#'i will never forgive him. but i am ready to forgive you' from that southern raiders episode | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

corrodedcoughin · 2 years

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something something southern boy eddie being jealous of nancy and steve growing closer (even though there's nothing going on between them and it's all in eddie's head) and going to an open-mic night in country bar a couple of towns over to sing jolene.

that's it. that's all i got. i just want more eddie singing dolly parton songs and he'll be such a petty lil jealous bitch that jolene fits him perfectly. okay, hope you're having a lovely day friend!

oh my lord do NOT get me started on Dolly Parton loving steddie. I believe and will promote it!! Southern boy Eddie just feels right somehow, I love everything you said.

Now you are going to have to forgive me for all inaccuracies because I am not American but here's some thoughts.

Eddie thinking Steve and Nancy are getting closer, they've been spending more and more time together, heads bent close and talking in whispers. Every time he sees them it feels like a fist around his heart and windpipe a hot, uncomfortable thing that makes him want to turn on his heel but finds himself staring and hurting instead.

He deals with it the only way he knows how, through music and who better than miss Dolly? He spends nights in his room blaring out Jolene, and I will always love you. Sometimes he mixes it up, adds new artists in Willie Nelson with 'Always on my mind', patsy cline 'crazy' and whatever else he can torture himself with.

Wayne handles it as best he can before he's knocking on Eddie's door shouting to turn it down when the soundsytem starts to rattle the mugs on the shelf. He loves Eddie like a son but if he loses another mug to Tammy Wynette's laments he's going to start hiding his record collection from that boy.

Without an outlet for his heartbreak Eddie gets restless so one day after he sees Steve and Nancy whispering and smiling again he jumps in his van and drives, speakers turned up and when he stops he finds himself a couple of towns away outside a bar with some pretty interesting clientele that, while keeping a low profile, are clearly having a good time. He gets curious and Eddie has never been somebody to shy away from his own curiosity so he goes in and what he finds changes his life.

There is such an amazing mix of people, couples and non-couples and most of all, a complete lack of stares or judgement. He keeps looking around, a smile on his face grows when he sees the stage when the barman is at his elbow

'You here for the open mic night? You look the type anyway'

Eddie turns to face the man, certain that this is a place he is coming back to

'Not this time, but sign me up for the next one'

-------

It’s a few months down the line and Eddie is a regular, carved himself a spot on the stage in this evidently accepting and thriving gay bar.

He is gearing up to go out, ready to pour his heart out after seeing Steve pick Nancy up and spin her around, his whole mood souring and the overwhelming pain and sadness sitting low in his stomach. It had been manageable up until then, difficult sure, but manageable. So tonight is the night.

He walks up to the mic to familiar cheers and heckles; he always has such a varied set but never a bad word said about him. Eddie gets himself settled on the stool, acoustic guitar in hand and without giving himself a chance to look at the crowd he starts with the opening notes to Jolene and silence spreads across the audience. Eddie gives it everything, holding nothing back and the bar patrons join him in the chorus. He puts all his sadness into his performance, catharsis in its purest form. He aches and the audience aches with him, it finally feels good.

He looks up then and makes eye contact with the girl that has broken him. Nancy Wheeler stares at him across the bar, she stands in a gap in Eddie's eye line, somehow with nobody in front of her. Sad eyes seeing something in Eddie he never planned on sharing with her. He looks down immediately, not wanting to completely self-destruct in the middle of his set. But that's when he catches Nancy's hand, Nancy's occupied hand holding another hand. A distinctly non-masculine hand. He looks back up. Robin Buckley? Holding hands with Nancy Wheeler? Eddie has to park that thought, can’t let it into his mind when he has his set to finish but it finds a place to sit, to be addressed later, he's curious, not hopeful but definitely interested in this turn of events.

--------

He finishes his set to applause and takes an ostentatious bow, packs up his stuff and shuffles off to the bar, hoping to get a drink and think about what he saw. Eddie manages to get to the bar when Nancy intercepts him, Robin in tow. He should have known she wouldn't ignore him, not when Eddie has actually been in her house, made small talk during the summers when the school couldn't be used for Hellfire and Mike's house was the only available spot.

'Hi Eddie, I just wanted to say, WE both wanted to say, that was great. Really great. Right Robin?'

Robin swings forward, hand still attached to Nancy's and starts to talk, going over Eddie's playing, song choices and then the cover of Jolene. Both her and Nancy change their body language at that lean close, soften their eyes, seem to pick up on something Eddie was showing but not telling.

The thing is, Eddie knew about Robin, they'd had talks in the band room cupboard, tentative at the start but then more open as time went on. They had a trust between each other that neither took lightly. And because of that, Eddie felt protective of Robin, doesn't want to see her hurt when she has clearly opened herself up to somebody new.

Just then Robin shoots off, says something about the bathroom which leaves Eddie and Nancy together. Eddie doesn't really know what to do with himself, doesn't want to talk to the girl that is responsible for his heartache but also doesn't want to let the opportunity to protect his friend go. So he doesn't think, just throws himself in at the deep end and hopes for the best

'You know Ms Wheeler, never thought I'd see you in the kind of place. Taking a walk on the wild side before returning to your castle?' It's not nice but it’s not overly hostile, he hopes

'Yeah, well Robin wanted to come and I thought it might be fun. Let her show me the ropes a bit'

Eddie raises an eyebrow at this

'Wouldn't it be better to come here with your boyfriend? Does he even know you are here or you just here to get some kick from Buckley where nobody can see you? Go back to you 'normal' life in the morning?'

To her credit, Nancy doesn't get angry, raises her head to look Eddie directly in the eye and begins to speak but is interrupted by Robin making a reappearance next to Nancy and then, much to Eddie's horror, a voice comes from behind him

'Ah the love bird reunited at last, don't know how you survived without breathing the same air quite honestly'

'Oh, shut up dingus, I know for a fact that you are disgustingly co-dependent so don't even start'

And that's when Steve fucking Harrington comes up to Eddie's side, places an arm on his bicep and squeezes

'Hey man, you were amazing. That Dolly cover? Goosebumps dude! I'd love to hear more if you know any of her others?'

Steve is leaning in close to Eddie, he is smiling at Eddie, he has his hand ON Eddie's arm. Eddie...may have misinterpreted some things.

-----------

It's another few months down the line and Eddie is about to step on stage at his familiar open mic night. He walks up on stage, electric guitar this time, plugs it in and tunes up, not giving the crowd any attention. Then, when he feels ready, his eyes are up and he finds the familiar pair in the crowd. Steve.

Turns out the time he and Nancy had been spending together was to plan romancing Robin and the spinning? That was when Nancy had finally secured a date. He feels silly for it now but hey, worked out in the end, right?

Eddie smiles wide, gets close to the mic so it’s almost muffled

'Stevie darlin', this ones for you'

And Eddie starts Dolly Parton's 'Baby I'm burning' as the audience gets up on their feet and Nancy pulls Robin and Steve onto the dance floor. It's loud and it's fun and Eddie doesn't stop grinning the whole time, smile evident in his voice as he sings and he sends his thanks out to Dolly.

#HELLO THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!#I hope this is okay!!!#I am very much not American so please forgive me #I wish I could weigh in more on southern eddie because I love that idea #I could have gone full fic length on this ngl but stopped myself because who needs that on an ask #anyway!! thank you!!! hope you’ve had a good Tuesday!!!#and thank you AGAIN!!#stranger things #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #ask #ps Eddie and Steve definitely do island in the stream at some point and the crowd goes wild #finally getting Steve on stage after Eddie’s constant reverse hecking #Robin and Nancy are front row and do the whole pretending to be groupies

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deliverred · 1 month

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"Heeeeey. Lukas, right?" She's pretty sure, but she also wouldn't be surprised if she missed his name between sticky marshmallows and sticky situations during that campfire. Yunaka grins and gives a friendly little wave as she approaches.

"Fun show you and that other guy put on for the students there. Never hurts to keep people on their toes and ready to react." Be bad if they had a habit of getting comfortable in situations where they shouldn't.

"But, uh...you weren't really, actually willing to fight him, were you? Just like that?"

He blinks at the unfamiliar voice, though his expression settles into vague pleasantry when he recognizes her face as one that had been around the campfire. "At your service," he smiles, inclining his head slightly before continuing, "Forgive me, I don't believe I properly got your name that night. Rude of me not to ask until just now."

Lukas makes a faint noise in the back of his throat, not quite regret mixed with something like a chide.

"It was unfortunate that it happened so...early into that gathering, but it can hardly be taken back now." Nor did he particularly feel it was something in need of amendment. "If he had pressed violence a second time, and that was the only way to settle the argument, I have no qualms about standing up for myself in such a manner. It's not how I prefer to handle myself, but for some, there is no other way to get through to them."

His only regret over the altercation was that it had happened in front of students. In the ramifications of the game, it needed to happen, but outside of those boundaries...It settled a similar weight on his mind as the result of that foolish duel just outside the southern outpost.

His smile broadens enough to look amused.

"However, it was an enlightening interaction. He thinks I am incapable of seeing and understanding his motivations, but he is not so complicated as he believes. He thinks of his sister, and subsequently, he thinks of himself. He stated it plain enough to us that night. Should he perceive his sister to be in danger, he will do what he must to rescue her from it -- betrayal was a fair option to him."

Which means he will also do whatever he must to ensure he stays where he can reach his sister. Everyone and everything else came secondary to these goals.

"We're being whittled down, and we'll only lose more people as the week comes to a close. It might be time to think of who is best suited to your team's needs in the end, and who you can trust to carry you all through whatever final competition our hosts have in store."

After all, Maria did not share her brother's team colors, so if there was to be a collapse from the inside of one of the teams...

#toahappyland2024 #[hi there yunaka OuO]

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sokkastyles · 1 year

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Hi,

Hope you are doing well. I have another question regarding The Southern Raiders.

On the TVTropes page of the episode, it is states that Zuko's actions are a " Broken Aesop", because he is helping Katara enact vengeance on someone else in the hopes that she would forgive him. I am confused, because while Zuko does want Katara to see that he has changed, I don't think he was expecting her forgiveness fully.

I would like your thoughts on this.

First of all, TVTropes is a hot mess. Viewing the editing history of the pages there is akin to stumbling into the worst tumblr drama. "Broken Aesop," in particular, is one of the most misused by people whose idea of media analysis is of the "Cinema Sins" variety, who tend to think something is a broken aesop when really, they just completely misunderstood what the story's themes were from the beginning.

If we were really meant to think that Katara forgave Zuko because Zuko helped her enact vengeance on Ron Yha, then she would have gotten vengeance on Yon Rha. She didn't, though, and forgave Zuko despite that.

If we were meant to think that Zuko was mistaken in taking her there, because he wrongly thought she needed to enact vengeance on her mother's killer in order to forgive him, then we would have seen that happen. We would have seen Zuko encouraging Katara to take out Yon Rha, or asking her why she didn't. If the real point were to teach Zuko that he was wrong, then that would have been addressed by the show. Katara might have, for example, told him that she realized that vengeance wasn't what she needed. She might even have been angry at Zuko for encouraging it. Instead, Katara's choice about Yon Rha is left ambiguous, she says she doesn't know if she did the right thing, but firmly says she will never forgive her mother's killer, but that she IS ready to forgive Zuko, and hugs him eagerly. There's no hesitation or sense that she thought he did something wrong, or moment when he learns he was wrong. Even when he tells Aang that he's "right about what Katara needed," that's contradicted by Katara herself telling Aang he is wrong and Zuko contradicting Aang's response about how violence is always wrong. And noticeably, Zuko never says HE was wrong, just that Aang was right. About what, I'm not sure, since Aang is proven wrong about both the violence issue by Zuko and the forgiveness issue by Katara.

I also agree with you that I don't think Zuko was really expecting that Katara would forgive him in exchange for taking her to see Yon Rha. Nor do I think Katara's forgiveness of him was due to that alone. Because she doesn't just offer him forgiveness, she embraces him like a true friend. She says she's READY to forgive him, which implies that she had already known that she had to forgive him eventually. There's a certain point where holding a grudge against a person who was already doing everything to atone for their previous actions and was now their close ally would have become ridiculous, and the situation had already reached that point at the beginning of the episode, which is why Katara separated herself from the rest of the group, angry at them for accepting Zuko when she couldn't make herself do the same.

And the thing is, Katara is stubborn. She's passionate, but that means she feels things strongly, and she holds onto those feelings of betrayal because she feels things so deeply and cares so much about people. What Zuko does is offer her a cathartic outlet for those feelings, and a way to regain some control over them. That's why she forgives him, because purging those feelings by confronting Yon Rha helped her to feel like she could trust Zuko again, to disconnect her feelings of betrayal towards him from her feelings of hurt towards the man who murdered her mother.

