#also i was playing the hunt the other day as this avatar and someone came up to me and called me a furry

[cometshift]

based off my roblox avatar

[eyrina-avatar]

Flashing Neteyam

Neteyam x avatar!reader

aged up Neteyam and fem reader

warnings: 18+ minors DNI, nsfw, smut , boobs, kissing, swearing, making out, tongue play? p in v, creampie, impreganation, mating

no use of y/n (at least I think. sorry I tried to post this in a rush as this was already super delayed. )

word count: 5,016 words

summary: You and Neteyam both have crushes on each other and so Lo'ak and your friend come up with a plan to get you and Neteyam to finally act on your feelings. You end up flashing him, but what'll happen next?

┆彡

You were sitting around the campfire at Hell’s Gate. The sky dark from eclipse, the stars already out and the air full of laughter as you and some of your avatar friends from earth continued on with the game.

You had invited Neteyam and Lo’ak to get a gist of how the humans hang out, which was a lot more fun than just watching norm and max do some experiments, although you often partook in that as well.

In addition to that, you decided to bring them along since they’d often invite you to hangout with them and the other Omaticaya clan members. Just a return of the favor, that’s what good friends do, no?

You didn't mind being friends with Lo'ak but with Neteyam... You wanted to be more than just friends with Neteyam. Your ever growing crush on him was becoming unbearable.

All your you thought about was Neteyam, all day long, when you woke up, when you ate, when you went out and about your day, and when you slept. He was all you thought about, and your friend Britt knew that. She knew about your huge crush on Neteyam and had told Lo’ak.

Lo’ak wasn’t surprised at all, he saw the looks you often gave his older brother and the way Neteyam made you blush and how the two of you could spend hours hanging out and talking about nothing and everything. But lucky for you, Lo’ak also knew of Neteyam’s crush on you and also saw all the looks Neteyam gave you whenever you weren’t paying attention and how he would sometimes get distracted during hunts. And whenever you weren’t around, Neteyam would often just talk about you and “blabber” on and on, as Lo’ak called it.

Your friend Britt had planned with Lo’ak to get you and Neteyam together. Just get him to somehow confess to you or make you do something to clearly grab his attention and force you or him to do something, anything.

Make you lose a bet and flash someone.

That was the stupid plan Lo’ak and your friend had planned. Britt knew that you were only interested in Neteyam, so it wasn’t like you were gonna flash any of the other boys in the group. Lo’ak though, doubted if you were gonna go through and actually do it. But you weren’t a pussy to back out of a dare. You always faced the consequences of a lost bet, and your friend knew that and reassured Lo’ak.

Lo’ak still had second doubts but wanted to see how much of a mighty warrior his older brother was gonna be when the girl he likes stands in front of him with her tits in his face. He wanted to see his highly respected brother become a wuss and not so “mighty” anymore.

So that’s how you ended up in the stupid game you were in now. “Shit” you huffed out as you realized you lost the bet.

“Alright, what the hell do I have to do?” you rolled your eyes, knowing your friends were planning something sneaky with all of their whispers and giggles.

“Flash one of the boys” responded Britt

“I’m sorry what?” You asked and your face scrunched, not knowing if you actually heard what just came out of her mouth.

“You heard me. You lost the bet and you have to flash one of the boys” she snickered.

Neteyam looked around and saw the other boys eyeing you up and down. They were all hoping to be the lucky one who would get an eyeful of tits in their face. It was quite noticeable, it's not like you had small boobs. Your human genes combined with your avatar made you very pretty and your boobs round and perky. Neteyam had noticed it, and so did the other guys. Hell, even the omaticaya men noticed it whenever you went to the clan.

But your tits in one of their faces. No, he didn’t even want to think about it, just the mere thought of it made him jealous.

He started mentally cursing himself for being so slow to ask you out and was was dreading the thought of one of the other guys being a lucky winner.

Neteyam was ripped out of his thoughts with the sounds of shouting and yelling coming from the group.

“C’mon y/n, pick someone and flash your tits. It’s not that hard. It’s not like we’re gonna take pictures and hang them on all the trees of pandora." sighed Britt

"Jesus, just do it woman” someone shouted

“Oh c’mon, pick me, I swear I won’t ask you for anything else” said one guy

“Nahh, just pick me. He’s a perv, he’ll just start asking you for other favors if you flash him.” said another

Neteyam sat quietly and watched intently looking to see who you were gonna choose, secretly hoping you would pick him. Just the thought of you flashing him made him shift uncomfortably in his spot.

“What the hell?!??” you shrieked

Someone had tried to undo your top and it almost fell but you caught it and held your hands up to your breasts just in time to cover before any potential slip could occur.

"Guys, what in the actual fuck. I don't know who did that but I swear to god you're not gonna see any tits tonight" you fumed as you quickly tied your top up in whatever knots you could make

The guys were starting to harass you and you weren’t sure about what the hell you were gonna do.

Lo'ak gave your friend a worried look, he thought you were gonna storm away any minute and the plans would be thrown out the window. Just like that.

"Bruh, don't be a pussy. You joined the game and you lost the bet. You knew what you were getting yourself into. If you quit now, then that'll just be wack as hell!" exclaimed one of the guys.

"I didn't say I was gonna quit! You guys are acting like a bunch of wild dogs who can't control themselves. You can't act shocked if I think you're all just a bunch of pervs" you stormed off from your spot but stopped mid track realizing that there was only one person who wasn't trying to rip your top off that night. Neteyam.

Yea, that sounded good, you smirked to yourself. You had a crush on Neteyam, and found him hot. What a perfect idea you thought to yourself and turned around quickly making your way over to him.

"Get up" you stared at Neteyam and he got up.

"We're leaving?" He gave you a questioning look and was ready to reach to Lo'ak and tell him to get up and go as well.

"No" you stopped his hand.

"Just you. Move back a bit" you pressed your hand onto Neteyam to push him back, making sure your chest was out of view from the rest of the group, your back now facing them.

"Oh shit" whispered Lo'ak as he gave your friend a knowing look and she gave him one back.

"You owe me" she mouthed

Now or never , you thought to yourself as you fiddled with the back part of your top that was tied together with some leaves and branches. You looked at him nervously as the knot was almost completely loose.

Wait, what thought Neteyam. You were gonna undo your top in front of him?

"Wait, wait wait. Are you gonna-"

"Shh" you put your hands to his lips and cut him off as you undid the last knot.

Drop

Your breasts were in clear view of Neteyam's eyes.

His eyes widened as he saw your form uncovered in front of him. He quickly looked away, averting his gaze from your chest and looking everywhere else but there and it made you a bit worried.

"Do you not like it. Do you not like me..." you trailed off, getting nervous and worried about wether he liked you or not. You bent down, getting ready to pick up your top and put it back on.

"wait no, I like it" shit that sounded bad he thought.

You squinted your eyes at him, one hand covering your breasts and the other holding your top. You put your arm down and your boobs were in clear view again.

"I mean not that I like it" crap, that was even worse, he sighed. You quickly covered your chest and put your top on as fast as you could.

"Oh... I um gotta get going then, this is kinda embarrassing" you whispered in a low voice, feeling humiliated as you turned around and got ready to leave but Neteyam's hand grabbed your arm before you could walk away.

"Shit I'm sorry. I meant I didn't mind the you know, the view. I just didn't know what to say without sounding like a creep. Of course I like it." Neteyam turned you around and you were now facing him.

"I'm just sorta speechless" he continued on "I...I like you and this isn't the way I expected to uhh... confess to you. Especially in the state you were just in. I thought we could take things slow before even thinking about going down that sorta hill" his voice now a whisper

"Neteyam" you caressed his cheek with your hand as the other held your top in place.

"I like you too, and I'm grateful as hell that you're here and I didn't have to show anything drastic to anyone else." you let out a chuckle as he smiled into your hand, still averting his gaze from your chest.

"Well, punishment completed" you turned around and let out a relieved sigh.

"See, not so hard" said Britt as she rolled her eyes and nudged Lo'ak in the process.

"Oh shut it" you spit out.

"Anyways, I think it's getting late guys, I'm heading to bed" you yawned

"time to go?" asked Lo'ak

"yup, let's go" you smiled at Neteyam as he made his way to you.

You waved to the rest of the group and headed back to home tree with the Sully brothers.

-----

"Wow, mighty warrior was nervous as hell, wasn't he?" questioned Lo'ak as he gave Neteyam a playful punch

"Shut the fuck up" Neteyam rolled his eyes and you gave out a small giggle, still holding on to your top.

"Come, let me tie this up for you" offered Neteyam as he turned you around and held the top’s strings in his hands.

"Oh boy... what next? Oops, I dropped my top again, teehee. Did you see that Nete?" mocked Lo'ak in a high pitch voice as he batted his eyelashes at you and Neteyam.

"I sound nothing like that" you sent a glare towards Lo'ak

"Is that all you do, talk crap?" Neteyam hissed at his younger brother

"Damn, chill guys. Take a joke" Lo'ak continued on walking until you guys made it to the clan.

——-

You were just about to say your goodbyes and head to your hammock when Lo'ak interrupted "Hey, you two, don't be so loud. Maybe go to the river or something"

"WHAT" your jaw dropped in shock

"Alright, that's it" Neteyam ran after Lo'ak, hoping to knock his lights out for the night and give him some good rest. Maybe then Lo'ak would keep his mouth shut.

Lo'ak ran inside his family's tent and Neteyam stopped at the entrance, knowing that his parents would ask him what was going on and he didn't want to share the details on everything that just happened.

Neteyam walked back to you with his head hung low in defeat and you let out a giggle at the sore sight.

