2: I'm hanging up, Toudou!!

4: This is the most difficult distance

What are you gonna do, Onoda? You're being left behind!!

Come on up

If you don't catch up now, it's over!!

5: It's you, can do it, right, Onoda!?

Pag 8

1: Turn your legs, Onoda!!

Persist, Onoda!!

3: “The right way”....

4: “The right way of life”, where does it lead? I don't know...

Pag 9

1: You're wondering who I came to cheer on this Inter High first day with!? Here in Kyuusu

2: It's Toudou!! The former climber of Hakone Academy1?

3: After graduating from Sohoku, I failed the entrance test for Meisou, so I enrolled in Tsukushiba University

But it didn't have a bicycle racing team

4: As I was going through hell, he appeared right before my eyes

5: It was Toudou!!

Pff, he hanged up, that Tadokoro Jin

6: He was in the same university, and moreover he was already founding the bicycle racing team himself!!

Pag 10

1: Thanks to him I could come back to the world of racing!!

2: And then this year, that Izumida who I raced against at the Inter High when I was a third year, enrolled in the same university as a first year!!

3: I don't get it

4: It's unpredictable!!

Pag 11

1: So you too, line up to Manami, and then pass him!!

2: After all you're the first one who “doesn't know the right way of life”!!

3: Kinjou said it, you're the “element of surprise”!!

The strongest beginner!!

4: You joined the club with Naruko, and you were an humble and little guy

5: I asked Imaizumi after that

Pag 12

1: And apparently you were planning on joining the anime research club!!

What a course of events!!

2: You received your road bike while running in the first years' race

Kinjou pushed your back

3: You caught up to Naruko and Imaizumi and then you surpassed Imaizumi at the mountain's peak

4: Honestly, I thought you would stop soon...

What's with this guy...

What's his driving force when runing

He didn't win, but he didn't lose either

I was interested

5: You became a Inter High member, and on the first day... and you caught up to us after falling from your bike

You pulled the team and supported Makishima during the mountain stage

Pag 13

1: And then, on the second day....

My condition was bad and I couldn't move, and you waited for me

2: I came to help you, Tadokoro-san

We'll definitely catch up

What are you doing

Go back right now

No... I...

3: You took me and ran

Do you mind if we pass that guy?

Well, yeah but... how do we pass him?

Can you please match with me and say “princess”?

Pag 14

1: Princess princess princess!!

You sang a weird song

Because you, you're the princess!

One by one we passed the guys ahead

And then, carrying me with your little body

I'm so grateful to you I can't say it enough

I didn't think I would see those jerseys again with my own eyes

We're back, team Sohoku!!

you brought me back to the team!!

Pag 15

1: And then Onoda....

3: The jersey we entrusted to him, our dream

4: he delivered them to the finish line!!

Pag 16

1: That's why I came here!!

2: Are you going to pass on the first day's mountain stage? Since you're a sprinter. I think Manami and Glasses-kun are going to race

Huh!? Onoda!? Onoda will run!?

Then I'l deeefinitely come!!

Huh, is that so

3: Onoda!!

4: Deliver it!!

6: Since I couldn't do it last year!! I'll give it to you, third year and captain!! I'll give my all so that these loud cheer don't drown me out!!

Pag 17

1: I'll sing!!

Lovely chance pettanko-chan!! ♪

Huh, he's singing!?

What!? He scared me

Pag 18

2: He's suddenly singing an anime song?

Huh

What's that

3: Even with a spell to grow bigger ♪

Onoda

4: Can you hear this song?

If you can hear it

Hn hn hn ♪

5: A princess is a princess ♪

Come up, Onoda!!

Pag 20

1: You're the princess♪

Pag 23

1: Manami and Onoda came and they're neck and neck!!

Onoda is catching up!!

Mountain King..!!

Amazing!!

2: There are 300m left and they're neck and neck again!!

Pag 24

1: A princess is a princess, that's who she is!! ♪

Onodaa!!

3: Ah, Tadokoro-san

4: Princess princess ♪

It's him

Pag 25

1: I thought I heard it wrong

Pag 26

1: Thank you so much!!

2: Onoda...!!

3: The right way is interesting

He really did it!!

4: You're struggling, having a tough time, yet your shape changes as you move forward

Pag 27

1: We're headed to a future I never imagined!!

Give it your all!!

2: Onodaa!!

3: Yes!!

[inamindfarfaraway]

YES

The Little Match Girl and Tiny Tim are meant to be best friends. Impoverished kids? Check. Doomed by the narrative, the failings of classist society and their fragile health? Check. Saved by Scrooge’s intervention? Check.

(The retelling of The Little Match Girl takes place on Christmas Day and night instead of New Year’s Eve, hence the crossover lining up in “Christmas Day” since she’s alive at that time, meaning that her death is an AU where Scrooge doesn’t reform. So he’s free to rudely bump into her “in the fading light between day and night” in “Buy a Match” instead of being at Fred’s party. She and Tim both die in the same bad timeline! Adds a new layer to Scrooge taking one of her candles and blowing it out in “Be the Light”.)

