#The background isn't convincing me so if you have suggestions I'll take it

[koredrawingsand]

I strongly believe every ship should have their own version of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. This is the humble try I did for lams, I hope you like it.

[cursedvibes]

What are your theories on Uraume and their relationships/background with Sukuna and Kenjaku?

Hmm, there are a lot and not all of them entirely coherent, but I'll try. The reveal of their Heian appearance changed a lot of my theories and so did the correction in Vol 23 that the meeting with the country leaders happened in September and not February. I guess that makes more sense with the video footage, but 2 months to meet with various presidents, sell them the existence of sorcerers and then convince them to invade Japan seems a bit short. I assume Kenjaku had already contact with some of those people, since those officials from China invited them and Cyrus Vail seems to have known Kenjaku too, but still a tight schedule for such a major event. In regards to Uraume that kinda overthrows my theory that they were already around and with Kenjaku before the curse family showed up. Well, it doesn't cancel it out, but it's also not proof anymore.

Uraume isn't a reincarnated sorcerer intended to take part in the Culling Game (not their main purpose anyway even if they eventually join), they are tied to Sukuna and his resurrection, so I wouldn't be too surprised if they were already around when Kenjaku created his vessel/Yuuji. Or even if they don't go back that far, I think they would already be around shortly before Yuuji eats the first finger to witness Sukuna's resurgence from the beginning. Even if they have already been around for a year or more, I think they did not have as much close contact with Kenjaku as right now or they would already be much more exasperated with them when we first meet them (tbf their really cunty attitude only shows up when Kenjaku is interrupting their quality Sukuna time). I'm not entirely sure if Uraume made a binding vow with Kenjaku and got turned into a cursed object like Sukuna or if they found some other method like ice to bring them through the ages. For now I'm assuming it was a binding vow with Kenjaku, but I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't the case.

Now as for their Heian appearance, we got confirmation that they weren't always a monk/nun. They might have started wearing those robes shortly before Sukuna's death, since the clothes Sukuna's mummy wears and Uraume's in current times are from the same buddhist school. However, it could also be that Tengen gave Sukuna those clothes post-mortem, which also suggest some kind of involvement of Uraume in that process. The other thing is the shaved hair and lack of pink splotch on the back of their head. I've seen some say that they gained that mark as a reference to their death, but I think they had it before and just shaved it off for some reason. Their name references plums and it would be strange if there was nothing about their appearance that suggested a connection. Their eyes I guess, but that doesn't seem that obvious to me. So if they had that spot from the beginning, it must symbolize something they initially rejected, but then embraced before their death or afterwards. It can't just be Sukuna, it must be something else. Could reference a change in their relationship, but I'm not sure.

I also often see the theory that Uraume was a servant (to Sugawara no Michizane for example) and was freed by Sukuna. I don't agree with that. Aside from Sukuna, they don't act subservient to anyone, quite the opposite. They are very prideful and look down on almost everyone around them. To gain their respect, you have to be powerful/useful and have a personal connection to them. Personal connection because they absolutely hate Gojo despite him being very powerful. They don't just bow down to anyone. If Kenjaku wasn't useful to reuniting them with Sukuna and keeping Sukuna alive and if Kenjaku themselves wasn't so annoyingly competend, they couldn't give two fucks about them.

Uraume doesn't give off the impression of someone used to living in servitude. If so, then only to one particular person and not the people around them. They might have served Sugawara at some point, since he was also a powerful sorcerer, but then they must be quite a bit older than Sukuna, since Sugawara lived until 903 and I assume Sukuna was born after the year 1000. I think Sukuna and Uraume are around the same age though. So unless Uraume hung out with the vengeful spirit Sugawara no Michizane (not entirely impossible) I don't think this works out. I'm entirely open to changing my mind though when Gege finally gives us more details about when what happened. The Heian era was quite long and "1000 years" is also very vague...

As for how Sukuna and Uraume met, I think it wasn't just Uraume begging to follow him because he's powerful, there must be something more personal there because Sukuna almost sees them as equal and allowed only them to stay with him. That's unusually trusting of him. They have a skill he needs but that can't be all, since Sukuna sees them as more than a necessity or tool. I also wouldn't be surprised if it was Sukuna who approached them first, drawn to them by the delicious smell of cooked human meat.