Now, do I think Zuko planned this out all along? Not exactly, anymore than I think he was planning on encouraging Katara to commit murder. I think that regardless of Katara's feelings, Zuko, once he joined the gaang, would have been obligated to reveal information that he knew regarding the whereabouts of people who were still out there committing atrocities anyway, because it's the right thing to do. And because he feels connected to Katara through the shared loss of their mothers - remember that HE is the one who makes that connection in the catacombs, and says they have that in common - he feels obligated to share the information he has as soon as he realizes that Katara's hurt feelings towards him are connected to her trauma about the loss of her mother.

What Katara told him at the beginning of the episode, bitterly telling him that he could bring her mother back to "make it up to her," was kind of like her throwing back at him the apology he gave her under Ba Sing Se, when he said that they had the loss of their mothers in common. It's a harsh reminder to Zuko that empathizing with her pain doesn't mean anything if his actions aren't going to match. And what action can Zuko do? He can't bring her mother back, but he can tell her who killed her, and where to find him. That's a pretty big piece of information, and I think Zuko would have felt obligated to share it with her regardless of whether he wanted forgiveness, and the episode goes out of its way to let Katara choose what to do with that information. Zuko's in a position to consider how he would feel if someone he knew had information about what happened to his mother, so that's probably also a motivation for him.

It's an interesting parallel, actually. Zuko learns that his mother is still alive only a few episodes previously, but has no idea where to find her. Katara's mother is gone and isn't coming back, but Zuko suddenly realizes he does know where to find her killer. Insert vigilante shenanigans!

You could say that this episode is Katara's own Crossroads of Destiny, and Zuko is there to witness it, like Katara was there for him. Only they get to end it on good terms this time. I think an underrated aspect of this episode, and Katara's decision to forgive Zuko, is knowing what it feels like to be faced with her own moral crisis, and knowing a little bit of what Zuko felt when he faced the crossroads. And Zuko was there with her the whole time, and didn't once judge her for what she was feeling, even when she was confused. Which I think allowed her to let go of her judgment for him, knowing that his heart was now in the right place.

#katara #zuko #yon rha #kya #ursa #the southern raiders #the crossroads of destiny

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acesknights · 1 year

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Final Prayer

- oc x canon [Warlock x Phillip Graves]

Word Count : 782 Summary: Warlock spending his final moments questioning the idea of there possibly being a 'higher being' tags: Character death,religous topics

Note: babies first time uploading a drabble onto tumblr instead of ao3 so i have completely zero clue what i am doing, possibly out of character too but i wrote this at 3am with a lack of sleep.

Warlock didn't consider himself to be religious at all.

Religion is one of those topics that really only get brought up in dire situations, in life or death situations, or even sat on your grandparents porch on a warm summer evening. It's always one of those things that aren't really thought about in a day to day life until you're sat down with another person and either one of you brings it up.

"Shadow 0-1, this is Warlock - how copy?"

Being religious means that you spend your life believing and hoping that a higher and greater being exists and is watching over you. A being that knows each sin one has committed and each good deed one has done.

"Warlock this is Shadow 0-1, hear you loud an' clear"

He never considered himself religious, he was brought up in a Catholic household yet never really took in the lessons all those Sundays at church had tried to tell him.

Religion was a topic he never delved upon in life. He'd witnessed his own fair share of soldiers cry out for their mother's or even start praying before having any remaining will of life get drained from them moments later.

Religion is one of those topics that really only get brought up in dire situations.

"Sir- you ever consider yourself religious..?"

Yet here he was, layed down on a patch of discoloured and drought-induced grass, his ghillie suit caked in a mixture of dried up mud and his own blood.

"I'd like to consider m'self religious warlock"

Adrian was said to never consider himself religious.

Yet in that moment he had caught himself starting to shakily place one of his hands onto his heart, its pace unsteady - ready to finally go to rest in the confines of its bone and muscle cage.

And prayed.

Prayed to make it out of this one.

Prayed to be able to see his loved ones face just one more time.

"And you? You consider yourself religious at all hun?"

'Hun'

By holy god would he miss hearing those three lettered words of endearment.

"warlock?.."

How long has he been like this? Laying on the grass, a gaping hole in his side, a hole that housed the bullet from the enemy.

Lucky shot

Time felt slow, too slow. Painstakingly and unbearably slow.

Was a higher being taking pity on his poor mortal life? Was a god watching over him?

For once Adrian hoped so.

Hope

"Adrian?.. Speak to me dammit!"

"phil, sir- 'm not making it"

A small chuckle had left his soft lips, a chuckle he never thought he'd have to hear. Something he didn't think anyone would have to hear at all. Did bleeding out always take this long?

He'd never consider himself to be the type of person to get down on their knees at an alter and pray away all their sins, ask for forgiveness from the lord or even pray for others. Yet here he was, tears pricking up in the corner of his eyes, rethinking his entire life and his actions in the last few moments of his rather short and uneventful life.

"not enough time.. For assistance.. Just want to... hear you talk a little bit more"

Talk, he can talk, talk to his dying lover who promised they'd end up retired, sat on the old wooden porch on Phillips Country ranch in the southern parts of texas. Perhaps with a dog, a German shepherd would've been nice. Perhaps even a few grey hairs starting to show up in either of their hair.

Oh would he have loved to see that ranch Phillip promised him the night before that he'd take him to. The same night they were sitting in his office, sharing a small bottle of brandy.. or was it whiskey?

"You did good dear, proud of ya - i'll take you to that ranch another' time hm?"

Everything sounded muffled for him now, his vision fading in an uneven and unfamiliar pattern. Shaky breaths leaving his lips as he weakly nodded.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Breath in

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come;

Fade out

thy will be done;

on earth as it is in heaven.

Fade in

Give us this day our daily bread.

Breath out

And forgive us our trespasses,

Breath in

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

...

Breath out.

Warlock didn't consider himself to be religious at all. The thought of religion only crossed his mind once more as he lay on his grass covered deathbed. Small,sharp,breaths filling his ears as he finally accepted the fact that this higher being is granting him the time to forever lay and rest.

#fanfic #fanfiction #drabble #oc x canon #oc drabbles #phillip graves #cod #cod oc #oc death #non canon oc death #not sure yet on that last tag #religion #catholicism #call of duty #cod mw2 #aceswriting

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ambitionsource · 1 year

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since you guys did the voice casts for the front nine, which singer(s) would fit jack and eric?

Pearl I am so sorry, you sent this 100 years ago lol so forgive me for the delay. As it turns out, shockingly, trying to vocally match older men is a lot harder than the young adults of our main cast LOL. Still, I want to do them justice so I've done the same as I did previously in this post, along with a couple others who have since emerged as more common singers in our ensemble:

ERIC | Eric is the one of the two of them that does have an actual musical theater background, so I do think that makes a difference. His voice would without a doubt be more trained, have a broader range, and probably have more inflection in terms of emotion and emphatic delivery (that's the theater kid edge). I also think that Eric's voice would be deeper than maybe one would assume off the cuff, at least when singing. So as requested, a couple of comps:

Hugh Jackman – This might be partially because we had him perform "A Million Dreams" in Season 2, but I think it fits. Jackman has voice that's like, sturdy and baritone, but it's not overbearing. It doesn't eat up all the oxygen in the room or feel like it's so deep it's coming from the pits of hell. Additionally, I like that he does have a decent range -- see him going for Valjean songs in Les Mis -- so I think that point is important. Example track: A Million Dreams

Christopher Jackson -- Whoop! Didn't see this one coming did we, especially since Jack tends to be the one singing Washington songs from Hamilton... but I do think this tone of voice fits Eric better. Again, it has that rounded, well-balanced, sturdy vocal quality and can emote without a doubt. Example track: History Has Its Eyes On You

Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) -- For a non-Broadway or film take, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is a fitting enough comp range and tone wise. Example track: exile (with Taylor Swift)

JACK | I think Jack, much like his not-son Lucas, has an edge to his voice that is distinctly unpolished and rough. Even though he's an appreciator of the arts, and works at an arts school, a big part of Jack's whole thing is that he isn't from this world instinctively, and he for sure wasn't honing his range or vocal ability all through his youth. So his early 40s man voice is not Broadway ready, but there's a charm to that as well. I also imagining him having a bit of a husky, Southern quality to the edges of his singing voice because of his upbringing in Virginia. As such, comps to go around:

The Avett Brothers -- Obviously this is a bit unspecific because... there are three brothers in this band and only one Jack, LOL, but you can kind of get the vibe of the like slightly rustic quality, emotive without necessarily being good at channeling emotion, etc. I think this also fits that I picture Jack's singing voice a bit higher in tone than Eric's, and that register works here. Example track: I And Love And You

George Harrison -- I know my Beatles nerd is showing, but I stand by this. George was never the standout vocalist of the Beatles (not that I think any of them were tbh lol, they were much more about music composition and arrangement than like being the best singers ever), but his almost soft-spoken delivery just hits right for Jack to me. Example track: Something

James Taylor -- This is veering almost too much into the twangy territory, but I think it helps serve what I mean by sounding a bit more unpolished and husky while still being more in the baritenor range. James Taylor has had a long career, so there's option abound for sampling, but I went with a cover song from his latest album because he is. Well. Older lol. Example track: God Bless the Child

YINDRA | I would argue Yindra is the most defined singer in our new crop of elevated mains, so she needs a section here. When it comes to her, I want you simply to think of the most talented vocalist you know -- that artist you think is just unbelievably talented and you can't believe they have a range like that. You wonder how they're not a huge star already if they aren't well known. That's Yindra. I feel like there are genuinely so many talented female vocalists that could make this comp list, but since I'm keeping it concise, a top-of-my-head sampling:

SZA -- I think sometimes people think of SZA more as a rap-adjacent vocalist (i.e. more about rhythm and delivery than vocal range, to a degree, which is an equally impressive skill), but I love her voice from a tonal perspective too. Have you heard her jump the octave in tracks from ctrl? An immediately slay. In this case, I will reference one of my favorite tracks from that album and that I think lets her vocals really shine due to the stripped nature of the track. Example track: 20 Something

Tess Henley -- If I haven't made it clear yet by how I slip her songs into the series here and there, I love Tess Henley. She is severely underrated. Why I bring her up for Yindra is two-fold: she has an incredible belt range, and also has a somewhat scratchy quality to her voice in certain octaves that I think is such a unique sound and makes her sound so... authentic and evocative. I think Yindra would have qualities like this too. Yindra's vocal talent is raw, untamed, a force to be reckoned that is bursting out of her -- it wouldn't be polished to pop perfection like Maya. It's just against her nature. Example track: Boomerang

Alicia Keys -- Okay is this a basic answer. Maybe. But I think Alicia's vocal talent speaks for itself, and so does Yindra's. Not to mention, her range alone is blockbuster. Case in point, example track, we all know it's coming: Girl On Fire

NIGEL | Nigel doesn't sing as much as some of the other characters (he's an actor at his core), but he's picked up enough performances this season to warrant mention here. I think of his voice as a gentle, somewhat level tonal tenor, and while I don't have much to say beyond that, a few comps nonetheless:

HONNE -- I can't tell the two members apart so don't ask that of me please lol but the vibes are there. Example track: Location Unknown - Brooklyn Session

Hippo Campus -- Again, don't know who is actually singing here LOL but again, the sound will tell you what you need to know. Example track: Golden

JOSH | Same goes for the above for Josh -- he's not a singer in the explicit sense of the word, so to a degree, his vocals would just sound like some guy. But he's a guy who has a deep, intrinsic understanding of music, and I do think that colors his vocal delivery. He's no Farkle, or even Charlie, but it doesn't hurt your ears to hear him chime in on a tune every now and then (especially when he's splitting with someone like Maya). Comps:

AJR -- AJR are basically just some guys, but some guys who know how to craft a good song, so they're kind of my go-to sound comp for Josh. I also think they sing pretty well about both young adulthood what-am-I-doing-with-my-life angst, and the battles of the industry, so their emotion shines through in that way. Example track: The DJ Is Crying For Help

Glass Animals -- Same sentiments. Example track: Solar Power - Spotify Singles

VANESSA | Unlike Zay, Vanessa is less of a triple-threat than she is more consumed with dance, but we know she can carry a tune competitively. And unfortunately, unless you're going into ballet, it helps to be able to sing to get more performing opportunities that include dance (see: Broadway), so she has most certainly honed those skills. In terms of skill vocally, I would plot her somewhere on the scale between Maya and Riley -- she's more polished than Riley, from all her training and overworking competitiveness, but she lacks Maya's raw natural vocal charisma. But that doesn't mean her voice can't be a showstopper when the moment calls for it. Comps:

Jasmine Cephas-Jones -- The oft overlooked third Schuyler sister of Hamilton, Jasmine has vocals that can cut right through you. I love how much energy and power you can feel in her delivery. Vanessa definitely has that quality. Example track: Little Bird

Normani -- Goes without saying, since we gave her the bop of all bops with "Motivation." And also unfortunate how Normani despite being talented got kind of celebrity eclipsed by a fellow former bandmate (Camila), which is something I'm sure Vanessa would relate to. Example track: Motivation

Billie Eilish -- This one is a bit out of left field, but something about the somewhat flat inflection and lower range (definitely alto) that Billie's voice encompasses has always struck me as a bit Vanessa-like. So I'm including her. Example track: Getting Older

-- Maggie

#aaa supplementaries #yindra amino #nigel chey #vanessa johnson #eric matthews #jack hunter #josh matthews

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young-dumb-and-vaccinated · 3 years

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Cult Girl: Doctorate (Hannibal x Female!Reader) pt. 8

Cult girl and Hannibal go through an exhaustive list of potential adoptive couples.