But Tim has two amazing parents and a large, loving family. LMG only has her abusive dad; her grandmother is dead and her mother isn’t mentioned, and probably left or died before she could remember and grieve her, unlike Grandma. In the original fairytale, it’s stated that her fathe will beat her if she comes home empty-handed. Scrooge also had a dad who was neglectful and “pretty cruel”, sending him away a lot as a kid, an unmentioned mother and a different female relative who he directly mourns, his sister. “And the Little Match Girl was left all alone”/“I see a boy sitting all alone”. They can bond over their tragic backstories! They can figure out what it means to have and be a good father together! And Bob and Emily can teach them both how good parenting works!

A scene in A Christmas Carol that’s rarely adapted is the Ghost of Christmas Past showing Scrooge how Belle’s been without him in her life: fantastic! She has a nice house, a happy marriage and loads of children. He’s struck with longing for that domesticity and familial love. An excerpt:

And now Scrooge looked on more attentively than ever, when the master of the house, having his daughter leaning fondly on him, sat down with her and her mother at his own fireside; and when he thought that such another creature, quite as graceful and as full of promise, might have called him father, and been a spring-time in the haggard winter of his life, his sight grew very dim indeed.

‘Belle,’ said the husband, turning to his wife with a smile, ‘I saw an old friend of yours this afternoon.’

‘Who was it?’ ‘Guess!’

‘How can I? Tut, don't I know,’ she added in the same breath, laughing as he laughed. ‘Mr. Scrooge.’

‘Mr. Scrooge it was. I passed his office window; and as it was not shut up, and he had a candle inside, I could scarcely help seeing him. His partner lies upon the point of death, I hear; and there he sat alone. Quite alone in the world, I do believe.’

‘Spirit!’ said Scrooge in a broken voice, ‘remove me from this place.’

Ebenezer Scrooge. Canonically. In the original novella. Wants a daughter. If in the VHS Christmas Carols universe, the Little Match Girl survives and Jim gets his watch back, it’s only fair that Scrooge gets a daughter of his own!

So uh AU where Scrooge adopts the little match girl and he finds out about Della being Belle's daughter and then Scrooge, the match girl, Della & Jim and the Cratchits all become one big happy family?

(I love them all sm)

[magicicephoenix]

DOCTOR WHO AU???

IM LISTENING

PLEASE

HERE YOU GO. i am just rambling

it ended up being super long, so. under the cut :)

okay so i'm still not sure if it'd be better for y/n to be the doctor or the dca. because on the one hand y/n being the doctor makes them a very very lonely last time lord who outlives all the companions they've tried to keep over the years, who saw two robots (bc i think it'd be better if they were separate in this instance) and went "oh my god. companions who will never die.", thus getting immediately attached. and sun and moon are fascinated by this otherworldly being who looks completely human to every single one of their sensors EXCEPT the fact that they have two hearts. one for each of them WHO SAID THAT anyway since obviously the doctor needs an accompanying master if y/n is the doctor i think maybe vanessa as the master would work. something something vanessa was an old friend who turned to the dark side (afton, somehow??? maybe afton WIAIT MAYBE AFTON WAS THat one super important time lord in the time lord council or whatever they're called from the end of season four and he's DETERMINED to have the time lords come back and that's why vanessa does all that oh my god it all makes sense). and y/n is always hoping she'll leave old ghosts behind but she can't and it's devastating every time aughh... and meanwhile y'know the dca are childcare animatronics but they know and can see troubles in any age and they're seeing a worrying amount of unhealthy coping mechanisms in this mysterious "doctor," so much so that they wonder if this doctor needs a doctor of their own. because even if the doctor is a different species they still need all the basic necessities of life that a human does and the dca are very specifically programmed to help humans. so they're just about perfect to help y/n!!!! and umm i think being able to see the universe is a super big deal to a couple of animatronics who were confined to a daycare their whole lives. maybe the inciting incident to their initial meeting had something to do with aliens trying to take down the human race through the children. and the dca notice the children acting strange and start going for help but no one's listening to them because they're "just robots" and it's frustrating and awful and they keep trying until by some coincidence they manage to inform y/n about it and y/n LISTENS to them doesn't ignore them and that's literally the ONLY THING they were asking for and y/n is the only one to give it to them. and then they work together (and isn't that wild for the dca, working with a perceived human instead of working under them, being able to make suggestions and offer ideas and not being brushed off!!!) and solve the mystery and defeat the terrible aliens who were using children for their master plan but due to all of it the dca's daycare is destroyed. and the dca has nowhere to go but stupid fazbear entertainment. and they've almost resigned themselves to returning to the hell of being nothing but an object for a giant corporation... until y/n says "come with me." and the dca say "yes."