As for Kenjaku, I think they also only got to know them when they approached Sukuna about the binding vow. Kenjaku likely had to go through Uraume first before they were even allowed to talk to Sukuna. While Uraume might find their personality a bit grating at times, it is clear that they know what they're doing and are far more experienced than Sukuna and Uraume combined, so unfortunately associating with them is unavoidable, even if they have to take Kenjaku talking a lot of shit about both of them in the process.

I think those were all my thoughts about Uraume and their past/relationships. Since we don't know a lot about the Heian people yet it's all very tentative, but that makes me even more excited for when we finally find out more.

[purplesimme]

23 <3

23. "I didn't say kill him!"

TW: repetitive use of homophobic slurs

With time Wille has gotten better at gaming, all thanks to Simon, who kept pushing him to play TF2 with him even though Wille argued he fucking sucked. Simon didn't give a shit, he just wanted to play with Wille.

One afternoon at Simon's place, as they're sitting on the bed, they join a new lobby in TF2. Both Wille and Simon sporting a headset each, they say hi to the rest of their team as the round begins.

It's all professional gaming and strategy until one of their teammates yells, "Die faggot!" As they kill an opponent.

Simon flinches at the slur, and Wille is shocked into silence.

Wille mutes their mics and says to Simon, "This piece of shit did not just say that."

Simon has to pretend he's not affected by it. "It's fine," he says, though he doesn't believe it himself. "This game is full of assholes like him."

Wille frowns, that's not a valid argument. "He shouldn't be getting away with it."

Then they hear him talk again. "Fuckin' sissy, I'm gonna fucking kill him."

Wille reaches towards the keyboard to unmute their mics, ready to give this homophobic asshole a piece of his mind. But Simon is faster, grabbing Wille's hand before he can do it. "Don't bother," Simon tells him. "Really, it's not worth it. Lets just be done with this round and move on."

Wille isn't convinced at all, almost about to disobey Simon completely. "Fine," he says instead, not wanting to create unnecessary conflict. "But if he says something else--"

"No place for faggots in this game," the asshole says again.

And now even Simon gets fed up. "Okay, maybe someone needs to shut him up."

Wille takes that very literally, taking it as permission to act, going out of his way on the map to find this dude.

"What are you--" Simon begins to ask.

That's when Wille finds him, and immediately opens fire, shooting until his character dies.

Simon is speechless for half a second. "Why did you do that!?"

"You said someone needed to shut him up," is Wille's argument.

"I didn't say kill him!"

Wille gives no fucks. "Someone had to," he says, shrugging.

"Oh my god," one of their remaining alive teammates says. "WilleCP," he continues, refering to Wille's username. "Thanks for that, I was about to do it myself."

Wille quickly unmutes his mic only to say, "No prob." Then mutes it again. The teammate laughs.

Simon just stares at Wille, a big smile slowly appearing on his face. He's so in love, fuck, right now Wille is his knight in shinning armor. He has a feeling this is only the beginning.

Unable to hold back, Simon grabs Wille by the neck to kiss him deeply, game in the background completely forgotten.

"Thank you," Simon tells him sincerely as he pulls back.

Wille looks at him with a frown on his face. "Simon." His tone is so serious Simon is hypnotized. "You deserve better." Simon's heart skips a beat. "Don't let anyone make you think otherwise. I'll always be here if you need me, but know you have the right to stand up for yourself."

Simon kisses him again. "Thank you." Maybe he's getting repetitive.

Wille smiles against Simon's lips. "Do you want to keep playing?" Wille asks, though he's already sure what Simon will answer.

"Nope," he answers. "I wanna take your clothes off."

"Uh," the remaining teammate says. "I think you guys forgot to mute your mics."

They pull back instantly, Wille double checking and, surely, he didn't actually mute their mics when he thought he did.

"Oops," Wille says. Simon's stomach hurts with how hard he's laughing. "Sorry, man."

"Its cool," he says back, a soft giggle following. "Have fun, though. It was fun playing with you."

"Same here," Simon tells him. "Good luck on your next rounds."

Wille disconnects both their games, this time making sure he did so.

"What were we doing?" Simon asks, suggestive smile on his face.

"I was about to do you, actually," Wille answers him.

A shiver goes up Simon's spine. "Yes, please."

So Wille gets a hold of Simon to push him on his back on the bed, controllers falling to the floor, as Wille quickly moves to sit on Simon's hips. "Where should I start?"

"I need to lose the pants, like right now." Wille can feel Simon getting hard underneath him.

So that's where Wille begins.