"I'm sorry about everything Lo'ak said. That must have been embarrassing. We, I mean us...you and I, don't have to go all the way. I just thought maybe I could take you out on a date first. If you're in any way interested in me" he asked

"Of course I'd love a date" you smiled and held his hand.

"Where at?" you asked

"Anywhere really, I haven't actually planned anything out yet. This was sorta a surprise" he let out with a small chuckle

"Well, I guess I better go off to my hammock" you let go of his hands.

"I could walk you there, if you don't mind. Where exactly is it, again?" Neteyam asked

"Oh, it's passed the other side of Home Tree" you pointed

"Let's go then"

-----

You walked through the forest, admiring the bioluminescence of all the flora around you. Bright glowing hues of green, blue, and purple surrounding you. Some atokirinas floating around as you held Neteyam's hand and led him to the direction of your hammock.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Neteyam questioned.

"Yea, it's right by the narrow river. You know, the one with all the small yellow fish. The river being so close makes it easy to get water in the morning" you replied

"You're lost"

“No”

“You so are”

"No I'm not" you huffed and let go of his hand.

"That small river is on the other side of the forest, we're at the wrong river, look." Neteyam pointed.

The river was close but there were no hammocks in sight "Shit, you're right" you admitted "It'll take me all night to find the way back to my hammock." you groaned

"Well, what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Honestly, I'm kinda tired and I feel like we've been walking for almost an hour already. I just want to lay down and get some rest." you scanned the forest floor around you, looking for some soft moss to lay on.

"So I guess we'll just sleep here for the night?" Neteyam asked

"Well, you know the way to your tent. You don't have to stay here with me. It's not your fault I got lost following the wrong river" you chuckled. You secretly hoped that Neteyam would stay with you. You didn't want to stay alone in a forest you weren't a hundred percent familiar with yet.

"Nonsense" he replied. "And leave you hopeless to some hungry palulukan? That wouldn't be very nice of me." he squatted down and patted your head and looked around for some moss.

"Hey, i'm not a baby. I did my rite of passage already and Neytiri is impressed with my hunting skills" you spoke, trying to sound confident but you internally sighed in relief at his words and hurried to fix your makeshift bed.

“Ha, alright mighty huntress” he put his fingers up to quote huntress.

“It’s true!” You insisted as you walked passed him.

“Where are you going?” Neteyam asked.

“To bathe.” You made your way to the river.

“At this hour?” he raised his brow.

“What’s wrong with that?” You asked.

“Err nothing, it’s just kinda late”

“It’s never too late for a bath. Bathing is bathing.” You shrugged. “Are you just gonna stay there and do nothing?” You questioned.

“Alright, wait up” Neteyam huffed out as he ran to catch up with you.

_____

You laid stomach down on the soft ground in front of the river while passed your hand through the surface of the water and gave it a whirl. The water felt nice, not too hot and not too cold. Just right. You looked around and saw all the pretty plants and began admiring the bioluminescence of the forest. It was all around you and in the water. The Lilly pads were floating with the stems glowing green and the flowers on top having a faint hue of pink.

“Isn’t it so pretty?” you asked, smiling to yourself

“What is” asked Neteyam. He was too busy staring at you the whole time and admiring your beauty. Your hair was loose with only a few small braids on each side of your head and the rest flowing freely.

“The water, the forest, everything” you smiled.

“And you” he let out

“Oh, err thanks” you looked up at him nervously as you tucked your hair behind your ears and looked away. “Hmm, don’t be so shy” He caressed your face and turned it to face him. “Don’t tell me a little compliment like that made you nervous after what you did today.” he flipped you over, your back now on the forest floor and him now hovering above you with his hands by your head on the ground.

“And who says I’m nervous?” you trailed your hand up and down his chest and bit your lip as you tried to contain you emotions, although your flustered state was given away by the faint pigment of purple now staining your cheeks.

“Oh, you’re not?” He whispered close to your ear, his mouth only centimeters away from it and his hot breath making you feel warm in the pit of your stomach.

“No, not one bit.” you pushed him back and got up. You walked a few inches closer to the river and dipped your foot in the water as you continued in. “Come on!” you motioned with your hand for him to join you.

Neteyam followed your lead and walked in little by little. “Won’t our clothes get wet and become uncomfortable to wear? The suns not out right now and it’ll take forever to dry” he stopped before the water could reach his knees and he contemplated going back.

“Hmm you’re right” you turned around and walked back before your clothes got the chance to get wet. You stopped right in front of Neteyam and began untying your top.

“I guess I won’t be needing this right now” you tossed it to the ground and approached him closer. Neteyam was now eyeing your bare breasts. His chest heaved up and down as he tried to control his breathing.

“I, I didn’t mean that...” he stuttered out, once again averting his gaze from the sight of your breasts.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and pressed your chest against his. “Hmm? Well I don’t mind, do you?” you tilted your head as you looked up at him.

“N-no, not at all.” He gulped as his heart starting racing. It was beating so hard he thought you would notice.

“Don’t be shy, mighty warrior” you smirked as you inched your face closer to his. “I know you want this.” You held his face and made eye contact with him. Neteyam looked you up and down “Are you sure?” he asked, eyeing your lips as he spoke. He moved his hands to your waist and held on with a firm grip as he waited for a response.

“Yes.”

That’s all he needed to hear as he crashed his lips onto yours. You let out a small shriek at the unexpected kiss but welcomed it as you moved your mouth in sync with his.

“Mmm,” you moaned

“You taste so sweet, syulang” he groaned as you tugged on his hair a bit. You rubbed your hands all over his chest and shoulders as he touched all over your back, waist and arms while trying to savor your cute little mouth. The kiss grew desperate as the both of you were getting more and more rough with each other. Neteyam continued on with the kiss, not stopping for a breath of air.

You tried to pull away but he held you by the back of your neck and pushed his tongue passed your lips. You let him in and your tongues danced with each other’s while your hands searched for his. He whirled his tongue against yours, causing you to moan aloud. The kiss was growing intense but you were running out of air.

You moved back and parted your lips with a ‘pop’ sound.

“Neteyam” you breathed out while bringing his hands up to your chest as your skin craved more of his touch.

"What is it, love?" he hummed out as you now had his hands on your breasts.

"Babe, do something"

"But we are?" he gave you a confused look

"You know what I mean…” you gave his hands a small tug “Go ahead.”

Neteyam lowered his head onto your neck and slowly kissed it, leaving a small trail of purple spots until his lips reached your chest. He looked up for permission before you gave him a reassuring nod. He pressed a firm kiss on your breast before giving your nipple a quick lick. He held your other breast with his hand and gave it a firm squeeze and massaged it as he continued on with your other one.

“Oh Nete…” you sighed as your loincloth grew wet and your rubbed your legs together for more friction. You held onto Neteyam as the your insides started to tingle and the heat between your legs started to grow.

“Mmm” he moved on to your other breast and put your nipple in his mouth. He began to suck as if he were a starved man who waited eagerly for his meal.

“I always wanted to have one of these in my mouth” he let out in between the love he was making to your breasts.

“And now I get to have them right here.” He stopped his actions. “Just for me to see, and always only for me” He gave them a small pinch and went back to trailing his tongue all over them.

“Of course only for you baby” you hummed and played with his hair as he looked you in the eye while he toyed your breasts and did whatever service he could do to them.

He licked and sucked until your nipples grew sensitive to touch and you slightly pushed him away.

“Babe, you’re not gonna get milk out of them” You let out a small giggle.

“I will after I pump you full of my seed.” He stood up to his full height and lifted you up.

You let out a yelp as he swung you on his shoulders and walked out to the dry ground. He carried you along the edge until you both trailed the sides of a deeper end of the river.

He sat you down on the moss and began trailing his hand up and down your thigh as he kissed his way up your legs. The higher up your leg he got, the slower and wetter the kisses were.

He continued on until he reached the spot between your legs. He tugged on your loincloth and looked up at you. “May I?” He asked

You simply nodded.

“Use your words, sevin.” he held your chin up.

“Yesss” you managed out.

"That's better" Neteyam slightly lifted up your hips, just enough to get your loincloth past down past your waist.

You were quick to help him untie the knot holding it together but he pushed your hands away. "Let me take care of you" he gave you a quick peck on your lips before moving back down to work on you.

He undid the knot and continued sliding your loincloth down. Neteyam pushed it to the side and crawled in between your legs and faced your lips again. He gave you a strong kiss as his hand slid down your stomach and down to your womanhood. He rubbed a finger on your nub and you let out a moan.

"Oh god!" you squirmed under him and attempted to close your legs.

"No you don't" he pushed your legs open. "You wanted this, now deal with it." He quickened the pace of his fingers on your clit as his lips attacked your neck.

You held onto him as the friction was making the knot inside of you grow. Neteyam continued rubbing your clit as hard and as fast as he could, making sure to press on your nub to give you more stimulation.

"ah, ha, ha..." you lifted your leg up and arched your back as your orgasm was approaching.

"Neteyam please!" you let out breathlessly.

"what, love? Feels good" he let out in between kisses as his fingers continued their attack on you.

"Mhm!" you moaned into his mouth. "But, more! I wan't more!"

"What is it that you want?" Neteyam teased as his fingers continued on. He knew you were getting close to your high and was enjoying having you melt under his touch, literally.

"Nghh, I *gasp* want *gasp* YOU!" You bucked your hips up and your legs shook as your orgasm washed over you. You fell back to the ground , chest heaving up and down trying to catch your breath.

"How was that, good?" Neteyam gave you a smirk.

You simply nodded.

"Good. I hope you're not tired out already. I'm gonna fuck you so good, I'll have you coming like there's no tomorrow." Neteyam started untying his loincloth and threw it to the side.

"Ready babe?" he aligned himself with your entrance and rubbed against you up and down.

"Yess" you moaned out as your tail swished back and forth and he let out a chuckle.

