#I’m really happy with how shading turned out in this comic especially it was first time really trying my hand in doing this type of shading

[loopyarts]

(Read left to right :3c)

A one page manga inspired comic based in my strange little cursed Vs bros Au.

Here’s a link https://www.tumblr.com/loopyarts/742616149713354752/my-version-of-what-if-somehow-sanji-got-cursed-or?source=share to the original post for more context on this little Au of mine.

He he even as de-aged little guy with kinda amnesia. Ichiji inner most likely very buried deep within his heart big brother instincts are still kicking in despite well him not using them very much as a wee lad.

[mamashenanigans]

AFO Bad Ending Event Winners!!!

@possiblycringe and I are happy to announce our winners for writing and art! This was INCREDIBLY difficult and I can honestly say that the differences between any rank is “by a hair”!

Everyone’s work was outstanding and I’m honored to have so many talented people interested in this event!

Writing

So, let me reiterate how incredibly difficult this was! Everyone’s work was SO DAMN GOOD! This meant, I had to go with my gut and what endings satiated my AFO loving self! I also took into account how the story worked with the inevitable bad ending.

1st: Katydid’s Erase These Scars @aimportantdragoncollector

Katydid submitted three works for the event for each type of bad ending. This work, however, hit me differently. I’m a sucker for whump and following Yoichi’s struggle with trauma and how his brother evolves to understand him(the best AFO can) was a very interesting read. AFO won in the end, but Yoichi won’t ever be the same, as is true for anyone living with trauma.

2nd: Ginko’s Learned Helplessness @ginkotracks

This was a hard read and I couldn’t help but tear up throughout this story of reconditioning and helplessness. I like how the ending can be taken as AFO finally winning…or a nobody wins scenario thanks to the reveal of a certain “savior”. I’ve never read a fic that tackles this type of very believable canon divergent plot!

3rd: Space-Cryptid’s if the devil don’t take me, hell will @space--cryptid

Not going to lie, I had Coffeeandtoastforbreakfast’s submission in my head reading this, but most importantly, the horrific AFO in the OFA vestige world sketch they did as a follow up! I loved how AFO was so sure of himself in his win here, but Yoichi turned the tables and pulled a fast one resulting in a heartbreaking ‘nobody wins’ ending! Cryptid also did an alternative bad ending for their collab fic with Katydid, “Perennial Bloom” which was also very “bad”! Check that out too!

Honorable Mention: Silver’s Lost Treasures

I love a good alternate universe and this one was very interesting with the initial setting of an old boat taking AFO back home after finding an important treasure in the deep jungle. The relationship between Yagi and his son, in this AU, Izuku, was very well done. AFO being a maddening, manipulative, rich creep was amazing. What’s more…I just couldn’t help but have flashbacks to my youth loving the movie ‘Anaconda’, especially when Yagi is almost drowned by what I tell myself was most definitely an Anaconda! The end is frustrating for the reader, but in a good way! You can really feel Izuku’s sorrow!

As an honorable mention, I will write a 500 word snippet if you decide to do that!

Art

I know @possiblycringe was definitely a mess trying to figure out who should get #1 and, just as with the writing submissions, entries won by “a hair”!

1st: Coffeeandtoastforbreakfast’s AFO destroying all the OFA holders except his brother within the OFA mindscape! @coffeeandtoastforbreakfast

Possiblycringe says that this is a MASTERPIECE of color!

2nd:FDBlaize and their comic about AFO hoarding “parts” of each wielder @fdblaize

Possiblycringe loved the pacing and amazing shading!

3rd:Redoaktree’s AFO and his minions @redoaktreehill

Possiblycringe just loves these snippets given life through redoak’s art!!

Obtaining Your Prize

Prizes are on a first come, first serve basis! As soon as you see this post, please contact ME to tell me if you want an art piece or a written prize! I will contact possiblycringe to let them know if you want an art prize!

For both: please state what you want (written or art) and then give a prompt! We’ll both get started as soon as we can!

Please note, we are both very busy people and will definitely get your prize done, but do give us time!

Thanks again, everyone, for partaking in the first ever AFO Bad Ending Event! I hope to do this again next year….unless Horikoshi REALLY pisses me off. Lol!

[rbp-art]

“BOY PARTS is the incendiary debut novel from Eliza Clark, a pitch-black comedy both shocking and hilarious, fearlessly exploring the taboo regions of sexuality and gender roles in the twenty-first century.”

After reading this book, I was struck with the idea of designing a piece of cover art that captured the essence of the story. A scene that stuck out to me involved Irina, the protagonist, photographing a young man while he wore a rabbit mask to conceal his identity, and taking advantage of him with flimsy excuses for consent (‘he didn't say no, he didn't push me off of him,’ etc.). A consistent theme throughout the novel is Irina refusing to let herself be victimized, insisting on remaining in control regardless of the dire situations she finds herself in, and not caring who she hurts in her journey to power and fame.

The imagery of her victim being a rabbit - a symbol of a weak prey animal, always hiding in burrows and running from predators, unable to defend itself with teeth or claws - just amplifies Irina as a hunter, someone with a predatory nature, and I wanted to utilize that in my design.

My first concept was the rabbit in a vulnerable pose, smaller and rounder and soft-looking, while Irina takes up the foreground and looms over him with sharp edges and triangular shapes. I knew right away that I wanted to use a red and blue palette, both for the colour theory associated with them, and as a play on the ‘blue is for boys, pink is for girls’ idea that's so commonly touted as The Way Things Should Be. The male victim being coloured in baby blue, cowering beneath a sharp, red, female abuser, tells a visual story that's apparent to the viewer and captures the dynamic of their relationship throughout the novel.

The second idea I had was a close up of the rabbit masks’ eye reflecting Irina as she photographs her subject. The fact she cannot see under the mask, can't see his face, and doesn't see his tears, is a large part of her justifying her assault in the story. She sees what she wants to and cares only about herself and the footage she's capturing. I think the victim's face being obscured while Irina is the focal point of the shot is very poignant and highlights her self-centered nature and the dismissal of everyone else around her, so this is the concept I chose to develop.

I wanted to experiment with a more metaphorical depiction of a predator, so I tested out two designs. One shows Irina as she actually appears, and one shows the photographer transformed into a snarling wolf, leering over her prey and wielding her camera - her sword and shield.

I also decided to give some more movement to the rabbit, letting him raise his hand to defend himself from the flash - or possibly to pose for the camera? With his face obscured, there’s no way for the viewer to fully interpret his body language and understand his emotions. All we see is Irina’s point of view and the story she chooses to tell.

Upon painting both versions, I have a preference for the first image, where the photographer is presented as human. The dull, dead look in her eyes is a stark contrast to the bright, reflective ones of the rabbit, and I personally think the shading looks smoother and more appealing to the eye. I’m also happy with the effect of the text and how it creates 3 distinct bands of red against a mostly blue background, drawing the viewer’s eye to the centre of the piece.

Here I’ve created a mockup to see how this design would look as an actual book cover. I usually create simple illustrations or comics just for fun, so working on a piece with the goal of communicating an idea, appealing to a potential audience, and making a product was a fun challenge. I put more thought into the composition and colour, went outside of my usual box (flat colouring, cartoony style), and made something I’m proud of. Overall I’m very pleased with how this turned out. It’s very similar to what I visualized and I especially think the colour choices really help to get across the theme of vulnerability and power dynamics.

If I was to do this project again, I’d spend more time practicing digital painting, study fur patterns for the rabbit head, and research other artists for inspiration before jumping into it, so the end result would be more polished. I’d also like to explore the unused concept of the rabbit and photographer both being in frame, possibly leaning into the cartoon caricature style to create a stylised piece.

[progenycursed]

Progeny Cursed Chapter 3

The Pale King tests the purity of the vessel. 

First | Previous | Next

Void Translations 

Quick guide: 

() is referencing a person and due to the nature of void speak, don’t have direct translations.  [] a void callout. Type of call based on shape of lines. The closer to a circle, the louder the call. Intensity based on how many rings {} memories. Recalling past moments ** emotions. Little particle effects floating around their head <> physical feeling.  Lines/arrows in speech: single line=direction. Double line=a word/part of the sentence.  Solid line=present tense. Dotted line=future tense. Hollow line=past tense 

Pg 1 ? (You)? Why (siblings) behind door (us) in front Why door closed? Can’t (you) hear (me)

Pg 3 (Sibling)?! *happy* (Sibling)

Pg 4 (Sibling) hurt! What beyond light hurt (sibling)?

Don’t react Whatever thrown at, don’t react 

(Sibling)?!

Run

Pg 5 No no nonononono

(Sibling) run!

…

(Sibling)!!

Pg 6 Reacting means, attacked? Hurt? Killed? (Me) can’t rejoin (siblings) (Them) attack-hurt (sibling) Don’t react

Pg 7 {tests} don’t react {no mind} Don’t move don’t think don’t react

Pg 9 don’t react {no will} {no will} means go until toy get or collapse go forever

Pg 10 {no mind} means charge forward no tactics Don’t rest don’t think don’t react

Pg 12 Cant stand

Pg 14 *happy* *nervous* Don’t react *wonder/awe*

Pg 15 <pain>  Don’t pull away  Don't react  *wonder*

Pg 16 &lt;PAIN> pain! don't react don't react don't react  Don't react stop shaking don't react stop shaking 

Pg 17 {tests} how pain fit, no fit no think, no fit no will, no fit no speak Whatever thrown, don’t react  Stop shaking stop shaking Can’t stop shaking  Don’t react. Don’t react

Pg 18 *scared* !Ru- NO! Don’t run. Don’t react Don’t react don’t react Don’t collapse 

Pg 20 *shock* No. (It) not shade (It) possibly friendly  [greeting] (You) friendly or (you) angry? (Me) leave room?

Pg 21 *alert* (me) am {it} Can’t leave room and Can’t return door (Me) can’t rejoin (siblings)

Pg 22 *sad* (Siblings) concerned waiting (Sibling) don’t react warning *guilt* (Sibling) falling (Them) dead (Them) watch (me) leave, uncaring (Them) Calling help Scared by (me) not helping

Pg 23 *grief* If could break command then could have saved (them) But didn’t break command so (them) dead *despair*  (I) killed (them)

General

Head cannon that the Pale King changes the way his cloths look. Some days he feels like being minimal, others like being fancy. Then there are some days where he rolls out of bed but doesn’t want to unwrap from the blanket, thus his getup in chapter 1 and 2. 

There are parts of this chapter that I’m really proud of. The entire spring scene really, but I’m especially fond of the tilted shot on page 18. And the water turned out great too. 

I’ve been fighting myself to not create a whole new language for the void speak so people could just look at the pictures and deduce what is being said, but I’m quickly realizing that isn’t going to be possible. All this brought on by trying to show the difference between ‘don’t’ and ‘can’t’. Nail in the coffin brought to you by the ‘if-then’ statement on the final page. I’ll be working on that for a bit and it will likely be getting updated as the comic progresses. So anything I post about it will probably get regular updates. 

Thanks again to @fadedflame for proof reading the comic. Go check out their blog for some amazing Detroit Become Human fan fictions.

[xocasper]

First Time for Everything

Pairing: Gerard Way x Reader Summary: Mikey is your best friend, and you have an unfortunate crush on his older brother, Gerard. When you discover that Gerard likes you too, it leads to an afternoon of exploration. (aka high school!au with super virgin basement!gerard) Warnings: NSFW content Tags: oral sex, mega virgin!gerard Word Count: 2306 A/N: I literally hate this with every fiber of my being but I was too far in to quit. Gonna go write some relatively kinky shit to validate myself.

Today was Friday, and arguably the best day of the week, especially for you. Every Friday after school, you would walk home with your friend Mikey, and spend the rest of the day at his house, watching movies and eating junk food. You weren’t very popular, but you did have a small circle of friends outside of him who would always try to tell you that high school is the best years of your life, and you should be out doing something fun. To you, “something fun” meant spending time with Mikey, and sometimes his brother Gerard.

Gerard was a year older than you two, but he didn’t think of you as little kids, unlike the other seniors. He was quiet, and spent a lot of time in his room, only emerging if Mikey coaxed him out. He also happened to be very cute. You wanted to hold his hand and kiss him softly, watching for the pretty shade of pink that had dusted his cheeks any time he spoke to you. You weren’t sure if he was shy around everyone or just you, but it didn’t matter. Even if he liked you too, Mikey was your best friend and you couldn’t just date his older brother.

The sound of the bell ringing woke you from your daydreams, and you haphazardly tossed your schoolwork into your bag, rushing to your locker to meet Mikey. You heard footsteps stop next to you, but instead of your friend, you were face-to-face with his brother.

“Mikey got picked up for a doctor’s appointment a little while ago,” he told you, fiddling with the straps of his backpack. “He didn’t remember it until today, so he asked if I could walk with you instead? I drove here though, so we wouldn’t be walking, and you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You could come over later once he’s home or something, I know adults always say not to get into strangers’ cars-”

You stifled a laugh as he rambled, staring at the floor as he went on. “A ride would be great, thank you. And you’re not a stranger, you’re my friend.”

He looked slightly surprised, “We’re friends?”

“Do you want to be more than that?” you joked, and his head shot up, eyebrows raising slightly. “What?”

“I’m kidding,” you said as you began heading towards the doors of the school, Gerard trailing behind you. You almost missed the faint frown on his face as he mumbled an “oh”, and you had to bite back a grin as you walked outside. This could be fun.

Neither of you spoke until you got into the car, and he started apologizing profusely for the mess, which was really only a few snack wrappers and school papers.

The ride to his house was filled with the low hum of the radio, mixed with a slightly awkward conversation about school and other mundane things. You wanted him to open up a bit, maybe get him to touch on a topic he was passionate about. Mikey had told you that he was really into comics, so you ran with that.

“Mikey said you like comics,” you said, more as an offhand comment with hopes of him expanding on it.

“He did?” he turned to look at you, a small smile ghosting across his face. You nodded your head and the next thing you knew he was chatting away about a new series he was reading.

It was sweet how happy he was to be talking about something he enjoyed, even more because you were interested in what he had to say.

When you pulled into the driveway, he got out first, scooting around to the passenger side to open the door for you. He blushed that same pretty pink as you smiled at him, following him inside.

“Do you want to do something while you wait for Mikey? I can stay up here if you want, not that I don’t trust you or anything, you’ve been coming over forever, but I wouldn’t want you to be lonely.” The awkward rambling returned, and so did the urge to kiss him. “C’mon, let’s go see what’s on TV.” You made a bold move and held his hand as you pulled him into the living room, his mouth opening and closing, wanting to say something but the words were caught in his throat.

He kept some distance between the two of you, fumbling a bit as he reached for the remote. It was almost funny how flustered he got over something as simple as hand-holding, and you were honestly wondering if he’d even spoken to a girl before. 