[momomuses]

the cafe experience part II

various genshin characters x reader!

you visit a cafe with them!

characters: ayaka, thoma and ei

ayato's part is found here!: part I

ayaka

ayaka almost always orders hot matcha with sakura mochi

"hmm, why do I usually order this?" ayaka takes a moment to contemplate. "I suppose it reminds me of the tea sessions I had with mother..." she notices your concerned expression, quickly adding "ah! please don't worry about me, it is my favourite dessert as well."

smiling, you suggests that the both of you visit the cafe more often

you stood up from your seat, saying something about getting food for the both of you

"ah, thank you! I am starting to feel a little peckish myself"

after a while, you returned holding a tray with 2 steaming bowls of chazuke

you notice ayaka's eyes light up as you served her the chazuke

"my, It's chazuke! what a pleasant surprise," ayaka giggles

once, ayaka did "confess" that her favourite dish was chazuke. it was an interesting fact of ayaka, one that was known by few

the both of you began eating your food

"mm!" hummed ayaka

the food was nice indeed, yet, your attention was on ayaka's content smile. through the window behind her, you noticed that it had started snowing. the gentle falling of the pure white snow served as the perfect background for this moment

ayaka has a cryo vision, yet her presence made you feel warm and fuzzy inside

for a while, this moment seemed to last forever

thoma

"aha! nothing beats the summer better than an ice cold drink!" thoma sighs as he took huge sips from his drink

today, he got an iced mugicha with drinkable mochi

"aah! refreshing!" he exclaims as you chuckle

"why am I so content? well for starters, it tastes normal! perfectly normal and edible!"

tastes normal? doesn't food usually taste normal? you stared quizzically at thoma

"ah, it's not that I eat abnormal food or anything. it's just that these few days... waka keeps presenting me with uh... unconventional food. one time he sent someone to deliver sea ganoderma milk. another time, it was some mixture of seagrass and wasabi pearls..."

"I'm grateful and all, but I don't think I am someone capable of appreciating such... yes... such exotic flavours," thoma sighs, seemingly resigned to his fate

oh my, good luck thoma

you were torn between 1: laughing at thoma's misery or 2: acknowledging his bravery in his combat with interesting food

if you chose 1: you chuckled, earning a whine from thoma. "hey now, don't laugh. aren't you supposed to be on my side?" he pouts 2: "ah, thank you y/n... yes, I will not give up! slowly but surely, I will be able to stand up to waka's weird foods..."

"ah right y/n, it would be evening soon. do you want to have dinner at the kamisato estate? I'm sure ojou and waka would be more than happy to have you!"

you accepted his invitation happily

"great! zaru soba is on the menu! ah, as a treat, I shall make sweet kakigori for all of us! perfect for summer eh?"

you smiled to yourself, it seems like today's evening would be a fun and lively one

ei

"hmm... this, that and- ah, actually I'll just have everything on the desserts menu"

the staff gaped at her, so did you

that's a little too much, isn't it? you tried to convince ei to exercise restraint

"excessive, you say? why, cavities pose no issues. one can simply just replace their teeth."

no, I don't think so...? you made the 😦 face

"hmph, fine! I shall just get a few for now." ei declares, pouting slightly

so, a compromise was made...

at your table, ei sits opposite you. between the both of you stands ei's gigantic tower of strawberry parfait

of course, not forgetting her other bowls of taiyaki and azuki anmitsu

"ahhh, there's nothing like dessert for improving one's mood. yet, a pity they do not sell dango milk here." ei muses

"anyways y/n, what is that you have there? milk tea with pearls?"

you nodded as you drank from your cup. well, milk tea with pearls is pretty similar to dango milk... perhaps...

"do you want to try some?" you suggests as you held out your milk tea to her

"oh! don't mind me then!" ei leans forward, directly sipping from the drink you were holding

"ah! my, what a delightful taste! it is sweet, yet the flavour of the tea remains pronounced. and this thing called pearls? it's texture is reminiscent of dango. anyway, I like it!"

you could see the delight in ei's eyes as she continued drinking the milk tea

the rest of the day was spent sharing desserts with ei! a pretty sweet experience, one would say!

