#they lost their benders. their parents.

[burst-of-iridescent]

not to beat the "sokka's misogyny" disk horse even further into the ground, but while i agree with the take that sokka being sexist logically doesn't make sense, i would go further to say that the water tribes themselves being sexist is both illogical and thematically contradictory.

the flaws of each nation in atla have always been linked to their element, and specifically what those elements represent. fire is the element of power; power, left unchecked, leads to imperialism and authoritarianism. earth is the element of substance and stability; stability, prioritized too highly, creates and justifies the rigid class system and rampant corruption of ba sing se. air is the element of freedom; freedom, taken too far, becomes irresponsibility and abandonment.

meanwhile, water is the element of change... therefore the water tribes cling to antiquated ideas about gender roles instead of adapting with the times (especially when the times involve a fucking war going on).

not only is this unrealistic, it also breaks the thematic pattern of the nations' flaws being virtues taken to extremes, and how this dovetails into the show's overall message about the importance of balance. if we're keeping with the pattern of virtue and vice being two sides of the same coin, then the flaw of the water tribes has to be related to change. and here is where some of the (badly executed) ideas in the comics and legend of korra could have come into play: change, left uncontrolled, can lead to progress... but at the cost of tradition and spirituality.

(imagine a nwt cut off from the world and forced to rely solely on itself, ingenuity and creativity flourishing out of sheer, desperate need. imagine a nwt where waterbending is nothing more than a tool, used to build and defend and maintain a fortress always at risk, its spiritual origins slowly lost to time. imagine a nwt more military than community, whose architecture and technology far exceed anything the world has ever seen, who look down upon their less advanced sister tribe, and see no need for the avatar - after all, where was he when they had no one but themselves for the last 100 years?

when warned that the fire nation is coming, they show no fear; they have held strong on their own for the last century, bolstered by their weapons and wits, and will continue to do so. you need the spirits, aang implores, and is met with derision, for there is no place for spirits in a society always chasing more, greater, better. the spirits have not helped us before, avatar. why would they now? we are all we need.

when the moon spirit falls, unprotected and forgotten in an abandoned, rundown spirit oasis - so do they.)

not only would this fit better thematically, it would also ensure that the nwt's flaw plays a role in its own downfall. where the fire nation's warmongering resulted in the poverty and suffering of its own people, and the earth kingdom's corruption led - at least in part - to the fall of ba sing se, the misogyny of the water tribes is never shown to negatively impact them in any way. the north isn't defeated by the fire nation because they relegated half the population to healing. the south doesn't suffer raids or lose their waterbenders because they (supposedly) didn't let women fight. this lack of narrative punishment means that - outside of a few girlboss moments for katara - the sexism of the nwt isn't significant to the overall story whatsoever.

furthermore, while the ba sing se arc last almosts half a season, and the fire nation's actions drive the entire show, this supposed systemic oppression of women shows up for one episode in the first season before disappearing entirely. pakku is reminded of his lost love, magically turns into a feminist, and somehow the entire tribe follows suit? no one else protests, not even the other students or the chief?

and yet, though there are still no female waterbenders other than katara, or agency for kanna in her relationship, or any indication that women stopped being forcibly betrothed - the entire issue is simply swept under the rug and never brought up ever again in the show. i understand this was a children's cartoon made in 2005, and that even having female characters openly speak about and challenge misogyny was a radical feat for the time and genre, but the reality of patriarchy is that it's structural, sustained and immensely difficult to resist - if the show was going to depict that resistance, it should have done so with greater depth and nuance, as it did for many of the other difficult topics it tackled.

ultimately, handwaving misogyny away like it never existed is far more disrespectful to katara's character, her fight against injustice, and the girls who saw themselves in her, than simply toning it down or removing it could ever be.

[emolionsrawr]

*the 118 doing trauma salad*

chimney: hey, my named howard, i go by chimney, and after i proposed to my ex, she broked up with me, which lead me to being in a car accident which caused a rebar go through my head, and i brought the bowl

buck: hi, my names buck, and before i was born my brother developed cancer, which caused my parents to create me to be a perfect genetic match, they took my bone marrow and he died a week later, and i bought the nerds

eddie: my names eddie, my ex wife left me and our son after i went through something traumatic, and i bought the sweedish fish

buck: hey, my names buck, and when i was a child i used to have to hurt myself to get my parents attention, and even then it didn't work, and i bought the war heads

hen: hey! my names hen, and my ex wife got out of prison and used my emotions against me which lead me to cheating in my wife, then used that against me to try to take our son away from me, and i bought the nerds clusters

buck: hey! buck again, my first real girlfriend ghosted me after she left for dublin, and then came back three years later with a fiancee, she never broke up with me, and i bought the twizzlers

bobby: hey, my names bobby, and i watched my father lose himself to alcholol which later killed him, which caused me to start drinking at the sweet sweet age of 9, and i bought the gummy bears

buck: sup, its buck, and after i lost the first person on the job i went to a therapist who used my trauma to get laid, which i later realised was assault, and i bought the reece's pieces

eddie: hey, my names eddie, and my wife came back into my life, came back into my sons life, only to die in front of us, and i bought the malteasers

buck: you know the drill, and when my father figure was suspended pending investigation a teenage bomber who had it out for him put a bomb in the ladder truck, which caused the truck to land on me when it blew up, crushing my leg and leaving me with phantom pain, and i bought the hershey kisses

chimney: hey, my names chimney, and my dad prefers my younger brother, and i bought the tangfastics

buck: me again, after i got blown up i had a P.E in front of my whole family at my welcome back barbeque which caused my father figure to have a panic attack and not want to let me back onto the team! and i bought the nerd clusters

bobby: hey, my names bobby, and i was in an accident which gave me extreme back pain which lead me to a drug addiction, and one night after a bender i fell asleep and left the space heater on which caused my whole apartment building to burn down, killing my wife and kids as well as over 150 people, and i bought the marshmallows

buck: hey! me again, after the P.E my best friend asked me to look after his son, so i took him to the pier where we was hit by a tsunami, i found him but then we were separated for eight hours and the whole time i thought he was dead, and i bought the nerd ropes

buck: oh! me again, after the tsunami and finding out my captian was holding me back i sued the city, ruining my friendships along the way, and i bought the toffee

eddie: hey, my names eddie, after my wife died i got into an illegal fight club and got addicted, and i bought the strawberry hearts

buck: hey! me again! hi! my ex girlfriend almost got two of my friends killed because she decided a news article was more important than their lives! and i bought the toxic wastes

chimney: fuck taylor kelly

hen: fuck taylor kelly

buck: hey! me again-

bobby: okay we're down the bowls full

buck: BUT I HAVENT EVEN GOT TO THE-

bobby: no.

eddie: I also have more. My childhood trauma. My son leaving. The time I got shot. My time in the army. How I received my purple star. And so on.

chimney: Oh! I also have more. Kevin dying in front of me. My mother dying. Jonah. I could go on.

hen: I have more too! Everything with Mara. My own childhood trauma. That time my son nearly died and I was the paramedic working on him. Jonah. I can still continue.

bobby: I also have more BUT THE BOWLS FULL!

athena: what are you doing?

buck: trauma salad

athena: oh! well then my name is-

bobby: the bowl is FULL

athena: BUT I HAVENT EVEN SAID ANY OF MINE AND I HAVE A LOT

athena: Hi, I’m Athena and when I was 9 a girl in my neighbourhood went missing and then years later, we found her remains in the concrete of the conservatory of my parents house after my father had a stroke and he was them framed for her death and I BOUGHT A GOD DAMNED NEW BOWL!

buck: YAY NEW BOWL! hi it's me again your favourite traumatised firefighter, one time i got struck by lightning and died, and ended up in a weird coma dream where my dead brother was alive but my father figure was dead and i didn't know anyone i loved and i was fighting for my life, and i bought the sherbert lemons

Bobby: I was dead you didn’t tell me I was FUCKING DEAD?!

buck:... OH LOOK THE BELL IS GOING BYE-

bobby: THE BELL ISNT RINGING GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT-

ravi: *sighs* didn't even get to my childhood cancer

athena, placing new bowl down: they’ll be back. We have a new bowl to fill.

