#their friendship was just much more solid than in canon because they went through a lot of things

[seyaryminamoto]

Fic-to-Art #27: Azula, Mai and Ty Lee's friendship

This month's prompt was friendship, and while the contest was fierce, ultimately the oldest of Gladiator's friendships won out. Therefore, I drew these small pieces to show the progression of the bond between these three within the story :D

The first two scenes aren't 1:1 with anything shown in the story, they're more along the lines of things I never got to write but always imagined likely between them. I'll always believe Ty Lee was the instigator of this friendship, and I can't imagine anything more suitable for her than to pick out the two girls she found interesting in school and deciding they would all be friends, while the two girls in question remained entirely confused about the whole thing.

Fast forward a few years later, and as a lot of the baggage and chaos from canon never happened, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee get to stay friends as they grow older, bonding over things that weren't depicted here (such as their experience in Ember Island, sans Zuko, where they got to understand each other better, Ty Lee's fall from grace, Mai's choice regarding who to marry...), mainly because I really didn't have the time to expand on everything. So, as tough as things could get, these three stuck it out together and no matter if Azula is too busy to hang out with them sometimes, theirs is the kind of friendship that all of them can always return to, with full awareness and trust that they'll always have each other's backs.

The last scene is my favorite scene between them altogether, and it's their conversation right before Ty Lee's wedding. It's a really heartfelt moment where Ty Lee is unusually vulnerable and very honest about what these two mean to her, and this time both Azula and Mai drop all pretenses and are completely honest about how much they care about her too. It's pretty much the crystallization of that friendship in one of my favorite chapters to write, ever!

So... there we go! Hope you guys like it! If you want to be part of the creative process behind these pieces, a $1 pledge is enough to make you eligible for suggesting and voting for prompts, as well as reading Gladiator snippets 6 days before the new chapter is released!

[acutemushroom]

My opinion on some Hatchetfield ships

The title says it all, these are my opinions on Hatchetfield ships that nobody asked for ! 😅 More seriously. I first want to make it clear that these are my personnel thoughts on them and that you are free to like those you like and think what you want on them. I also want to get out of the way the fact that I have a bias for canon ships. So yeah, I'm generally a bit less into the ships involving a character in a canon ship and another.

Now, to the ships !

PAULKINS (Paul Matthews x Emma Perkins)

The one, the only, the original, the OG, the Paulkins ! I quite like them. A boring but also brave office worker and his crabby barista with survival skills. They're cute together, how can I not like them ? Though, I admit I prefer them in angst fics and don't really read Paulkins fluff. Part of it is because I love to see the character I like suffer. But also because of how they got together in the first place. In an apocalypse, a dire situation filled with stress. Paul who was constantly protecting her and fighting a literal God's control to try to save her. Emma who we discover a softer side to because of her relationship with Paul. I think they work best in desperate situation than in pure fluff. But that's just me though.

PAULKOTHO (Paul Matthews x Pokotho)

They are my roman empire. I've already talked in length about them. I've wrote fics in which I explored my view on their relationship, even if they weren't the only focus. I have others staring them planned. I fucking adore them. A relentless, controlling, uncompromising God and his absolutely unwilling and resisting prophet. I love them more than is probably healthy.

ROASTED CHAI COFFEE (Paul Matthews x Ted Spankoffski)

I am mostly neutral about them. Not my cup of coffee, but I see their appeal. Though, I can see it happening in a context where they both know for the cosmic horrors ruling Hatchetfield, that there are Gods interested in them both. But without being under Pokey and Tinky's clutches either. They just have to deal and cope together with the knowledge of what happened to them in other timelines.

Paul Matthews x Bill Woodward

Not a ship I go out of my way to read, but one that I am quite fond off. I especially love the interpretation of it where Bill divorced when Alice was still young and Paul was there for him. A solid friendship that evolved into something more. It's a really cute ship and one I can definitely see happen in different timelines.

TIME BASTARDS (Ted Spankoffski x T'noy Karaxis)

"That's a ship ?" was my first reaction upon stumbling on them for the first them. But I definitely see it's appeal and it absolutely grew on me. That Tinky loves his Spankoffskis is not a secret. So, him taking human form in at least one timelines and reaching another level with Ted ? Yeah, that sounds about right.

Ted Spankoffski x Charlotte Sweetley

Again, not a ship I'll necessarily go out of my way to search for but that I am quite fond off. It's clear they care about each other. I love to see it in timelines where Charlotte leave Sam. She makes Ted less off a bastard. He makes her more confident in herself. That's how I see it.

LEXTAN (Lex Foster x Ethan Green)

Yes. They care so much for each other and it breaks my hurt that they'll never be able to go to California together. Ethan is Lex safe heaven and he cares so much for her. He also care so much for Hannah to the point of considering her like his kid. He put himself in danger, and once died, just to protect them. Lex left Hatchefield with Hannah in an attempt to protect him. I just want them to succeed, alright.

TOCKY/BARNSTON (Tom Houston x Becky Barns)

Highschool sweetheart that found each other again, good person wrong moment. They're cute. Again, not a ship I am particularly passionate about, but I do like stumbling upon them from time to time. After what they went through, it is nice to see them being in love with someone again.

Wilbur Cross/Uncle Wiley x Wiggog Y'rath

Another flavor of human and Eldricht abomination ship that I quite like a lot ! They have this big tsundere side to them, at least how I see it, but they're also the embodiment of "assholes in love". I do love a villain power couple.

LAUTSKI (Stephanie Lauter and Peter Spankoffski)

I love these two. She's protective of her nerd and he's so supportive of her. They were both ready to sacrifice themselves for the other and during The Summoning Pete was trying to shield her from a literal God. I love them.

Stephanie Lauter x Grace Chasity

I could swear I remember their ship name... Not one I shipped at first, but they are starting slowly starting to grow on me. I have no particular reasoning as to why, it's really just because of fanfics I've stumbled upon. I like this ship in angsty fic dealing with the aftermath of Nerdy Prudes Must Die (show). I don't know, I like hurt/confort and they provide hurt/confort.

JAGERTITTY (Max Jagerman x Grace Chasity)

That ship name will never fail to make me laugh... I am generally not really found of the whole jock x nice/nerd girl dynamic but they do strike a chord in my heart. Max is so whipped it's adorable. And he's making her reconsider her basically everything. I love them. I would love see them change the other for the better as much as I'd love see them kill people together. I'd read as much fluff as I'd read angst of them. A heavenly good match made in Hell. I love them.

MICHIE (Max Jagerman x Richie Lipschitz)

I will be burned on the public place for this, but I don't ship them. I am really not a fan of jock x nerd like said above and they don't have the same unhingedness that makes me like Jagertity. I don't hate Michie. I can see why the ship is so popular. It simply not for me. Sorry. Though, great respect to you all for making like, a third of the NPMD fics !

Peter Spankoffski x Richie Lipshitz

Two bros being in love. Didn't have the chance to stumble upon them on Ao3, mostly just some stuff here and there on Tumblr. But I do like them. After all, aren't the best romantic relationship also really great friendship?

THE NERDS or THE NERDY PRUDES ( Ruth, Richie and Pete or Ruth, Richie, Pete, Stephanie and Grace)

What I am going to say apply to both. Haven't really read or seen anything on them. But I absolutely love the idea !

[laufire]

although I've enjoyed stories that went down that route before, I can't see jason & talia's relationship in the comic as surrogate mother and son. I don't think the reading came completely out of the blue (I still have this edit of the pietà cover in lost days #2 as my background pic lol. that's some culturally ingrained imagery! although given the issue it precedes, I wonder if it was more of a hint to antichrist!jason lmfao), and can see how lost days #1 would inspire it (although the same events in batman annual #25 end with talia kissing jason after the pit... and I read that first because lost days wasn't out yet when I was catching up in my jason reading, way back when. lost days erases this moment and I do prefer it that version though. that moment, at that time, made no sense).

but after that first issue that's not what I see in the run. jason's certainly not in the market for a parental figure, and he wouldn't have responded well to talia, had she approached him as one (and at this point, talia was very much about finding the right approach to manage jason... because jason had attempted to kill bruce -the comic attributes this to temporary psychopathy but winnick and I differ on this one-. and this didn't happen only because jason decided not to go through his plan at the last moment. ymmv at to why). this reading comes from a mix of things in fanon, but one of them is literally "well she's bruce's love interest and he's bruce's kid sooooo", and I just don't vibe with that, basically.

reading talia's first appearances and realising she's meant to be close to dick's age also compounded my own interpretation of talia's dynamics, sometimes for the worse sometimes for the better, but it's a canon detail that just feels so fitting for the talia comics I've read that now I'd struggle to see her differently, when beforehand I really hadn't thought about her age. this way, they're not exactly peers (dick seems around 4-6 years older than jason in new earth, ymmv), and I usually land on talia being a couple years older than dick. but this colours how I interpret their dynamic, too. how I think they'd see it, in particular.

since I'm talking about the nature of their relationship I do have to mention That Scene. very contentious and I do get why (I do not care for any m/f/m triangle dc has ever tried to pull with the bats, especially bruce vs. dick-slash-jason). but fandom either sees this as "talia, a much older woman, statutory raped jason, a teenager" (jason in the last issue of lost days and in utrh looks very much in his twenties), OR "I've decided talia is jason's mother figure, and I'm -with good reason!- tired of how often she's villianised, so I just Don't See It" [insert mariah carey's i can't read suddenly.gif], as thought there's no other possible interpretation.

and the way I see it is. it's not a Good Thing to happen, nor is it written with that intention! the characters are NOT in a good place and they're NOT making wise, healthy choices lol. and it's something that sidetracks what could've become a really interesting, closer friendship & alliance (I want them to be friends and allies sooooo badly lol. I think they'd work so well!! there's reblogs in my queue about it!!). but I don't see it as something to completely handwave if I'm writing new earth canon; just something to tackle head on, if I ever write about them after this period beyond having it as a secondary dynamic (which I plan to do, but that's another story).

ironically, these ramblings came to me because I'm developing their dynamic in a WIP for a different canon (the young justice cartoon. for reference, the ages there are: Talia, 1984; Jason, 1999; Damian, 2018), and rn if you asked me if they have a surrogate mother-son relationship in it my answer would be a solid... maaaaaaaybe? LOL. if they end up like that, it'll be with MASSIVE ammounts of spousification, though. which is how I see any parental relationship involving jason going, outside of 80s!bruce & jason, to be honest.

[navree]

ooh, pls expand on your dae/jae/aeg3 ideas! 😃😃😃

This is what happens when I wake up at 3am due to stubbornly persisting jetlag (pro tip, if you're gonna go to a country that's, like, sixteen hours ahead of your's, just block off a solid week of not doing anything when you get back because your sleep is gonna be FUCKED, my European jetlag has never been this longlasting or this bad), I create Ideas in my head and then use them to help me fall asleep. And it's honestly highly likely I'm actually gonna write something with this, it's quickly moved really high in my ASOIAF fics priorities list, just behind my Dance AU (I really should also write my version of Aegon's Conquest but it would just be so fucking looooooooooong and fall quarter is about to start for me at school anyway).

So, unlike most Greens, I actually quite like Daenaera, sue me, sometimes character are just Your Baby, and she's mine (I've enumerated why here for the curious). But I do understand the narrative issues some people have with killing off Jaehaera to make room for her, so I'm merging the best of both worlds here. A lot of the same things I talk about when it comes to why I like Daenaera's relationship with Aegon can also be applied to Jaehaera, she's also someone who likely would have felt lonely and isolated and deeply depressed after all she went through, and there likely wouldn't be many people she could try and connect with. There's Gaemon, her bastard half-brother, and there's Aegon. But can Jaehaera really bring herself to connect with him, or he with her? Aegon's father sent men to murder Jaehaera's twin and threaten to rape her; Jaehaera's father not only kept Aegon a prisoner but also made him watch his mother's execution via being eaten by a dragon. That's a huge emotional gulf for two children to overcome on their own, and that's where Daenaera comes in. Kids need socialization with other kids, we know this, and given that Daenaera becomes a ward of Aegon's half-sister Baela, her visits to King's Landing to see her brother often include bringing her young charge (I'm also reducing the age difference between Aegon/Jaehaera and Daenaera, because it is rightly weird as Hell that so much emphasis was put on six year old Daenaera being the hottest preschooler in Westeros). She socializes with both Aegon and Jaehaera, since she's on a similar social level, given not just the closeness between the Velaryons and the Targaryens, but her being kind of a member of Baela's family, and thus technically the royal family by extension. And Jaehaera is queen, so it's not unreasonable for someone to go "OK she needs some noble female companions" to allow her and Daenaera to hang out more.

In my head, the first closeness happens between Jaehaera and Daenaera, and not only as a meta-rebuttal to fandom weirdos who wanna pit two little girls against each other like it's One Tree Hill because you've all got big feelings over a fictional succession crisis. But I think Jaehaera would be more openly receptive to friends than Aegon. I mentioned it in my above linked post about Daenaera, but Aegon's one friend in his minority was Gaemon, and he had to be very careful about that friendship because of how Gaemon could be treated, so he was probably recalcitrant from getting close to anyone, along with his other issues. Jaehaera doesn't have that hangup, she's just a lonely girl without any friends, so having someone who's canonically sweet and charismatic enough that her sunny disposition uplifted the people around her would definitely help her out, and make her appreciate Daenaera as a person and want her around. It'd be almost something similar to what HOTD has between Rhaenyra and Alicent, close female companions bordering on homoeroticism and sapphic first loves.

On the Aegon front, a lot of what I talked about when talking about their canonical relationship can also apply here even before a marriage. Aegon's two main relationships to people his age are Gaemon, with the issues mentioned above, and Jaehaera, which does come with its own issues from the Dance. Daenaera would still be the first major guilt-free relationship in his life, someone he can interact with and be close to without feeling the burden of his own sins or the ones of those close to him on his shoulders. And again, along with that same temperament that endeared him to her in canon, and would endear her to Jaehaera in this AU, that's how they draw close and forge their own independent friendship. On all three sides though, it would likely be restrained to something like courtly love, where you can have concretely romantic feelings and even certain minor expressions of those feelings, but you can't ever really do anything, you just pine and have unspoken thoughts about everything. Aegon and Jaehaera are married, to each other, and they're also still growing, considering they get married when they're ten, so even if they grow closer and start communicating about shared desires more, it's still gonna take some time to parse out what it is they feel and what they want. Similarly, Daenaera would also need the time to grow and realize what she wants as well, and what her feelings even are, given that she's also young. And while I've talked about how Aegon and Jaehaera would grow closer to her, even beyond Daenaera being a naturally friendly person, there is something for her in those relationships as well. Companionship with people her age, for one, and a more calming presence from two people who do seem pretty even keeled, if melancholic, after the chaos of her own early life, and a measure of stability after going from two parents to just a father to orphaned to living with Baela.

One thing that would, in my view, firmly solidify the idea that Aegon and Jaehaera like having Daenaera in their lives and want to keep Daenaera in their lives is the secret siege. In canon, Daenaera nearly dies because of the poisoned fruit tarts, it's only because maesters give her something to make her throw up before the poison gets too much ingested into her system that it doesn't, unlike what happened to poor Gaemon. In my head, there's a period of time, probably a couple hours but still, where it's verrrrrrry touch and go for Daenaera and both Aegon and Jaehaera are really worried about her. Because they know death, they've seen death, not only have a lot of their family members died but they have personally witnessed someone not just die but be killed, be murdered. They know what it looks like and they both realize that they don't want that to happen to Daenaera, that she's important to them. After all, when I said "aegon and jaehaera and daenaera as the conquerors reborn", I wasn't just being facetious. I've mentioned in a lot of my Conquerors meta that Rhaenys appears to have been the glue that held her and her siblings together, and I can see Daenaera occupying a similar role. Like Aegon I and Visenya before them, Aegon III and Jaehaera are likely people who would be reticent in expressing emotion, though for different reasons (trauma vs just inherent personality), whereas Daenaera is not. And having kids socialize with someone like that, and learn to socialize with other people, including each other, like that, it's important, and it makes Daenaera important to them, along with the personal feelings that might become involved, especially with them all maturing emotionally and sexually at the same time. Post-secret siege is when I think things would take a concrete turn to the romantic, and given that the most successful Targaryens of all time were very famously in a polygamous marriage, that's when a plan can start forming about bringing Daenaera into the marriage, not unlike Rhaenys getting brought into Aegon and Visenya's marriage.

