#that entire scene especially tore me apart

[beware-of-you-98]

i know, i know, jj is so fucking strong and she perseveres despite everything she’s gone through, i know, but fucking hell my heart is breaking over and over for her

the far away look in her eyes

the constant fidgeting to keep herself present

the way she only has the bare minimum amount of skin showing, even to where she’s covering her hands

my heart hurts for her so much and she’s forcing herself to deal with all of this alone

[sailor-aviator]

We Abide: Prologue

We Abide: Prologue

Pairing: Tyler Owens x Reader

Summary: It had started out as a small outbreak, but as weeks passed, it was clear there was no turning back. The disease spread quickly, and those who caught it and were unlucky enough to survive? Their minds were no longer their own, driven to hunting what was left of humanity. Your friend had gone West to help aid in recovery efforts before the world stopped, and now you found yourself trekking across the country to try and find her. You were fine on your own, only the company of your dog to help keep you sane, but your reputation catches up with you when a cocky man decides to tag along. (Apocalypse!AU)

Content Warning: Apocalypse, End of the World, Feelings of Despair, Lost Hope. I think that's it, but PLEASE let me know if I missed something!

Word Count: 1.1k

Series Masterlist || Playlist || Moodboard 1 || Moodboard 2 || Tyler Moodboard

One could argue that humanity’s oldest enemy was pestilence. Entire illnesses wiping out thousands and even millions all at once, leaving only the strongest behind to carry on. Humankind funneled money into researching cures for different diseases—cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and more. Disease tore families apart, leaving children without parents, parents mourning the deaths of their children, friend burying friend.

Humanity always survived to carry on.

When news of a new virus began to spread, those that carried on with worry were ridiculed and called paranoid. Even when the first death was reported, most people didn’t take it seriously.

“It’s just another scare tactic,” you had heard one of your neighbors scoff one afternoon as you stopped to get your mail.

“Just like with Covid. It’s just to get us to fall in line, you’ll see!” The older man had insisted. You had fought back a smile at the time, shaking your head at the ridiculousness of it all. You hadn’t laughed since.

The scientific community had dubbed it the Exodus Virus, but formal studies had shown that it was some type of rabies virus, attacking the nervous system and ultimately leading to death. Few were lucky enough to survive it at first, although lucky perhaps wasn’t the right word for it—not when the ramifications showed themselves preferable to death.

They were isolated incidents at first, just random acts of violence, but it wasn’t long before people started putting two and two together.

It became clear to experts that the virus created lasting damage within its hosts—causing violent mood swings, hallucinations, and aggression. It wasn’t long before the whole of social media dubbed these victims “snappers” for the way they seemed to just snap at a moment's notice.

The number of cases grew with each passing day, and it wasn’t long until your best friend, Kate, volunteered to be shipped off to where the cases were worst in the country.

“I wish you wouldn’t go,” you muttered, sitting across from the blonde on your small balcony overlooking the busy New York street below. You were a bit of a recluse at times, Kate being the one to pull you out of your shell and into the social scene most times. It wasn’t that you didn’t like being social, it was just that you were selective about who you wanted to be social with. Kate had adopted you as her best friend on the first day of kindergarten, the two of you practically inseparable since. The two of you moved to New York to pursue your education together, moving in together to afford the miserably high rent.

“It won’t be for long,” she had assured you, leaning over to grab your hand in hers. “This crisis will be over soon with all these scientists working on a cure. You just wait and see, I’ll be home before you know it!”

And a few days later she had boarded a plane to fly across the country to California. You worried after her, especially when news of a particularly large outbreak near Los Angeles made its way back to you. You had called Kate almost immediately, her reassurance doing little to calm the fear in the pit of your stomach.

“They’ve got me bouncing around all over the place right now,” she told you, a heavy sigh in her voice. You could see the bags under her eyes, much darker than before she left. Weariness radiated off of her in waves, and you felt exhausted just looking at her.

“You been sleeping okay?” You asked, earning a crooked smile in return.

“Yeah, when I can,” she offered with a wave of her hand. “This pandemic keeps us pretty busy.”

“You can’t save the world if you’re dead, Kate,” you scowled, a furrow in your brows. Her smile drooped, her lack of energy preventing her from keeping up appearances for too long.

“I’ll try and get some more rest,” she offered. “Now tell me all about the new exhibit at the museum.”

That had been the last time you spoke with her, her job keeping her too busy to keep up with phone calls. The Exodus Virus had several more outbreaks in the following weeks, and panic began to set in as the masses realized that things had turned from serious to dire. People began taking the health protocols seriously, but by then it had been too late.

The disease began to infect more and more people, the death toll skyrocketing as everyday life began to collapse all around you. As more people fell victim, the more things began to break down, and soon your phone became little more than a paperweight as things like phone calls and the internet stopped working. Soon, only those with generators were able to light up their homes, and the sky that once reflected the never ending lights of the city now shone with stars that hadn’t been seen in years.

It wasn’t unusual to find people sitting on top of the different buildings, looking up at a sky that was once so familiar to their ancestors, the cosmos staring back at faces they had never seen before. But with each passing day, those faces dwindled, and every day you wondered if you’d see your family or Kate again. Your shared friends had long since gone, and it was one random day, sitting at your small dining room table, that you decided that you had had enough of sitting and waiting for the end. You had to do something, but you weren’t sure what. All you knew is that you couldn’t stay in the all but abandoned city anymore, waiting for salvation that wouldn’t come to you on its own.

You packed a bag, making sure to pack essentials only so as to not weigh yourself down. Cars and gas were amongst the first luxuries to go in this new world, so you knew you’d be making your journey on foot most of the time. You took a map from one of the abandoned bodegas along with a sharpie. Kate had said that they kept her moving the last time you spoke with her, but you knew she was based out in California. You would aim the end of your journey there, hoping your best friend had found shelter in one of those communities you had heard some of the city stragglers muttering about. Communities built to contain the healthy—to keep them away from the snappers that now roamed the new wild lands of what had once been the United States. You didn’t know how long your journey would take, or how far it would take you. You didn’t know if you would find Kate or any of the rumored communities along the way. You didn’t know what lay ahead of you.

But you would survive.

A/N: Here it is! The prologue for my new (and first) Tyler Owens fic! I'm so excited for this one because it's another story idea I've been playing around with for like ten years now. I can't wait to hear what y'all think!

As always, reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated. If you would like to receive updates on when I post, please follow my sideblog (@sailoraviator-library) and turn on post notifications! You can also find my works on AO3 under the username sailor_aviator. Until next time!

[sunlighthroughthe-ashes]

i adore the textures of lovely runner: the soft light stemming from both sadness and beauty.

especially this scene in ep. 12: sweet; and bitter all at once. sol knows this is her last night with sunjae before she has to let him go: to leave the warmth of his life.

she doesn't want to go away without telling him her feelings. "i like you," she says — i want you to know you were all i ever wanted. i don't want to leave without you knowing how much you meant to me. how much your affection mattered. i want you to know that i care — that i have always cared and always will, even when i'm no longer with you.

sunjae's response is entirely selfless — meant to wash away all of sol's fear regarding his destiny. "i love you, sol;" he says — i love you no matter where i go or where we end up. i love you no matter what happens to me. don't be afraid of losing me: my love will always be with you. it will always last.

both their confessions are meant to liberate each other — to wipe away worry; fear, apprehension. always, always, looking out for each other.

and the slow intensity of their kiss afterward: all that desire dancing between their lips — their wish that this night could last forever. could never end.

maybe i'm breaking my own heart, but i wonder what sol thought in the timeline after sunjae died on that cliff — as she watched him sink beneath the water.

did she regret not telling him she loved him?

did she think: "forgive me, sunjae-ah, for letting you die without telling you i loved you. for letting my last words to you be a lie. i just wanted you safe. all i ever wanted was to keep you safe."

and she tore apart her own love; her own time — to keep him safe.

to keep him alive.

and sunjae remembered every single thing she did, turning fate's fabric inside out in his love for her.

what other love story could possibly compare?

[thestargayzingetherian]

Shadow Weaver's "Redemption"

So I often see posts going around about Shadow Weaver's death scene and how she "deserved worse" or "doesn't even count as a redemption". In my opinion, like a lot of She-Ra stuff online, it ignores a lot of the nuance of the show's actual writing.

I don't really call her arc a redemption arc... but I do see this scene in particular as her finally, at long last realising how much harm she's caused to Catra and Adora. By keeping them apart... she's actually made Adora weaker, ironically, all those years of manipulation... and it's been for nothing. Adora isn't her perfect little pawn, she's weak and dying of green prime virus running through her and hurting at the thought of her best friend dying to Prime's little pet cthulu.

I see way too many people say that SW should have died sooner and to be honest, yes, if this was any other story, yeah they'd have probably killed her around season 3. If they genuinely did want her to have a redemption, they'd have made her arc in seasons 3 and 4 more genuine, have her work to really be an ally of the rebellion and not being the manipulative witch she'd always been. But that's not what Nate Stevenson wanted to do. By keeping SW around as long as the show did, they got do more with her and show how someone like her is in various environments, both in the Horde and on the side of the rebellion.

I genuinely think this WAS SW doing a "one good thing" like Catra did. And to be honest, it was the only good thing she could really do. There is no way that if she did survive this that she could truly make ammends for the harm and cycles of abuse she perpetuated, especially not at this point in the story.

Hordak was at least under the influence of his programming and war was the only thing he knew when he started the Horde. Sure, he's not entirely absolved of his actions in the war, but he's at least more of a victim and his compassion for Entrapta show's he's at least worthy of a second chance. Shadow Weaver was clearly a woman driven by power, a desperate need for control and that was her own choice, likely from being scared of being weak. (I believe she was telling the truth when she told Catra that Catra reminded her of herself, that she was once a weak and hurt young woman who hated being weak and wanted to be stronger and that began her lust for power.)

Also, what she says to Catra and Adora? "It's much too late for me, but your story is just beginning. I'm so proud of you. You're welcome."

She could have very easily just said sorry, much like Catra did when she rescued Glimmer.... but would ANY apology be really able to make up for what she did? No, probably not. Instead its just... "you're welcome" as if to say "you're finally rid of me, congrats". Because she knows that pain now and how it tore Catra and Adora apart. And the fact she does this with her mask off, without any hint of lies, as if to be finally honest for the first time in so long.

I know it's fun to dunk on SW and say she's the worst ever and yeah, I do enjoy that too... but I also know what her arc, if you can call it, that is about and why she is in the story. Like everything in She-Ra, she has a lot of nuance to her, even if you didn't realise it.

[dragoncookies]

The Unlocked Healing Center Scene

There are many, MANY scenes in which you could pick apart the ever-loving shit out of Fitz's dialogue and his actions, or just look at how his character is treated from the POV the scene is being told from and compare that to what objectively might be happening.

But one of my favorite's has got to be the Unlocked healing center scene from Keefe's POV, because GOLLY was Fitz just bagged on in that scene, in an almost undetectable way.

(This also isn't meant to be hate on Keefe btw. He's a fine character, not my absolute favorite, but there's no reason to hate on him. It just so happens that Keefe's POV of Fitz is especially patronizing in this scene).

First of all, Shannon starts the scene with presenting us with how lonely and sad he was, just straight up:

”sadness

Nervousness

Regret

Loneliness

Plus a hefty dash of anger.

Coming straight from Fitz” (-Unlocked, idk what page lmao).

I mean, the man was grieving. He just broke up with his maybe girlfriend AND lost the only chance he had to finding his terrorist older brother (who might or might not want to end him and who has caused him and his family immense stress/trauma for the past 4 books if not their entire lives to a degree) in one fell swoop (because of the maybe girlfriend he trusted a lot, not to mention Fitz values trust almost more than he does love so you could basically say the girl he loved).

Me personally? I would just cease to exist after that, but here we have sad, nervous, regretful, lonely and angry Fitz in the healing center waiting for his maybe-bro to wake up. 

Once Keefe DID wake up, Fitz was nothing if not worried for Keefe and trying to comfort Keefe. Fitz was obviously GENUINELY worried for Keefe. Look at this:

”Fitz tore a hand through his boringly perfect hair. ‘I get why your mad. But I’m only trying to help. I know what you’re going through-‘

’Right-you totally know what it’s like to have you mom do deadly experiments on you,’ Keefe muttered. ‘I must’ve forgotten that part of the Vacker history.”

’Maybe not,’ Fitz conceded, ‘but I know what it’s like to have a traitor in the family. And I also remember how scary it is to wake up in one of these cots after being brutally attacked-just like I know how hard it is to talk about what’s wrong, because it feels like you’re admitting the Neverseen beat you. But they only win if you keep pretending everything’s normal, because you end up making the damage permanent.’

’I’m not damaged-‘

‘You’re right. That’s the wrong word.’ Fitz blew out a breath. ‘Look, all I’m trying to say is that I wouldn’t be walking right now if I hadn’t let Elwin help me. I probably wouldn’t even be alive. So I want to make sure you get the help you need-and you do need it, Keefe. No matter what you believe. But accepting help doesn’t make you weak. It just means you’re taking care of yourself.’”

Such an underrated Fitz moment, imo.

First and foremost, lets just take a second to point out the "boringly perfect" hair comment. I don't know why this stuck out to me, but it shows how differently these two characters think. While Fitz has his hair styled "perfectly" because its been his lifestyle to maintain a perfect façade, here we can see that Keefe STILL doesn't understand just what goes beyond this perfect façade of Fitz's. Keefe values freedom, loves rebellion, and his hairstyle reflects that. Keefe makes it messy, but a masterpiece. To Keefe, Fitz's hair is just generic and standard. Perfect, well presenting, but it follows the standard of whatever is considered "perfect" to elves, so we can see that it is repulsive to Keefe's nature.

This is much the same as how much Keefe sees the scale of what Alvar's disappearance has done to the Vacker Family. Keefe continues to reject the idea that the Vackers aren't as perfect as he once believed. As soon as Fitz even mentioned the idea of empathy for Keefe, the idea of relating to him, Keefe immediately rejects it, and rejects the idea that Fitz could have gone through any mental/emotional turbulence as a result of the horrendous situations Alvar has put him and his family through. I mean, for crying out loud, Fitz had literally tried to kill his brother in an emotional mess of conflicting feelings and guilt just two books ago, and unheard of crime for the elves. Fitz had to spend weeks and WEEKS in the healing center. Keefe was there when Alvar, on his deathbed, described how the "Vacker Legacy" was what drove him to a life of crime.

Yes, Keefe was having a rough time to put it lightly, but taking it out on others isn't justified (if you want to be mad at Fitz for taking his anger out on others, now you have to be mad at Keefe for taking his emotional distress out on his friend). We can certainly understand it, but we can't justify it, and because the POV is from a likable character, we're more willing to trust what the character says. Since Keefe presents Fitz's actions in a way that makes them seem appalling and jerk-y, and if Keefe presents this idea in his POV that Fitz is always Mr. Perfect and never has trouble in his family, then the readers are more likely to believe that. Objectively, based on what Fitz is saying and doing, we can see he's struggled and is struggling a lot. Fitz had to have worked on learning to receive help himself (asking for help is a SKILL, believe it or not) in order to truly explain how important it is to Keefe in the way he did.

Who just says "Accepting help doesn't make you weak, it just means you're taking care of yourself" and doesn't mean it in the kindest, most sincerest way ever?

Not just Keefe can take this advice, anyone should.

Side note: I also feel like he gave himself bad flashbacks to when he called Sophie damaged in book two when he accidentally used the word here. Ouch.