You could feel his eyes on you, but yours stayed glued to the television. It was a cartoon you’d never seen before, and you really had no interest in it, but it felt nice to have him watching you. It wasn’t creepy like most guys, more like endearing. This continued for about five minutes and you figured he had spaced out or something, but when you turned to look at him, he whipped his head away.

A small laugh escaped you and he buried his face in his hand, embarrassed that he was caught despite how blunt his staring was. You shifted to face him, leaning against the arm of the couch, and stared right back at him. He frowned a bit, “Why are you staring at me?”

“Because I think you’re pretty,” you said, and his eyes squinted questionably. “Have you ever kissed someone before?”

“What?!” he looked floored, and for a moment you thought you’d overstepped. You raised an eyebrow at him, and he shook his head almost shamefully. “Do you want to?”

He was silent for a moment, shock scribbled across his face. After a moment he nodded but remained glued to his seat. You moved over to him, placing his hands on your hips, one of yours resting against his cheek, the other on his chest. He looked nervous as you leaned in, but didn’t back away.

He tensed a bit as you kissed him, unsure of what to do, but he did some damn good improv by the end of it. His eyes fluttered open as you pulled away, lips still parted as you caressed his skin. Everything about him was soft and warm, and it made you feel that way as well.

Finally, he found the ability to speak. “Can we do that again?”

He had a better idea of what to do the second time around, kissing back tenderly, and relaxing a bit. Cautiously, you slid your hand through his hair, tugging lightly, and a quiet moan rolled off his tongue. He broke away and you retracted your hands, getting ready to apologize, but he beat you to it.

“Sorry,” he pouted, eyebrows knitted together in worry. “I didn’t mean to... moan.” He cringed a bit as he said it, but you assured him that it was alright.

“Hey, you don’t have to apologize. If you’re moaning, that means I’m doing something right,” you told him, and he nodded in understanding.

“You’re doing everything right.” He smiled at you, and butterflies swarmed your stomach. You glanced at the clock behind him; only fifteen minutes had passed, and there was no sign of Mikey. 

Shit, Mikey.

You hated killing the moment, especially with how much more you were willing to give him, but he was probably thinking the same thing anyway.

“What about Mikey?” you asked, and his smile dropped. “Oh shit, you guys are together?!” He was struck with panic and immediately moved away from you, looking absolutely horrified.

“No! God no, Gerard.” You reached for his hand, which he reluctantly gave to you. “I mean that I’ve liked you for ages, I just didn’t think this far in advance. Mikey never said ‘hey! don’t fuck my brother!’ but I don’t want him to freak out anyway.”

He turned cherry red as you spoke, “Don’t what my brother?”

Oh. That wasn’t supposed to come out. You were mortified, stomach churning with anxiety and embarrassment as he stared at you, begging for you to elaborate. “Fuck, no, well yeah, but no, I didn’t mean to say that,” you stammered. “I mean I would if you wanted to, but we just kissed so I’m not really counting on getting laid today.”

He pondered your response for a few seconds before giving his own. “You think about me like that?” You nodded slowly, knowing you had brought this on yourself. “I think about you like that sometimes,” he told you, studying you closely.

You slowly regained your confidence, now knowing that he wasn’t uncomfortable with anything, just a bit sheepish. You pulled him back over to you, his eyes flickering down to your lips again.

“Yeah?” you breathed, gazing at him through your lashes. “Yeah,” he mumbled, and this time he kissed you.

It was different from the other two, there was a trace of neediness in it. Tentatively, he pulled you into his lap, placing his hands back on your waist and squeezing ever so gently. Your arms draped around his neck, occasionally moving them to run your hands through his hair.

He whined as you tugged on it again, and you took the opportunity to slide your tongue past his lips, another moan escaping him. You went slowly, not using too much, swirling it against his as he let you lead. Everything was new to him, and boy, was he enjoying it. 

You left sweet kisses on his neck, sucking softly on his pale skin, knowing full well that the bruises would be obvious later. He shifted beneath you, trying to subtly relieve the discomfort in his jeans. Unfortunately for him, his hard-on was rubbing right up against your thigh, making his actions incredibly clear.

“You don’t have to do anything,” he mumbled, and you lifted your head to look at him. “Do you want me to stop?” you asked, getting ready to climb off his lap. “No! No, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to do something, y’know?”

God, he was so sweet. “Hey, you’re not forcing me to do anything,” you told him, pressing your lips to his jaw. “Ever gotten a blowjob before?”

“I hadn’t even been kissed before today and you think I’ve had one?” He stared at you incredulously, and you shrugged your shoulders. “I’m all for unconventional relationships.”

“No, I haven’t had a blowjob before,” he said, glaring at you playfully. Snickering, you raised your hands in mock defense. “Then I’m honored to give you your first.” He shifted once again, and you finally slid down to the floor.

He probably could’ve come at the mere sight of you on your knees, mouth falling open as you took off his jeans. His boxers were tight, erection practically begging to be set free. He was big, there was no doubt about it.

You kissed up his thighs and stroked him gently over the fabric before tugging it down, watching as his head tipped back at the lightest of touches. You paused as his dick sprung free, “You’re pretty.” He looked down at you, confused, breath catching in his throat as he saw the way you looked at him; every part of him. His dick was thick and pale, tip a deep blush, leaking with precum, and just as pretty as the rest of him. He hissed as you wrapped a hand around him, your tongue darting out to taste him. You swirled it teasingly, jerking him just as slow, while he fought the urge to buck into your mouth.

You pitied him a bit after he mumbled an almost inaudible “please”, and finally took him into your mouth. He kept one hand on the back of your head, the other clenched in a tight fist. His hips jumped a few times, sending him farther down your throat than you would’ve liked, but with each movement came a curse and a mumbled apology. A chorus of moans spilled out of him as he got closer to coming, and you wondered why you hadn't done this sooner.

You picked up the pace while he writhed beneath you, and the way your name fell from his lips had you moaning around him too. He looked beautiful, all flushed and disheveled, groaning loudly as he came down your throat.

His chest heaved as you pulled off of him, bottom lip caught between his teeth as you cleaned him up, leaving a small kiss on the head before tucking him away. He looked at you confused as you sat back on the couch, “You didn’t get to...” His voice trailed off at the end, and you laughed lightly at his shyness. “It’s okay, Mikey will probably be back soon. If it means that much to you though, I could sneak downstairs tonight. You know he passes out before midnight.”

He beamed at you, content with your plan, and brushed his thumb across your lips, still a bit wet and swollen from your previous activities. “Thank you for doing that,” he said before pressing his mouth to yours, already more comfortable than he had been at school. You gave him a peck on the cheek as he pulled away, watching as they tinged pink and he looked anywhere but you.

After a couple of minutes, you heard a car pull into the driveway, and it was time for him to disappear downstairs again. “I’ll see you tonight, yeah?” he asked, already knowing the answer. “Not if you don’t get your ass downstairs,” you grinned, pushing him off the couch. He blew you a kiss as he walked away, your smile only widening. Gerard Way was going to be the death of you.

[polnareffenjoyer]

Uh unsure how many characters you’re willing to write for but can I have the SDC crew reacting to seeing their crush’s sketchbook filled with drawings and silly comics of them? On the case you do have a limit on how many, then I’m fine with either Polnareff, Kakoyin, Jotaro or Avdol (who can pick whoever if you want to!) Hope you’re having a lovely day!💕💕

This is such a cute idea anon, hope you like it. Also I don't really have a character limit, I wanted to do all of the crusaders but then I got tired and it already took me such a long time to finish it and ahhh. Sorry for all the grammatical errors, English is not my first language and it's already so late when I'm finishing it and it's just bleh. I hope you like it anyways, sending much love to you anon! ♥️

Stardust Crusaders finding their crushes' sketchbook

Jotaro Kujo

He notices that you've been spending most of your free time drawing in that sketchbook of yours. Truth be told, it bothers him a lot. Jotaro has had a big fat crush on you for a while now, and he secretly longs for your company. He can't admit that tho, he has a hard ass bad boy reputation to maintain after all. What would people say if the saw him all flustered for a girl? The fact that you would rather sit by yourself and draw than be around him and the others bugs him. So one day, when you're busy with something else, he takes your beloved sketchbook and decides to see what's in there. He knows he's being creepy, but he couldn't care less. Just trying to get to know you better, without actually talking to you. Exactly.

He's very flustered but would rather die than admit it. Has read through all of it, admiring every single little drawing. After he's done, he'll just put it back where he found it, it the exact same place just so you don't notice someone has been messing with it. You probably have no idea he had seen your sketchbook at first, but you surely notice the blush dusting his cheeks whenever he speaks to you from that day on. Probably avoids you for a little while because he's so flustered.

The rest of the crew also notices something is off, Jotaro is always lost in thoughts and smokes more frequently. He can't keep himself from thinking about those cute drawings of yours, reading through your comics was a true delight. It fills him with glee to know that HE, among all of the crusaders, is the one who's the main character in your stories. It makes him giddy on the inside.

His secret eventually comes to light one night, he accidentally admits to having read through your comics while a late night talk between the whole group. While you were talking, Kakyoin had brought up the topic of your sketchbook. Now it's your turn to be embarassed, blushing crimson while trying to get as much information out of him as possible. How much did he see? Did he read through ALL OF THEM?

The rest of the crusaders are shocked at first, but quickly they start to laugh at the scene. Jotaro is reluctant to give any information, but he eventually tells you that yes, indeed, he's seen EVERYTHING. However, doesn't admit what the content of the sketchbook really is. Despite everything, he would never embarass you like that.

After everyone goes to sleep, you catch Jotaro before he has a chance to fall asleep, lying on his sleeping bag while looking at the night sky. You want to apologize, say anything, just to talk to him, but you're unable to find right words. He just sighs.

"Yare yare daze, there's no need to be embarassed [Y/N], I'm not mad"

Your eyes light up at his words. You want to say something, anything, thank him, but before you get a chance to do so, Jotaro's deep voice cuts you off.

"To be honest, I think your drawings are amazing. I really liked them" you notice his face is slightly tinted red from underneath his cap "But if you wanted me to model for you, you could've just said so"

With that, he rolls over and away from you. Completely baboozled, you roll over as well and try to sleep, or at least pretend to be asleep. Honestly, neither of you had slept much that night.

Kakyoin Noriaki

Kakyoin had a thing for you since you joined the crusaders, and your sketchbook is probably the very first thing he had noticed about you. He's always been interested in art, his parents had signed him up to numerous art courses and whatnot through his life. He's always loved drawing and painting, using it as an escape from his daily problems, and seeing that you two might have something in common makes him incredibly happy, especially since he has feelings for you.

He'll try to approach you about your sketchbook very subtely, afraid that he might scare you away by being too pushy. Of course you get extremely flustered everytime he brings it up, but it doesn't discourage him. Kakyoin respects your boundaries and understands that you might not be ready to show him your drawings yet. Despite that, he's always willing to share his knowledge with you. He'll give you advices about proper shading while you two are waiting in the hotel lobby for the rest of the group to finish up picking rooms. During a long car ride, he'll talk to you about his favourite artists. If you want him to show you how to put certain shading techniques into practice, he'll be more than happy to do so. He'll just pick a random piece of paper and start drawing on it, you might want to lean in closer and maybe put your head on his shoulder to get a better look? He has no objections! Just sayin.

When he eventually gets to see your sketchbook, this man is so honored! He didn't mean to look, at first he though it was just some book lying around and wanted to take a look inside, out off boredom. Once he realizes what he's reading at, his face flushes with crimson. Your sketchbook is filled with sketches of him? This whole time you were actually drawing him, out of all people? He couldn't be more grateful that no one else was around, if someone saw him reading through your comics with this stupid smile on his face and red cheeks, they would've though he went mad.

Kakyoin wastes no time trying to find you. For a moment, he thinks that perhaps he should've waited a bit, just to get you alone and not embarass you infront of the whole crew. He can't think straight though, his mind filled with your cute little drawings, with his face drawn with black pen over and over again. With glee, he notes that you had used the very techniques he had told you about earlier. If you had drawn him so many times, does it mean that you have a crush on him too? It's too good to be true.

"[Y/N]! Can I talk with you for a minute?"

He goes to confront you immediately. Others give him a puzzled look, but he couldn't care less. He grabs your arms and leads you away.

"Don't be mad [Y/N], but I've seen your sketchbook and I have to say, I think your art is beyond amazing!"

You're at loss of words, your face red and you could swear that you've never felt so embarassed in your whole entire life. However, his reaction is making you feel a bit better. He's not mad, nor is he making fun of you. If anything, he seems enamoured.

"Please, [Y/N], we should draw together! Maybe next time we have a chance, I should paint your portrait?"

Despite the awkwardness, the whole situation turns out amazing in the end. How he's sure you must have feelings for him, and it makes him incredibly happy, hoping that one day, after your crusade is done, he'll get a chance to repay you and make that promised portrait.

Muhammad Avdol

With everything that's been happening lately, Avdol gets a little bit distracted from you. Before he would steal glances your way all the time, watching with curiosity as you would draw something in your sketchbook. Recently, he's been too busy fighting enemy stand users and... well, trying not to die. He still cares about you a lot and watches over you during fights, ready to shield you from danger with his own body, if it's what it takes to keep you safe.

It probably happens because of a mishap. While you are deciding on your rooming, you leave your sketchbook lying next to Avdol's things and go to the bathroom. After he's done helping Joseph with translating and getting everything done, he goes back and assumes that it's just one of his books that has fallen out of the bag. Not thinking much of it, he picks it up and leaves with Mrs Joestar to settle in their shared room.

You can imagine the panic and shock that nearly paralyzes you once you notice that your beloved sketchbook is gone, nowhere to be seen, reduced to atoms! You begin to look around frantically, looking under the furniture while sweating profusely. Other quests give you weird looks, but you don't even notice them staring. Polnareff is one of them, he asks if you're okay and tries to calm you down, but to no avail. After he leaves, you try to focus really hard and try to remember - when did you see it last time? It was on that chair for sure when you left. God, you can only pray that it doesn't end up in Avdol's hands somehow...

Meanwhile, Avdol is getting ready for shower and goes through his bag. He notices the book he picked up from the lobby isn't even a book, but a sketchbook! Now he's sure he must've picked it up by mistake, he decides it would be best to put it down and not look through it. It's someone's very personal art after all, it would be very disrespectful to - wait a damn minute, is that HIM?

Long story short, he goes through a good portion of your drawings before Joseph comes out of the shower and gives him a puzzled look, seeing how his eyes are literally shinning with adoration. He puts your sketchbook back into his bag, acting as if nothing happened and continues on with his nightly routine. Later on, when Joseph is already fast asleep, he contemplates about whether or not he should go to your room right now and ask about the sketchbook he had found. He's already suspecting it's yours, whose else would it be? He has seen you drawing often, could it be that you returned his feelings and had spent your time sketching him? Ultimately, he decides to wait until tomorrow to find out.