(though, unlike my headcanon where Aegon and Visenya never wanted each other romantically or sexually due in part to incompatibilities as Visenya was a lesbian, and they both wanted Rhaenys, all three participants in this poly couple would want each other. I think that Aegon and Jaehaera might like Daenaera individually more than they might like each other, cuz again there's a lot of baggage involved, but there's romantic attachment and sexual interest, though to varying degrees, from all parties to all parties)

A marriage including Daenaera also helps deal with the unseen faction of the Dance: the Velaryons. The Velaryons kinda got shafted by both sides in this war. The Blacks in general treated a lot of members of House Velaryon badly in the lead up (Daenaera's grandfather, again, is Vaemond Velaryon. That Vaemond Velaryon), along with Rhaenyra imprisoning and threatening the House head, Corlys, over her own neuroses. The Greens, meanwhile, not only kept a member of House Velaryon as a prisoner (Baela, who is also the current king's sister), but are responsible for the death of a member of House Velaryon through marriage, since Aegon and Aemond killed Rhaenys (fuck you HBO for ruining that team up, sorry I'm done now). The toll of the war on House Velaryon was pretty severe, with wrongs done by both sides, and there does need to be some element of House Targaryen going "my bad" and offering some kind of recompense, especially considering the ways House Velaryon helped both sides with the allegiance switch (also, if we're moving up Daenaera's age, you can have her father be a casualty of the Dance, rather than the Daughter's War). Having a Velaryon at the table, given a prominent seat at the table, can definitely be that, especially someone who is historically pureblood Velaryon, without major Targaryen ancestry who can clearly advocate for House Velaryon. So if the two Targaryen monarchs go "we want this Velaryon as our queen", that can work from a political perspective and allow the match to go forward.

And if we keep the dragons around, which I want to, because I like dragons, that's something that can also connect Daenaera and Jaehaera. Say Morghul never dies in the storming of the Dragonpit, now Jaehaera has a dragon, and we know Daenaera loves dragons, whereas Aegon can't stand them (reasonable, given what happened to Rhaenyra). So Jaehaera can't bond with Aegon about dragons, but she can bond with Daenaera, who'd be very interested in hearing everything about it. If Daenaera wanted to claim a dragon herself, and we know she expressed the desire to have one after seeing Rhaena and Morning in canon, Jaehaera could be the one to help and facilitate that. Not to mention, I put in a response to someone asking who might Sunfyre have allowed to be his rider if he survived Dragonstone (can't find it for the life of me tho, sorry!) that Daenaera was a likely candidate, given that they're both pretty sweethearts. So if I get to be self indulgent and have Sunfyre survive for a bit, Daenaera can connect with him and Jaehaera can have some link to her deceased father, Sunfyre's original rider.

So yeah, these are just a couple disjointed thoughts I had based on that idea, but in my head that's how it should be. I'm sure I'll think of more about them as actual proper adults and reigning monarchs, cuz right now a lot of this was childhood and teen years focused along with a spotlight more on how they got together than how the relationship unfolded into adulthood, but hope you enjoyed the expansion anon!

[atqh16]

A lot of writers tend to have Kiba and Naruto be best friends in some fics and it’s such a pet peeve of mine because it’s been proven over and over again that Naruto tends to attract people who are the complete opposite of his boisterous character cause they’re usually the ones who truly take Naruto and his dreams and beliefs seriously. There’s a reason Shikamaru is his advisor despite laziness being one of his most defining traits early on in the show. Gaara is another one of his close friends and one of the people outside of konoha who believed in Narutos dreams and visions so much that he ingrained into his own goals. There is a reason that Sai is the head of Anbu in Boruto. Someone Naruto works closely with and trusts completely. Naruto is an extrovert who gets adopted by introverts despite their initial desire’s and attempts to pull away, because he inspires them to be more than they planned or thought they could be.

It’s frustrating how those friendships aren’t as appreciated and properly depicted in fics. Shikamaru is written to just be lazy without the character development that he went through in canon. Sai is commonly depicted as a pervy creep. Shino is just a weirdo with an obsession. Gaara is an emo kid with antisocial issues.

Despite the fact that’s it shown in the show how kind and empathetic he’s become. He wasn’t made kazekage on a whim.

These characters might have been side characters in the show but they still had solid characterizations and it saddens me how a lot of fics just brush all of it under the rug for the sake of stereotypes.

I love these characters so much and they deserve better

[sycamorre]

Also, I need to know about at least one: Luke Skywalker or Will Turner.

[send me a character]

Since I was such an Orlando Bloom fangirl back in my middle school days (and because I'm on a sailor/pirate kick), I feel like I gotta give some love to my man Will.

Will Turner —

Favorite thing about them: That he's just genuinely out to do some good. He doesn't get obnoxious about it, either, he just does what he has to do to help someone he genuinely cares about, even if it means basically losing his freedom.

Least favorite thing about them: He was definitely on the naive side starting out, which always gives me secondhand embarrassment watching it, but that is part of his arc and I can appreciate in the end. In truth, I probably need to binge the movies again and I'll find something more specific.

Favorite line: "If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it."

brOTP: Honestly the idea of Will and Norrington coming to some kind of solid friendship after everything and a quiet understanding of all they went through is nice to think about.

OTP: Me. I'll let him have the default one with Elizabeth, because any other otp just feels so out of character for him.

nOTP: I feel like a common "non-canon" pairing would be Will and Jack for obvious reasons but no. Absolutely not. Those two are barely friends. Coworker level at best. Will may be willing to put his neck out for Jack as a friend and someone who believes he is being wrongfully condemned, but anything more than friends just does not seem like a realistic or even reasonable idea considering how much their personalities clash.

Random Headcanon: Will absolutely sang and hummed while he worked at the forge. Probably some form of sea shanty before he realized how much he was tied to pirates and the sea.

Unpopular Opinion: I like the idea of exploring Will's relationship with his father more than his relationships with any other character. There's some literal "like father like son" stuff going on between Will, Bootstrap, and later Henry.

Song I associate with them: "A Sailing I Will Go" by Karliene is one, but also "The Flying Dutchman" by The Jolly Rogers also feels appropriate.

Favorite picture of them: Will in a nice hat is hard to beat.

[youmissedone]

Who do you ship (romantically and/or platonically) Carlos with + how has that influenced his character/the way you write him?

__________

{out of smokes} Thanks for asking! I ship Carlos with a lot of people in various ways, and that’s always been a big part of his character. Carlos is an extroverted person who is happiest when he’s surrounded by people he cares about, be it family, friends, found family, a romantic interest, etc. So I always wanted there to be a large sense of community, in a way, when I write Carlos. He’s not a one-man army at all. He’s very much about either leading or supporting others, taking care of others, protecting others, and I think his big heart and large capacity for empathy always has him bonding with those around him.

I interpret Carlos as someone who would not do well alone long-term from a mental health standpoint, especially 5-10 years into an apocalypse. He thrives on human interaction and on filling the role of a protector/provider for others. To illustrate that, I often will have cameos of other characters in his threads, or at least have him mention them, for example Carlos being concerned for Yuri and Nicholai during the Raccoon City outbreak, him interacting with other Umbrella paramilitary comrades from the first movie in pre-Hive threads, or him considering or looking out for various members of the convoy in threads that take place during the Extinction timeline.

Here’s a breakdown of people I typically ship him with. I’m only going to be doing canon characters from the movies, because if I start going through the games and all the OCs he’s been shipped with on this blog over the years, we’ll be here until next year. XD

PLATONIC SHIPS (Friends, comrades, found family, etc.)

Yuri Loginova and Nicholai Ginovaef (not to be confused with the version from the games, sometimes also spelled Nikolai Zinoviev, I confuse myself all the time and keep spelling it wrong lol): These guys have all been in the same platoon for a long time and they’re just the goofiest college-esque roommates at this point. Like, I’ve developed the Hive past what is seen in the first movie because there was a lot of employee housing there and surely there was a lot more going on than the sliver we got to see. Paramilitary based out of Raccoon would have been housed there, unless they had an off-site residence (like Kaplan, for example). So Carlos, Yuri, and Nicholai have shared a dorm room in the Hive for years and are friends in addition to being fellow soldiers. They’d really go the distance for each other and care about each other in addition to existing a bit like frat boys when they aren’t on duty. They drink, play cards, gamble with each other, prank each other... it’s just a feel-good friendship. Which... then makes the events of Apocalypse even sadder if you come into it with that context. But I like having them a bit more developed than what we got to see in the movie because clearly they weren’t just thrown together. They knew each other well, worked well together, and were willing to risk their own lives for each other, and I feel it went past just being a good soldier. 

Jill Valentine: They really ended up bonding during the Raccoon City outbreak, and what began as a necessary partnership and reliance on each other to get out alive and help others to escape as well became a solid friendship after the events of Apocalypse. Jill is no-nonsense, she’s brave, she’s got a good heart, and she’s not afraid to play dirty if need be, and Carlos respects that. She’s someone he works very well with but also cares a lot about. He’d always have her back if she needed it.

L.J. Wayne: So... I’m conflicted about L.J. because he’s funny and he does have his good points but I swear I will never forgive him for hiding his bite and getting Carlos killed, heh. But with that aside, Carlos and L.J. became good friends, beginning in Raccoon but then after the events of Apocalypse working with resistance fighters underground, and then into Extinction. Because of L.J.’s willingness to fill a scouting role for the convoy, Carlos was often paired with him when clearing new areas, making sure they’re safe, and exploring where others couldn’t go in search of supplies. They developed an understanding of each other as far as working together but Carlos would also go the distance to protect him as a friend too. Clearly, L.J. cared more about himself, but don’t get me started on that, haha.

Chase: Carlos and Chase have just the stupidest, silliest, teasing, brotherly friendship and I’m so here for it. With Chase being former law enforcement, Carlos knew he could depend on him to have his back in combat situations or to have those tough decision-making conversations, much like with Claire, but they also could have a drink and get silly and take their minds off of the horror of their daily existence too. Chase’s easygoing attitude meshed well with Carlos’ own sense of humor, and Carlos had a lot of respect for Chase’s capacity for heroism and selflessness.

Claire Redfield: I ship these two SO HARD as friends. They’re just... ugh, they work so well together, they support each other, and they care so much about each other. They’ve got the welfare of the entire convoy riding on their shoulders and their consciences, and Claire is someone Carlos can really let his guard down around as far as talking about the mental health aspects of that kind of responsibility, or about the grief of losing members of the convoy. She’s someone he leans on a bit more than most with those types of difficult conversation, because neither one of them wants to burden others or upset the civilian members of the convoy with such things. So they share a lot with each other and depend on each other in ways they don’t necessarily do with others. They’re both natural leaders and have no problem taking charge, but Carlos often defers to Claire and recognizes her as the leader of the convoy. I like that dynamic a lot, that Carlos isn’t at all emasculated by giving Claire power over him, taking orders from her, etc. It’s just a wonderful, seamless working relationship they have that’s backed by some real love and a solid friendship.

Rain Ocampo, Chad Kaplan, and J.D. Salinas: Like I mentioned above, Carlos and other members of his U.B.C.S. platoon dorm and train at the Hive alongside other divisions of Umbrella’s paramilitary, like the Sanitation team from the first movie. So in my canon for Carlos, he’s good friends with several people from the first movie, most notably Rain, Kaplan, and J.D., since they all work and train together in and around the Hive. There’s a lot of respect they all have for each other for how they conduct themselves, their abilities, their dedication, and their willingness to place themselves in harm’s way for each other or for civilians.

ROMANTIC/SEXUAL SHIPS

Alice Abernathy: My OTP for Carlos will always be Alice, heh. I just loved their relationship so much, even as tragic and sad as it ended up being. Or maybe because of that, since I’m such a sucker for angst, lol. They had an unspoken understanding going on and an instant attraction/respect for each other right off the bat that developed into a solid love that distance, time, and an entire apocalypse couldn’t shake off. Even with everything that went down between Apocalypse and Extinction with Angie and Alice feeling like she had to up and leave Carlos, Jill, & Co., clearly they had left a sizeable impression on each other that followed Alice for years after his death. They started off hot, their relationship was intense, and it ended in tragedy, but it’s my favorite ship in the whole franchise.

Claire Redfield: I ship Carlos with Claire platonically so hard, but I also ship them romantically. Nothing is canon between them as far as a romantic/sexual ship, but I could see it happening, for sure. Whereas his relationship with Alice was very intense, I see a Carlos x Claire ship being more of a slow burn. I think after working together for years and becoming close friends, things could have evolved into something more, especially if Carlos had never reconnected with Alice. Honestly, I headcanon that Claire did have feelings for Carlos beyond friendship, but had her own reasons for never wanting to take that next step, and she certainly wasn’t going to say anything once Alice returned. It’s the reason for some of her terse answers to Alice early on in Extinction. There was a bit of disappointment/jealousy going on there, heh. His death hit Claire super hard, too.

(Side note, having said that, one of my favorite ships in the whole franchise is Claire/Alice, either platonically or romantic/sexually. Also Rain/Alice. 11/10, both those ships are chef’s kiss. Okay, I have a lot of ships I love, haha.)

But yeah, those are the major ships I have/maintain for Carlos on this blog and in my own personal canon for him. He’s also had some very meaningful relationships with OCs over the years as well. Like I said, Carlos does best when he’s surrounded by people he cares about. It doesn’t matter how he cares, just that he does. Found family is a big theme with him, because he’s lost a lot of his biological family or has been geographically distanced from them for a number of years even before the events of the movies, so he finds love and friendship where he can. =)

[tallochar]

Can’t recall if I already sent you an ask for the ask game, but: 8, 13, 17

8 - Is there anything about post-Flashpoint canon you prefer to pre-Flashpoint canon? Be honest.

I have only read a handful of issues of post Flashpoint canon and it was pretty much N52 stuff so... the art?

Some of the art I have seen for post Flashpoint comics looks genuinely amazing and while pre Flashpoint had a lot of very solid and stunning art too, I really like some of the stuff I have seen coming out better, purely on artistic preferences level.

(The New52 Batwoman run, Jimenez's Tim, Bruce looking older and haggard with electric blue eyes and that five o'clock shadow etc.)

13 - Is it okay to make detailed contigency plans to take down your teammates? (See: Tower of Babel and a million other storylines) Why or why not?

Yeah, it is (dunno if this is going to be a controversial opinion or not, this is just my own take about things).

I think it is very human to want to or feel the need to, especially in a world where super powered beings are a reality and it has been proven again and again that their will can be suborned or that they can be forced to turn against colleagues, friends and family.

I have really bad anxiety, and I also rely a lot on scripts to get things done. Part of me needs to be prepared for things, hence why I like large bags that are always inevitably cluttered with things I might never use, but I might need at some point so I have them.

I think that in a world like that of DC, when you are in a position like that of Bruce or Tim in Red Robin, it is okay to want to make (and actually go through with plotting out) plans to take down and / or contain the people around you that might need stopping and will not be stopped if you are not ready to.

I know I sure as fuck would look at people and at the very lost idly wonder about it, maybe plot it out as a thought exercise, maybe plot it out as a serious thing if that person set off my "something is wrong here" meter, because those are the lanes my brain goes down.

Sure, Kon was so angry after he thought Tim might have had plans like Bruce's had at the time, when YJ were conscripted as extraction and relief personnel for thaf galactic war, but give it a few years, Geoff Johns and Lex being a dick and then Tim ended up with a broken arm courtesy of Kon and needing to take him down and Kon felt like shit it even went as far as the broken arm. A contigency plan was useful then.

I do not see it as a betrayal of friendship or a lack of faith in people, I see it as a coping mechanism and a necessity of the world. It's like going out with mace in your pocket or something heavy in your bag for your safety when you go in places that are dangerous.

Personally, if I had that level of superhuman powers, I would actively want my friends to have plans and ideas on how to take me down if it ever turned out to be necessary and not share them with me, so I could not counter plan for them.

For their own safety and my peace of mind.

How that is done is a whole other thing, though, and when that should be done is an even more complicated question.

I do not think my rule should be everybody's rule, though. It would just apply to me.

Everybody has free will and I am honestly feeling pretty sure my answer might not go down well with a lot of people.

17 - Who is the best civilian love interest, and why?

Ariana Dzerchenko.

She felt REAL to me, a person with her own life and things going on, an actual teenager that I wished had gotten a better deal, and that is why she was the best to me.

They did love each other, or at least cared very deeply for each other, and it was not enough to stop the real world to get in the way and that sometimes happens.

It is important to let go rather than cling to might have beens and were not, and while I wanted so much more of her and for her to come back on in an Ex Who I Am Good Friends With position (a pipe dream I know), I think what makes me like her best is that her relationship with Tim felt, in a way, complete.

It had a beginning and an end, and it was very teenagers-crushing-on-each-other, and it was not devoid of drama, but it was not nasty relationship drama.

They were sweet, it was sweet and it was not dragged into a forever Will They Won't They status were the fans will never know peace or be allowed the space to let go of it and grow out of it too and remain fond of it without needing it to come back in a romantic way.

I was sorry to see her go, but I also would not have wanted her to stay and be warped out of the person she was and into a source of nasty drama.

Best civilian love interest, hands down.