"Oh, excited aren't we" he gave your sensitive clit a quick slap before sliding inside of you.

"Oh FUCK" you let out.

"My god, you're so tight" he let out a groan as his ears flicked at the sensation. He stood still for a few seconds before deciding to move again.

"You ready?" he tilted his head, waiting for approval.

"Mhm" You quickly replied, starting to get impatient.

He started thrusting in and out, stretching your tight pussy as your hands traced his chest.

"Mmm. This tight pussy of yours feels so good ma syulang" He moaned out as he quickened his pace. You grabbed his face and kissed him hard. He slid his tongue into your mouth and french kissed you.

He took his tongue and stuck it out. "Suck" he commanded. You obeyed and sucked his tongue and moaned around him. You tilted your head as you sucked him as much as you could.

Neteyam quickened up his pace and your jaw dropped in pleasure. "Oh, fuck baby! You feel so good!" you moaned out.

"Shit!" he moaned out. "How much are you enjoying this?" he smirked.

You only moaned in response. "Fucking answer me!" he grabbed your face and you looked at him. Your face scrunched in pleasure with each thrust inside of you. "I feel...You, you make make me feel so goood. I want moreeee" you whined out. You closed your eyes and he kissed you again as his dick hit the inside of your walls even harder.

He lifted your legs up and bent them all the way to your chest. Neteyam hit all of your right spots in this new angle and you couldn't help but clench around him at the feeling.

"Fuck, you're gonna me cum, love." He breathed out as beads of sweat fell from his forehead and his eyebrows scrunched tightly.

He continued thrusting inside of you as fast as he could, his balls now slapping against your pussy. He inched his face closer to yours and stuck his tongue out again.

You stuck yours out and swiped it against his. You played with his tongue and continue passing yours against his as you both gave each other's quick licks.

"You love this cock, don't you?" Neteyam continued his thrusting.

"yes" you breathed out.

"How much?"

"A lot!" you managed out between thrusts.

"How much? Sorry, couldn't hear the first time" he teased. Neteyam stopped thrusting. "How much?" he tilted his head

"So much! I love your cock so fucking much! PLEASE, you fuck me so well!" you whined out

THRUST

"So *THRUST* fucking *THRUST* well?" He groaned out

"YES! I'm gonna cum." You cried out

"Then cum" Neteyam pounded into you as he chased his high. The both of your thrusted your hips against each other's as your orgasms approached you.

"FUCK" He groaned.

"I'm close!" You yelled out as Neteyam's cock repeatedly hit your cervix in a pace that was making the knot inside of you about to explode.

"ah, ha, ha. on the count of three okay? one, two, three UNGHHH" Neteyam groaned out as you both released at the same time.

"Oh shi- shit!" You moaned out as your head fell back, your jaw dropped open, and your legs shook violently. Your juices surrounded his cock as he filled your insides with his seed. Neteyam stood still as his cock continued to flood you with his cum until it eventually leaked out of your sorry little hole.

"Ha, what a view" He looked down at you and slid himself out, causing you to whimper. He held his fingers to your pussy and trapped his cum in. "All of it inside of you, and not a drop to be wasted."

He kissed your cheek and held his cum stained fingers to your lips. You opened up and gave his fingers a quick lick. You grabbed his hand and stuck his fingers in your mouth and sucked on them. "Mmm" you moaned out and took his fingers out with a 'pop' sound.

Neteyam chuckled and gave you a peck on your cheek. "Such a good girl." he laid down besides you and placed his arm under your neck as you laid on it. "All mine" He caressed your arms in a gently manner, as opposed to the rough actions you two just did.

"All yours" you reassured as you kissed him softly and caressed his face.

"Especially with this in you now" he pointed to your stomach and gave it a rub.

"Mini us?" you whispered as you looked him in the eye.

"Yup" He patted your head and sat up. He stood still for a bit thinking before he reached behind him and held his kuru bringing it up to your view.

"Do you...?" He gave you a questioning look.

You brought yours up next to his and caressed his face. "Yes, a thousand times yes. I thought you'd never ask."

Neteyam inched his hand closer to yours and you both made tsaheylu with each other, tendrils intertwined with each other and a wave of emotions and feelings washed over the both of you.

"We are now mated..." Neteyam let out

"For life" you followed

_____

You woke to the warm sun kissing your skin and the sound of the river running next to you. You got up from Neteyam's grip on your waist and massaged your sore legs.

"Babe, get up" you shook Neteyam awake.

"Huh, I'm up, I'm awake." he groggily answered.

"It's time to go back to the village!" you huffed out

"Alright, alright!" He got up and made his way with you back to the clan.

You were quiet and tried not to make a scene as your legs were wobbly from all the exercise of the night before. You and Neteyam got closer to his tent and he motioned for you to quickly go in.

You were about to enter in until you were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“So, you guys DID decide to head to the river and have your little fun there” Lo’ak snickered.

"Shit" you and Neteyam let out at the same time.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

this was my first fic, sorry if it came out bad. bare with me guys

pls reblog and interact if you enjoyed my work, it would mean a lot!

Reblogs are especially helpful since I’m a new writer🫣

feedback is meaningful

do not steal my work and pls don't post it on ao3 or wattpad

© eyrina-avatar

[way-of-eywa]

Hearts in Training

Pairing: Neteyam Sully x Human Reader

Wordcount: 2.998

Genre: slight angst(?), fluff

A/N: I'm just getting back into writing after a long time. Obsessed with Avatar atm, and seeing these Challenges going around sparked some inspiration, so here it is. This will be my first post on this blog and I hope it's readable and enjoyable for you guys. There will be use of (Y/N). Feel free to let me know what you think or if I'm missing something.

This is for Day 1 of the #Crybabies14DOL2024.

You were hanging out with Lo'ak on the beach near Awa'atlu village. You were lying on your back, having eyes closed and enjoying the happy squeaking sounds the Ilus made, the sound of the sea, the soft noises the waves made, crashing against high, towering cliffs. In the distance, you could hear other people talk and laugh. A smile spread on your lips.

"What you smiling at?", Lo'ak asked, curiosity swinging in the undertone. "Thinking about him?" You could hear the tease in his voice, which cracked slightly. "Huh?" was all you managed to say. You opened your eyes to your right, where your best friend sat, leaning backward and holding himself up on his elbow. "Oh, you heard me!" A smirk plastered on his face. A feeling of being caught in something [unholy, forbidden] rushed through your body. "What do you mean?" trying to play the innocent card, you sat up straight, trying to look everywhere else but at that tall blue Na'vi.

„(Y/N), really? Come on, It's obvious", he stated and sat up straight too. "The crush you have on my big brother." In protest, you gasped and quickly turned to him to talk back, but Lo'ak threw his hands up. "No allegation. Just an observation." Dang it, you thought. Was it really that obvious? You were indeed crushing on your best friend's brother, Neteyam. This fact alone already sucked, but what made it even worse was the fact that he was trying to teach you how to use a bow and some other basic hunting skills. The few lessons you already had, ever since the Sullys had moved to the East Coast, taking you with them, were tiring. Not alone the fact that aiming simply seemed like a task your brain couldn't really figure out how it was done, but also how nervous you were near him, unable to think straight or continue doing whatever task you happened to work on right before he was there.

Lost in thoughts, you stared at the ground and sighed, pulling your legs to the chest, wrapping your arms around them, and resting your chin on the knee. Finally, looking up at Lo'ak. Two of his braids were falling over his face, caused by tilting his head to the site. "Is it really that bad?" your voice was no more than a slight whisper. There was still a tiny spark of hope inside you that this wasn't the case, but the look in his big yellow eyes said enough, and he smiled apologetically. "Do you think he knows?" with a shaky voice, you asked the question that lingered on the top of your tongue. Your best friend thought about it for a second. Then he frowned and then slowly shook his head. "Nah, I don't think so. He might be the older one, but not necessarily the smarter", he joked and showed his white teeth with a big grin.

Then, from one second to the next, Lo'ak's smile vanished from his face, his ears dropping a bit, his tail swayed a little less relaxed from side to side, and he looked pretty serious. "Speaking of…" Right when the boy next to you wanted to say something, you could already hear someone call for you, and that someone put a harsh tone on. "F-" You caught yourself before you started swearing. Having a relaxing time with your bestie made you forget… "Too late to run?" you breathed and didn't dare to move a single muscle as if you were the prey, trying to hide from the predator, hoping not moving made you magically invisible. "Yeah"

"(Y/N), I was looking for you everywhere!" Neteyam's husky voice was loud and clear when he came to a halt before you, blocking the sun from your sight. He slightly leaned over you and squinted his eyes in disappointment while stemming his hands on his hips.

"You're late…again", he growled, and it was easy to tell how annoyed he was. His ears were pinned against his head, and the way his tail moved furiously around. "I'm so sorry, Neteyam." Jumping to your feet, apologizing. The older one shook, barely noticeable his head and made a clicking sound with his tongue. If you had these cat-like ears and a tail, both would be as close to your body as they could be to express how bad you felt.

"I thought you wanted to learn to defend yourself and use a bow. Listen, if you don't want to learn…" - "It's my fault bro", interrupted the younger one his brother, standing up. Compared to you, a human, both were giants, yet in comparison to each other, Lo'ak was half a head smaller than Neteyam. "I was distracting her. Wanted to have a swim and needed some advice. Pressing his lips to a thin line, the older yellow eyes returned to his younger brother. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second before he turned his attention back to you, asking if you guys wanted to start training now, to which you nodded yes. Neteyam seemed to relax a bit before he nodded toward the nearby forest. "Let's go then," he said, and he started walking. You were quick to follow him, leaving Lo'ak behind. __________________________________________________

"Okay, okay. Try again! The last one wasn't that bad. You improved definitely", sending you an encouraging smile while not completely sounding sure of it. You appreciated the comforting words regarding your almost nonexistent skill of shooting an arrow. Neteyam had marked a few trees as targets with differences in height & distance. Most of the time, you missed a fairly wide range around the targets that are on focus.