The very next day, he knocks on your door early in the morning. It startles you awake, running up to your door to look through a peephole, seeing a muscular man on the other side. Sighing heavily, you unlock the door and open it just a little bit.

"Excuse my intrusion, [Y/N], but I have found something that I think belongs to you."

Now that's embarassing. You see your sketchbook in his hand, a wide, knowing smile on his face. He knows it's yours. All it took is one look at your stupid red face to figure it out. God, he can read you like an open book, can't he? While you reach out to take it from him, your fingers touch just slightly.

"Don't worry, I swear I won't tell anyone about this" she winked at you, which almost made you gasp "If anything, I think I should maybe pose for you in private? So you can get a better look? You should think about it..."

Who would've thought this man could be such a flirt sometimes...

Jean Pierre Polnareff

You better watch out, because if this man has a crush on you, you bet he would go above and beyond to find out what's inside that sketchbook. I'm not joking. He forgets what personal space is, he's even worse that Jotaro, because while JoJo would make sure to be sneaky, Polnareff wouldn't even bother. He'll try to catch a sneak peak by looking over your shoulder while you're drawing, constantly asking you questions about art related things, everything always leading to your sketchbook.

He wants to know what's inside. Simple as that. You're like an enigma to him, I feel like all women are mysteries to him and he always works towards finding out what their secrets are. You are especially interesting to him, because of how secretive you are with your art. He's captivated, and while he never had any interest in arts himself, he had always fancied himself as a man with a great sense of beauty. That being said, he's always trying to get your attention while talking about how "France is a wonderful country for artists! You should come and visit after our crusade is over, [Y/N]! I'll show you all the greatest museums and art galleries!"

He's like a puppy, following you around and being just a bit too pushy. If you tell him you feel uncomfortable, he'll back off of course. He's not just some juvenile pervert after all! He's a honourable man who would never touch or bother a woman without her permission, no matter how desperate he seems sometimes.

When he finally sees your sketchbook, it's probably because he did it on purpose and not because of an accident. He wanted to make sure that it was him your were capturing in your drawing, and boy was he happy when he saw what's inside! It's all him, cute little sketches, little comics, it's better that he could've ever imagined! He's literally crying the tears of joy while reading them. Before it was all just wishful thinking, but now it turns out to be true! He's honoured, admiring every single little drawing with hit tears streaming down his face. He must look pathetic right now, if anyone was around they would think the was a mad man. He gets up and runs away with your sketchbook in his hand, trying to find you.

"[Y/N]! Ma cherie! Mon coeur! My love, my life! We need to talk!"

Did i mention that he doesn't shy away from nicknames? Yeah.

It's probably the worst confrontation compared to the rest of them, he's not subtle like Kakyoin and decides to talk with you about your drawings right then and there, in front of everyone. At first they're surprised, looking at Polnareff as is he was crazy, but slowly their shock is replaced with amusement. Joseph doesn't even try to hold back his laughter, while the rest of the crew is trying to keep it cool as not to embarass you any further while the Frenchman is just going on and on with his declarations of undying love. It's a bit dramatic, one of these moments that you will probably laugh about in the future, but you felt like disappearing right then and there.

"Your drawing are magnifique! [Y/N], my love, if you wanted to draw me, you could've just said so! Although I don't think I deserve to be potrayed by you, to be drawn by your skilled hands, ma cherie!"

You snatch the sketchbook from him. After that incident you probably try to avoid him, but he won't give up! He's more determined than ever, knowing that you feel the same way as he does fills him with hope, hope for a future life with you that is! He won't give up until he makes you the happiest woman on earth.

[firelxdykatara]

gods, ok, apparently i’m not done.

atla fandom? we need to have a chat.

(....ok that made me sound pretentious as fuck. and maybe i am, but this needs to be said, cause i’m getting....real, real tired of a Certain Corner of this fandom and as a result, this is gonna be a discourse-heavy post so feel free to scroll past if that’s not your bag. as always, my salt posts all carry the catch-all #salt for ts tag, which you’re free to blacklist/filter at your leisure. i’m Very Annoyed at the moment, which will probably come through in the following post, so just. yknow. be prepared for that. or ignore it, that’s perfectly valid too.)

under a cut bc i do care for my followers and their sanity i swear lmao

there’s a real serious issue in this fandom with not understanding what queer terminology actually means or implies, especially when applied to a fictional narrative.

i’m specifically talking about ‘coding’, here. (if i were in a more meme-y mood, i might have said ‘the atla fandom found out about the term “gay-coding” and haven’t shut up since’.)

to the people who say ‘zuko is gay-coded’, i have this to say: you keep using that word. i do not think it means what you think it means. because he isn’t. i’m sorry, but he’s not! and the fact that this is such a prevalent claim in this fandom is distressing, bc it says to me that none of y’all know what gay-coding is or when and how to apply it! please, i’m begging you, go and look up these terms and what they mean and when they should be used before actually trying to plug them into your critical analysis, because when you misuse them and then call other people delusional for disagreeing with you it casts a pall over the entire fandom and is, i think, the root of some of the worst toxicity this fandom has to offer.

and the thing is, there are cases where gay-coding would apply--for instance, a couple series that are famous for queerbaiting their audience by coding their main characters as being attracted to one another (sometimes even despite their openly stated sexualities) come to mind, but those shows bare no similarities at all to atla and how zuko was written and portrayed! (and it would be funny, if it weren’t so obnoxious and infuriatingly wide-spread throughout the fandom, because the only queer couple we actually seen on-screen in either show wasn’t even queer-coded in any respect, and they’re canonically bi! [yes, i’m shading korrasami, or more accurately i’m shading bryke for refusing to give ka the build-up and development they deserved].)

this absolutely isn’t to say that headcanoning zuko as gay is a bad thing or invalid in any respect. (although the tendency for zukka shippers to do this specifically to keep zuko away from katara and/or invalidate his canon relationship/attraction to girls is more than a little eyebrow raising. especially since sokka is usually allowed to be bi, bc fans have no problem letting sukka stay in the background bc it’s no real threat, while jetko shippers are happy to have both boys be bi. [possibly bc katara is less a threat to jetko bc jetkotara is every bit as valid as any single ship between the three, but zukka can’t exactly let katara join in, and if the potential exists for zuko to be attracted to her then canon giving them the far deeper emotional bond becomes a threat to zukka’s existence? idk for sure--you be the judge.]) i prefer to hc zuko as bi (and always have, long before the atla renaissance), bc i don’t think zuko being attracted to boys is outside the realm of possibility, and it isn’t a threat to my ship since zuko&katara had a deep and emotional bond in canon that is very easy to develop further into something that becomes explicitly romantic--but the headcanon itself isn’t really the problem (although what it’s often in service to can be).

it’s the strange insistence that this is the only way to read his character, bc he was coded that way and so anyone who doesn’t see it must be too straight to understand--and i really shouldn’t have to say why and how that is so incredibly fucking insulting. (the ‘hetero lenses’ comment wasn’t cute when it came from bryke six years ago, and the same sentiment being repackaged and delivered by zukka shippers ain’t cute now.)

calling zuko gay-coded not only demonstrates ignorance as to what the term actually means, and how to usefully apply it in critical analysis, but also validates the frankly bullshit insertion of institutionalized homophobia in the world of atla where it was neither needed, nor wanted, nor ever hinted at in canon. as a queer woman i’m still infuriated by one fucking comic panel shoving institutionalized and systemic homophobia into a world where it was entirely unnecessary (and doing this in the first installment of the franchise showcasing a queer relationship??? making korra and asami worried about ‘coming out’ when they could have just gone on to have cute adventures together and tell people ‘hey we’re dating’ and have everyone else be ‘that’s awesome =DDD’ [because it is, in fact, possible to just have a world without homophobia i promise!!!!!] double yikes, i’m still pissed at bryke about it), and i doubly hate that ‘zuko is gay coded’ has become so widespread that ‘ozai hates him bc he’s gay’ has become a staple in that part of the fandom.

not only does making zuko gay and implying (or outright stating) that ozai hated and abused him because of it completely undermine zuko’s character arc by making his abuse about his sexuality rather than ozai’s toxic pride and anger at seeing himself reflected in his ‘weak’ son, but it comes very close to outright stating that abuse and trauma are inherently gay experiences, and they aren’t!!! they really aren’t, i promise!!!

abuse and trauma narratives exist outside of ‘my dad hates me because i’m gay’. and, quite frankly, there are MORE THAN ENOUGH queer trauma narratives out in the world. we do not need to start trying to retroactively make them canon in a series where they didn’t exist! if you’re gay and see yourself in zuko and project your own experiences on him, that’s understandable and valid. that does not make zuko gay-coded. and honestly, the insistence that he is makes very little sense to me, because you’re essentially trying to give the show credit for work you put into interpreting the characters! why would you want to do that? why not own your own headcanons and take credit for them, rather than insisting they are canon and everyone else is wrong for not seeing them??? like, i’ve said before that i’ve always headcanoned zuko (and katara) as bi, and even support it with my interpretations of evidence from the show, but the difference between ‘i think zuko is bi’ and ‘zuko is definitely gay-coded’ is that i know that bi zuko is my interpretation of canon, and that it is work i’m putting into the show that wasn’t actually intended by the creators/writers, no matter how much sexual tension i read into the jetko swordfight.

and like, zuko’s character arc doesn’t actually parallel a queer one all that well to begin with. it’s easy enough to do the work and twist it sideways just enough to make the general points fit, but the fact is, zuko’s arc is not one of self-discovery. it’s not one of coming to understand something fundamental about himself that he can’t change, that he was hated for, and coming out to his father in a dramatic confrontation where he shows that he understands himself and doesn’t need his father’s acceptance to be fulfilled.

zuko’s arc is actually one of trauma and healing. and those can (and often are--like i said, there are more than enough queer trauma narratives in the world, atla really doesn’t need to be one of them) be part of queer narratives, for sure! but they aren’t uniquely queer. and zuko’s confrontation with ozai during the eclipse doesn’t read like a ‘coming out’ at all. (yes, i’ve seen that post. yes, i rolled my eyes and moved on, bc unlike some people, i’m capable of not clowning on correctly tagged posts i disagree with.) zuko is specifically confronting ozai over his abuse, because his arc wasn’t about discovering anything fundamental about himself (and therefore realizing that ozai was hating him for something he couldn’t change)--it was about realizing that he was not at fault for the way his father treated him. it was also about realizing that the fire nation was broken and corrupt at its core, and that his father was an aspect of that he needed to break away from so that he could help the world begin to heal.

he says it himself:

Zuko: No, I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own! Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it! We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.

making this about zuko being gay and rejecting ozai’s homophobia, rather than zuko learning fundamental truths about the world and about his home and about how there was something deeply wrong with his nation that needed to be fixed in order for the world to heal (and, no, ‘homophobia’ is not the answer to ‘what is wrong with the fire nation’, i’m still fucking pissed at bryke about that), misses the entire point of his character arc. this is the culmination of zuko realizing that he should never have had to earn his father’s love, because that should have been unconditional from the start. this is zuko realizing that he was not at fault for his father’s abuse--that speaking out of turn in a war meeting in no way justified fighting a duel with a child.

is that first realization (that a parent’s love should be unconditional, and if it isn’t, then that is the parent’s fault and not the child’s) something that queer kids in homophobic households/families can relate to? of course it is. but it’s also something that every other abused kid, straight kids and even queer kids who were abused for other reasons before they even knew they were anything other than cishet, can relate to as well. in that respect, it is not a uniquely queer experience, nor is it a uniquely queer story, and zuko not being attracted to girls (which is what a lot of it seems to boil down to, at the end of the day--cutting down zuko’s potential ships so that only zukka and a few far more niche ships are left standing) is not necessary to his character arc. nor does it particularly make sense.

(and before anyone brings up his date with jin--a) he enjoyed it when she kissed him, and b) he was a traumatized, abused child going out on a first date. of course he was fucking awkward. have you ever met a teenage boy????)

anyway, uh, that was a lot of words, so have a tl;dr: zuko is not gay-coded. there is nothing uniquely gay (or even uniquely queer) about his character arc or characterization, and he was certainly not coded gay in an attempt to sneak a queer character past the censors. if anyone involved with atla was gonna try that, it would’ve been in lok, and as established, they didn’t even manage to queer-code the actual queer relationship before the last few minutes of the final episode. headcanoning zuko as gay is absolutely fine (though if it’s only done to keep him away from female characters he may otherwise be attracted to, that smells more like misogyny than anything else), but insisting that this reading is the only one that makes sense, and anyone who doesn’t agree must be straight (hello, queer woman here making this insanely long thinkpiece) is very much not.

ship what you like, but stop trying to invalidate other ships and other interpretations of characters just to make your ship seem more plausible. it’s really not a good look.

[vargaslovinghours]

Third time’s the charm (1 | 2)

Upside-down Edgar lol. I actually did draw him upside down, like that art exercise, I was surprised by how good he turned out! Floof

Couple’a yellow Jakes!

So for the end of Wish Fulfillment, I actually pictured their clothes in stages :0 At least once they were back to being represented physically rather than an emotional energy haha. Starting off as raw and exposed and reflecting Edgar’s physical state, and then as they calmed down gaining clothes but still not quite back up to full - I always think Scriabin looks very small without his coat and considering how vulnerable he was there, it just seemed to fit. By the time he pushed Edgar away, I saw him with his coat again. It wasn’t described that way but I thought it was interesting that my brain supplied it anyway lol

Hug time. Scriabin’s hesitant, too bad it’s so hard to resist affection

One of a few Scriabin temps of him holding his head, I’m glad I finally got to use this pose haha

Another doodle off the heels of Omori. Black lightbulbs symbolize a repressed thought, hmm

A bit of ominous posing, neither of them look particularly happy about it tho

I forget which one I was rereading but it made me cry, so I’m gonna guess it was You Can’t Live Like This ♥ Ohp, wait, upon reviewing my notes, it was Parent-Teacher Night. There’s just so many to choose from!

When Coco took over my brain for about a week lol, skeletons are a good look. Those scars probably wouldn’t be down to his bones, maybe they’re detailing? I also liked the idea of Edgar having rather modest accents, and of them having similar designs ♪

I really liked the little split @happyfunballxd​ drew in Scriabin’s coat, little tails :D Super cute!