At another point in this scene, Keefe also shows how irrational he can be, as Fitz is simply trying to do the right thing and get Keefe the help he needs, and Keefe is ABSOLUTELY DEMONIZING Fitz for it. Keefe's health was Fitz's priority, and Fitz didn't necessarily care if he stepped on Keefe's toes to get him the help that he couldn't see he needed (Sophie was in the room as this point):

Unlocked page 561:

“‘Uh, you should probably step back, Sophie,’ Fitz warned. ‘I think your emotions are too strong for him.’

’No, they’re not!’ Keefe argued-and wow,did his voice sound strained. He cleared his throat and tried again. ‘Nothings wrong. I swear, I’m fine.’

’He keeps saying that,’ Fitz told her-because he was begging for a face-punch. And if the world hadn’t gotten so spinny, Keefe might’ve given it to him when Fitz added, ‘But Keefe’s been picking up all our emotions without even trying. And he’s always been able to do that with you, so I think you’re overwhelming him right now.’

’Okay, I’m done liking Captain Perfectpants,’ Ro announced.

‘Keefe was right there with her-which was probably why he blurted out, ‘Uh, for the record, most of the emotions are coming from you, Fitzy. You wouldn’t happen to have some unresolved feelings for anyone in this room, would you?’”

I'm not gonna lie, if somebody read my emotions and called me out on something that I was VERY touchy about, and was a relatively new blow, I would just leave the room. That was an A class jerk move right there.

Not saying Keefe IS a jerk, because all the characters have acted jerk-y in the series and everyone has their moments, but it was still pretty rude of Keefe to make that comment. What’s annoying is that nobody in the books seemed to react as though it is rude when Keefe makes these kinds of comments. If it was anybody else who had said that, there would be an apology required in order for that character to be redeemed. 

Keefe also literally wanted to PUNCH Fitz, because Fitz was...making sure Keefe stayed alive? Because Fitz cared enough about Keefe's health to make sure the details were pressed out and make sure the facts of the situation were clear? So Elwin could actually do his job??

Keefe hated Fitz in this moment because Fitz was being a practical, helpful guy, but from Keefe's perspective it just makes Fitz look like an asshole.

Ro’s unsolicited opinions are also very unhelpful, since Ro is written to be in support of what Keefe wants (or just in support of whatever will make Sokeefe happen…she’s kind of creepy about her Sokeefe obsession ngl), it makes her more likable and therefore the readers are more likely to trust what she says or take her opinion as their own. 

But Ro saying things like “I’m done liking Captain Perfect Pants” is rude, because it 1), insinuates she will only like someone based on how much they please her, and 2) denotes him to his perfect facade, which undermines his brilliant and complex character. 

Eventually, Keefe tried to apologize to Sophie in a telepathic conversation. He didn’t remotely consider apologizing to Fitz. 

I mean, Keefe was crazy terrified and hurting but...I don’t get how when Fitz was hurt and acted out he was suddenly “toxic and trash”, but when Keefe did the exact same thing nobody said anything.

And nobody even knows Fitz is hurt because nobody asks him. Nobody talks to him about how hard the Alvar situation is for him because they’re scared he’ll just get mad and yell at them, or they just assume he’s just mad about it and wanted to kill Alvar. 

Is nobody going to see that there’s some deep emotional/mental trauma to unpack here? Is he always just going to have to help himself all the time?

At least Keefe has people who understand him, who are willing to talk to him about what’s wrong and help him through it. He had a seriously traumatic childhood, and I’m not comparing their trauma or anything, that’s not what I’m trying to do. What I am trying to say is, Keefe’s got a whole crew of people helping him, people who want to make sure he’s okay, people who care for him, and he rejects it, deems them annoying in Fitz’s case, and just discounts the effort and energy they spend on him.

There is a lot more to unpack from this scene, but it’s mostly all along a similar vein of what I talked about here (this is long enough haha). There are also tons of little details about the Vackers in Unlocked that just emphasize how pressured Fitz is into the Vacker mold, and how the Alvar drama just makes it worse. 

For example: reading Fitz’s registry file, it says that it is “highly suggested that he choose someone on his match list” because of how dragged the Vacker name already is. So when people want to get upset with him for choosing "his reputation over Sophie", we have text evidence that its more complicated than that. Fitz isn't just choosing between being liked by the world and the person he likes, he's choosing whether or not to maintain a level of peace within his family at his own sacrifice. SPOILERS! (if you haven't read stellarlune don't read the rest of this paragraph). Eventually it was his sacrifice, because as of stellar lune, Sokeefe is official. Fitz couldn't repair things with Sophie quick enough, so she moved on.

It also mentions in Keefe’s detention slip write ups about how people actually hassle Biana and Fitz at Foxfire for Alvar being apart of the Neverseen. Because of their family, because of the Alvar drama, Fitz and Biana can't go to school without people bullying them.

Theres also this sad note in Fitz’s Base Quest instructions where Fitz writes about how you can use you special abilities while playing base quest, but included a little side note that said “but it's no fun when you turn invisible the whole time and hide Alvar!” Which just insinuates that Alvar would turn invisible and leave to go do whatever else he wanted while Fitz still thought they were playing. :( 

Depressing. 

[imagines--galore]

||The Thread of Fate|| Part Nineteen

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Part Eight, Part Nine, Part Ten, Part Eleven, Part Twelve, Part Thirteen, Part Fourteen, Part Fifteen, Part Sixteen, Part Seventeen, Part Eighteen,

A/N: I think the aftermath of the last chapter is more angsty then the previous chapter : P

"I'm home!" Orora called as she stepped through the doors of the apartment above the tea shop. Iroh, who had been doing some inventory looked up and smiled.

"Welcome home Orora. I trust your little shopping excursion was a success?" She nodded, setting her bags down on the floor. "It was. And I got more then a little extra since Aang and the others will be coming over for dinner."

Iroh nodded. "Better to be prepared. Especially since that friend of yours, Sokka, tends to eat quite a lot." Orora giggled before glancing around. "Where's Zuko?" She asked.

"He just stepped outside to get some fresh air. He was pacing rather anxiously. He still doesn't like you wandering around on your own." Her Master reminded her, to which she rolled her eyes. "Well he can't follow me around our whole lives." The girl called over her shoulder as she walked towards the balcony door.

Sliding it open, she was met with the sight of Zuko glaring at her. "I can and I will." He stated, referring to the conversation she was just having with his Uncle. Laughing softly to herself, Orora shook her head and stepped out next to him, closing the door behind her as she did.

"Well that would count as extra work. And I doubt you would have time for that while also running an entire Nation." She playfully tapped him on the nose. "I'll find a way. I always find a way to come back to you don't I, My Fire Lady?" He asked, a smile on his lips, one she never got tired of seeing. Her heart swelled and Orora responded in kind. Reaching up on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his lips.

She moved to step away from him, her mouth opening to speak when a sudden flash of lightning had the entire scene changing.

Blue eyes blinked, trying to get rid of the temporary blindness it had caused her.

The sight that greeted her, had her eyes widening in horror and nearly caused her heart to stop.

Azula and Zuko, facing one another, with Azula's fingers smoking as it did whenever she would release a bout of lightning.

Lightning that was crackling through the air.

Aiming at Zuko's chest.

A scream tore through the air, and it took a moment for her to realize that she was the one screaming. She made to run towards him, to stop the deadly weapon, but she was too slow.

She blinked.

And she was holding Zuko in her arms. His body trembled as residue lightning crackled through his entire being. There was an ugly wound in the center of his chest.

He wasn't breathing.

"Zuko! No! Zuko! Zuko! Wake up! Wake up!" She called out to him, begged him to open his eyes. Over and over. She smacked his chest, trying to use her Healing Abilities, but to no avail.

She blinked.

Zuko had disappeared from her arms, only to be replaced by Iroh. His injuries were the same as Zuko's. His face was so pale, his breathing ragged. "Master?" She whispered, her mind racing. Hadn't she healed him? He was better now! He had gotten better. He had lived.

She blinked.

Aang, with a wound in the same place as Zuko and Iroh before. His eyes flickered, as he raised a hand feebly towards her face. Orora began to breath sporadically, her mind spinning as she watched the Avatar, a child, slowly die in her arms.

She blinked.

Katara in the same condition as the previous three. Her eyes once full of love and life, staring unseeing at the ceiling above. Orora couldn't bear it anymore. She grabbed the girl's shoulders and began to shake her, calling out to her, trying to wake her up.

She blinked.

Sokka, his eyes closed, and his chest frozen. Never to rise again with the large wound that gaped in his chest. "Sokka!' She didn't let go of his shoulders.

"Wake up! Please! You still need to teach me stuff! You need to show me how real brothers are! Please! Just open your eyes!"

She blinked.

"Katara! No please! Come back! Come back! You have to live. You have to see the world not fighting! You have to wake up! You can't leave!"

She blinked.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't heal you Master! Please! Don't leave me! Don't leave me! Master! Uncle! Father! Father, please! Father!"

She blinked.

"No! No! No! Aang! No! Don't die! People need you Aang! I need you! Wake up! You still have to show me the Air Temples! You promised! Aang! Aang!"

She blinked.

"No! You don't get to leave me! You have to live! You have to live for me! With me! Please Zuko! I beg you! Open your eyes!"

A movement from the corner of her eyes had her raising her despair filled eyes to the figure now standing next to her.

It was Zuko.

And yet, it wasn't.

This couldn't be her Zuko. He would never look at her with such hatred and venom in his amber eyes. Her arms tightened around Zuko's body as the Zuko in front of her, who was very much alive, raised a fist.

In her heart, no in her soul, she knew what was coming. Knew she should run. Defend herself.

But she didn't.

She simply sat there, cradling Zuko's body as she watched the other Zuko bring his fist down, a ball of fire raging strong and hot as he aimed at her chest.

Right where her heart was.............

                                          ————————–

Orora shot up with a startled cry.

Her chest rose and fell as she panted. Sweat coated her entire body. Her eyes darted around the darkened room, frantic and panicked. For a moment, she didn't remember where she was.

But then, her gaze fell on the figure sleeping in the bed, with another figure beside them, holding their hand.

She was on a ship, her brain reminded her. She was on a disguised Fire Nation ship with her friends and members of her sister tribe. Aang was asleep in the bed, with Katara sitting vigil at his side, holding his hand.

As the reality sunk in, her breathing calmed and the panic left her eyes. Slowly, her heartbeat returned to normal. And yet the images of her most recent nightmare continued to play in her mind.

Shaking her head to try and dispel the thoughts, she stood to gently lay a hand on Aang's forehead, checking for a fever. Normal body temperature greeted her, prompting her to let out a sigh of relief and slowly slide away and back onto the floor where she had probably fallen asleep after staring up at the ceiling for hours.

Her mind wandered to all that had happened since they had joined Sokka and Katara's tribe.

                                          ————————–

They had landed on the ship, the familiar structure providing her with some comfort as friendly faces surrounded them. Sokka, Toph and the Earth King and his pet had slid down, while she had helped Katara get Aang down from Appa's head.

Katara had still been near catatonic as she cradled Aang close to her. Sokka and another figure, a man, had moved forward, mouth open to question her. But she gave them no chance. Orora took charge, ordering for mats and blankets, bandages and any salve they might have for burns. Turns out, they had everything she needed. While Katara, still lost in the horrors of her mind at nearly loosing her Soulmate, Orora worked diligently, cleaning Aang's wound and after giving him a healing session of her own, which helped her determine how much of his injury had healed, she rubbed the salve along his back, before bandaging him up carefully. He would have to sleep on his stomach for awhile. There were other injuries that she had to heal. One on his shoulder, and several bruises from being smacked against stone walls by Azula. She had no idea who long she sat there, healing Aang as much as she could while Katara watched on.

Once she was sure he was comfortable, Orora turned her attention towards Katara. Resting a hand against her cheek, Orora slowly guided Katara's head so that she could look at her properly. "You don't have to say anything." The older girl said, her voice soft and gentle. "Just nod or shake your head." It took a moment, before Katara nodded.

Smiling in an encouraging manner, Orora continued. "Are you hurt anywhere?" A pause before a nod. "Where?" Katara blinked at her, before slowly pulling out her leg from underneath her and pulling up the sleeve of her pants. Orora hissed softly at the sight of the ugly bruise already marring the young girl's skin. Pulling up some water, she quickly coated her hands and pretty soon the entire bruise had faded.

That wasn't the only injury Katara had. There were bruises and cuts on her back as well, and several others on her abdomen. Thank the Spirits it wasn't as serious as Aang's injuries.

Once done, Orora stood. "Stay with Aang. I'll get you something to eat. Don't fall asleep." She could already see the girl's eyes drooping. Exiting the small tent-like room atop the ship's deck, Orora stopped short at the sight that greeted her.

Every member aboard the ship was standing in front of her, staring at her. Every single one of them had the same question in their eyes.

"What happened?!?" Sokka was the one person impatient enough to voice it. "We left you, Iroh and Aang to get Katara and Zuko." Her heart twinged painfully at the name, prompting her to lift a hand to press against her chest. "And only you came back, with Aang half-dead and Katara looking like she was dead!"

Silence followed his words. Sighing deeply, Orora nodded, her eyes closing. "I know you have questions." She said, her voice low and soft, tired sounding. "Just let me get Katara something to eat, then I'll explain everything."

A quick bowl of warm broth, which she spooned into Katara's mouth herself, and once she was sure the other girl was sleeping comfortably and that Aang was still breathing, Orora found herself sitting on one side of the fire that burned in a small square hole in the center of the ship.

Everyone stared at her, while her own gaze remained trained on the fire in front of her.

"We found them both in the catacombs." She began. "But we were ambushed, by Azula and the Dai Li Agents." Memories of what had happened rushed to the front of her mind but she continued speaking.

"The Fire Nation prince joined his sister." Another twinge in her chest, one that had a certain blind girl narrowing her eyes at. "Aang was going into the Avatar State when Azula shot lightening at him from behind." Words and cries of outrage echoed in the night, calling the Fire Nation names. Orora continued. "Katara........I think.......she's in shock. It was pretty scary, watching him fall like that."

Her voice caught in her throat, a strange emotion rising within her. One that had her suddenly blinking really fast as her eyes burned. "How did you escape?" Toph asked from where she sat, looking so small and vulnerable, with her arms wrapped around her legs.

"My Master, Iroh of the Fire Nation." Looks of utter disbelief and surprises crossed everyone's faces. "He sacrificed himself. Ordered me to grab Katara and Aang and get out of there. We got to you guys and Katara healed Aang."

A beat of silence before Toph spoke again. "She didn't heal him." She said, slowly rising to her feet to stand next to Sokka. "I can sense heartbeats, and when the three of you came." Her unseeing gaze turned to the tent where her two friends were now sleeping. "I only sensed two heartbeats."

Revulsion rose up inside her. Clapping a hand to her mouth, Orora quickly ran to the side of the ship and dry-heaved whatever was left in her stomach.

Died, the word echoed in her mind.

Azula who was a child herself, had killed Aang, who was even younger then them.

A child killing a child.

She heaved again, feeling someone come up behind her and rub her back soothingly. "You alright?" It was Toph. Wiping her mouth, Orora straightened, pushing her hair back from her face and giving a small nod. "I guess." The older girl closed her eyes briefly.

"I know we've only just met Toph, but could you pay close attention to Aang and Katara's heartbeats for the night?" She asked, looking at the younger girl. Toph was silent for a moment.

"You just saved the lives of two people I care about." The girl responded with a smile and a nod. "Its the least I could do. I'll tell you if anything changes." She promised, just as Sokka walked over to them with a bowl of soup. He held it out to Orora who took it, slowly spooning the broth to her mouth, enjoying the warmth of it.

And yet she still felt cold from the inside.

"Guess bad luck followed us into Ba Sing Se too" Sokka moved to stand on Orora's other side. "We don't have the Earth Kingdom army to back us up now for the Invasion Plan."

Orora glanced up, frowning. "The what plan?"