He nods his head towards the target, meaning for you to shoot. You took a deep breath in, holding the bow into place. Pulling the string back, the back of your hand touching your cheek. Holding the arrow between your pointer finger and middle finger. You could feel his presence on your back and how he softly let his fingers glide over the skin of your forearm, holding the arrow in place and correcting your position. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the touch of his four-fingered hands, trying to ignore the tingling sensation that spread through your body, you closed your eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "Good, just like that," he whispered in your ear. You could feel his breath on your neck and you slightly shuttered. Without realizing it, when turning your head to look at him barely, you let go of the string, and the arrow landed somewhere between two bushes.

With every missed shot, your frustration grew, and you complained about how this didn't make sense, and it was a waste of time, which wasn't helpful with the tension between the two of you. "Maybe if you would take this whole thing more seriously, practice more, and actually show up on time," he snapped back and crossed his arms over his chest while leaning against a tree behind you. Holding your stance, you turned your head back to him, eyebrows almost touching. "I am trying! As if I don't have any other things to do." Trying to defend yourself, your voice got a bit louder. Neteyam huffed, ears pointed back. "Right. Hanging out with Lo'ak must be so tiring for you that you can't take the time for practice. Poor (Y/N)", his voice oozed in sarcasm. You stared at each other with dislike, noticing how his tail infinitely wagging in every direction possible.

Your grip on the bow tightened while your stomach felt like it got eaten by a wormhole. Him pulling the Lo'ak card took you by surprise. Yes, Lo was your best friend. Yes, you did spend time with him, but you hadn't had that in a while, before that. Since Kiri had that seizure while connecting to the spirit tree in the Cove of the Ancestors, you had helped Max & Norm research the cause. Neteyam actually knew that, but apparently, he didn't care. Just as you opened your mouth to point that out, he spoke and his voice was cold and distant. "I have better things to do than trying to teach your incompetent ass something you don't seem to care about. What a waste of time." The last part was almost a whisper, as if he didn't mean to say it out loud. Shocked, your eyes open wide. Now that was really mean. The anger that had built up was instantly replaced by a stinging pain in your chest. It hit so hard that your eyes burned, and your vision blurred.

For a second, you couldn't move. Your body felt like it weighed tons, pulling towards the ground and keeping you in place. Not wanting him to see you cry and how much he just had hurt you, you let your head drop and looked somewhere else. Not really seeing much more than colored blobs. Neteyam had noticed. Yet, instead of calming down, he got more angry. Most of this was directed towards himself but he let it out on you. Partly because you were the reason why he was so frustrated. He liked you. A human, but that wasn't the problem. Even though his mother wouldn't enjoy that part. He was the oldest. He was next in line to become Olo'eyktan. He had to be this perfect son and warrior. He was expected to watch his little bro constantly and is responsible for his actions. They were like yin and yang, the complete opposite of the other. He didn't understand how and why you would enjoy time with Lo'ak more than with him. At least he tried to help you improve and learn how to survive and fight. What did Lo'ak teach you? Or was exactly that the problem?

Neteyam couldn't believe what happened and turned around and lowered his head, covering his face with one hand and rubbing his eyelids while letting out a deep breath. "What the heck, bro!?" Both of you flinched at the unexpected voice and turned in that direction. There he was; Lo'ak. He quickly glanced at you before staring furiously at his older brother. Just for a second, you wondered how much Lo'ak happened to hear, then without intention, you dropped the bow, and your short legs ran as fast as they could, away from that situation, away from him. _________________________________________________________

Not sure how long you ran, you just knew that with every second you got faster and faster, out the woods and along the beach, past the village marui. And it felt good. You didn't want to stop. The only thing that mattered now was putting one foot in front of the other. Something you could do. Moving set your mind on a break.

It only lasted so long, till you got tired & your moves got a little sloppy, resulting in stumbling over your feet and falling face-front in the sand. Heavy breathing you turned onto your back. Luckily, you had a mask for breathing, so you had no trouble with sand ending up in your nose, mouth, or eyes. The glass fogged up while your breath slowly calmed down. For a while, you just stared at the already-setting sky. Calming down, your mind started playing again and went through every word Neteyam said, the way he acted. Like you were such a pain in the ass. It was his idea to teach you. Stuff like that wasn't your thing, but it meant spending time with him, and that was something you were really interested in. If you had known that it was so hard for you to understand the basics or execute the right pose, it would be so embarrassing and humiliating for you. Not being able to concentrate cause all you could focus on was how he moved. The look in his eyes. The way he smiled, moved, talked.

The lump in your throat prevented you from taking a breath, causing you to twitch till you finally let out a loud sob, which turned into a small scream. The force it took to let that out had massive pressure on your head and eyes. Feeling like they were about to explode. __________________________________________________________

In the meantime, you weren't aware that Neteyam finally came back down to Pandora & his senses. While he usually was the taller, older one lecturing his younger brother, it was different; Neteyam shrunk a couple of inches, tail tucked between his legs, ears flat against his head. Guilt was written on his face. Lo'ak shook his head in disappointment & stood tall, head high, in front of his brother. "Why you acting like such a skxawng? What's wrong with you?"

Neteyam looked like he got a few years older in a matter of a few minutes. He let himself slide down on a tree nearby and closed his eyes. Lo'ak waited for his brother to answer his question, but he didn't plan to answer anytime soon, so he sat beside him. He wouldn't leave before he finally talked to him about it. For a few minutes, they just sat there in silence. "So?" The older one took a deep breath and opened his mouth. __________________________________________________________

The next few days, Neteyam tried to find a moment to talk to you, but you managed to stay out of his way. Every time he was close or entered the room you happened to be in, you quickly left. The talk with Lo'ak was helpful, and now he wishes to apologize. His younger brother's words lingered in his mind. "Go apologize. You seriously have to talk to her. You messed up big times."

With time passing, the motivation and optimistic view that you would forgive him and the hope that it wasn't that bad faded. He had just returned from training with his dad and was now strolling on the beach, wishing for some quiet time to think and relax. His gaze was directed towards the ocean. He missed his home, the forest, the Omaticaya clan but he had to admit that it wasn't that bad here. His feet carried him to the cave where you, the sully, and Metkayina kids used to hang out a while ago when everything and everyone were still on somewhat good terms.

Lost in thoughts he didn't notice that someone was already hanging out there. Only when he was standing right in front of that person, you. It took him a minute to realize you were actually sitting there, and he wasn't imagining that cause if that was the case, you would look more happy. Not having such puffy, red eyes. Your face was swollen from dehydration, which was a result of your constant and unstoppable crying sessions. You still felt miserable ever since the argument.

On the other hand, you had noticed Neteyam right away when he entered the cave. Yet you didn't show any signs of trying to leave as quickly as before, yet you turned away from facing Neteyam. Without saying a word he sat down next to you. No one said anything for a while until a breathy "I'm so sorry" left his lips. Waiting for him to continue, you sat silently, taking a deep breath. "I was frustrated and let it out on you. I'm sorry. What I said was wrong. It's just that.. that I'm.." He struggled with finding the right words. He closed his eyes briefly, fiddling with his fingers before looking at you. "I fell in love with you and got jealous about being so good friends with Lo'ak and spending so much time with him."

Surprised, your lips parted a bit, and you quickly shot a quick gaze at him. Was he serious? Your heartbeat made a jump. You stared at him. He stared back at you. "Really?" questioning, you raised your eyebrows. He gulped and nodded slightly. Feeling ashamed of opening up and telling you how he truly felt, he quickly guided his eyes to the horizon where it was about to dawn. "I thought when I help you train, we could spend time together and show you how I feel about you. But you seemed to care less and less about it."

"Well… I was excited at first, but then you got meaner and stressed about taking the time for that when I clearly don't have the skill to perform", you answered honestly. "Being around you makes me nervous and it seems like I'm not good and…" Your voice was shaky. "You know, we used to be friends too, but then you had so much training and were focused on that. So I agreed to the training with you, to spend more time with you."

Trying to make eye contact, you leaned forward to gather his attention. He finally looked back at you. "I know… I'm sorry." apologizing again, he picked his skin on his finger. Seeing how nervous he was right now, you slowly put your hands on his to stop him from doing that. A soft smile appeared on your lips, which Neteyam returned. "I didn't mean to neglect our friendship." His voice sounded husky. The stare between your eyes got deeper and longer, and without you guys noticing, your faces got closer. "I'm sorry," he whispered slowly while intertwining your fingers with his. His tail softly tapping your leg. Your cheeks turn into a soft pink. "Stop apologizing. I got it", you said in a jokingly serious tone.

"How about we do something tomorrow.. something fun" he burst out. "As friends," he added and slightly squeezed your hand. The soft smile on your lips grew, and you nodded. "That sounds good," you replied back. "What do you have in mind?" Now it was his smile that grew a bit devilish. "You'll see," was all he replied, his tail wagging more in excitement. There wasn't much space between your faces by now; only your mask kept some space between your faces.