@wisesandwichshark

Trigger warning: sexual harassment, christianity, discussion of pregnancy and family planning, adoption, murder and cannibalism

Step two: find an adoptive family.

Some would say your list of expectations for potential adoptive parents was too extensive. Impossible for any human to reach. But it was really just the bare minimum.

Regardless of if they were two men, two women, one of each, or a few people, the parents had to be trustworthy. It wasn't easy to earn Hannibal's trust, but he could recognize those who had the capacity to right away. It was a little instinct you had dubbed 'friend or food'.

On paper, the apostolic pastor and his wife of 19 years seemed like the perfect candidates. The adoption agency tried to push them on you, as they had a great track record with adopting from them prior. Three boys, all of which were honors students.

Hannibal insisted on a formal introduction, during which you could conduct a proper, though surreptitious, interview. It was an invitation to dinner.

He invited the couple into his office, where a pot of tea and an interrogation was waiting for them. Then there was you. Barely-pregnant little [F/N], feeling entirely safe so long as your fiancé was beside you.

"You're doing the right thing, y'know." The woman, who introduced herself as Mrs. Landon, said upon meeting you.

"How do you mean?" You asked, already knowing the answer.

"All god's life is precious." She said, placing a hand on your not-even-remotely-showing-yet stomach. "You're walking in obedience to the lord by giving this child a shot at life."

Strike one: bringing up religion unprompted. Strike two: touching me without asking first.

You wanted to swat her hand away, but remembered that patience was a virtue. She and her husband took a seat across from you.

"Y'know," The man began, his mannerisms eerily similar to those of his wife. "I don't usually begin with the god talk, but I think a higher power had to have been involved in the conception of this- well, our child. I'd like to think the good lord brought us together today."

Strike three: already believes he is entitled to my child. You're outta here.

"Don't flatter the adoption agency like that, Jacob." Hannibal chuckled, placing his teacup on the side table.

"I'm serious, Dr. Lecter." Jacob interjected. "Faith and I really do believe that god put us on this earth to prepare his smallest soldiers for the spiritual war."

You shot Hannibal a side glance that said 'can we please just eat them now?'.

The answer was no. Hannibal liked to play with his food.

"And your adult children have all moved out?" He asked.

"That's right." Jacob nodded. "We have plenty of room in our five-bedroom house for the new little slugger to run around in."

"And if it's a girl!" The wife interrupted. "We have enough closet space for all the denim maxi-skirts money could buy."

Strike four: arbitrarily genders the behavior of a nine-week-old embryo.

The man then returned the teacup to the table, not bothering to use the saucer and instead leaving a nasty ring of condensation on the polished mahogany.

"Okay." Hannibal huffed, resignedly rising from his seat. He pulled two hypodermic needles from his back pocket and carefully, subtly stuck them onto the couples' necks. They couldn't even scream.

The tacos al pastor that followed (after a few days of marinating, of course) were exquisite.

The next week brought a new couple to your doorstep. Frank and Angela, they were named. Their claim to fame was that their oldest son played football for one of those big southern party schools. Either Auburn or Alabama. There was hardly a difference.

You sat for what felt like hours listening to the man speak in unintelligible football babble, waiting for him to take a breath. Surprisingly, it was the mom who got him to finally shut up.

"Frank, please." She said with more frustration than this one situation even remotely warranted. Either she had enough intuition to know she was being tested, or she’d spent the last decade putting up with this. Possibly both. "You're boring our hosts to death."

"What? No way! She loves it!" Frank replied, then turned to you. Not to Hannibal, just you. “Aren’t you having a great time, sweetheart?”

Strike one: takes advantage of the female socialization to be passive and polite, allowing himself to take up the most space.

You shook your head. “I hate football.”

His wife looked quite pleased with herself.

“Angie, I just wanted her to know what good breeding her son is going to have.” He said, without a lick of irony or self-awareness. He eyed you up and down and licked his lips. “And it is mutual, I see.”

The room went quiet as everyone tried to determine whether he was serious or if it was just a fucked-up joke. The longer the silence lingered, the more you realized he wasn’t kidding. Angela looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

“I don’t know what the agency told you, Mr. Wyatt,” Hannibal said, trying not to grit his teeth. “She isn’t a surrogate. She’s already pregnant.”

Frank’s jaw hung dumbly open. “I thought you were looking for a sperm donor? I just-”

“No.” You cut him off, raising your hand and covering your face. “I don’t want to know what you thought.”

“Well, I would!” Angela interjected, righteous fury eclipsing what should have been crippling embarrassment. “What exactly did you think this was, Francis?”

“The file said that he was over fifty, so I just assumed--” Frank rationalized, his voice far too loud for the room. “Y’know? That she wanted a baby that wouldn’t come out all funny-looking?”

“You’re disgusting.” You blurted out.

“Francis Howard Wyatt,” Angela scolded as if she were talking to her son. “You are forty-eight and the only increasing part of your body is your blood pressure. Why on Earth would any woman choose you over her smart, handsome doctor fiancé?”

This made Hannibal sit up a little straighter. He wanted Francis on the butcher’s block yesterday, but he momentarily considered letting Angela live.

“They’re not married?” Frank whispered, or whatever the loud-aggressive-toxic-masculinity version of whispering was. He paused, as the dead hamster on the wheel powering his brain crept back to life. “That actually makes sense.”

Angela loudly smacked her hand against her face. “Dr. Lecter, Ms. [L/N], I am so sorry.”

“It’s quite alright, Mrs. Wyatt.” Hannibal stood up, readying the next batch of needles. “It just makes what I’m about to do easier.”

It took quite a bit of restraint to not make their deaths hurt, but he made up for it when it came time to carve. He had fun running his fittingly small penis through a meat grinder. Not with any intent to cook it, though. Just because.

Hannibal wanted to make Francis Wyatt into the least dignified meal imaginable. You quickly recalled going to a friend’s barbeque in Georgia and encountering a horrendously Southern delicacy known as Frito Pie. You proposed the idea to Hannibal, who, after reviling in abject horror at the notion of eating something out of a bag, agreed that it was the most fitting end. He could spare a few pounds of flesh to grind up and make into chili.

The third week brought yet another couple. They seemed smart enough to realize your invitation wasn't the friendly olive branch the others had interpreted it as. Their healthy skepticism was refreshing, to say the least. Then, you met them: Max and Archie.

"You'll have to forgive my partner's paranoia." Max said upon entering the house. He tugged playfully at Archie's hand. "We watched Get Out recently, so an invitation to the suburbs sounded some alarms in his sleep-deprived brain."

"I love that movie." You chimed in. "It reminds me of my family."

"Oh no." Archie's eyes widened in only half-pretend fear. He shot an I-told-you-so look in his partner's direction.

"But my favorite horror flick has to be Midsommar." You added. "My friends and I saw a midnight screening and we didn't sleep at all that night."

"But have you seen Hereditary?" Archie posited.

"Of course." You shrugged. "Aster is totally genius."

You made more than just polite conversation with the couple. Max, despite his young age, was a skilled data analyst and day trader. He attributed his success to the hard work of his immigrant parents. Archie was an environmental lawyer and land activist. He was also a bit of a thrill junkie, indulging in everything from scary movies to bungee jumping.

It didn't take long to realize that you wouldn't be eating them. They were far too pleasant of company to eat.

"So when is this baby planning to make its entrance?" Archie asked, gesturing to you. "You don’t look all that pregnant to me."

You put your hand over your slightly-protruding stomach. "Late August, I believe. If everything goes according to plan."

"You're not far along at all, aren’t you?" Max observed. "That gives us plenty of time to prove ourselves to you."

"Believe me." You put up your hand. "You're doing a great job so far."

“If you like horror stories, we might have to indulge you in the last two encounters we had.” Hannibal commented, leaning back comfortably in his chair. That was a good sign. “No blood was spilled, thank god. Would have ruined my carpets. But believe me when I tell you it came very close.”

The couple laughed along. Archie leaned in like he was about to tell a life-shattering secret. “You wouldn’t believe the hoops we had to jump through to even have the chance to adopt. And I don’t want to say that it’s because we’re an interracial gay couple, but...”

“Agencies aren’t exactly colorblind.” You finished, via his prompting.

“She gets it.” Archie pointed to you. “See, Maxie? She agrees with me.”

Max pushed his glasses up his nose. “I never said I disagreed.”

You spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for the conversation to take a sharp left turn off a cliff, but it didn’t happen. They were wonderful company; polite, intelligent and articulate. Exactly the kind of people you’d want to see taking care of your child.

You’d have to look for you next meal elsewhere.

#hannibal #hannibal x reader #hannibal x you #hannibal lecter x you #hannibal lecter x reader #hannibal lecter #hannibal nbc #cult girl #cult girl 2 #cult girl doctorate

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lightdancer1 · 3 years

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I mean... Katara openly said "But I am ready to forgive you" and even embraced Zuko despite that, while he did not murder Aang himself, thus almost ending the avatar cycle, he contributed to it. He helped Azula in that fight which led to Aang's death and the fall of Ba Sing Se right after she thought he had changed. And... Mai and Ty Lee also contributed to it. And yet Katara seemed just fine with both of them in the end, drinking tea in one room. But does that mean that Katara forgave Zuko for all the things he did to Aang? I'm not so sure.

So I wanted to ask, what does forgiveness mean to you? To me personally, forgiving someone doesn't mean forgetting what the person did, nor necessarily stopping being angry with them. It just means one stops openly condemning them for it and stops wanting to punish them. And stops hating them for it. It's about moving on. Forgiveness is the key to change.

But something about "Katara never forgave Azula for killing her future husband and is never going to" does make sense to me. Probably because... what's his name? Yon Rah? Killed her mother. And Katara stated that she will never forgive him for it. I think if Azula actually killed Aang and Katara failed to save him, then Katara would definitely never forgive Azula. Since Aang was basically family to her at that point. And if Zuko killed someone from her family, she'd never forgive him either. Heck, she even threatened to murder him if he layed a finger on him in B3.

I can see Azula being respectful to Katara's wishes not to forgive her and and actually kinda being... glad about it? Because maybe Azula doesn't want to be forgiven. She herself would grow to understand that some things just can't be forgiven (though imo that's something everyone decide for themselves) nor are you in any position to demand forgiveness 'cause forgiveness is something that no one is entitled to. And because I think Azula, after realizing and accepting the truth about her father, realized that she wouldn't ever be ready to forgive him. That doesn't necessarily mean she'd entirely stop still loving him deep inside. So I can't imagine Azula being desperate for Katara to forgive her and doing everything she'd ask of her (is that what Zuko was doing in "The southern raiders?"). But I can see Azula understanding Katara. She understands that she killed someone who Katara cherished, her friend, her family, what shock and despair she experienced in that moment, and that it's something she can't go back and change.

Either way, I can see Katara and Azula bonding eventually. Though I think it goes without saying that even though Katara feels sympathy for Azula, she'd definitely be the last person from the gaang to actually forgive her.

I didn't say that they wouldn't bond, I said that Katara would not forgive her for killing, even briefly, the man she ends up marrying and having a family with. Way too much trauma there and it does 100% intersect with issues from her mother's death. As a general rule in most of my stories by the time the two meet up again postwar Azula is married and in a much healthier place psychologically, so she understands and that understanding is the first step to their reconciliation.

That line is a lot of where I get that particular take on Katara and Azula postwar. She might and eventually does get to liking and understanding Azula as a person. She's still not going to forgive her for even temporarily killing Aang because that is just not how Katara rolls.