Sighing, Sokka began to fill in what their plan had been. Orora listened, her half-eaten bowl of broth forgotten as her eyes widened with each key point Sokka revealed about the plan.

Or rather what had been the plan.

"Now that our old plan has gone down the drain." Toph spoke up. "Whats the new plan Idea Guy?" She asked to which Sokka pursed his lip.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm gonna work on something with my dad and the others, try and come up with something." He continued with a determined expression. "The day of the Eclipse is the only opportunity we have of stopping the Fire Nation, once and for all. We can't loose it."

Orora's mind flitted to the memory of Aang falling. Of Katara staring at her with eyes full of anguish. Of her Master ordering her to leave him. Of the Prince......betraying her.

"And we won't." Toph added, with Orora nodding beside her.

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Feeling her eyes begin to grow heavy, Orora pushed herself to stand up. Glancing at Aang and Katara, she quickly picked up a blanket to cover the girl's shoulders before exiting the room. Her soft footfalls were loud against the metal surface of the Fire Nation ship. It was still early in the night, and aside from the people keeping watch, she was sure everyone else was still asleep.

Climbing up the stairs, she emerged onto the deck and inhaled deeply as the cool night air greeted her. A Fire Nation cloak was fastened around her shoulders, to cover her clothes. She still wore the dress she had worn when going to meet the Earth King.

Albeit it was now torn in places, rumpled and was covered in a bit of blood as well. She'd lost her comb in the Catacombs, as well as her water satchel.

Truth be told, she had lost everything in that cursed place.

The two men on guard, one of whom was Sokka and Katara's father, Hakoda, looked at her as she walked to the side of the ship, eyes trained on the water beneath. Removing her cloak, as well as her shoes, the young girl gripped the edge of her dress and tore it on either side, splitting the fabric up to her waist. She wore leggings underneath, and now that the fabric was open around her legs, she could move them more freely.

Despite the tiredness that still ached in her bones, Orora began to go through different waterbending forms. The motions helped calm her racing mind and ground her.

She continued to practice, going through several new forms she had created herself and had been working on them for a long while now. The girl only stopped when her she could barely lift her arms, and her legs trembled from the exertion she had put them through.

"You know I've never felt Katara do some of those moves before." Toph's voice prompted her to look over her shoulder as the younger girl approached her. Orora shrugged. "Its just something I'm trying to develop. I figured if all other types of benders can use their feet and legs to use their bending, why can't waterbenders." She wiggled her bare toes.

Toph nodded. "I get it. You want to use your bending to the best of your ability." She came to stand beside Orora. "Its the same reason I created metalbending." She stated, the pride clear in her voice.

Orora had witnessed Toph's abilities during their small takeover of the Fire Nation ship. She had to create a hole to hide Appa in, in case passing by Fire Nation ships spotted them. Orora smiled. "That's pretty amazing for someone as young as you."

Toph chuckled. "Yeah, but not when you're the world's greatest earthbender." Orora raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" She asked, a little disbelief slipping into her voice to which Toph grinned.

"I even have the belt to prove it. The other three met me at a Rumble, of which I had been champion for quite sometime." Orora couldn't help but be impressed.

"That is actually amazing. You didn't let your blindness stop you then?" She asked, curious to know how Toph's seismic sense actually worked. Toph shook her head.

"It works in my favor actually. Why a need to see, when you can sense when your opponent is about to attack." Orora nodded.

"True." A playful gleam in her eyes, the older girl quickly lifted her leg, bringing it down in a graceful arc. The moment her foot left the floor, a stream of water rose from the side of the ship, arching through the air and towards Toph.

The girl simply brought up a slate of metal to shield herself from getting wet. "Impressive." She said, grinning at Orora. "But you still need to work on the force behind your attack."

Orora nodded. "Yeah, I'm actually working on that right now. Practicing helps." Silence fell between the two. Orora glanced at Toph. She was significantly taller then the other girl, and yeah, Toph was powerful, no doubt about it, but that didn't stop a surge of protectiveness to race through her. Strange, she'd only just met Toph properly a few days ago.

Maybe some friendships just started out that way. An urge to protect someone else because........well, just because.

Taking in the air of the early morning, she held out a hand towards Toph. "Once we get ashore, we'll have a little one-on-one. You can practice your metalbending, and I can practice using my feet and legs to waterbend. Deal?"

"Sounds good." Toph agreed, raising a hand to shake hers. "I think we're gonna be good friends Orora." She smiled, as she began to walk away. "Which reminds me, I need to come up with a nickname for you. Its tradition." With that the girl walked off in search of breakfast, leaving Orora to smile after her departing figure.

It was still an hour or so before dawn, so she pulled her shoes back on, wrapped the cloak around herself, and went back downstairs. The moment she entered, she fell onto the mat she had been using. She was fast asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

And this time, she didn't dream.

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"You feeling alright Katara?" Orora asked, moving to stand beside the girl as she and Toph stood near the railing. It was the same day, the sun having set a long time ago. But throughout the day, Orora always asked Katara the same question. While it would've gotten annoying to anyone else, Katara would only smiled and reassure the girl that she was.

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It had started the day after they escaped the Catacombs. Katara had exited the small tent and Orora had approached her, voicing her concern. Though Katara had not spoken, she had responded with a small nod, then she'd hugged her father, cried in his arms before falling asleep again. It was the third day when she began to speak. She'd insisted on giving Aang a healing session herself, and also attempted to feed him the vegetable broth Orora had made.

Biting her lower lip, and hoping she wouldn't snap at her Orora asked again. "You feeling alright Katara?" The girl had paused, looking up from where she had been spooning the simple broth into Aang's mouth. They had to keep him fed somehow, and this was the best option.

Turning to look at Orora, Katara blinked. "I'm........not sure." She finally said. Her heart twinged at the look of utter devastation on Katara's face. "I have to keep reminding myself, that he's here. He's alive." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I-I nearly lost him Orora." Tears filled her eyes as she seemed to curl in on herself. "I nearly lost my Soulmate." She sobbed softly, pressing a hand to her mouth to muffle her cries.

Orora wrapped her arms around the other girl, lending her whatever comfort she could, even as her own heart lay broken in a hundred pieces. She didn't know who had it worse.

Katara who had actually seen her Soulmate die, or her, who's Soulmate did not hesitate in betraying her, turning her back to her.

As if he hadn't even cared about her.

When she had been on the verge of falling........

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Presently, smiling in a reassuring manner, Katara nodded. "I feel fine, and its all thank to you. You've really been a great help Orora." The older girl shrugged.

"Just trying to be useful." She said, before turning her eyes towards the water below. "I know you'll feel even better when Aang wakes up." Toph added, arms hanging over the side of the railing. Katara's expression morphed to one of worry, while Orora sighed.

"We all will." The girl said, pushing back the white patch of hair from her face. Katara's eyes landed on it as Sokka, dressed as a Fire Nation Soldier approached.

"You never told us how you got the white hair." Katara pointed out, to which Orora shrugged. "The Moon Spirit visited me." Her response was so nonchalant, as if she were commenting on the weather, that the rest of the three in their little group stared at her, dumbstruck.

"Do Spirits make a habit of visiting you? Is that why you sound so relaxed about it?" Toph finally asked, a bemused smile on her lips. "Moon Spirit? You mean Yue?! She visited you?" Sokka asked, more like demanded to know as he pushed Katara to the side to stand in front of Orora.

His sister give him an annoyed look which he completely ignored. Orora nodded. "It was after my Master was hurt, in that small village where we all met." They all nodded. "Well I was just feeling a little lost after that, and I questioned my own decision of staying rather then go with you guys."

She lifted her head to gaze at the cloudy night sky. The moon was probably hiding behind the clouds somewhere.

"I....prayed to the Spirits. I begged them to help guide me and suddenly Princess Yue just appeared in front of me. She gave me words of advice, touched my hair right here, and then she was gone. Since then my hair has been white."

Sokka hummed. "Just like how Yue's were because she was touched by the Moon Spirit too." Orora shrugged. "Yeah, but it doesn't make me special." Toph nudged her side. "Oh please, you're working on making an entirely new form of waterbending, don't be so modest. That's pretty special in my books."

Orora smiled at the girl. "You created a whole new form of bending, Toph. Pretty impressive for a scrawny little kid like you." She ruffled Toph's hair affectionately. Her noises of protest prompted Sokka and Katara to laugh, and Orora couldn't help but feel her heart swell.

It was a good thing she had so many people around her, distracting her in the best way possible. She was sure she would have succumbed to her more dark thoughts if they hadn't been there. Despite all that had happened, they still remained optimistic. Something that Orora sorely needed after what she had gone through in the catacombs.

Suddenly a commotion near the stairs had them all turning.

"Twinkle Toes! That's got to be you!" Toph called out before they had even turned. A bright smile pulled at Orora's lips at the sight of Aang standing there.

"Aang, you're awake!" Katara called out, as they all rushed to his side.

Aang rubbed his eyes. "Are you sure? I feel like I'm dreaming." He said, his voice still a little slurry with sleep.

Katara reached him first, wrapping him in a hug. "You're not dreaming. You're finally awake." She reassured him before stepping back.

"You gave us quite the scare kid." Orora added, giving him a brief hug as well. Aang stared around, still confused. And adding to that confusion, was the sight of Sokka in his new getup.

"Aang!" He said, his voice slightly muffled. "Good to see you back with the living, buddy!"

"Sokka?" He mumbled, body swaying and head heavy.

Toph straightened. "Uh-oh, somebody catch him!" She called out. "He's going to-" She'd barely finished when Aang collapsed to the ground. The small group crowded around him, with Orora checking his pulse while, Katara checked his pupils. "He just passed out." The older girl reassured everyone watching.

Appa grumbled as he walked forward. "Give Appa some room people!" Sokka called out, pushing everyone away so that the Bison could sniff at Aang. Maybe he sensed his friend was near, but Aang slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the Bison who nuzzled his big nose against Aang.

"Hey buddy, mind telling me whats going on here?"

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His eyes followed Mai as she finally walked off leaving him alone.

He knew it was his sister's doing. Trying to get Mai to distract him from what he had done to Uncle and..........Orora.

The bubble his and Mai's little outing in Ba Sing Se had created was popped the very next day when he had seen his Uncle being led away in chains. Even now he felt his heart clench in his chest. But that had been nothing compared to the image his mind had conjured the very next moment.

Orora.

Walking behind his Uncle.

Chains around her wrists and ankles.

Looking at him the way she had done in the catacombs.

It wasn't even real, and yet he had turned on his heel and marched off, sweating, panting as his heart beat wildly in his chest. It had taken him quite a while to calm down.

Now, he was standing on the ship that would take him home. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had barely heard Mai approach him. She had responded to his words with a sarcastic comment and what would have been a kiss on the lips was shifted to one on the cheek when Zuko moved his head at the last moment.

She'd told him to stop worrying, before moving off.

Not at all helpful.

"Not exactly how I would handle things." A voice said next to him.

He opened his eyes to the sight of Orora sitting on the railing of the ship. His heart jumped at the sight of her, and yet he showed no other emotion.

After all, it was all in his head.

"What would you have said?" He finally asked.

She pursed her lips in the way he remembered when she was contemplating over something. "Would it have mattered?" She responded, looking right at him.

"You wouldn't have listened to me anyway."

He opened his eyes.

She was gone.

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The next morning, during breakfast, Sokka decided to sit Aang down and tell him of what he had missed since he had been hurt. Though while they waited for breakfast to be served, Aang walked over to Orora.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked. She frowned, but nodded, giving The Duke the ladle to scoop the noodles into bowls. Once they were a good ways away from the rest of the group, he turned to Orora, leaning on his staff.

"Katara told me what happened in the catacombs." Her shoulders stiffened. "And I guess its safe to assume that I'm the only one, who knows about......." He trailed off, looking at Orora. The girl sighed, closing her eyes as she did. "Yeah." She finally responded. "You're the only one. And I don't plan on telling anyone else."

Her eyes drifted to her finger where the string hung loose and limp. "I'm sorry." He said, his voice echoing with a sadness she would never associate with a boy who was always smiling. She shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. Fate only put us together as a cruel joke. What happened in Ba Sing Se has taught me that if you open your heart to someone who is your enemy, you only get stabbed in the back."

Once more, that strange lump formed in her throat, prompting her to swallow. "I'm just glad you're alright." She continued, smiling at him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. Aang smiled back. "Katara also told me how you helped with the healing session when she couldn't."

Orora shook her head. "It was the least I could do." Glancing around to make sure no one was listening, she added. "After what happened, Katara sort of shut down. She was able to save you with the water from the Spirit Oasis, but even after that for a few days she barely ate, slept or left your side."

Aang bit his lower lip, glancing in the direction of his Soulmate as she chatted away with her brother. "I always feel so guilty, putting her in situations like that. Someone is always trying to hurt me, and she's always worried about me. I hate it. I hate that I worry her so much." He said with a scowl of frustration.

A brief silence.

"Well, I guess that just means we have to win this war, so that you're not in anymore danger and she can stop worrying about you." The older girl responded, to which Aang smiled and nodded. "You're right. Thanks Orora."

"Hey you two! Breakfast is getting cold!" Katara called out from where she sat. The waterbender and Avatar smiled at one another before joining the little group where Sokka had taken charge.

"After what happened at Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety. We flew back to Chameleon Bay where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men." Orora tried really hard not to think of that night, instead focusing on eating her breakfast.

Sokka continued. "The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone." He grinned. "Well, not completely alone."

Toph chuckled. "I wander how long it will take him to start missing someone buffing his cuticles." She muttered from where she sat next to Orora, who chuckled in response.

"Soon, the bay was overrun by Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise. Since then we've been traveling west." He opened a map, pointing out their location. "We crossed through the Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."

Aang nodded. "So what now?" He asked to which Hakoda responded. "We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan."

Katara, who had been silent till now, cut in. "It's Sokka's invasion plan."

Hakoda nodded, glancing at his daughter. "Yes, Sokka's plan. We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable."

His son nodded before continuing. "So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke." Orora smiled at the sight of The Duke sitting atop Pipsqueak, slurping noodles.

"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage!" Looking a little too gleeful, Sokka lowered his voice to a whisper. "We have a secret!" He looked to both sides. "You!"

Aang blinked. "Me?"

Sokka nodded, grinning. "Yep, the whole world thinks you're dead! Isn't that great?" He added, standing up and raising his hands triumphantly in the air as if he had just won a prize. Orora, seeing the look of utter shock on Aang's face, reached out to grip Sokka's armor and yank him back down.

"Learn to read the room Sokka." She advised, as Aang began to pace around.

"The world thinks I'm dead?" He cried out. "How is that good news? That's terrible!"

Sokka, despite a warning look from Orora, stepped forward. "No, it's great! It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore! And even better, they won't be expecting you on the Day of Black Sun!"

The news only distressed Aang further. Humphing, Orora flicked her hand forward, encasing Sokka's mouth in a small mask of ice. The boy protested in a muffled voice but she only glared at him.

"Keep it shut Sokka! I told you not to bring all of that up." Her gaze flicked to Aang, leaving Sokka to struggle with the mask. Aang had to calm down, he might aggravate his wounds if he kept the pacing up.

"No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea." He said, burying his face in his hands. "This is so messed up!"

Before anyone could say anything, the sound of another ship's horn echoed across the water. Every eye turned to the ship approaching them.

Aang straightened up. "I'll handle this." He said, trying to stand up straight and opening his glider. "The Avatar is back." But then he paused, grunting in pain as sweat lined his forehead.

Katara approached him. "Aang, wait! Remember, they don't know we're not Fire Nation!" Teeth gritted, the injured Avatar put away his glider.

Hakoda stepped forward. "Everyone just stay calm. Bato and I will take care of this." The two of them walked off while Orora helped Aang get into one of the smaller square holes in the ship's deck. It was big enough to hide all of them.