(Wish she had gotten to be a vigilante trained and raised by Helena, tho, and to stick around as a good friend of Tim post break-up, that would have made things even better)

[astronomoney]

Pairing: Tim Drake x nb!reader (it’s not super romance heavy but I might do a part two)

Prompts: n/a this is purely self indulgent

Summary: sometimes life gives you lemons and sometimes life tells you your best friend and the guy you hate are the same person, your not sure what’s worse

Warnings: n/a

A/n: is this canon compliant? no. does it make much sense? not really. do I like and did I have fun writing it? absolutely. read at your own risk Masterlist also this should be totally nb but if you see anything that’s gender solid please let me know so I can fix it

Word count: 2k it got to long but there’s plenty of material for a second part (wink wink nudge nudge)

Secrets Spilled

Rich people suck. More specifically, rich teenagers suck. You should know, you go to school with one. Tim Drake, the pride and joy of Gotham Academy and the adopted son of Bruce Wayne. Was he actually adopted? You didn’t remember but that didn’t matter. Mr. Wayne has a habit of picking up strays almost as bad as Batman and Tim Drake was lucky enough to end up under his umbrella of wealth.

You had 3 classes with Tim Drake. He was smart and most of the teachers liked him well enough, in fact most of the school liked him. You however hated him. Sure he was cute and he seemed nice enough and you couldn’t quite put your finger on it but something about him was just off. Like he had some big secret or something.

No one at school seemed to agree with you on that. They all thought he was a perfect angel so you stopped trying to convince them of your anti-drake agenda a long time ago. Thankfully you had one person in your life who always listened to your rants.

“He sounds like a douchebag,” Red Robin said, sitting cross legged on your bed with an ice pack against his lip. Through some minor computer shenanigans, aka illegal hacking (nothing to bad), you had met and become close friends with none other than Red Robin.

It was a mutually beneficial friendship. For him it was an apartment almost exactly halfway between safe houses so on nights like tonight when he was a little bloody and bruised he’d stop by and you’d help patch him up. For you it was a captivated audience for your late night rants.

“Oh he totally is! Thank you for that, no one ever agrees with me,” You rolled your eyes thinking about how many times you’d heard people gush about the billionaire brat. You sat down across from him and opened the first aid kit you’d just dug out from under your bed.

You were too busy rifling through the various bandages and ointments to notice your vigilante friend desperately trying to hide his smirk. “Yeah no problem,”

“He’s way smart too, which is super annoying.” You found the healing gel you were looking for. “I swear he’s hiding something, he must be like an alien or a robot or-” You looked up to see a laugh-suppressing-grin on the heros face, “Don’t laugh, I'm serious! This guy is a pain and just because he’s hot people let it slide!”

Red's face went completely serious and you could’ve sworn you saw his cheeks tint pink underneath his domino mask but then again his left side had a sizable cut on it so you really couldn’t tell. “You- you think he’s hot?”

“That is so not the point I'm trying to make!” You rolled your eyes and dabbed a bit of gel on the cut. “But yeah, his looks are like, his only redeeming quality.” Once you had laid a thin layer against the cut you used some butterfly bandages to hold it closed. It was exactly pretty but it would heal well, and the gel would make it nothing but a small scar in a week or so. “You know, you kinda look like him. Is that what you're hiding?” You used this opportunity to tap the bottom edge of the mask, resisting the urge to just take it off right then. “Rugged good looks and a billionaire smile.”

“Oh ha ha,” He retorted sarcastically, lightly moving your hand away from the fabric. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t dying to know his identity. It’s not that he didn’t want to tell you, it’s just that he’d heard you complain about his alter ego enough times to worry about your reaction, plus the whole ‘your-life-would-be-in-constant-danger-if-you-knew’ thing. Lately he’d found himself going out of his way to end up knocking on your window and he didn’t want what you had to change.

“You're no fun.” You huffed, hoping off the bed stashing the first-aid kit once again. You heard a small buzz and knew that Red had gotten an alert.

He stood up, and listen for a second. You could only guess he was getting instructions via earpiece. “Got it, I’m on my way.” He called over coms before turning back to you with an apologetic look.

You spoke before he could get an apology out. “Let me guess, some goon’s breaking open an ATM and everyone else is busy?”

“Pretty much yeah,” He ducked under your windowsill onto your fire escape. “Thanks for the help. I don’t know where I'd be without you.”

“Probably at that robbery already,” You gently shoved him the rest of the way through the window and bid him farewell. You watched him grapple off into the dim moonlight before getting back into your bed. Over the past few weeks you’d started staying up later just in case a certain someone happened by, this of course made that full 8 hours a little harder to come by. You didn’t really care though, a little less sleep for a little more time with him seemed like a fair trade.

The next morning finally came and you weren’t exactly pleased to hear the familiar beeping of your alarm clock. Still you forced yourself out of bed, pulled your uniform on and got your stuff together before heading out the door to another day at Gotham Academy.

You didn’t have any classes with Tim on Friday’s but you usually saw him passing you in the hall or at lunch. Today was different. One might even say he was avoiding you, but why. You saw a glimpse of him quickly heading away from you before second period, and at lunch you got a great view of the back of his head for about 30 seconds before he ducked out to go who knows where. Sure, you weren’t exactly friends but today it seemed he’d gone completely out of his way to make sure you didn’t see him. And it was pretty successful, at least until you literally collided with him.

School had let out and you had almost left the building before you remembered you’d left something behind, on your way back to your locker you turned a corner without caution and slammed into him at full force. It was a classic early 2000s movie scene, papers and books flying and strewn across the floor, both parties crouching down to collect up their scattered items and inevitably accidentally grabbing the wrong paper or two.

“Ah sorry, i’m so sorry I didn’t see-” That’s when you actually saw who it was you’d bumped into. “Tim?” You handed him the printed out english paper that definitely wasn’t yours.

“Sorry, I should have been watching where I was going.” He apologized as you both stood up and placed your papers in your respective books bags. Something about him was even more off then usual. He wouldn’t even meet your eyes, in fact he kept his gaze firmly to his left. Maybe he’d somehow heard you complain about him and now he wanted nothing to do with you. Maybe you’d messed it all up.

You were about to awkwardly say bye and shuffle off when a locker a little ways away from you slammed shut, startling you both and causing Tim to finally look to his right.

“Whoa what happened to your face?” You asked leaning in slightly to see the hefty gash that had been carefully held together with butterfly bandages. “That looks just like,” It clicked. “hOLY-”

“SHHH!” Tim acted fast, he clapped a hand over your mouth, effectively putting your mind shattering realization on silent and rushed the both of you into a thankfully unlocked maintenance closet nearby.

Suddenly a bajillion pieces were falling into place in your mind. Tim cursed. “God, if you know now what I think you know you’re gonna have a lot of questions. So I'm gonna move my hand but you have to be quiet about it. Ok?” He spoke softly and full of concern. After all, he may have just caused a massive overload in your brain. Your kind of enemy and your closest confidant were the same damn person, who knows what that could do to someone’s psyche.

You nodded profusely, still unable to even conjure a sound. Slowly Tim lifted his hand away from your mouth and watched you closely. You didn’t say anything for a beat, you just stared back at him and then, “What the actual fuck! You’re him and he’s- which means- I mean all this time- and… what?!?”

“Umm yeah?” In all honesty this was going better than Tim had imagined it would. Whenever he’d envisioned you finding out it usually started with you cursing him out and ended with you never talking to him again, but now here he was. You hadn’t cursed him out exactly and you were kind of still talking to him so overall, better than expected. “I wanted to tell you ages ago I swear. I just know how you feel about… well me,” He gestured down to his civilian attire. “and I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”

“All this time,” You were still definitely in shock. “All this time you were him and he was you! And you never told me! I talked about you to you! I called you hot!”

“Oh yeah, thanks by the way.” A shit eating grin had made its way onto his face and you were not pleased.

“Oh fuck off!” You sunk down to sit on a little step stool that happened to be in the closet. “I can’t believe I was so dumb. I mean how did I not see it sooner!”

Tim crouched down in front of you. “To be fair, we put a lot of effort into keeping our secrets.”

“We? Wait a second! If you’re Red Robin, that makes Batman-”

“Yup.”

“And Nightwing-”

“Oh yeah.”

“So Robin is-”

“A total pain in the ass. But yeah, it’s Damian.”

“Holy shit!”

Tim finally let himself laugh a bit at your reaction. You were smart and he knew that, there had been a few times over the past few weeks when he thought you might put it all together and he’d gone out of his way to cover it up. Including (but not limited to) a leaked story to the tabloids about a Tim-Drake-kidnapping-attempt that was thwarted by the one and only Red Robin.

While the tabloids weren’t the most believable sources it had planted a seed in your brain that Red Robin and Tim Drake were in the same place at the same time. Of course thanks to that cut on his cheek he wouldn’t need to lie to you anymore.

“Don’t laugh! I can’t believe I didn’t see this months ago. I mean your stupid mask doesn't even cover that much!” You exclaimed, throwing your arms in the air to emphasize your point.

Tim lightly grabbed your arms and brought them back down. “Ok ok, i’m serious but you seriously need to calm down.” He still had a massive grin on his face.

“I am calm!” You defended. “I mean considering. Wait, how did this start? Did you have to train long? When did you find out who Batman was? Is he really a Vampire?” You rattled off questions a mile a minute, finally the shock and slight annoyance had given way to pure curiosity.

Tim looked around the small maintenance room, contemplating a really bad idea. “I can’t explain anything else here, but if you want I can take you to the Batcave? I mean you’ve already guessed most of the secrets and even if I don't tell you the rest you’ll probably figure it out anyway.”

a/n: I broke 2k and couldn’t figure out a satisfying ending so I just called it here but if y’all show this one some love i’ll do a part too (guest appearances and everything)

taglist: @starship-argo @reveriecore @luvcoy @instabull @littlered-fangirl click here to be added :)

[atlabeth]

everything happens for a reason part 10 - zuko x fem!reader

I hate you for what you did, and I miss you like a little kid

part 9 | masterlist | part 11

a/n: i love y/n's friendship with sokka so much im sorry im gonna go cry

wc: 6.5k, these chapters just keep getting longer lmaoo

warning(s): canon stuff that happens in the chase, y/n gets burned, some feels over zuko, the usual ykyk

chapter title comes from "motion sickness" by phoebe bridgers!

So far, Toph had proven to be a good addition to their group. Her unapologetic attitude was rightfully earned because of her insane skill in earthbending, and she was also hilarious — at least, to Y/N she was. Just like with Aang, she felt like it was her duty to protect the younger girl. It was obvious that she could protect herself with her earthbending, but Y/N still had this odd sense of responsibility.

It hadn’t really occurred to her until now, but she and Sokka were the oldest in the group. No wonder things had been such a disaster; the two of them had unwittingly taken on the parental roles when they didn’t have a clue of what to do.

Between them, they each had a dead parent and an absent one. With that kind of guidance influencing their actions, it was a miracle that they made it anywhere at all — she had quickly realized that while their whole group was made up of concerningly powerful children, they owed a lot of their success to luck.

And though they all were unfortunately wise upon their years, that childish nature often held back in the name of survival was let loose — case in point, Toph.

It had been another long day of flying, and for Appa’s sake as well as wanting to be on solid ground again, they had decided to set up camp for the night. Y/N had volunteered herself to gather firewood and Sokka had decided to come along — it held a special place in both of their heart from that night shortly after she had joined the group, and somehow it had just become their thing — and when they reentered the grounds, Y/N was surprised to find themselves on the sideline of a budding argument.

“—that’s great for you, but we still need to finish-”

Her insistence was cut off by Toph, a slight bite to her words. “I don’t understand what’s the problem here!”

Katara looked like she wanted to say more, but she managed to hold herself back with a sigh and a dismissive wave of her hand. “Nevermind.”

Y/N gave Sokka a look of ‘I’ll handle this’, and once he nodded she added her firewood to his stack. She dusted her hands of residue on the front of her tunic as she made her way through the camp to Katara, offering a small smile that the girl returned. “What was that about?” she asked.

Katara sighed once more and shook her head. “Nothing. Toph is just… really hard to work with.”

She glanced back at the earthbender, unbothered underneath her rock tent, before turning back to Katara. “Well… she’s not really like us, you have to remember that. She’s a Beifong, and even though she did all that fighting, she’s still been pretty sheltered by her parents. I doubt they went on family camping trips much, being super rich and all.”

Her expression turned thoughtful with a hint of shame as she nodded, the subsequent smile slightly sheepish. “I didn’t think about that. She probably needs time to get used to this whole lifestyle — I’m sure she’ll start helping soon.”

Y/N grinned and nodded, patting Katara on the back before walking back over to Sokka, kneeling down to help him get a fire started. She felt a strange swell of pride as she saw Katara walking back over to Toph’s tent, and smiled wryly at Sokka. “I’m pretty good at this, huh? This must be what being a parent feels like.”

He snorted as he rubbed two sticks against each other in an attempt to get a spark, allowing himself a glance at the two girls before cocking an eyebrow. “First off, you’re barely a year older than Katara. Second, if anything? I’m the parent. And third, they’re arguing again.”