ah right um on the other hand. time lord dca. two ideas i had: one, the master could be eclipse. then there'd be secondary idea one-A where the dca are in one body and one-B where they're separate. dunno about that one because a big thing with the doctor is that they're the SINGLE last time lord other than the master and they're desperate for companionship because of that. idea two: one half of the dca is the doctor and the other half is the master. prolly sun being doctor and moon being master but i could absolute see the other way around as well! then it hurts even more because they're two halves of the same whole, literally The Sun and The Moon as maybe they've chosen as titles instead of doctor and master actually. but the thing about the sun is that everything else orbits around it while the moon only revolves about the earth. wait oh my god that's fantastic actually. Sun taking the Master role because everything must be circling him, he must be at the center of everything, without him everything would flicker out and die, HE'S the most important thing and he needs EVERYONE to KNOW. and the most frustrating thing is that the moon is so so so enamored by the stupid earth and its stupid humans to pay enough attention to him. only one half of that moon is ever facing him but he needs all of its attention, he needs to see it all, and if he needs to rip the moon out of its orbit to do that then he WILL. meanwhile Moon is the little saving grace of the earth, so far away and unnoticeable that the humans don't notice his aid (like how the moon causes the tides). if the earth stopped spinning he'd be there to start them it again (anyone seen that one comic from the "what if?" book? yeah). no matter what he is there to keep earth and the humans safe, even if it's from the bright burning star that they rely on for life. and he's so so lonely, doing his best in the shadows, alone without his counterpart that has long been lost to time (or so he thinks) until he stumbles upon y/n and can't bear to let go. so when Sun returns, hoping his grand motions will capture Moon's heart, he is devastated to see Moon instead clinging tight to this small, insignificant life form. what about him? what about all the time they'd spent together? what happened to the sun and the moon? why is he not enough? and from devastation comes rage. from rage turns destruction. and, unfortunately for Sun, Moon despises destruction.

...or something like that.

[buckleyflower]

WHAT MY BRAIN CAME UP WITH BECAUSE OF THE UNCLE BUCK STILLS:

Think about Eddie entering the loft casually whistling the theme song of Buck’s most recent movie obsession, with his key, and finding Buck with his slightly oversized brown hoodie baking with his niece.

He’d stop in his tracks and think that it’s a fever dream. He’d stop and pray that they didn’t hear him so he could take a moment to fully take in that he gets to have this man, that this soft, cute giant is his, and is currently hunched on his niece’s back so she doesn’t fall from the stool she’s standing on.

The lights are dim and it’s dark outside and yet Eddie doesn’t remember being ever hit with such a blinding clarity. He wants to have a kid with this man, a baby, wants to grow another human being with Buck, because Buck is the best human he’s ever met. And that realization startles him fully.

Because it usually happens in your twenties, when you’re maybe young and carefree and you have no clue what you’ll do with your life: you’ll turn around and look at a person and think I wanna share my life with you, I want to raise my babies with you. But he’s not carefree, he’s the furthest thing from carefree. And he’s not a kid either. He has a kid. And one that is currently in another state because he doesn’t want to see him. And yet here he is, wishing he could have Buck’s kids.

Anyway— Buck saw him. Of course he did. And he smiles at him and Eddie’s insides explode as they have been for all this time whenever Buck looked at him like this. Eddie just didn’t know.

“Oh, Jee, look, Uncle Eddie is here!” He excitedly points at him and motions for him to get closer.

Eddie chuckles and reaches them both while Jee-Yun babbles and simply calls him Eddie, Eddie! all joyful and happy. She’s so sweet and looks like she’s only ever known contentment. Eddie wishes she could be like this forever.

He puts his lips on Buck’s forehead and sighs softly. “Hi.”

“You’re baking.” Kind of obvious but the alternative would have been marry me, have my children please.

“You’re here.” Then they say at the same time. As though they can’t quite believe they’re there. But not there as in the loft, there as in right now, together, for the rest of their time on Earth.

Eddie would like to tell him that there’s no universe where he would willingly be someplace else knowing that being with Buck is an option. Instead, he looks at the wide hoodie and blushes. “You’re adorable, do you know that?”

“‘M not adorable,” Buck pouts while Jee tugs at one of his hoodie strings to get his attention. “I’m a grown man.”

And Eddie chuckles. “An adorable grown man.”

He thinks he will go back to church as soon as he can because he has to talk to the priest. Not now. Now he could do something crazy like scream hey, look, I found my joy! and then run away. But he eventually will.

After all, when that evening Jee-Yun leaves, he cuddles with Buck between Buck’s body and the back of the couch, pressed ridiculously close, and drags his fingers on the side of Buck’s torso, across his ribs, on his soft skin, right under the brown hoodie he’s been loving ever since he stepped foot in the loft. So now, he has more pressing matters to attend. Like burying his nose into his boyfriend’s curls.

Everything screams soft, soft, soft, but most of all: joy.

Eddie finally found his.

[completeoveranalysis]

[2]

OH! We open up RIGHT where we just were in xxxHolic!

The page starts with Lava Lamp in focus as he reacts with (understandable) confusion at what’s even happening - but then he notices Watanuki is there also, watching from a few feet away, and we zoom out to see the tableau we saw in xxxHolic, but from above.

No wait, I double checked. It's the same angle. (And yet interestingly they added extra detail for the Tsubasa version, with some more paint flecks and shading across the figures)

It’s very fitting that both Watanuki and Lava Lamp get to see this, even though only one of them is physically here. They’re both technically the same person, so if one of them gets to mysteriously meet their parents as they’re freed from the Jam Jar it makes SENSE that the other gets to see it happen too. They are equally the same child. Watanuki WAS Lava Lamp at one point, until he wasn't.