As far as forgiveness I see it as having an absolution component due to cultural Christianity, and that is the part that doesn't exist in the Avatar-verse and where, frankly, allowing Azula to grow up and even get along with her old enemies and her old friends without having them decide that her worst acts to them didn't matter because 'It's Azula, what are you going to do' or that she's innately metaphysically evil but nobody else is' gives room for more flexibility.

It leads to a reality where her deeds are not forgotten or given a pass, but where someone is not damned forever for what they did as a child, even when the acts were harsh and typical of what happens in wartime.

Azula does accept that Katara doesn't forgive her for the incident beneath Lake Laogai and has a lot of Feelings on the 'You killed God' business, which is also one of the deeds she becomes most well known for and in-universe most of the people most enthusiastic about it are in it for the wrong reasons.

Katara not forgiving Azula for what she did to Aang is simply a case of her not forgiving one action. It does not equal hostility between them, the two start off respectful and become genuine friends, as Azula sees her (and Toph, eventually) as full equals in their respective fields of Bending and that's where their connection starts and grows.

I don't have Mai and Ty Lee forgive her for the Boiling Rock, either, but that doesn't mean they don't rebuild a new friendship out of the ashes of the old one.

#avatar:the last airbender #azula #katara

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meltwonu · 4 years

Text

| 🎃 𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖍 🎃 |

↪ ✦ sea castles ✦

this chapter pairing; yandere!woozi x reader, subtle jeonghan x reader

genre&warnings; merman!au, yandere!woozi, character death, dom!woozi/possessive!woozi, virgin!reader, overstimulation, oral(fem receiving), cheating, drugs/poisoning, kidnapping.

✖ That being said, I do NOT condone yandere-like/obsessive/possessive behaviour in real life. this is a work of fiction therefore I will indulge in it. If you do NOT like this kind of content, please just ignore it.

notes; Welcome to the first installation to Monster Mash, where we explore the strange and unusual with our monster fucker anonymous club! 👻 🎃 Let’s get spooky, bitches! As always, I just want to take the time to thank you all for the interest in Monster Mash! 😳 I was not expecting it tbh so thank you all so much!💕 also if the writing style of this seems weird just know that I wrote half of this in 2018 so some parts read different from my usual write style, in my opinion at least 😭 hehe~ anyway, enjoy this first chapter and I will see you all in the next! 😌✨

word count; ~5100

chapters; 1 - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x

baby, why don't you see, see my sea?

make slow, get inside and pull on my sea

get inside and build your castle into me

Jihoon’s head breaks through the surface of water, sea foam momentarily blinding him as he frantically searches beyond the jagged rocks for any sign of his human companion. His fragile hands move slowly over the rocks. She’s late again, He thinks. Nothing new.

A sigh escapes his lips as he rests his head on one of the rocks, closing his eyes as he waits, a soft hum on his lips when he drifts out of consciousness.

When he wakes, he isn’t even aware he’s fallen asleep but the frantic thoughts that someone’s found him sends him into overdrive as his pale grey eyes sweep over the shore once again; eyes landing on a figure sitting not too far away.

“Jihoon you’ve fallen asleep on me again.” You chide. A blush forms on Jihoon’s cheeks as he ducks under the water momentarily, hoping the slight chill of the water will keep the heat from spreading to his face. “You’re late again”, he starts, “We agreed to meet here when the tower bell chimes for sun down every other nightfall, didn’t we?” There’s a moment of hesitation on his end but he wades through the water, carefully making his way towards you.

“I’m really sorry about being late, it was Jeonghan, I--”

Jihoon’s eyes flash a pale pink, tuning you out at the sound of his name. Jeonghan; the prince and your soon to be husband. Jihoon doesn’t like him, not one bit. “It’s fine! I’m just glad you could make it…” A pout on his lips as he picks a rock near your legs, propping his arms up onto it as he stares up at you and rests his chin on his folded arms.

“What were you up to today, Jihoonie?” You ask. Your fingers curl around the hem of your dress as you pull it further up your legs, not wanting it to get wet from the rising tide. He hums in thought, his eyes falling onto your bare legs.

“Um, well, Seungcheol-hyung and I went and checked out that sunken ship I told you about last week… There was still some stuff left inside so we brought it back to the castle!”

A smile graces your lips as you watch him talk animatedly; there was always something so calming about being around Jihoon. You fondly remembered the first time you’d met him. Scared and curious about the man peering at you from beyond the rocks, not knowing that he felt the exact same way that you did.

That had been a few months ago now and the two of you had become good friends, meeting every other night for a chat before anyone in the castle knew you were missing. He was handsome, kind and most of all, friendly.

“Hey, are you listening?” Jihoon pouts up at you, lips curling into a teasing smile when a blush forms on your cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, I was zoning out thinking about how we met. Why don’t you start again, from the beginning?”

“You’re late.”

Jeonghan’s already a third of a way through dinner before you enter through the double doors. “Forgive me, I’ve--I’ve lost track of time.”

He scoffs, rolling his eyes as he picks at his food; this was quite routine of you. “Isn’t that what you always say?” You take a seat across Jeonghan, grimacing when the wet hem of your dress touches your bare legs. “I like taking my time on my walks. It helps me clear my head.”

Jeonghan takes a sip of his wine, standing from the grandiose table as he makes his way down the length of it, to your side.

“You should be careful on those walks of yours. I’ve heard there’s dangerous creatures lurking around the edges of town. You wouldn’t want to get caught up in the crossfire, would you?”

“No, Jeonghan, I--I wouldn’t.”

“Jihoon-hyung!!”

Seungkwan swims over to Jihoon; a bright smile on his face when he reaches the older male. “Hey, are you alright? You seem upset.”

Jihoon’s pale grey eyes blink sadly, “I’m… okay. I’m just…”

“It’s that human again, isn’t it?”

It always is, Jihoon thinks. He was always glad for your friendship and your kindness, but he always craved for more. Even if the current circumstances didn’t allow it. “Well, yes. It’s just that... I wish there was a way I could get her to see me and not my… well, you know.” He chuckles sadly, watching the way Seungkwan mimics his sadness.

Jihoon liked Seungkwan.

Out of all of his brothers, he was always the most empathetic.

“She’s going to be married, hyung. To the prince, no less. She’ll be queen eventually once the king passes and Prince Jeonghan takes his place. Need I remind you she’s human and you’re not? You should be thankful she hasn’t exposed you yet.”

The older male grimaces at the thought alone. She’d never do that to me.

“I know, I know. It’s just going to take some time, that’s all. She’s not like the other royals on land… She’s a good person.”

Seungkwan wraps an arm around Jihoon’s shoulder; lips pursed in a tight smile. “You’re in line for the throne here as well, you know? The other hyungs don’t seem to care for the throne, but you, hyung, suit it well. You’ll find someone. I promise.”

The next morning, you wake up with a sigh on your lips.

I hate it here.

The only reason why you were to be wed to Prince Jeonghan was solely because both of your respective parents wanted to have a joint rulership of the western lands and needed successors down the line, should the time come. Neither you nor Jeonghan were necessarily happy with the idea, but Jeonghan had quickly taken a certain possessiveness over you that confused you greatly.

On most days, he seemed uncaring, even standoffish. But there were a few times since the announcement of your marriage where he seemed to have quickly taken the role of overbearing husband.

A knock at your door brings you out of your thoughts; a small ‘come in’ muttered just loud enough as an older handmaid pokes her head in.

“Miss, we should get you ready for the day. Prince Jeonghan would like your company for tea in the garden.”

That’s new.

“I’m telling you that Wonwoo is dangerous, Vernon! You need to be careful!”

Jihoon swims up to Seungcheol and Vernon in the heat of their conversation, brows furrowed in confusion. “What’s going on?”

Seungcheol lets out an exasperated sigh in return, “It’s that Wonwoo…”

Jihoon’s lips purse into a firm line. Not all mercreatures were gifted with magical abilities, but Wonwoo was one of the few that were. He granted anyone of their desires, whether the intentions were good or bad. As long as you paid the right price for it. Wonwoo lingered on the southern side of the underwater kingdom, tucked away within the giant kelp and crystal caves where most mercreatures knew to stay away from.

Although, the younger ones were always riddled with temptation.

“Vernon, what were you even doing over there?” Jihoon asks. The youngest exhales harshly, avoiding his hyungs’ piercing stares.

“I just---I was curious. That’s all.”

This time it’s Seungcheol who inquires, “About what, exactly?”

“Don’t you ever wonder what you would have to trade to be able to go on land, at least once?”

Jihoon clenches his jaw. He knew better.

He knew better.

Jeonghan waits patiently and never raises his voice.

Quite frankly, he’s not very good at it, he’ll admit.

However, what he does expect from you is your obedience and absolute loyalty to him, especially with your wedding just around the corner.

The last thing he wanted were the townspeople talking about a king with a disloyal and disobedient wife.

“You wanted to see me for tea?” Jeonghan looks up from his lap, noting you standing a few feet away with Mingyu, one of his guards.

“Yes, have a seat. Mingyu, you can go.” The taller male nods, pulling out the garden chair for you before he leaves. Jeonghan pours you a cup of warm tea, sliding the tea cup across the small table. “I spoke to my father earlier this morning before he left.” His eyes flit to you, already noticing the way the colour drains from your face at the simple mention.

“They want us to move the wedding closer. Next week, if possible.”

“I--wh--why exactly, may I ask?”

Jeonghan can hear the shakiness in your voice as he reaches for his own tea cup. “First of all, it’s not my choice. My father just requested as such and I expect you to fall in line as well. These nightly walks along the edges of town need to stop, immediately. I can’t have rumours flying around town about us. Am I clear?”

Your hands ball up into fists in your lap; tomorrow might be the last time you’d be able to speak to Jihoon.

“I--yes, I understand.”

When the tower bell chimes for sundown the next evening, you’re already waiting by the water’s edge.

You had to make it back in time before Jeonghan noticed you’d already snuck out.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

His half-hearted smile is enough to alert you that he hasn’t been having the best of days either. But you find yourself getting choked up as your vision blurs with each second; unshed tears making it hard for you to speak.

“I--I’m sorry, but---but I c-can’t come back here…” You whisper out. Jihoon’s eyes flash a pale pink as he leans up onto a rock closer to you.

“What are you talking about?”

“Jihoon, I’m---I’m getting married next w-week.”

Jihoon begs for forgiveness in his head.

Asks to be spared for the sin he’s about to commit.

He fumbles through the giant kelp; tail getting caught with each second he goes further and further into the murky depths until he comes across the crystal caves.

It would be just one time. He promises.

He finds the small opening in the cave, making sure nobody sees him when he swims in.

“Oh? To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Wonwoo’s voice is deep and matches the alluring smirk painted across his features when he spots Jihoon at the entrance. “Can’t say I’ve seen someone look so hesitant in a long while.”

Jihoon feels a sense of dread wash over him when he gets closer to the male, gulping down his second guesses as he opens his mouth to speak.

“T-to go on land. What… what would I need to--to trade.”

Wonwoo laughs loud enough for it to bounce off of the cave walls, head thrown back in absolute bliss.

“My, my. You sound more serious than the last one who came to ask.” He pauses, swimming down closer to Jihoon who backs away by nature. “You know, people offer me all sorts of things. Riches, jewels, even parts of themselves. All cliché when you think about it. And all things replaceable in theory.”

The twinkle in Wonwoo’s eyes lets Jihoon know he’s going to be in more trouble than he anticipated.

“No… what I want is something irreplaceable. Something that lets me know you really want this.”

Vernon will be missed.

But it was his fault for being so curious, they’ll all say.

He shouldn’t have asked Wonwoo.

He should’ve known better.

Just like Jihoon.

A few days have passed since the last time you see Jihoon and being castle-bound is eating away at you.

The wedding is in five more nightfalls and with each day, you find yourself more and more miserable.

“Miss, please turn to your left. We need to finish your wedding dress before the day is over.” Sighing, you do as told, facing the large mirror where you see the sadness in your eyes.

A sharp knock brings everyone’s attention to the door as one of your hand maids rushes to answer it.

This time it’s Seokmin, one of Jeonghan’s other guards and best friend, at the door. “I’m so sorry to disturb, however we have a guest. A Prince from… the east. Prince Jeonghan would like your company in the grand hall, immediately.”

Confusion crosses your features, but you nod, shooing Seokmin away as you already make efforts to get the heavy fabric off of you. It takes a good few minutes before you’re completely free and redressed in more casual attire and you all but rush down the hall, curious to see who the newcomer is.

The first thing you see is Jeonghan speaking to a slightly shorter male; a tight lipped smile on his face.

He catches you from around the corner, gesturing you forward.

“Ah, here she is. My wife, to-be.” The unknown male turns to face you and you feel your breath caught in your throat.