"I hate not being able to do anything." Aang grumbled.

"Hopefully, you won't need to." Toph stated as they all succumbed to silence.

For five minutes.

The moment the Fire Nation began to depart, Toph emerged from the hole. "They know!" She called out, alerting everyone around her. Orora glanced at Katara, and the two girls nodded at one another.

"Sokka, keep Aang here." Katara told her brother. "On both our order." Orora added, glaring at Aang who pursed his lips in annoyance, watching as the two waterbenders raced off.

Meanwhile, Toph had metalbended the bridge between the ships. The captain and his guards fell into the water below. Racing to the edge, both Katara and Orora stood side by side creating a large wave which separated the two ships, creating a little distance between them.

Their ship raced off, with the other one in hot pursuit.

Standing at the railing, Orora raised her arms skyward, sending a wave of water towards the ship, trying to freeze it in place. But the ship's speed was too strong, and it crashed through the ice before it could hold it in place.

The girl frowned in frustration.

"Load the Toph!" Toph called out.

Pipsqueak dropped a boulder in front of Toph who began earthbending it at the attacking ship. One of the boulders hit a catapult as another one fired.

Seeing the fireball approach the ship, Orora quickly bent a huge bubble of water and once it was frozen solid, threw it in the air with the force of her entire body behind it. Her icy ammunition struck hard and fast, flickers of fire and ice shards flying through the air. With The Duke's guidance, Toph earthbended another piece of rock and sent it to intercept another oncoming fireball.

Suddenly their ship lurched, nearly sending Orora tumbling, but she steadied herself. Katara, who had been standing at the edge, noticed the harpoon at the side of the ship. She quickly froze the water to plug the hole.

"I'm gonna give us some cover!" She said, already going through the motions of creating a fog. "Orora!' She called out, though she didn't have to. Orora was mirroring Katara's motions and between the two of them, they were able to create a fog screen.

Another fireball flew through the air, this time taking out Toph's ammunition.

The fog dissipated, their plan failing. As two more fireballs arced through the air, Orora repeated her previous move, sending a ball of ice at one of the fireballs. Both of them exploded on collision. The other one struck their ship, setting it on fire.

Which was quickly extinguished by Katara.

"How are we doing?" Toph called out, to which Sokka responded.

"Things couldn't get much worse." No sooner had he finished saying those words when a Sea Serpent rose from the water near their ship. Every eye turned to look at the towering behemoth of a creature. Orora actually felt herself gulp in fear.

"The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?" Sokka called out in despair. "You make it too easy!" Despite the danger they were in, Toph couldn't help but take a shot at Sokka.

"Now is not the time Toph." Orora called out, already running to stand in front of her, to protect the younger girl if need be.

However, the serpent was hit by a fireball from the other ship. Turning it's wrath to the other ship, it wrapped itself around it, allowing their ship to escape.

As everyone stared in surprise, Sokka grinned, throwing his arms to the sky. "Thank you, the universe!" He called out. No sooner had the words ended when he found another ice mask covering his mouth.

He glared at Orora, who glared right back.

"Do not jinx it!" She growled, to which he huffed.

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This was not how he had envisioned returning to the Palace and sitting in front of the pond he had his mother had frequented for so long.

He hadn't thought he would be alone.

As he flicked some bread to the turtleducks, who fed upon it happily, a shadow enveloped him.

"You seem so downcast." His sister observed, arms crossed and that ever present cunning smile on her lips. "Has Mai gotten to you already?" The mention of the girl trying to distract him with her attention had him pursing his lips. "Though actually, Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately." She continued.

"I haven't seen Dad yet." Zuko finally revealed. "I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished." His sister shrugged, not at all bothered. "So what?"

He looked up at her. "So, I didn't capture the Avatar."

Waving a careless hand, Azula circled around him. "Who cares? The Avatar is dead." Her statement prompted Zuko to look away. An act that Azula noticed as she frowned suspiciously. "Unless you think he somehow miraculously survived."

He remembered. He remembered the vial Katara had shown him. Water, that had special properties.

"No." He finally responded, after a rather long pause. "There's no way he could have survived." The two siblings glared at one another before Azula moved to walk away.

"Well, then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." She said.

Suddenly she stopped. "Speaking of nothing to worry about." He did not like the tone she was using.

"Who exactly was that girl with the white hair? I don't believe she was traveling with the Avatar to be his companion." She looked over her shoulder. "Was she traveling with you and Uncle?"

A cold, dreadful feeling settled in his stomach.

She couldn't know the truth.

She didn't know the truth.

"She was.......a server from the tea shop that Uncle opened." He said, his response quick, his voice calm as it could be. He didn't even look in Azula's direction when he spoke, opting to instead throw more bread at the turtleducks.

If she couldn't see his face, then she wouldn't be able to discern the brief bout of fear he felt, at the thought of Azula finding out Orora's connection to him.

He knew his sister would not hold back in finding Orora and either throwing her in prison, or even killing her. "Nobody important."

"If you say so." Azula responded before walking off, not at all satisfied with her brother's response. She had her suspicions, had her sources of information, but she would not act on them. Not until she knew that Zuko would respond to being questioned about the girl.

Azula wanted to hurt her brother as much as she could.

Because if he had found his Soulmate before she had, then it wouldn't be fair now would it?

He couldn't have all their Mother's love and a Soulmate's love too.

Not when she had neither.

Zuko watched as his sister disappeared, heaving a sight of relief.

"Nobody important huh?" The voice prompted him to look up to see Orora standing over him. The look she wore had him on the defense. "I said what I did to protect you. I had to convince her. You don't know what she's capable of." He responded, despite the fact that he knew she was just a figment of his imagination.

Orora simply stared at him. "Who were you really trying to convince Zuko? Your sister, or yourself?"

He blinked and she was gone.

                                         ————————–

The dinner on shore had lifted their spirits. Orora was actually laughing by the time she walked the ship's plank and onto the deck. It was just her, Toph and Sokka. Katara had returned earlier with some fresh food for Aang.

"Aang's gone!"

Katara's frantic cry had the smiles wiping from their lips. She approached them, eyes wide and frantic. "We need to go after him. I suspect he's gone towards the Fire Nation to face the Fire Lord alone!"

Toph's sightless eyes widened. "Is he crazy!? He's still hurt!" Sokka quickly stepped forward. "All of you gather as many supplies as you can, we're going after him."

Despite the urgency of the situation Orora paused. "We?" She echoed as Toph and Katara raced off. Sokka, who had paused at her question gave a smile of reassurance and patted her shoulder. "You've more then earned your place on our Team Orora. Besides, we still have that spot open just for you." He grinned at her.

She knew they had to depart urgently, and yet she couldn't help it as she threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Thank you." She spoke softly into his shoulder. Sokka returned the embrace a little before pulling away, blushing a little as he did.

"There will be time for hugs later, now go get your things." Nodding the girl raced off.

They had all clambered atop Appa within the hour and after Sokka had given last minute instructions to his father, they departed with promises to meet on the day oft he Invasion.

"How're we going to find him though? He could be anywhere!" Toph said as Appa flew through the air towards a cluster of clouds as they gathered over the horizon.

Orora's eyes darted to look at Katara, who was looking at the finger where her string was tied. While Sokka responded how they just had to follow a specific direction, she quickly slid next to the other girl.

"Its alright, you don't have to tell anyone anything." She said, trying to alleviate the guilt Katara felt at keeping such a big secret to herself. "I can find him if I guide Appa." She turned her head to look at the approaching storm with a frown of concern. "I'll be a little busy so you'll have to keep a bubble around us, to protect us from the rain."

Orora nodded in understanding.

"Leave it to me."

The storm was brutal when it hit. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed as Appa soared through the air. The waves from the sea crashing beneath them rose so high they brushed against the bison's feet.

And yet they continued onward.

With Katara on Appa's head, holding the reins. Sokka was in the back, doing his best to keep Toph and Momo from falling off. As well as all their supplies. Orora stood in the center, a rope tied around her waist that connected her to the saddle as she moved her arms in a continuous circular motion to keep the protective bubble around them. Appa was struggling to fly, the wind from the storm pushing their bubble around. But it was the only way for them to know where they were going.

After what seemed like hours, the rain finally let up and the clouds began to clear. Once only a small trickle was left, Orora stopped her bending and all but collapsed onto the saddle. She felt Sokka and Toph quickly reach her side with the former offering her a satchel of water. She gulped down the entire content of it.

"You alright Orora?" Katara called over her shoulder as moonlight began to filter through the clouds. Orora nodded as she slowly sat up.

"Yeah, I'm fine I just......." She trailed off. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open at the sight that greeted her.

"Yue." She whispered at the ethereal figure floating alongside them. The name prompted Sokka and Katara to whip around to try and look for her. "I don't see anything." Sokka finally said, to which Yue smiled sadly at him.

"He won't be able to see me." She said, her gentle voice echoing around them. "Then how can I see you?" Orora asked, prompting the other three to halt in their movements to listen to her one-sided conversation.

"Because I choose you to." The Moon Spirit responded, reaching out to gently caress Orora's white hair. Just as she had done all those months ago. "You said all I had to do was follow my heart, that it would never lead me astray." The girl suddenly burst out, to which Princess Yue smiled sadly.

"Everything happens for a reason Orora." Gently cupping the girl's face she pressed a kiss to her forehead as a sign of blessing. "Do not loose hope, dear one. Trust fate. Trust your friends. Trust your heart. Trust yourself."

Her wise eyes lifted to look at Sokka who was staring at Orora in disbelief and hope. "Tell Sokka that I'm happy that he has found his Soulmate."

She started to move away, slowly fading from view. "Look towards a new day with renewed hope Orora." Her voice faded away as the sun peaked over the horizon.

Appa continued to fly, while everyone stared at Orora in utter disbelief.

"Orora?" Katara called out, worried for her friend, who hadn't turned around yet. Suddenly Orora's shoulders stiffened and she leaned forward, nearly falling off the saddle.

"Look!" She called out, pointing towards a small island volcano. Though they were still a ways away from it, there was no denying the figure that lay on the shore.

"Its Aang!" Sokka called out as Katara changed their course. Momo had already taken off, and was the first one to reach Aang, licking his face as he did. Moments later Appa landed on the shore, with all four of the children scrambling off and running towards Aang.

"You're okay!" Katara cried, relief evident in her tone as she threw her arms around him. None of them hesitated in following suit, coming together for a group hug that had Orora briefly believing what Princess Yue had just told her.

Once they broke apart, Aang inhaled deeply. "I have so much to do." He said, sounding every bit as the thirteen year old boy he was.

Katara nodded. "I know, but you'll have our help."

Toph gently hit his shoulder. "You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?"

Aang smiled at his friend. "What about the invasion?" He asked, turning to look at Sokka.

The boy shook his head. "We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force the day of the eclipse."

Sighing in relief, Aang smiled at Orora. "So you finally decided to take the spot huh?" Orora smiled back at him, reaching up to ruffle his new hair. "Well you need someone as bossy as Katara around don't you? I couldn't let her handle all three of you alone." The group shared a laugh.

Toph turned. "Hey! What's...." She trailed off when she realized that it was Aang's damaged staff she had felt as it washed ashore. "Oh, it's your glider." She said, handing it over to him.

Aang shook his head. "It's okay. If someone saw it, it would give away my identity." Though it burdened his heart to say so, he knew it was for the best. "It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive."

He flew up with his glider one final time and stuck it in the semi-solid lava. The delicate wood instantly caught fire, but Aang did not look back as he rejoined his friends and they departed.

                                          ————————–

Zuko slammed the door behind him as he entered his room.

His mind was spinning with all that had just happened.

With all that he had just discovered.

His father was proud of him. He had his father's love again. He had his honor back. He had his title, his home, everything.

All because of a lie.

A lie his sister had told their father.

A lie that wove a story of how he, Zuko, had been the one to kill the Avatar.

"Azula always lies." He whispered to himself, as he stared around his empty room. "She always lies."

He knew she was there before he even turned.

"And yet, you believed everything she said in the catacombs." Amber eyes clashed with a familiar icy blue.

She stood in the center of his room, cool and calm, as was the norm for her. "What if the Avatar is alive?" He whispered, even though he was the only one in the room. Orora frowned. "His name is Aang and if he is, then there is still hope for the world." Her expression softened, prompting him to feel a little annoyed at her.

"Hope is for those who have nothing else to live for." He responded with venom in his voice, not at all mirroring what he really felt. She fixed him with an emotionless expression.

"People always find something to live for Zuko. Hope is what pushes them to find that something." She walked to stand in front of him, head tilted back to look at him properly.

"I found my source of hope and lost it. But I quickly found a new one."

They stared at one another.

"Have you found yours?"

He blinked and she was gone, leaving him feeling more alone then he ever had in his life.

                                          ————————–

Tag List - @wavesofchaos​ @violet-potter​ @rennysketch​ @emma-andrea1 @lovesammikinzz @fuzzyfestcat @msrawog @notsaelty @lust-for-pan @aces-tattooartist @jinxxangel13 @lotr-got @bitterspoons @realrintaro @gatorgirl151 @inutheangel @heartfully10 @lucaaahhh @juniper-july19 @anuttellaa @gfksz @bussyvussy @punksnotdeadbutiam @ablofftoneverland-blog-blog @slut-for-menn @vyliie @army-moa75

[hazelnut-u-out]

Do you think about the whole Rick Prime thing? Did it kinda feel anticlimactic???

Yeeahhhhhh, but... I think that's the point!

At first, I was a little bit disappointed with how they handled the arc. I really thought Prime was going to be the Big Bad! Having the whole climax of C-137's arc with Prime as a mid-season episode felt oddly... dismissive? It was like it wasn't even a major event.

After sitting on this for a bit, I think I actually love how they've handled it. I think this is the first time I've really seen the show take something that perfectly fills a 'Television Run' format (i.e. big events at the ends of the seasons for cliffhangers, and so on) and subvert those expectations into something more like 'Real Life.' In my opinion, a lot of the show is shown as how characters involved view the events, especially in terms of tonality. That's why so much of the show fits these media formulas-- Rick views his life as a show.

I often refer to the majority of the show as 'Rick's Director's Cut' because we get events skewed from his warped perception of his own actions. (You can even think of 'Morty's Mindblowers' as Rick literally editing footage into a better story.) Of course, we see why he's sympathetic. As the viewer, we understand why he's doing what he's doing, even if we don't agree with it. He views himself as the 'sitcom dad'-- comically fucked up and abusive, but secretly caring. Rick believes that he's got just enough heart for his actions to be excusable, forgetting that the people he hides his intentions from aren't getting the 'full picture' like the viewer is. From Morty's perspective, Rick does these things for no reason-- unless you count not liking, caring about, or valuing Morty. Of course, we know that's not the case, but Morty doesn't. His family doesn't.

The Prime arc is fascinating to me because of the contrast between how Rick viewed it versus how it happened from the perspective of the viewer. Rick went into the Prime arc thinking it would be a massive, badass epic where the underdog comes out on top and the audience is satisfied with the conclusion. As the audience, this is probably the first time we haven't really been able to click with that, you know? It was unsatisfying, even for Rick, and now he's sort of saddled with, 'Oh, shit. This is real life. What comes next?'

Sure, they're little guys on our television screens. To them, though... that's real life. Real life is messy. Real life is unsatisfying. Real life is disappointing, the editing is sloppy, arcs aren't linear, and dysfunction and substance abuse aren't silly character traits.

The whole point is: What happens now?

In real life, what happens after your abusive parent passes away or you finally get revenge on the person who tore your life apart? In real life, what happens after you beat the shit out of the guy who assaulted you? Or after your dad apologizes for walking out on you?