Y/N chuckled before his words sunk in, and when she whipped her head around she was greeted by Katara storming away from the still unbothered earthbender. She took a deep breath to tamp down on her annoyance then shook her head. “You know what? Not my problem right now. Let’s just focus on this fire.”

~~~~~~~

Though she might have deemed the argument between the two girls ‘not her problem’, something on the horizon was very much about to become ‘her problem’.

Y/N and Sokka had continued onto their various tasks after getting the fire started, and despite the spat between Katara and Toph the rest of the night was surprisingly quiet. Uttered ‘good nights’ were the only thing passed between the four of them (Toph had turned in her last talk with Katara) as they settled in.

Sleep came easily after the long day, but it was interrupted far too quickly. Dreams of the past were dashed from her mind as Toph started yelling, running out of her tent into the middle of camp. “There’s something coming towards us!”

“What is it?” Aang asked. They were talking at a normal level, but every word was like a rock hitting her skull when all she wanted to do was rest.

“It feels like an avalanche, but also… not an avalanche.”

“Your powers of perception are frightening,” Sokka said drily.

“Can’t it wait until morning?” Y/N groaned, turning over in her sleeping bag. When she opened her eyes, she was unfortunately greeted by the sight of everyone already packing up their things.

“I don’t think so,” Katara said, something decisive in her eyes. “We should leave.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Aang agreed. Y/N heaved a sigh, knowing this was a battle she wouldn’t win, and decided to join the packing party. Before she knew it, they were all gathered on Appa once more and flying through the night sky.

A yawn wormed its way out of her throat, causing her to lean against the side of the saddle. “I hope whatever’s following us loses interest.”

“I don’t think it has.” Sokka pointed out a billowing cloud of dust in the distance, the true nature of the problem unknown due to it.

“What is that thing?” Katara murmured, speaking the question on everyone’s mind but no answer available.

Fortunately, the silence didn’t stretch out for too long. Aang guided them to a mountain, far out of reach of whatever thing was after them, and she picked up the packaged tent to begin setting it up when Toph all but lunged off of Appa’s back.

“Ah, land! Sweet land.” She jumped up from the ground and began to walk off, most likely to set up in a corner like she had before. “See you guys in the morning!”

“Actually,” Katara said as she slid down onto the ground as well. “Can you help us unload?”

She scoffed, not even turning to look at Katara. “Seriously? You need me to help unload Sokka’s funky-smelling sleeping bag?”

“Well… yeah.” Katara looked up at Y/N for guidance and she offered a small smile along with a nod. “That, and everything else. You’re a part of our team now, and—”

Toph seemed to be making a habit out of interrupting the waterbender, pointing at her as she snapped. “Look! I didn’t ask you to help unload my stuff! I’m carrying my own weight.” Satisfied with proving her point, Toph started to walk away, but Katara wasn’t going to let it go.

“That’s not the point!” she insisted. “Ever since you’ve joined us, you’ve been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!”

“What?” Toph stood her ground and pointed her finger at Katara, fuming with each word. “Look here, sugar queen — I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending, so don’t you talk to me about being selfish!” She sat down on the ground and bent up rock from the ground to form her tent from before, turning away from Katara and once again trying to put an end to it.

Unfortunately, Katara didn’t get the memo.

“Sugar queen?” she cried, making it seem like the nickname was far more insulting than anything else the earthbender had said to her that night. Before Katara could get anything else out, Toph bent more rocks up to close herself off. “Did you just— did you just slam the door in my face?! Ugh— how can you be so infuriating?”

As Katara resorted to banging and kicking the rock tent, the remaining trio watched with wide eyes from a distance. “Wow,” Y/N muttered. “They barely know each other, but they sure know how to push each other’s buttons.”

“Should we… do something?” Aang rubbed his head, more concerned than anything.

“Hey, I’m just enjoying the show,” Sokka chuckled.

As Aang walked over to try and calm Katara down, Y/N let herself fall onto her back on Appa’s saddle. “I don’t even know if I want to unpack. I might just sleep up here tonight.”

He snorted and took his bundle of things off of the saddle, then slid down Appa’s side to reach the ground. “You do that.”

And she did. For all the trouble that Katara went through, they hardly set up a camp, the exhaustion hanging over everyone’s head ultimately winning over. Sleep came even easier than before, but she had just gotten comfortable when four words from Toph shattered her hopes for a peaceful night.

“That thing is back,” she said, earning a groan from Y/N as she sat up and protests from Sokka.

“Well, how far away is it?” he grumbled as he pulled the covers of his sleeping bag over his head. “Maybe we can close our eyes for just a few minutes.”

“I don’t think we can,” Aang murmured as he looked off into the distance, the telltale smoke cloud visible once again as it billowed up over the trees.

“I guess I was right for staying up here.” She rubbed her eyes as she scooted to her usual corner on the saddle, trying her best to blink the sleep out of them but to no avail. Soon enough, everyone was back on Appa and they were flying off into the night once more.

“Seriously, what is that thing?” Katara questioned, staring at their unknown follower as she rubbed her eyes.

“And how does it keep finding us?” Toph asked as she leaned against their packed supplies.

“I don’t know,” Aang admitted, though he tightened his grip on the reins. “But this time, I’m going to make sure we lose it.”

“Please,” Y/N agreed. She had shifted her weight so she could lean against the side of the saddle, and she allowed her arm to hang lazily in the open air as they flew. “I can make no promises to the kind of person I will become if we don’t get some sleep.”

Just as before, Aang found them a new spot deep within the mountains. They didn’t even have a chance to dismount because as soon as Appa hit the ground, he fell onto his side, spilling all of them off the saddle. Their sky bison was just as tired as they were, which was a great sign.

“Okay, forget about setting up camp.” Sokka crawled into his sleeping bag and shifted around in an attempt to get comfortable. “I’m finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep.”

“Good plan,” Y/N yawned. She laid her bundled sleeping bag under her head, too lazy to unpack it and also knowing that, with their luck, they would most likely be up and moving again.

“Yeah,” Katara muttered. “It’s not like Toph was going to help anyway!”

“Oh, I didn’t realize the baby still needed someone to tuck her in!” Toph shot back.

Y/N groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, hoping that she could somehow muffle out the noise. “Can you guys stop for two seconds? I can’t deal with this right now.”

Aang made a noise of agreement. “There’s something after us, and we don’t even know what or who it is.”

“It could be Zuko,” Katara suggested. “We haven’t seen him since the North Pole.”

Y/N let out a sigh at the mention of him, unable to stop the almost instinctive reminiscing that occurred. She wished she could say that she didn’t think about him anymore, but that was a lie — the prince of the Fire Nation crossed her mind at least once a day.

No matter how obtuse it might’ve seemed, she still believed that Zuko was good, that what happened at the North was a fluke. A dim belief, but one nonetheless.

And as much as she wanted to see him again, she was almost too scared to. That, when he came back into their lives as the same person he had been at the North, the carefully sculpted image of the boy she wanted Zuko to be would shatter.

She hoped it wasn’t him.

“Who’s Zuko?” Toph asked.

“Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who’s tracked us all over the world,” Sokka muttered. “He’s also Y/N’s ex-boyfriend.”

“He wasn’t my boyfriend,” she grumbled as she rolled onto her back once more. She really was not able to stay still tonight. “He was just the boy that I loved more than anything else that led to my life becoming really fucked.”

She cracked an eye open, the sight of the two twelve year olds next to her reminding her that maybe she should try a little harder to keep her filter up. “Sorry. Really… messed up.”

Aang chuckled and Toph waved a half-hearted hand around to signal she didn’t care. Katara sat up, shifting her weight onto her elbow as she grinned at Sokka. “What’s wrong with ponytails, Ponytail?”

“This is a warrior’s wolf tail,” he defended as he pointed at his hair.

“Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you’re fun and perky,” she joked.

“Don’t worry Sokka,” Y/N mumbled as she rolled onto her side. “I like your hair.”

He gave her a thumbs up as he rolled onto his back — it looked like not being able to stay still was a staple for their group. “Anyways, whoever’s chasing us couldn’t have followed us up here, so can we all just shush?”

She was more than happy to ‘shush’, but Momo didn’t particularly like the idea — and neither did she, when she realized what his chittering meant. She watched half-heartedly as he, followed by Aang, Katara, and Toph, walked to the edge of the cliff they had taken refuge on, and groaned when it became obvious their threat was back.

“Oh, don’t tell me...” Sokka buried his face in his hands as Y/N reluctantly sat up, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes before they got to moving again.

“That’s impossible!” Aang insisted. “There’s no way they could’ve tracked us!”

“I can feel it with my own two feet,” Toph said, confirming their fears.

Y/N contemplated hitting her head against the ground a couple times to vent her frustration but ultimately decided better, instead choosing to join the rest of her friends near the edge. She gasped, finally able to see the full image of their attacker — it was some kind of metal… thing.

Yeah. She still had no idea what they were up against.

“Let’s get out of here,” Katara said, the unease permeating the air filtering into her words.

“Wait.” Aang’s gaze sharpened as he pulled his staff off his back. “Maybe we should face them, find out who they are. Maybe they’re friendly!”

“People don’t chase you for miles in the dead of the night just to say ‘hi’,” Y/N muttered as she flipped open the cap on her waterskin. “But… I agree. We can’t keep running — we have to take a stand.”

Aang nodded, and Sokka joined them on the ledge as they watched the side of the tank unload. Three mongoose lizards emerged from the opening, and when Y/N caught sight of the passengers she felt her heart stop.

“Princess Azula,” she breathed, adrenaline battling fear in her frozen veins.

Y/N didn’t think there was anyone who scared her more than the Fire Princess. Maybe the Fire Lord had a hand above her, but there was something so utterly terrifying about a girl even younger than her that had been molded into a war machine. A firebending prodigy since birth, it was no surprise that this was who she had become. But she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the princess.

The Fire Nation was good at that, she had noticed during her time there. Stealing the innocence from any child that showed a modicum of skill, then pushing until they broke to become more powerful than any adult they would face. Punishing those who didn’t go along with it.

...she knew that all too well.

Y/N hadn’t even realized she had lost herself in her thoughts until she felt Sokka’s hand on her own, tugging her away from the battlegrounds in an aimless state.

“Earth to Y/N, are you there?”

She blinked a couple times and shook the images from her head before giving a nod and running along with him. “Sorry, yeah! I’m fine.”

He gave her a strange look, but she guessed that he realized there was no time for questions as they hurried back onto Appa. Toph did some last-minute bending to buy them some time in an escape, and as soon as she landed in the saddle with them Aang took off.

“I can’t believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu,” Katara muttered as she slumped against the side.

“If there’s one thing the Fire Nation has in common, it’s determination.” Y/N was barely able to finish her sentence before a fresh wave of exhaustion hit her, the adrenaline already wearing off. “And if there’s one thing I have in common with Aang, it’s that I need to sleep for a hundred years. Good night.”

It didn’t even feel like a hundred seconds before she was woken up again, this time with a strange sensation of falling.

Except it wasn’t a sensation, and they were actually falling. Nothing like the impending threat of death to get the adrenaline flowing again.

“Aang!” she yelled as she grabbed onto one of the grooves in her saddle, praying to Kyoshi that the rest of the group had woken up.

“What’s going on?” Toph cried.

“Appa fell asleep!” Aang yelled as he fumbled a bit, trying to keep his grip on the reins as their descent sped up.

“Well, wake him up!” Y/N shouted back. She reached out and pulled Toph closer to her, hoping to give the blind girl some sense of stability (as well as not wanting her to fall to her death). Judging by how Toph didn’t immediately throw her off, she took that as a sign that her help was welcome.

“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Using the reins he was able to crawl his way up to Appa’s head, and he continued his attempt. “Wake up, buddy!”

The only thought that Y/N could muster up in the moment was how lame it would be to die this way, so when Appa finally opened his eyes and leveled out she was very thankful. They were all cut up from flying through the evergreens, but she would take that over their barely-avoided fate any day.

She and Katara made quick work of the cuts — a little bit of glowing water was all it took for them to be back to normal — but Appa was out cold after the nonstop night of flying.

“Appa’s exhausted,” Aang muttered as he slid off his sky bison.

“So are we,” Sokka said as he threw his sleeping bag on the ground, Y/N following him. “We've put in a lot of distance between us and them. The plan right now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep.” She made a noise of agreement as she laid down on the grass, not even bothering to get her sleeping bag out.

“We could’ve gotten some sleep earlier,” Katara grumbled, “if Toph didn’t have such issues.”

“What?!”

Y/N groaned and hit her head against the ground in some kind of exhausted effort to get them to stop arguing. “You’re the parent, Sokka!” She pressed the heels of her hands against her forehead. “Do something!”

“I have no idea how to get them to stop!” he complained.

She tuned back into the argument just in time to hear four words that made her want to cry.

“I’m out of here,” Toph declared as she walked away, hitting the ground with her foot to bend her bag up to her.

That gave her enough energy to get up, hopping to her feet to block the younger girl’s way. “Toph, you can’t leave! We need you!”

She stomped her foot once more and Y/N was pushed out of the way with more earthbending. “You might need me here, but you don’t want me here. You can find another earthbending teacher.”

All they could do was watch her go, their one hope for mastering earthbending soon a speck of green in the distance. Y/N allowed herself to fall onto her back once more, having spent more time in the grass than her actual sleeping bag tonight, and groaned again. “Why did you guys have to do that?”

“What did I just do?” Aang lamented as he flopped onto the ground. “I can’t believe I yelled at my earthbending teacher — now she’s gone!”

“I know,” Katara muttered, her face full of regret. “We're all just trying to get used to each other. And I was so mean to her.”

“Yeah,” Sokka agreed. “You guys were pretty much jerks.”

“Thanks, Sokka,” Katara said dryly.

“No problem.”

“He’s right,” Y/N said, still not willing to get up from the ground. “If we can’t even get through one sleep deprived night without losing somebody, then this whole group’s gonna be gone by the time we reach the Fire Nation.”

Katara sighed and nodded woefully. “We need to find Toph and apologize.”

“Okay, but what are we going to do with the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us?” Sokka asked.

Aang picked up a clump of Appa’s shedding fur, and they all watched as it blew off with the wind. “I have a plan.”

~~~~~~~

The plan was a bath.

A bath for Appa, more specifically, and with three waterbenders the process went by quickly. Soon, the river was more white than blue with all the fur that had been washed from the sky bison, and they all sat on the river bank while Appa dried himself out to talk through the second part of their plan.

“Toph was right,” Aang observed. “The fur was leaving a trail right to us. But now that he's clean, no more trail.”

“Are you sure he’s okay to fly?” Katara asked. It was a valid concern — the downtime they had enjoyed for the past half hour or so hadn’t done much for any of them, and though they had washed off his shedding coat they hadn’t been able to do the same for Appa’s exhaustion.

“He’ll be fine. As long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here, he’ll be able to fly.” He opened his bag and stuffed some of the fallen fur into it before shouldering it and turning to the rest of them. “I’m going to use Appa’s fur to fake trail to lead the tank off-course. You guys will take Appa to try and find Toph.”

“I’ll go with you,” Y/N offered. “Make the teams even.” Aang nodded, the young boy giving her a grateful smile that she returned happily.

After some last minute preparations and bids of good luck to each team, they were all on their way — Sokka and Katara on Appa, and Y/N and Aang flying through the air with the help of his glider, one handle for each of them and white bison fur drifting down to the ground behind them. She was so worried about facing off against the princess and so utterly exhausted from their all night chase that she couldn’t even fully appreciate the sensation of flying.

“Fans of Kyoshi, I hope this works,” she murmured.

She hadn’t even realized the words had been said out loud until Aang responded, his hardened gaze trained ahead. “It will.”