Jihoon? No…

He shoots you a knowing smile, reaching for your hand as he kisses the back of it. “It’s my pleasure. I’m Prince Jihoon. Of the East.” Your fingers feel clammy in his hold, confusion on your features even when you introduce yourself back to him in a low whisper.

“I can’t say I remember there being a Prince Jihoon from the east. Interesting.” Jeonghan comments. Jihoon chuckles lightly, releasing your hand as he turns to face Jeonghan once more.

“Yes, I’m quite sorry for my sudden arrival. You see, I never really was one for the throne or anything of the sort. No, I’m more into studies and books. However, there’s been a bit of a change in interests lately so I figured I’d come… and see what the world has to offer.” He shoots Jeonghan a smile, eyes forming crescents.

“I also do apologize, but would it be alright if I stayed here a few nights? Just before I head back to my own. I don’t have anywhere to stay and, well, I seem a little under-packed for my journey.”

Jeonghan bites the inside of his cheek, “I… suppose. Actually, our wedding is in five more days. Why don’t you stay until then. See how the town celebrates.”

Jihoon turns to you; a smirk on his lips as his eyes flash a pale pink.

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Jihoon stays in the bedroom across the hall from you, just a couple doors down.

You tell Jeonghan you’re not feeling too well and that you’ll be in your bedroom until you finally feel better; but the reality is that you slink off to Jihoon’s room when the coast is clear and the halls are free of Jeonghan’s guards.

You softly knock at his door, whispering his name until he opens the door for you; a giddy smile on his lips.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the princess. To what do I owe this honour?”

“Please, don’t---don’t play this game with me right now. What in heaven’s name is--how are you even here!?” You whisper harshly. Jihoon tugs you into his room, locking the door behind you as he presses you against it.

“I just… wanted to try something, that’s all. I thought you’d be happy to see me.” There’s a tinge of sadness in his voice and you can’t hold back the sigh that floats out past your lips.

“Please, Jihoon, I’m so incredibly happy to see you. It’s just, I---this is a big shock and with the wedding, it’s---and your legs, how---”

Jihoon cuts you off with a kiss, fingertips under your chin as he tilts your head up to meet his.

You immediately melt into the kiss, fingertips tangling into his soft hair.

Were you always attracted to Jihoon like this?

He eats up all of your soft and quiet moans as he presses you harder into the door, slotting a leg between yours just you finally find your senses.

“W--wait, I--no, we--we can’t, Jihoon…” You push him away as gently as you can; a soft pink coating your cheeks. “It’s just that Jeonghan--”

“Please, can we not speak about him.” Jihoon grumbles, stepping away from you as he makes his way towards the bed. “No offense, but it’s quite obvious that neither of you want to be in this marriage anyway. I don’t understand why you keep trying to defend him.”

You stand by the door, eyes fixated on the way Jihoon leans back on the bed. Mental images of you in his lap, naked and in absolute bliss flit through your mind in a split second.

“It’s---it’s not that, it’s just that... “ You’re unsure of what to say next; Jihoon was right in the fact that neither of you were too keen on the marriage but the two of you were also just following orders for the betterment of the kingdoms.

“I’m sorry, I should go, You should rest up, Jihoon. Dinner will be in a few hours.”

You turn to leave, body warm with thoughts you knew you shouldn’t have been having.

Jihoon can sense it too. The way your body craves his.

“I’ll see you later, princess.”

Dinner goes on without any issues, which you’re thankful for and Jeonghan and Jihoon seem to be on alright terms despite Jeonghan’s initial concerns and suspicions.

You retreat back to your room after a walk around the grounds to clear your head, hand on the doorknob of your bedroom when Jihoon comes barreling into your back.

“J--Jihoon, what--”

“Inside, now, sweetheart.”

You shuffle into the bedroom, turning to face Jihoon who turns the lock. “What are you doing?!”

“What we both want.”

A blush coats your cheeks as he walks you back towards the bed; his hands immediately finding purchase on your waist as he sits you down onto it. “Do you think I’m oblivious to what you want?” His voice drops an octave and you feel the arousal starting to pool in your lower half. “I--I---”

“You what, princess? Tell me what you want, what’s going on in that mind of yours.”

You know you shouldn’t, you know you should fall in line with Jeonghan and what your parents say.

But the other part of you just wants to be freed of all your responsibilities and expectations.

So you make a decision, gulping when you wrap a hand around Jihoon’s forearm.

“I want y-you.”

A soft moan floats through the air just as Jihoon sinks the first finger into your warmth, your fingers locking into his hair as his tongue flicks at your clit.

Jihoon knew more than you anticipated.

He smiles against your skin as he leans in closer, flattening his tongue against you as you bite your lip to hold in your noises when he drags the flat of his tongue through your folds.

“Such a shame, princess. I’d love to hear my name rolling off those pretty lips of yours.” He teases; curling his finger into you just right until it grazes against your sweet spot. Your legs clamp tighter around his head instead as Jihoon laughs.

“We’ll have to save it for another time. When we have more privacy, hmm?”

Another time?

Jihoon sucks your clit into his mouth as your hips cant up to meet his movements. He gently adds another fingers after a few more pumps; noting the way your walls tighten around them instinctively. You can feel the pressure building up when he starts to scissor and curl them just right, a shaky cry on your lips.

“Ji--Jihoon, ah, something’s---”

“S’okay, let it happen.” Mumbling, he doubles his effort, tongue flicking at your clit harshly as he works to throw you over the edge.

A choked sob gets caught in your throat when you cum on his fingers and tongue and he works you through it with patience and adoration. He slows down his fingers as you continue to ride your high, tongue still lapping at your clit in slower strokes until your fingers loosen their grip on his hair.

“Everything okay?” Jihoon murmurs, pulling his fingers from inside of you as he pulls away.

“Mm… Mmhmm…”

Jihoon sits up, wrapping his wet digits around his cock as he pumps himself. He smears the precum down his shaft; a soft groan on his lips.

“Do you still want me, princess?”

You nod shakily, watching as he scoots in closer. He runs the head of his cock through your soaking folds as you mewl quietly at the sensitivity your body feels. “If it hurts, just let me know, okay?”

Jihoon’s soft voice is enough for you to relax under his touch and he uses his free hand to wrap your leg around his waist before he positions himself at your entrance. His eyes dance up your torso until they land on your flushed face, grey eyes searching for any sort of hesitance.

“This is your last chance, princess. You can stop me here and we can forget this.”

Your heart pangs in sudden guilt over Jeonghan, but you quickly push it out of your head. There was nothing wrong about this; You wanted him.

“I want you, J-Jihoon…”

He nods at your response, taking a deep breath before he starts to sink his cock into your wet cunt.

There’s a subtle stinging you feel, a whimper on your lips when he only just gets the head of his cock in. “Okay?” He asks, fingertips massaging the skin of your thighs. The momentary pause is enough for some of the stinging to subside so you nod, clammy hands digging into the sheets.

Jihoon lets out a guttural moan, eyes rolling to the back of his head when he bottoms out after a few tense seconds. “Oh, god, you---you feel so good, princess…”

He leans over you, kissing you on the forehead before he leans in to kiss you on the lips; swallowing up your mewls and whimpers as you get used to the feeling of Jihoon’s cock snug between your warm walls.

“Jihoon, please---please move…” Your words are muffled against his lips as he smiles, nodding when he pulls away from you.

Jihoon starts a slow pace at first; skillful hips pistoning into you. He watches you bite your lip when he angles his thrusts in a particular way, smirking when he knows he’s gotten your sweet spot.

“Look at you… So pretty underneath me, where you belong.” He licks his lips, pupils blown wide. “You know I’d do anything for you, right, princess? Just say the word and I’ll give it to you.” His grip on you gets tighter as his fingernails dig into the skin of your thighs.

“Ngh… Ji--Jihoon…” You whimper quietly as your hips cant up to meet his thrusts. “Please, m-more…”

The head of his cock grazes against your g-spot with each thrust and you can’t help the moans that bubble past your lips at the feeling.

Jeonghan momentarily flits through your mind again and Jihoon can sense the way you seem to tense up. He bites the inside of his cheek at this, pulling his cock out of you as confusion crosses your features.

“Jihoon, wh--”

“I want you on your hands and knees for me.” He murmurs; using his strength to flip you onto your stomach.

It takes a second for you to catch your bearings, hands planted on the bed sheets as he tugs your ass closer to himself. He repositions his cock at your entrance, bottoming out in a single thrust as he starts a much quicker pace this time.

In this position, he can fuck you deeper, hips slamming into your ass as you slowly slump down against the sheets.

A sharp knock at the door a few minutes later has you gasping as you reach behind you to try and push Jihoon off. He doesn’t budge, instead, smirks at the way your pussy clenches harder around his cock.

“Princess? It’s me.”

Jeonghan.

Jihoon leans over your back, kissing your shoulder once before whispering in your ear. “You should answer him. Before he gets suspicious.” You clear your throat to the best of your ability, brows furrowed when Jihoon reaches a hand around, fingertips on your clit rubbing soft circles.

“Y-yes, Jeonghan?”

“May I come in? I’d like to speak with you.” Your heart pangs in a way you don’t expect, teeth clenched hard when you feel the pleasure starting to peak again.

“I’m, a-ah, so---so sorry, Jeonghan, I’ve already, hah, d-dressed for bed. M--maybe tomorrow? O--over tea, perhaps?” You shakily offer; hoping that he doesn’t barge his way in.

“Right. Of course, my mistake. It’s quite late. I’ll see you for tea tomorrow then. Sleep well.”

You hear his footsteps just as your second orgasm hits you; body seizing up under Jihoon as he continues to fuck you through it.

“Such a naughty little princess, aren’t you? Laying with someone else while your husband-to-be is on the other side of that door. And not only that, but taking your pleasure from someone else inside of you too? My, my.” He teases, eyes flashing the same pale pink in warning.

He pinches your clit between his fingertips, loving the way your body jolts under his touch. “Ngh… Jihoon I---I can’t…” You whine. Your body feels extremely sensitive now that you’d cum twice, but Jihoon laughs lightly as he pulls out from you yet again.

“You’ve taken your pleasure twice now, princess. But what about me?”

Jihoon flips you over yet again; a sheen of sweat on your body and his.

An idea pops into his head, smiling down at you before he, himself, rests against the pillows next to you. “Get on my lap, princess.”

You shakily get up, swinging a leg over him as you situate yourself on his thighs. He helps guide you, hands on your waist until you’re hovering right above his cock. “Stay like this.” Mumbling, he uses a free hand to guide his cock until it’s right at your entrance again. “Now sink down onto my cock, princess.”

Not really knowing how slow or fast to go, you sink down onto his cock in a single motion; the air knocked out of Jihoon and your lungs when you’re finally completely seated on his cock.

You let out a choked cry at the feeling; oversensitivity biting into you already when he places his hands on your waist again. “Mmh, okay, princess, you’re---you’re gonna raise yourself up and down, okay?” Nodding, you brace your hands on his torso, lifting yourself up and dropping yourself back down onto his cock.

The two of you share a moan as you fall into a rhythm; Jihoon planting his feet down flat onto the sheets as his hips cant up to meet your movements. You alternate bouncing on his lap and swiveling your hips, testing different ways and seeing how he reacts.

Jihoon feels his abdomen tightening as he finally feels his orgasm coming, a soft growl on his lips.

“P--princess, I’m---I’m so close.” He whispers harshly, eyes slamming shut as he chases his high. “Touch yourself for me. I want you to feel good with me one more time.”

“J--Jihoon I---I c-can’t…”

“Oh but you can, sweetheart. I can feel you already close again too.” He teases.

Jihoon takes one of your hands from his chest, bringing it to your clit as you blush. “Right here. Make yourself feel good too.” His voice is soft yet alluring and enough for you to slowly rub circles around your swollen clit. You immediately let out a cry, letting Jihoon take the reins again as he fucks up into you.

“Together, princess, with me.”

This time when you cum a few perfectly angled thrusts later, Jihoon does too; hips stuttering and a sultry moan on his lips. Your vision is blurry, tears wetting your eyelashes as you slump over into Jihoon’s chest.

Your entire body shakes; fingertips numb as you let out soft cries against his warm skin. “Jihoon…”

The two of you stay in that position for a while longer and his heartbeat is enough to lull you into a soft slumber, eyes finally welcoming sleep as your tired body lays on top of him.

“That’s right, princess. Go to sleep. You’re tired, aren’t you?” You nod gently, unaware of the way Jihoon smirks down at your head.

“I’ll get you cleaned up and make sure nobody sees you like this.”

You smile gently, warm and sated as you let the sleep take over.

When you wake, the warm sun filters through the curtains.

A smile graces your lips as you blink your sleepy eyes open and something immediately feels off.

This… isn’t my bed?