[pizzaboat]

How bad is it that at 8 years old, Azula lost her mother, and at the same time 14 year old Azula is convinced her mother thought she was a monster

How much scolding and clashing was there between a parent and child, for an 8 year old to get that much of an impression and that it stuck with them that much into their mid teens?

Also, have you seen 8 year olds? Why would you ever turn your back on one? How the hell could you not assume the 8 year old with fire powers isn't going to burn things just because "fire is cool" or "I'm upset"

It's basically an extension of a benders body, so of course this angry kid, with no real gage for how she could hurt others is going to burn things, or pinch Zuko with fire when he tells on her

She was 8!

[the-badger-mole]

What is your NUMBER ONE headcannon for each person in the Gaang (Katara, Zuko, Aang, Toph, Sokka, Suki [and Appa and Momo if you feel so inclined])

Katara: After the war, she goes back to the NWT to train with Yugoda and becomes a master healer as well as a master of the NWT fighting style. From there, she goes back to the Foggy Swamp Tribe and masters their bending style, too. With the help of Sokka, Zuko, and (in some headcanons) Hama, she also rediscovers SWT waterbending and not only masters it, but teaches it to the new benders in the SWT. By the time she leaves the SWT, there has been a school established where all bending styles are available for study. She's one of the few who actually has mastered them all, though.

Sokka: He is eager to return home after the war. He throws himself into infrastructure and policy revamps, and he almost singlehandedly staves off the soft colonization attempts of the NWT. Under his efforts, the SWT rebuilds and reestablishes parts of its culture that had been lost during the war. With the discovery of oil on SWT land, he is also instrumental in establishing eco minded extraction techniques, and in trade ties with the rest of the world (although he is very much helped by his sister's deep ties with the Fire Lord). It's a surprise to no one when he's chosen to lead the SWT after Hakoda retires.

Toph: She does not become a cop. Instead, she goes back home and takes over the Earth Rumble, taking it from an underground even to a world wide phenomenon. She eventually allows benders of other elements to join, and the Earth Rumble becomes pro bending. She does also establish a metal bending school. In the end, she is wealthier than her parents, but because she couldn't really care less about money, she keeps enough to live at the standard she wants, and gives the rest away to causes that interest her...like the guy who wanted to set the record for the biggest bao bun ever, and needed funding for an oven big enough to cook it. She also establishes a halfway house for runaway teens.

Zuko: During his tenure as Fire Lord, he establishes a robust social services program that includes subsidized healthcare, education, and housing for the lowest income families. Under his reign, the Fire Nation becomes home to some of the earliest pioneers of mental health. At his wife's advice, he also makes paid maternity leave standard across the nation, and includes several programs to help single parents stay afloat. Taking inspiration from the SWT, Zuko makes some changes to how his advisory staff is selected. Instead of choosing from among the nobility, Zuko has the different provinces elect a representative to speak on their behalf. A lot of the nobles hate this, blaming his wife's influence, but the people adore their monarchs and despite their best efforts, there's little the nobles can do except start campaigning in their home provinces. It's not a perfect system, but it does open the door for the Fire Nation to end the monarchy within a couple of generations.

Suki: She continues to lead the Kyoshi Warriors for a few years after the war. She also helps train troops around the world as they pivot from active war service to more local work. She helps establish something like the coast guards for several different countries. Eventually she retires from that to help her husband run the SWT. She and Sokka make a wonderful team as he handles the domestic policies and she handles foreign affairs. She often jokes with her sister in law, Fire Lady Katara that they ended up with the same job.

Aang: I'll go with my most optimistic headcanon for him. He's an okay Avatar. Not great. Not the worst. After the war, he tries to take part in rebuilding efforts around the world, but he finds his help isn't needed much. He turns his attention back to salvaging what's left of the Air Nomad legacy, and discovers that there are actually airbenders still around. A few of them are even interested in learning to live like the Air Nomads. Many of them aren't, though, and after learning how to actually use their powers, they go off and do their own thing. To Aang's shock and dismay, eating meat has no effect on the strength of their bending, He does learn to deal with it and enjoy his time with the air benders who embrace the Air Nomad culture. He does go on to have kids, and he still favors the benders over the nonbenders. Ultimately, his legacy as Avatar boils down to taking Ozai's bending, and that's it.

[discordiansamba]

something something au in which zuko one of the pirates that katara steals the waterbending scroll from. but it's also an au in which zuko is a waterbender. classic 'sometimes descendants of the avatar are born bending different elements from their parents' type story. or: how to make zuko even more of a failure in ozai's eyes than he already is in canon.

he discovers his waterbending after azula discovers her firebending, so not only does he bend the wrong element, he's also late to it. fire lord azulon makes the decision to spare his grandson's life, as he has heard tales of the avatar's descendants sometimes having wonky bending, but he is forbidden from learning any waterbending.

he learns the dual dao instead, hoping to still find a way to serve his nation and prove himself loyal despite being a waterbender. he's not even a factor in the royal family's line of succession anymore, which takes a little of the pressure of him- but not by much. he still wants to be a good prince, so he still ends up in that war meeting.

...his father still challenges him to an agni kai.

it's absurd. everyone knows it. most assume prince zuko is a nonbender. he can't fight an agni kai- but that doesn't stop ozai from putting on a farce of one anyways.

he's not a firebender. he loses the eye.

ozai still banishes him and sends him on a mission to search for the avatar- but it's all a farce too. he forbids iroh from accompanying his nephew, and pays off the sailors that he hires to sink the ship once it's out of fire nation waters, so he can finish off his failure of a son for good.

except zuko doesn't die.

he wakes up on a pirate ship. they dragged him out of the water- and with nowhere else to go, and sinking realization that his father absolutely wants him dead, zuko joins their crew. he pretends he's lost his memory so he can avoid any uncomfortable questions, and renames himself kou.

he starts to teach himself how to waterbend.

as prince zuko of the fire nation, he'd been forbidden to. but prince zuko is dead- he's just kou now. there's nothing stopping him from learning the element that he was born with- and the captain is more than happy to have a bender on the crew. he keeps up with his dual dao practice as well, and three years on, he's made himself into a formidable member of the crew.

he feels... free.

(he also gets first dibs on any waterbending scrolls they... acquire.)

then one day, a pair of water tribe siblings and an air nomad walk onto his ship- and make off with a waterbending scroll.

[hoseokslefteyebrow]

Imagine your dad being a Miguel O’Hara variant and meeting Miguel

Pairing : Platonic! Miguel O'Hara x Earth Bender Reader x Spiderverse

This is really just a really long rant about your dad meeting your dad from a different universe.

Wordcount: 2.2k (oops)

Miguel O’Hara Masterlist || pt.2

Okay so I'm randomly imagining a variant of Miguel who's also living the spiderman life but hasn't been through nearly as much loss as Miguel. 

Like this Miguel (let's call him Miguel 2) has lost his wife, but not his kid.

For some reason I also imagine this universe to be something like the Avatar universe (the one with the benders) just without the presence of the actual avatar which is why they would also have superheroes. I also imagine Y/N's mum being an earth bender, which was passed down onto Y/N. And they're quite good at it as well.