There's actually a Malcolm in the Middle scene reminiscent of this concept. Francis was blamed by Lois from the time he was born for ruining their relationship. Throughout the entire series, his arcs deal with their broken relationship. When she finally apologizes, the pinnacle of his hopes and dreams-- the only thing keeping him alive, it doesn't help. It doesn't fix the years of psychological abuse he suffered, or the fact that he's as broken as he is because of her failure as a parent.

Another great example is in Adventure Time, when Finn thinks he's ripped Martin's arm off for causing him to lose his own. The revenge doesn't help. (Sorry, not digging for a link to the scene lmao.)

Those things aren't satisfying on their own. The fantasies and daydreams we barter through aren't feasible cures. That's real life. What happens afterward is what you do next. That can be a tough pill to swallow. There's no quick 'fix-all' for everything that's fucked you up. What helps? Hard work. Dedication. Time. Therapy. Grief. Acceptance.

Rick never really worked through the grieving process, you know?

There was Denial and Anger:

And where he got stuck... Bargaining:

After Prime's death? Depression:

Four decades later, we're finally on the cusp of Acceptance.

That's what that look into the hole was. That's what putting up Morty's picture was. That's what choosing to walk away was.

Acceptance.

In conclusion of my long-winded rant, I liked the Prime arc. Fits nicely into the season after the finality of 'Fear No Mort.'

Well done, writers.

Thanks for asking! <3

[mint-yooxgi]

Ello! I appreciate all that you write and do!! If you may, will you do Yandere Polar Bear Yunho with any Reign you see fit please

It hadn't even been that big of a deal. Well, at least to you.

To your boyfriend, however, it was.

Always, Yunho had done his best to tread carefully in your relationship. He wanted you to see him as nothing but a sweet, cuddly bear, rather than the vicious, territorial beasts his kind could be known for. He could never let you see the ferocious, jealous monster that lurked beneath the surface.

Until he did.

The two of you were out for an evening stroll around the pier, his arm wrapped casually around your waist. You were having a grand time, laughing and chatting just as he always fantasized about.

To know that he could finally hold you in his arms, especially after all of his careful and meticulous planning he put into making you fall for him, made him happy beyond believe. The only thing that made his mood even better was seeing you happy. Knowing he's the cause of it each and every time only solidified everything he's always already known.

The two of you were destined to be together. Forever and always.

Little things throughout the evening kept grating at his patience.

First, it was the way those stupid tiger hybrids kept 'accidentally' brushing into you during that street performance. Despite Yunho pulling you closer into his side, they still fucking persisted. No amount of apologies could hide the way his eyes flashed at them as you both walked away.

Then, it was the way he noticed your eyes trail after that damn snake man. The memory of one of the first times he heard you joking with your friends about different kinds of hybrids you wouldn't mind experiencing if given the chance flashed through his mind right then and there. He knows you no longer think about what those tongues can do, not after you've felt what his can do to you. Yet still, he couldn't help but be irritated by that look of wonder that crossed your features.

You teased him about it, noticing how stiff he suddenly became both times. Of course, you reassured him that you'd never want anyone over him, but he couldn't help that little voice that kept telling him that he needed to prove it. Maybe not to you, but to everyone else.

Which is why when he saw that damn arctic hare hitting on you, he snapped.

After what feels like an eternity, the screams from the remaining victims on the pier stop. There weren't very many still around at this time of night, but the sickening crunch of bones snapping can never be erased from your mind.

Your entire body shakes, hands desperately covering your ears as you curl yourself between the railing and lamppost. Small whimpers of fear escape you, eyes squeezed shut at the traumatic scene that you witnessed only moments before.

Heavy footsteps walking in your direction have a panicked sob tearing from your throat.

You fall back onto your ass, backing up as far as you can go. After all, what can a mere human do against a bear?

You really wish your body would obey your commands, but your adrenaline kicks in and has your eyes opening to assess the threat approaching you.

The sight of Yunho, his normally bright, soft fur now dripping with blood has a shriek of terror escaping your throat.

"Don't come any closer!" You raise your hands in front of you as some form of defence against him. Defence which you know is futile. He's just proved it so, with how easily he tore apart all those unsuspecting bystanders. "Stay away from me!"

Instantly, he freezes. A look akin to a wounded animal crosses his features, and he immediately shifts back into his human form.

You don't know whether the sight of his human form covered in blood makes it any better or worse, but you still cannot prevent the way your whole body shakes as he gets even closer. The feeling of his arms wrapping around your torso, pulling you into his chest as he shushes you only has your heart thundering in your chest, more sobs wracking your body.

"It's alright, My Snowflake," he coos, gently stroking his hand over your head in hopes to calm you down. "I've got you. Nothing can hurt you now. I won't let anything come between us again."

[universeofdreams]

Angels wings watching over her, Pt. 1

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Shuri Udaku x Fem!Reader, Avengers x Fem!Reader

Genre: Sci-fi, angst, a bit of battle scenes, fluff

Warnings: rough language, mention of death, panic, fighting (with hands, not words), Tony has a hard shell, capture and prison cell

Wordcount: 4403

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Summary: Simple day at work, that turns out not so simple as you expected. You were scared for dear life and were basically not yourself until the Avengers come to stop you and in the process of getting better you had the opportunity to meet the queen of Wakanda who is actually a very pretty and genuine girl.

A/n: put my entire ass into the first chapter, ngl. kinda proud of it and I hope you like it too, because there's more badass shit following. ill eventually even create a playlist on Spotify and YouTube for the story. if you like the story, please consider supporting me of leaving me some kind of feedback :) have a lovely evening, morning, noon or night. <3

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Today was a pretty warm day when you got to work at the Hard Rock Café in New York and you saw people rush through the city, even in the subway there was no one relaxed. It might’ve been the weather that made them all feel extra uncomfortable or it was the fact that the attacks on the city accumulated since a few weeks.

Most people were scared for their lives when the evening arrived or heavy and thick layers of clouds appeared on the sky. To say it simple and basic: the battle against Thanos and the blip left scars on everybody, especially on you.

Most of the people came back when Tony sacrified himself just to perform the snap but some didn’t. Why are you asking me? Because some of them died in the time where they’ve been erased from earth.

Your mother, a genius when it came to languages and music, got blipped away too. She wasn’t really old but the doctors diagnosed her with the Huntington’s disease earlier in her life which shortens her lifetime drastically. 

As soon as her daughter, you, were born she checked if you had the same disease but luckily the doctors found nothing, means you’re safe. 

But when she was one of the people that didn’t come back, your dad was devastated. He wasn’t able to speak to you anymore without seeing his wife in you and tearing up. It ended in him, leaving you behind because the memory tore him apart. There was no sleepless night for him and neither was he able to go on with his life, that’s what he wrote in the letter he left for you after you found a nearly empty apartment when you came home from school.

The more important thing is that you were only 17 years old, all on your own. 

Nothing. He left nothing for you, not even money to pay the rent. But your neighbour, a lovely old lady, came to your rescue as she noticed that you were packing your things with the fact in mind that she hasn’t seen your parents in a long time and when you opened up to her, she took you in.

Ever since then, you’ve been living with Mrs. Johnson and worked two jobs while going to college. Julliard was hard to get in but once you settled, life got serious. You spent every day at the conservatory when you weren’t working, unlike today.

Working at the Hard Rock Café gave you the opportunity to promote your music and find friends that love the same thing as you. Working at the bar was one of your favourite job, you’d talk to customers or impress them with throwing bottles around before catching them and mixing their drinks. When you were at work, life was fun.

And as soon as the shift ends, all of the employees that were actual musicians came together and performed things on stage because there was no chance of doing that when they were serving customers.

Sometimes it was hard for you to leave the bar behind, especially when you had no time for working in the next few days and all your co-workers would hug you goodbye. Life was awesome at that point.

When you came home, the first thing you always did was cook. Mrs. Johnson was old and out of respect you couldn’t stop calling her by her surname when you moved in, until she repeatedly said “my child, don’t call me Mrs. Johnson, I’m not that old!” but she indeed was old. Didn’t even tell you her full name, the good old lady. 

Gwendolyn was her name, after all. So you got home and cooked dinner for yourself and Gwendolyn, who reminded you so much of your grandma that you last seen what felt like a decade. Gwenny – that’s what you called her because you took a liking to bad dad jokes – was actually the sister of Katherine Fury.

That’s how you were introduced to Nick. Nick was actually really nice when he talked to Gwendolyn, different than you expected him to be.

People that sat in the Café wore mostly summerly clothing and you wished you’d be able to wear something else than a black button-up and black pants because even though the air condition was on, it was incredibly warm in the building. Was it really warm? Because all your co-workers seemed to be fine and not overall sweaty and hot. What really concerned you were the constant questions if you’re okay and people telling you that you’d look quite pale. 

Even your boss noticed that. And she even dismissed you with the words “go home instead of working when you’re sick.” But you weren’t sick. Were you? No, not that you remembered.

When you hopped on your train it got even weirder. Was it usually this loud on trains? No, it wasn’t. And why were these people talking without even opening their mouths? They weren’t talking. It was all in your head. You hallucinated. Did you? Why were these words so accurate then? A man was talking about that he has to get up because his stop was coming, another one was angry because of his phone and so on and so on. Shit, were these their thoughts? 

Yes, indeed. On your way home your sight became quite blurry and you were constantly overstimulated because there was so much input. Didn’t really end good for you when you passed out in a darker alley.

But when you woke up, you weren’t in the same setting as you remember where you fainted. The dirty and slightly cold street exchanged for a relatively warm and cosy mattress, the fact that your surroundings looked quite like a hospital but way more high-tech and andvanced than the local hospitals could’ve been. 

Slight panic overcame you when you realised that this wasn’t a hospital and there was also no doctor looking for you. You wanted to move but weren’t able to. As soon as you were fully capable of controlling your own body you noticed that your arms were tied to the sides of the bed. Yes, that was a whole lotta panic rising in your stomach, especially when a dark-haired man entered the room, wearing a white overall and looked like a doctor. “You’re going to help me, right?” you asked, the shakiness of your voice implied that you were panicking.

“Yes, sure.” He smiled but the vibe was off. And you should’ve realised that before he grabbed your arm and injected you something but due to the ropes that held your arm in place you hadn’t even have the chance to pull back.

A painful screech left your body when you felt the transparent liquid flood your veins and it felt like it was burning you alive from inside. It burned and your fingers went numb, same as your toes. The fact that they also turned completely white made you worry. And that it travelled upwards… concerning.

“Don’t worry-“ the man to your right said and once again showed his ugly grin. “You’ll feel better soon, as soon as you’re our weapon you’ll do a lot better.” He cooed but as he said weapon, you started crying. 

“I didn’t do anything to you! I don’t even know who you are!” You tried to defend yourself but the man only laughed and left the room and you behind with the burning feeling inside.

Seems like you passed out again. Now you weren’t in the bed, around you were cold stonewalls that seemed to also be a little wet. Your head was leaned against the cold wall as your back was also pressing against it. Someone must’ve dropped you there. Your ankle was in a cuff and your hair was tied up in a messy bun. 

Your body felt extremely sore and your hands ached when you used them so you decided to stay on the ground a little longer, until a guard opened the door and placed a little bowl of food in front of you. ‘Plain rice is at least a bit better than nothing’, you thought to yourself. 

The feeling for time already left you and you couldn’t even tell if it was Monday or Tuesday and you hated it. You didn’t know where you were or if someone even looked for you, if you’re far from home or not and especially what they’d do with you.

A few words slipped to your ears from the hallway which were “Tests, today and let’s see if serum succeeded.” 

So the fluid wasn’t something like saline, it was a serum. There was some weird serum in your body and you didn’t know what it does but judging by what the guards said, you should find out pretty soon. Except that this pretty soon was now. The doctor that you met when you woke up the first time was there too and there were two guards that escorted you with handcuffs out of the most likely some kind of prison cell into a bigger room. 

‘Why was there a swimming pool?’ 

Would’ve been better for you to not ask yourself this, because one of the guards attached a metal ball to the handcuffs which seemed to be quite heavy. You looked back and forth between the guards and the doctor and when the man nodded, the two bigger men threw you in mentioned water.

Your problem was now the ball, that was sinking and pulled you down with it. 

Panic. 

You started screaming, even if no one heard it since the water muffled pretty much all the sounds. 

You’ll die. Will you?

Seems like it. They only wanted to kill you.

What were the intentions of a weird doctor that kidnaps you and injects you some weird serum other than killing you? 

Maybe he was an inmate that wants revenge. Or maybe someone who just hated women.

Everything was possible at that point. Didn’t change the fact that you were scared for dear life. You didn’t want to die just yet. 

And you only had two options, drown or detach it from the cuffs. Second option sounded a lot more appealing than No. 1 and so you started wiggling in the water, trying to get free, when you felt a weird pain in your nose.

The water shot through it and suddenly you were able to breathe. Didn’t change the problem with the metal ball but made it, weirdly enough, at least manageable. Your body stopped shaking and when you tried to move your hands, the cuffs just simply broke.

“What the hell?” you muttered- no blubbered to yourself. 

The ball problem was eliminated and you were able to swim back up to breathe some fresh air. 

“Shit, doc, she did it.” Yelled one of the guards and he smiled. 

His nod said that he knew that this was gonna happen and that this was exactly his intention. 

“Bring her into a maximum security cell and strap her down. No movements allowed or you two shitheads get killed first.” He commanded with a chuckle and left the room again, then everything went black. 

The next time you were woken up was in a jet, next to people that looked as clueless as you might look right now but there were no words that left your mouth, even if you tried to speak as hard as you could.

No words.

“Good evening, young ones.” The man with the dark hair said and referred to all the people around you and probably you. “I am deeply sorry that there was no time for a detailed welcome but I’m catching up on that now. My name is William G. Palm and I am your manager and boss. You’re working for me as my weapons and today is your first mission. I want you to knock out or kill everyone that is in your way. I want those weapons.”

The man stated and you knew deep down that some time ago you had no sympathy left for him but right now all you could do was nod.

“I injected serum that is made out of concentrated angel tears into your veins so you have the exact same powers as those above.” He stated and gave the guards a sign to open the handcuffs of all the girls and boys on the ship. Then, a loud thud. They must’ve landed. The hangar opened and everyone ran, as far as they could. Some were shot, others were able to get further but not far enough, except you. 

You hid behind obstacles and ran in an ungodly speed, the shots didn’t even were close to you. Adrenaline was pumping inside of you and all you could see was red, letting your instinct control you completely. 

People were screaming, most of them were your mates. 

It was a war scene, mass destruction and heavily armed people ran around. But you didn’t look back, running and running. 

Fulfil your mission.

The enemies were trying to get to you but none of them stand a chance. One came close to you but you knocked him off his feet with a punch into his face and tried to get to the weapons inside the building. On your way there you had a couple more fights but none of the soldiers were actually able to stop you.

With some weapons you made your way back but were stopped by a certain redheaded woman in black attire.  “Whatever you’re trying here won’t work out, kiddo.” She said and held her hands up.

If you were a 100% conscious at that time you would’ve recognised that THE Black Widow was standing right in front of you, but the manipulated you just shrugged and tried to run past her but what stopped you this time was the hand that met your nose.

“Shit!”, you groaned and turned around to face her. 

“You’re really trying to mess with me, huh?” Was your question that she simply scoffed at. “Hold your horses, wild one. You’re messing with the Avengers.” 

‘Fulfill your mission, Y/n. Bring me the weapons.’ The voice of Dr. Palm echoed through your head.

“I don’t care.” Was your answer as you hat her on her solar plexus and made her stumble backwards. It was your chance to run which you took gratefully.

Little did you know that a shit ton of Avengers waited for you outside and Dr. Palm was nowhere in sight. Little did you know that he left you there, he had the assumption that you were killed like all the other ones and went before he got caught.