Your brows furrow in confusion as your vision focuses, taking in your surroundings as you sit up. “Where---where am I?” Mumbling softly, you move to take the covers off of you, noticing immediately that your left leg is bound to the bedpost.

Panic floods your senses; a cold sweat down your temple as you tug on it harshly. “Jihoon!? Jeonghan!? Hello!?”

“Oh, sweetheart, I wouldn’t yell so loudly if I were you. You’ll only hurt your throat.”

Jihoon enters the room with a small tray in hand, placing it on a nearby table as he sits by you on the bed. He shoots you a warm smile; grey eyes permanently a soft pinkish hue.

“Jihoon, where----where is this? Where are we?”

“Oh, that Wonwoo. You know, I traded a great deal to be here with you. But he’s just so selfish.” There’s a soft chuckle on his lips as he shakes his head in thought. “I traded him a life for a week on land. But it’s not enough, you know? He wanted more so I gladly let him have two more for a little bit more time. A month! Can you believe it?”

“J--Jihoon, pl--please, this---why---”

“But don’t worry. I couldn’t kill the Prince. No, no, no even I am not that cruel. But those bodyguards of his… Tsk, such a handful those two. They saw me leaving with you and, my, well… Wonwoo does like a good trade.”

His soft laugh is sweeter than a siren’s call; genuine happiness lacing each second.

“But---but what if they c-come looking f--for me? And---And you know they w-will, Jihoon...”

Jihoon smiles, eyes hollow as he stares out of the window.

He’d already thought of every escape plan in the book.

“Oh my, well… Wonwoo will just have to keep giving me more time with the amount of bodies that will pile up outside of our castle, princess. Don’t you worry your little head.”

“Hey, did you hear about what happened at the castle this morning?”

“Not at all. Do tell!”

“They said they found Prince Jeonghan poisoned! And his bodyguards were found dead in the grand hall!”

“Dead!?”

“Yes! Dead! They’re unsure whether or not the prince will wake… As of right now there’s no suspects or even any hint of who could’ve done it! But the poor princess…”

“What happened to her? Is she alright?”

“Nobody knows. She seems to have been taken, the poor soul. Not a single trace of her existence was left at the castle. It’s like she never existed.”

#woozi smut #yandere!woozi #seventeen smut #svt smut #seventeen fic #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #svt scenarios #woozi scenarios #woozi imagines #jihoon smut #merman!au #merman!woozi #yandere!svt #woozi #jihoon #monstermash!svt

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tea-and-la · 4 years

Text

Rewatching perks of being a wallflower and...

This dialogue reminds me so much of Zuko in his canon relationship:

Charlie : Why do nice people choose the wrong people to date?

Bill : Are we talking about anyone specific?

[Charlie nods]

Bill : Well, we accept the love we think we deserve.

Charlie : Can we make them know that they deserve more?

Bill : We can try.

For starters, meet Zuko, the boy who does not think he’s accepting of love or praise:

(from the Southern Raiders campfire scene where everyone in the gaang raise their glasses to toast Zuko’s heroic actions earlier)

Sorry to bring the “coddling” argument back into play (it really pisses me off), but we see beautiful examples of Zuko receiving emotional validation throughout his time with the gaang (in a way that doesn’t meet the definition of coddling.)

Like THIS:

Aang: You know, Zuko, I don't care what everyone else says about you. [Aang nudges Zuko with his elbow.] You're pretty smart.

Or THIS:

This is actually a great scene to contrast with The Awakening ship scene with Mai. I see a lot of Ma/iko shippers refer to the “I didn’t ask for your life story” as “just a joke.” But let’s look at compare that response to how Toph responded in Ember Island Players.

Toph: [...] Even you seem more down than usual, and that's saying something!

Zuko: You don't get it, it's different for you. You get a muscly version of yourself, taking down ten bad guys at once, and making sassy remarks.

Toph: Yeah, that's pretty great!

Zuko: But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life, and shoves them back in my face. My uncle, he's always been on my side, even when things were bad. He was there for me, he taught me so much, and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret, and I may never get to redeem myself.

Toph: [Sits down next to him.] You have redeemed yourself to your uncle ... Because I once had a long conversation with the guy, and all he would talk about was you.

Zuko: Really?

Toph: Yeah, and it was kind of annoying.

Zuko: Oh, sorry. [looks down, apologetically.]

Toph: But it was also very sweet. All your uncle wanted was for you to find your own path, and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud.

Toph starts off with what could be considered a joke, but then, when she realizes that Zuko IS actually hurting and needs support at the moment, what does she do? She sits down beside him and tries to offer comfort. And from the huge smile on his face while she’s talking, we can assume that he does receive and internalize that comfort.

What I often see from Ma/iko shippers is the assumption that if Zuko receives more emotional support and validation, it would lead to coddling and a lack of holding him accountable his past actions (like blowing up at the party.) But this is wrong because effective support can do BOTH.

Like THIS:

Sokka (talking to Hakoda in the Boiling Rock): Actually, he's on our side now. I know. I had the same reaction. After all he's done, it was hard to trust him. But he's really proven himself.

Even tho Zuko isn’t around to hear Sokka, it’s important to note his choice of words. Sokka acknowledged Zuko’s mistakes but also recognized how far he’s come.

And finally, THIS:

Katara: But I AM ready to forgive you.

Katara is the most poignant example of a character that holds Zuko accountable when he needs to be. She didn’t pull ANY punches out there on that cliff scene. And she doesn’t budge until he has earned her forgiveness. And afterwards, she accepts him warmly and offers plenty of examples of effective emotional validation. (I mean, look at the catharsis of that hug.)

So yeah, I get a little peeved when people try to gatekeep how much support a survivor should get, especially one who so clearly needs words of affirmation. THAT is not coddling, it is called being a supportive friend.

#the perks of being a wallflower #zutara #anti maiko just to be safe #i think both z/uko and m/ai weren't what each other needed especially considering how much changed in three years #and the lack of discussing it from both parties #they're better as friends #we're going to ignore the comics and pretend Bryke left his friendships with the gaang unharmed #this is my first meta so like be easy on me pls

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agentcalliope · 4 years

Note

Azula and Hakoda headcanons post-Azula's healing? *eyes emoji* (I don't mean to make every ask abt Hakoda, but I am trying to be thought-provoking.)

They all offer to come, so she wouldn’t have to do it alone. None of them did it, alone, they say. They all had each other.

She knows that, of course. Aang, Katara and Sokka. Zuko, Toph and Suki. She wasn’t there, for theirs, but they’re all here for hers. Just that is enough. Azula’s been practicing for so long that she’s perfect, and that’s not a lie.

Besides— she won’t be alone, not really.

And so, Hakoda takes Azula ice dodging. The others watch from the shoreline, their figures becoming smaller and smaller until they disappear. It’s just the two of them, Hakoda and Azula, on the cutter sailing ship. The wind whipping at their faces. The sky so, so blue above. Hakoda sits on the deck and sways with the turns and twists as Azula steers, secures the mainsail, and controls the jib. He is calm. She is calm. They both know she is prepared. And when it is over— face red, top knot undone, sweating profusely, breathing heavily, heart pounding, muscles aching— she stands with her shoulders back and head high as Hakoda dips his fingers into black paint and draws it across her forehead. He asks the spirits to bear witness. Azula holds her breath.

She earns the mark of the Trusted.

This? This is not how it began.

Hakoda first hears about Azula through Katara. Knew about her before, of course. The favored heir of Fire Lord Ozai. The prodigy. The weapon. Hakoda holds his daughter close to his chest and squeezes his eyes shut, listening to her breathe Tui and La and she’s alive thank you thank you. Katara tells him about the Agni Kai— Herself. Zuko. Azula. The haunting, agonizing screams. The tears. All Hakoda can think, thanking every spirit out there that Sokka and Katara are alive and okay, is that this girl has tried to kill his children, all these children, over and over again. He cannot forget. He will not forgive.

But she is a child herself, isn’t she? Hakoda sits on the couch, his children leaning against him. Sokka’s on his right and Katara’s on his left. He glances over at Sokka and tucks a strand of hair behind his boy’s ear. Looks over at Katara and watches her eyelids flutter. She murmurs in her sleep and nestles against him. Just children.

Just a child.

Hakoda knows that children are molded and shaped and made by war.

And their mothers.

And their fathers.

Hakoda thinks about Zuko. Fire Lord Zuko. His children whisper when they think he can’t hear. They talk about the Fire Lord. Not Zuko. Zuko keeps visiting him, although it hurts. You can see it in his eyes. I don’t understand. He visits Azula, too. He’s really trying with her. He’s trying so hard.

Dad would never pit us against each other like that. Dad would never hurt us like that.

Here, is a boy with a mark on his face in the shape of a hand. A boy with a sister who was believed to be perfect in every way that he was not. Was loved by their father, when he was not.

Here, is a girl with blue at her fingertips and believed she was perfect and loved until she wasn’t.

And she screamed and cried and broke.

It’s… sad. Hakoda realizes. It’s just. Really, really sad.

He pulls his children closer.

(Hakoda takes Zuko ice dodging. Takes Toph and Suki, too. His children and Aang and Bato and Iroh cheer from the shore, and the smiles on all their faces feels warm enough to melt all the snow and ice in the South Pole.)

(He listens to Katara talk about how Azula apologized to Aang about what happened in Ba Sing Se. Hakoda hears from Sokka that Azula’s living back in the palace, which so far, hasn’t been reduced to ashes. She is trying, they say. She is trying so hard.)

Azula is smaller than he had expected her to be.

Zuko has a hand on her back as he introduces them, and she extends the Flame and bows slightly. Hakoda bows back.

“It’s good to meet you, Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe.” She says.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Princess Azula.” He replies.

She sees Chief Hakoda many times after that. She hasn’t spoken to him since Zuko introduced them, that first time. Why would she? Why would he?

Once, at dinner, Katara jokes with him. No, taunts him. Azula grips the table and waits for his anger and frustration. Instead, he laughs.

Once, Sokka’s losing to Zuko as they practice with blades. Azula stares at Sokka, and then his father. Waits for his displeasure and disappointment. He cups his hands around his mouth, and shouts Go Sokka!

She is learning, and unlearning. This father is... a lesson. He is fascinating.

The man who is chief, who is the father of Katara and Sokka, watches Azula as she practices her katas in the garden. She swallows a biting remark and takes a deep breath, extending her arms and shifting her weight to her front leg. Exhales. Continues on as he leans against a pillar and folds his arms. Slowly, eventually, Azula realizes that she’s okay with this. She doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Or uneasy. It doesn’t feel the way Ozai used to watch her as she flawlessly performed— and she would feel perfect and powerful.

When she finishes, Chief Hakoda waits for her to walk over to him.

She does, and then she, too, waits.

“What do you know about ice dodging?”

She travels to the South Pole with Uncle and the chief.

She’s not sure blue’s a good look on her. It makes her amber eyes look harsh. The people are wary of her, and she understands why. The children hide behind their parents. Of course she understands. The grandmother cooks her food and sews her furs but does so with tight, pressed lips. Of course she understands. It would be hard not to.

Azula spends her days shivering on the ice and sweating on the cutter sailing ship. The chief shouts over the wind, instructing her how to rig the mainsail and steer and no not that! She ducks just in time to avoid the beam of wood. Chief Hakoda is not so lucky. Hand on his stomach, and weezing, Chief Hakoda says it’s okay, Princess, you’re learning. Azula clenches her jaw and forces herself to nod.

She learns, and practices, and practices and learns.

She finds that the Chief is a good teacher.

Slowly, eventually, the children of the tribe giggle when they see her. They aren’t afraid anymore, and beg to see her blue fire and laugh as she tosses it into the air and makes sparks. The people smile and wave as she walks pass. She talks with them, sometimes. Gran-Gran clucks and pinches her cheek, spooning more sea prunes into her bowl. She eats without complaining, nods when Gran-Gran tells her she’s still too skinny. Chief Hakoda becomes Hakoda. Princess Azula becomes Azula.

The cutting sailing ship feels like home beneath her feet.

And honestly, she doesn’t mind wearing blue, so much. Uncle says it compliments her eyes. She knows he’s right.

Hakoda says she’s ready to ice dodge. For real. She knows he’s right, too.

Her brother and his… her… friends come to watch.

They all, even Suki who still has a hard time looking at her (Azula understands, of course), offer to help.

But Azula has a really, really good teacher. And she won’t be alone, not really.

And now, here, Azula stands still and tall as Hakoda draws the paint across her forehead.

She earns the mark of the Trusted.

Azula blinks, makes the Flame with steady, shaking hands, and bows low to ground.