"so this is what humans do during their free time? a wonderful experience. shall we come here again, y/n?"

here is part II! thank you for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it ପ૮๑ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ๑ აଓ

Do you like sweets and dessert? I really like them! I should find some day to visit a cafe for sweets (o^ ^o)

- Momo

[samanthalightning]

She's Got A Date-EoWells X Allen!reader- Part V

*The GIF is not mine. All rights to the owner*

Part IV

Summary: While you face a relationship dilemma, you must help Barry stop The Mist from coming after your adoptive father. Based on 1x03

Warnings: None

***

You submerged your face in the water on your hands. The coolness temporarily eased the sting in your eyes. You turn off the faucets, you grab some tissues and dab them on your face to dry. You stared at yourself in the mirror; you were starting to look fine. The puffiness of your eyes ease, your eyes are still bloodshot red, but it was better.

It had been hours since that fight happened, and you have washed your face for the hundredth time today. Each time you think about it, you cry despite trying hard not to, and lucky you, it's all you can think about.

You reapplied your lipstick and mascara, and left the restroom. You walked down the hallway to come back to the cortex. You rounded a corner, but your feet quickly halted when a figure popped up to avoid collision.

It was him. You both froze, staring at each other. He could have swore, he saw a flicker of hurt and coldness in your eyes, before you lowered your head down when his stare became intense. This wasn't the first you crossed paths today. It's his building and you work here, though it didn't mean it got easier. It's always awkward and uneasy.

He didn't speak or move, so you figured you would be the one who needs to do it.

"Excuse me," you whispered, walking ahead passing by him.

"Y/N, wait." You stopped in your tracks and formed a fist. Although you didn't turn around. "We need to talk,"

"We already did. There's no need to further discuss it and make it worse." You didn't dare let him respond, and walked away rapidly away from him, not skipping a beat until you reached the cortex.

You quickly took a seat beside Cisco and buried your head on the computer, typing as you finished a report. Your thoughts ran, a sudden furious rage boiling in your veins. You couldn't believe how ironic it is that earlier he didn't want to talk about it, and now he does. It just infuriates you so hard, so hard and murder him with your bare hands.

"Woah, woah, you okay?" Cisco's voice pulled you out of your spiral.

You paused, fingertips ghosting the keyboard. You didn't even realize you were typing audibly, angrily. "Yeah. Just itching to get our meta," you said.

"Okay. Whatever you say," he replied, obviously suspicious and not an ounce convinced. None of them were if you're being honest. Especially Barry. He was very concerned, but it occurred to him that this might be regarding your mystery boyfriend, so he reluctantly kept his distance.

Wells came back. You can feel his eyes boring at you. You pretended to be oblivious, but it bothered you. Deeply.

Abruptly, a ping coming from the computer echoed in the room. It was the analysis on the toxin. Cisco was quick to call Barry and Caitlin, who God knows where to come to the cortex immediately.

They arrived moments later.

"Yo, check this out."

You all huddled up in front of the TV, waiting for someone to explain the result.

"We have identified the toxin," Wells said, clicking the screen of his tablet. The analysis results popped up on the screen.

"Hydrogen Cyanide?" Barry's brows furrowed.

"Well, what's interesting is what mixed in with the cyanide— a sedative," he added.

Your head cocked to the side, confused more than ever. You're no Caitlin, but that sounded odd. Never in your life have you heard those chemical compounds being mixed before— hell, even in being in the same sentence.

You turned to Barry to ask. His demeanor changed from being in serious thought to his eyes lighting up in recognition. A hand flew to his forehead, turning to Caitlin.

"The night of the explosion— find out if anyone was executed," he ordered.

Caitlin nodded and headed to the nearest computer.

"Why?" Wells asked, beating you to it.

"That sedative was given to criminals on death row before they go into the gas chamber, and breathe in cyanide," he explained.

That was one hell of a fact.

"There was someone executed— Kyle Nimbus," Caitlin informed.

A tab of his background and records popped up. And yup, he does look like someone crazy. Bald, pale skin, huge bags under his eyes. Just add a crooked smile and he could be the missing son of the Grinch and Penguin.

"That's him," Barry confirmed.

"He was a hit man for the Darbinyan crime family. They turned on him and testified. Judge Teresa Howard was the judge at his trial. She sentenced him to death."

It makes sense why he was hell bent on killing these people. The irony of his life though. Karma really is a bitch.

"He said there's one more on his list. Check the arrest records; who caught him, that could be his next attack," he walked towards her, and you trailed after him, dumbfounded.

There was too much information all at once, and Barry's the only one who's putting two and two together as fast as he runs.