Miguel 2 was bitten, but still has a few common powers as Miguel. He has no claws, though he does have fangs. He also has natural webbing and can stick to walls.

I imagine Miguel and Miguel 2 meeting because of an anomaly breech in Miguel 2's universe. And Miguel's utter and complete surprise when he meets a spiderman with the same build as him. ( The man lost his wife, of course he goes gym as well.) 

I also imagine the immediate panic Miguel 2 feels when a building collapses on top of you, and a bunch of pedestrians. Like the battle with this misplaced villain would already be raging head on, and suddenly he sees you being buried under a HUGE pile of building and he just sees red. And Miguel isn't sure it's him until Miguel 2 attacks the villain viciously and rips his mask of, using his fangs to knock the villain out with a good amount of venom.

And the surprise Miguel feels in that moment is amazing. Because he never imagined there was another him, never realized in the amount of universes he comes across. His surprise deepens when Miguel 2 runs to the rubble, his movements chaotic and panicky as he pulls rock for rock apart. Miguel 2 is also originally a nonbender, though his parents had been fire benders.

Now imagine Miguel 2's relief when a hole opens up from the ground not too far from him, and you climb out, calling him dad as you help out pedestrians. And now Miguel is surprised, and a little heartbroken. In this universe he doesn't have Gabriella, but he has you.

Miguel 2 helps the pedestrians climb up before pulling you into a hug. You're a little dirty because of the setting, and you've got a few scratches, but otherwise you're unharmed.

Miguel lets the moment happen, only snapping out of it when Lyla reminds him that he should be on his way to HQ.

And he really is about to leave without invading your lives, when Miguel 2 calls out to him and thanks him. Curiously asking who he is and where he's from.

Miguel can't help himself as he explains the entire story. Inviting him on the team. He also glances at you, before inviting you as well.

Now the entire society is surprised when Miguel walks in with not just an anomaly and another spider person, but also you.

And imagine your surprise when he reveals his identity. Only to realize that he's the exact same person as your dad. Your dad is also surprised, but the two are quick to start 'old men talk' as you would dub it. Also, your dad receives a watch, whilst you receive a day pass.

And even though you look physically not anything like your father at all, Miguel still feels that odd connection he felt when he saw Gabriella for the first time. He leads the two of you through the building, paired with an explanation about everything and nothing.

Eventually, he also tells Miguel 2 about Gabriella, and in turn Miguel 2 asks what she'd look like, if she looked at least a little like you, and if he had fallen in love with the same woman. Miguel glances back at you, only to notice you're gone. Miguel 2 simply shakes his hand at your disappearance  adding that you do that often when you're bored. It surprises Miguel how loose Miguel 2 is when it comes to keeping tabs on you, but than again, he did see how you saved yourself and a bunch of people within a matter of time. Miguel eventually answers his earlier question with a shake of his head, telling him Gabriella was more of a physical copy of him, and that he had fallen in love with a different woman all together. Miguel 2 hums, accepting the answer before they start talking more about the multiverse.

Miguel also finds out that Miguel 2 doesn't work for Alcamex, but for a company which specializes in creating medicine. He also finds out a lot about you. You're nearly 16 years old, and have a few close friends. You're horrible at school, unable to sit still in classes. You're also a great bender, and according to Miguel 2, one of the best the world might ever see. Miguel was very confused when he explained that you had fully mastered every subbending technique earth bending offered. From sandbending to metalbending to lava bending, you could do it all.

And Miguel couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Miguel 2 has got to spend more than 15 years with you, while he lost Gabriella at a young age. On top of that you seem to be thriving, and Miguel 2 doesn't need to lie to you. Doesn't have to hide his spiderman identity for you. ( When Miguel asked how Miguel 2 merely smiled and explained that it was a little hard to hide when it was just the two of you, adding on top of that that you share their hard headed trait.)

I can also imagine Y/N managing to find the rest of the teens (Hobie, Miles, Gwen, Margo, Pavitr, really everyone!) in spider HQ, and getting along with them quite easily. They all have a lot of questions about why you're here as a nonspider, and even more when you tell them your dad is coincidentally also Miguel.

I also think Y/N would connect best with Hobie and Ben Reilly (the one from ultimate spiderman- not atsv). Because Hobie does whatever he wants and Ben is continuously grumpy, and distant, a trait that goes well with your laid back extrovert personality. 

I can also imagine Y/N managing to grab a hold of a webshooter somehow, and being taught how to swing through by the rest.

I definitely imagine Y/N casually swinging into the lab and trying to impress her dad and Miguel by trying to swing straight onto the platform. Which you of course would miss, jumping too late and instead plummeting towards the floor. A neon red web shoots out on time to give you a really soft landing though, basically bouncing you on your feet before you're on the ground. 

Miguel had expected Miguel 2 to react as well, but he simply shook his head. When Miguel gives him a judging look, he shrugs, adding a 'trust me, they gotta learn the hard way'. Because Miguel 2 knows how you won't stop unless you fall flat on your face or break something. And so you start swinging again, this time making a funny landing on the platform with an 'oof' as you plop on your butt before getting up and dusting yourself off.

And than Miguel's watching as you and your dad start arguing. " Did you know that most spider people don't have organic webs? They use these things! Hobie let me use his- that reminds me you should meet Hobie!-" You babble on for a bit. Miguel watches as Miguel 2 simply smiles, hanging onto your every word before he replies. " Yeah well, we should be grateful we don't have web shooters in our universe." " Why not? Can't we try to make some? It'd be fun!" " No." " Why not? Give me one good reason-" " You're an earth bender. You're powerless in the sky." " Oh right, forgot about that for a second."

Meanwhile the other teens are all stood below the platform on the ground. Their surprise evident as they see how an exact copy of Miguel is smiling, obviously content with everything around him. It also isn't until you're tugging at your father's arm to meet your new friends that Miguel starts lowering the platform.

Miguel is in turn surprised to see Ben Reilly among the others, considering the male usually prefers to remain by himself. He also can't help but be fond of the way you speak, all enthusiast about introducing your new friends (even introducing Hobie and Ben as your new besties.) 

Eventually the group falls into conversation, and your worlds normalcy about bending the elements is brought up. Which in turn bring up your bending, to which Hobie in turn challenges you, saying you wouldn't be able to win from him. 

Miguel is surprised when you turn to him, asking if there's a space in which you two can spar. Miguel is surprised, having expected that you would ask your dad, but eventually tells you there is. To Miguel's surprise, Miguel 2 puts a hold on it, adding that you're defenseless without wrecking the building. Everyone is confused when you tell him about your wristbands, and showcase your pockets full of rocks in them. Even Miguel himself is skeptical, considering Hobie is definitely has the advantage due to the field. Miguel 2 eventually nods when you showcase your pockets.

And so the group finds themselves downstairs, watching a sparring field from the side. Hobie smirks at you, teasingly adding that you're free to tap out any time and that he'll go easy on you. You in return laugh, before telling him the same, except you won't go easy. Your battle begins and you don't attack straight away. Instead you avoid all Hobie's advances, avoiding kick after punch after elbow. It takes a while before you oppose his attacks. Neither of you have used your powers at this point yet. It isn't until he tries to punch you again that you react, blocking his punch, you throw a punch back yourself, sending him a step back. Hobie's surprised, and eventually takes off. He starts throwing webs at you. Nearly everyone (except for your dad) is excited when your bracelets start deforming with your movements, shaping them and reshaping them from blades to balls, breaking webs or misdirecting them, or sometimes simply jumping out of the way. Eventually, you manage to throw a good hard ball into his stumic, which causes him to let go of his web. Seizing the moment, you take your metal ball again, giving him a final blow to send him to the ground. You're grinning as you stand over him when he's laid on the ground, your body still in a fighting stance whilst your ball has divided into smaller balls, floating around you.