“It would be smarter of you if you drop the weapons and come with us.” Stated the dude in blue, white and red clothing and a shield but you shook your head out of irony. 

“Really think that would get me, huh?” 

Who would’ve thought that Spider-Man was the one to knock you off your feet with his taser webs. 

Unconsciousness.

Darkness.

Silence.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

You groaned, your head was hurting a lot. Why was it hurting that much? 

“She’s awake!” A male voice said and make you open your eyes in shock and probably also in fear of being tied to something again but this time it was a rather friendly face, a light stubble over his chin and cheeks, rimless glasses sat on his nose and his dark, lightly curly hair was sprinkled with gray.

“Hey.” He smiled. “I’m Doctor Banner, Bruce Banner.” At least a small introduction, so you knew what and who you’re dealing with.  “I know you might be scared but I promise no one here’s going to harm you.” He stated, raising his pinky. “Pinky promise.”

What kind of doctor would say ‘Pinky promise’ you thought, but he didn’t seem so bad so far.

“I did some check-ups on you and your condition was pretty bad, you were pretty dehydrated and your blood pressure was constantly too high.” He explained and showed you some health data. He had evidence, seemed to know what he was doing

“If you don’t mind, Mr. Stark would like to have little talk with you.” He said and exchanged places with Tony, who had a certain black girl by his side. 

“Hey kiddo, how are you feeling?”, the billionaire asked and looked intensively at you, but you just laughed. 

“Like shit.”

“I know Bruce is gonna fix it but I still need you to help me out. Who are you working for?”  “Working? For Hard Rock Café, nothing more?” The tone in your voice was questioning, as if you didn’t know what he was talking about, what was the case right now.

“No, why were you stealing those weapons?” He was stern and now very straight forward. 

“What weapons?” And made Shuri shake her head. “She doesn’t remember, Tony. No need to push her into something, her bpm’s already rising.” The princess stated and had a hand on Tony’s shoulder, trying to calm him and pushing him out of the room.

She now smiled at you and pulled a lightly disgusted face, paired with the words “men…” and laughed which also made you chuckle.

“You need to tell me everything that you remember about the whole thing, okay? Do you remember where you landed or what your mission is?” You shook your head.

“Want me to explain it?” The older one asked and received a small ‘Okay’ from the college-student.

The panther took a deep breath, sat down on the bed next to your legs and started rambling. “When the Avengers were called it was kind of a war-scene, other people your age where shot when they ran for their lives out of a jet-“ She stopped, gathering and sorting the memory. “-and a man was looking at the scene and laughed before he left.”  While she talked, the girl was playing with her hands, seems like she was nervous. 

While you were watching her fiddling with her fingers and inspected the tattoos, something came out of your mouth. “Palm.”

Shuri was looking at you, following your gaze down to her hand. “What?” She was confused, what where you talking about? 

“Doctor Palm.” Your voice cracked as you spoke again, even if you didn’t know where it came from. But Shuri slowly tried to catch up on what you were saying and her face lit up. “That was the man, yeah?” 

Nod. 

“Thank you so much. I’ll be back soon, get better fast.” She smiled and hurried out of the room to talk to the Avengers.

All of the heroes were in the conference room in the compound after Shuri had called in an emergency meeting and obviously they all were nervous and curious. 

“What happened?” It was Captain America, that spoke. “Did the girl try to flee or something?” 

“No. I want you all to look for a Doctor Palm, that’s the man that was with the teenagers back there.” She stated and fought for your right and for your justice. 

Tony was the first one that got to work and tried to find the mysterious man, while Shuri hurried back to your room.

Why was she so worried even if you basically didn’t know each other? For the others it looked quite normal, just a girl helping another girl out but the way she acted was so down to earth, other than expected from the Black Panther. You bet she would’ve had places to be but when she returned, a glass of orange juice in hand, the queen seemed to care so much.

You muttered a “Thank you so much” when she handed you the drink and sat back down at your legs. She let you take a moment to taste the juice and when you hummed in satisfaction, she continued talking.

“Do you remember what happened before that battle?”

“Well- my head feels very weird because I think I fainted a lot- I mean I at least was unconscious often.” You mentioned and she took a mental note on that just to tell Bruce to check up on your blood values in case they’ve drugged you. 

“Also I remember fainting on my way back home-“ And there was the memory of good old Gwenny that would be dearly worried about you by now and tears welled up in your eyes. 

“When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed, just like this one. But my hands were tied to the side and this Dr. Palm injected me something. That’s why I was panicking when I woke up here.” You admitted and took a deep breath, what follows was a big deal for you.

“And then I woke up in a prison cell. The guards later on always drowned me on purpose and I snapped handcuffs in half. Then they strapped me down in a max cell.” You looked away. You usually didn’t talk about what was on your mind but maybe the girl in front of you should know, if the Avengers were going to help you, you know?

But her face was enlightened by shock. She couldn’t peel her eyes off of you and pity was dwelling in the pit of her stomach. 

“Could you do me a favor, queen?”  “Don’t call me queen, I’m Shuri! What is it?” Her smile brought you comfort, even if your mind was troubled. It was so cloudy up there, so so cloudy that you couldn’t focus on your own thoughts.

“I’m living in a flat with an old lady, downtown New York. I don’t know how many days passed since I fainted. Could you check on her?” You begged, again at the verge of tears. “Please tell her that I’d be home soon and she should call Nick, that he takes care of her.”

“Nick? As in Nick Fury?” The queen of Wakanda asked and when you affirmed of her assumption, she once again gave you a big smile and rushed to do what you asked for.

But the answer was no good and Shuri couldn’t manage to tell you this herself, it’d break her heart once again, so she sent Bruce, also with the information about your blood values. 

Yes, you weren’t speaking for the rest of the day. And the day after that day. Just because you didn’t pay any attention to your surroundings that day you were now all alone by yourself. Luckily you had a roof right now and people that at least took a little care of you but when Tony crashed your silent treatment, you didn’t know how to react.

They didn’t find the man they were looking for. The only they managed was to analyse your blood very detailed and what they found was very confusing.

“High dose of chloroform, serum spiked with an identical formular of the super-soldier serum, indeed there were tears of angels in it. And we had some contact to someone who knows a bit about mystic creatures. He said they will look for you.” 

Tony wasn’t very pleased of your stay and you knew by the way how he told you, without any filters or any empathy.

“This is not a motel or something so if you feel alright it would be cool if I’d get my doctor back.” He said and hell yeah you felt unwanted. Why would he say something like this? Didn’t he care?

Why were you even here if he didn’t care? They could’ve left you there-

He could just simply let you go if you didn’t discover how to use what they gave you but that would happen sooner or later. And Shuri wasn’t really happy about Tony’s decision but couldn’t do anything about it. She offered to take you to Wakanda and give you a place to rehab but you declined. 

Why?

You still wanted to graduate.

You still wanted to be a normal person even if it seemed impossible right now. 

After Tony’s snarky comment you told Bruce that you felt alright and that you’d want to leave, much to his dismay.

You hoped not to walk into the queen on your way out of the building but the last few days weren’t lucky for you and so was this one.

“Hey, hey, hey killer, where are you going?”, she asked, thought that she was dreaming. 

“I’m leaving.” You shrugged and gripped your jacket and your phone a bit tighter, you hated confrontations.

“Whoa, what? Why?” Didn’t she know about how Tony felt?

“Yeah, Stark said I should leave when I’m good, no motel and shit.” 

Her expression and smile dropped. She wouldn’t see you again, would she? Probably not. 

“Give me your phone.” She demanded and you handed her your phone and saw how she created a new contact. 

“Call me, if you need anything. Even if it’s just a friend or a drink.” And you didn’t expect her to open her arms for a hug, which you still gladly took.

Why were the clouds disappearing? 

Why was her skin so warm?

Was that her heartbeat? 

Why was she protecting you the whole time? 

You broke the hug and gave her a little smile, shoving your phone into your pocket and walked towards the exit. She didn’t move a muscle, still looked in the same direction as when you guys were talking. 

The odd feeling of not wanting to leave her alone behind didn’t wash away and so you turned around and called out her name once more.

“Hey- Shuri?” 

She looked – over her shoulder - back to you and watched you.

“You’re very pretty.” With that she received the sweetest smile you owned when you turned on your heel once more and walked off.

Were that butterflies?

When was the last time a girl actually called her pretty?

She couldn’t remember.

With that a smile settled on her face for the rest of the day.

But not for you. When you realised you had no money left and no bus drives out here you only had the option of walking or rather walking at least into the next city. You could’ve asked the queen to give you a ride but you didn’t want to be in dept about anything ever. She would’ve escorted you safely to where your destination was- but you had none, except for New York City. 

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NEXT CHAPTER>>

[isleofdarkness]

That snippet was AMAZING, I love it when you make long posts. Don't know why I didn't write this earlier.

“what she remembers is being trapped in a tiny closet without any light, having lost the instinct to cry because it did nothing. [...] Some of the most comforting memories she has are Mari's voice speaking to her through the door, a child trying to comfort a baby. Andi doesn't remember most of the words, but she remembers the feeling of calm and safety that would wash over her the second she heard that voice.” How dare you start this with such a wonderful paragraph? The fact she thinks of it as "some of the most comforting memories she has" is the saddest fucking thing if you think about it because SHE WAS A BABY. SHE WAS LOCKED IN A CLOSET. She can't even remember Mari's words, probably because she wasn't old enough to register and understand them. Yet is the closest thing she has had to comfort in. Her. Entire. Life. Excuse me, I'm gonna go cry in a corner.

“After a while, Andi was content to stay there. As long as she and Marionette were safe and they had each other.” Crying. Sobbing. She just wanted to be with her sister. She didn't care about anything else. The biggest fuck you to Maleficent.

I love how she chose her name to match Mari's.

That horror story was awesome, dude. You, once again, proving you're an excellent writer.

Mari is the best, she reads about Lovecraftian "horrible in ways far beyond the mortal comprehension, whose little human minds would go into the most horrific madness if they were to witness even the tiniest amount of it" horror and says "I wish that happened to my dad, lol".

How do you come up with such cool powers AND such cool ways to use those powers.

“She froze, or at least she thinks she did. She doesn't know that Marionette was using her telepathy to force her to stay hidden until she was out of range, meaning Maleficent would be super far away. All Andromeda knows is that she froze and watched her sister get beaten and kidnapped by Maleficent and, instead of helping, she just froze so severely that she was still frozen for ten minutes like a fucking idiot instead of helping the sister who had sacrificed so much for her.” I was reading this last night in my living room beside my dad and I had to go to the bathroom to keep going 'cause I was about to cry, Andromeda's desperation, impotence and guilt are conveyed so fucking well.

“She tried to find Marionette, but she didn't understand as much about the Isle.” Is so sad to think how Andi didn't comprehend anything that was happening around her, is horrible the isolation this girl had to go through. There were so many things she didn't understand, so many things she didn't know. She was just a confused little girl trying to stay alive.

Also, the Andi and Ace scene is soooo. I already cried to this and re-reading it and writing this is making me emotional again. Fuck.

I'm just going to quote the parts that especially tore my heart apart because nothing I could say could make them justice.

“The words she used, the blame she put on it for its own suffering, were so horrific they made her want to rip her own tongue out, but she didn't stop. She just couldn't stop. She needed it to kill her.”

“Ace knew the game she was clearly playing. Knew it- hell, it invented the game.”

“It reminded Ace of Rose's desperation every time she shrieked the most horrible things at their mother to try and redirect her anger from it to Rose. The way her voice got higher and high and she repeated things, trying to make her words even nastier when she had run out of things to say.”

“The horror hidden so deep in her eyes that only the tiniest spark could be seen, a spark Ace had learned was the tip of the iceberg of how much she hated herself for the words coming out of her mouth.”

Rose adopts the dogs that bite and I love her for that. You can really tell she likes wasps (and identifies with them).

I love the Hearts dynamic so so much. The way they make sure Andi knows what happened to her sister wasn't her fault and that Mari doesn't hate her for not being able to do anything. Andi deserves all the support and love in the world.

Once again, really, truly, the biggest fuck you to Maleficent.

Please tell me Queenie and King aren't actually dead. Man, I was already signing the adoption papers ;(

Ace's monologue was the best thing ever, Maleficent deserves to be bullied for her micro dick energy and loser behavior.

I hope you feel better soon and that your managers stop being such idiots. Amazing writing, as always.

To be honest, my day yesterday only got better the longer I was awake. However, the fact that I woke up at three am only to roll over in bed and dealt with the terror of how severe the sprain the movement caused looked meant the bar was on the ground. I'm not even that mad about the manager, I think she's dumb. She had to take issue with the pettiest bitch in McDonald's

She remembers Mari's voice from those years in the same way most small children remember their mothers. That was the only interaction she got, and it was the only love she got. The voice through the door, even though she could never see or touch the owner, was what kept her sane. The day that door unlocked and she got to hug her sister for the very first time is one of the best days of her life. The first face she ever saw in this world was Mari's, and she still remembers exactly how that felt.

She would have been perfectly content to chill in the woods, living in a cave, as long as it meant she got to live with her sister. That was all she wanted in life, to be near her sister. The bar was on the floor and fate dug under it. She expected nothing and still she was let down.

Mari will never admit it but she cried. She saw how Andi lit up and heard how excited she was when she said "I can go by Andi, and we'll match!" and that was one of the best moments of her life. Andi was so thrilled.

Thank you. That part of the snippet I barely remember writing. I think I got possessed or something/j

Every time he pissed her off she would just imagine him getting eaten by Azazoth or something and that made her feel better. Go big or go home, I guess.

It's the scientist in me. I love testing the limits- photokinesis should, in theory, be able to manipulate colour. You'll also see with that with Luna's shield.

She had nightmares about it for years. They only ended when Facilier finally perfected a sleeping potion that kind of acted as a sedative medication for people with insomnia, anxiety, PTSD, etc. She'd go days without sleeping to try and avoid the dreams.

Mari tried so, so hard to keep Andi away from the Isle. The Isle was cruel and dangerous, and Andi was just a little kid. She shouldn't have had to deal with that. But this meant that, when the two were separated, Andi had no idea what she was doing. The fact that she didn't like adults was the only thing that kept her alive- adults were out during the day, so she would sleep all day and go out at night, using her shadows to hide her. She still doesn't have much street smarts and can't really hold her own in a fight.

Yeah, I almost cried, too. The only thing that kept me from crying was the mental image. Ace is just trying to eat its soup in the garden to avoid its mother and suddenly this twelve-year-old comes out of nowhere and starts yelling at it. It was so confused before it realized what she was doing (and even then, it had many questions.) It just wanted to eat dinner and now there's a whole situation.

Rose adopts the dogs that bite because she does, too. She throws a punch before the fight starts just because she thinks it's about to go down. She really is just like a traumatized fighting dog or a wasp.

I'm glad you love that. They're such a good family... if you ignore the whole murder part.

Fuck Maleficent. All my homies hate Maleficent.

Unfortunately. They and nearly 100 other kids hidden in Salazan's Grum are gone. Ace is actually having a mental breakdown in Auradon because they couldn't even bury them. They couldn't have a funeral. They never even got the bodies out of the rubble! They never got to properly mourn their siblings and its trying to ignore the pain by taking care of others, but that's just making everything worse.

One day, Ace is going to say that to Maleficent's face. The only reason it hasn't is because it's never seen her. What's she going to do? Kill it? Yeah, its shaking in its baby seal leather boots (they are not really baby seal leather but it likes to make a point.)