You watched as Caitlin's eyes widened in horror. Her face blanched, glancing up at you and Barry, as if she had seen a ghost. It made you a little worried and anxious. The pit of your stomach knotting, as you swallowed thickly. Whatever information she got a hold of isn't good.

"Barry, the lead detective..."

Your heart dropped. Your mind quickly thinks of one person: Joe. Your thoughts ran wildly. You refused to believe it's him.

"Cait, who is it?" You asked, shakily.

"It's Joe."

You let out a gasp, panic surged through you. It felt like the world collapsed, your worry escalating into another level.

Next thing you knew, Barry was on his cell, both of you pacing back and forth, while he tried to reach Joe. Each time he took his phone off his ear, not able to reach him, he grew more frustrated. And so were you.

"He's not answering,"

"Call Eddie, maybe he knows," you suggested.

He took your advice and dialled him. You held your breath, anxiously waiting for the end of the ringing noise from Barry's phone.

"Eddie!" You immediately moved to Barry's side. "Hey, do you know where Joe went? He's not picking up his cell."

You placed your ears near and listened carefully. He paused, then said he didn't know.

"Eddie, it's really important I speak to him. I need to know where he went." Barry pleaded, evidently desperate.

Eddie must have picked it up. You heard an audible sigh from him through the phone. Eddie said he's in Iron Heights. That must have been why he's not picking up.

"Thanks, Eddie." Barry ended the call, and went to the team. "He's in Iron Heights, he's in Iron Heights because of me,"

Your brows drew together. If the toxins results didn't make sense, so is Barry right now. "What? Why?"

"I'll explain later," he said, running off to Caitlin.

She developed an antidote from the toxin, in case Barry didn't make it in time to stop Nimbus. Barry put on his suit, and faster than a blink of eye, he sped off, leaving a red streak of lights behind and a gust of strong wind blowing through your hair.

You took a seat and behind a computer to do your designated job. You pray to God Barry gets there before Nimbus does.

"Barry, I pulled up the specs on Iron Heights prison with maximum security, but I think I can talk you through breaking in there," he said, as he took a seat beside you.

You chortled, shaking your head. Your brother is probably doing the same thing right now. Cisco looked at you confused and a little offended.

"No bother. I've been figuring out how to break in that place since I was 11,"

Damn right he was. He used to get in trouble with Joe because of that, and you'll get a warning to think twice before pulling the same stunt. Barry still continuously, persistently did it. Eventually, he got older and no one has to call Joe about a minor trying to sneak in to see his Dad.

In a snap, it dawned on you. That's what Barry meant. Your Dad was the reason Joe was in Iron Heights. As to why, you wondered. Joe never once visited the man; he strongly believes that your Dad killed your Mom, it doesn't make sense why he would want to see him after all those years.

Your thoughts were pushed in the back of your mind, seeing Barry was inside the prison. You all cowered in silence, anxiety prickling your very existence. Your heart beating fast like you ran a hundred miles, you fingers were trembling. You took them off the keyboard, and hid them under the desk, clenching and unclenching it repeatedly.

You tried to keep it together, itching to hear Barry's voice, saying Joe's fine. You already lost your parents, you can't lose another one.

You felt a warm, large hand on your formed fist, fingers wrapping it securely with a squeeze. Your head shot up to the man in glasses beside you, stunned. Not that you just had the biggest fight ages ago, but your colleagues are literally sandwiching the two of you.

He gave a soft, assuring smile. And you appreciated it deeply. You opened your palm, intertwining your fingers with his. The differences were set aside for a moment, as you hold on to him for dear life.

"Joe's stable," Barry spoke.

The weight on your chest was lifted off. You relaxed for a second only to be reminded that there's still a meta-human on the loose that desperately needs some ass-kicking.

According to Barry, Nimbus transformed into a mist again, and Caitlin advised him to stay away, do not breathe him I'm. As weird as that sounds, it was the only way to avoid inhaling cyanide, and he might not be so lucky again.

But it was very obvious that it wasn't easy; the man is literally air.

"Guys, I don't think this is helping me,"

"You can't fight him, Barry. Just..." Caitlin paused to think. "...keep him coming at you, that should sap his strength."

Wells nodded in agreement. "Yes. Gas is the least stable form of matter— this meta-human will not be able to stay in this mist form, his particles will need to reform."

Barry ran. He ran farther and farther away from the prison. He takes quick stops, before running again.

Your eyes peered over to Caitlin's computer to check on his vitals. His heart rate elevated a bit, but everything was fine. Although he wasn't updating or saying anything it's starting to worry you.