And she believed him. Wholeheartedly.

~~~~~~~

The worst part was the waiting.

They had ended up in a deserted town, and after emptying the last of Aang’s satchel they each took a seat on the ground and waited.

Silently. Both of them were far too tired to discuss anything regarding the imminent battle.

And imminent, it was. Y/N remembered thinking that she just wanted them to show up so they could get it over with, but as soon as she caught the first glimpse of the mongoose lizard she almost instantly regretted it.

The princess dismounted and took a few steps forward before she stopped, standing at odds with the two of them.

“Alright,” Aang said. “You’ve caught up to me, Azula. Now, what do you want?”

She raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the knowledge of her identity, when her sharp gaze narrowed in on Y/N. “Ah, the servant. I nearly forgot that you existed, even more so that you were with them. I always did wonder how you managed to escape that night.”

“What do you want?” she repeated, her voice slightly gruff from a mixture of exhaustion and exasperation.

“Now? Now, it’s over,” she stated. “You're tired and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you.”

The smallest side glance from Aang caused them both to stand up. He planted his staff in the ground and Y/N flexed her fingers as she flipped the cap open on her waterskin. “We’re not running.”

She smirked. “Do you really want to fight me?”

Of course they didn’t want to fight her, Y/N wanted to say. But she didn’t think they had a choice.

Unfortunately, (or rather, fortunately — talking back never mixed well with Azula) she didn’t get the chance to, for just as she opened her mouth another voice rang out. One that, for just a moment, sent her back into the depths of the North.

Y/N knew who it was before she even saw him.

“Yes,” he growled. “I really do.”

He looked different. With his hair no longer in a ponytail and instead cropped close to his head and Earth Kingdom greens rather than the usual red of his nation, she might not have noticed him as the prince in a crowd. Her heart swelled with concern at his gaunt appearance, and she had to push down on that affection. Not now.

“Zuko!” Both she and Aang said his name at the same time, but the word was barely able to find its way off of her lips as they locked eyes for just a moment.

Just a moment.

Fleeting moments were all they ever got. Ever since the very beginning.

And that was all they got now. A single moment before it all came crashing down.

Azula’s sharp eyes passed between her brother and the waterbender, a light amusement dancing in her irises as if she knew what was going on in both of their minds. “I was wondering when you’d show up, Zuzu.”

“Zuzu?” Aang echoed, unable to stifle his laugh. Zuko finally broke eye contact from Y/N as he shifted into a fighting stance, arms held outwards towards both his enemies.

Because that’s what she was now.

“Back off, Azula,” he warned. “He’s mine.”

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” she drawled as she eased into her own stance.

The four of them stood at odds, each of them a second away from bringing it all down but no one quite wanting to make the first move as they knew what awaited them. But with a twitch of Azula’s arm and a bright blast of blue fire aimed at Zuko, the fight began.

Y/N’s body moved faster than her mind, managing to extinguish some of Azula’s flames before they could hit Zuko, but some still getting past her waterbending. Zuko conjured up his own wall of flames but it was a second too late as he crashed into the side of a house, and Azula’s anger was turned on her as her eyes flashed dangerously.

Thankfully, she was momentarily saved from the wrath of the princess. Aang opened his glider and attempted to fly away, but a wave of fire sent at him put a stop to it. Y/N extinguished some of the flames that were closer to her, but the boy was still knocked to the ground.

She allowed a quick glance behind her to see Azula and Aang locked in a deadly dance of bending, but as a red hot flame raced by her head her attention was once again drawn back to Zuko. He began to advance forward, but razor-sharp icicles wedging themselves in the ground millimeters away from his feet rooted him in place.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Zuko,” she began, her voice slightly unsteady under the weight of the ultimatum. “But I’m not going to let you lay a finger on Aang.”

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with,” he growled. He broke eye contact for a moment to watch the battle raging between Azula and Aang, but she quickly brought it back as she shot another icicle at his feet, having unconsciously moved closer.

“I don’t think you know what you’re dealing with,” she refuted as she drew a stream of water out from her waterskin. “Not another step.”

Just until Aang handles Azula, she told herself. You can handle him while he takes her down. Just think of it as one of your sparring matches.

The sounds of the battle in the distance and their own breathing were the only sounds between the two of them, their gazes locked onto each other’s. She truly didn’t want to hurt him, and judging by the fact that Zuko hadn’t made a move yet he didn’t want to hurt her.

But the sound of a scream belonging to Aang caused her to glance away for just a second, and that was a second too many. He shot a blast of fire at her hands, and due to her momentary loss of concentration, he was able to hit his mark. Y/N cried out in pain, the water flowing between her fingers falling to the ground as she cradled the injury.

Maybe her judgment wasn’t as good as she thought.

She tried to bend the fallen water up from the ground, but the burns festering on her skin weren’t cooperating. One sharp gasp was all it took for Zuko to run past her towards the battle, and though she had half a mind to follow him, her injuries were practically screaming at her to pay attention to them.

And so she did. She kneeled on the ground, biting her lip to stifle any tears that may have come, and did her best to heal the burns with what water she had left. She heard the sound of her name as someone ran towards her, and the relief she felt when she saw Sokka was almost overwhelming.

“Are you okay?” Sokka asked, concerned as she saw the redness on her hands. Thankfully, most of it had faded from her healing. Only the lingering sting of heat and betrayal remained, and she nodded.

“I’m fine,” she growled, her anger overcompensating for the betrayal and uselessness that she felt. She bent the water that had sunk into the dry soil back into her waterskin then leveled her gaze at Sokka. “Let’s end this.”

He nodded and helped her back on her feet, just in time for Katara to run out of the building near them followed by Azula. Sokka brandished his club and swung it at her, forcing her into a corner as well as buying Aang enough time to join them outside.

They began to close in on the princess, an unhealthy mix of adrenaline and anger pumping through Y/N’s veins. The four of them took turns evading Azula’s attacks, but even with the numerical advantage she was still more than holding her own. But just as she was about to fire something off once more, the ground shifted beneath her feet causing her to fall. The culprit was a suspiciously familiar girl in green.

“I thought you guys could use a little help,” Toph grinned.

“Thanks,” Katara said with a smile of her own.

Azula frowned as she hopped back to her feet, shooting blasts of fire at them as she backed away to keep them all at a distance. She ran down an alleyway once she had an opening, but in a move that none of them saw coming, was knocked to the ground by Zuko’s uncle. Y/N and the rest of the group took the chance to make their final stand, the five of them gathering in an arc around the fallen princess. Zuko and Iroh joined as well, and Y/N had to hold back a grimace as she forced her eyes to Azula. Focus.

“Well, look at this,” Azula said snidely as her eyes glided over each of them. “Enemies and traitors, all working together. I’m done.” She raised her hands to surrender in yet another move Y/N didn’t see coming. “I know when I’m beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor.”

In that moment of silence as they waited for the other shoe to drop, her adrenaline slowly began to fade as exhaustion took over once more. They had been moving non stop for almost two days, and she was sure it was weighing just as heavily on the rest of the group as it was her. Maybe that was why she didn’t notice Azula moving until it was too late.

A split second was all it took for the princess to generate a bolt of lightning and send it at Iroh, his vivid scream of pain causing her to wince as well. Zuko’s yell of agony was like a signal in a way as they all bent their elements at Azula (with the exception of Sokka throwing his boomerang) at once, and the explosion caused by the combination of their elements forced them all back a few feet.

Once the dust faded though, the princess was gone.

Zuko collapsed on the ground next to his uncle, his hands moving around frantically as if he wanted to do something to help but he was too afraid.

Against her better judgment, Y/N took a step forward. “I can help him. I’m a trained healer, I know—”

“You don’t want to help, you just want to feel good about yourself,” he growled, the glare he shot her way truly venomous. “Get out of here.”

“Zuko, she’s not lying!” Katara defended, stepping up as well. “We can help him, both of us.”

With a slash of his arm he sent an arc of fire at them, sending the two girls stumbling back. "Leave!"

Y/N still wanted to do more, but apparently she wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions. They all started to run, Sokka grabbing her arm to pull her along with them. “It’s not worth it,” he insisted. “He’s not worth it.”

She wanted to protest, say that he was worth more than anything, but the slight pain lingering under Sokka’s grip and her aching heart made her hesitate.

Once they reached Appa, the whole group piled on and fled the burning town. Y/N couldn’t help but let her eyes wander, the question of how the princess had gotten away nagging at her.

Who was she kidding? She was Azula. She should’ve known that girl was capable of anything. If her father asked her to bring the sun down to Earth, Y/N was sure the princess would find a way, even if it meant burning herself to a crisp in the process.

That shred of sympathy found its way back, but she pushed it away once more. Holding sympathy for the people trying to kill them wasn’t working out very well for her. She had to stifle a laugh at the thought.

Eventually, they were able to find solace in a mountain far away from the abandoned village. Y/N half expected that tank to start following them again, but they were in the clear. For now.

After a quick examination of her hands on Katara’s insistence and a little bit of healing between the two of them to fix up small injuries within their group, they settled in for the night. Too tired to set up camp, they stayed on Appa’s saddle. Uttered goodnights were once again the only thing between they all fell asleep.

Except for Y/N.

Despite the exhaustion running deep into her bones and eyelids that felt like fifty pound weights, her mind was far too loud for her to fall asleep. And it was all just Zuko, Zuko, Zuko.

Why she hadn’t lost hope in him after the North, after he captured Aang, she didn’t know. The idolized version of the prince in her mind, made up of moments from their childhood before everything became fucked, should’ve been shattered after the siege. Spirits, it should’ve been crushed to pieces after the burns he gave her.

But for some stupid reason, she couldn’t fully bring herself to hate him. Not yet.

She knew there was still good in him. The child that she knew years ago, there had to be some of that good left in the angry, rash boy she knew today.

He helped them fight against Azula, no matter the ulterior motives he may have had. He cared for his uncle, and though he may not have acted in his best interest after he had been struck by lightning, she understood it. He was acting off of his grief. He didn’t want to hurt her. He did it because he had to.

...right?

The night sky they laid under was a moonless one, and as the stars twinkled above them she exhaled deeply. She had to stop thinking about Zuko all the time. She was at her best when she was with her friends, joking and playing around with them without a care in the world. As if they didn’t have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

A small smile graced her lips as she looked at her friends next to her, the mere sight of them bringing her some solace from the mess she had created in her mind. The trio had been there for her endlessly from the moment they arrived in the North, and Toph had been like a little sister to her. They might not have always understood her, and they might not have always agreed, but they were always there for her.

She couldn’t forget about Zuko. Not yet.

But maybe it was time to focus on something else for a while.

-

okay i KNOW things are bad between y/n and zuko but. look. things gotta get worse before they can get better. just remember that

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[imthepunchlord]

What would change if Chloe was the transfer student instead of Alya, while she and Marinette are a part of the established students in Origins?

Oh man, this is a thought that occurred to me, a what if Audrey did take Chloe with her back then, was her only parental figure in life hence forth, and doesn't return until Style Queen.

Which I guess is what we'll do here, unless we want to roll with that Andre went with her and he pursued his passion as director instead of politics. And they return sooner for Origins.

But for sure, class wise with no Chloe there at all, here are the changes I've thought of:

- Marinette is more confident and thriving, and she's the more residential popular girl, the one everyone knows is going to be a solid leader and you can go to her for anything and she'll help you out no matter what. She's known to be reliable and very loved. Best friend wise I don't know yet but I don't think it'd be Alya, what sparked it off was Marinette needing help against a bully that had Alya stepping in; but that's not happening here. They'll be on good terms, but not best friends.

- Alya's best friend is actually Sabrina. No Chloe, Sabrina is able to thrive and come into her own. And with it, a passion for justice and all fairness, and the best symbol of is Majestia! She and Alya are best friends through a mutual love of Majestia and the ideal heroes fighting for the greater good! Sabrina still likes to be a follower and that's what has her clicking with Alya, not just a shared interest and love, but the factor that Alya likes to take charge in her relationships and to be the one to call the shots.

- Mylene and Nino are actually best friends. No Chloe, no Mylene feeling a need to sit by Alix to discourage Chloe from targeting her. And with a shared interest in film, Mylene and Nino connect really well, with him being director and her his main lead actress. They're also a big help to each other. Nino helps Mylene calm down when she starts panicking and she was able to help him through mourning when he lost his brother.

- No need to sit by Mylene to ward Chloe off, Alix goes to sit by her buddy Nathaniel.

- Ivan isn't so feared by the class as Marinette went out of her way to make sure he was more included and the class got to see that he's a big softie. Because of this, Myvan happens sooner as Mylene isn't scared of Ivan and approached him when she noticed he was being weird around her and wanted to check on him.

- Everyone else is pretty much the same, Juleka may be better about being heard but still on the quiet side. Ultimately though, no Chloe, the class is more relaxed and thriving.

- With Adrien, with no Chloe to see all that often and she wasn't always available to talk as she's off in NYC, he's even more lonely so when he goes to school, he desperate to latch onto the first person he can connect with. He also heard from Chloe that she's coming back to Paris and they'll be attending the same school so is doubly excited. Potentially he sits with Chloe, or with someone else that he connects with first. Most likely, it will be Marinette he connects with first as she's very friendly and personable and would be the first to welcome him. It could go either way if Adrien sits with Marinette or Chloe. Depends if you want more Chloe-Adrien issues addressed or more wholesome Marinette-Adrien friendship that may be strained a little depending on Chloe.

Now with Chloe, there are two options. Either Audrey solely raised her alone or Andre was also there. If the latter, Chloe is essentially the same as canon as Andre is there to spoil her and make up for Audrey's harsher parenting (and like canon, she just gets to a point to give up and pursue her work, potential set up of a divorce and remarries Mr Lee).

Andre Chloe:

Is coming in ready to dominate, but she has no political power behind her as her dad isn't the mayor but a director.

She's immediately met with a lot of resistance as it's her vs the whole class that have no established unease with her.

Adrien is swift to distance himself from her as the friend he was looking forward to reconnecting with is being unreasonably mean and everyone is clearly against her and he's the new student that doesn't want to be the odd one out. He's even more certain as Chloe likes to climb all over him and he doesn't like it at all.

So she's the bully who doesn't have a lot of grounds for being a bully and is going to be forced down a road of redemption as the class isn't going to have a lot of patience for her.

Could potentially tease Chlonino or Zonino, as Nino is a fan of Andre's films, but his fav director's daughter is just impossible OR his stepdaughter is actually pretty cool and they hit it off well.

Audrey Chloe, raised with no Andre in her life post Audrey leaving, but he is still mayor:

While still quite mean, she's actually quite diligent and effective, she actually does her own work and aims high in life, ready to succeed. Biggest difference is that she doesn't go out of her way to be mean for her own amusement. You have to irritate or catch her attention first.

The class still warily regards her, but it's not because she's a bully, but just ruthlessly honest. Alix kinda loves it as now she's not the only one and the two like to verbally go at just for fun.

Adrien and Chloe are equally excited to see each other and can both relate to being so busy and both wishing to have people they can connect with. Audrey and Gabriel are both interested in swaying the two to get together and neither are exactly opposed to the idea. There are some definite strains though as Adrien's more goofy than Chloe would like, and he's not so good at owning up to his actions.

Chloe actually has a lot of admiration and respect for Marinette, and deems her a fitting rival in the fashion industry. Only thing that's unimpressive is that Marinette is such a giver and let's people walk all over her. Chloe can see Marinette's potential, but can also see how she's not going to get far with that.

Things are strained with her father as he wants to give her gifts to help reconnect, and while she adores getting gifts, it also rubs her wrong a little as it feels like he's trying to buy her love. Things aren't perfect with her mom, but Audrey feels like she knows she's worth Chloe's time. With this gifting, Chloe feels like her dad is setting himself up as beneath her and that doesn't make her so interested in him.

With Fu and who has what miraculous wise, ultimately, it comes down if anyone wants this change up to effect where Fu does his two tests.

But for sure, with transfer Chloe au, there's no gum incident, no umbrella scene, no anxious self conscious Marinette, and no drama. Stoneheart isn't even the first akuma. Potentially could be Chloe (Andre present) or someone else at random.

[mindibindi]

They are destroying Rebecca’s character this season and this Sam bullshit is the final nail in the coffin for her. What the f*** are they doing to their female lead ??

Well, I suppose this is the danger of offering resolution early in the piece and why so few television writers do it, particularly when it comes to romantic relationships. Because then there is the looming question of What Happens Next. So many writers prove that, while they may have the imaginative juice to create, they don't have what it takes to re-invent.

Whether you understand her as the protagonist or the antagonist of the first season of Ted Lasso, Rebecca's big revenge plot drove s1, gave it a clear narrative arc. This inaugural season likewise gave her character a clear and compelling arc. You could posit that, while Rebecca's pain drove season 1, Ted's pain is meant to be driving season 2...? But whatever Ted is going through does not have as clear-cut an objective so it is not giving the same sense of cohesion or direction. Within her s1 arc, we got to see Rebecca feel angry, frustrated, victorious, smug, thwarted, conflicted, heart-broken and vulnerable. Last season gave Hannah Waddingham so many opportunities to show the range of her skills as an actor and I still hope she wins an Emmy for this performance. But I doubt she will be winning any awards for her performance this season.