He smiles as he tells you you've admittedly won, and you help him up with a hand. You smile and nod when he tells you that you should come around more often, adding that he wants a rematch. Your dad also gives you that proud smile of his that he rarely gives you.

You and the rest of the teens have started conversation again, and now it's all about your bending. Miguel and Miguel 2 listening instead of participating. Everyone is surprised when you tell them that metal bending isn't your best skill, and the excitement grows as you Tell them about lava bending. Happy to show them your actual skill, you take a few rocks out of your pocket, and let them melt into a ninja star made of lava. Everyone's eyes are big, completely impressed by this skill. Even Miguel is left speechless (which isn't noticeable, but still.) It isn't until Miguel 2 takes a look at his regular watch that he tells you it's time to go.

You pout, and ask if you'll be able to come back sometime. Everyone automatically turns to look at Miguel, and he sighs before telling you you might, adding a lame excuse about how you're good to train with.

And so you'll eventually depart after greeting almost everyone in a hug before you all but jump through.

You might not be a spider person, but spider society is definitely also a place for you.

Bonus:

" Y'know, I would've left you behind if you would have lost that fight with Hober." Your dad teases you over dinner later that day.

The two of you had decided on simple take out.

" His name's Hobie dad." You roll your eyes with a smile, before taking a bite.

" Besides, that's okay. I would have my hands on some web shooters by now. " You grin.

He sighs.

" You're never going to let that go, will you?" 

" No, I still think we should really give it a shot."

" No."

" Did you at least notice my pun? Shot?"

Your dad shakes his head.

" I should've really followed the instructions on those 'how to raise a kid' books."

[zutarasbuff]

12 reasons why do I believe Zutara could have been a rightful canon for the Avatar World!!!

Zutara could have been turned out to be passionate activists on mental health awareness & battling depression with strength based on their individual experiences.

Over the course of the 100 years war, both the water tribes had to lose a lot after the air nomads. This had surely created a rift between them and their colonizers (the fire nation). The Union of the princess of the Southern Water Tribe & the new firelord would have been a historic step to melt the ice.

Katara would have ensured upon the establishment of healing centres and would have revived the healing legacy of their tribe all across the Avatar world as the fire lady.

Both Zuko and Katara had lived among the commoners with a secret side (as the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady). This meant together they would have shared their experiences and had devised policies to eradicate poverty among the less deprived towns and villages.

Katara being the fire lady meant preservation of the Mother Nature. She would have taken steps to eliminate the risk of the construction of fire nation’s military settlements near natural water reservoirs and woods.

They would be the potential trendsetter couple to initiate the custom of giving a betrothal necklace within the fire nation (a trend native to the water tribes).

As Aang’s masters, together they would have trained him better by blending their bending styles and innovating new ones (Just the way Uncle Iroh learned redirection of light from water benders), thus helping him to rise against the future threats.

Katara was always the one with a maternal instinct. This meant that she would have influenced Zuko in a way to start services for those children who had lost their parents in the war. Plus, being an extrovert, she would have been a better companion to Zuko for handling diplomatic affairs as compared to Mai (who was downright an introvert and had no interest in the political affairs).

As we find within the series that fire nation had schools ensuring discipline children and this was something Sokka had actually to struggle with (as we see Water Tribe’s kids are skilled but lacked discipline to be the perfect soldiers). So I personally believe that Katara would have discussed this with Zuko to focus on the creation of schools in the Water tribes and skills would have been exchanged between both.

Zutara would have certainly put some restrictions upon the usage of light bending for the firebenders (as both of them suffered from the havoc of it).

As we find that Zuko remained supportive of Katara’s decisions as he had complete faith in her. It meant Katara would have been that crucial element that could have lessened his anger as well as the cold nature, and he would have been the ultimate “firelord of the people”.

I have this personal belief that empathy was something that was inherent to both. The only difference was Katara expresses her empathic sides clearly, but Zuko’s the one who feels bad in heart. However, if you have been an avid fan of the series, you should know that their secret selves operated in dark and fought to make things better (as Zuko turned into the blue spirit to correct the flaws of the society; he steals in a Robinhood pattern for Uncle Iroh and fights Gow and his comrades for Lee [ref: Zuko Alone]. Similarly Katara also did the same for the town’s people by feeding momo berries [ref: The Painted Lady]). Their being one meant frequent secret stroll together with the same identities in varying lands of the avatar world just to have the certainty of development and peace in the Avatar world.

[redrobin-detective]

I have been awake all night and I think, since we got to follow Zuko from S1 even though he didn’t join the Gaang until the bitter end, we should’ve gotten the same for Toph. In between season 1 and early season 2 plots, we’d occasionally cut to this earth kingdom noble family for seemingly no reason.

Ok they are rich and they have the daughter. Alright she’s blind that’s interesting. The Beifongs will comment about canon events and their daughter is quiet and perfect in the background. Then one episode we see her earthbend something small, intriguing. Also intriguing she only looks helpless and lost when other people are around. We get more solo perspectives of her, she’s a bit more coarse away from her parents. Her earthbending continues to be used secretly, impressive but not monumental. We suspect she’ll be similar to Katara, an eager, untrained bender who learns as she teaches Aang. We wait with anticipation for this vulnerable girl to see the world and own her power.

And then they drop The Blind Bandit episode and every episode that follows are unchanged and oh. Oh. Now we are really meeting Toph.

[cardentist]

forget shipping, nothing's weirder to me than people in the gorillaz fandom trying to argue that murdoc, russel, and 2d aren't noodle's dads

they legally adopted her at 8 years old, and when you look at the early interviews they All treat her like the child she was (talking about her bedtime, trying not to swear in front of her, taking care of her, yes even murdoc).

and when they thought they lost her the band literally imploded. 2d moved to an entirely different country to try to find himself, murdoc went on a self destructive bender that ended with him secluding himself in the literal middle of the ocean (as far away from civilization as possible) and creating a cyborg replica of her, and russel threw himself off a dock (only surviving because he's a cartoon character) and literally carrying her on his back across the ocean after he found her alive.

yes The Characters don't tend to label their relationships traditionally, but they Are her parents Objectively, and it's weird to try to pretend otherwise.

[bullet-prooflove]

Five Years Gone: Neron 'Creeper' Vargas x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @est1887 @anime-weeb-4-life @creativitybeware @mortal--soul @spaghettificationandpretzels @redpoodlern @lexondeck @librarian1002 @thanossexual @justreblogginfics @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @adaydreamaway08 @wnbweasley @skyesthebomb

Brothers!Series:

Brothers - Neron's brother threatens his sobriety.

Wide Awake - Neron regrets his decision.

Out of Sight - Neron asks you a favour.

Slow Burn - Neron and you watch it burn.

Neron lets you sleep in; you usually need the rest after you’ve worked the convention circuit. It’s been three days of solid tattooing, of late nights and early mornings and that’s not including the travel to and from San Diego, the packing and unpacking of your equipment.

Currently you’re splayed out across the bed, tangled up in his sheets. You’re wearing his black wifebeater from last night and boy boxers that hug your ass just right. Your tattoos are on display, that beautiful artwork etched into your skin.

As he leans in the bedroom doorway, his coffee mug in his hand he can’t help but think how lucky he is. His world was dark, barren before he met you and now it’s a sea of colour.

There’s a rap on his front door and he frowns because it’s six in the morning and everyone else he knows it getting ready for work or sleeping. The last person he expects to see is his brother Mateo. He hasn’t spoken to the other man since he’d kicked him out for bringing coke into his home. Something he had vehemently denied until Neron had held up the vial.