Couple Scriabins from behind, I wanted something sleepy-looking that showed his shoulder but the first one was a bit stiff, much better with a proper action line. He’s really so pretty ♪

I had a brief idea for a popular AU trope but I backtracked on it pretty quickly; I did still end up making a couple doodles that I thought were fun. Case in point, Scriabin feeding Edgar ice cream lol

Antagonistic yarn accessorizing. It’s just tied in place but it’s hard to remove! He probably knots it into his hair so it won’t just slip out just to be mean lol

Got into a bit of a steampunk mood and the return of the low ponytail. Goggles seem a bit redundant but they’re so fun! Plus I’ve drawn him in suspenders and a waistcoat, but not just a vest, he looks nice :D

Always holding each other closely. I think I just wanted them touching each other’s faces, they turned out quite cute, quite soft

I was watching some religion-and-mental-health type videos and the line “Self-loathing is a sin” came up and well. We’ve all seen those church marquees right lol

Digital redraw of the first of this set since I like it so much ♪ The shading was what I wanted to focus on the most, I’m quite happy with his lapels and the creases at the upper edges of his sleeves but I do miss the detail the doodle version had in his hair ahh

Chocolate! Tiny nibbles

Very small doodle of Scriabin leaning over the couch to watch Edgar play something. I guess it’d be on a Gameboy, looks more like an SP here lol

I thought of these for an April Fools Day comic where things are cute and fluffy and domestic, but I didn’t have the energy for it unfortunately :’) It wasn’t exactly how I wrote it down, so maybe I can rework it yet

More!! Lol

Scriabin bein’ nasty, repression’s a must-be-mean topic haha, there is a lot of it

Just a little possessive, only a little bit. I really like the arm posing especially

I ended up really liking this one, impatient Scriabin with his arms thrown everywhere plush haha

I’ll be here all week

I tend to draw Edgar’s sleeves folded against his arms rather than loose and free, so I gave it a go and thought it looked a little silly haha. I’m all for silly tho!

Rude

He has never in his life had any amount of street smarts

More YGOTAS lol

I’ve drawn Scriabin carrying Edgar around bridal style a few times and the sizing was always off but I keep returning to it ‘cause symbolism and closeness. Exhausting work, carrying all that baggage!

More carrying around, where’s Edgar’s head even if Scriabin’s still here? Wake up!

Felt like revisiting one of my earlier facial hair styles, looks so strange now that I’ve moved away from it

Original sketches for Carry you here, I’m happy with how both versions turned out but I am a little sad the cheek touch turned into more of a forehead touch in the digital version, I feel like this one’s just a bit sweeter. I wanted the glow to be a bit more obvious too but couldn’t quite figure out the shading

And trying to figure out what hand expression I wanted, thumb touch was very important

Oh-so-subtly mixing sweetness and dropping hints, not that Edgar will ever pick up on them

He’s real happy they’re there in the first place lol

No body to hug with :(

I was doing some proportion practice and him sitting on the couch was funny at the time

He has fallen, goodness gracious. So dramatic haha

Spook poofs. How could you Edgar!

Put a shirt on

Scriabin taking apart Edgar’s “guiltless” self-image. “It was never yours to begin with,” reminding him of everything he’s done

Pretty sure I was inspired by a cat video for this one lol. “I didn’t ask for this!” “Okay I’ll stop” “I didn’t ask for that either!”

Something-something Edgar’s yarn is somewhat loose but Scriabin’s is tied to Edgar’s hand. I actually have a good several Vargas hand expressions but these are probably the most obvious

S’fucken wimdy

Cryingggg 🌸 Three apiece, gotta keep it fair haha. Although Edgar’s not crying for the first one, he’s not quite hit that overwhelm just yet, Scriabin’s not so lucky

That’s February through the end of May! Still so many ideas lol

[reinerispretty]

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) pt23

thank you so much for your support last chapter!! i super duper appreciate each and every one of you :) if you can, pls share!! but u don’t have to i will love u just the same WARNING THOUGH MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE COMICS IN HERE READ AT UR OWN RISK

pt1

pt22

pt24

“It’s my fault mostly, I think. I pushed him away when I shouldn’t have and I didn’t tell him why. Then today, everything seemed normal again.” (Y/N) laughed. “I guess I don’t really know what normal is for Zuko and I anymore.” 

Zuko had been gone for a few months. He had missed his own eighteenth birthday, as well as (Y/N’s) seventeenth. Sometimes he sent messenger hawks back home, indicating that all was well and he would return shortly, but that was the extent of his messages. Every time she saw a hawk fly into the palace, (Y/N) felt her chest tighten in anticipation of what Zuko would say. Did he find his mother? Would she be returning home with him? What had she been doing all of this time? (Y/N) didn’t like having more questions than answers. 

During Zuko’s absence, she and Ren became a lot closer. She had fun on the few dates they had gone on and enjoyed his company, but she wasn’t quite sure if she was ready to call him her boyfriend. After all, the first boyfriend she had broke up with her because of the boy she had loved her entire life who now had a girlfriend, so she didn’t have the best of luck in the boyfriend department. 

But there was also part of her that urged her to take a chance on Ren. He was kind and smart and loved to hear about her adventures, and he was the first person she had ever befriended that wasn’t in her immediate group. He was different than anything she had experienced before. He had never fought anyone if it wasn’t for practicing earthbending and he certainly had never feared for his life. He liked to drink tea and create tiny creatures for her using his bending. He was normal. (Y/N) liked normal. 

She had been walking the halls of the palace with Ren when she noticed the servants all begin running around. Confused, she stopped one to ask what was going on. Her reflexes immediately prepared for a fight, but calmed once she saw the excited smile on the servant girl’s face. “The Fire Lord and his mother are arriving!” 

(Y/N) would feel a little bit bad later, for leaving Ren behind, but in that moment she darted out of the palace and into the courtyard, where a large carriage was pulling up. She walked down the steps with her robes billowing behind her and ignored the servants hushed whispers about what a proper royal greeting was. She ran up to the carriage and flung the door open before the servants could. Zuko’s face appeared first, only inches from hers, and a smile slowly crept onto his features. She let him crawl out of the carriage before wrapping him in a hug. 

“Don’t ever leave for that long again!” She exclaimed, punching him lightly in the shoulder. 

“Ow!” He feigned hurt, rubbing his arm. “You could’ve come with me, you know.” 

“Someone had to keep this place running.” She rolled her eyes playfully before diverting them back to the carriage. Another man stepped out with a little girl who could be no older than five. (Y/N) looked at Zuko quizzically before the final passenger exited. 

When she was younger, (Y/N) thought that Ursa was the prettiest woman in the Fire Nation. She had been so different from the rest of the royal family. Her kindness exuded from her. Ursa had always been able to tell when (Y/N) was upset and talked her through some of the more difficult issues she had experienced with her parents. Despite being royalty, she had never treated (Y/N) any differently than her other children. She had been the mother that (Y/N) always wanted. 

So for those very reasons, (Y/N) could not help her eyes from welling with tears when she stared at Ursa’s face. She tried her best to hold back her tears so that she could speak. “I don’t know if you remember me, but--” 

“(Y/N),” Ursa said. “Of course I remember you.” And (Y/N) couldn’t help but throw herself at Ursa and wrap her arms around her. Ursa held her tight and stroked her hair like she used to when she was a child. 

She pulled away, wiping violently at the tears that streamed down her face. She gave the group a small smile. “Sorry, I really thought I’d be able to control myself better.” 

“(Y/N), this is my husband, Noren,” Ursa gestured to the man standing beside her. (Y/N) gave him a curt smile and a bow.

“Zuko has told us a lot about you,” Noren said. She looked back to see Zuko’s face turn a shade of bright red. 

“Good things, I hope.” 

Ursa gestured down to the little girl at Noren’s side. “And this is Kiyi, our daughter.” (Y/N) bent down to Kiyi’s level and stuck out her hand for her to shake. 

“Hi, Kiyi,” She said softly. “I’m (Y/N), Zuko’s friend.” 

“Zuzu,” Kiyi said quietly, before hiding behind her father’s leg. The statement surprised (Y/N), because there was only one other person in the world who called him that. And she just so happened to be missing from this happy reunion. She looked at Zuko again and he gave her a slight shake of his head, indicating that they would discuss Azula later. 

“Who is that?” Noren asked, nodding his head toward Ren. (Y/N’s) eyes opened wide as she realized she had completely forgotten about him in the excitement. 

“Oh!” She exclaimed, running back to Ren to pull him toward the group. “I’m so sorry, we were walking around the palace before you guys got here. This is Ren! My--” 

“Her boyfriend,” Ren said with a smile, giving a bow to Zuko and his family. “It’s truly an honor to meet all of you. Especially you, Fire Lord, I’ve heard so much about you.” 

(Y/N) watched as Zuko’s pleasant smile turned into a deep frown. She took a step away to distance herself from Ren before putting a smile on her own face. “You all have been traveling for so long, why don’t I ask the kitchens to put a nice dinner together?”

“We’d love that!” Ursa said cheerfully. If she had caught on to the awkward moment, she gave no indication. “Will you be joining us, Ren?” 

“I’d rather this just be a family affair,” Zuko said. (Y/N) knew that tone. He was angry, but she didn’t know why. 

“No problem!” Ren said with a smile. He grabbed (Y/N’s) hand. “You can have dinner at my house, if you’d like.” 

“(Y/N) is family,” Zuko stared down at Ren disapprovingly. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” (Y/N) said, desperate to get everyone out of the tense situation. He turned to her and smiled once more before kissing her on the cheek and walking away. (Y/N) felt her face heat up, but she wasn’t sure if it was from flattery or embarrassment. 

At dinner, Zuko and (Y/N) walked Ursa and Noren through their past few years together, starting at Zuko’s banishment and finishing right before he left to find his mother. Kiyi sat quietly at the dinner table, playing with her noodles. 

“Does the palace still make fruit tarts?” Ursa questioned. Both (Y/N) and Zuko nodded. 

“They can make whatever you’d like,” Zuko said, but Ursa shook her head. 

“I’d like a fruit tart. If there’s one thing I’ve missed besides the two of you, it’s those tarts.” The servants left the dining room immediately to prepare the treat. “Fruit tarts are the reason (Y/N) and Zuko are such close friends.” 

“Oh?” Noren raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure that’s an interesting story.” 

“Not as interesting as you might think,” (Y/N) admitted. “I came to Zuko’s tenth birthday party and all the fruit tarts were gone, so he snuck me down to the kitchens to get some more.” 

“I still remember the look on Little (Y/N’s) face when she saw me catch them,” Ursa laughed. 

“As a nine year old, I found the royal family to be very intimidating!” 

“You don’t now?” Zuko asked, a hint of a playful smile at his lips. (Y/N) scoffed. 

“You’re about as intimidating as a turtle duck.” They all erupted into laughter. (Y/N) couldn’t help but think that this is what home felt like. 

---

On the rare occasion that (Y/N) couldn’t sleep, she liked walking out to the pond and sitting in the moonlight. It was one of the few moments when her life was actually peaceful and while she usually sat alone, she liked to pretend that Yue was sitting right beside her. 

That night, (Y/N) tried her hardest to get to sleep, but she couldn’t. Her mind raced with the days’ events. She was so excited to reunite with Ursa and meet her family, but she was also confused as to why Ren would so boldly put a label on their relationship when it wasn’t something they had discussed. She also couldn’t figure out why Zuko was upset. (Y/N) hated not knowing things, so she chose to walk down to the pond to hopefully clear her head. 

When she arrived, Ursa was already sitting by the edge of the pond. She noticed (Y/N’s) presence almost immediately and pat the grass beside her. “A lot on your mind?” 

(Y/N) sighed. “You have no idea.” 

“I used to come here whenever I had something to think about, too. I’m here to listen, if you need it.” 

“I don’t know how much Zuko has told you about me, but before he left, our relationship was sort of...bad. We had become very distant from each other.” 

“Why is that?” 

“It’s my fault mostly, I think. I pushed him away when I shouldn’t have and I didn’t tell him why. Then today, everything seemed normal again.” (Y/N) laughed. “I guess I don’t really know what normal is for Zuko and I anymore.” 

“I think, for you two, normal is being together. Whatever that might entail.” (Y/N) stared at Ursa for a moment before turning to the pond to mull over what she meant. After a brief lull in conversation, Ursa spoke again. “How long have you and Ren been together?” 

(Y/N) shrugged. “A few months? We’ve gone on a few dates and I liked spending time with him, but today was the first day he had ever called himself my boyfriend.” 

“That’s good news, isn’t it?” The truth was, (Y/N) wasn’t so sure. She knew he meant well, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that today hadn’t been the best day to say something like that. 

“Maybe,” was all (Y/N) could say. She hated being like this. She thought she had grown into someone who was sure of herself. Now, her emotions were one scrambled mess. She couldn’t quite tell how she felt about anyone. “Why are you sitting out here?” 

“Being here brings back many memories. Some happy, others not so much.” Ursa smiled at her. “I’m sure you’ve come to realize the intricacies of palace life.” (Y/N) nodded. 

“Zuko and I have spent a long time trying to figure out who to trust.” 

“At least you know you can trust each other.” Ursa paused for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure if she should say what she was about to say. “I was very happy when Zuko told me you were still in his life. You were set on such different paths after his banishment. I’m glad he had someone like you to come back to.” 

“It took a while,” (Y/N) admitted. “A long while. But we got there eventually.” 

“I believe that the strongest relationships are held together by unbreakable strings. No matter where you go, you will always have Zuko.” Ursa punctuated her sentence with a yawn. “We should get to bed. I heard some servants whispering about a celebratory breakfast. And lunch.” 

---

Weeks passed and Zuko became increasingly happier in his position as Fire Lord. Having his mother around stepfather around was a nice treat and he was thoroughly enjoying getting closer with his half-sister, Kiyi. Even his relationship with (Y/N) felt like it was starting to improve again. The only downside to everything was Ren. 

Zuko didn’t like Ren from the moment (Y/N) brought him over, but he had tried to hide that from her. When Ren introduced himself as her boyfriend, Zuko felt an anger rise in him that he had never experienced before. Sure, he had been a little jealous when (Y/N) was with Sokka, but he knew Sokka was a good person at heart and would treat her kindly no matter what. He could trust Sokka with (Y/N). Every fiber of his being told him not to trust Ren. He wasn’t sure why, but his own instincts hadn’t failed him recently. So whenever he could, he would insert himself into their walks or conversations. He tried to play it off as friendliness, but he could tell that (Y/N) knew something was off. 

Zuko had been walking down one of the less-traveled corridors of the palace since his meeting had ended early. When he had a foggy mind, he liked to clear his head by walking around the expansive halls. He usually ended his walks feeling refreshed. 

Zuko was surprised when he heard voices coming from one of the rooms in the hall. He followed the voices to the very end of the hall, where the door had been left slightly ajar. Zuko peered through the crack in the door and saw Ren talking to his father, a very wealthy Earth Kingdom aristocrat. 

“How are things with the girl?” His father asked. 

“Very well! She and I spend all of our free time together when the Fire Lord isn’t around.” Zuko frowned. 

“And she’s falling for you?” 

“Definitely. She’s a giggly mess whenever I’m around. I plan on proposing by the end of the year.” 

This nearly sent Zuko to the ground. He hadn’t realized that (Y/N) and Ren were far enough along in their relationship to consider marriage. (Y/N) hadn’t even mentioned it to Zuko. 

“She has no clue what you’re doing, correct?” 