And then, she lets them hug her. Zuko first. Lets him whisper in her ear how proud I’m so proud of you, Azula. And then lets Uncle. He is crying, wiping at his face and holds her close. And then Aang. Katara. Sokka. Toph punches her arm, first, but then hugs her tightly. Suki nods.

Azula meets Hakoda’s eyes, and sees a glimmer of what she always thought she saw in father’s. What she was told was there. What she convinced herself was there. She looks around and sees it in Iroh’s eyes, too.

Azula smiles.

This? This isn’t even the ending. Not even close. This is still the beginning. She is still learning, and unlearning. It will be life long, but spirits Azula’s going to do it.

And she’s not alone.

YE ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE

#azula #hakoda #Zuko #atla #avatar

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sokkastyles · 4 years

Text

It’s so funny when people talk about Zuko and Katara at the end of “The Southern Raiders” like “oh they’re not even friends. They barely tolerate each other” because, um...

We’re not friends but let’s meaningfully stare into each other’s eyes beneath the backdrop of a beautiful amber sunset.

We’re not even friends but I’m gonna fling myself at you...

And embrace you tenderly while you do the same...

Oh wait now the hug’s over, let’s gaze into each other’s eyes some more, my hand resting gently on your shoulder...

I’m walking away but you turn to stare back at me...

Do you know what really makes this, though, that I don’t see talked about a lot? The lingering first person shot of Katara walking away from Zuko’s perspective.

“But sokkastyles,” you exclaim, "if this shot is supposed to be from Zuko’s first person perspective, why is it so low to the ground?”

Well, this is called a low angle shot, and low and high angle shots are a favorite of ATLA used to establish character dynamics and symbolic meaning. When the camera is looking up at a character, the character appears bigger, and thus powerful. When the camera is looking down at a character, that character appears smaller and weaker in comparison. This shot, in particular, with the context of Zuko looking back at Katara, is meant to frame Katara as powerful and strong. Even as the figure of her gets smaller as she is walking away, she is still very large in the shot, about the same height as the gigantic Appa. Look at how small Sokka looks in comparison.

The low angle/high angle shots are frequently used in a negative way, to portray an unbalanced dynamic, such as Zuko and Ozai.

And these shots are also frequently used to frame Zuko and Katara in a specific way:

However, at the end of “The Southern Raiders,” the low angle shot as Katara walks away from the newly forgiven Zuko is very much meant to portray Katara, and her relationship with Zuko, in a positive light. We’re meant to see Katara at the end of this episode as strong and enlightened. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I see this episode as Katara’s spiritual awakening, just as Aang and Zuko also had to go through a spiritual awakening and achieve balance within themselves.

Katara: I wanted to do it. I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but I couldn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or because I'm strong enough not to.

Aang: You did the right thing. Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing.

Katara: [Rises from boardwalk.] But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him. [Smiles at Zuko and walks up to him.] But I am ready to forgive you.

Katara, at the end of this scene, is strong, and her strength exists on her own terms, not someone else’s. As does both her forgiveness of Zuko and her decision not to forgive Yon Rha, and to choose her own middle ground between forgiveness and violence. The shot of her walking away while Zuko looks back at her is meant to convey her as a figure of power, respect, and awe, specifically from his perspective. Zuko was actually looking up at Katara for a long time but the other times it was because he wanted/needed something from her. This time it's because he is seeing her as someone he has a deep admiration for.

And Zuko is STILL facing Katara while telling Aang that he was “right about what Katara needed.” Y’all have heard of “show, don’t tell,” right? What that phrase means is that it’s usually more effective to convey things to your audience through characters’ actions rather than just telling the audience how they’re supposed to interpret something. And what this scene is showing us is at odds with what it’s telling. Zuko says that Aang was right about what Katara needed, but does Katara look like she needs anything from either of them at the moment? Meanwhile Zuko's mouth is moving but all I hear is "I am converting to the church of Katara."

#zutara #katara #zuko #atla meta #the southern raiders

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melzula · 4 years

Text

The Throne

part three

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

summary: Koa greatly underestimates the Princess, but he’s not giving up just yet...

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

The air of dawn is frigid and cold, yet the subtle trembling of your body is not from the chilly climate. The sun has yet to rise and your people are still asleep, the mutiny is just a few hours away, and you find that after hours of tossing and turning it’s better to begin your preparation for the battle ahead than worry yourself to death any longer. Your regular dress has been exchanged for an outfit much more suitable for fighting, your crown replaced by a water tribe emblem pin secured neatly in your hair, and though you normally choose to wear gloves to keep your scars hidden you opt out of using them today. Your wounds are a reminder of your resilience and your strength, and those two attributes are things you’ll desperately need today if you hope to defeat Koa once and for all.

“Princess,” Sokka’s voice whispers from outside your door accompanied by a gentle knock, “my dad and his warriors are here. I kept them out of sight like you asked.”

“I’ll be right out,” comes your quiet reply, and without a moment to waste you follow the boy out of the palace and into the courtyard towards the one blind spot from the watch tower where two of Koa’s guards wait on duty. Just as Sokka said, Hakoda and his men stand waiting and at the ready for the chaos that is to ensue when Koa attempts to over throw you and your mother. The small village Chief bows respectfully in your presence but you wave off the action with a smile.

“There’s no need for formality,” you assure him. “I can’t begin to thank you enough for agreeing to help me.”

“There’s no end in sight to the struggles our village faces with Koa in charge. You have your father’s spirit, Princess, and I know for a fact that there is no one more capable than you to rule our tribe. We will do everything in our power to put an end to his reign one and for all,” Hakoda vows earnestly. “Just say the word and we’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” you utter softly, eyes watering at the mention of your father— would it be terrible of you to admit that you struggle placing his face in your head? You could really use some of Iroh’s famous advice right now...

“You should get back inside,” Sokka says, “if anyone spots you out here this early in the morning they might get suspicious.”

“You’re probably right,” you nod, and without another word the water tribe boy escorts you back into the palace and into your room.

“You have everything you need?” Sokka asks, peering around the room before resting his gaze upon the small pile of unopened letters on your dresser. The red of the Fire Nation insignia is a stark contrast to the soft hues of blue that line your bedroom.

“I have all the evidence together, Kai agreed to speak out against his father, and Hakoda can tell everyone about the neglect the smaller tribes have been facing thanks to Hakoda. Katara is in charge of keeping my mother safe and I’m ready to fight if I have to. Everything is ready.”

“You know, it’s still not too late to make a last minute call to Zuko,” Sokka notes casually only for you to give him a pointed look.

“Sokka...

“I’m just saying, if I were your boyfriend I’d want to know about the fact that there’s someone out there threatening the girl I love.”

“Why bring him into it now when it’s almost over? No calling Zuko,” you reiterate firmly. “And afterward if he wants to be mad at me for keeping it a secret from him then he can; I’ll be able to sleep soundly at night knowing I did it for his own good.”

“I doubt Zuko’s sleeping soundly,” Sokka mutters to himself, his eyes never leaving the stack of scrolls.

For a water bender, you’re very stubborn.

~~~

The steady beat of the soldier’s drums draws the people of your village towards the palace grounds and brings their attention to Koa who stands before the palace door. Mother’s hold their children to their chests and the merchants quickly begin to pack up their goods at the sight of the army of guards that stand before the man. He is confident and sure, heart pounding with anticipation and giddiness as he prepares to take his “rightful” place on the throne. Your father is gone, your mother is weak, and he’s turned your own guards against you; there’s no way for you to save yourself now.

“Princess!” Koa bellows. “Show yourself!”

Everyone watches with baited breath as you emerge from the palace with Sokka right behind you, face stoic and head held high with dignity and grace as you confront your opposers. His eyes glance briefly at your scars before returning back to you, his grin never falters, and neither of you break from each other’s gaze.

“What is the meaning of this?” You ask with feigned obliviousness.

“On behalf of the Southern Water Tribe, I am relieving you and your mother of your duty. No longer will you be leader of a tribe you do not deserve and no longer will you continue to fail your people,” Koa announces for all to hear.

“Do you really speak for everyone?” You retort with a raised brow, and Koa falters slightly at your surprisingly calm demeanor. He expected more of a reaction from someone who was mere seconds away from losing their throne. “Chief Hakoda, please step forward.”

Koa’s eyes widen at the sight of the man who appears from the shadows and joins you on the steps, small gasps and uneasy glances exchanged between those part of the royal tribe as well as Koa’s own guards.

“My name is Hakoda, and I am from one of the smaller outer villages. For years our village has suffered from dwindling numbers and resources as a result of the war. Koa promised us aid, he promised us food and assistance in rebuilding our village, yet we have not received one single thing he has promised us. We were cut off from the rest of the southern water tribe as were the rest of the outer villages the moment he took on the title of chieftain. Everything he has promised you is a lie. Koa is not fit to rule our tribe.”

Quiet murmurs and hushed whispers sound throughout the crowd, and you hold back a smug smile at the anger that flashes across Koa’s face. He wasn’t the only one willing to fight dirty, and he was a fool for believing you’d give up the throne that easily. One thing was certain: Koa had no idea just who he was dealing with.

“Please, I’ve done everything I can to help your people. It’s not my fault you don’t know how to properly use your resources,” Koa spits, but he can sense the tension arising from his men, some who come from the same village as Hakoda.

“I knew of your plan to stage this mutiny against me, and I know of your plan to invade the north,” you retaliate with a stern glare. The faces of his soldiers as well as Koa’s own face pales at your words, and gasps sound throughout the crowd.

“You can’t prove that!”

“I can,” Sokka says firmly. “I went to that secret meeting and heard all about your plans to invade our sister tribe. You don’t care about anything unless it has to do with power.”

“Are you really going to believe these children over me? The man who served as advisor all these years and took care of your needs?!”

“You said every man was expendable.”

“You have no proof!”

“Actually, she does,” a voice pipes up from the crowd, and Koa watches on in horror as his own son joins your side and hands over his journal. “My father keeps all his thoughts and plans in this book, and you can find everything you need to know about him in those pages.”

“Kai?! What are you doing?!” Koa demands only for his son to look away guiltily.

“What you’re doing isn’t right dad, it has to stop.”

“You little water rat,” Koa seethes, “you’ve turned my own son against me! Attack her!”

At the sound of those words Sokka, Hakoda, and his warriors create a wall around you, weapons at the ready to defend you. However, with a small shake of your head their defenses are lowered.

“You don’t want to fight each other. We’re brothers and sisters, this isn’t the way. There can be no era of rebuilding if there is no peace. Koa promised you great things, but he doesn’t care about you the way a leader should. I know you don’t think I’m ready to lead, but I promise you I will do everything in my power to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe and bring it back to its rightful glory. All you have to do is trust me.”

The air is thick with tense silence as your people exchange quiet glances with one another, both you and Koa watching on with baited breath, but then one of the men slowly removes his helmet before tossing it to the ground and lowering onto one knee. His eyes meet your own in quiet remorse and you smile faintly in appreciation, eyes beginning to water at the meaningful gesture. To Koa’s dismay many of the other men follow suit until only a handful of his followers remain.

“No... no! You fools! Get up! Don’t let her trick you!”

“Your reign is over Koa,” you announce for all to hear. “You will be removed from the palace and tried for your acts of treason against the water tribes. It’s over.”

“Not yet,” Koa vows, eyes narrowing at your figure with rage and hatred. You have too much of your father’s spirit in you, something that he loathes more than anything.

A sudden blast of snow is shot in all directions, blocking your view and prompting Sokka to quickly pull you close and shield you with his body. Disoriented and startled, no one is able to detect Koa’s quick exit, and when the smoke clears the man is gone.

“Should we go after him?” One of Hakoda’s men asks, but you simply shake your head.

“He has nowhere to run,” you say, your gaze far off and distant as you look towards the horizon. “He’ll be back...”

~~~

Things are slowly but surely starting to get back on track and you can’t complain. After Koa’s disappearance you were left with his remaining men, and despite the fact that they’d been so willing to betray you you were able to forgive them with ease. They were desperate, lost, and looked to someone they thought they could trust to help them; how could you fault them for wanting better? You felt it would be too cruel to throw them in jail or punish them, so instead you came up with the agreement that they would help rebuild and deliver supplies to the outer villages in desperate need of care. Your mother was back on the throne and in change, and you both had agreed that Hakoda would serve as your new advisor. Yes, everything was shaping up nicely for your tribe and you couldn’t be happier.

You’re late for dinner, this much you know, but you’re too engrossed in the new plans Hakoda has sent you in regards to new structures for the outer tribes that will strengthen their defenses to get up now. Katara and Sokka are probably waiting for you, enjoying their time home before they must return and resume their work on the Restoration Movement, but you doubt they’ll mind if you’re a little late— well, Sokka won’t mind as long as he can still eat in your absence.