I love how I wrote that in an exhausted four-hour haze after the show (I have been in theatre for ten years and that was the best show I've ever seen, I thought it was better than Newsies on Broadway) and you guys still love it. Thank you so much

[chaos0pikachu]

I binged watched part 2 of The Glory and I have THOUGHTS and OPINIONS but overall liked part 2 a ton, really need Song Hye-kyo and Jung Sung Il to be in another drama where they get to fuck nasty tho saw someone say a spy thing and now all I can think about is a Korean remake of Mr and Mrs Smith staring them 

anyway thoughts and opinions, obviously spoilers and some unpopular opinions to boot: 

so like, off the bat I am firmly neutral on the JYJ and MDE romance. Sorry y’all. I thought some of their romantic moments were just out of place tonally in the show - the fondue scene especially with the standard kdrama romance music playing, the running hug scene, both come to mind - I wished the show leaned into the dark romance aspects more. Like, my issue with JYJ is he’s way way way more interesting when he’s unhinged and covered in blood. But the show seemed determined to make him a “green flag” which is a term I’m growing increasingly eye-rolly with in fandom which made him way more boring and also inconsistent. 

I was actually salty he didn’t get to stab anyone! Why tease me with a murder knife drawer and not do anything with it??? His best moment was when he put PYJ under and was so wonderfully creepy and intimidating. That was peak. That was his best moment for me in part 2 and the rest was kinda...meh? I didn’t want him to be cutely romantic I wanted him to be secretly unhinged!! Him being a ~green flag~ was meh his other best moment of the show was his monologue to his father’s murderer. Literally one of the best moments of the show and 100% his best moment as a character. I wanted more of THAT and less of him simping after MDE tbh. 

That said, I’m not like against their romance or anything it’s just firmly - fine. It’s fine. 

I’m also very meh/eye-rolling over the concept of a woman being a man’s savior and salvation. I find that trope really boring tbh 

It was nice to see MDE have a partner in crime, and I did like the tent scene with them. I think if there’s fic written if it’s fluff squeecore fic I’ll pass but I’d love a take on them that embraced the darker aspects of YJY’s character. Like dude was an obsessed stalker - which is another reason this green flag thing is weird to me - after spending like what 3 months with MDE if she didn’t like him and also wasn’t a bit unhinged herself he’d be a horror movie char lol like he moved entire ass cities to be closer to her without telling her and lied to her about knowing So-Hee’s mom all in a longcon effort to get closer to her like embrace the unhinged! 

Anyways

We didn’t get much of HDY and MDE this part but know what, I really liked how subtle their relationship was tbh like HDY taking off his shoes before entering her home was a peak moment for me. It’s subtle, but it was a bit of kindness that was so often and so thoroughly denied MDE repeatedly. And obviously that meant a lot to her b/c she was willing to drop her whole ass extended revenge plot and give PYJ a chance to turn herself in. I liked that he didn’t immediately divorce PYJ too b/c it gave him all the opportunity to slowly and symmetrically tear her apart emotionally. 

Like, PYJ realized she actually loved this man, so knowing that MDE got into his head and heart - I loved that he basically admitted yeah he had an emotional affair with her - was clearly so damaging for her ego. And that’s what PYJ cares about most, her ego, her image, her self-preservation. And I loved how HDY tore that down every chance he got. He knows about her affair, he knows HYS true parentage, he knows all her little secrets and when she tries to defend herself he gives her rope to hang herself with it. And she does b/c of course she does!! Oh it was great. 

It shows that PYJ’s idea of love is possession. She’s mad HDY cheated on her, without considering her years long affair with JJJ. She loves her daughter, but not enough to take TWO, TWO different chances to actually protect her daughter (sidenote loved that both MDE and HDY gave PYJ two different chances to take responsibility for her action and make amends and both times she spat in their faces) and she denied them. 

Also what the heck is up with the fact that Mr “Who Should I Kill For You First” didn’t kill a single bitch but HDY killed one of the MAIN bitches??? Like, I loved it but what the heck??? That said would’ve really liked a follow up or sideways scene where MDE gave HDY the info on JJJ and that she knew~ he killed JJJ. I think they should’ve had a final scene together like that b/c it didn’t make much sense to me how JJJ got out of that car accident and ended up at that construction site where HDY followed and killed him after. Plus it didn’t make sense to me that MDE wouldn’t have kept tabs on JJJ and would have left his fate ambiguous like that. He was the one most loyal to PYJ and probably the only person who wouldn’t abandon her in the long run so like, that felt like a weird missing piece to the ending. 

I’m glad PYJ didn’t die tho, I’m kinda meh on main villains always dying tbh sometimes it really works - like JJJ’s death - but other times it feels like an easy out for them. I’m glad she’s in prison suffering especially not knowing one of the people she killed she actually didn’t. Knowledge that MDE can hold over her forever. I loved that I loved that was PYJ’s endgame. 

All that said, I wish the show incorporated more of the publics viewing of PYJ in her downfall. I think The Devil Judge and Hellbound did this way better with how social media and the news really influence the public perception. We got that one news conference and that was it but like I wanted more. I wanted to see more of the public takedown of the crew and have all the victims smiling as they listen to the gossip and chatter around them. 

Everyone’s fates were pretty dope though. KHN was a highlight, so glad her husband is dead, she didn’t forgive his ass in the end, and she’s happier now. She’s one of the best characters of the show, the way she flourished and grew - that SLAP she gave PYJ like no one topped that - was just amazing to see. HDY and his adorable daughter going to UK was so earned (made no sense but earned), the crew’s different deaths like loved that for all of them hahahah suffer. Glad MDE found happiness and fulfilment at the end with YJY. 

My last and only quibble with the finale was two things: 1) I wanted a follow up scene with Soo-Hee’s mom and MDE I think this was a hugely missed opportunity tbh like for MDE to tell SH’s mom we got them all not just PYJ but all of them went down you’re daughter can rest now. I was really disappointed we didn’t get this. 2) I really disliked how the last 20/30mins was dedicated to like a long set-up of a potential s2 about YJY’s revenge. Idk this was MDE’s story and it felt like the ending stopped being about her and became about an ad to watch a potential s2. It dragged on and on and I felt there were other things we could’ve explored instead to really wrap MDE’s story up completely. 

Overall, hands down one of the best kdramas I’ve watched and a high fave. 

[waitmyturtles]

I can’t believe I’m writing something not related to Moonlight Chicken (✨Alan x Gaipa/Gaipa x Alan✨), but here we go, before the big MC finale: I managed to finish the totally wonderful 10 Years Ticket, my first Thai lakorn, out of a continued devotion to rummaging the rabbitholes of actors/actresses that tore my heart apart in previous dramas. In this case, in the aftermath of my ravaging affair with Bad Buddy, I had to catch up on Nanon’s and Ohm’s latest works. Dirty Laundry was an easy bucket. Ohm’s 10 Years Ticket was a hell of a something else entirely. 

I understood that, going in to 10YT, lakorns are generally assumed to be soapy, and I had to admit that I was concerned about entering this tunnel -- especially because I have a history of being seriously disappointed by subpar cishet roles for my otherwise dear QL actors (AHEM MACHIDA KEITA, the man needs better scripts; Akaso Eiji is faring so much better). As well, I’m not even all that familiar with Ohm’s other BLs and non-QL dramas, as He’s Coming to Me is on my list of essential BLs to watch, and I’ll get to it soon (SOTUS first). 

So anyway, I came into this apprehensive, especially considering how LONG the series is, at 16 episodes, and I knew there was violence, which I generally avoid. But I should have given GMMTV more credit. It was UTTERLY bingeable, a VERY DEEP study into long-term intergenerational family and community trauma, and I found it totally compelling as someone who’s trained in the social services. And, I am a huge fan now of director Fon Kanittha, who, VERY IMPORTANTLY, will be directing Milk and Love’s GL, 23.5 (EEEEEEEE). So I was glad to check off not just an Ohm box, but Fon’s as well.

AND! Because I’m still so new to Thai dramas, I’ve never seen a QL/drama with Off before (lord help me as I contemplate jumping into OffGun). And 10YT had a wonderful stable of GMMTV actors in Tu Tontawan, View Benyapa (who was fantasssstic), Pluem Purim (who was also great), and Foei Patara (so evil, so good!). 

The casting was superb -- especially for the insanely difficult subject matter.

I don’t know if I want to spend that much time on the plot, but I’ll do my best to explain what plot points matter to why I thought the show was a success. The show centers on Ohm’s character, Phukao, whose half-brother, Mai (Pluem) is shot and killed when Phukao is a very young child. Phukao and Mai’s family are close with a number of other families in their community. Mai is a drug runner, and his girlfriend -- the older sister of one of the other friendly families -- takes the rap for the shooting and is sent to prison, causing almost permanent friction between the families. Later in the show, the girlfriend’s younger sister (Kongkwan, played by Tu), is reunited with Phukao; they were friends as young children, but separated after the shooting, and Phukao had a long-standing grudge against Kongkwan, until he realizes his feelings for her as an older teenager.

I’m going to add trigger warning tags to my review, because as part of the layering of intercommunity and intergenerational trauma of this show, I don’t think I’ve ever seen depicted in a drama a young child witnessing as much as young Phukao witnessed, including post-mortem scenes and episodes of abject family violence. So it honestly was not surprising to me that Ohm/Phukao and Tu/Kongkwan did not ACTUALLY have, quantifiably, a tremendous amount of screen or speaking time.

I peeped on the 10YT tag a few complaints that Phukao and Kongkwan were actually a pretty tame and not exciting couple, but I have to hand it to Fon, because -- I think she rendered these two teenage characters quite accurately. If I were studying Phukao’s and Kongkwan’s childhood stories in a social services course, I’d be amazed that the kids could even talk, considering what they experienced and witnessed by way of violence and loss. 

In other big, macro words: this show was led VERY deeply by the criss-crossed storytelling of ALL of the stories of the families of the community that was destroyed by Mai’s shooting death. The domestic hell of Phukao’s family after the shooting. Phukao terrorizing Kongkwan’s family in retaliation. Off’s character, Plu, caring for his grandparents by entering the drug running trade and lying about going to college. View’s character, Zo, growing up without a mother. A queer storyline at the parental generation. Parents abandoning their kids, then showing up again. A mafia family storyline with corrupt police mixed in. And throughout all of this, a major theme of movie storytelling bringing all of these individuals along on their life growth paths.

It’s a lot of shit, terrible adult-level trauma that children and teenagers had to face, oftentimes alone, oftentimes with parents that were barely keeping it together themselves. People die in the show, parents die in the show. Kids are left to process alone. It’s just a LOT.

And maybe one or two parts were rushed. BUT: I truly think Fon balanced the script beautifully, and I give her major credit for that. To tell a story of FOUR FAMILIES and their interconnected trauma -- and to bring the story together to unite and reunite a group of childhood friends who commit to holding each other down -- it was no wonder this series needed 16 episodes, but it didn’t drag. It paced beautifully, the storytelling was varied, and everything was done honestly, especially the very empathic queer storyline, which I won’t give away, but I’ll just say this: ASIA, we need more elder queer stories, because you do them SO WELL when it happens. It was beautifully and heartachingly done.

What was refreshing for me to watch in 10YT, as I’ve been quickly educating myself on the history of Thai BLs, was to see multiple generations of actors in a storyline. I’m (COUGH) entering my early middle-aged years, and while I love our darling actors/actresses in their 20s, I do need to watch shows with cohorts more around my age as well. 10YT gave me a drama where each episode was led by a different family or entity, and that generational variation lent major authenticity to a show that would have otherwise been lost if it had turned into a teeny-bop vehicle for Ohm and Tu.

For the screentime that Ohm and Tu *did* have -- they were FABULOUS. Ohm was GREAT, Y’ALL. Mans got such chops. Gah. My heart. His poor character got sent through the trauma ringer. Tu mostly cried for her parts, but she played a tough cookie in Kongkwan, and -- not to spoil this, but I gotta say it -- she did pursuer VERY well. Get it, gurl. Off was fantastic, and I can’t wait to catch up with him in Midnight Motel. But for my money, View absolutely ATE her role, and I want to see her have a major role in some amazing all-star drama/QL at some point.

Was 10YT as SMART, and sharp, and critical of intergenerational trauma as Bad Buddy? No, they’re incomparable, because the stories were vastly different. 10YT laid out a reality that parents can actually fail. They can really, truly fail. And even while they fail.... children may feel an unspeakable, inherent urge to still love those parents. And maybe those parents can try to redeem themselves, in some way. 

I’m realizing that what I’m loving about this modern crop of directors from GMMTV -- Aof, Jojo, and now Fon -- is that they do complicated characters VERY authentically. You, as a viewer, are almost not allowed to wallow in dualistic interpretations when trying to understand these characters. No good and bad here, unless it’s screamingly obvious. And I think that’s a really compelling ask for Asian directors to make of what is a majority Asian audience in Thailand, where filial piety towards families is the major name of the culture game.

I hope this could be considered a decent review, because I didn’t dive too much into the plot, as it really would take a huge amount of time to unwind it all, and I apologize that most of this review is just generalist meditation. But let me just say that if you have the stomach to watch a drama that depicts an Asian perspective on community interconnectivity and the trauma that those relationships bring -- then watch this show. Much of the ways in which the families HANDLED the drama in this drama reminded me of my childhood (without all the criminal and family violence, thank goodness). If you’re in an Ohm rabbithole, I’d say this is a must watch, because he was brilliant in an utterly wonderful script.

[cyphyree]

Now that you've finished utena and it's movies, what was your favorite part? Did you think the movie was a sequel? A retelling? Something else? Some scenes in utena are gonna stick w me till I'm in the dirt n id love to know if you had any like that :33

--

Omgosh!!!! This series 😭😭😭💖 ok bear with me im gonna have a LOT to say affgugyyythh endgame spoilers for Revolutionary Girl Utena the show and movie below

--

Fave parts of the show (in no particular order)

The third transformation scene when Anthy and Utena go to the arena together, badass, just one of the sequences ever

Utena's dorky lil stretches <3

The poisoned tea and biscuit scene

Badminton with Utena, Jury and Miki, along with Nanami ;_;

Miki's stopwatch. Still parsing out what it means but the animation and soundwork is so satisfying

The entire final act of the last episode wrecked me

Wakaba being there for Utena to help her snap out of her depression

Subsequent Utena vs Wakaba battle that breaks my heart into itty bitty pieces

The exploration of Utena's identity, and how she matured from "pretending to be a prince and the misconceptions of what that meant" to ultimately "being a prince"

Jury's backstory with Shiori and how it was visualized

Fave parts of the movie (in no particular order)

SHORT HAIR UTENA!! IN HER LIL BERET!!

The architecture of Ohtori is so cool

Love the opening sequence, especially when it pans up abruptly to the scene with Utena and her prince in silhouette

THEY KISS.

The partner drawing session

The dance <3

Chasing Anthy through the weird corridors of Ohtori after Jury's Duel

The farewell between Utena and Touga (how did they make me like Touga and Utena's relationship)

When they escape together from the maw of the castle in an explosion of roses, and the Shadow Girls guiding them and cheering them on turned out to be Utena and Anthy themselves!

THEY KISS!! AGAIN!!!!!

I actually love how obtuse and playful and surreal the series is, but in a way that's very intentional and gives you all the puzzle pieces to put together what's happening. After finishing the show I felt like I knew what it was about because the themes were so well visualized…… and then I watched one (1) youtube analysis video that made me realize that my understanding has barely scratched the surface of ANything lol. I was kinda embarrassed about it ngl, but I guess RGU is just one of those shows that do require multiple watches. I really, really do love how it's got multiple layers. I'd be happy if I could create a story that's half as clever and nuanced.

The movie was such an unexpected banger. I was told by a friend beforehand that the movie was a retelling+sequel hybrid. After watching it, to me it feels like an alternate version of the story that runs parallel to the one in the anime. Like…… a metaphor for the intention of the show, does that even make sense? I don't think the events or characters themselves are necessarily "canon" in a literal sense, but the philosophies and underlying character motivations are. I definitely see why everyone's like "oh the movie will clear up the themes of the show!! It's great!!" and I love how it clarifies the show by being 250% weirder LMFAO.