Wells, clearly worried, leaned over and grabbed the mic. "Barry?" He called him. There was only silence on the other end. "Barry?" He called again, louder and firmer.

"We win,"

You all sighed with relief. Your eyes fluttered close, as you lean back into your seat and roll your head back. You squeezed him, you looked at him as a grateful smile spread across your face.

Barry brought Nimbus to S.T.A.R Labs, and left to go to the hospital. You stayed behind to see how well you did with makeshift prison, and get some satisfaction by watching him go crazy to find a way out.

You stood by the entrance of the pipeline with the team, watching the door slide down in front of a very angry Kyle Nimbus, pounding on the glass, constantly morphing into gas to escape his cell. The dummy didn't actually think you'd seal it.

"So, we just have to get used to working above a makeshift prison," Caitlin commented.

"Yup," you replied.

It's surreal. You can't still quite grasp the fact that you built a prison, and it's weird to see someone actually imprisoned inside. He deserved it, yes, but it's still weird.

Everyone turned to shuffle back to the cortex. Cisco pulled Caitlin aside. It looks like they have something to talk about, and by the look on Cisco's face, it's probably serious.

Your eyes flickered to Wells, who was surprisingly staring at you too. You locked eyes, realizing things had wind down— Nimbus is apprehended, and no meta-human to worry about for the time being. You don't know what's going to happen, where you both stand; if the relationship still exists, but one thing is for certain: it was time to address it and deal with it.

He tilted his head to the side, gesturing to go outside, before leaving the room.

You followed him, trailing behind him in the hallway. You dreaded every step you took, you heart racing fast under your ribs, and for many times today, your stomach churned, nervous.

You didn't know where he was leading you. You never really wandered around this area. The hallway is like a never ending maze; just no twist and turns. It was long and quiet and dark. If he was some dude, you would think that he's luring you to kill you.

You were about to ask him where you both were going, but he stopped. You both stood in front of a door. Nothing special about it, just a door. He twisted the knob and opened it. He took a step aside to let you in first and you obliged.

The lights automatically turned on, shedding lights on the room contents. Shelves containing boxes and some other covered things lined up across the room. It's another storage room. The dust isn't disgustingly obvious yet, but it hasn't been touched in a while. Probably since last year.

"We have another storage room?" You raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. This was used when we were building the accelerator," he explained, closing the door behind him.

This is not the most ideal place to talk, but it's secluded and quiet and hidden. Given the fight earlier, all those three are a must.

You spun around to him, folding your arms, awkwardly waiting for him to speak first.

"So?" He started.

"So?"

He exhaled sharply, pursing his lips. "I thought about what you said, and..." He trailed off. A lump forming in your and you gulped in anticipation, watching him be lost for words. It was like those heart stopping moments in class just before your teacher passed your papers, scared of what your mark would be, except on this one, there's only two of you. This would not just affect the future, but potentially break your heart.

He stammered. " I don't— I don't want to lose you. I love you and you were right." Your mouth went dry. You were rendered speechless. Not a single word you could utter, staring at him in shock. You didn't expect that one. Scared that might not convince you, he added, "I mean it. I couldn't risk losing you."

Emotions barrelling through you. You kept it together, not wanting to broke down immediately.

"What about the press?"

"They'll leave us alone eventually," he answered.

"Your haters?"

He chuckled lightly. "They'll forget about it."

"And Joe?" The smile on his face faded, aware of the seriousness of that name.

"We'll deal with it. But I'm pretty sure he'll be happy for you,"

You lowered your head, looking down at your feet.

"Y/N?"

You glanced up, your demeanor stern as you looked into his eyes. "Are you sure? You might be just saying this right now, but you might regret—"

"The only thing I will regret is letting you walk away. I lost a lot of things last year, and I don't want you to be part of it. You mean so much to me,"

Your heart was cracked open. You were in awe of his declaration. Today was a tough one, and it will be on some days, but you certainly knew you would be a damn fool to let him go.

Although, it doesn't hurt to rile him up a bit. You maintain a stoic expression for a period of time, which ended very soon because you couldn't help it anymore.

"Damn it," you hissed.

You went to him, cupped his cheek and pulled his lips to yours. He responded quickly. His lips move passionately against yours, pouring all emotions into the kiss. Your stomach flutters in realization how vulnerable and raw this moment is. It was like he's opening up and he didn't have to say anything. Everything disappeared for a while. He clutched your arm, pressing you closer to this warmth.