It feels like the universe might have glitched Watanuki into this location due to a coding error, but technically I imagine he’s probably just seeing this through his dream vision, since this is PROBABLY taking place in the dream realm, if anywhere. If reality is falling apart around you do you just default to being in the dream realm? Is the dream realm like the back up space where you just hang out behind reality if you’re not technically existing anywhere else?

Is the dream realm the original back rooms?

[cube-cumb3r]

GRAPHS AND STUFF (general form stats):

Here are some general summary stats:

Current amount of submissions: 160 (Pretty good!), 142 of which are people taking the form for the first time.

In total, all submissions have contributed to a total of 17 507 responses to questions (including mandatory questions and consent questions, because excluding them was too much work), which seems like an absurd number?? But I guess it makes sense mathematically. Individual submitters answered 118 questions on average.

Most people found this form from reblogs on tumblr, or from me pestering friends in some servers I'm in to take it . I'm impressed though with how many strangers found this form randomly on more serious sites such as surveyswap or surveycircle, or from a friend sending it to them!

In total, all responders have contributed with 124 409 characters written in the more open-ended freeform questions (such as "write anything" or elaborating on trolley vs.surgeon problem or writing own questions, for example), individual submitters averaged on 943 total characters written, and 57 characters per freeform question.

But these stats differed a little bit, depending on where you found the form! (You can also compare the stats from your own response group, to my stats LOL.) Perhaps unsurprisingly, total strangers who found the form on Surveyswap or Surveycircle were more eager to finish it early and get their Survey Credits, but also were more likely to give it a lower rating. Maybe because they are form veterans themselves their standards are a bit higher, or we just have differing senses of humor.

Some other fun stats, during their first run 25% of form-takers acquired the password, 29% of form-takers ended up in a time-loop and only 17% found the secret section at the end. Above is a breakdown of these stats, by where they found the form.

For those who retook the form 61% ended up finding the secret section at the end!

Is there anything else I can say that's fun to put here in summaries? Here's the demographics for each group of responder.

Idk if this one's interesting or if there's any type of meaning you can get out of this one. I guess there's more Americans on Tumblr?

Lastly, histogram of when people submitted their form responses (in my timezone).

Not super surprising results, more people responded when I was promoting it more heavily and not deep in the trenches trying to wrangle said responses into having any semblance of use.

Second one is the same data, but divided up between where people found the form (I suspect I'm the only one in the universe interested in this one). More of a dramatic peak on Discord, also not surprising since there's no "reblog" function on Discord, but also equally unsurprising is that people are finding it on SurveySwap or SurveyCircle randomly at a very regular pace.

Other stuff I haven't gotten around to investigating yet, in terms of overall form stats.

Which questions get skipped the most?

Is there a specific type of question most people skip?

Is there a specific type of responder more keen on skipping questions? (as in, skipped questions they did receive, discounting questions they didn't see because they submitted the form early .)

I'm gonna try to keep this post updated as I get more responses, and manage to milk more information out of this terrible and laggy and bloated Google Sheet I'm stuck working with.

(I also haven't gotten around to spamming it on various survey subreddits yet, mostly because I don't really know how to describe the purpose and "audience" of this form, other than being a Form That Hurts You, and intended audience is anyone who is unlucky enough to stumble across it. But it'd be equally interesting to see if people from Reddit respond to the questions in a different way than say people on Tumblr, right?)

NEXT UP:

Gonna look into the actual questions and share the most fun findings, because there definetly are some fun findings, (both statistically significant and deeeeeeply unsignificant)

Does anyone want to do my new google form

[pynkhues]

Please post the reunion fic!! I don't want to rush you, obviously, but I'm so eager to finally read it! Hope the class is great. :)

(x)

The class was intense, but good, anon, thank you!! And yes! I'm just proofreading now, but feel pretty on track to finally post the reunion fic. It's somehow ended up being 26k words, hahah. 🙈

Have a little excerpt while you wait:

-

Claudia.

The thought closes his throat now.

Foolish, he thinks, he’d only just been remembering her, but that was Europe, that was after, and this feels - - different. To try to imagine her as a girl, because his daughter had been too old for games like that, even at 14 when Louis had brought her home. Felt them silly, preferred even then to play tea and sympathy with her dolls or jump rope or play music or write for endless evenings in her diaries. A girl when they’d made her, yes, but a childhood he should’ve been a part of already somewhere behind her. Years missed out on even then, of first steps and words and stories (had he ever even gotten to carry her in his arms beyond the night he’d carried her home?), his daughter and his sister always second to the stranger, just as Lestat had said she was that night he’d made her for him, dragged from a house Louis had as good as burned down himself.

The feeling then, dark, bitter, always there but somehow, suddenly, bottomless in its depth. It loosens the grip of childhood and whispers in the ear of his father guilt, for he was never mother or maker or the Black angel she’d called him that night, but the thief of death, saved her from a fire just so a century later she could - -

No.