His face is a bloody mask, he clutches his ribs as he practically falls through Neron’s door, spilling into the hallway. His palm comes to rest on the cream wall leaving a crimson handprint in its wake.

It’s as Neron cleans up Mateo in the kitchen that the story begins to unfold. Mateo’s in deep with his dealer, he owes 10k after his product got jacked last week and Salvadore Ortiz isn’t feeling forgiving. Neron gets the impression that this isn’t the first time that Mateo’s disappointed the drug lord. If he doesn’t pay up though it’ll be his last.

“I can’t help you.” He tells his brother as he applies the butterfly stitches to the cuts above his brow.

He isn’t lying, the last time he’d fallen off the wagon he’d blew through every single dollar of his savings. He’s just finished paying off Taza and Riz for his last two stints in rehab.

“I can.”

His heart fucking sinks when he lifts his head and sees you standing in the doorway. He doesn’t want you involved in this side of his life, cleaning up Mateo’s messes, having your sobriety challenged.

It comes with conditions; you tell Mateo as you pull on one of Neron’s hoodies and tie your hair back so you can retrieve the money from the safe at the tattoo shop. As soon as he’s paid his dealer, he checks himself into rehab. You’ll set it up but he has to meet you back here later in the day, you’ll walk him in yourself.

In that moment Neron doesn’t think he could love you more, because your compassion, it isn’t just reserved for him, it extends to his fucked-up family as well. As he watches his brother depart with the money, Neron thinks he might just do it this time. That Mateo will finally get himself clear of all the shit he’s involved in, and they can be brothers again.

He hopes for it as the two of you sit in his living room that night, watching the clock and waiting for Mateo to show. By the time midnight comes around Neron knows it’s over, that his brother has taken your money and used it to go on a bender.

“I’m sorry.” He tells you, rubbing his hands over his exhausted features. “He took you money, your trust…”

“We both know how hard it is,” You remind him as you sit down alongside of him. “You have to want to get clean and Mateo, he just doesn’t.”

The worst part is he knows that you did this for him, to give him back some connection to the family that he’s lost through addiction. His parents, his brother, himself, every single one of them has been tainted with it. The guilt cripples him. It eats away at his soul as he lies beside you that night, because you’re so wonderful and pure and he’s poison. He’s the toxin that’s bleeding into your life and you don’t even realise it.

It's the next day that he gets a visit from the police and the news, it devastates him. They found Mateo’s body in a motel outside of Santo Padre, a needle still in his arm. An O.D they tell him.

When he identifies his brother, he feels that numbness creeping in because Neron realises for the first time in his life he’s completely alone. His family is gone, eradicated by the illness that’s plagued them for generations.

The next night he finds himself sitting in a bar near the motel where Mateo died. He orders a vodka, watching as the clear liquid swirls around the glass before he throws his head back and drains it completely.

Five years of sobriety…

Gone, just like that.

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[xkaidaxxxx]

Pt2 for Zuko x Chubby reader?

Zuko x chubby reader pt.2

Mentions: body shaming, foul language, angst, aggression, lying, fluff

Simple! :) sorry for the errors.

"One day there will be an amazing man who will fall in love with you. He'll love everything about you." Katara said. You smiled and hugged her. "Awe" Aang and Sokka said in unison. You are very fortunate to have wonderful supportive friends. Katara's words came true. Years later. When you dumped Zuko that was the day Zuko and Mai decided to leave. You missed him more than anything. Once the war was over you went back to your parents. People still judged them for taking a water bender into their family.

"Well I'm off mama," you said. You turned to the door and your father was blocking it. "Dad please don't start." he smiled rolling his eyes as he added a blade into your bag. "Just in case y/n. Now run along," he said moving away. Your dad is very protective.

You didn't want to be late for your business. Since you learned how to heal with water bending back in the war you finally found it useful in the fire nation. You saw soldiers at your place. "Excuse me soldiers...is there a problem?" you asked and crossed your arms. They turned to face you. Zuko was right at your door waiting. He thinks he can show up because he's the Fire Lord. You gladly ignored him. Opening up and walking inside. His eyes widened as the door slammed in his face. A little boy giggled. "Your girlfriend is mad at you?" he then gasped realizing Zuko was the fire lord, bowed, and ran off. He walked inside waving off the soldiers. "I'm here to see Y/n." He spoke looking around. You're a doctor. "Zuko get the hell out of here. You can seek help elsewhere." he frowned. After you went separate ways he never forgot about what you did for him. How many sacrifices have you committed? You left your family..your home...You always put him first. " My heart is aching Y/n...ever since the day we went our separate ways. I never lost thought of you. My mind kept replaying how many times you showed me all your love and support. You're the one. It took me a while to know that." he confessed. "Zuko...you're losing your mind. You obviously need to see a therapist." you continued looking at your list of incoming patients. He held your hand, gripping it lightly. He now has your undivided attention. " Y/n I'm in love with you. I need you in my life. I know you still have feelings for me." he said hoping you'd kiss him or hug him. "I don't have feelings for you Zuko. I'm flattered by your confession." you pulled away and started organizing your files. " Then why do you still have the ring I gave you on our 2nd date..and the necklace too." he called you out on it. He's willing to make it up to you even if it takes long. He frowned as you placed the necklace and ring in his hand. "Here I should've given them to you that day," you said with a shakey voice. You did still love him. More than anything. "I love you y/n. why...why did I have to break something I love too much?" those words made you cry. "you..love me Zuko?" he looked up in hope you'd let him back into your life. He nodded. "I..I love you too. Always had. Now give me those back!" you yelled snatching the ring and necklace. He blushed as you put them back on. " I want to meet your parents." you smacked his arm. "way too soon. We need to take things slowly ya know.." your first patient walked in with her lovely daughter. "Hi little one are you ready for your treatment today," you asked as you carried her. Zuko was already thinking about how many kids you'd be willing to have.

Taking things slowly was revoked. Within a month he met your parents and 5 months later you're married and living in the palace. "so..how many kids are you willing to have with me?" he asked as he undressed you for a bath. " When the time is right I'll know," you replied. You already knew the answer to that. 4.Eventually, you had a little boy. He has his Daddy's black hair and his Mommy's pretty dark brown eyes. "Daddy this hard," Akio complained and started crying. "Akio momma said no fire bending yet. wait...where did you get this scroll?" Akio pointed a the wall. Where a portrait of Iroh was placed. "Uncle is yours," Akio said. Zuko carried Akio and sighed. " yes now let us go to momma. She's waiting for us to head into town." Akio giggled excited to attend the festival. Before leaving Zuko looked at the portrait and smiled.

Once you all got to the festival you met up with your friends. " Oh, he's so adorable." Katara said holding out her arms to carry him."Akio this is my best friend Katara." you said. He hid his face in your neck. Sokka chuckled. "Ha, he doesn't like you." Katara smacked him. "Shut up." "Not in front of my son." Zuko scolded her. Katara dedicated herself to getting Akio to call her auntie. Sokka bought a small teddy bear just the right size for Akio. He was too shy to grab it at first from Sokka. "It's yours bud," you said and he grabbed it. "What do we say?" Zuko spoke to him. "Thank yous." Akio said. "Hey, kid. You look a lot like your dad. I'm Aang." "This kid is my son Akio,"Zuko said. He's grateful to Aang but boy can he be so annoying. "Right Akio. Hey!" that sudden loudness made Akio cry. "Dada" "Sshh shh it's okay come here." Zuko took him from you. He's such a daddy boy. All your friends were shocked. A kid does change people. Zuko was more open-minded and a little carefree. He's a good dad and husband. "let's go get sweets not tell momma okay." he whispered to Akio. You knew what he told him because he quickly stopped crying. Sweets. It's Akio's weakness. " we'll be back baby love you." They left. "He looks like such a good dad," Aang commented. Sokka and Katara agreed. "Yes, he is and will be again. I plan on telling him tonight. Although I think he already knows.," you replied.