Most situation comedies stick to the same situation, snapping their characters back to where they were at the beginning of each episode. Certainly, this formula can become repetitive and dull after years. Ted Lasso received a great deal of praise when it broke this formula by offering resolution at the end of its first season no less. It broke the no-hugging-no-learning mantra of so many sitcoms when it allowed Rebecca to learn from her trauma, come clean and literally embrace Ted as a valuable part of her life. Since her character went on the biggest journey of the season, the question of What Happens Next was always going to be more significant for her than it was for any other character on the show.

Season 1 of Ted Lasso made me fall in love with Hannah Waddingham and the character of Rebecca Welton. But as much as it pains me to say it, in s2 she is nothing like the problematic powerhouse we met in s1. Her friendships with Keeley and Higgins continue on nicely enough. She's had some good moments with characters she had little interaction with in s1, like Roy and Nate. And it was great to meet her mother and god-daughter. But this fleshing out of the character is mostly work around her rather than work that propels her forward in any meaningful way. I understand that some people may be content just to watch Rebecca living her best life after the intensity of last season. But, for me, the pursuit of heterosexual romantic love by a woman to the exclusion of all else is a problematic aim since women have been told for centuries that securing a man is the single most important thing they can achieve in their lives.

Rebecca wants love and doesn't want to be alone. She's stated that, that's canon and that's fine. But romance seems to be Rebecca's ONLY aim, her single focus. We haven't seen her do anything in her role as club owner except make a phone call and look sharp, which I admit she does well. The woman looks INCREDIBLE. But if you are in your right mind (at least in my opinion), you are not expecting this amazing woman to end up with a pretentious windbag, a hot booty call or a wildly inappropriate youngster. So it all seems a bit aimless, purposeless. All of this dithering about with wrong dudes is just a waste of time when we have limited time with these beloved characters. We know we are only getting three short seasons of this show and I don't want to spend a full season watching a previously complex female character stare at her phone, only ever prompted into (questionable) action by her cute best friend. And I DEFINITELY don't want to watch...whatever the fuck they think this thing is with Sam.

Frankly, I am still flabbergasted that they have chosen this path. They genuinely seem to think that their audience will enjoy this as some hot romantic adventure...? And hey, a small but vocal minority are. Some diehard fans are trying to hold onto their faith with white knuckles. And the rest of us are just over here in compete and utter shock at the suddenness of the decline in this show's quality and ethics. The latest justification some fans are rather desperately grasping at seems to be that Rebecca's actions stem from her trauma. Now...okay. Trauma can be responsible for many things. But not this. Trauma can make you act in v strange ways but I don't see the connection here. I can clearly see how Rebecca's trauma from her first marriage dictated her actions towards Ted in s1. That is a very clear line to draw. I can see how, after her disastrous marriage, her judgement may be off and she may go for someone like John Wingsnight: someone safe, solid and appropriate. Again, a clear line to draw. I can also see why she would indulge in fun, shallow sexual relationships with the waiter in Liverpool and her booty call from bantr. All normal, understandable behaviour for a woman in her situation. And a v clear narrative line for the writers to draw. No problems there. Her actions in each of these cases can be traced back to Rupert and his abuse. But I cannot for the life of me draw a line between Rupert and Sam. As a traumatic reaction, that does not make a shred of sense to me.

It's true that sometimes those who have been abused become abusers, not that I'm saying Rebecca is abusing Sam in this scenario. What I am saying is that most trauma survivors will go out of their way to avoid becoming anything like their abusers. Most survivors try their damnedest to break the cycle of abuse, not perpetuate it. Most victim-survivors will act, sometimes even to their own detriment, to spare others from being impacted by their pain and trauma. Trauma and abuse does not break your moral compass. If anything, it makes it stronger. Trauma and abuse heightens your sensitivity to what is right, just and honest. Having seen Rebecca ultimately unable to follow through in her trauma-inspired revenge plot on Ted, it does not make sense to me that she is blindly (without any of the nuanced inner conflict of s1 Rebecca) allowing her trauma and abuse to lead her into a situation that not only emulates her ex-husband's hurtful, unethical behaviour, but endangers what is now supposed to be so valuable to her.

All the press for s2 as spruiked Rebecca as a dating disaster but enthusiastically committed to her club. There is a huge difference, however, between charmingly, comedically 'messy' and inept to the point of self-destructive stupidity. I just don't buy her as this dumb. Yet here she is, after all her dealings with the savage British press last season, endangering the reputation of herself, her club and one of its most vulnerable players. Oddly enough, the Rebecca we saw in s1, with her many layers and nuances, seems to me to be a far more moral (not to mention interesting) rendering of this character. This Rebecca was motivated by injustice, she had an acute understanding of what was and wasn't right. It's why she conceived of her revenge plot and also why she ultimately dropped it. It is one thing for writers to propose that there are multiple steps on the way to healing. It is one thing for them to lead a character into a dark forest full of conflict and complication. But, from what I can tell, some people don't know the difference between a dark forest and straight-up bad writing. And it really fucking shows.

[bigskydreaming]

Hi! I was reading a fanfic and it brought up Roy and Dick's fight, which I see a lot of in fics but never what they fought about and consequently why they don't talk. I thought it was a vague excuse/reason why Roy was Jason's friend not Dick's anymore but this fic brought up when Dick was batman so I was wondering if there was actually a fight between them? Btw I really enjoy your metas! They're v thought out and well articulated. Also it's v easy to separate what's your opinion and what's fact which is. Very helpful for me

Yeah this is one hundred percent a fanon thing that's kept deliberately vague to justify why Roy in his friendship with Jason seems to have no positive thoughts or concerns about Dick whatsoever. Now granted, Dick and Roy are not nearly as close in the New 52 as they were pre-Reboot. The lack of their friendship there is definitely one of the things I disliked most about the Reboot - and I actually don't care if Jason and Roy are friends tbh, its the total erasure of his history with Dick as if he can't be friends with both, that like, bugs most.

But so like, yeah, Roy and Dick aren't super close when they interact on the Titans in the New 52, but there's literally nothing in any of their interactions that explains the complete absence of him from Roy's life or a reason that Roy would like, hate him the way he tends to in a lot of Jason-centric fics.

When you factor in pre-Reboot stuff though, it starts to get a LOT more.....uh wyd? And this is why I have trouble buying that people just write Roy and Jason the way they do because its the only thing they know from recent comics. Like one, most fans talk about how they don't even read the source comics, so there's no reason their knowledge of the characters or events would be limited to just recent comics if they're going off wiki summaries and scans anyway. And second, most fans AREN'T limited in their knowledge to just recent comics.

Like, the second people start writing Roy and Jason and Kori but with their pre-52 characterizations and references to events from THAT timeline, it all gets very messy, the way they're like, completely antagonistic towards Dick a lot of the time. Because Roy and Dick were always solid. Yes, they fought. A lot. But they always, ALWAYS made up afterwards. They had conflict about Roy's drug addiction - it didn't stop Dick from being there to support him through rehab, or Dick being the first person Roy called to help him get Lian after he learned of her existence. Dick literally held Lian before Roy ever did? He's the one who first put her in Roy's arms for the first time.

(Which is the prime grudge I and most Dick Grayson fans have about Roy and Jason fics which make Jason like, the absolute apple of Lian's eye. If you want to expand Lian's circle of loved and trusted ones to include Jason as Roy's friend and thus her uncle, like go for it! But there's zero reason that should require invalidating and erasing the fact that Dick was this little girl's adored godfather and uncle for pretty much her entire life. And the way Dick is just shoved offstage from Lian's life entirely, to slot Jason into his place as though they're completely interchangeable, its like....THAT'S the kind of thing that gets people irey about how Jason 'steals' Dick's dynamics and character relationships.

Because there's nothing saying they both can't be major players in Roy and Lian's lives! But just that they're not interchangeable! You need to develop the specific role Jason plays there WITHOUT just overwriting everything Dick actually did in relation to the two of them pre-Flashpoint, which is what you're drawing from the second you write Lian, unless you're specifically going with the few appearances we've had of her within literally just the last year.

But I mean, when people just search and replace Dick Grayson in all Roy and Lian's pre-Reboot stories and act like Jason was the one doing all of that instead.....why wouldn't fans of the source material be annoyed by a character getting credit for interactions and things done for Lian and Roy that Jason literally NEVER DID, while at the EXACT SAME TIME, conjuring some mysterious, unnamed 'Falling Out' that Roy and Dick had, that was clearly all Dick's fault, and resulted from him being basically excised entirely from Roy and Lian's lives?

Same with Kori, for the record, and like despite being Dick's ex, she and Dick have NEVER been like, estranged? She and Dick have often been close even after their breakup. None of it makes any sense, and the fact that a lot of fans don't even try to make it make sense or justify it, and expect other fans to just be fine with settling for an inexplicable reversal of Dick's every actual dynamic with these characters while setting up Jason to occupy the exact same role Dick played in these other characters' lives, like.....lol. Its fun.)

Anyway, back to your question, like, there are fights you can go with pre-Reboot as the source of various conflicts between Dick and Roy - but again, I maintain its just as crucial that they're always written as getting past them. They have a very tempestuous relationship because they are the two people MOST likely to call each other on their shit, two of the two people WITH the most shit in common due to the parallels in their childhoods and the roles they've occupied in the Titans and the superhero community in general, and the two people most resistant to being called out on their shit by each other, lol. Mostly in that case because like, they do recognize that they have a lot in common and understand each other very well, so the second the other is calling them out for something, they're usually like "ugh, if HE'S saying this, its probably true and I am just not prepared yet to be wrong about this. I need more time being unjustifiably rawr about things." Its like that thing where they both look at each other doing something that feels familiar or calls back to their own reasons for doing something and they're like ugh I'm in this picture and I don't like it.

So they clash. A lot. But always with the implicit bedrock of like, there's nothing either of them can do or say to the other that will push the other away for good.

They fought over Roy replacing Dick as leader of the Titans when Dick's wedding fell apart, even though Roy actually didn't want to do it and was kinda pushed into it by the government, but again, Dick like, got over it and realized it was for the best and forgave Roy for it that very same issue. And on and on. It always went like that. So there's plenty of stuff that can be used or pointed at as a source of conflict between the two, but the part I'll always call unbelievable is the idea that they never make up after one of these fights. Why now? What fight, specifically, is so bad between them that despite everything else they've gone through AND gotten past, they can't get past this one? Y'know?

So yeah, that's my take on this. There is no definitive falling out between Dick and Roy as many fics like to point to in order to shove him offscreen and make room for Jason in Roy and Lian's lives, and personally, I just don't find it necessary and I actually think it makes Roy look REALLY bad. Because when you're not specifically detailing all the things that Dick has actually DONE for Roy, the lengths to which he's been there for his friend, and like, specifically invalidating each and every one of them as something that never happened in a particular fic, then literally anyone who reads that fic and has their own awareness of Dick and Roy's friendship is kiiiiiinda likely to be reading that and thinking wow what an ungrateful asshole, when Roy's just written as bitching about Dick with Jason and sandbagging him without any real explanation as to WHY, beyond just 'oh they had a fight years ago.'

(And coming up with some random awful thing that Dick did to justify Roy hating him now isn't like, a superior alternative, lmao, because again, its still just trashing one character for the sake of getting him out of the way of two other characters' friendship and people are going to think what they think about that).

Anyway, my now standard stock disclaimer that like, there doesn't actually need to be a canon fight obviously, for people to just write things this way and handwave that Dick and Roy had an epic falling out years ago and now they just hate one another or whatever, or just Roy hates him or vice versa. Obviously people are free to do what they want. They don't need a reason other than "I want to write it this way so Jason and Roy are friends and Jason doesn't have to 'share' him with Dick or have his friendship be overshadowed by their greater history together." That just happens to be a reason that no Dick Grayson fan is ever really going to be happy about, lol, for what should be perfectly obvious reasons, so it honestly shouldn't be surprising to people that fans of the source material often gripe about it.

Because yeah fanfic is a tremendous opportunity to transform the source material into something better, but if what's better for some fans actively takes away what was working perfectly well for other fans the original way, they're going to say that. Especially in a fandom where so many new fans take their view of the characters and their dynamics from fics rather than the source material - when fandom has that much of an influence on what new fans perceive to be 'canon,' fans are perfectly within their right to emphasize what is ACTUALLY canon and what isn't, so that new fans at least have the opportunity to determine for themselves what take they want to go with, instead of just accepting at face value that the nature of say, Dick and Roy's relationship is just that Roy hates Dick because of some mumble mumble ancient history vague mumble details not found mumble mumble fight.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello there!! Do you have a list of long fics with a jealous/possessive/obsessive sherlock? Thank you mwahhh

Hey Nonny!!

I DO!! I actually started a new list for Possessive Sherlock awhile back waiting for someone to ask for it after I posted my other two lists, LOL.

I put my fics in word-count order, so just scroll down until you see a word count you like and go from there LOL :D

Hope you enjoy!

POSSESSIVE / OBSESSIVE SHERLOCK Pt 3

See also:

Jealous & Possessive Sherlock

Possessive Sherlock Pt 2

Jealous Sherlock Because John Dates a Man

Jealous John Pt. 2 and Jealous Sherlock Pt 2

Jealous John Pt 3 and Jealous Sherlock Pt 3

Jealous John and Sherlock Pt. 4

Jealous John and Sherlock Pt. 5

Possessive by Fang323 (T, 850 w., 1 Ch. || John Whump, Hospitalization, Possessive / Protective Sherlock, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort) – His John did not belong. Not here. Not in this blasted hospital. It simply was not logical.

Concussions And Good Old Fashioned Awkwardness by Belldere (K+, 894 w., 1 Ch. || Humour, Hospitals, Mild John Whump, Misunderstandings, Platonic Relationship, Concussions, Not-Gay John, Possessive Sherlock) – When John lands himself in hospital... again, all he wants is to just get out of there as soon as possible, too bad his doctor has other ideas about where John may be getting his injuries. Good thing concussions make everything strangely funnier.

Burn Burn by Jenn1984 (K+, 925 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TGG, Angst, Worried / Panicked / Possessive Sherlock) – A week after the events of "The Great Game", Sherlock returns to 221B Baker Street to find it empty.

His by I'm Nova (T, 1,042 w., 1 Ch. || Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Possessive Sherlock) – Sherlock doesn't share what he's fond of.

Mine (He Says While Still Being Smol) by beejohnlocked (E, 1,319 w., 1 Ch. || Jealous Sherlock, Possessive Sherlock, Amused John, Needy Sherlock, Blowjobs) – A suspect flirts with John. Sherlock gets a bit jealous. Okay, a LOT jealous.

The Case of the Missing Blogger by nicknack22 (K, 2,147 w., 1 Ch. || Fluff, Humour, Friendship, Worried / Anxious Sherlock) – Alternately titled, The Case of the Oblivious Consulting Detective. In which Sherlock comes out of his mind palace to discover John missing. 221B does not fair well as a result.

Hell or High water by bluefire301175 (E, 2,250 w., 1 Ch. || PWP, Frottage, Alley Sex, First Person POV John, Case-ish Fic, Mutual Pining, Bed Sharing) – John wants. Sherlock wants. Plain and simple.

Display by 221b_hound (E, 2,377 w., 1 Ch. || Post-HLV, Tattoos, Public Hand Jobs, Exhibitionism, Possessive Sex, Possessive Sherlock, Possessive John) – A new client has been flirting with Sherlock and, finding no joy there, with John. John seems annoyed to be second-best, Sherlock thinks, so Sherlock decides to give the departing woman (and maybe also John) a demonstration of who, exactly, John belongs to. But there's more than one level of sexual jealousy and more than one display of possession going on here, outlined in the window of 221b Baker Street. Part 2 of Lock and Key

Surety by hudders (G, 2,477 w., 1 Ch. || Jealous Sherlock, Drunk John, Drunk Lestrade, Drinking, Alcohol) – Sherlock is pissed because it seems that four pints of larger, two shots of tequila and a glass of wine has resulted in Lestrade becoming a little bit too friendly with everyone. And by everyone, Sherlock really means John.

Pillow Talk by 221b_hound (E, 2,925 w., 1 Ch. || Post-HLV, Est. Rel., Preening Sherlock, Limpet Sherlock, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Sex on Furniture, Scent Kink, Masturbation, Fluff, Soft Sherlock) – John gets home late from work and Sherlock is nowhere to be seen. John walks through the flat, distracted by memories of all the excellent sex they've been having, and finally finds Sherlock asleep in the upstairs room - apparently having fallen asleep mid-wank while inhaling the scent of John's pillow. Well, you should always finish what you start, John thinks... Part 3 of Lock and Key

Reversed by whitchry9 (K+, 3,072 w., 6 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Medical Anomalies, John Gets Shot) – The man pointed his gun at John's chest, right at his heart, and shot.' Wherein John is shot, and Sherlock is the one panicking.

Overture by Kate_Lear (M, 4,435 w., 1 Ch. || First Kiss / Time, Friends to Lovers, Angry John, Introspection, Dev. Rel., Embarrassed / Insecure Sherlock, Morning After, Bed Sharing, Cuddles / Limpet Sherlock) – A short snippet on how John and Sherlock might have got together.