“Not one. When she’s not with me, she’s busy running around for the Fire Lord.” 

“Excellent,” Ren’s father drawled. “With her as an addition to our family, we’ll be able to get the Fire Lord to do anything we want.” 

“He’s practically in love with her. He’ll do anything she says, I guarantee it.” 

Zuko realized that that was the real reason why Ren wanted to be with (Y/N). He didn’t care for her at all, he simply wanted to use her connection to him to further his family’s political advances. The anger inside of him burned hot and bright, and it took everything in him to not send a fireball at them right then. Instead, he walked away. 

When Zuko found Ren and his father again, they were on their way out of the palace. “Wait!” Zuko called out, running down the steps to catch up to them. His guards followed him like shadows. Ren and his father turned around and bowed at him. 

“Fire Lord Zuko,” Ren’s father said. “To what do we owe this pleasure?” 

“I would like to inform the two of you that you are no longer welcome in the Fire Nation. From this moment on, you are banished from our land.” 

“What?” Ren asked, his jaw dropping in disbelief. Zuko turned to face him. 

“I heard all about your little plan to marry (Y/N) to get me to do your bidding. I knew I didn’t like you from the first day that I met you. I didn’t know until today that there was an actual reason.” 

“You’re insane,” Ren spat, just as his father said, “This is all a misunderstanding.” 

Zuko set his jaw and raised his chin high. “I know what I heard. I am Fire Lord Zuko and I will not tolerate conspiracy, regardless of who perpetrates it. For this reason, you are banished from the Fire Nation.” The guards seized the two men and dragged them off of the palace grounds as they shouted curses at Zuko. 

---

Tag List!

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[pinkoptics]

Would You Catch Me If I Fall?

aka Cherik Fallen Angel fic

Part 2 of Chapter 2

(Previous parts now on Ao3)

Erik is going to do everything he can to make sure Charles is taken care of. Charles saved his life. That’s why. Right… right???

*

“Mr. Olsen, I believe you will do exactly as I’ve asked.”

Mr. Olsen opened his mouth, to protest most likely, but Erik was well practiced in speaking in a way that left no room for interruption. “You will, because you are aware of the exact amount my firm has donated to your hospital this year and every other before it.”

Mr. Olsen was turning an interesting shade of red. It had nothing on Azazel, but the flush beneath his skin was making a concerted effort.

“You are also aware of what it would do to this hospital’s reputation for being at the forefront of mutant medicine if my firm were to very vocally withdraw its support and place it elsewhere, say... Johns Hopkins?”

“Mr. Lehnsherr—“ Still red, but now also sputtering. “You do not have the authority. Shaw would never—“

Erik smiled in such a way that Olsen cut himself off. Erik’s smile, though the word hardly applied, very early in his career had earned him the nickname ‘The Shark.’ Only used when he knew his prey was very much backed into a corner of their own making and it was time for the kill.

“If The Incident were to suddenly appear on social media again, with a narrative much closer to the truth...”

Red became purple. “We have an NDA! You can’t—“

“When information is out it is out, Mr. Olsen. Non-disclosures only hold weight if the parties involved care about the consequences. I could give a fuck. Besides, whether this hospital is guilty or innocent, reputations once ruined are terribly hard to salvage, aren’t they? Once, tried in the court of public opinion...”

“Shaw would— you’d be—“

Erik simply raised an eyebrow.

Olsen was right. Erik didn’t have the authority to stop donations, Shaw would have his job and his ass if he ever went to the public about any of the firm’s cases. Moreover, he would probably lose his license to practice. None of those things mattered however, not because Erik truly didn’t care, but because Olsen only needed to believe he was serious. If Erik couldn’t sense the man’s weaknesses, and couldn’t exploit them, he would hardly have been the best lawyer at his firm (no matter what Emma said to the contrary). The seed of doubt, once planted in a weak mind, was notoriously difficult to weed out.

“Fine,” Olsen ground out. Looking like he was very much sucking on a lemon.

Erik levitated the paperwork he had prepared by its staple. It was accompanied by one of the disgustingly expensive fountain pens the firm utilized to perpetuate its reputation. It hovered in front of the sour countenance and Erik felt the same sense of satisfaction he did after a particularly shrewd cross examination.

Threatening Olsen in this way was beyond overkill.

However, Erik knew of nothing else that would resolve Charles’ situation as swiftly. As Olsen scratched out his signature nearly hard enough to tear paper, Charles’ need for insurance, identity, and anything else he did not have, vanished.

Besides, he’d never liked this man or this hospital, so if he got to have a little fun while getting Charles what he needed, all the better. The faster he could get Charles out of here unscathed the better. He owed him that much, possibly more. There were few people insane enough, selfless enough, to throw themselves in front of a car for a stranger. Erik had made it his life’s work to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves. Charles had more than earned that same protection until he was back to his former self.

T’s crossed and i’s dotted, Erik left Olsen to fume, so he could share the good news with Charles. The words that had been leaping forward died on his lips when he took in the state of Charles’ room.

“. . . Did you rob a florist?”

Charles graced him with a much less hysterical, much more pleasant sounding laugh than he had any time previously.

“Aren’t people just lovely? This one is from the nurse on call, Ben. He has the most adorable little boy. Teething at the moment, which is trying of course, but he’s so precious one can hardly be cross. I’m sure Ben would be happy to show you the photos too. This one is from Dr. Yousef, whom you’ve already met. She detests flowers, personally, as she’s never home consistently enough to care for them properly. This one is from Saima...”

While Charles no longer appeared to be in a state of hysteria, it appeared to be Erik’s turn, and he became suddenly, hysterically deaf. Had he misplaced a day? Or two? More? Was he the one with the head injury?

“Did you— I mean, do you know them?”

Charles cut off his still in-progress monologue about his sudden and inexplicable well-wishers.

“Oh no. We’ve just met. Nancy would like to get coffee when I’m better though. I believe that is a cultural expression of friendship, is it not? Or does coffee equal sex? It’s so hard to keep track of these things as humans rarely say what they truly mean. Why do you lot insist upon speaking in code? A code that changes every generation no less. Regardless, I’ve never had coffee. Given how utterly obsessed with it you all are I’m rather excited to find out what all the fuss is about.”

Erik didn’t know what part of that to address first, if at all.

Ben, Yousef, Saima... who the fuck was Nancy?

Sex?

Never had coffee?

“Oh Erik, I’m sorry. You look so confused again. I forget myself. I would much rather have coffee for the first time with you of course. At that diner you speak so highly of. I believe diners generally serve coffee.”

Erik blinked. Did that mean Charles wanted to be his friend or have sex with him? Or, did never having had coffee actually mean never having had sex? No. Wait. What in the fuck were they talking about?

What came out was, mercifully, “You make friends quickly.” This was something he and Charles certainly didn’t share.

“Do I?” Charles shrugged. “I love people. All people. They’re so fascinating.” Something else he and Charles certainly didn’t share. In his experience, most people were dull or cruel or both. Except Charles. Charles had been the exact opposite of dull or cruel right from the first. Crashing headfirst into Erik, literally and figuratively, and smashing all his expectations of what people did or didn’t do for one another. It might have also been the head injury/amnesia mitigating the dullness, making him say the most ridiculous things that Erik had ever heard and couldn’t even begin to sort out, but Erik didn’t really think so. He read people extremely well and Charles intrigued him. No one intrigued him.

Shoving the friends/coffee/sex equivalency conversation aside, Erik patted his briefcase. “I’ve sorted out everything with hospital administration. You won’t have to worry about insurance, bills... if there’s anything you need, just ask. They will be sure you get it.”

“I won’t ask how you managed it.” Charles’ look became conspiratorial. Almost as if he did know Erik’s methods. There was no way, of course, that he did unless he was a telepath, which Erik had already briefly mused on. “You really needn’t have troubled yourself, though I appreciate it, you, all the same.”

There it was again. The strange gravity his words seemed to possess. Erik flushed, not something he ever did, feeling that appreciation to his core. Charles’ smile deepened and somehow held the same weight as his words. Looking at it was almost too much, like looking straight at the sun, it warmed parts of Erik he hadn’t even realized were cold.

“You can stay with me,” Erik said, apropos of nothing, then flinched, his own words surprising him. It wasn’t the offer he had intended to make. The Firm put people up all the time for various reasons, and Erik had planned to slip Charles in to one of his current cases with no one the wiser. The doctor felt certain it wouldn’t be long until his memory returned, based on her previous experience of such cases.

Charles’ astonishment seemed to match his own. “Erik, that’s too much. You’ve done so much already.”

Erik rubbed at the back of neck, avoiding Charles’ eyes, which were comically, anime-wide. While he hadn’t meant to make the offer, he also found now that he had, he also had no sense of regret. His flat was large, he practically lived at the firm, so it would hardly be an inconvenience and the less he abused his position, the less tracks he had to cover.

He coughed, “There’s always Nancy.” Erik hoped the joke would break the sudden tension. “You could take her up on her ambiguous offer.” Charles laughed. Success.

“Coffee, and whatever else it may suggest, is a far cry from living together. Besides, I don’t even know Nancy.”

“You don’t know me either. You may have unwittingly saved a sociopath the world would be better without.”

Charles shook his head. “Don’t be absurd. You’re a good man, Erik. Better than you know.”

Everything about this was absurd.

“It’s settled then, when they discharge you, you can stay with me until we figure out who you are.”

Charles’ face, which Erik was already beginning to realize was nakedly expressive, came over suddenly unreadable.

“I—“ Charles hesitated, eyes flicking away from Erik to the window. Erik supposed coming to live with any stranger was enough to give anyone pause, especially someone who was as disoriented as Charles must already be. He was about to shift back to his original, much less awkward, plan when Charles’ gaze focused back on him. “All right. Until... until then.”

“Until then,” Erik echoed and they both fell suddenly silent.

He was inviting someone to live with him when he had never lived with anyone besides his mother his entire life. Roommates? Please. Erik had never had to, but would have rather lived in a squalid apartment than have to share a living space with anyone, even when putting himself through the extraordinary expenditure of american law school. Yet, here he was. Here they were. It felt right. Perhaps he had an overabundance of gratitude and quid pro quo to sate. It was the only thing that made any sense in the face of something that made absolutely no sense.

He’d probably regret it the instant Charles was in his space, but he also wasn’t someone who went back on his word, so he was taking in this stray whether he came to regret it or not.

Mama, at least, would approve.

*

Now on Ao3

Thanks for reading!!

[madsthewordclown]

Dance with Me | Sokka x Reader

Prompt: “Please don’t do this to me.”

I got this prompt from a post by @urmomoness ! I love their prompt lists so much, and I just had to write something with this one because IDEAS. You can thank @nadiblue for convincing me to post this now

summary: a whole lot of fluff of Y/N and Sokka at the Kataang wedding reception, modern au

Warnings: mentions of alcohol. so much fluff. I am sorry

“Please don’t do this to me,” Y/N begged, trying in vain to dig her heels into the ground as Sokka tugged on her arm.

“Come on, Y/N, it’s a special day,” Sokka insisted, smiling. “Plus, I know you just cried at that first dance, and this’ll cheer you up.”

“They were happy tears!” Y/N protested, pulling her arm out of Sokka’s grasp. “Besides, you were crying too!”

“Hey!” Sokka put a hand to his chest. “It’s my little sister’s wedding. I’m allowed to cry manly tears.”

It really was a beautiful wedding. Y/N should have been more emotionally prepared, but there was something about seeing how happy her friends were, and how the world seemed to disappear for them when they took to the dancefloor. Katara had warned her not to cry, too.

“If you cry then I’ll cry,” Katara had said. “I will have to kick you out of the wedding party.”

Luckily, Katara hadn’t followed through on the threat, and Katara hadn’t cried. The smile never left Katara’s face, actually. But Y/N could’ve sworn that Aang was tearing up through the entire ceremony.

“Yeah, manly,” Y/N teased with a laugh. “I’m still not going to dance.”

Sokka groaned. “Don’t be a buzzkill, Y/N. How could you not like dancing?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it,” Y/N insisted. “It’s that I’m bad at it and not interested in embarrassing myself.”

“You sound like Zuko,” Sokka said with a frown, “and even he’s dancing. It’s Katara’s wedding, Y/N, live a little. Besides, everyone is going to be embarrassing themselves later.”

The bartender did seem pretty busy, Y/N had to admit. There was a good chance that some of the guests wouldn’t remember the evening at all.

Suddenly, the music changed to an upbeat song that Y/N didn’t quite recognize. Sokka pouted at her. Y/N sighed.

“Fine,” she relented, letting Sokka gently pull her toward the dance floor. “But only because I like this song.”

Y/N decided to start of simple, swaying to the song and letting Sokka swings his hands in hers. But before they even got all the way through the first chorus of the song, Sokka was letting go of her hands and dancing wildly. They bumped into Zuko, who was reluctantly dragged into dancing by Ty Lee. Mai had not budged from her seat at a table across the room.

Sokka really did dance like no one was watching. Y/N took a moment to just observe him. The guy was an engineering genius, but somehow, this is where he seemed the most in his element. Just letting loose and having fun with his friends by his side. He was waving his arms around now, almost comically. Y/N giggled.

“Told you it would cheer you up!” Sokka called out over the noise of the other guests and the music. Sokka moved closer, grabbing Y/N’s hands again as he noticed her lack of movement. “You need to get more into it!” He insisted with a grin.

“I’m good, thanks,” Y/N replied, giving him a smile. She hoped that he couldn’t tell how warm she felt with her hands in his.

“Y/N!” Katara called. It appeared she had finally been able to get out of small talk with the other guests. Katara glowed in her wedding gown, pulling Aang along behind her. Aang couldn’t seem to look away from his now-wife’s face.

“Y/N,” Katara repeated, “you have to dance with me, I love this song.”

“Katara—”

“Please?” Katara interrupted. “It’s my favorite, and it’s my wedding day.”

“Fine,” Y/N relented with a grin. She caught Sokka shooting her an offended look, his mouth dropped open in mock-shock—oh, now you’ll dance? —it seemed to say.

Y/N followed Katara to a somewhat-open spot on the dancefloor. Ty Lee and Suki joined their little group with bounds of enthusiasm, and even Toph was willing to join in, on Katara’s insistence. Y/N’s bridesmaid dress was the same shade of blue as the other girls’ outfits, other than Katara’s white gown. Toph had somehow been allowed to wear a blazer and sleek pants instead of a dress.

Y/N felt her shyness melt away as she began to dance with the other girls. It was an incredible feeling to let loose and have fun, especially after such a spectacular day. Soon enough they were shouting along the lyrics of every song.

The crowd wasn’t that big to begin with, as Katara and Aang hadn’t had a huge guest list, preferring to include mainly close friends and family. But the people on the dance floor slowly began to clear out, although for Y/N and her friends, the night had not begun to calm down.