You pulled away reluctantly, panting. You leaned your forehead against his.

"I love you," you whispered to him.

"I love you too,"

He drew closer to kiss you again, but you withdrew. You gritted your teeth, looking at him nervously.

"I think we should tell them tonight,"

***

Uh Oh. How do you think they'll react?

Anyway, I'd appreciate if you share this and give it love. Thanks!

Part VI

[mostly-mundane-atla]

Happily, @basilgarden !

First, though, I'd like to establish some things.

Sex work doesn't make anyone "dirty" or "used up" and being a sex worker doesn't mean one is a "slut" or that they have no standards. (I could go on and on about how the stigma comes from a specific intersection of misogyny and classism, but that's a different topic, for perhaps another blog.) All it means is that the worker needed money then and there. Maybe it was to make rent on time, or to feed their kids, or maybe they have people breathing down their neck about a debt they need to pay back. It could be anything and it's not anyone's place to judge it as a good reason or a bad reason.

What makes the idea of Jin as a sex worker so interesting to me is that it makes sense in a socio-economic context. Sex work always booms in times and places with massive economic inequality, which Ba Sing Se has in spades. Wartime, whether or not the country or city state is involved, tends to create shortages, driving up prices and making some necessary items not realistically available. This leads to more people taking on sex work to suppliment their income.

The other thing I like about the concept of Jin as a sex worker is that sex workers never really get to be just regular human people? There are exceptions to this, of course (Nancy from Oliver Twist, Jenny from The Threepenny Opera, and the Harlots series just like in general come to mind), but sex workers are more likely to be used as sexy props or background characters that the audience can dump all their pity or disgust onto. On the occasion that we do get a fully developed sympathetic character who ends up doing sex work, it's usual portrayed as a heavy moral or social transgression. She (as this character is almost always a woman) is depicted as devolving from a human being to a sex worker. (Examples listed above are also exceptions to this.) It certainly showcases prejudices so many people have against sex work and workers, but it's not especially comforting or encouraging to those who consider it just a facet of their reality. That's not the case with Jin. She's just living her life, and it's not subject to anyone else's approval.

And there's another nice thing about this normalcy; it means she feels safe. In an ideal world she wouldn't work so young, but she's able to go about the city without fear of assault or harassment from strangers due to her line of work. I'd like to think it's something she keeps quiet. Maybe she has a small clientele consisting of boys (and maybe girls) her own age, because teenage hormones seem to come out of nowhere and they don't give you a guide on how to deal with them. They like her because she's patient with them and doesn't mock their shyness and always asks, "Do you want this?" and doesn't proceed until they say yes. Knowing how these things tend to work, she probably has at least one older, more experienced worker looking out for her and keeping her as safe as they can.

As for Iroh hiring her, she seems to have already been frequenting their shop and starting to crush on Zuko. Iroh is a good man and finally starting to get some money, so why wouldn't he offer to pay a girl for following up on a request for something she already considered, making ammends to the citizens of Ba Sing Se one person at a time? I'm not entirely convinced that Jin would take the money. Maybe if it was close to what she would normally charge, but if it was something more extravagant as Iroh seems more inclined to, she probably wouldn't feel comfortable taking it. If anything I'd think she'd take being offered payment as permission to ask Zuko on a date.

I don't think she would have asked Zuko without any sort of go-ahead to suggest it was something Zuko himself might want. If she goes to the tea shop because he works there and she wants to ask him out, she is the customer in that situation and he is the service worker. It would put him in an awkward situation where, as far as he knows, turning her down could offend her, leading to her no longer patronizing the shop which would make his boss angry with him for losing them a regular customer. We don't know what kind of workers' rights or lack thereof exist in Ba Sing Se, and I doubt Zuko, an obvious newcomer, would know either. Jin seems a decent enough person that she wouldn't want to put her crush in such a position, so regardless of who approached whom, I'm sure Iroh gave her the idea that Zuko would like to go on a date with her.

And before I wrap this up, I just want to say that as much as I love this concept, Jin isn't the first one I'd guess was a sex worker. Of the entire cast of Avatar characters, if someone told me one of them was involved in sex work and asked me to guess which one it was most likely to be, my money would be on Jet. I'll elaborate further if anyone's interested, but this post is already too long.

(Edit: I have written a separate post about Jet, right here in case you'd like to read it.)