[areislol]

he looks just like a dream..

neteyam, lo’ak, tsu’tey x human! reader

ft— neteyam, lo’ak, tsu’tey warnings— tsu’tey is still alive. them being (maybe) OOC, (not a warning but it contains playing with tails, touching their ears and marks, admiring them.) reader’s height is 5′ foot and taller, established relationship!! whole lot of fluff. the glowing leaves/plants are still alive. a/n— first avatar post soooo... i need me some tall, blue alien catboy in my life ykwim? also no recommended songs for this :( !!! a new format for the avatar series/hcs so yea. hope you enjoy! synopsis— bored, you want to see your lover, so with the help of a little girl you find them, and they let you do whatever you want to them.

today was just like the other days since you’ve arrived at Pandora, staying at a unit where grace and norm used to be at then moving to the metkayina clan. you’d go out with your mask on just to see the kids and of course, them.

but today it felt, boring. like the other half of you was missing, even with all the children around you couldn’t help but feel half empty.

well, that was because they weren’t there with you in the morning AND afternoon.

they had gone out hunting, leaving you alone with the others.

you were pouting there and then, sometimes zoning out, thinking about them.

then, while you were zoning out a little girl came up to you, alwey. that was her name

“y/n? are you okay?” alwey spoke, putting her hand on your thigh, giving you a look of concern.

“hm? oh! yes, yes im fine. don’t worry about me alwey. shouldn’t you be with the others?” you answer while giving her a small smile.

alwey stares at you, she shyly looks away before looking at you again, “i.. i wanted to see you..” alwey muttered.

you smile softly at her before lifting her up and setting her on your leg

“is that so?” you say while grinning before ticking her, a fit of squeals and giggles break out of her mouth.

you puts her hand on your arm which prompts you to stop, her laughter dies down.

“y/n.. i wanted to say, when i saw you, you looked sad. i called your name two times and you weren’t responding to me! what’s wrong?” alwey mentioned.

you stare at alwey for a good few seconds before sighing in defeat, “i really can’t keep secrets with you can i?”

you tell alwey about how you feel lonely, you feel like you’re selfish, wanting to see them everyday, every hour, minute and second.

alwey listens to you ranting, when you stop, she speaks.

“you’re not selfish y/n!! i like someone and i want to see them all the time but my dad doesn’t want me too.. wait.. you said he went to go hunting?”

you nod, her eyes light up and a grin appears on her lips, “my big bro went hunting too!! maybe he’s with them? they went... i think that way!”, alwey points to your left.

you sit up, but not before setting down alwey, you hug her tightly and give her a kiss on her temple, “oh thank you alwey! i owe you.” you say before running off to the direction alwey pointed to.

you finally reached the area where you see him and his friends/hunting partners talking

you wait until he is sort of alone and go up to him.

tapping him on his shoulder, he turns around, surprised to see you.

neteyam x human! reader

“Y/n? what are you doing here?” neteyam mutters before ushering you more into the forest, looking right and left to make sure nobody saw you. You give him a smile in return, “guys! im going to go uh, go somewhere okay?” neteyam shouts, when he hears a confirmative he turns you around and making you walk to a place further from where you two are, him following right behind you. After walking for a bit, neteyam puts his hand on your shoulder, “y/n? you still haven’t answered my question you know.” you turn around and look up to face neteyam, he sighs. “nothing bad happened right? everyone’s fine?” he questions, looking you up and down to make sure that you weren’t injured or anything. “I’m fine neteyam, just wanted to see you is all.” you reply, giving him a big smile before hugging him. god you’re so adorable! you’re killing him you know? he looks down at you, his arms are awkwardly right beside where your chest is. his arms are slightly splayed out, but upon you hugging him more tightly he wraps his arms around your shoulders. You two have hugged many times but neteyam is still always so nervous, shy and awkward when it comes to physical touch. But he doesn’t mind giving. Neteyam could feel you smiling once he hugged you back, “so you came out here, all on your own, just to hug me?” he asks, a grin appearing on his face. You tilt your head up a little bit to face neteyam before nodding, “think we could maybe rest somewhere.. where there’s no one? only us?” you ask, neteyam cocks his head to the side, “you’ve been out for hours today, i know this might sound selfish but i want to hang out with you everyday. i want to see your face, to hug you, to play with you,” you pause for a second but resume once he gives you a nod. “And today i.. well, like i said, you’ve been gone for too long!!” you blurt out, placing your head on his abdomen as let out a sigh, this was embarrassing. A few hard second passes by, suddenly you hear neteyam chuckling. You look up and see him laughing, he squeezes you even more tightly. You pout, “What’s so funny?” you ask, still staring at neteyam, waiting for an answer. Neteyam was still laughing, but once he sees you staring right at him, he immediately stops laughing, “okay okay! listen, we can go to a place with nobody..”, satisfied with your response, you let go of his body. “But why?” neteyam questions, you shrug your shoulders—”why not?” you answer, he rolls his eyes playfully and out of nowhere he picks you up quickly bridal style and starts to run, you shriek and demanded to why he picked you up out of nowhere. “You wanted to go somewhere with nobody right? im bringing you to that place!” neteyam answers, you see him grinning, you then turn your attention to trying not to fall, your arms were around his neck and his hands were on your back and legs, you screamed that if he dropped you he was going to “pay!!”, as if neteyam would ever let you fall. Only an idiot would let someone like you fall. After a few minutes neteyam stops, you’re aware he has stopped but you don’t let go. Not yet anyways. “You can let go of me now, you know that right?” and with that you’re left flustered and let go of neteyam, he slowly and carefully helps you by lowering you down, his hands still on your back. Once you got down you took in your view, bright fluorescent colors on the leaves and ground. Each step you took, it looked like stepping into the ocean, ripples would appear. You’ve seen them before, but you can help but gasp in amazement and awe at your sight, You also noticed that it was getting dark, no wonder why the fluorescent lights on the leaves were illuminating and glowing brightly. You turned around and see neteyam just standing there, admiring you, when you noticed that he was just there, standing, looking at you, you gave him a shy smile and turned back, touching the leaves, it lit up, you started to slap all of the leaves (just like what jake did) and giggled. It was one of those things that even though you’ve experienced it before, felt it or had it, you would never get enough of it. Neteyam still stood there, watching your every move, how the lights shined just as bright as the leaves, you looked gorgeous. beautiful, ethereal. You still wanted to look at the lights more but you forgot that a special someone was also with you, you turn around but suddenly your head bumps something, like a wall. It was neteyam. He was standing right behind you, you almost fell from the hit but neteyam was quick to catch you. You rubbed your head, groaning in pain. “Are you okay y/n? Oh im so sorry!” he cried out, putting his hand over yours which was on your forehead, you give him a small smile and mutter a “i’m okay”, his eyebrows were furrowed, he looked tense. You reassured him that you were okay but insisted that you weren’t and how your forehead was quite red, redder than usual. he sits down and sets you down on his lap, you’re facing towards him, occasionally he stares at your forehead, making sure that it’s not swelling or anything, and to say the least... he felt guilty. I mean, his job is to protect you and make sure you’re not harmed! even if it’s just a scratch. And no matter how many times you reassure him, he’s always insisting that he go hunt something for you or do something for you. And as always, he’s doing it right now. “Y/n, im really sorry, i’ll be more careful next time and i won’t stand right behind you.” neteyam mumbles, “for the last time neteyam, im fine! it doesn’t hurt anymore i swear.” you place your hand on his chest, staring at him. Neteyam is unsure, but sooner or later he gives in, he didn’t want to make you mad or annoyed. You lay on his chest, hearing his heartbeat. You and neteyam didn’t speak, not yet. It was a comfortable silence, when, you had a thought. You quickly sat up and looked at neteyam. Neteyam was quietly and peacefully thinking, when he felt a sudden movement, he opened his eyes and looked down at you. You opened your mouth to speak, but closed it once you realized how stupid your request was. Neteyam noticed this and tapped your arm, which of course caught your attention, he cocks his head to the side, you sigh. “Can i... can i touch your ears?” you ask, “I know it’s a stupid question but i’ve always wanted to..”, no reply. You took his silence for a no and pout, but before you could say anything he cut you off with a “sure,”, you perk up. “But why?”, honestly, you wanted the ground to swallow you whole right there and then. It would be embarrassing to tell the truth of why you wanted to touch his ears, it’s like asking another human being if they could touch their ears. But that’s the thing, Neteyam isn’t, your kind. The na’vi’s ears are different, you’ve always been intrigued. “It’s just.. different from my kind. And im curious.” you quickly say before straddling his lap and getting a bit more closer, personal space? never heard of it. You tell neteyam to slink back a bit, just so his face was meeting yours, once that was done you started to poke and touch his ears, you touched the point of his ears. It was a bit weird at first, neteyam was tense. You noticed this and told him that you’d be quick, neteyam shook his head “it’s fine.” Neteyam kept his eyes on your face, you didn’t mind. You could feel his gaze but didn’t say anything or do anything, and again, is was silent. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, rather, it was comfortable. After touching his ears, you asked him if you could touch his marks, without even thinking he immediately said “sure”, you didn’t pay any mind to this, you just gave him a smile and a peck on his cheek. Your fingers lightly graze the darker blue marks on his face, arms and chest. When your finger first touched his mark he shivered. Not because he was ticklish or anything, it was because of the intimacy, sure you two have touched each other there and then (not like that.) but not like this, this was on purpose. The other times it was just by accident or by instinct, this however, was on purpose. He watched as your mouth curved into an “O” when you first touched his arm(mark), a brief “ooo”’ will occasionally come out there and then. You’re so cute. For neteyam, these markings were normal, everybody had them, but for you, they were unique, humans didn’t have these marks. His eyes softened, his gaze was tender and gentle. His yellow eyes never leaving your face. First it was his ears, then markings, then it was his fangs, then tail. He wondered why you’d want to touch his tail but then again, you weren’t like his kind, so he obliged happily. You went to his side where his tail was and grabbed it, it was soft, really, really soft. You brought it to where you were and observed it up and down, you stroked his tail, Neteyam still had his eyes on you, While stroking his tail you heard a low grumbling sound, it came from neteyam. He was... purring. He’s so cute!! you thought. He looked like he was in peace, his eyes were closed, and while the tail was in your hold it started to waver up and down, it slapped the ground and went up (like a lion’s tail), it did so for a few seconds. You let out an “eep!” when the tail slaps your hand, it wasn’t a very harsh slap so you didn’t mind. “Neteyam?” you called, no reply. You poke and prod at his cheeks but nothing, then you realize he’s sleeping. Little snores escape his mouth, you chuckle and moved yourself into a position where you’re right next to him on his side, you leaned your head next to neteyam’s and drifted off to sleep. His tail occasionally slapping the floor and flicking up before stopping to curl around your waist.