Sokka was back, Y/N realized, although he had never left. The music changed again, and Y/N immediately recognized the song.

“This is my favorite!” She cried, already beginning to move to the music. She set her eyes on Sokka, running over to pull him further into the dance floor.

“You seem excited for someone who refused to get up from the table earlier,” Sokka teased. The suit jacket that he had been wearing was gone, leaving him in his white button up along with his blue bow tie. His hair was beginning to fall out of its ponytail. Y/N could hardly feel her heart’s rapid rhythm over the beat of the music.

“It’s my favorite, Sokka.” Y/N held onto Sokka’s hands and danced, swinging her hips and bobbing her head along. Sokka was smiling at her and definitely mouthed the word dork, but then he was bobbing right along with her.

Y/N belted the final chorus to the best of her ability, which admittedly wasn’t that great, but Sokka seemed to appreciate it. He didn’t know the song, but attempted to sing along anyway, completely butchering the words. The song ended, and Y/N was huffing from the effort of singing and jumping around like a maniac.

Y/N gave a sigh of relief as the gentle sound of acoustic guitar filled her ears. After what seemed like an eternity, there was finally a slow song. She leaned in towards Sokka to make sure he could hear.

“I’m going to go take a breather,” she said, already walking away, but was stopped when she realized that Sokka had not let go of her arm.

“Come on, Y/N,” he smiled, warm and bright. “You can’t quit now.”

“I’m really out of breath, Sokka.”

“It’s a slow song, Y/N,” he reasoned. “You don’t even have to do anything.”

“And I don’t want you to sit down and quit for the night,” Sokka joked. “Suki and I have agreed that we’re going to outlast the rest of my family.”

Y/N didn’t say anything but let Sokka slowly pull her towards him. She put her arms around his next and felt his settle on her waist. And then Y/N suddenly realized how close they were, feeling her face warm. She leaned to rest her head on his shoulder to hopefully hide her expression.

It was another song that Y/N didn’t recognize, but Sokka seemed to know it. He was humming along with it lightly, and Y/N could feel it. He wasn’t perfectly on tune, but he had the melody down. They hardly moved, lightly swaying from side to side.

“They had a beautiful ceremony,” Y/N said, lifting her head from Sokka’s shoulder to look at him. “It was almost too perfect.”

“I know,” Sokka agreed. “I’m really happy for them.”

“Me too,” Y/N hummed, looking to where the happy couple was dancing. Katara was leaning heavily onto Aang’s shoulder. Aang’s eyes were closed as he smiled and held his bride closely. It was almost enough to make Y/N tear up all over again, but she turned to see that Sokka was beating her to it, his eyes turning watery.

“Aww,” Y/N giggled, removing her arms from Sokka’s shoulders to cup her hands on his face. “Look at those manly tears.”

“Shut up,” Sokka whined, grabbing Y/N’s wrists to pull her hands away. “You were getting emotional, too.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Y/N giggled, letting her arms fall to her sides. Sokka slid his hands into hers.

“You know,” Sokka changed the subject, looking into Y/N’s eyes with his very, very blue ones. “You’re a pretty good dancer, I don’t know why you didn’t want to.”

“You mean I’m a really dorky dancer,” Y/N corrected.

“I mean, yes, some of it is dorky,” Sokka admitted, “but you seem to have a lot of fun when you stop worrying about it.”

“I don’t like feeling like people are watching me,” Y/N explained. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Well,” Sokka reassured, “I don’t think anyone noticed the poor attempt at moonwalking, so you’re all good.”

“You noticed,” Y/N pointed out. Sokka tugged on her hands in response, pulling her closer. They were very close again, Y/N noticed, and this time the music wasn’t drowning out her nerves. A woman’s voice crooned over the speakers.

“Yeah, but I always notice you.” Sokka laced his fingers with yours. “I just… you’re really special to me, Y/N. You know that, right?” Y/N’s heart skipped a beat at his words.

“You’re special to me, too,” Y/N replied, unable to think of any other response. She had felt her feelings growing towards her friend over the past few months, but she wasn’t prepared for this. Whatever this was.

Sokka bit his lip, looking into Y/N’s eyes tentatively. It was the first time Y/N had seen Sokka—confident, hilarious, intelligent Sokka—look this nervous.

“Can I kiss you?” Sokka whispered. Y/N almost thought she heard his voice shaking, and she had barely begun to nod before his lips were on hers.

The kiss was tentative, gentle, and sweet, and she could taste cherry grenadine on his lips because he’d insisted on overloading a Shirley Temple with sugar. Sokka let go of her hands, resting one of his on her waist while the other came up to cradle her cheek, his touch light. Y/N brought her own hands up to wrap around his shoulders once again.

They pulled apart, Sokka’s eyes wide and his lips tilting into a small smile. “Wow,” Y/N breathed dumbly.

“Wow,” Sokka agreed, not taking his eyes away from Y/N’s face for a single moment. “Do you want to go out sometime?”

“Yeah.” Y/N felt her face break out into a wide smile. “I would.”

“Great,” Sokka breathed, his smile bright. The slow song had ended, the next one already beginning with an upbeat rhythm. Sokka tilted his head to where the rest of their friends were gathering together to dance along. “Want to go join them?”

Y/N nodded, smiling as Sokka held her hand and they went to join their friends.

[mcfreakin-bxtch]

Hello! I hope you're doing okay over there. Are your requests open? If so, could you do a Din x reader with the reader sketching him (the child and their special moments together) when she thinks he isn't looking, but one day he finds the sketchbook? If they're closed just ignore the request but hold on tight to the wishes of good furtune and health ♥ Stay safe!

I’m hanging in there sweet anon and I hope you’re doing okay too (okay but this is so cute omg).

Warnings: It’s really just two dorks and good ole fluff. Some of this is unedited as well

*Reminder that the forum for my taglist is still up and pinned!

__________________________________________ 

If he would turn slightly to the left, you’d be able to get the perfect angle you need to finish the sketch. 

The helmet reflects the glare of the stars, illuminating a bright shine around the top of the beskar and stinging your eyes just a little when you look up at it. You can’t help but do it anyway. The Child is asleep, a day of actually getting to use those little feet of his wore him out - you love the little one, but you and Din have exhausted yourselves keeping up with finding him his home and protecting him at the same time; this peace and quiet right now is highly overdue.

The pencil glides easily against the paper, connecting every line to another, creating another favorite of yours; the perfect piece of art that’s sitting in front of you, unaware of the stacks of sketches that you’ve drawn silently in the whatever corner you can lurk in. To be honest, with as attentive as he is, you’re surprised he hasn’t caught on to you yet. 

You’re so lost in finishing the shades that you don’t notice the Mandalorian turning slightly towards you in his seat. He watches your brows furrow in deep concentration, the light scratching in the air a comfort to him since the months of hearing it. He’s never actually seen any of your drawings, however, and he knows that one day the curiosity will get the better of him and he’ll ask... eventually. 

Truth is he’s not all the sure on why he hasn’t asked you yet, despite the growing and gnawing interest with teeth that grows sharper and longer as more time goes on. And it’s not like you’ve ever brought it up, either. It’s been this unspoken thing between the two of you - a dance that’s familiar in any language; of scared love and child-like curiosity that seeps into something deeper.

That’s exactly what he’s afraid of. 

It’s in this moment of sensing a pair of eyes on you - the pair of eyes you can’t see, but imagine they must be green, or brown more than anything. For a moment, you’re almost afraid to find out.

With a small intake of air you will your head to tilt up. The visor spins away so quick that it’s almost comical, and you bite your lip to suppress the giggle bubbling in your chest. 

“Din,” you call his name teasingly. “Is there something you wanted?”

It’s almost too hard to hide the laughter when his helmet jolts towards you, like he’s surprised that you called him out on it. 

“I -” You think you hear a gulp through the statics of the vocoder. “- I was... I was just wondering what you were drawing. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.”

Your heart skips a beat at the sincerity of his apology, and the fact that he was watching you, which has you wondering if this is a reoccurrence you’ve been blind to this entire time.

“It doesn’t,” you voice croaks. “It’s-it’s nothing really. Just the ship, whatever I see throughout the day.” You sit up, still clutching the book to your chest. “I’m going to check on the kid. Call for me if you need anything.”

When the hell did the air get so thick like this? You feel bad, so bad, and a part of you wants to desperately show him this simple thing that he just wants to look at, but... but he’ll know. One look and he’ll know.

“Okay,” the modulator cracks - you wonder what it’s masking right now, what you can’t hear through the robotic statics. “You can rest too while you’re at it. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”

You nod and awkwardly wave your departure, climbing down on wobbly legs to the hull and the cot the Child is asleep on; you’re relieved to see that he’s still bundled in his blanket, a peaceful expression gracing his features. 

It’s here you feel the fatigue settling on your shoulders. The dull beating You sigh and settle inside the small space, careful of your weight and making yourself as comfortable as you can get. With the book and pencil still in hand, you decide to finish the little details of his belt. 

***

Mando sighs as thoughts of you plague his mind once more. 

That, and the fact that he needs to sleep at least an hour before the landing at the next destination. 

He keens his ears for any sings of movements down in the hull, but when he hears nothing he climbs down to ladder in quiet, graceful strokes. 

The dim light does absolute injustice to your features in his opinion. It’s the first thing he notices, not the Child is gurgling over your open sketchbook that’s sprawled out on your lap as you sleep. 

“Kriff,” he curses under his breath and rushes as quietly as he can towards the bunk. He tries to keep his eyes averted of the drawings, but he can’t help it, especially when the Child pouts and slaps against the page when his hand clasps around it. 

It’s... well, it’s him. He’s leaning against the wall of what he can tell is the Razor Crest based off the small details you made sure to put in - he really admires that. Down at his feet is the little one, grinning up at him. Beneath the helmet that’s shielded him from the rest of the world for almost all his life, he smiles back; orange caresses the rough paper, imagining that he can actually feel it through the lead and gloves. 

The next page is of a planet he cannot name off the top of his head, but he can’t shake the feeling that it’s of home. 

Each page is filled with memories; past and present etched and filled with the kind of skill and warmth that can never be replaced; promises of mystery tied in like a piece of string. Most of them towards the end are of him and the Child. Small moments, mostly, like when he fell asleep with the kid secured to his armored-less chest, and moments when it’s him, sitting in the pilot’s seat or his cape flowing behind him as he walks away to a new bounty or clue to the Child’s powers.

He recognizes them with a deep fondness that makes his head swirl with all types of emotions. Din knows what they mean, but it’s the fear. Yet each drawing - he’s on the one from hours ago - scolds each inch of doubt within him, and in this he finds a type of bravery he’s hasn’t faced much before; it makes it more terrifying to him. 

“I like to draw what makes me happy.”

Your voice startles him from his thoughts. He’s never frozen up like this before - at least long ago - but now it feels like your stare alone is the only thing keeping him grounded to this spot. The doe like expression on your face the guilt that started to creep within his chest dissipates. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, because he still feels that he needs to apologize. “The kid had it and I... he likes the one where he found that flower.”

You smile widely at that, looking down at the child in question as you sit up. Din silently watches you climb out from the bunk and takes a few steps back to let you lean against the cold interior. 

“That’s one of my favorites, too,” you say; proudly, Din thinks. “And the one where you fell asleep in the pilot’s chair... you were so tired that day and I kept trying to get you to rest and let me take over, but you can be so stubborn sometimes, you know that?”

His chuckle radiates the room, and fuck it, it could radiate the entire galaxy. Yours join in with ease, but it quickly dies down, though not awkwardly or uncomfortably; it feels natural among the countless other laughs you’ve shared over the years. 

“I um - “ you clear your throat nervously, battling with the endless fluttering of butterflies in your stomach and the shakiness in your voice. “- I guess this is a good time to say that I really like you, Din. And I’ve been drawing these sketches of as many of these moments as I can because they’re so precious to me.” You take a deep breath. “Just like the Child is. Just like you are.”

You finish with a light scoff. It’s quiet, you have to pee, and you hope to the Maker above that this isn’t how your journey with Din ends; you should really open your eyes and at least do something if he’s just going to keep standing there. 

“I like you, too.” 

Your eyes nearly pop out of their sockets when those words reach your ears. It feels like your heart just stopped beating, your body frozen, and your thoughts bouncing wildly around like a blaster; that crackled laugh (that you know somehow is soft) brings you back to your body, back to the man standing closer to you know and slowly reaching his hand out. 

You glance at it before tracing your eyes over the worn out boots that’s seen better days, the scratched and scraped armor that you have shared more than enough time cleaning and polishing, the signet that the Mandalorian never fails to honor proudly, even in his own quiet ways; and now the helmet, the t-shaped visor that shields him.  

In this you find no fear. The weight of his hand in yours settles you and the soft link of his pinky with yours brings a stinging to your eyes. 

“I can’t do this alone,” he says. “And I want this to work. The Creed -”

“I know,” you interject quietly. “It’s not always going to be easy. But we got this, just like always, don’t we?”

“At least one of us has to.” 

His heart warms when the loudest snort he’s ever heard you make jolts the Child from his sleep, blinking those big eyes wearily as your muffled laugher continues against your fingers. “You should get some sleep now,” you tell him. “I got this one.”

It feels very natural to lean down and pick the Child up and smile at Din with assurance; he feels the air in his lungs draw out of him until he literally starts to feel breathless, and his lips stretch in a smile - it’s small and shy; hopeful. 

After he makes sure that the hull is closed off and lays his helmet by the plates of his armor (one of the rare times he actually can), settling onto the unforgiving but familiar cot, he imagines you’ll make a fuss about the scar on his nose with a pencil and book in your hands. 

Tags:  @talesfromtheguild, @absurdthirst, @chews-erotically, @hiwelcometochillys, @legally-a-bastard, @bluengrayfox, @pascaliprincess, @oloreaa, @thisis-theway, @jaynoellef, @ben-is-a-hoe, @hayley-the-comet, @pascalisthepunkest, @kenedyybrooklin, @garrshep, @paintmekala, @marian, @fit-fierce-gamer, @altersw, @hoodedbirdie

[amajikilvr]

warm aromas - tamaki amajiki

word count 1.9k

reader type filipino , gender-neutral

premise tamaki gets a taste of your cultural during a first date

For the record, you weren’t terribly nervous about this date. At least not any type of uneasiness worth noting. It was a fluttery kind of anticipation that shot your butterfly-filled stomach into your chest, all the way up your throat, and then finally falling back down before repeating and repeating. More than anything else, you were excited.

It was just Amajiki, after all. Well, he wasn’t just anything. Amajiki was a beautiful kaleidoscope of oddities that you had yet to have the pleasure of discovering. For now, you simply knew him as the tender boy in your class with immense talent and heart.

You considered him a great friend and had been willing to take a leap of faith in an effort to pursue something more. And it seemed like your bravery was paying off so far.