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

Trophy case

Stick me in a trophy case. Bind my arms and tape my mouth. Dip me in fake gold and tie me to the stake. I yearn to be plastic, an award given half-heartedly to a child who thought themself a hero for a day.

Pass me over the clicking of cameras and the fake smile of a minor politician. Shake the kid's hand with a firmness they have yet to learn the reciprocate. Make me face the dull, uninterested frowns of a crowd who never truly cared. 

When I stand in that little bubble, gathering dust, I will be happy. I will smile the smile of the forgotten, in the knowledge that when that little one grows up, burdened by the weight of the world, they might look up and remember the day they meant something, the day people stood up and clapped for them. They will remember being doe-eyed in the face of flashing lights that blinded them to the apathy that lay beyond. 

I yearn to mean something. To be truly made of gold to someone. That child will be hollow with meaningless victories, but I will brim with pride. I will be the epitome of a single success, a success that will never tarnish with age. I will always glimmer with the memory of that day, in my timeless bubble called a trophy case.

That little child would go off to college. Their parent would throw me in a cardboard box and dump it in a corner. Still I would shine, in the absence of life, while they floundered. One day, they would open that box, look me in the eye, and wonder how far they fell. 

And I will whisper the truth in their ear: you never fell. You simply lost your vision. You chase after glory. You think a promotion is your new plastic award? You think that scholarship is worthy to sit beside me? You think I am akin to a brand new sports car? Fool. I am the pride in your heart, the joy of doing what you loved best and being rewarded for it, the love of the competition itself. 

Look me in the eye, child. I am greater than the richest of CEOs. I am greater than any piece of paper from the Queen herself. I am greater than the most prestigious honors. I am the meaning you gave me, a meaning greater than anything the world could ever dream up. Nobody could steal me away from you and give me to the boss's kid. Nobody could revoke me for not getting a perfect grade. Nobody could scratch me in a fender bender.

I would sit there and look that grown up child in the eye, and watch them wither. Watch them wither and weep at the way they've fallen prey to faith in society's approval. Watch them realise that fake, cheap little me brought them more pride, more lasting strength in their soul, than any precarious winnings.

And they would put me up on that shelf, settle the case around me, and return me to my rightful place of honour.

Taglist: @coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch

@tragedycoded, @finickyfelix, @urnumber1star, @ratedn, @ramwritblr

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west, @differentnighttale

@evilgabe29, @glitched-dawn, @rivenantiqnerd, @dragonhoardesfandoms, @abiteofhoney

@drchenquill, @everythingismadeofchaos, @dimitrakies, @beloveddawn-blog

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@seastarblue, @wyked-ao3, @bookwormclover

(Anyone else who wants to get added can tell me in the comments, pm me, or send me an ask about it!)

[ladybender]

Jesus oh my god...

Futurama's second episode of this season "Quids Game" was a punch in the guts. In a good way! It goes right on par with episodes like "Cold Warriors" and "Game of Tones": an exploration of Fry's childhood, this time through the lens of mean aliens making him relieve his 8th birthday party games - this time to the death!

I have a lot to say about this episode so buckle up!

Let's start off with some minor complains I have for this one, which are pacing, stakes, and Leela's characterization (in a particular scene).

The episode really flew by so fast, almost at a break-necking pace, and the games felt too short and jam-packed because of that. The emotional weight of the end of each game hits hard because with every one a beloved character dies. There managed to find the time to get the reaction for the major ones (Kif, Leela's parents and grandmother), which is great, but the episode moves so quickly and there is little more time to absorbed it all.

Though, about this issue, I wanna say that I often feel like episodes are either going by too fast or too slow the first time I watch them and it usually doesn't feel the same from a second watch onward. so this is really a minor one that might not even be an problem for me later on, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

moving on to stakes, with this I mean that I originally thought, before the episode aired, that the end goal of the death dame was that the winner would get a prize. A birthday gift for example, and it would have incentivized everyone to go on and even play dirty (which, in retrospect, seems like a really smart thing to put in! compare everyone trying to get an advantage to Fry absolutely refusing to cheat, and pack an even bigger punch with that ending). I suppose playing to survive is motivation enough, but I think it undermines the "wants" of most other characters, and since this was a big coral episode (which is absolutely a strength! I can only imagine how hard it must have been to put together, wow!) I would have loved to see them striving to win, guess what their “birthday wish” would have been, maybe even learn a few of them along the way.

The third iffy thing I want to mention is Leela in the scene in the kitchen. There are seven characters left in the competition and only four baseballs to find to win the round. Leela is panicking trying to find one and she begs fry to cheat and find it for her since he already played when he was a kid and knows the house. Now this conflict was SO good and ALMOST perfect, but whyyyy oh why was Leela so ready to leave Fry behind??? doesn't make sense to me??? I know she was scared and upset bc she had just lost her family and that probably pushed her to act irrationally, but I just can't see her only wanting to keep herself alive and not Fry, especially when an easier and stronger solution is RIGHT THERE.

Have Leela go to Fry already with one of the baseball (that she might have found in some crawled and ridiculous place, to show how desperate she is to win and survive. if you have the wish giving stakes it's even better because you can imagine she'd use her gift to bring her parents back). in the meantime, the other characters find two other balls so there is only one left, and NOW Leela begs Fry to cheat to find the last one and win with her. It's even more emotional, Leela tells him she doesn't want to lose him too but Fry categorically doesn't want to cheat, and in the end tells Leela to win without him, sacrificing himself for her. Bender finds the last ball in the fridge and the episode continues just like we saw (with Bender tossing the ball to someone else right before being pulverized lol. like I said, Bender should be cheating like MAD in these games, really drive home the concept).

I wanna make it clear that these complains don't really turn me off from the whole episode, they are just my free flow of thoughts on stuff that i thought could have been stronger.

But now for the meat. This episode was phenomenal!!! so much good Fry's family characterization and SO much to unpack for Fry as a character. Cody Ziglar has such a spot on take on Fry, it was so validating seeing this episode and putting together all the little pieces of Fry's psyche I’ve picking out for years now, converging into one.

It seems superficial at first glance, but this really runs deeper than it looks. Fry has always been earnest but insecure, proven and proven again in countless episodes. You expect a person goofy and easygoing like Fry to go ham at his birthday and celebrate with all the people he loves, but we find out Fry doesn't like his birthday and feels bad about being put at the center of attention, and it all goes deeper and more upsetting from there.

Adding to all of this and speaking about Fry’s parents, especially his mom, I wanna add that it’s such a realistic conflict it was painful to watch – she wanted to give her son the chance to be a winner, she had no idea how the situation would turn against him. Sometimes a good day of parenting could be the kid’s most terrible experience of his life, and that’s brutal but the parent meant well even if they ruined things for their kid. It’s so sad Fry never got to see how much his mom and dad did for him, and she wanted him to feel like a winner, but this isn’t a story with an easy resolution. It’s bittersweet and it's insane and this last scene ruined me fr, like just look at this what the hell

This exploration of Fry goes hand in hand with everything we know of him. it seamlessly adds another layer of understanding that I’m honestly not even sure I can unpack in a single post, because there is so much to say and draw conclusions from, starting from the very first episode and ending with Meanwhile. From his relationship with his parents and his brother, to his love life and friendships, from his view of himself as a loser to the way he's always striving to better himself while always staying true to himself, trying to achieve his goals the hard way instead of finding an easy way out. Think the why of Fry, Parasite Lost, TKOS, the sting, godfella, my three suns, BBS, cold warriors, and on and on and on. It’s building together a picture of Fry’s character that’s so complex and worth exploring.