Louis exhales a roughened breath, shakes his head, tries to knock the thought out of himself as he finds his feet again, shuffling from the outdoor living section of the store to the promise of green. A cart of plants first, then another, then what feels like a forest of them, hundreds of ferns and figs and pots of climbing vines, plants brought in from the gardening section, protected in this concrete cell from the wilds of the hurricane outside, and for a moment, it almost brings him something like peace. A distraction from tonight’s own odyssey of recollection, unravelling in the hallowed halls of his head.

He touches a rubber leafed peperomia, a shaggy stemmed monkey-tail cactus, feels the frail slip of sunshine in a marigold petal, and it doesn’t surprise him, exactly, to find his thoughts straying to Armand’s tenderly cultivated magnolia tree, the roots left to creep beneath the stones of Louis’ only place of solace. Years of deception counted in inches grown, in new branches, in every deciduous season.

It sparks - - something, Louis thinks, inhaling deeper, tasting the pollen of the flowers here on his tongue, smelling the mixing fragrances like the perfume his mother once wore, and he turns, thinks to lose himself in it for a while, only to stop in his path to temporary oblivion. There, among the parlor palms, stands Lestat, his robe loose again and hanging, his shoulders a little hunched, his hair curling wet at the back of his neck, and something in Louis jumps. A little Claudia where his heart should be, skipping rope in the courtyard of his chest, and he tries not to think of the way everything except him seems to slip away to nothing as Louis slowly closes the distance between them again. Lestat ever the will-o'-the-wisp to Louis’ tired and lonely traveler.

[aria0fgold]

Ever think about how tragic it is to be in The Universe's place as a being that loves all of creation but can never express that in a way that the subjects of their affection can understand so they created a middle line of it. To grant any and all wishes just to show that they are there, they are listening, and they are giving you the means to grasp what you desire.

But it's never enough because to a higher being such as The Universe, with no bias on What wish to grant or a bias on What is right or wrong, they grant wishes indiscriminately. Because they love everyone, so they grant everyone's wishes, all the while bending it so as to prevent needless damage, because they love you.

But their love is also what hurts you, like how Loop had to give up in the end cuz of how hopeless it all seemed so Loop had to make another wish. And how Siffrin continued to suffer during the timeloops, and especially how much it hurts Loop, to see someone else achieve what they've always wanted to have. To Loop, they're The Universe's favourite cosmic joke but to The Universe, they love them.

They granted Loop's wish, and then granted another, they continuously grant Siffrin's wish. They love them, but they don't know how much it hurts all the same because they can't understand the way all of creation expresses love. Because their own language is incomprehensible to anyone else but them. Ever think about how lonely it must be to be a higher being with a language only they can understand.

[fairytwles]

“they would never get together” this “they would hate eachother” that!what happened to shipping two people who have never even been in the same room! why do ships have to make sense now! who cares! we used to be a proper country!

[wadesprincessboy]

Again with the "hi im also a Jew in Aotearoa" reblog, ive also noticed a huge rise in antisemitism. Since oct 7 i have felt increasingly unsafe existing as a Jewish person. I also happen to live in an area that is very largely leftist (or at least my circles in the area are) and i honestly feel most unsafe because of the leftists. Ive seen posters that are very clearly antisemitic everywhere, and the ones i saw calling for the freeing of hostages were crossed out and torn down. Ive shared this before but a pride event put in their kaupapa that theyre anti-zionist and my mum wore a hebrew shirt to the event (she went despite the anti-zionist stuff because its pride and she wanted to go) that said pride in rainbow letters. She was going to wear it regardless of the events kaupapa, and it was clearly a pride shirt, but she got disgusted looks from a lot of people.

Ive been using my dads last name out of concern for my safety due to having a very Jewish last name from my mum. I hate my dads name and it makes me feel sick to use it, but its for my safety. I always use my chosen name because its English, and when people ask about my birth name, which is Hebrew, and I tell them its Hebrew they again give disgusted looks. Prior to Oct 7 people would be interested in the story of my mum growing up in Jerusalem and how important being Jewish is to us, but now I just say the name was chosen because of the singer. I dont want to say the truth because im scared ill get hurt.

My mother overshares a lot and cant resist telling people about how she grew up in Israel and how important to her it is to go back some day, and every time she says it I prepare for the worst. The worst that's happened is again, the look, but im always scared.

All the leftists i know love hamas, some are celebrating the Amsterdam pogrom, they all dropped me for saying Jewish people have a right to exist in Israel. Not even saying Im a zionist, just saying Jews are indigenous and have rights. They dropped me. They put out "bewares" on socials.

I go to a yearly drama camp and so many people from there that i considered friends did things like that and i almost didnt apply to go back next year despite how much i love it. When i go back i will be shutting my mouth and keeping my head down because i do not want to ruin the experience.

It is unsafe to be Jewish here. Good friends have been cruel. Strangers are terrifying. I wont ever tell people Im Jewish if they dont already know because im so worried they will hate me.

I wanted to go to university, but the university i want to go to doesnt seem all that safe for me as a Jew anymore.

Ive lost countless friends since Oct 7.

To answer the askers question of "is anyone standing up for your community", no. Theyre doing the opposite. Heck even our own community turns on us (see: the book jewish not zionist, written by a member of my local Jewish community, who says Jews arent oppressed in Aotearoa). I think I know one or two people who arent Jewish who are standing up for us and standing with us at this time.