All That I Have by the_arc5 (M, 3,721 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TGG Canon Divergence, Pining Sherlock, John Whump, Anxious / Worried Sherlock, Light Angst) – In the aftermath of the Great Game, Sherlock finds himself with a new weakness. John is both the cause and the cure.

Paranoia by Ewebie (M, 3,789 w., 1 Ch. || Humour, Drinking Games, Scotland Yard Gang, Jealous / Possessive Sherlock, Inappropriate Questions, Embarrassed John, Matchmakers) – John and Sherlock join the gang of Scotland Yard for a night of drinking, and it gets a bit personal and revealing.

The Oolong Disaster by unicornpoe (T, 4,151 w., 1 Ch. || John’s Beard, Fluff, Humour, Frustrated Sherlock, John Takes Care of Sherlock, Case Fic-ish, Pining Sherlock, First Kiss, Possessive Sherlock) – John has a beard. Sherlock has a panic attack.

Obsession, Appassionato by shinychimera, Yeomanrand (E, 4,249 w., 1 Ch. || Possessive Sherlock, First Time, Jealous Sherlock, Music / Sherlock’s Violin, Present Tense, Frottage) – John is late, and he hasn’t called, and Sherlock works himself into a state. Part 1 of Love and Ysaye

Date Night by inevitably_johnlocked (G, 4,451 w., 1 Ch. || Anxious / Worried Sherlock, Caring John, Schmoopy Fluff, Fidget Cube, Baking / Cooking, Date Night, Established Relationship, POV Sherlock Holmes, Understanding John, Grumpy Sherlock, John’s Bum, Kisses, Hugs, Domestic Fluff, Touching, Hair Petting, Light Humour) – It's John and Sherlock's first Date Night as an official couple and Sherlock needs it to be PERFECT. Mrs Hudson helps. Part 7 of I-J's Tumblr Ficlet Collection

Butterfly, Pinned Under Glass by billiethepoet (E, 4,648 w., 1 Ch. || Possessive Sherlock, Jealousy, Barebacking, BAMF!John) – It started as a desire to keep John safe and whole, and ended up as just desire.

Applied Linguistics by what_alchemy (M, 4,837 w., 1 Ch. || Possessive / Anxious Sherlock, Introspection, Bed Sharing, Past John Whump, Est. Rel., Marriage Proposal, Sherlock Loves John So Much, Word Play) – “He wants to shake John by the shoulders, wants to open his mouth and swallow John whole. Wants to marry him.” Sherlock searches for the right words.

My First, My Only, and My Forever by vintagelilacs (E, 6,220 w., 1 Ch. || Post-ASiB, Virgin Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Sherlock’s Bum, John’s Scar, Sherlock POV, Body Worship, Fingering, Bottomlock, Promise of Forever / Proposals, Misunderstanding, First Kiss/Time, Loss of Virginity, Virginity Kink, Seduction) – Sherlock narrowed his eyes. He was missing a vital piece of data, he was sure. John had been looking at him oddly ever since they left Buckingham Palace, and the ensuing incident with Irene Adler had only exacerbated his erratic behaviour. What was it? Why would he care that Sherlock was a virgin? There was nothing reminiscent of mockery or pity in his gaze. And then it hit him. John Watson was aroused.

Fa Subito by kim47 (E, 6,659 w., 1 Ch. || Suit Porn, Cockblocker Mycroft, Obsessed Sherlock, PWP) – John wears a suit. Sherlock finds it extremely distracting.

Victim, Bait, Hero, Friend by KimberlyTheOwl (T, 7,887 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TGG Epilogue, Angst, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Past Kidnapping / Torture / Implied Rape, Panic Attacks, Worried / Possessive Sherlock, Lestrade is a Good Friend) – Some insights into why John was perfectly willing to throw everything away for a chance to kill Moriarty at the pool. Trauma, ugliness, and finally healing. Some nice supporting work by Lestrade as well.

A Friend Indeed by Sanru (K+, 8,190 w., 1 Ch. || Missing John, Friendship, Drama, Introspection, Possessive Sherlock, Worried Sherlock) – Something has gone terribly wrong with a supposedly simple case. John Watson is missing. While the search for him is proving to be fruitless, it has made Sherlock realize that having an emotional attachment to someone may have its disadvantages but he liked being able to call John his friend. Now if only he could find out what happened to him...

My Life for His by QuinnAnderson (E, 8,816 w., 1 Ch. || Guardian/Protector, Greek Mythology || Growing Up, Sex, Religious Themes, Suicide, Minor Character Death) – It began when Sherlock was eight, and he attempted to climb all the way up to the highest branch in the old willow tree in his back garden. He'd thought he was still small enough that it could support him, but the second he'd grabbed hold of it to pull himself up, the branch snapped, and down he went, plummeting a solid twenty metres. The odd thing was, he never actually hit the ground.

The Haunting of 221B Baker Street by earlgreytea68 (M, 10,388 w., 2 Ch. || Post TRF, Halloween / Ghosts, Pining Sherlock, Ghost Sherlock, Stroppy Sherlock, Sherlock POV, First Kiss/Time, Angry Sex, Ghost Sex, Love Confessions, Open / Ambiguous Ending) – In which Sherlock Holmes is a ghost.

A Is For Aftermath by ElvendorkInfinity (T, 10,567 w., 1 Ch. || Injury / Whump, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Pre-Slash/Bromance/Platonics, Hallucinations, Introspection, Insecure / Worried John, Big Brother Mycroft, Alternating POV, Anxious Sherlock, Self-Deprecating, Mildly Possessive Sherlock, 3G Moment) – John is still hallucinating, Sherlock cannot sleep, and Lestrade has a new case for them. But will life at 221B ever be able to return to normal? Epilogue to M is for Moriarty.

London Gods by a_different_equation (E, 11,092 w., 5 Ch. || American Gods Fusion || Magical Realism, Sex Magic, True Love, PTSD John, First Kiss/Time, Marathon Sex, Sensuality, Genie Sherlock, Human John, Internalized Homophobia, Star-Crossed Lovers, Soul Mates) – Sherlock Holmes is a jinn who does not grant wishes. However, when Dr. John H. Watson, recently returned from the war in Afghanistan, gets into his cab by "accident", it might not even need magic to grant both men their deepest wish: love.

Pattern Behaviour by SilentAuror (E, 14,835 w., 1 Ch. || POV First Person Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Introspection, Stroppy Sherlock, Light Humour, Friendship, John Takes Care of Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Wall Kisses, Fluffy Angst, Happy Ending) – Sherlock doesn't even know why he resents John's dates so much. Until the day he does know. Slight angst, unrequited feelings (but don't let that scare you off!)

A Hooligans’ Game Played By Gentlemen by scullyseviltwin (E, 15,213 w., 1 Ch. || First Time, Rugby as Foreplay, Porn with Lots of Plot, John POV, Ogling, Body Appreciation, Cranky Sherlock, Slow Burn, Bed Sharing, Cuddling, Touching, Heavy Petting, Blow Job, Botttomlock) – In which John wants to get back in shape, does so, joins a rugby league and has sex with Sherlock Holmes. In that order.

The Burning of the Leaves by blueink3 (M, 15,915 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Angst, Reichenbach, Parentlock, Past Jolto, Idiot John, Sherlock’s a Mess, Puppies, Fluff, Possessive / Jealous Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Sherlock POV, Matchmaker Sholto, Melancholic Feelings, Emotional Sherlock, Domesticity, Love Confessions in the Rain, Kissing in the Rain, Pet Names) – After the events of series 4, Major Sholto invites John and Sherlock to lunch one day. It nearly proves to be too much for their tenuous relationship as the past haunts the present, putting the future that Sherlock so desperately wants at risk.

A Silver Sixpence by _doodle (NC-17, 16,400 w., 2 Ch. || LJ Fic || For a Case / Case Fic, Fake Relationship, Humour, Romance, Marriage Proposal, Awkward Idiots, Cuddling, Touching, Kissing, Love Confessions, Bed Sharing, Friends to Lovers, Fake Until It’s Not, Schmoop and Fluff, Bottomlock) – “John, we need to get married. It’s for a case, not any romantic notions on my part pertaining to our partnership,” Sherlock said, with brutal honesty, and without even looking up.

I Think I've Come A Long Long Way To Sit Before You Here Today by ArwenKenobi (T, 18,251 w., 3 Ch. || Grief/Mourning, Passage of Time, Major Character Death, Alternating POV, Sherlock Whump, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Coma, Revenge Murders, Hallucinations, Love Confessions, Brutal Accident, Mystrade, Ghost John) – One year after John is killed Sherlock starts to wonder whether John has actually gone anywhere.

Division by MrsNoggin (E, 19,542 w., 11 Ch. || Coffee Shop AU || First Kiss/Time, Fluff, Barista Sherlock, Clingy Sherlock, POV John, John’s Limp, Bed Sharing, Fluff, Sleepy Cuddles, Sensuality, Touching, Virgin Sherlock, Insecure John) – John likes mysteries. And every morning he dips into the local independent coffee bar with his newspaper and ponders another... one Sherlock Holmes.

5 Times John Got the Girl (and lost her) and 1 Time John Got the Guy (and kept him) by LiviKate (M, 21,695 w., 6 Ch. || 5 and Ones, Kissing, Oblivious / Awkward Sherlock, BAMF / Sexy / Stud John, Embarrassed John, John’s Scar, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Sherlock) – John has always had good luck with the ladies. He's charming, friendly and funny, not to mention great in bed. However, his usual skill with the opposite sex is constantly being thwarted by Sherlock and his outbursts. How will John ever get a leg over when Sherlock is always cockblocking him?

How To Unfold a Heart by elwinglyre (E, 25,477 w., 7 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It, BAMF John, Mentioned Eurus, POV First Person Sherlock, Case Fic, Fluff, Slow Burn, Topping from the Bottom, 3 Yr Old Rosie, Introspection, Sexual Fantasies, John Worship, Ogling, Hand Holding, Kidnapping, Domesticity, Sherlock Whump, First Kiss/Time, Doctor John, Caring John, Soft Sherlock, Sensuality, Touching, Crying, Love Confessions, Anxious Sherlock, Rimming, Toplock, Fingering, Bossy Bottom John) – To Sherlock’s dismay, John’s return to Baker Street with Rosie is only temporary. Sherlock’s daily visits to Regent Park with John and Rosie illuminate his lost childhood memories and missed opportunities. But with each trip to the park, Sherlock also feels a growing sense of hope. That is until the past horrors return unexpectedly in a cryptic note folded in the shape of a heart. To decipher the message, Sherlock must uncover the nature of the hearts around him, including his own.

An Acquired Taste by kinklock (E, 31,059 w., 4 Ch. || Vampires AU || Vampire Sherlock, Misunderstandings, Bat!Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Humour, Magical Realism, Fluff and Angst, Blood Drinking, Holmes Family, Slow Burn) – At Montague Street when Sherlock was forced to sate his body’s needs, he was at least able to wander about the flat as much as he pleased. At Baker Street, it was mini-bags in a mini-fridge and bedroom confinement.

Lucifer's Gardens by ampersand_ch (E, 32,679 w., 12 Ch. || GERMAN VERSION || Romance, Friendship, Friends to Lovers, Murder, Poison / Drugging, Mystery, John Undercover, Academic Club, Therapy, Rituals, Jungian Archetypes, Doctors & Physicians, Grief/Mourning, Esotericism, Hospitals, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, John Falls In Love With Another Man, Jealous Sherlock, Crying, Doctor John, Hand Holding, First Kiss/Time, Mysticism, Hugging, Touching) – John goes undercover for an investigation as a favour to Lestrade in a village in Suffolk. The events surrounding the case awaken deep-seated fears in Sherlock. While John begins to come to a realisation of what he needs in Lucifer's Gardens, Sherlock tries to find a way to reach John – in more ways than one.

The Whore of Babylon Was a Perfectly Nice Girl by out_there (E, 32,897 w., 1 Ch. || Past Drug Use, Blowjobs, Toplock, Mentions of Switching, Rough Sex, Background Cases, Sherlock’s Past, Sherlock’s Sexual History, Experienced Sherlock, Past One Night Stands, Fingering, Cuddling, Possessive Sherlock, Paris Holiday, Bed Sharing, Naked Lie-Ins, Bathing Together, Confessions, Worried Sherlock, Laying in Bed All Day, Meddling Mycroft, Naked Lazy Day) – Sherlock walks into a room and takes all the space right out of it. He does the same inside John's head.

Turn Left at the Park by Glenmore (NR (E), 37,409 w., 28 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting / ASiP Divergence, Case Fic, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Loneliness, No Mary, Possessive Sherlock, Fluff & Angst, Nightmares/PTSD, Sherlock Saves John, Sherlock Whump-ish, Doctor John) – So what would have happened if John hadn't walked through the park and met Stamford? What if, instead, he walked around the park and just went home?

Guidelines by WithLoweredVoices (M, 43,018 w., 15 Ch. || Winglock || Angels, Fantasy, Angst, BAMF! John, War, Jealous Sherlock, Possessive Sherlock, Jealous John, Falling in Various Ways, Needy Sherlock, Wings) – The Good Soldier, one of the oldest and strongest of the fallen, is offered a bargain: to live as John Watson and to Guide a fledgling archangel so that he will stay on the path of good. Of course, Sherlock Holmes has different ideas about his destiny. Fantasy AU. Warnings for violence, occasional gore, and a whole load of hurt and angst.

A Goose Quill Dipped in Venom by Polyphony (M, 52,748 w., 16 Ch. || Celebrity John AU || Alternate First Meeting, TV Host John, Supermodel Mary, Character Death, Mystery, Romance, Case Fic, First Kiss/Time, Meddling Mycroft, Drug Abuse, Doctor John, PDA, Deductions, POV Sherlock, Toplock, Sexual Tension, Angry/Rough Sex, Hopeful Ending, Asperger’s Sherlock) – Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective, is called in to a very ordinary although brutal murder. Something is badly out of tune with the whole scenario and Sherlock finds himself becoming more and more obsessed with the crime - and also with the victim.

Never Change a Running System by Lorelei_Lee (E, 54,246 w., 18 Ch. || Pre-TRF, Romance, Humour, Drama, Sex Toys, Anal, Rimming, Masturbation, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Public Sex, First Kiss / Time, Virgin Sherlock / Loss of Virginity, Accidental Voyeurism, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Experiments, Naive Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Possessive Sherlock, Straight With an Exception John, Hand Jobs) – Sherlock discovers his sexuality – with far-reaching consequences for John.

The Thing Is by TSylvestris (E, 56,743 w., 21 Ch. || Case Fic, Dev. Rel., Anal/Oral, Blow Jobs, Meddling Mycroft, Drama, Romance, Humour, Casual Encounters, Pining Idiots, Possessive Sherlock, Orgasm Delay, Rough / Alley Sex, Public Sex, John Whump, Drugged John, Emotional Love Making, Awkward Relationship, Marriage of Convenience, Switchlock, BAMF John) – The problem with living with Sherlock, John thought, was that you never, never, ever knew the significance of anything. Like your flatmate's nose buried in your hair. Whilst you're in bed. Part 1 of Nitroglycerine

The Burning by SrebrnaFH (M, 60,658 w., 24 Ch. || Reverse Reichenbach, Suicide, Depression, Hurt Sherlock / John, Separation, BAMF John, Good Big Brother Mycroft, Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, Fake Character Death, Rescue Mission, Reconciliation / Reunion, Hospitalization, Marriage Proposal, Illnesses, Physical Therapy, Happily Ever After) – Something went very, very wrong. John had seemed, if not happy, then reasonably content with his life. Sherlock had never predicted something like THIS might have happened. Not in his worst nightmares. He was the lousiest friend ever, apparently. At least Mycroft found him something to occupy his mind with, so that he didn't have to go back to 221B and stare at the walls and the chair, where John Watson would never sit again.

Being John Watson-ish by elwinglyre (E, 69,902 w., 17 Ch. || Bodysnatcher AU || Author John, Cranky Sherlock, Angst, Sexual Tension, First Kiss / Time, Falling in Love, BAMF John, Past Soldier John, Feelings, Inside Someone’s Brain, Shy Sherlock, Sherlock Loves John, POV Sherlock, Switchlock, Slow Burn, Internal Dialogue, Mental Turmoil) – When consulting detective Sherlock Holmes steps on one toe too many at a crime scene, he's consigned to a desk job in an archaic office on the seventh-and-a-half floor of the New Scotland Yard. It’s in this bleak office that Sherlock discovers a portal into the mind of renowned author John Watson. Grander than his mind palace, this new wonderland affords Sherlock new vistas of experimentation. To learn more about the mystery behind the portal, Sherlock seeks out and befriends Watson. But then it all goes wrong when others find the secret portal door—including the man whose brain he visits.

Just To Hold You Close by sussexbound (E, 70,841 w., 18 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, Sherlock POV, ASD Sherlock, PTSD John, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Cuddling/Snuggling, Platonic Cuddling, Enthusiastic Consent, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, First Kiss/Time, Sexual Tension, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cuddle Negotiations, For a Case Until It Isn’t, Hair Petting, Sexual Negotiation, Anxiety, Trust Issues, Slow Burn, Panic Attacks, Frottage, Hand/Blow Jobs, Referenced Self Harm / Abuse / Suicidal Ideation, First Kiss/Time, Anal) – When a woman is murdered and the last person to see her alive is recently invalided army vet turned reluctant (and prickly) professional cuddler, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes is pulled into a world of intimacy and intrigue he never could have imagined. John is a conundrum and mystery: frank yet reserved, tender yet angry, open yet afraid. Sherlock is instantly drawn into his orbit, and begins to feel and desire things he never has before.

The Vapor Variant by 88thParallel (CanadaHolm) (M, 72,684 w., 18 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-THoB, John Whump, Protective Sherlock, Guilty Sherlock, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, PTSD John, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Suspense, Virus, Sick Fic, Big Brother Mycroft) – They stood face to face in the middle of a clearing. The dim light of the moon barely allowed Sherlock to see the glassy terror in John’s eyes and the sweat that glistened off his forehead. His nose was bleeding again, blood dripping in a slow stream from his right nostril. They were both gasping for air, John’s eyes locked on Sherlock’s. There was no recognition there, just wild animal fear. Time stood still for an eternal few seconds, and Sherlock took a shaky breath. “John—”Spell broken, John spun and bolted back into the woods. Still heaving for air, Sherlock took off after him.

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

The Cost of a Wish by slashscribe (E, 102,493 w., 12 Ch. || xxxHolic Fusion || Spirits / Ghosts and Magic, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Soul Mates / Fated Lovers, Adventure, Immortal Sherlock, Powerful John, POV John, Frottage, Wish Granting, Angst with Happy Ending, Nightmares) – John has been plagued by a secret his entire life that has made him feel hopeless until he meets a mysterious, seemingly omniscient man named Sherlock Holmes who owns a wish-granting shop. Their meeting sets off a series of inevitable events that will change the course of both of their lives forever.

The Wedding Garments by cwb (E, 105,390 w., 36 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Alternate Future AU || Alternate First Meeting, Dating / Arranged Marriages, Romance, First Kiss/Time, Heavy Petting, Cuddles, POV Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn / Falling in Love / Dev. Rel., Nervous/Anxious Sherlock, Jealous/Cranky Sherlock, Hiking, Vacation Homes / Honeymoon, Sherlock’s Family, Horny John/Sherlock, Patient John, Massages, Hand Jobs, Assassination Plots, Oral Sex, Case Fic, Emotional Love Making, Bath Time Fun) – This is the story of a young consulting detective who wants nothing to do with marriage and an army doctor who wants to find true love. It's 2020 post-Brexit England and the British government is encouraging arranged marriages. Candidates meet through state-run agencies and date in hopes of finding love (and tax benefits). Sherlock doesn't need or want a spouse, at least not until John Watson shows up. Hesitant to give in to his more carnal urges because of the way they derail his mind, how will Sherlock progress toward the more intimate aspects of a relationship? The answer lies in a very special wedding gift.

The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w., 37 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel., Possessive/Obsessive Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Body Appreciation, Depression, Closeted Sexuality, Family, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Ogling Each Other, Anxious Sherlock, Panic Attack, Drunkenness, Talk of Forever, Big Feelings™) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball

The Adventure of the Silver Scars by tangledblue (NR [M], 142,458 w., 41 Ch. || S3 Fix-It, Post-HLV/ Post-TAB / Canon Compliant, Case Fic, No Baby, Angst, Humour, UST, Slow Burn, Angry John, Reconciliation, Not Nice Mary / Leaving Mary, Dependent Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Caretaker John, Fist Fights, It’s An Experiment, Virgin Sherlock, Dancing, Drugging, John Whump, Pet Names, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Scars) – It’s been thirteen months since Mary shot Sherlock and John finds he’s still pissed off about it. Sherlock had thought everything was settled: John and Mary, domestic bliss. But when John turns up at Baker Street with suitcases, the world’s only consulting detective might not be prepared for the consequences. A new case. Some old scores to settle. Certain danger. Concertos, waltzes, and whisky.

Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 151,714 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Hiatus Fic, POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Kiss/Time, Big Brother Mycroft, Escaping from Capture, Soft Sherlock, Toplock, Insecurity, Infidelity, Travelling, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Depression, Fantasies, Yearning for the Past, PTSD Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns.

Gimme Shelter by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (E, 159,368 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || 70′s Surfer AU || Period Typical Homophobia, Hawaii, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Professional Surfers, Gay John / Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John was a Sailor, Misunderstandings) – All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That's all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition. (PUBLISHED AS ‘The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone’)

[a-wild-rosette]

C!Fundy, Friendships, and Healing

Entry for Fundy Week 2021 - Day 1: Friendship @fundyfiles

/dsmp /rp 

Tl,dr: Eret, Ranboo, Hbomb94 relationships with Fundy through season 1,2, and 3 of the Dream SMP respectively. 

Names refer to the characters, unless specified as “cc!” 

1) Season 1: Eret 

Fundy was the first, and up until Finale of Season 2, the only one who forgave and bonded with Eret after their betrayal. (While I don’t think Tubbo held a lot of bad feelings toward Eret, their bond was never the same after that.) Up to now, none of the people who had hurt Fundy has given him closure or an apology, except for Eret. Their relationship was made stronger during the peace era, but the prank war that eventually brought them closer started when they were still enemies. Eret with Fundy, therefore, represents the possibility of forgiveness and the healing by trying to be better and supporting each other.

To further show this arc of healing and forgiveness, Eret was the one whom Fundy came to for help when he started his spy arc, because of, not in spite out, Eret’s past role as a spy/traitor. Fundy acknowledged Eret past mistake, and instead of holding him to it, he forgave Eret and even saw it as something that could help him. Fundy saw Eret’s past and saw it as something that made Eret even more of a confidant. 

This healing, however, was cut off when things became more tense and Fundy went deeper into his role as a spy. Both Eret and Niki felt betrayed when Fundy burned down the flag, and that caused a (temporary) rift between them all. 

This was where the role was relatively reversed for Eret and Fundy. This time, it was Fundy who did something that hurt Eret, and this time, it was also Eret who forgave Fundy and fought by his side. They were there for Fundy when he needed a father. From when Fundy and Eret bonded after the Final Control Room, Eret had always been a supporting figure in Fundy’s life, despite the hiccups along the way, and that lasted through season 2 and 3, albeit in a lesser extend because they were more inactive and less involved in Fundy’s lore. 

2) Season 2: Ranboo

Ranboo has a special role in Fundy’s life in Season 2 because he was the start of Fundy’s healing after the spy arc. Ranboo with Fundy was the change from Fundy seeking validation from a figure of authority to him seeking companionship in a friend. (Similar things could be said from his friendships with Niki and Eret, but their friendships were also broken apart during the Schlatt presidency, when Fundy’s trauma related to authority figures also manifested in a more obvious and serious extend.) 

Therefore, Ranboo with Fundy was also a new beginning. Unlike Niki and Eret, whose relationships with Fundy were stil somewhat tainted by the trauma from both Schlatt and Wilbur, Ranboo was someone completely new and unrelated to season 1. Ranboo was a chance for Fundy to restart and try to find a new companionship that did not involve seeking authoritative validation. Fundy needed that opportunity to find a way to heal. And for a while, he did. C!Ranboo was genuinely good to Fundy. He cared about Fundy as equals and spent the majority of Fundy’s online time with Fundy. Because both cc!Eret and cc!Niki, people whose characters made up a large proportion of c!Fundy’s support system, were also inactive, c!Ranboo became an important part of c!Fundy’s healing.  

This healing, once again, was cut off, this time due to Doomsday and Ranboo’s moral dilemma. And this breaking in Ranboo and Fundy’s friendship broke Fundy even more seriously. As the other parts of his support system were also angry at him (Niki) or did not run into Fundy during that moment (Eret), losing Ranboo meant losing the last of Fundy’s support system, rendering Fundy’s healing through season 2 also meaningless in Fundy’s view. At that point, Fundy had already fallen into a nihilistic mindset, and Ranboo’s rejection was the final nail in the coffin. 

What was even more tragic was that even after a long time now, there still had not been the same forgiveness and support from Ranboo as Eret had shown Fundy. Fundy tried to rekindle his and Ranboo’s friendship, in a way that resembled what he and Eret did, and what he and Ranboo started their friendship on: through pranks and jokes. It did not work, obviously. But that was the most available tool for Fundy to start and/or mend his relationship with someone. Fundy wasn’t going the right way to handle their relationship, yes, but his effort was largely one-sided, which just served to remind us that he did not have anyone solid to rely on. 

3) Season 3: Hbomb94

Hbomb was... a very special case because he was very much not active in the lore, but was constantly there in the background. At this rate, I cannot say H will play a big part in Fundy’s lore or in being his canon support system (unless he wants to prove me wrong wink wink nudge nudge). But the smaller things he did with Fundy and their interactions in general (which was confirmed to be canon by Hbomb himself) was comforting enough. 

Hbomb had been a constant in the background from all three season, but we started to see his relationship with Fundy a lot more clearly in season 3 because he seemed to be the only *positive* interactions Fundy got during Fundy’s streams. (The other positive interactions included Niki having a room for Fundy in her underground city and Eret offering Fundy a place in their castle, but they only happened once and in a much shorter time than all the time he spent with H). 

The catmaid bit started during season 1, continued into season 2 (with Ranboo being 50% of the reason of Fundy’s suffering), and moved into season 3. In season 1 and 2, Fundy pretty much was mostly scammed into having the catmaid, even though he did stick around with H. (One of Fundy’s love language is Quality Time, see my other essay for detail, coupling with the mere exposure effect, it could be argued that even in season 1 and 2, Fundy was secretly fond of catmaid H, or at least Hbomb as a person.) In season 3, however, Fundy was the one who *willingly* sought him out for help with the TNT prank, despite knowing that catmaid H was the most useless helper ever. Indeed, he ended up doing most of the work himself, but the fact that Fundy sought him out, asked for help, and spent time with catmaid H, said a lot about their bond. 

Not to mention, Hbomb also seemed to care about Fundy and constantly thought about him. He even had a room for Fundy in his “evil” mansion, and invited Fundy to his diamond game on the DSMP. H was also one of the people who was constantly nice to Fundy beside one brief moment where he was upset with Fundy during Doomsday (where most people were not thinking rationally) for taking all of the ancient debris H left as a gift for the server. He didn’t even get upset violently to Fundy, just to himself and Niki for a bit. (The bar is low for Fundy, bear with me.) H was a mellow person, and one of the very few people who was consistently good and mature on the server, and that showed through his treatment not only to Fundy, but also to Niki and other people who came across him. 

Overall, Fundy’s interactions with Hbomb were a good reprieve from Fundy being constantly narratively punished for his small mistakes or for his emotional vulnerability. 

Conclusion: Please hug the Fundy. He needs it. 

[kalee60]

Kalee. Kal. Hi. Hello.

So I recently got a Tiktok because all the kids these days are doing it and my sister keeps sending me videos 🤦🏼‍♀️🙄 I know.

Anyways

There’s apparently this challenge.

Kalee.

It’s a kiss your best friend challenge.

And all I can think is:

Steve and Bucky.

It could be canon verse. It could be an au.

But like imagine. If you haven’t seen the videos it’s super cute but also cringy because like what if it doesn’t go over well, it would be awkwardddd! They basically just film themselves hangout with their best friend and then try to kiss them and see if they’ve secretly been pining too.

Imagine.

Claire - my gorgeous pocket rocket from the Big Apple 🍎

This ask (that you sent eons ago) could not just be answered with a simple - 'omg, yes - I know right - it's the perfect Stucky scenario - someone should write it'... Because well - I guess somehow it turned out that I could write a little something...

I hope you enjoy this, because without your cheerleading, your throwing of pom poms and generally screaming at me in comments and on here - well writing wouldn't be half as much fun.

So for you Claire - enjoy this little story of two boys, a kiss in the making and a TikTok account 😘

~*~*~*~*~

Nerves rode Bucky as he placed his phone down into the perfect position; camera at the ready, not pressing record yet - but waiting for the signal. Steve was doing the exact same with his phone, only from a slightly different angle, setting it up for their parkour trick - something they were going to post to TikTok later. But although Steve was under the impression he was about to perform a flip off Bucky’s shoulders to grab hold of a tree branch then scale the fifteen foot wall beside it - Bucky had other ideas.

He’d seen a new TikTok challenge that week, it was plastered all over the platform and filled his suggested videos, and since the first time he’d watched one, then devoured another fifty straight away, he’d secretly wanted to do it. Wanted to throw all caution to the wind and seize the moment.

Today was that day.

Bucky Barnes was going to kiss Stevie Rogers right on the lips. His best friend since middle school, the boy, now man that he’d secretly loved for over a decade - and although Bucky could have thought of a million different ways to show Steve how he felt - he’d just never had the courage. At least if the video bombed, he could still put it up as a laugh and hopefully Steve would see the joke and it wouldn’t ruin their friendship - hopefully.

So Bucky waited for Steve to finish fiddling with his phone and camera positioning, which was taking him longer than usual to set up, trying to not let the butterflies in his gut take over.

Steve finally looked up, face flushed red like he’d already performed the stunt and Bucky was struck dumb, staring at how beautiful Steve was in the afternoon sunlight. He became lost in the way the shadows from the trees created patterns across Steve’s tightly toned body, the slight wind whispering to Bucky to take his chance, to not mess it up. And Steve stood before him like a golden god, nervously splaying his fingers, cracking his knuckles while staring back at Bucky with an unreadable expression on his face. Was he worried about their trick?

“You okay, Pal?” Bucky asked, his voice faltering with the knowledge he was about to change everything - or nothing.

Steve nodded, eyes wide and bright, darting over Bucky’s face, and Bucky took a moment to bask at being in Steve’s full attention.

“Yep,” Steve popped the ‘p’ and ran a hand through his hair, blonde strands sticking up comically, but Bucky didn’t laugh, he’d never seen someone as breathtaking as Steve did in that moment. 

Steve was Bucky’s true north, a steady and unrelenting force at his side - but it went both ways. They’d been through family deaths, relationship fallouts, fights and everything in between, but the one thing that was always unbroken - was they were in it together. No matter what life threw at them, Steve and Bucky were as solid as rock. Unshakable.

And Bucky was probably about to screw it all up.

They closed in on each other, coming to a standstill until only a foot separated them; Steve’s huge blue eyes darted quickly between Bucky’s; there was something different about the look, intense, and Bucky wondered if his own nerves were obvious and Steve was suddenly unsure about the acrobatic feat they were attempting.

“You still want to do this? Haven’t changed your mind?” Bucky asked to make sure, and was surprised when Steve licked his lips and shook his head emphatically.

“No, I’m sure - more sure than I’ve ever been about anything.”

Bucky smiled, Steve being dramatic about their parkour tricks was not unusual, but the way Steve’s cheek twitched and how his foot tapped on the ground was not normal behaviour. And Bucky couldn’t help but start to worry that his idea to surprise-kiss Steve wasn’t the greatest one, wasn’t something he should be trying, as it seemed Steve was janky - wound up.

“Alright, Stevie. If you’re sure.”

Resolve filled Steve’s features as they both turned on their cameras, and once set up, Steve took an almost hesitant step forward.

Bucky held his breath.

It was the moment of truth. 

They’d practised the trick so many times, had to start toe to toe for it to work, Steve pushing off Bucky to sprint to the wall, running vertically up the side of it, to twist around and jump off Bucky’s shoulders and flip onto the tree branch, shoving off it then using his momentum to run up the rest of the wall. Finally gripping the lip and climbing over it. 

They’d gone over it at least thirty times.

No injuries as of yet.

But this time, just as Steve pressed forward, Bucky yanked him in - at the exact same time as Steve flew forward, completely catching Bucky off guard as he was heading in the wrong direction than expected, he was moving towards Bucky instead of pushing away - and their heads slammed together with a loud thud.

And instead of taking the defeat of the moment graciously, Bucky was in too deep, had waited too long, had it all planned out - and so as Steve rubbed his forehead looking as mortified at what had transpired as Bucky, Bucky once again leant forward. Only to find Steve pitching towards him too, and for the second time in less than three seconds their skulls cracked against the other.

“- holy shit, Barnes. Are you going to let me kiss you or not?”

“- Steve you fucking menace, I’m trying to kiss you!”

The silence was deafening as their words mingled together and wide ocean blue eyes met stormy silt infused grey-blue ones in shock.

“- what did you…?”

“- did you just...?”

Once again talking at the same time, they both trailed off, and the words started to sink into Bucky’s fried brain. Steve was trying to kiss him. Him.

Slack jawed, he could only stare at Steve whose expression mimicked his own, clearly having come to the same realisation about Bucky. He managed to swallow the obscenely thick lump in his throat and with a small tremor in his hand, reached up to place it on Steve’s forehead where a red mark was forming - rubbing the spot gently with his thumb. Steve’s eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed.

With the last tendrils of fear slipping away, Bucky trailed his fingers down the side of Steve’s face before reaching behind his head, gripping the base of Steve’s neck. Then stopped.

Steve’s breathing laboured, coming in sharp and Bucky tightened his grip, loving the way Steve’s eyes fluttered half shut before they opened again, trying not to lose contact with Bucky’s.

Steve was stunning, so responsive and Bucky licked his lips, loving how Steve’s attention snagged on his mouth immediately.

“Can I?” Bucky husked, and Steve nodded jerkily when Bucky’s fingers played with the silky strands of Steve’s hair as he leant in.

The first meeting of their lips lacked the pain of slammed heads and teeth - but it was perfect in every way. Steve’s lips were plush, soft and pliant under Buckys as Bucky took control of the kiss, pressing forward into Steve’s heat. Bucky’s other hand came up to cup Steve’s face tenderly, unable to express how it felt to be kissing his lifelong friend after so many years of yearning for it, Bucky almost at the point where he thought it could never happen. The fact Steve kissed him back - enthusiastically, made his heart thump louder and harder until it was all he could hear in his mind.

After a moment, Bucky pulled away, resting his forehead on Steve’s, mindful of the tender place they’d cracked heads minutes earlier, and couldn’t stop the rasped laugh that escaped.

“You laughing at the way I kiss, Barnes?” Steve sassed with a smile in his voice.

Bucky chuckled, “no, not at all.” He paused a second to gather his thoughts, “I just can’t believe I set this up to kiss you on camera for TikTok, so damn nervous the whole time you’d freak out and punch me - and you were doing the exact same thing.”

Steve grinned and pulled away enough so that he could stare into Bucky’s eyes, the emotion shining from his beautifully clear expression stole the breath from Bucky’s lungs.

“How long?” Steve asked with a whisper. And Bucky wanted to lie, to tell him it wasn’t long, that he’d only just realised if only to stop himself looking too much like a sap.

He didn’t lie.

“The day you punched Deon Franklin when he asked me for a tongue kiss while calling me those terrible names.”

Steve’s stunned look spoke volumes, “Bucky. We were sixteen.”

“And…?” Bucky winced at Steve’s incredulous tone.

Suddenly Steve laughed hysterically, and Bucky started to back up, but before he got too far, Steve grabbed his biceps stopping him in his tracks. “Oh no you dont. You do know why I punched him right?”

“Because he was a dick?”

“Well apart from that.” Steve said wryly and took a deep breath, letting Bucky go. “It’s because he upset you. And I was desperate for your attention - wanted that kiss he so crudely demanded as a joke.”

“What…” Bucky stammered out, “You wanted me back then too?”

Steve smiled indulgently at him. “You didn’t think I stuck around just for your personality did you?”

Bucky roared with laughter, elated at the turn of events and grabbed Steve, slamming their mouths together, and soon the kiss morphed from chaste and exploratory to something meaner, something heavier. Pushing Steve up against the tree, the small noise from Steve’s throat as the bark dug into his skin set something feral off in Bucky and he kissed deeper, shoving his tongue further until both of them struggled for air.

A loud beeping infiltrated Bucky’s hearing and he reluctantly pulled away, adoring the slack jawed and glazed look in Steve’s eyes way too much. Wanting Steve to look up at him with that exact same expression but with a lot less clothing and a lot more privacy in place.

“Want to do the trick still?” Bucky questioned as he walked over and grabbed his phone to stop the alert that he was running out of video. When Steve didn’t answer he looked back over his shoulder and almost dropped his phone.

Steve was leaning limp against the tree, clearly half hard and staring after Bucky like he’d just gifted him the world. When in actual fact, it was Steve who’d done that for him.

Bucky stalked back over, gripping Steve’s chin, kissing him soundly one more time, and Steve immediately went pliant under his touch, oh boy, they were going to have so much fun.

“How about instead, we go back to mine and see what other tricks we can come up with?”

Steve’s breathing came in faster and harder and a broken ‘yes’ worked its way out of his throat, Bucky catching the word in his mouth as he kissed Steve again.

Bucky smirked as he pulled away, helping Steve stand upright.

“But, only on the condition that we tape it.” Steve said in a voice deep and rich, and Bucky was suddenly on the back foot when Steve smiled deliciously at him, eyes full of dirty promises.

Dry mouthed and vibrating from anticipation, Bucky followed Steve to his car, walking in a slight daze at what had transpired in only twenty minutes.

And all Bucky was certain of, was that although his TikTok kiss hadn’t gone to plan - everything else would fall into place.

Just the way it was meant to.