With this episode we have a new fundamental facet of him, and for this alone it’s an amazing episode.

I’ll mail my therapy bill to the writers, thank you

And thank you for reading, let me know your thoughts and opinion, I wanna know what y’all thought about this episode

[actuallysaiyan]

|Come Down And Waste Away With Me| Chapter One: I Am Here.

warnings: angst, mentions of death, set during the final war arc, mentions of alcohol, very heavy and dark themes, mentions of wounds, driving under the influence, self-deprecation, hospital stay, Reader has a quirk and a hero name pairings: All Might/Toshinori Yagi x Fem!Disgraced Hero!Reader summary: the last time you saw Valorie was when the car had flipped and you were seeing her lose her life. while in the hospital during the end of the final war, you begin to lose hope that you're even cut out to be a good person. someone hears your cries for help, and he shows you a light.

dividers: @adornedwithlight

taglist: @cherryblossombankai

masterlist

In the year 20xx…

Here we are at the scene of the crime. Last night was the tragic car accident that took the life of Spectral Valor, also known as Valorie Teagan, and left about half a dozen others injured. What was speculated as foul play at first ended up being corrected as driving under the influence. Also in the vehicle with Spectral Valor was the electrokinetic hero known as Haywire. More details at six…

“You could have died!” A voice yells at you through your drunken stupor.

Here you rest in your hospital bed. Wires and tubes poking and prodding and coming from your mangled body. You fractured your tibia causing you the most pain, followed by the few cracked ribs. A concussion, a few chipped teeth, a fractured tibia, three cracked ribs…

But really none of them hurt more than losing your best friend. Valorie was your glue. She was the angel that helped you shine. Even while you were becoming a hero, she was always right there with you. It hurt you to think you’d never get to see that smile again. You’d never hear her laughter again. You tried to not cry, but it was so fucking hard.

“Did you hear me, Haywire?! You could have died! I can’t deal with this shit anymore.”

It’s the voice of your manager. Why would a hero need a manager? You don’t know, but you had a feeling it had to do with all the club life you were leading. The drinking, the drugs, the week long benders you’d go on…it’s not good for a hero of your stature. Yet you were so good at hiding it. 

“Ken,” you try to say despite your throat having a lump in it. “Ken, I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head. “No, I’m sorry, kid. I promised your parents I’d take care of you, but I can’t.”

Oh yeah…Kento had been a family friend. When you lost your parents, he promised to take good care of you. You lost your parents at a young age. They had died doing what they love, saving the world.

“I promise,” you swallow hard. “I promise, I’ll do better.”

Kento sits on the edge of the bed. He runs his fingers through his sandy blond hair. He then sheds a few of his own tears, wiping them away and facing you. He presses his hand carefully on the cast that is on your left leg.

“The agency is dropping you. Or at least, that’s the gist of what I understood.”

You looked away ashamed. “Is anyone still in that building? Isn’t there a war going on?”

Kento laughs sarcastically. He explains to you that even with the war happening, and with the crumbling of society, the agency you still worked for had decided to shut its doors for the time being. Instead of healing and getting to go back to it after, you were being pushed out.

“Sorry kid, but I can’t fix this one.”

That had been three weeks ago. You got your official letter about two days after that conversation. You didn’t get many visitors in the hospital. Especially not with all the heroes coming back from the war. All For One had been defeated. Even that young kid, Shigaraki, had been defeated. Somehow you were clinging to those details as a means to cope with Valorie’s death.

Then you got your hands on a smartphone. You were able to keep up with the battle a lot better this way. Things had seemed so dire for so long. The way things could have ended made you nervous. It wracked you with guilt. You weren’t out there helping. You were just a waste of space. All you were was good for nothing. You couldn’t even contribute to the fight to save humanity and heroes alike.

Rotting in a hospital room after everything that was going on, you begin to wonder if maybe you should have died in that stupid car crash as well. You had been the one to procure the alcohol that night. You were the one who stupidly coaxed Valorie into driving back home. Things had been so bleak for heroes. Nobody trusted you. This only made you feel worse, turning to drugs and alcohol even harder to cope with this shit.

You remember the way you felt when you finally opened your eyes. Just once…just once before passing out again. Seeing her lifeless body next to you. The car had flipped multiple times. Nothing hurt at the time because of the shock, but seeing her…oh Valorie had been so beautiful.

Her life was snuffed out before it even truly began. You had wanted so desperately to start your own agency with her. That had been the plan. You two would have gone on to do such amazing things. And here you had been, looking at the lifeless body of your truest friend.

In the history of assholes, you wondered if maybe you were going to take the top spot. Nothing could make you feel any better. You hated yourself for being so weak to addiction. So weak to addiction that you couldn’t even properly contribute to the world. People were out there risking their lives to keep everyone safe, and you were partying.

And now, you were in the hospital, taking up space.

And even worse, was that you were in the same hospital as Him.

All Might.

The man, the legend, the strongest…

Call him whatever you want, but he also ended up in the same hospital as you. While you were out partying in the wreckage of Japan and getting in the fatal car accident that killed your friend, he and all the other pro heroes had been fighting the good fight. The dread and the pain you felt deep inside of you kept you from wanting anyone but your manager, Kento, to come visit.

Still, you had been curious about the extent of All Might’s injuries. After the battle in Kamino Ward, you had found out about his secret along with everyone else in the world. You still tried to cling to having him as your idol.  You tried your best to see the good in him, just like everyone else had accepted. But soon when people stopped seeing the heroes as the good guys, they started to see that their Symbol Of Peace wasn’t going to be the one to save them. Everyone else basically dropped him like yesterday’s news, but you always looked up to the man.

That’s what kept you and Valorie close. A transfer student from America, Valorie had been very interested in meeting All Might. She was a big fan of his, memorizing all the battles he had in America. The shine in her eyes is what made you become even more fanatical of the man.

She was a shining force and you lost her. You lost the one person in this world that knew you more than anyone else. She was always the one to lift you up when you truly needed it. She was the one to show you the logical way of things.

But times were tough. People started to distrust the heroes. They didn’t want heroes to come help. Even prior to that, you and Valorie had enjoyed the fame and fortune that came with being pro heroes. You had indulged in all sorts of things from time to time, but you never thought you’d get to the point you were now.

You were clinging to anything in a way of coping with this. With the fighting going on outside, you hadn’t been sure if Valorie even got a proper funeral. It didn’t matter, you thought to yourself, because you weren’t going to be able to go. You were confined to this hospital bed for some time.

And with that came the change of rooms…

It all happened so fast. One day you were in a room by yourself, the next day you were being wheeled into another room. The curtains had been drawn around the other occupant in this room. As nosy as you were, you couldn’t quite just get out of bed and find out who it was. Still, you could tell that whoever it was, they were in worse shape than you were.

Lots of rooms were going to be pretty full now. The beds would be needed for those who actually put their lives on the line. Unlike you, the waste of space. You cried often, trying to hide it from your roommate. You tried to desperately keep your sobs low. Thankfully, whoever was in this room with you was often sleeping.

You longed to be able to walk again. The doctors said it would be a while before you were up and doing that. But you hadn’t lost the use of your leg. You’d be going through lots of extended physical therapy to go along with the rehabilitation and emotional therapy you’d be going through as well.