Also, in my town theres a big event in the city for Hannukah each year. I dont know if it happened last year, because i wasnt in town, but im worried about it this year. Its an event that i love so much. One of the few chances to meet other Jewish people in the area that dont go to the same synagogue. There is always a large police presence around, and i fear this year it will be worse. Hell im willing to bet there will be protests about it! Im worried it wont even happen. I hope it does and i pray we will all be safe, because its such a great event that i look forward to all year.

I would invite my best friend to come along as its a tradition for my family that we bring friends to share our culture with them, but my best friend is so loudly anti-zionist that if she agreed to come (i doubt she would) she would definitely cause issues. I imagine if theres protests shell be on that side.

It fucking sucks to be Jewish right now. Honestly it always has, ive never felt safe as a Jewish person in Aotearoa, but its so much worse now. We are lucky compared to other places, but its still not good.

Sorry for the long rant of a reblog btw, OP. Kinda just wanted to vent my experience since I dont think theres many other Jewish people from Aotearoa on this hellsite.

how bad is it to be jewish in NZ right now? is anyone standing up for your community? where i am antisemitism has gotten pretty bad and it feels like almost no one other than jews or ppl who are part jewish or married to jews is calling it out.

Per data from the community security group, post oct 7th to March, antisemitism increased 600%.

And this is only reported incidents.

There are not really anyone besides jews standing up for us.

The holocaust centre is getting involved with antisemitism at a university just for the sheer fucking amount of it. Leftist circles are practically rife with it.

I'd consider my ex friends to be your average leftist, like not far left but almost there. And they're super antisemitic. Celebrating the Amsterdam pogrom, calling hamas a resistance group, supporting the houthi etc.

The only support I've seen outside of jewish circles is a coworker tearing down antisemitic pro Palestine posters near our office. Like these weren't regular posters, they were antisemitic instead of being just pro Palestine

[sneverussape]

walpurgis

another one that's been in my drafts for a while. it's just a lil ficlet so don't expect much hehe

@greens-your-color prompt # 25: DEATH EATER (scenario 1)

summary: a group is taking over the Wizarding World's news by storm and severus is naturally curious

--

“Lily?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you heard of these? These Knights of Walpurgis?”

Lily turned to look at Severus only to give him a disdainful eyeroll. “What do you want to know about them for?”

“Well, who are they even?” Severus was more than a little curious, but he was also apprehensive.

“Nobody special. They’re just a bunch of people who believe in a load of malarkey.”

Severus frowned. That certainly wasn’t the description he expected. “Malarkey? Like what?”

This time, Lily granted him a heavy sigh from behind the heavy tome she was reading. “Honestly, Severus, you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Prophet. They’re just a group acting grand. Rich tossers who have too much time on their hands.”

“But is it true though, that they have access to hidden magics and things?” Severus felt his fingers itch at the notion. He was already taking advanced lessons in both Potions and Transfiguration, with both Lucius and Andi’s support and none of McGonagall’s and Dumbledore’s knowledge, and he was eager to learn beyond what books held, although he was careful to never share the reason. The few people who mattered would figure it out soon enough, but he avoided voicing it out loud to avoid any pretenses of hope. He was convinced mixing modern medicine and magic was the key to managing or even completely curing his condition altogether. Very few wizards in the past had already done so but they were all at least a century old. He had vowed to himself that he would engage in the same practice to figure out a cure, or at the very least die in the attempt. But he wasn’t going to tell Lily that, of course.

He asked her instead, “Do they know things beyond the books and the stuff they teach us? Like deeper magics? Blood magic?”

“Who told you that?” Lily looked at him this time, a frown twisting her features.

“Lucius,” Severus said before he could even stop himself. When he saw Lily’s expression darken, he caught himself and backtracked. “Not that it means anything, he was just talking shop…keeping me interested throughout lessons. Oh, don't make that face, Lily!”

“You’re fourteen and not living in the Wizarding World, he shouldn’t be telling you that.” Lily had snapped her book shut and was already making her way out of the plush armchair she had settled in. “I’m telling Mum and Dad—”

“No—!” Severus blocked his sister before she could make her way out of their father’s study. This conversation certainly wasn’t going the way he wanted. He had thought it was a simple enough question. “You don’t have to tell them, Lils, c’mon, I was just curious…”

Lily had grown an odd shade of red, as though she was angry. But why? Severus didn’t understand.

“The Knights of Walpurgis,” she spat the name as though it left a bad taste on her tongue, and her voice had dropped down to a hiss, “is a dangerous group, Severus, and you shouldn’t discuss them so casually.”

This time, it was Severus’ turn to frown. He could feel his dreams crumbling to dust before his very eyes. “I thought you said they were just a bunch of tossers. Why are you making it sound like they’re more than that?”

Lily shook her head vehemently. “Forget I said it. Don’t talk about them, Sev. I mean it. Lucius should not be talking about them to you.”

“Why shouldn’t he?” Defiance surged within him; Severus had never really liked being told what to do, especially by his sisters. It just wasn’t in his nature. “He’s my tutor, it’s his job to tell me things.”