With your back to the door, you hear a gentle knock and call out a quiet “come in,” as you assume it must be Katara or Sokka calling you to dinner, but the harsh slam of the door immediately has you on your feet. A shadowy figure stands before you, and you waste no time pulling the water from the air and shooting sharp blasts of ice towards the intruder with your fists. They are fast, agilely dogging your attacks and barrel rolling out of the way before tossing sharp darts in your direction. The wall of ice you form manages to block most of them, but one needle strays and nicks your arm. You cry out in pain, and when you attempt to raise your arms to bend you find that you can’t move at all. It’s as if your body slowly begins to shut down before finally your knees give out and you collapse to the floor.

“N-No,” you gasp out, trying to move but to no avail.

“Shishu spit darts. Hard to come by in the water tribe, but I have my ways,” the sinister voices says, and your heart immediately drops to your stomach at the familiar tone.

“Koa...”

“Did you miss me, Princess?” He smirks, slowly removing his hood before towering over you. “I told you it wasn’t over yet. I’d never let myself lose to the likes of you.”

“Why are you doing this?” You whisper in a trembling voice, adrenaline and fear coursing through your veins at the sight of the sharp dagger in his hand.

“When your father died in battle it removed a great weight from my shoulders. I wouldn’t have to worry about him any longer, and I knew your mother would be too feeble minded to fight my suggestions of temporary placement on the throne. But you... my, you were just too stubborn for your own good. I had hoped you’d stay in the Fire Nation with Prince Zuko, but when you returned it made things much more complicated. You see, I underestimated you the first time. But now, with you helpless at my feet, I’m going to take care of you once and for all.”

The dagger raises and you shut your eyes tight in preparation for your death, but the blade never comes. Instead, the weapon is knocked out from Koa’s grasp by a very familiar boomerang.

“Get away from her!” Sokka cries fiercely. He attempts to charge at the man, but Koa is quick and manages to evade Sokka’s grasp before running out into the hallway. “Guards, stop him!”

You watch from the corner of your eye as a group of men rush past your doorway in pursuit of Koa, oblivious to Sokka’s movements as he scoops you up off the ground and rushes you to his sister in hopes that she can somehow heal you of the poison.

“How did you know he was here?” You manage to ask him.

“I didn’t. Katara sent me to come get you for dinner because she knew if I didn’t you’d spend all night looking over those plans my dad sent you,” Sokka says seriously. “Y/n, you we’re almost killed!”

“I’m sorry...”

Sokka, realizing the harshness of his tone, lets out a small sigh. “It’s not your fault, but I have to put my foot down here. We obviously can’t fight Koa on our own anymore, we have to get help.”

“Sokka, what are you saying?” You utter uneasily, reluctant to hear the answer you know is coming.

“We have to tell Zuko about Koa.”

| tags: @rainteslerrrr @simpinforsukka @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @coldlilheart @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @zukh03s @taeeemin @user12345321 @just--artemis--with--ghost @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @djskfkdkkf @xapham @yeetletzgetitjae @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 @kiwihoee @freggietale @neighborhoodpansexualdisaster @noodlesfluffy @moon-spirit-yue @bubblegum-bee-otch

#oh boy #a bit anticlimactic but trust me it pays off #zuko #zuko x reader #zuko imagine #prince zuko #prince zuko x reader #prince zuko imagine #zuko and the princess #sokka #sokka x reader #hakoda #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla x reader #atla imagine #fire lilies #the throne

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lapinmiel · 3 years

Text

Mirror, Mirror

Felix and OC (Female), 1,8K. (Part 1)

Phoebe’s life was never one of an adventure, even as a vampire — after being discovered by the Volturi for her talent, she finds herself running away from the world’s most powerful organization, and soon she finds herself in a complete lie and truth situation, with the anchor of her lover leading her to his side.

Part 1, Part 2

None of the nights were calm anymore, it was always a chaser behind, and there was always an obstacle to be faced ahead. Days were filled with blood and dread, and she wished she could close her eyes for a night and never wake up again.

He called it “teenage dread” which made her very sad and furious, because she had been alive for fifty years now, how the hell could she have a teenage dread now? She had never heard it before anyway, she was past her teens — more like early twenties, but she didn’t remember her birthday. Her thoughts were like water droplets in a bucket of water swaying left to right, purely disordered.

And now, she was dealing with another threat: the damn Volturi were after her.

The night they realized there was a vampire out there who could mirror any talent was the night her life as a free vampire had ended. She had never seen the Volturi before, but she’d heard about them from Saladin’s stories, and all those were horrible. From executing clans to poaching lone vampires, they gained form as soulless monsters in her imagination, and she was not ready to face them.

And when the night of her planned poaching had come, she was surprised, because even Jane, the little one was a monster in her mind but, she was barely half of her height, which made things complicated for her. She knew she could kill Jane in a heartbeat, it was one of her skills after all, but would she feel comfortable killing a child? She didn’t know, but she realized she would have to do it one day rather quickly.

“Phoebe.” Jane’s dead, stone-cold voice had traveled the air and reached her. “I propose you join us, and we will let your creator be free.”

It wasn’t an easy choice. It wasn’t a choice. Saladin had told her before, the Volturi does not forgive. The Volturi does not tell the truth. If she joined them, Saladin would be dead by dawn, and she would have to spend her whole life serving for three marble like (but much uglier) creatures to death. Her aspirations didn’t fit theirs, and her sense of freedom definitely wasn’t a thing that they could inspire. It wasn’t the right band of people to be sent to offer a union anyway, a little agony machine, a man with eyes of mischief and another one with a door like figure that looked like it would take him a single wrong lettering of a name to crush your skull to a jelly. Besides, the men looked slightly attractive, and it wasn’t for the easy lover like Phoebe to resist men like that easily.

She refused. No hesitation was found in her noise, no twitching of hands — and in a second of leaves falling from the trees, she felt thousands of needles trying to penetrate through her skin. Her mind took action in an instant and the three vampires fell on the ground. She used the chance to turn around and tell Saladin to run away, but he had already, and when she tried running, she felt something around her neck.

The arm, or whatever it was that choked her, felt like a tight rope, much like when she was drowning in her human life. She tried putting her hand around it, but the force was far too powerful for her to slip her hand.

Then she acted out on her instinct, and kicked the figure behind her. The arm around her neck loosened, and she used the moment to run away.

It had been five days since the night happened, and they hadn’t stopped for more than two hours. “If we stop, they will find us.” Saladin had said to her earlier, he told her that the shorter man was called Dimitri, and he could find anyone, anywhere. He couldn’t risk staying in a place more than a couple of hours because he knew the Volturi would bring a whole army to poach Phoebe, and it wouldn’t matter whether his shield would be working or not. They had penetrators anyway, and he wasn’t looking to die in at least three hundred years from that moment on. They were running for hours, hunting, and running again. Saladin knew the Volturi were tracking their footsteps, and Demetri was on their necks like a crow.

It had been three hours since they’d stopped on a mountain in north Asia, and soon, it was going to be the time to move.

Phoebe had been thinking to say something for days, and the mountain range, which she didn’t know the name at, gave her the feeling of what would happen if I said, it doesn’t matter, and she wanted to go for it.

“You know what, Saladin.” She said in a breath. Saladin was busy with finishing his food. “I’m gonna say it.”

He looked up with curious eyes.

Phoebe poked the hand of her victim on the ground to fend off nervousness.

“You are the reason that we are running away now.” She looked up at Saladin. His eyes showed no emotion other than curiosity. “If you hadn’t put your shield down on the forest, we wouldn’t be here. We would be looking for Zareen like you wished.”

Saladin, licking the blood on his lips, got up and stood on the place like a mannequin. Phoebe was relieved now, because her thoughts had reached the belonging place, and now she could deal with his bickering for a couple of days. Better than keeping thoughts in a locked up place.

“Well, I am.” Much to her surprise, Saladin wasn’t angry. “But you must accept that it wasn’t intentional. I was distracted by the human. If I wasn’t, nothing would have happened.”

“Yeah, that’s the point.” She said. “If you weren’t. You should keep your guard up all times. You hadn’t one time, and we are being hunted down by the Volturi and you are probably going to get burned like a witch at a stake as if it was the Middle Ages!”

“I’m not you, Phoebe! My talent doesn’t work on its own, I have to focus on it.”

“I know.” She was feeling guilty for telling him what she thought now. It felt ungrateful.

“It doesn’t matter. We will survive this.” Saladin took a step towards her and put his hand on her shoulder. “We are going to find Zareen, and we are going to erase our existence from our world.”

He smiled, and embraced her tightly.

She knew it wasn’t completely his fault. She knew that it was a distraction that caused this all, yet, she couldn’t forgive him completely. No, it wasn’t a matter of forgiveness — it just felt wrong. It felt wrong that after living fifty years in peace, she now had to run away, and if they couldn’t find Zareen, they had to do it for their whole life. God knew how long would that be.

She was already getting bored with her life. Living in the shadows, hunting people, overpowering every being on the planet, being indestructible. A weakness was lacking, and her talent didn’t help at all. She was presumably the luckiest person in existence, and perfection was boring after spending decades being it.

After Saladin released her from his hug, they started running again. Hours and minutes were as light as a bird’s feathers, and later, they found themselves in the southern regions of the continent.

After hours of running, they stopped again, another mountain by a big city. Saladin felt like the place was quiet enough for him to catch any sound that sounded peculiar, and Phoebe thought that the trail around the mountain was the perfect place to hunt humans. They quickly ran around the mountain for a possible prey, and they fed on him to his last drop of blood once they found him. Within seconds, they felt powerful again.

In that little euphoria of feeding, Phoebe caught the glimpse of a plane flying right above their head. Her eyes glimmered. She turned and looked at Saladin to see whether he was thinking the same thing, but no, he definitely was thinking about his meal.

“Saladin.” Her voice brought surprise to Saladin again.

When he looked at her, she pointed upwards to the plane, but still, Saladin’s eyes were oblivious as ever. Maybe it is his old age, she thought.

“We can use planes.”

Saladin furrowed his brows.

“We can use planes to stop the Volturi from finding us. We’ll sneak into the cargo compartments during take off, and you’ll use your shield throughout the journey. When we land, we feed and look for Zareen. Then the Volturi will be confused.”

Saladin finally understood. Phoebe often felt like following him was a mistake, because despite his brilliant plans, he was often too slow at understanding her plans.

“They won’t be able to track us without thinking that something is wrong.”

“Yes!” Phoebe’s excitement was flowing through her veins. “No vampire uses technology. And I wasn’t born a thousand years ago.”

Saladin gave a quick smile. They agreed on the plan, and they quickly finished their meals. They arrived at the airport soon after. Phoebe offered playing a little game to choose which plane to sneak in, but Saladin, being his no-bullshit self, refused it, and choose the biggest plane. The logic behind it wasn’t clear to Phoebe, because he had never traveled by plane before, how could he know which plane flew where? Phoebe didn’t know it either, but judging from the size, it was likely going to America.

The plane they chose came to the runway about an hour later. They were waiting by the airport fences. When he felt ready, Saladin told Phoebe to run and lead him. She did as he wanted — just when the plane was about to start its engines, she run and entered the plane from the back tires.

The space was enormous, and Saladin look terrified. He knew he wouldn’t die even if something happened, and he knew that planes were completely safe after what Phoebe told him about them, but being in such a foreign object was giving him an extremely uneasy feeling, as if he was a human again and was sick with nausea. Taking off part felt like he was flying, not the machine, and after spending long hours, lading felt like falling.

The terror in his eyes when Phoebe told him to hold on to somewhere on the top of the compartment was remarkable, and Phoebe couldn’t contain her laughter when he saw him looking like a little scared puppy. While they were holding to the cables and parts of the plane, the tires got lowered, and for once Saladin felt thankful for his vampirism. At least I won’t be crushed by this thing, he thought.

Just as when the plane was getting out of the runway, Phoebe and Saladin jumped off the plane and run to the nearest fences. They jumped through them, and started running again.

It took a couple of seconds for Phoebe to realize it wasn’t morning and that they didn’t have to run away. She slowed down and told Saladin to do the same too. He came close to her to get her in his shield.

But it didn’t take long. The feelings that settled in Phoebe was not relaxation, but fear.

Because the signs on the streets didn’t read any English words. The people around them were not speaking English either. It was melodic, much more than her own language. And it was terrific too, because they were trying to run away from their hunters, not land in their homeland.

From the Writer: Just a heads up, my first language is not English and I struggle with choosing tenses when writing. If you see “had been” mixed with “was” or thing like that, please inform me. I can’t really differentiate them. By the way, Phoebe is not read the regular “Phee-bee” way, it’s more like “Pho-ee-bee”, because that’s how I pronounce it lol.

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