lo’ak x human! reader

“What are you doing here y/n?” lo’ak asks while eyeing you and looking behind you, seeing if maybe someone was following you, making you feel unsafe. “Just wanted to see you.” you say, looking behind lo’ak your eyes land on a couple of his hunting friends, that’s when you remember he went hunting. “hm.. how was the hunt? catch anything?” you question, looking up at him. Lo’ak breaks eye contact with you and looks to his side. Although he doesn’t say anything, you knew that it meant ‘no’, his face drooped once you asked that question so you don’t any other questions relating to hunting. But, without saying anything you gesture lo’ak to kneel down so that both of your faces meet. You cup his cheeks with your hands and make him look at you, “listen lo’ak, it’s fine if you haven’t caught anything yet. You’re still you know.. new to hunting. It’ll take some time and practice but i know that you’ll do it. I know you’ll catch something.” you said encouragingly, staring deep into his eyes. Lo’ak stared at you, taking in all the things you said to him. you know that he’ll do it. When he replays that sentence in his mind a smile slowly creeps onto his face, Your hands are still cupping his cheeks, you notice how he’s staring at you, he’s smiling like a mad man. He’s zoning out. Not only that, lo’ak is also thinking about when you gestured him to kneel down, you did that just to cup his face, to encourage him, to tell him that you had faith in him. Oh how he was so grateful that he had you in his life. But he snapped out of his trance after you shook him lightly (at first) and then shook him a bit more harder. Lo’ak blinked a few times before realizing that your face is extremely close to his. His eyes widen and pulls back a bit, “you okay lo’ak?” you ask, lo’ak nods and apologizes. After hearing him apologize, you pull him in for a kiss. It was a small and gentle kiss, nothing rough and deep. No way. “Lo’ak! you ready?” one of lo’ak’s hunting partner yell out, instinctively he swiftly places himself in front of you to cover your figure. Lo’ak turns around and gives him a nod. “You guys go first, i need to do something!” lo’ak yelled before rushing you deeper into the forest but not too far from the reef. You two were probably a few feet away from the reef. You and lo’ak sit down, using the tree’s trunk to lean on, “so, you just came here to see me? that’s it?” lo’ak says, turning his head to stare at you, feeling his gaze you turned your head to look at him, you nod, “yea of course, why not?”. “You wanted to see me that bad?” he says jokingly, a smirk appearing on his face. Lo’ak expects you to shy away, what he doesn’t expect is your response which is nothing like what he thought you’d say or react like. “I want to see you everyday.” you mumble. Lo’ak pauses for a second, taking that in. It’s normal for “mates” or, lovers in your term, to miss their loved one. He never knew if you truly loved/missed him or not, he’d never doubt you though, sometimes his insecurities creep around. But with your words it seemed like all his insecurities and worries disappeared. A light red hue appears on his cheeks, his ears tilted downwards, his tail started to sway side to side. Adorable. You suddenly perk up, almost snapping lo’ak out of whatever he was in, you stare intently at his features, his ears, tail, markings, fangs(when he yawned), but mainly his tail. It’s not everyday you see another kind that’s kind of like a cat. Lo’ak notices how you seem to be focusing on his ears, tails and his... mouth? “Y/n?” lo’ak says, you stop admiring his features and look up, you quirk your eyebrows and ask ‘what’s wrong’. Lo’ak is hesitant to ask you at first but reluctantly gives in. “What.. what are you staring at? i know you’re looking at my ears and tail, my mouth and my.. arms.” upon hearing this your eyes widen, were you that obvious? But it made sense at the same time, it was just you and him so he’d be distracted by nothing but you and well... there is a thing where people can sense when others are looking at them. You avoid eye contact with lo’ak due to embarrassment at first but after a few seconds and thinking, you maintain your eye contact again. “lo’ak, i was wondering if it was okay if i could touch.. them? touch your ears and tail and you know?” you say, looking at his face to see any signs that he’s weirded out or just a plain ‘no.” But nothing changes. His face remains the same other than him blinking, lo’ak smiles and gives you a nod. You’re surprised but say no more!! Lo’ak absolutely loves the idea of you playing with the features that humans don’t have, it makes him feel special, like he’s not the others even though he’s the same kind just like everyone on Pandora. You chose him, and he chose you. So why not allow you to touch him? He remains still, letting you touch his ears, letting you admire the way it points, and when you start to graze and touch his marks on his arm he jolts. Your touch is so gentle, you’ve always been so nice and caring to lo’ak, never touching him roughly, never raising your voice at him and guiding him during hard times. You look at lo’ak, you ask if everything’s fine, he nods and tells you to go on. And with that answer you resume to tracing his marks, you were hesitant to trace the marks on his chest but with a nod you continue on. You then moved onto his tail. He wasn’t so hesitant about letting you touch his tail, he didn’t mind, he grew up with one just like everybody, so, he was unfazed when you asked him if you could stroke his tail, and was confused when you were ecstatic when he said ‘yes’. When you told him about how if you just touched someone’s tail or an animals tail they would freak out and bite you. Depends on their background, aggressiveness and hospitalities. Sometimes, he still wonders if you ask permission to the animals if you could touch their tails. Still confused. You were like a child, playing with his tail, softly touching his tail, playing with the ball like fluff on the tip of the tail. Lo’ak was smiling the entire time you touched his tail and traced his marks. It felt intimate, not sexually. He found it adorable how you were so amused by just a tail, it was as if you’ve seen them, and wanted to touch them but felt that it would be too weird to ask or weird in general(the “as if” was very true..). Slowly but surely, it started to get darker, after yawning a couple of times lo’ak got up and picked you up, you were shocked at first from the sudden movement but when questioning where he was taking you two, you eased up. He was taking you two to the reef, where you two could sit down and admire the view. “this would be the perfect way to end the day.” lo’ak added at the end. Once you and lo’ak reach the reef he sets you down carefully and sits down, you too, sit down. There were still some others around but they weren’t too close to you two. Your feet splayed out on the sun, looking at the sun setting, the glistening water was breathtaking. That was one of the best things about moving with the metkayina clan. Their ocean, was gorgeous, the aquatic animals that live in the ocean were beautiful in nature. Lo’ak was right, this was the best way to end the day, it will always be when your leaning on his arm, and his tail hugging you closely.