“Not about this he isn’t! You wouldn’t understand…”

He caught her insinuation immediately and felt his face grow hot. “Because I’m not at Hogwarts, you mean? Or in the Wizarding World? I’m as much a wizard as any of you lot!”

Lily looked as though she had been struck. Her eyes widened comically wide. “That’s not what I meant!” she said, although her expression said otherwise. Lily had always been a terrible liar.

“That’s what you wanted to say,” Severus said, unable to control the bitterness in his tone. “Out with it then, Lils. You probably don’t even see me as one of you, because I don��t go to school in a magical castle and learn amongst giants and goblins and pixies. I probably don't even hold a wand right in your eyes.”

This time, tears welled in Lily’s eyes, crystal against vibrant green. “That’s not true, stop it, Severus! I have never thought that, and I never will!”

His chest had grown tight and Severus felt like crying himself. He knew Lily wasn’t trying to be mean, but somehow he also couldn’t help but feel the stab of self-pity that came at his own accusation. If his own sister thought he was beneath knowing something that was apparently commonplace news in the Wizarding World, what did the other kids think? Did they think he was some sort of…some sort of second-rate freak? Did Lily?

Severus tilted his chin up as he sniffed. He looked down at Lily with what he hoped was an imperious glare as he said, “Forget I asked. I shan’t bother you about it again.”

He stood and turned to stomp out of the room, tuning out Lily calling out to him. He shouldn’t have asked her. He shouldn’t have asked any of them. He should have just asked Lucius. Lucius would know. Lucius always answered his questions. Lucius wouldn’t think he was a freak.

As he walked away, Severus unconsciously scrubbed at the tears that were gathering at the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

[verboselocket38]

Who’s a hardcore swiftie

I dunno if Swifties will exsist in the year 2772 but music can be timeless and remembered for generations I guess. I think Lexi is the person who is a "Swiftie" or listens to her a lot.

The singer that has the equivalent to Taylor Swift's early 2000s popularity is Rebecca Rabbit, she's a popular hiphop / pop singer.

A decendant of Roger and Jessica Rabbit :3

[buttercup-barf]

Under the cut are mostly self-insert doodles of decreasing quality. Again, not much directly tied to Team Fortress 2. Might as well toss these out while I have no access to my puter. Much yapping under the cut and in the tags incoming.

Another self-insert, this time less of a "here's me as a tenth class" and more of a "here's my game experiences translated into the class I would take the place of". The Cleaner. Although I guess they could still be wearing either suit. It doesn't matter that much.

That one Convict's Case taunt with Backup would be extremely funny, because the man would be on the verge of a breakdown (he does not want to go to jail so bad you have no idea). The second image- I owe no explanation. You know what I am. You see the pattern with my favourites.

The duality of the man. Resting face versus "just heard you express interest in religion/Russian folklore" face. He's not that hard to make friends with, when you pull him away from all the explosions.

Some doodles of trying to figure his face out. Unfortunately, the more I stare at him, the more I worry that he looks like A Certain Guy With The Last Name "Kazarin", and the fear of never being original in my life caught up to me.

Don't look at me, don't perceive me, I refuse to explain any of my actions to you.

[discordiansamba]

he wakes up the next morning with the sun.

he stares out his window blearily. finding out he was a firebender at least made his early rising habits make more sense. he made a mental note to try and properly learn it, even if he decided to stay as lee. he should probably try and learn more about the fire nation in general. it was as much a part of him as the earth kingdom was now.

he yawns, makes himself breakfast. he tries putting on the fire nation clothes he was given, and assesses himself in the mirror. they don't look right on him, he thinks. he changes back into earth kingdom green, and instantly feels more relaxed. he braids his hair and heads to work.

the regulars are thrilled to see him again.

lee's happy to see them again too. he'd missed them. he catches up to what they've been up to since he left. lin did attract the attention of that cute bookshop girl. yukio did get into ba sing se university. toshio lets him hold his third child- who promptly yanks on his bangs with impressive grip strength for an infant. owwwww.

as the day goes on, he falls into a familiar rhythm. jin drops by on her lunch break to see him. he takes his lunch break in the back, catching up with his coworkers. he tells everyone that he was asked to be the personal tea server of a high ranking earth kingdom noble, but that he'd missed ba sing se so much he'd decided to come back.

"you can take the boy out of ba sing se," one of them chuckles, "-but you can't take the ba sing se out of the boy."

it's true, lee thinks. even if he goes back to being zuko, he'll likely be forever reshaped by his time as lee. it's... oddly comforting, in a way. the life he built for himself here would still mean something, even if he returned to being a fire nation prince. part of his heart will always stay with ba sing se.

it's shockingly easy to fall back into old routines.

he wakes up at dawn, makes himself breakfast, then gets dressed and braids his hair. he goes to work. jin visits on her lunch break. he works until the evening, chatting with the regulars and making small talk with the newer customers. he stops by the market on the way home and buys ingredients for dinner- then goes home and makes it. he goes to the bathhouse after dinner. sometimes he runs into jin. sometimes he doesn't.

his life is peaceful. it's happy.