I also thought that the absurdity of "your girlfriend turns into a freakin car you drive towards freedom" was going to take me out of it, and it did at first. I was mostly scared for Utena because um that was a scary process, but tbh for the entire ending I had this huge smile on my face. And it was emotional for me even though it's ridiculous!! And that's because it's emotionally resonant!! And it metaphorically confirms for me that, even though Utena was in despair in the last moments we see her in the show, the endings of both the show and movie are ultimately fulfilling and---dare I say?---happy! Because both of them were wrung through the crucible that tore apart their identities, and they ultimately learned and grew, despite how hard and painful it was!

I'm also just so, so, so glad how lgbtq+ the characters and narrative are, and how neither show nor movie shied away from it (I was nervous that the movie was going to retroactively step back, but no, they made it GAYER). And plus how.... tactful and considerate they were when dealing with and visualizing heavier themes. Even the movie was very frank and intentional when portraying nudity. I appreciate that a lot.

What a masterful show. It's going to haunt me forever probably :)

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

Okay so a couple recent projects have ended up featuring these movies and now my brain won’t leave me alone about this so I’m posting it for the maybe two (2) other people who would care...

Spoilers for Malignant and Basket Case ahead

...Who would win in a fight between Duane and Belial from Basket Case and Maddie and Gabriel from Malignant?

So one would think that the undisputed champions would be Maddie and Gabriel, hands down. Duane looks kind of tall but is very much Just Some Guy, and while Belial seems to have some above-average strength, he’s far from superhuman. Judging only from the first movie because I haven’t seen the sequels yet, they can take on other humans of equal strength to or weaker than them just fine, but typically make sure to have the element of surprise first or be otherwise sneaky about their kills. 

Maddie and Gabriel, though? Holy shit they are a nightmare. They do not give a FUCK about stealth because they don’t have to. Not only can they tap into some super strength and agility, the way they move (ESPECIALLY Gabriel, master of the patented Ass-Backwards Spider Style) is so goddamn weird that no one can figure out how to counter them before they bite it. Gabriel can drink electricity and fire it back at everyone like a madman. He massacres an entire police station without getting a scratch on them. They would eat Duane and Belial alive. 

IF.

IF they could function long enough to manage it.

Because here’s the catch: Maddie and Gabriel hate each other. 

They have never once gotten along in their lives. Their entire movie is the two of them manipulating and backstabbing each other and fighting for control of their body. The odds are actually very low that they could ever agree on something, let alone cooperate enough to efficiently operate their body together or hand control smoothly back and forth. The fear that the other one would just be waiting to fuck them over the second they let their guard down would mar every move they made. So if it has to be a two-on-two match, that’s going to severely impact their performance. 

Duane and Belial, though? Their entire movie runs on how fucking inseparable they are. (You know what I mean.) Up until Belial goes and does all That Shit and their relationship takes a real fast nosedive, they’re pretty good brothers! They plan murders together! They listen to Shakespeare and walk around New York City together! Duane carries Belial around in a fairly comfy-looking basket, as baskets go, and feeds him meats! They love each other!

(Gabriel: maddie. maddie why can’t you be more like that fluffy haired loser. maddie you see how he treats his brother? maddie how come you never pour packages of raw hot dogs into my mouth. maddie.

Maddie: I wonder if sticking just the back of my head into a blender would kill me.)

Duane and Belial were not okay with being separated and they both want to kill the doctors that tore them apart, not just Belial. Both Gabriel and Belial are intensely, viciously possessive of their twin siblings. But unlike Gabriel, who would sell Maddie to Satan for one corn chip if he could have their body to himself, even when Duane starts to have a life outside of Belial and do things Belial can’t (at which point Belial does flip absolute shit, mind you) Belial has no desire for their body, Belial just wants Duane. He wants to have a life with his brother and would NOT appreciate Gabriel making shit explode where it could hit Duane.

The key difference between them really shows in how they both use their Twin Telepathy thing. Basically it’s just:

Belial speaking into Duane’s head:

Gabriel speaking into Maddie’s head:

Duane and Belial actually use it to communicate with one another, since Belial can’t speak. Outside of the hanging-dong dream sequence (and my fucking goodness is that scene a whole separate analysis in itself), it’s never implied that the connection can be used for any more than that.

Gabriel and Maddie only ever use it to fuck each other over with hallucinations and verbal abuse. They don’t want to have conversations, they don’t want to communicate, they just want the other one subjugated at best and to suffer at worst. It’s not a mark of closeness as twins, it’s a yoke around both their necks.

So basically...

Duane: I dunno, those guys look pretty tough…

Belial, Belial Roaring™ : THEY ARE NOTHING. I’M GOING TO KILL THIS MOTHERFUCKER. THROW ME AT THAT HEAD LIKE A BASKETBALL.

Gabriel, chugging from the power lines: YOU THINK YOU’RE THE ONE WHO GETS TO KILL ME? I’M FUCKING CRAZY! I’LL EAT YOUR FUCKING BROTHER YOU PIECE OF SHIT!

Maddie:

the block is on fire within two minutes. no idea who’s getting out alive, the only guarantee is that it’s an absolute shitshow.

(also: Gabriel was given an angel’s name and Belial was given a demon’s name. This is absolutely irrelevant but I Noticed It.) 

[stratuscloudsurfer]

Okay. I feel kind of bad doing this to kid Ingo but I couldn’t get it out of my head.

Maybe little Ingo does find out.

Maybe one night, Emmet get called take a small night shift.

(I am unsure how that works at a Subway Station, it happens sometimes in other jobs involving people)

He tucks in Ingo on the couch because his brother’s room is hard to look at sometimes, and he keeps it locked since he went to Hisui.

Emmet will be back anyway, a few hours tops, just to go fix something. Little Ingo can choose to watch a movie or sleep.

He chooses to sleep.

In his rush, Emmet forgets to lock his room door.

Now, he keeps it unlocked at night if Ingo needs anything, wakes up from a nightmare, etc.

Usually however, his research things are put away and he knows that Ingo wouldn’t snoop if it was put away.

In his rush, he has some papers on his desk. A small neat stack of missing papers.

Ingo’s missing papers.

Emmet is conflicted putting them up. He knows where, when, his brother is, just not here right now. However, its been over a month, and he has to put them up or else they’ll do it for him.

That night, Ingo couldn’t sleep. He hugs Emmet’s old Reshiram plush. (The matching Zekrom is in a room he’s not allowed in.)

He walks towards his brother’s room. The door is unlocked. Kid Ingo trudges towards the bed when he spots something on the desk.

A stack of papers with the backside flipped up. This was the first time he sees papers left out on Emmet’s desk.

Ingo can see the slight color the other side has and can’t help himself.

It was all of his face. Well, it was this older Emmet’s face with a frown and black clothing instead of white.

Underneath the picture in bold red, Times New Roman font,

“Missing”

When Emmet returns exhausted, he notices his door open, the only light on in the whole apartment.

He finds Ingo on the bed, gripping the Reshiram and one of the papers tight in his small arms. He is weeping and then he notices Emmet at the doorway.

His voice rings out, a desperate child needing something to be answered,

“I’m going to lose you again, aren’t I?”

Emmet doesn’t answer, but the tears that form in his eyes was enough.

Ok I picked up where you left off, Anon:

!!WARNING ANGST!!

“I-I can explain,” Emmet says, but stops there.

He can’t explain. There is no explaining his way out of this one. His brain stalls out and he can’t make his mouth form another word, especially when little Ingo wipes the tears from his eyes and glares at him instead. His expression reminds him of the one on his adult brother’s face when he told him about what Kamado was doing to him so many years ago. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He demands. “What is this about?”

He holds up one of the papers, and Emmet feels his stomach flip.

“I can understand if you hate me, but this…” Ingo is still but Emmet can see his entire body quaking with anger. “Are you trying to make sure that I’m not found?”

What? 

His entire body freezes when he realizes. Little Ingo doesn’t know that he intended to hang those posters up. He thinks he tore them down. 

He wants to reply--needs to reply, but he can’t. He can’t speak, and even if he could, he has no idea what he’s going to say. The scene plays out like a disaster in slow motion that he has no way of stopping. 

“I knew it,” Ingo concludes. He knocks over the stack of papers with one hand, spreading them out across the floor. Then, he jumps to his feet. “If you want me gone so badly, you’ve got it. I’m out of here.” 

Fists clenched, he storms past him and towards the door. Emmet spins around, finally finding his voice to say, “Ingo, wait--” but he’s cut off by the sound of the slamming door. 

He rushes out after him and into the night, but Ingo is nowhere to be found. A panic starts to rise in his chest and he calls out for him but gets no answer. He frantically searches the area around the apartment complex but can’t find him. His thoughts are spiraling, and all he can think is that now he’s lost both Ingos with no clue how to find them, and he doesn’t know what to do, he doesn’t know what to do--

Hands shaking violently and on the verge of breaking down entirely, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He dials a number and holds it to his ear, listening to the connecting tone and thinking, please pick up, please pick up, please pick up...

“Emmet?” comes a groggy, surprised voice from the other end of the line. 

“Elesa!” Emmet could cry with relief. “Oh, thank god! I really need you right now.” 

She doesn’t ask him why he’s suddenly calling her out of the blue after not responding to any of her texts or calls for the past two weeks. 

She doesn’t remind him that its nearly midnight and that he’s absolutely out of his mind for calling her at this late of an hour. 

She says, “Emmet, honey, where are you? I’m on my way.” 

[dameronology]

6 from the angst prompts with frank please🤲🏾

frank castle + 6) "why does my mind go back to when you used to hold me?"

ok. i'm gonna be real with you. this started by following the prompt, then it...it went somewhere else entirely. but we move.

You should have been happy in your lover's arms.

Anyone else in the world would have been fucking elated; wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa with a five-foot-eleven guy, with his ginger tousled hair and broad arms. Your first date together had been a favour to your sister, but you'd never found a reason to stop seeing him. After all, he looked after you. Texting you to make sure you got home safe, bringing you lunch at work, fixing your broken kitchen cabinet in your shitty little apartment. He was nice. Too nice. He was a sensible t-shirt made out of husband material.

So what did that make Frank Castle? The leather jacket that your parents had forbade you from buying? The stupidly ripped jeans that made your relatives ask dId yOu bUy tHeM lIke tHat?

But truthfully, there was no stupid, cliche metaphor for Frank Castle. He was absolutely indescribable; a walking contradiction, a fucking confusion. He was rough and soft and giving and taking all at once. He stole the air from the lungs and breathed it right back into you; stole the show, but never came out from behind the curtains. He'd ruined your life for twelve straight months and yet, you looked back on that year as the best time of your life.

Frank was gone now - gone to the wind, wherever his next crime took him. You still thought of him, though. Constantly. About how your new boyfriend's arms didn't hold you as tight; about how his hair was a lot softer than Frank's, and didn't scratch you in the same way his did whenever he buried his head in your neck. His hands weren't as large and protective. He didn't make you black coffee every morning - oat lattes and fancy cappuccinos, yeah. But not the shitty, sugarless crap that Frank served to you in a chipped Coney Island mug every day at 7AM. The new guy cared enough to walk you home, but not enough to elbow his way into your apartment at 3AM because he'd heard sirens four blocks away and panicked. Frank Castle had had a weird way of loving you - and now, everyone else's attempts at it paled in comparison.

Like I said before - anyone else would have been infatuated with the new man sat beside you. Admittedly, you'd only found one problem with him.

He wasn't Frank.

"I'm just going to make some tea," you said. "I'll be back in a second."

The auburn man looked at you. "Should I pause the movie?"

"It's okay, I've seen it before," you forced a smile.

Shrugging off the blanket, you stood up and stalked through to the kitchen. It was a separate room from your living area - Frank had always given you spiel about how cramped it felt. But the minute you spotted a pair of combat boots on the fire escape? You were just thankful for the privacy it now gave you from the man you should have been falling in love with.

Hopping up on the counter, you slid open the window and stuck one leg out onto the metal stairs. Frank naturally leant forward to help you, a large handing wrapping around your wrist and pulling you up. The sky was pitch black, lit only by the starry facade of the Lower East Side. Hell's Kitchen was beautiful from this angle - probably because the man who constantly tore it to pieces was stood on your fire escape.

"You look like shit," you greeted him. It was true; his hair was cropped and neat, and he was clean shaven like usual, but there was a fucking massive shiner on his left eye.

"So do you," Frank shot back. "Who the fuck does that t-shirt belong to?"

"None of your business," you said.

"It belongs to your ginger friend, doesn't it?" he deduced. "What's his name?"

"Again - none of your business."

"Fine. I'll just call him Ron, then."

"Okay, Frank," you huffed. "Why are you turning up on my fire escape at 1AM and giving me spiel about Harry Potter?"

"I was just checking in," he shrugged. "Am I not allowed to do that anymore?"

"No."

"Fine," he held his hands up in defence. "But I know you're thinking about me."

"I'm not thinking about you," you countered. "In fact, the first person I think of when I hear the name Frank is Frank Reynolds from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia."

"You're a terrible liar, sweetheart," he reminded you.

"It's true. I really love Danny Devito-"

You abruptly stopped talking when Frank grabbed you by the waist, pulling you towards him. Your lips crashed against his - warm and familiar and chapped - in a passionate kiss. Time might as well have fucking stopped in that moment. It was a feeling you'd craved for so long; begged for, prayed to every god you believed in and even those you didn't.

"You love me more," Frank murmured. "More than the man inside."

"Frank," you murmured.

"Just say it," he pushed. "I know you love me - not him."

"Is that why you came back?" you asked. "Because you were worried I'd found someone else?"

"I came back because I missed you," he confessed.

"You went upstate to get away from all this," you half-heartedly gestured to the city below.

"And I came back for all this," he gestured to you with a large hand. "It's nothing to do with you being with someone else. It doesn't mean I don't want to left hook the guy for putting his hands on you, but..."

Frank trailed off. You, meanwhile, were still in disbelief. It had taken so much effort to move on; to force his remaining belongings into a box under your bed. Even more so to let another man in to said bed.

In a swift movement, he'd taken off his hoodie and pulled it over your shoulders. The zip was done up in mere seconds, thick hood pulled over your head. It smelt of Frank - domestic Frank, not I've gone bat-crap crazy on a gang in the middle of the night and come back looking like the prom scene in Carrie Frank. It was a mixture of cheap laundry detergent and a little of his spicy aftershave. He rarely wore the stuff, but you deducted he probably put it on for tonight. What kind of fucking weirdo put on expensive aftershave just to creep around on his former lover's balcony? Frank. The answer was Frank. Just...quintessentially him.

"You really hate the look of me in his clothes, huh?" you teased.

"You looked cold," Frank lied. "Does Ron give you his hoodies?"

"He'd give me his damn wardrobe if I asked."

He snorted. "Yeah, okay. I'm glad to see you that you still enjoy dancing around important conversations-"

"- you know I love you, Frank," you cut him off. "But I'm not skipping into the fucking sunset with you at 1AM when it's freezing as shit outside. Especially not when there's a man on my couch, who thinks I'm making a cup of tea when I'm actually kissing a man out on the fire escape."

"I love you too," Frank gave you a lopsided grin, completely ignoring the second half of what you said. "I'll come back in the morning."

"Yeah, okay," you pressed another kiss to his jaw. "See you then."

You slipped your hands away from Frank's, sliding your legs back through the window and onto the kitchen counter. Leaping off the side, you shut the window and reached to turn on the kettle - you did have the whole cup of tea lie to keep up with.

And with a smile on your face, you reached for the chipped Coney Island mug on your shelf.