Walking into the warmly lit restaurant, you took a deep breath of the aromatic atmosphere and felt your heart jump and shake as Amajiki’s sweet face came to mind. You couldn’t see yourself ever forgetting the way his complexion had brightly glowed like the surface of a fresh cherry when you asked him out after class.

The familiar older woman working at the front waved and greeted you by name and you did the same with a notable extra twirl in your step. She raised an eyebrow at you, aged forehead wrinkling in amusement.

Needless to say, not even a sudden run-in with your worst enemy would’ve been able to take your good mood down a single notch.

And there he was, already sitting at a back booth that was tucked away and hidden from the majority of fellow patrons, which didn’t surprise you in the slightest.

You grinned and held back a squeal as you plopped down in the seat across from him. “Hi! Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

Amajiki immediately shook his head, indigo tufts of hair bouncing comically. You wanted to just reach out and ruffle them.

“Y/L/N! You didn’t! I was just early, sorry. I was so worried about making you wait for me. Sorry.”

“Aw, that was sweet of you, Tamaki.” You watched his cheeks flush at the use of his given name. Hesitantly, you let your hand hover over his. “Can I?”

“O-oh, yeah.” His face went pale before gradually going an even darker shade of red crimson.

You leaned forward and gently grabbed his hand, a little shocked to feel it trembling. “I’m really happy to be here, you know. Especially since it’s with you.”

Amajiki gulped before taking a long steady breath. His lips curved into a small smile as he made tentative eye contact with you for the first time.

“Me too… Y/N.”

“So, have you ever tried Filipino food before?” You asked after a moment of comfortable silence between you two, still relishing the feeling of his hand in yours. “Hado-san told me you were an adventurous eater…”

“I guess I am. My quirk kinda relies on a diet with plenty of variety. I’ve grown to really enjoy trying different kinds of food, practicality aside.” He paused, clearing his throat, and glancing away. “No Filipino food yet, though.”

“Well,” You gave his hand an experimental squeeze. Amajiki’s breathing went shaky in response, but he squeezed back. “I think you’re really going to like it.”

You’d discovered this restaurant after searching the Internet for somewhere in this city that served authentic Filipino cuisine. Finally, you found this nice family-owned place with delicious food, albeit you still preferred your mother’s cooking, but that was a given.

“Then I’m excited.” Amajiki gave you another wobbly smile. “Not that I wasn’t excited before. I was up all night thinking a… Oh, that’s embarrassing…”

You laughed softly, not at him, but hoping to reassure him. “No, that’s actually cute.”

Tamaki’s eyes went wide and instead of the blush returning, he went as white as a bedsheet. “Oh god… I’m sorry, I’m just so embarrassed. Y/N… Sorry…”

He covered his face with his free hand which was shaking significantly more by now. You were slightly concerned he might get up and run for the nearest corner.

“Tamaki, it’s okay.” You wanted to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, but you settled for squeezing his hand some more in hopes of not further overwhelming him. “It’s all good, don’t worry. I really like you.”

He opened his mouth as if to respond, but was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter who you had already grown quite friendly with over the years. You made a bit of small talk before ordering several classic dishes for Amajiki and you to sample together.

“Y/N,” Amajiki spoke up once you two were alone again. Thankfully, he had time to recover while you ordered and color had returned to his face as a result. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What is it about me that you like?” The last part was practically whispered and you had to guess whether you heard him correctly. “I just didn’t expect any of this is all…”

You tilted your head, smiling at Amajiki as you looked over his face carefully. He was beautiful on the outside too. His jawline was sharp and prominent, skin clear and soft-looking, and his eyes were sparkling and expressive. You could never get over the color, a startlingly deep shade that was only missing a background of stars and planets.

“Well, firstly, I think you’re very attractive.” You watched Amajiki choke on the sip of water he’d taken. He coughed a few times before silently blinking at you and you took it as a sign to continue. “You’re just so vibrant. When you’re using your quirk, you light up the whole room. You do without it too. And watching you work so hard and improve this year has been amazing. You inspire me without even trying and I couldn’t be more thankful for it.”

Amajiki made a small gasping noise, borderline a squeak, before squeezing his pretty eyes shut. He took a couple of deep breaths before sighing heavily. “T-that’s… Wow… Y/N, thank you. Thank you so much.”

He kept his eyes closed as he finished, blushing immensely again. “I think you’re beautiful… And smart. And kind. And… Oh my god, sorry, I might need a minute to just-”

“Tamaki.” You nervously brought your hand to his face and cupped his cheek. It was incredibly warm. “Is this okay?”

The response was shockingly quick. “Y-yes.”

You took another huge risk and just hoped it would pay off in the end. “Can I kiss you?”

A pregnant pause this time. Your heart was working overtime and you swore you could hear it pounding from inside your chest. Amajiki was quivering ever so slightly under your touch. You shouldn’t have asked, it was probably too much happening too fast.

“It’s okay if you don’t-”

Amajiki cut you off almost frantically. “No! I mean, yes, you can. Please…”

You gathered yourself and leaned even further across the table. First, you planted a chaste and sweet kiss on his other cheek. Going for his lips took more courage, but you did it. This kiss was longer than the other, but not by much. You didn’t care. As it turns out, Amajiki’s lips were as soft as they looked.

“Was that fine?” You asked, concerned when he still wasn’t opening his eyes. You felt a bit jittery yourself from that kiss.

They flew open at your voice. “It was great, I just need to go…”

He made a weak outward gesture and you gave him a comforting smile. You understood without him having to say it. He just needed a moment to himself after all of that.

“The washroom’s over there.”

Amajiki stood up, his hand coming loose from yours and your other hand falling from his hot face. “Thank you. I really did enjoy that, I just need a minute. Sorry, this is so rude of me…”

You shook your head sharply. “I don’t think that. Go ahead, take your time. I get it. I really do.”

“All that matters is that you feel comfortable.”

“Okay. Thank you.” He seemed relieved as he stared at you, actually gazing into your eyes, before rushing off towards the door you had pointed out to him.

Now alone, you smiled to yourself and placed a finger to your lips, still shell-shocked by the turn of events. You had actually kissed Amajiki and it was everything you’d imagined and more. Things couldn’t be going better and you two hadn’t even ate yet!

It wasn’t too long before your order arrived and Amajiki returned nearly back-to-back.

“Perfect timing,” You greeted him and took note of how he was no longer shaking like a leaf. “I might’ve gone overboard… don’t know if we’ll be able to finish all of this ourselves.”

“You’d be surprised by the size of the meals at Fat’s agency.” Amajiki chuckled as he took in the plates of steaming food laid out before you two. “What should I try first?”

You feigned being deep in thought before grinning. “Hm, just pick whatever.”

He reached for the platter of puto and you followed suit. They looked delicious, extra fluffy and topped off gooey cheese. Amajiki watched as you popped the entire thing in your mouth with zero reservation.

“They’re little steamed rice cakes.” You explained after swallowing.

Amajiki took a bite out of his and finished it soon after before grabbing another. “Mm, they’re very light. Do they always have cheese?”

“Depends, but a lot of the time, yeah.” You answered while helping yourself to a second of your own. “Hey, What could you manifest out of this?”

A mischievous twinkle flashed in Amajiki’s eyes as he raised a finger in a “wait a minute” fashion. You wanted to giggle at how his face scrunched up in concentration, but held back for his sake. After a short moment, a pair of small pale horns shot out from his purple hair.

You let out your laugh, nearly choking on puto in the process. “Nice!”

His cheeks were rosy as he scratched at the back of his neck. He looked focused once again before the horns seemed to be gone in the blink of an eye.

“Dairy products are always fun.” Amajiki stated while sipping his water. “I could’ve given myself two stomachs but I thought that was kinda gross…”

“Just a bit.” You agreed, laughing softly. “But also kinda cool.”

Next came the lumpia, a dish comparable to egg rolls. Amajiki seemed especially pleased as he took several bites out of one.

“Really good.” He confirmed with a nod. “Pork inside?”

“Yup.” You kicked him playfully under the table. “Think you could manifest one of those curly pigtails? Like in the cartoons?”

Amajiki froze like a statue midchew.

“Just kidding.” You reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Glad you like it.”

“I-I think I like you more, Y/N.”

The lunch date continued on. It was a quiet moment while you two were enjoying a hearty noodle dish when you were struck with a wave of warmth that filled you from head to toe. You felt so at home, sharing this piece of your culture with probably your favorite person ever.

Amajiki appeared utterly relaxed as he ate, cheeks tinted with a very soft pink. You noticed both of his pointy ears twitch a number of times and were puzzled before you remembered something Togata had said to you once.

“He’s done it ever since we were kids. When he’s really happy, his ears will do this twitch-thingy, but try not to point it out. He gets really embarrassed.”

It might have been the cutest sight you’d ever seen.

[sweet-curried-powder]

So I was in the mood to write some more sk8 stuff, and since apparently reki never gets any chocolates on valentine's day, i figured that langa should be a good boyfriend and give chocolates to reki!

this fic was partly inspired by the comics @birdybomb drew for valentine's day and white day! i just discovered them a few days ago, but they're a really good artist, so shoutout to them!

i'm going to be posting this on ao3 shortly, so stay tuned for the ao3 link!

fic below the cut!

*******

“Reki?”

The red-haired boy turned to look at Langa, chewing on the end of his pen, his fingers on the other hand tapping the table to the rhythm of the music that was playing from the radio in the Hasegawa’s kitchen, some sort of bubbly, happy pop song about love by a popular band that was all the rage in Japan at that particular moment, though Langa, having grown up in Canada for most of his life and not used to everyone and everything being in Japanese, didn’t understand the lyrics too well, though he did get the gist of the song.

“Yea, Langa?” Reki tilted his head, his fingers still tapping the table. “Something on your mind?”

“I heard some girls talking in class earlier, and I was wondering.” Langa tugged on the cuff of his jacket, his thumb rubbing over the fabric. “Do you know what a ‘White Day’ is?”

“Huh? You don’t know what White Day is?” Reki’s face scrunched up, clearly confused. “They don’t celebrate it in America?”

“It’s Canada,” the blue haired teen corrected. “And no. Stores usually sell what chocolates are left after Valentine’s during some kind of discount sale. But after that, you don’t really see that kind of thing until next February.”

“Huh,” Reki mumbled, his expression shifting to one that Langa couldn’t quite recognize, but he could still see hints of confusion on his friend’s face. “But anyway. White Day is kind of like the opposite of Valentine’s day here in Japan. Where people who got chocolates last month give chocolates to people who gave them the chocolates before.”

“So...people buy chocolates for the ones who gave them the chocolates on Valentine’s?”

“Uhhh, kinda? My mom says people give homemade chocolates to someone that they’re interested in romantically, while they give storebought chocolates to family or friends.”

Langa nodded in understanding, mumbling some fairly quiet English. “So, who are you giving chocolates to?”

A slightly sad look crossed Reki’s face. “Nobody, really. I’ve never gotten any chocolates from anybody before.”

“You’ve...never gotten chocolates?” Langa felt his heart sink, even more so when he saw Reki shake his head. His friend had never gotten chocolates before? Not from a single person? That didn’t seem fair, especially since he got loads of chocolates back when he was living in Canada. And Reki was so nice...and caring and funny. Not to mention cute, but he wouldn’t tell a soul about the last part (well, he accidentally let that slip on accident one time near Miya, but Langa was able to bribe him to not tell Reki with a new game.)

And with that, a plan quickly formed in the former snowboarder’s mind.

After Reki had gone home a few hours later to help his mom with dinner, Langa waited until his friend was completely out of sight before hopping on his board and zooming to Joe’s restaurant. Sure, he could have asked his mom for help for this. But Joe was a restaurant owner, a chef. And even though his menu was all Italian, he made one hell of a poutine, so surely he knew how to make chocolates.

The restaurant was empty for the most part when Langa entered, with Cherry being the only person there besides the tall, muscular chef himself. Of course, the two of them were bickering once again, like a couple who had been married for ages would. Langa was used to this by now, so he just sat down, placing his skateboard on the floor while patiently waiting for the two to settle their argument, even if it was momentarily.

It took about ten minutes or so before the argument started to simmer down, and Joe finally noticed the blue haired boy. “Oi- how long have you been here?”

“Ten minutes. Was I interrupting something?”

“Nothing important.” Joe ran a hand through his hair, a dark shade of green that went down to his neck, just a few inches longer than Langa’s, and looked rather messy. “Where’s Reki?”

“He went home. He had to help his mom.” Langa played with his hands as he spoke, a habit of his. “I came to ask a favor, if that’s okay.”

“Hit me.”

“Do you know how to make chocolates?”

“Chocolates?” Joe seemed a bit puzzled. “Yeah, sure I do. Made them for a lot of girls when I was your age. How come?”

“...can you teach me to make them? Please?” A slight blush of embarrassment crossed Langa’s cheeks. “They’re for White Day.”

“Can’t you ask your mother to help?” Cherry tilted his head, adjusting his glasses. “I’m sure she’d do a much better job at making them than this gorilla here.” That particular comment got the calligrapher a shout of outrage from Joe.

“Reki told me he’d never gotten chocolates before,” Langa explained. “I felt bad. And I really loved the poutine you made me a few days ago, and I wanted to make Reki’s chocolates super special.”

“You’re telling me the kid hasn’t gotten any chocolates before? That’s a buncha shit!” Joe rolled his sleeves up, opening the doors to the kitchen. “C’mon in. I’ll show you how to make chocolates so good, your grandma will wanna cry!”

“The lifespan of an average gorilla is thirty-five to forty years.”

“You seriously got your robot in on this?!”

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s Carla, not robot!”

Langa was sweating bullets the next day, waiting for Reki to show up at their usual meeting spot. After what seemed like a torturous night that seemed to last several years, it was finally White Day. And time to give Reki his chocolates. The first chocolates he’d receive.

Langa couldn’t recall the last time he’d been this nervous. Maybe the first time he started skateboarding, but he couldn’t remember that. He tugged on a bunch of his snowy hair, grinding his teeth and waiting for Reki to show up.

“Langa!”

Reki was running up to him, and Langa relaxed with a sigh and a smile. He wasn’t really paying attention to what Reki was saying, not because he didn’t want to, but because, well…

He reached into his bag, pulling out the package, wrapped in red paper and tied with a fancy ribbon. Reki tilted his head, before looking shocked when Langa handed the package to him.

“Happy white day,” Langa said quietly, smiling softly at his friend. “Joe helped me make them. I hope you like it.”

“...these are for me?” Reki’s voice was soft, almost inaudible, even. Tears of joy brimmed at the corners of his eyes, and from the expression on his face, you would have thought that Langa had just proposed to him. “Langa, I… t-thank you.”

Reki slowly unwrapped the package, taking out one of the chocolates. It was skateboard shaped, and he could see some other chocolates looked like the symbols on his own board. They weren’t perfect, but he knew Langa had worked extremely hard on it, and in his mind, it made it extremely special.

“..I love it, Langa. Thank you so much.”