...but he's suddenly aware that something is missing.

he goes to the library on his first day off. he spends the entire day reading up on the fire nation, devouring every piece of information he can find. he learns about the hundred year war. prince zuko is a mere footnote in it, but it's always jarring whenever he's brought up. he reads the few books on firebending he can find.

he spends a lot of time with jin.

spirits, he thinks. he really does love her. and if he goes back to being zuko, there's a good chance he'll have to give her up. at the same time, he wonders if this is even fair to jin. lee doesn't really exist, but... he could make him exist. if what katara says is true, he'll wake up one day and completely be lee. he'll be no different from anyone else.

(it's comforting and horrifying at the same time.)

jin keeps waiting for him to talk to her.

he keeps putting it off. because even if he chooses to stay as lee, she deserves to know the truth. and he could still very well lose her all the same. before he knows it, his month here is almost up, and he still hasn't told her anything. he can sense she's getting impatient. so on their next shared day off, he works up his courage.

he spoils her that day. they go and visit the zoo in the outer ring- the one avatar aang made himself, apparently. they eat lunch at a food stall in the lower ring, then sit and watch the local player's current production about avatar kyoshi and chin the conqueror. in the evening, they eat dinner at their favorite restaurant. they end the night at the firelight fountain.

it's wonderful. it's perfect.

"jin," he tells her, "-there's something I need to tell you."

it's an odd feeling, telling his nephew about himself.

but it is clear that the young man sitting across from iroh is not his nephew- as much as he might have zuko's face and body. even with the knowledge of his true self, he still treats him as a distant stranger- one that he must be deeply respectful of, but still a stranger. katara has kept him abreast of the situation, though he suspects there is something the young waterbender has been keeping to herself.

looking at lee, he suspects he can sense what it is.

he tells lee of zuko's agni kai.

he tells him what lead to it. lee looks surprised at zuko's outrage at the planned sacrifice of young soldiers. he is not sure he can blame him- he can only imagine what zuko's reputation is in the earth kingdom. to them he was only a banished prince, disloyal to his father and punished for it without knowing the exact reason why. he had chased the avatar with the intent of turning him over to his father, and then had helped conquer ba sing se.

iroh holds nothing back.

he tells lee of zuko. of how he let himself be redefined by his anger after the agni kai. but he also tells him that he helped the avatar escape pohuai stronghold, even if his reasons for doing so were less than pure. he tells them of their life as refugees. he tells them of zuko's choice under lake laogai, when he freed appa.

he tells him of how he chose to ally with his sister during the coup.

lee listens to him quietly- but it is like he is being told a story about another person. someone he's never met. when iroh is finished, lee exhales, as if he's been holding his breath all this time. it has been some time since iroh started speaking, but there is still steam rising from lee's cup.

"he wasn't happy," lee says, "-was he?"

"no," iroh admits, "-not for a long time. not since his mother disappeared."

lee cannot meet his eyes. he opens his mouth and shuts it, like there is something he wishes to say, but cannot manage. iroh sighs, and gives him his word as fire lord that whatever he wishes to say to him, he can say it without consequence. lee takes in a deep breath, and slowly lets it out.

"i don't know," he admits, "-if I want to go back."

and there it is, out in the open.

it would not be the first child iroh has lost to ba sing se. this is perhaps a kinder way to lose one. zuko would not be himself, but he could be happy there. they will have to deal with lan-wei and azula, but if that is the path he wishes to choose... then iroh will support it. he asks him only to think about it before he makes his choice.

deep down, he has wondered if a distant promise of happiness was what finally made zuko surrender.

"lady mai tells me this is the royal family's personal villa," lee says after a moment, "-but I don't know this place. I've never been here before, but there are portraits all over the place of someone who looks just like me. i can't get comfortable here."

"...I think I need to go home. to ba sing se."

"and if you go," iroh asks, "-will you be able to make up your mind?"

lee nods. iroh heaves a sigh. in truth, he does not want to let him go. but his nephew must make his own decisions. he is eighteen now. nearly an adult. the last time iroh tried to force him into seeing things his way, it did not end as he'd hoped. not for himself- nor for zuko.

"then go," iroh says, "-one way or another, you will find the answers you seek there."

[sanchoyoscribbles]

karma and charmarielle, and angel and demon who are roommates !

redesigns of ocs from 2012 (this is actually the 2nd redesign I did of them, first was in 2019 or 2020 but I was unhappy w that redesign)

they got in a fight where charmarielle was trying to hunt down karma and send her back to hell, and in the fight karma stole her halo where her divinity is, and charmarielle stole karma's horns, where her malice is. theyre both stuck as humans now with all the Human Emotions they both lacked before...

they live together bc they were both lookn for roommates to afford an apartment on the low wage jobs they had to get, and theyre both looking for each other knowing they rendered the other powerless but they other holds their key to getting they powers back/getting back to heaven and hell. but neither know who the other one is/what they look like in their human forms and become friends accidentally (gfs later) the story is like. them trying to convince the other theyre a Very Normal Human :) while being wildly dysfunctional abt it LOL. average late 20s girlies. by the end ofc they dont care abt returning bc theyve learned to be human and are in LOVE 🫶

(they are still both objectively kinda jerks tho <3)