tsu’tey x human! reader

“Y/n why are you... what are you doing here?” tsu’tey mumbles, looking down at you, who’s smiling brightly. “Nothing!” you reply, still smiling ever so brightly, you were just happy to see tsu’tey. Tsu’tey eyes you and stops for a second, thinking about what he was going to do now. Tsu’tey doesn’t bother to hide you, he was training some of the new hunters and was leading them, helping them track some of the local animals, giving them tips and tactics. He stops thinking though, when he sees you looking at someone or something behind him to the side, it was one of the boys he was training. You’re still looking behind him, but once he sees you giving whom he thought was one of the boys he was training, a smile, he turns around and yep, he was right. It was ru’ko. Ru’ko was returning your smile when he saw tsu’tey staring daggers at him, his smile faded but it was still there, it was like an awkward smile now. Before ru’ko turned around tsu’tey had given him a nod of direction to set the boys off for the day. Ru’ko saw and yelled out to the rest of the hunters to go now, he then ran off to supposedly to his friends and walked off. Now it was just you and tsu’tey. Once the boys were out of sight tsu’tey turned his head and looked back down. You were already looking up at him. Tsu’tey observed you once again, but this time asking if you were okay and if anything happened to the people or you. You shook your head to indicate that you and the people were fine and weren’t hurt, he sighed in relief. “I just wanted to see you.” you say out of the blue. You stare at tsu’tey, wanting to get a reaction out of him you go on about how you felt today, how you were so bored and wanted to see him, hang out with him. Every time you spoke about how you wanted to see him, how you wanted to talk to him and embrace him, how you missed him so much made his heart pound faster and faster. Once you were done with your rambling you looked up at him, he was staring right back at you and you noticed how his expressions looked soft, a small, soft smile was on his face, his pupils were dilated, he truly looked like he was in love. To say the least, it’s true, he is in love. Terribly in love. His ears were tilted downwards, his tail was swaying side to side, was he happy? but that was beside the point. He looked so adorable right now. Out of nowhere, tsu’tey kneels down and places his much larger hand on your shoulder and kisses your forehead, “I missed you as well, my love.” Upon hearing tsu’tey say “my love” your knees buckled and felt like jelly, you almost fell but luckily tsu’tey caught you quickly. Although you were looking down, you could feel that tsu’tey was grinning, he knew what he was doing to you. From the corner of your eye you see something swishing, it’s what you assume is his tail. You turn to your right to see more clearly if it’s tail, and it is. You already knew it was (kind of) since you see his tail everyday, swishing when he’s near you. You never really paid much attention to their tails, it was apart of them and you never dared to ask them questions about their tails. It was only now that you realized how soft it looked. Sure you’ve felt it curl around your body or waist when sleeping next to him but you never actually touched it on purpose, even when dating, you felt that it was too weird to ask if you touch his tail. Well, that was until now. You couldn’t hold in the feeling of wanting to grab that tail and smother your face with it. Once you stood straight tsu’tey followed where you eyes stared at only to see that you’re staring at his tail. His tail swiftly flicks to the other side, where you couldn’t see it. When his tail is out of your sight you look up and see that tsu’tey is glaring at you, but really he’s just inspecting your face. You pout and whine, wanting to look at his tail, tsu’tey takes notice of this, “you, want to see my tail?” he questions, and that stops your whining. In all honesty, this was most likely your one and only chance to ask him that one question you’ve always longed to ask for. You nod. At first, tsu’tey is hesitant, your eyes observe his face, looking for any signs of discomfort. You and tsu’tey are lovers mates, But not once did you ever ask him any questions like this. He pauses, thinking if he should let you, but then again, it wouldn’t hurt him or anybody so.. he allows you to do so!! You’re smiling ear to ear when he gives you an “okay :)”, it was certainly an odd request, but seeing how happy you looked when he gave you a confirmative, made his decision to allow you to touch his tail make him not regret it. Tsu’tey found you cute how you were so mesmerized by something that was normal for him and the others. He loved how curious you were about him, he knew that gradually you would be touching his tail, presumably his ears, markings, fangs(since the “sky people” don’t really have sharp fangs), and his necklace. There were trees everywhere, and if you looked beyond the trees you could see the reef, it was a beautiful sight. Your eyes were still focusing on his tail, it was still. “Sit down y/n” tsu’tey spoke, you nodded. You and tsu’tey sat down in front of a thick tree, you sat beside him, moving to your side to start playing with his tail, tsu’tey’s tail flicked up and down, tickling your arm and thighs which made you giggle. If only you could see how love struck tsu’tey looked right now. What a shame. You stroked his tail softly, afraid of hurting him. You absolutely loved the fluffy part at the tip of the tail, it was fluffy and felt like silk but a bit rougher, it felt nice to the touch. Tsu’tey was staring at you the entire time, how you were extremely close to him, your smaller hands grazing his tail, seeing your smile on your face made him smile, it always happens when you smile, when you smile, he smiles. Whilst playing with his tail you brought it up to inspect it closely, you looked to the side of the fluffy tip part of the tail where you saw his marking on his shoulder and chest. That caught your attention, everything you’ve always wanted to feel, touch or see up close from the very first time you saw the na’vi’s now all came into your brain. “Tsu’tey.. can i touch your markings?” you say while pointing at the markings on his shoulder. Tsu’tey follows where your finger is pointing at and realizes what you’re talking about, he looks back at you and gives you a small nod. You thank him and this time you’re on your knees, tracing the marks on his shoulder, down to his arm and some on his chest. Tsu’tey would be lying if he told you that it didn’t felt nice. It felt.. way too intimate, but he loved every second of it. What you don’t notice is how he has a small yet noticeable smile appearing on his face. Sooner or later you tell tsu’tey to go down a bit, he’s confused but complies, he then feels your hands prodding at his ears, tracing every curve of his ear, Seeing the small tear on his right ear you ask him how that happened. “An arrow. Luckily their aim was bad.” he says nonchalantly, with that answer you giggled, continuing to touch his ear. You occasionally peck his nose or cheek to give him some attention even though you already were. You stopped pecking him for a second, you were looking at his necklace now, you point at the bones on his necklace and question about how he got them, in return, tsu’tey gives you a smile and tells you how those were the bones of his first animal that he hunted. Letting out an “oooo” you ask more questions, how old was he when he first hunted his first animal? what was his first animal? tsu’tey answered every single one of them. The first animal he hunted was a hexapede, and the bones of the hexapede are the very ones on his necklace. How he was 14 when he was first taught to hunt. You pointing at the bones prompted him to talk more about his necklace. What is was made out of, the significance, the meaning, and why. Tsu’tey points and explains about everything you need to know, he loves it when you’re really interested in what he’s speaking about and how you ask questions after he’s doing speaking. Tsu’tey pointing and explaining goes on for a bit, But after seeing that the sun was setting and the sky was getting darker, you both agreed on going home now, so you and tsu’tey got up and started to make your way to the others. In the middle of your walk you’re suddenly being picked up by tsu’tey in bridal style, you instinctively squeal and wrap your arms around his neck, tsu’tey chuckles and keeps on walking. You were thankful he did that though, your legs were much more nimble and smaller than his, you turned your head to look at the sunset. It was beautiful. You turn your head back around and bury your head in his chest. After walking for a bit you were getting tired, yawning there and then. The sky was almost dark now. Your sleepiness and heavy eyelids soon took over, Your body went limp, your arms were still around his neck but he could feel it loosening. Tsu’tey’s eyes widen and he looked at your face, he was terrified, did you just die? but upon seeing your closed eyelids and your mouth agape, small and low snores escaping your mouth. His heart stopped pounding rapidly. It gradually went back to its normal state. When you woke up, You were inside your marui, Laying on its material. You could feel someone’s arm wrapped around you, turning around you see tsu’tey fast asleep. Your lips curve into a small smile, brushing your thumbs on his cheeks, you took off your mask and quickly gave him a kiss on his lips while cupping his cheeks, you put your mask back on and fall asleep in his arms, warm and comfortable, waiting for another day with tsu’tey.

note: if you would like to be added to the avatar taglist pls just ask me!! dont be shy <3

taglist: send me an ask or comment to be in my avatar taglist^

liking + following + reblogs are very much appreciated!!

another note: i actually feel so motivated to write probably because im writing something other than genshin lmao, finished this in a day and like a few hours. and as i said before, this is my very first avatar post!! so i hope you guys enjoys this. i haven’t wrote in this format since like ages so im sorry if it doesn’t make sense or if it jumps to one thing to another very quickly. i updated my fandom/future works post so check that out. and idc what you say tsu’tey and neteyam are still alive. ALSO HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! p.s send in some avatar asks pls i need ideas!! also i have another one coming up [an idea] but i haven’t written it yet so stay tuned...??

REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

The actress who played Trudy Chacon said she does not want to come back in Avatar. Her death as a martyr will be less valued. She said she was upset her other characters from other movie roles magically came back from the dead. I think she is right. I wish Trudy had more screen time before her death.

You knew Trudy was an ex marine who became a pilot at the base. But, when you realized the betrayal of Jake Sully reporting to the Colonel behind your back to attack Home tree. You thought all Marines were inherently evil. Not mention Grace begged you to sleep with the Colonel for the sake of peace between the Navi and the damned RDA. You became mad that a marine corrupted someone you assumed was your friend.

And you also stayed with the Colonel to get that perv Selfridge off your back....

At least Quartich was intelligent, brave and strong unlike the golf playing and lazy business tycoon.

It was all for nothing. You realized you had no friends. If your "lover" was your friend, he would have told you of his evil plans instead of keeping it a secret.

You were placed in a cell. Quaritch locked you in his room but you tried to hurt yourself with sharp objects. He was pissed when he saw the camera he installed only to be seen by his cell phone.

Your mutant genetics immediately healed your cuts. But, The Colonel wasn't having your crap. He slapped you and made you confined in a room that had no furniture with a marine security guard to watch over you once the Colonel was finished with his shift. Then, the Colonel would pick you up to sleep in his room. Like day care.

You bowed your head and ignored the lewd comments the marine guard would sometimes utter. While feeling sorry for yourself, you heard Trudy's voice.

"What's up brother, long time no see." Trudy grinned.

"Hey." The marine smiled. He stood up to let her in. She rolled the small cargo in.

"Personally. I don't think this tree hugging traitor deserves steak."

He scoffed. "She is a fuckin' vegan. The only meat she eats is the Colonel's big white dick."

Your frowned deepened. Trudy rolled her eyes at the sexist comment.

She sarcastically chuckled.

"Yeah, you know what that is."

You stood up. Happiness blooming in your chest. Maybe you do have a friend.

Trudy helped you escape the damn prison of a base. She explained another pilot helped Jake, Grace, and Norm escape too.

The Colonel was busy scribbling documents. He heard a commotion. Then, he looked over his wide shoulder to see the security man.

"Why are you here!?" The Colonel had a bad feeling.

"Pilot of Samson 1-6 freed your girlfriend from the cell."

Everyone around the room were quiet.

Quartich punched the security guard square in the face. He fell down knocked out.

The staff were scared.

Quartich announced to his personal elite squad to hunt you down. Or never come back from the jungle of Pandora.

[reignofsiderians]

Zita, a rather small  (only ~1.4m at the shoulder) and dainty Sideress who embodies “fury of the small” perfectly. She’s a brave and ambitious hunter and a good mother who doesn’t shy away from trying to bring down big prey to provide food for herself and her family. This moose will feed them for a few days. Even though she’s small for her species, she’s still a rather big predator who is capable of killing a moose on her own. She’s lightning fast, agile and most of all; tactical.  I’ve recently been wanting to show more of the Siderians’ nature as a predator as hunting is just a normal part of in a Siderian’s life as a strict carnivore. It also emphasizes that Siderians are not cute kittycats who can be petted. Regarding Zita; I’ve made her a reference sheet a while ago but haven’t come to write all or her story just yet - I’m very far behind on writing and posting reference sheets...Anyway, she’s the mate of the gigantic male Siderian Torstein Sætansen (of all the Siderian couples that I know so far, their size difference is the biggest).

Here are some other drawings that feature her -it seems like she's glued to Torstein in all these drawings, which doesn't represent her independent and sometimes bossy personality well. She's certainly the dominant one in the relation.

https://www.deviantart.com/felisglacialis/art/Lovely-Summer-Night-881878754 https://www.deviantart.com/felisglacialis/art/Furry-bed-918377896

https://www.deviantart.com/felisglacialis/art/Shelter-in-the-rain-873956780

This was again a bit of a style experiment where I tried to ‘paint’ rather than ‘draw’ this image and I’ve restricted myself mostly to paint brushes. I've tried to target the details as efficiently as possible and I think it came out well. ----------------------- DON'T COPY/USE ANYTHING OF THIS! Don’t use these or any other siderians as avatar in RP games and don't use them to represent some other character in role play games! They are who they are and they CANNOT represent someone else.