Crying had been the soothing balm at first, but the less Kento came to visit you, the lonelier you got. You heard all kinds of things from the hallways. The news that the doctors would give you had just made you feel even worse. And the one person who came to visit you that wasn’t your manager had been Valorie’s mother. She was very sympathetic with you, which truly surprised you.

Your heart felt so heavy with so much. You felt like you could burst from the amount of emotions that run through you every second. You were clinging to the sweater her mom brought you and you sniffed her scent every chance you could.

Nothing could bring her back and you knew this.

Nothing could bring back the dead.

The world could be at peace, and there was still so much hurt. So much pain would linger. The world could be rebuilt, but the pain would remain like a stain on everyone’s heart. You wondered how you and everyone else would get through this.

You wished you could take it all back…

The last moments with her keep replaying in your mind and you know you’ll never get to see that beautiful smile again. No, she won’t be there to comfort you ever again when you need her.

One night, things seemed very quiet. You were just trying to get some rest despite the fact that your body was aching. You had spent the good part of an hour just scrolling through your phone that somehow hadn’t been damaged in the car crash. The way things were going, it seemed like the world and Japan was trying to band together to get over this.

Still, you couldn’t help but go look at pictures of her. It was breaking your heart, but you needed to see her smile. The same smile that always pushed you to do your best. Even when you felt scared as a new and upcoming hero, she was there to guide you through it all even though she was just as scared as you.

Tears slid down your cheeks as you tried so hard to quiet your sobs. It had been a few days now that you were in the new room and you were sure that whoever your new roommate was would probably grow tired of your constant crying. Doesn’t matter what’s going on in the world, whoever was trying to heal next to your bed would find you annoying.

In reality, the person in the bed next to yours was sleeping most of the time. Tonight was the first time he heard your cries. It pained his heart more than he’d like to admit. He had been in so much pain, but so happy to know the outcome of the battle. He had worked so hard to make sure things would go the way he desperately hoped for.

And now with hearing you cry, his heart clenched in his chest. These were the tears of a lost someone. When he had been first admitted to the hospital, they had told him that he’d be in the same room as you. He barely knew you, but he had heard of the electrokinetic hero Haywire. He knew what had happened, and he did not think any less of you.

Finally, the curtain is pulled back from the bed and you gasp when you see the older man in his bed. You try to wipe away your tears, but it’s obvious you’ve been crying. He looks at you and gives you his best smile, even while in a sorry state himself.

“Don’t cry,” he says. “I am here.”

reblogs and comments always appreciated!

©actuallysaiyan 2024– do not repost on other platforms, copy, translate or edit my works!

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[sokkie]

Zuko who knows his soulmate is from the Water Tribe. They have to be, the twisting blue saluting over his left bicep can’t belong to anyone else. His father forced him to keep it covered, though he did try to hav rot burnt off despite knowing that soul marks couldn’t be removed. The burn stayed, but the twisting cold blue only became brighter and twisted further up and down his arm. Zuko learn to hate it, it was what he was told, but he hated a lot of things. He hated the Avatar, he hated his father, his masters, commander Zhoa, and his even the gruelling training he forced himself to do every day. Even though he tried, he couldn’t hate the mark on his skin even though he didn’t know them, it made him feel sick. Especially when he remembered his mother telling him stories of how beautiful the love of soulmates were despite never having one.

Sokka has cut, burned and punched the mark of a resting dragon curled around his thigh more times than he can count. Every time it comes back, face soft and content despite its torment. Only his sister knows of it, their parents choosing to keep it secret for his safety. It’s a burden and a shame on his family, he doesn’t care how beautiful or kind she is, she is his enemy. The flame the dragon has blowing from its mouth as softy as wind raged in his dreams and more than anything Sokka hated how safe it feels. It’s evil and dangerous but it’s also warm in a way Sokka hasn’t known since his father left, since before Katara was known as a bender and preferred by all over him. He hates the mark and the soulmate who may be sit, even if he wants nothing more than burn in the embrace of their flame.

CW: mentions of abuse

It’s only because of Iroh that Zuko isn’t killed. He’s beaten and tortured by his own mean, but before the ship even gets close to land, Iroh has grunted them all to ash and is taking his nephew and running. He knows that the man who calls himself a father will do, knows what will happen should anyone know of how Zuko’s mark has moved over his entire chest as it flowed like an aurora. He will not loose his nephew, even if the boy himself has never been more lost in his life.

[catholic-character-tournament]

Round 5 - Catholic Character Tournament

Propaganda below ⬇️

Pope Pinion IV (Cars)

HELLO. IT IS I. THE GREAT AND ALMIGHTY ITALIAN TOURNEY. PLEASEPLEASE PUT HIM IN THERE WAS SO MUCH POPE DISCOURSE ON MY ACC AND HE WAS SOLOED IN THE FIRST ROUND BY LUIGI😭😭😭💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 PLEASE AVENGE HIMMMM

The existence of Catholicism in the Cars universe implies that there was (or at least there was believed to be) a car Jesus who died for the cars’ sins, and I for one would like to see how a car gets crucified or sins. I guess the blood/wine here would be gasoline, but what would the body/bread be? How did they sit at the last supper? What is the layout of car church? How does a car build a church? Do other human religions exist in the cars universe? How does a goddess with the body of a human and the head of a cat translate to a car? Do Buddhist cars rein-car-nate? Do cars have souls?

he lost the italian character tournament, he will win here

Harrowhark

I'm pretty sure you've already got plenty of submissions for her so I'll just say she was raised in what is basically a cult (technically a nunnery but let's be real) dedicated to keeping the body of the thing that will kill God behind the rock. One of their prayers is actually "I pray the rock is never rolled away". Harrow is extremely devout as penance for her earlier heretical actions in the tomb as a child (spoiler!) so the Catholic guilt really comes through

imagine being a catholic nun and you meet god, but it turns out he’s a twitch streamer from new zealand who became god because everything got a little bit out of hand. and just before you met him you gave yourself a diy grief-fuelled lobotomy with the help of your best frenemy. imagine how insane you’d be. now multiply that insanity by nine. that’s the fictional love of my life right there.

she meets god. she’s not inspired

she’s number one practitioner of space Catholicism. The locked tomb is chock full of Christian (catholic) imagery themes metaphors etc. just look at her she’s got a bone rosary

They're Catholicism with extra bones. Everyone is a nun. They have what is basically a rosary made from knuckle bones. They technically worship the same God as everyone else, but they're waaaay more focused on The Body in the Tomb (Mary) and we get a moment where we find out that while everyone else prays the equivilent of The Lords Prayer, they're doing the equivilent of Hail Mary. And they paint their faces with skulls.

She thinks leaving dry bread in a drawer is taking care of someone. She's in love with a 10,000 year old corpse (the same one they worship). She spent ALL NIGHT digging with her bare hands to make sure a field had bones every 5 feet so she could fight her girlfriend - I mean, greatest enemy. Spoiler territory: She's been puppeting her parents corpses since she was 8 years old. Instead of grieving her dead girlfriend, she gives herself a lobotomy. She makes soup with bone in it so she can use the bone IN THEIR STOMACH to try and kill them.

The author is/was Catholic and the entire series had heavy Catholic overtones. https://www.tor.com/2020/08/19/gideon-the-ninth-young-pope-and-the-new-pope-are-building-a-queer-catholic-speculative-fiction-canon/ A good breakdown of how it's Catholic

Anti-propaganda (spoilers)

I love the Locked Tomb series but Harrowhark has daddy issues with God, had a childhood crush on God's cryogenic partner, and is in love with God's daughter, not to mention that she's essentially a bone-bender. The religion on her home planet exists in a way that is technically against the will of the canon in-universe God, even. All of this to say, Harrowhark is heretical at minimum if not an outright witch. Terrible Catholic. Burn her.