Langa smiled wider, feeling his heart swell. “You’re welcome Reki.”

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

VIOLETTA UNPOPULAR OPINIONS, GO!

OH FUCK YES

Tomas was very whiny. I can understand how you could like him and why you’d want him and Violetta to be endgame, but tbh he was just. Always whiny and blamed everyone else. I lost all respect for him as an 11yo when I first watched the episode where he was like ”The kiss you gave Leon was my kiss. I can’t get over it”

Lara was NICE. She was SUPPORTIVE and WANTED THE BEST for Leon. She didn’t even dislike Violetta. Sure, she could make some comments towards her, but nothing was mean spirited. I don’t know why she just disappeard

Same for Braco, Napo and Luca. I absolutely support Tomas going back to Spain (lol) but the rest?? Where are you, come back!

I think Jade and Matias were just uneccessary after the first season. I feel like they were only there for comic relief, but tbh they just take up scenes I feel like other characters can get. Like BRACO AND NAPO AND LUCA.

It would have been pretty fun in my opinion if Esmeralda were out for stealing German’s money herself, without having Jade and Matias there. Like, her seeming like the perfect woman, and then as we go by, we realise something is not right, and we find out before the wedding exactly what has happened

I don’t mind the english dub, but it fucking sucks in season 1, sorry not sorry, and I think that is a reason Violetta never got as popular in english speaking countries. Plus, Violetta’s english singing voice is weird in season 1. But in season 2 her english singing voice got a complete GLOWUP, so I like that. But also, the english dub sometimes don’t translate correctly. They changed funny lines as ”Oh, a mexican” and ”What is up with this girl and astronomy?” to ”Oh, they’re arguing!” and ”I wish I learned astronomy in kindergarden”. Why??

I understand that, in season 2 when the characters were gonna sing in another language, the english dub had to come up with a new language. The only problem is that I personally don’t understand french at all and I didn’t know Camila was pronouncing everything wrong. I sort of wish the swedish dub (that I grew up with) had the original spanish songs, because we got the english dubbed songs, and swedish kids know english better than french, so I think we would understand if Camila pronounced english wrong

I did not care for Clement and Gery at all and I sometimes forget they exist

Sometimes I think Angie would’ve been happier if she ended up with Pablo

The last 10 episodes of season 2 >>>>> all other episodes

The end of ep75 of s2 always makes me emotional. Just... Violetta crying on stage, not being able to sing, LEON SAVES HER. Leonetta may not be the most stable couple but THAT IS LOVE

And also ep76-80 in season 2, where everyone is so bummed out and sad. I feel for them and I get so happy every time when they DO finish the song, Vilu DOES get her father back, everything is GOOD again.

The Roxy and Fausta storyline was always weird to me, it felt a bit ooc. But it was at the same time kind of funny. I think what I would do if I rewrote it is to still make them dress up as them, but not to spy on Leon. They... just dress up for another reason. Maybe to sneak into the kareoke bar because they weren’t allowed there anymore or something

Honestly season 3 is just in general a little off to me. Nothing is really the same. Maybe it’s this... less colorful filter it has on it? Idk it feels like s3 has this lighter shade on it. Maybe to reflect that the characters are older now. Or smth

I also feel like some characters in season 3 just changed personality. Violetta is much more stubborn and short tempered than before. They try really hard to show that DIEGO HAS CHANGED, HE IS NICE NOW. Which, yeah, I get it, but it’s just a little funny seeing him be a manipulative stalker and now he’s sweet Diego on guitar

I tbh never cared about Francesca’s love life. Everyone was like ”OMG DIECESCA IS MY OTP” and I’ve been like ”??? Fran hated him last season what?”. I’m not hating on Diecesca, they are a lovely couple, but I just never really... cared? I didn’t care about Marco much either. They were sweet? Then he couldn’t stop sending flowers and I’m like ”dude calm down”. And Fran’s relationship with Tomas wasn’t very good. The only relationships with Fran I cared about was her friendships and her relationship with her brother

Priscila is SUCH a psychopath and the second she showed her true sides I wanted to hug Ludmila. Please I hope Ludmila seeks therapy. Poor girl.

Season 3 felt like a fanfiction but the biggest fanfiction in this universe is Tini the movie. We don’t talk about that. What WAS that. I’m so confused. If they wanted to make a Violetta movie they could make a ”reunion” movie or smth, not WHATEVER THAT WAS. Though the visuals and angles are pretty nice.

Llamame with the cowboy hats are the funniest thing I have seen in my life and it felt so off from all the other songs, but ESPECIALLY the version with cowboy hats really gets me cackling

They wasted potential to have LGBTQ+ characters. I get it, it’s Disney, it’s a kids show, it was made in 2012. But I still just feel like... the POTENTIAL. There’s so many characters that gives off queer vibes and I- I don’t know. I feel like the majority is bisexual and then some of them are fully gay/lesbian and the rest are either straight or homophobic

I have since the ripe old age of 11 been a Leonetta shipper, and I still have a very soft spot for them. But recently I have been like ”Francesca and Violetta? Would make a good pair. Germán would approve, Francesca’s not a boy”.

I’m glad Maxi and Cami didn’t end up together, but I also wish they explored that storyline a bit more. Because they kind of just ended it, but then it was still a thing with Marco being mad at Francesca after she didn’t want to tell him Camila kissed Maxi, but then they just... dropped it. Never discussed it ever again. I feel like it just ended on a weird note.

Maxi and Naty are super cute, I love every time Maxi has to turn his cap backwards to kiss her. But Naty also gives off huge lesbian vibes, so now i’m conflicted

I think Gery’s half shaved eyebrow is ugly and now you know

Leon is very chaotic and I think we don’t appreciate him for that. Like, searching his girlfriend up on his motorcross to tell her ”let’s skip school and go and almost kiss at a secret spot in a public park”, calls girlfriend’s overprotective father ”future father in law” before running away, that whole ”LoVe Is LIKe a tHuNDEr” scene-

Diego had more chemisty with Leon than with anyone else in s2

I don’t remember Milton at all and I forgot he was a teacher. What did he do? Like... he yelled at students and that’s all I recall. Then he disappeared? What???

I have lots more but now I can’t come up with more

[melodyalanaroster]

To answer some Fanfic Questions...

So, this is my response to @broxklynn‘s post... I decided to make this its own post... So that It can be properly answered.

1. How and why did you start to write? Is there some kind of story behind it?

I started writing in general when I was in elementary school... Back when I just had a Platform 9 3/4 journal, not many friends, recess, and a desire to immerse myself in the world of Harry Potter. I enjoyed writing, and even joined the Writer’s Club in High School (but I eventually left to join Anime Club and Divergent Thinking Society). As for writing MCL fanfiction, I began writing Sam’s and Alana’s stories as early as when I first got into the fandom, back in 2013. Alana’s story started out as “A Fresh Start”, had a one shot called “When I Wake”, then turned into “Let The Dawn Be Broken”, and is now “The Melancholy Of Melody Alana Roster”. The final product barely has any hints of the first 3... In fact, Sam’s story, “Fighting Darkness”, has been completely debunked due to what I’ve decided to canonize in “The Melancholy Of Melody Alana Roster”. Writing MCL fanfiction has been a major help in distracting me from the depression that was caused by family issues, severe abuse, Stockholm Syndrome, my mom’s disease and her death, as well as working at several shitty jobs. Writing has helped me escape reality and keep myself sane enough to not be a black hole of hate, anger, and sadness to my friends and boyfriend.

2. What do you struggle the most with your writing?

There are 2 major things I struggle with... 1 is Timing. I often set deadlines for myself that I never meet and it makes me so frustrated that I miss them... There are currently things in my drafts that were meant to be “Holiday Specials” for Valentine’s Day and Halloween 2020 that are still unfinished... It makes me feel like I’m letting my readers down, when its more of me letting myself down... The other thing is Inspiration. Because I hate my job, I often think about Alana’s story in an effort to not be completely consumed by the fact that I do hate my work... Due to that, I often come up with ideas for my story that I think are FANTASTIC for my story... But, by the time I get home, I’m either in too much pain or too tired to write, or I’ve forgotten the ideas...

3. What is your favorite genre to write?

I love writing Romance with a bit of Slice of Life and a hint of Action/Adventure... 

4. Slowburn or “Flame”/PWP?

Slow burn any day.

5. How do you overcome writer’s block?

If I absolutely can’t write... I work on other stuff I need to do... Typically, something around the house, or something online I need to do... I also look for cool stuff to add to wish lists... I’ll occasionally play videogames or read comic books... In an effort to subvert writer’s block, I like having multiple chapters in my drafts at once. If I’m not in the mood to work on one chapter, I can work on a different one.

6. What kind of thing you dislike the most, when reading a fanfiction? (for example: particular plot, grammar mistakes)

One thing that makes me upset (and it makes me madder when I do this) is misspelling... Especially when it looks like its almost blatant... You have autocorrect, USE IT! Or when a fanfic is so awful, yet the author acts like their work is a gift from god... I don’t mind a “bad” fanfiction... Hell, the concept of “My Immortal” is so bad that its hilarious... But Fifty Shades did a lot of damage and E.L. James acts like she’s bigger than Jesus... Seriously, she wrote Twilight fanfiction, changed some minor details and names, people who have no knowledge of BDSM ate it up, and she acts like she’s a “Sex and Relationship Guru”...

7. What’s the biggest issue for you, when writing a Beemoov fanfiction?

The biggest issue for me is finding out when to allow for Beemoov’s writing and placement to take place in my story. I don’t like a lot of the events of UL and LL, so I’m often finding myself in a position where I have to watch video playthroughs and go “Okay, how can I omit this character, but keep this scene?”. I’ve had to do that A LOT with Alexy and Rosalaya.... Although, to a certain extent, I’ll often cut their scenes out altogether. I really hate what Beemoov did to them. They were great characters in HSL, but became utter shit in UL and stayed shit in LL. To make up for Beemoov’s writing style, I’ve created my own characters, added in old characters (like Kentin and Armin), added in bits from the manga (like Viktor, Severina and their fathers), and gone off on my own storyline. The Melancholy Of Melody Alana Roster is close to MCL at times, but often veers off onto its own road.

8. Have you ever created a character based on person in real life? (celebrity, someone that you know, etc)

YES!!! A LOT of characters in my story are based on real people! Alana’s step-father, Nate Films, is closely based on Nathan Fillion. A lot of her family members are based on members of my own family, just changed a bit to fit the story. Lynne Roster, Alana’s mom, is what I had always dreamed my own mom would be... Hell, Alana’s cat, Sylvester, is based on my own childhood cat, Luna.

9. How do you feel about your own characters? Do you think of them as your babies or have rather love-hate relationship with them? (And, do you have favorite one?)

I love most of my characters. I do hate 3 in particular... But, you’re supposed to hate, or at least not respect, them... That’s why I poured my hatred into them... Those 3 are Carol, Kai and Azrael. Carol has aspects of my abuser in her. You’ll see more of her when I finally post the HSL related chapters... And understand what I mean... Kai is based on one of my real life cousins that I’ve not been happy with for years (the one who my bf has deemed “the family failure”). You mainly see him in the Cousin Mels chapters, and in the Christmas Special... Azrael is the one who is seen the most in the UL chapters, and she is a main adversary for Alana. She is the one who broke her the most, the one who ended Alana’s relationship with Nathaniel, the one who truly traumatized her. As for ones I love... The one I love the most is Alana... I know, she’s a reflection of me, so that’s kind of vain... But, she’s a part of me. When I do finish her story and am at the point where I need to say “Goodbye”, it will hurt....

10. Enemies-to-lovers or friends/bestfriends-to lovers?

Definitely friends/best friends to lovers. I also like toying with what happens when best friends turn to lovers, but circumstance parts them and one moves on...

11. Is it easy for you to get inside your character’s head? Can you empathize with them? Is there’s some similarities between you and your main character?

It is VERY easy for me to get into Alana’s head... Like I said in #9, she is a reflection of me. She looks and acts like how I’d like to in a lot of situations... Her life is more interesting, traumatized, and more well off than mine... But, she is still me in major ways...

12. Who has been the biggest supporter of your writing?

Definitely my boyfriend. He doesn’t really understand the game itself... But, he likes how happy it makes me and he respects how much of my heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears that I’ve poured into writing my story. He loves listening to me read passages from it to him while I’m working. He gives me advice and his opinion is highly valued... My family knows I’m writing a large story, and have seen some of the images that I’ve gotten commissioned, but they don’t really know or care about the game. They do respect the fact that I am writing. They love the fact that I’m slightly following in my mom’s footsteps in that regard (she wrote 3 books and several poems). My online friends have been very supportive as well! I’m constantly updating them on what I’ve worked on each day in my Discord Server and the words of encouragement always help.

13. How do you handle criticism?

Not well. Due to the abuse and family issues mentioned in #1, for a good amount of my life, I’ve gotten nothing but harsh criticism... So, now that I’m away from all that, at 26 years old, I’m just now getting to a point where I’m starting to take it better... But, I’ve got a long way to go.

14. Do you like giving your characters trauma? Why/why not?

I hate sounding like a sadist... But, I’m going to anyway, so fuck it... Yes. I have done awful things to Alana over the years. In A Fresh Start, she got sexually assaulted and ostracized. In When I Wake, she gets into a car crash, put into a coma, and in her dream state murdered by Francis in front of Nathaniel. In Let The Dawn Be Broken, the plan was for her to end a war. In “The Melancholy of Melody Alana Roster”, her childhood cat dies, her mom gets sick, she gets abused by Carol, her best friends get ripped away from her for a bit, she gets sent to a country halfway around the world alone, she gets assaulted and ultimately turned into a weapon of mass destruction.... I’ve even thought of killing her mom off at one point... But decided against it...

Now, granted, A Fresh Start and Let The Dawn Be Broken never saw completion, but happy endings were planned for them...

I do this, all while giving Alana happy endings in each story because “If Alana can go through utter hell and make it through, then so can I.”... I know, I’m “god” in that regard and I can control how Alana’s life is.... But, the fact that in my writing, she ends up standing tall, happy, with everything she wants, after everything she goes through does make me feel better.... 

15. Are you proud of yourself? When you look at first piece you wrote and compare it to the latest one?

Yes. If you look at A Fresh Start, you can tell it was written by someone fresh out of High School. There’s no real depth to it. Let The Dawn Be Broken isn’t much better... But, The Melancholy of Melody Alana Roster has become my magnum opus. It is the largest piece I have EVER written, and will probably remain the largest piece I write. I am very proud of what I have created... And when its last word is written, and I am ready to get it made for it’s place on my shelf, I will feel very bittersweet about it... That being said, my original plan for a sequel involving Nathaniel’s and Alana’s daughter, Aurora, has been discarded. I don’t believe Aurora could ever have as much of my heart that her parents do...

And there you have it! Some insight into my world, writing, and history!