[honklore]

invisible string | dreamwastaken

(requested plot by red string of fate soulmate au, dream is still a streamer, reader has commitment issues, dream just wants someone to love, chat is the best wingman, sapnap and george try but they suck, reader is timid but dream makes them feel brave, taylor swift references, this is not very deep or poetic at all, i don’t like typing y/n so after this i’m going to move to ___)

listen to: invisible string by taylor swift

In kindergarten, red strings were simply a crafting tool, and teachers never mentioned how much pain they would eventually bring.

Because when they appear, from a child’s eighteenth birthday and beyond, they tighten like a godforsaken high school ring that came in one size too small. Like the universe is a child tugging their mother towards the ice cream truck, you’re pulled around central Florida, passes faces you can’t memorize and voices too garbled to hear.

The string knows where you need to go, and when.

And you’re at the park, feeding ducks and trying to ignore that incessant pull that tugs at your pinky, when you hear it.

It’s a voice you know only because it’s a voice that’s been in your house before. At least, through your brother’s tablet screen. Some gamer online — a streamer, with a distinct wheezing laugh that you’d recognize anywhere.

And you do. Behind you.

You risk a small peak, and your heart drops into your chest. He’s tall. Too tall to not intimidate you. And his sandy hair is wavy, curling at the collar of his sweatshirt, falling perfectly into place when he runs his hands through it. When he does, you see it, the red string.

Which means he could see it too. All he’d have to do is turn around.

But you’re not ready. You haven’t been, not since you watched your cousin get rejected on her eighteenth birthday. Since you watched a string of fate get clipped in front of you, like the three fates had finally had enough of your cousin’s happiness.

It was enough to make you curl into yourself, and reject the natural pull set before you. So you run, and you try not to think of what would’ve happened if he saw you before you saw him. You try not to feel the clippers, but the blade feels tangible against your skin.

You don’t stop running until you arrive home.

“Hey chat, just wanted to do a few practice runs and catch up with you guys,” Dream mumbles into the mic, already restarting his game after deciding he didn’t like his seed. The donos begin rolling in, even before Sapnap and George have unmuted, so Dream flits his eyes to the display screen, subconsciously reading along with the text-to-speech voice, “Dream, what if we shared a string of fate? Ahaha, just kidding... unless... love you bestie.”

Dream chuckles, “Actually chat, I felt a tug today! Isn’t that weird? I was actually reading up on what that could mean, and it seems like either my soulmate is in a lot of distress, or they were in my vicinity. I’m hoping, for their sake, it’s the second one. How would you even comfort a soulmate if all you can do is tug on a stupid string?”

“Simp!” George finally unmutes just to be annoying, and Dream knows soulmates are a touchy spot for him, considering he wasn’t given a string on his eighteenth. Which is strange, but not impossible. Of course, chat doesn’t know this, because it would give them more hope of becoming George’s metaphorical soulmate, but it certainly makes for awkward conversations once Dream and Sapnap get into their own soulmate bonds.

“I’m not simping, George!” Dream feels a bit defensive, because he’s genuinely just curious. He has no interest in meeting his soulmate right now. At least, that’s what he tells himself. He has his streams, and his friends, and chat. He’s fine.

[abbywastaken donated $10: dream why don’t you go back to where you felt the pull and see if you feel it again? that’s how i found my soulmate. okay luv u bye.]

“Thanks, Abby. Love you, too. Um, honestly I was in a pretty public place, so I don’t know if they would even come back anytime soon. Also, this is Orlando, right? Tourists are everywhere.”

Sapnap snorts, and Dream thinks it’s funny, since he’s in the other room. “Just say you’re a coward and go.”

“I’m not!” Dream says. “It was just a small pull, okay? It wasn’t even a big deal.”

He feels another lurch when he says that, but this one is in his chest. It taps against his heart, a quick reminder that it beats for someone else, and he needs to watch his words. “Okay, it was a big deal. Sort of. I’ll go tomorrow, okay chat?”

Chat is spamming all types of messages, from encouragement to jealousy. Dream manages to read off a few donos and create his first nether portal of the stream. He answers as they appear, eyes scanning for a fortress. “No, I didn’t see them… I’m not telling you guys where I was, that’s weird… I’m wearing a sweatshirt and jeans… Hi, Sarah and Patrick…”

He trails off as the donos do, and works at getting blaze rods. George is talking about a riddle he just learned, and he’s trying to trick Sapnap into saying something stupid.

Lost in his own thoughts, he finally closes the stream after a hasty goodbye. “What if I missed my chance?” He asks the two boys on the other line.

“It’s a string of fate, Dream,” George says. “You didn’t miss your chance.”

“Maybe they saw how ugly you are and ran away,” Sapnap says, completely joking, but the thought lingers in Dream’s head.

Did they feel the tug, and run away?

You pour cereal for yourself, and when your brother shuffles into the kitchen, you make him a bowl as well.

He’s eleven, and as little brothers go, he’s pretty chill. Aside from the inappropriate jokes and hogging the bathroom when you have to get ready for work, you like hanging around with him.

You pass him his bowl, and he grins. “I’m gonna watch Dream’s new video on the TV, since mom’s not home.”

You furrow your brows. Dream must be one of the dozens of streamers he likes. Maybe one of his friends will be in chat with him, and you will be able to connect a voice to a face. “Can I sit with you?”

He gives you an odd look, and it’s true, you don’t ask to watch videos with him often. “I guess.”

You eat a spoonful of cereal and settle into the couch while he gets everything ready. He clicks on a lime green icon of a little white blob man, and when the first video appears, you’re taken aback by the voice.

That’s the voice you heard. It’s this one, out of all the random men yelling about a block game. It’s Dream.

“Why doesn’t he show his face?” You manage, wanting information about the person that shares your string.

“What?”

“Like, he’s handsome, right? Why doesn’t he have a facecam?”

Your brother snorts. “Handsome? He’s never shown his face, Y/n. Don’t you know who Dream is? He’s like, super famous.”

“Oh.” You think of his golden hair, as sunny and soft as the glow around his entire being. His voice right now, joyous as he gets chased by his friends. “I mean, I don’t keep up with streamers.”

He begins to explain Dream and his friends, along with lore in their role play server, and it’s all interesting enough that you sit and listen, holding on to the little bits of information you can collect about your soulmate.

You file these facts in a secluded corner of your brain and try to make a whole person, along with the hair and the laugh and the intense music he plays as he gets hunted by his friends.

By nightfall, you’re following all of his socials and binge-watching his old streams, holding on to the way he speaks to his friends, and the fond way he replies to donos.

[dreamwastaken is live!]

You click on it, bundled underneath your covers as if someone might see you and find out your secret.

“Hi, chat! I know I was just live yesterday, but I cut it too short and wanted to come talk to you guys.”

He uses his avatar to wave at the screen, and it’s kind of an adorable sight.

[gogysimp donated $25: did you go see your soulmate?]

Your heart stops. Does he know? Did he see you? Or even worse, has he already found someone else, and he just hasn’t severed the tie?

“No!” Dream’s laugh pulls you out of your worries. “I was busy with meetings today, actually. And I was too nervous. Sapnap also refused to come with me, so I’m just going to go another day.”

So he didn’t see you. He just knows you were there.

You click the donate tab before you can stop yourself.

[y/n donated $1: would you reject your soulmate if you didn’t like them?]

Dream mumbles the question, and you try to ignore the way your heart deflates when he skips saying your name. “I don’t think so,” he states plainly. “I mean, logically, a soulmate would be your other half, so I wouldn’t not like them. But I know some people just don’t click, or there are other issues. So, I don’t know. I guess the only thing I can say is that I don’t want to reject them. And I hope they don’t reject me. I mean, imagine finding out your soulmate is a Minecraft Youtuber. That would be pretty weird…”

You giggle to yourself as he trails off and answers another donation. So he’s against rejection. Okay. Maybe you have a chance.

[kyra donated $60: i’m your soulmate.]

“Meet me where you felt the tug, then,” Dream says sassily. “Chat, don’t be weird, okay? I can’t control who my soulmate is, and I don’t want you guys to exclude them if they become a pat of my life.”

Oh, you think. So his chat is vocal about their opinions, and apparently they mean a lot to him. You shiver despite your warm position and imagine how annoying you might seem to his loyal viewers: someone who only knew about him because of their brother.

Insecurity pushes against your chest, so you close the stream and push your phone away, hoping to forget this ever happened, that maybe you won’t have to deal with the inevitable if you don’t think about it.

Yogurt Barn isn’t the first place on your list of dream jobs, but it has decent pay and helps you pay off student loans, so you appreciate it nonetheless. The teal sweatshirt they gave you as a uniform keeps you warm as you scoop the frozen treats.

Your coworker, a girl named Madison, is busy manning the counter, so you check each flavor and refill the ones running empty.

“Can I ask you a question?” Madison met her soulmate, Anna, only days after she got her string. It was a textbook romance, two people meant for each other, no doubt in anyone’s mind. She might be able to help you now. That is, if you can even admit to who your soulmate is.

“What’s up?”

“I felt the tug,” you say, avoiding her eyes in favor of restacking the medium cups.

“No way!” Madison is perky in a way that makes you want to be included. You like this about her. “Did you see them? Did you talk to them?”

“He—” You want to say that the part of him you saw was perfect, enough to keep you up when you should be dreaming. But reality is nothing if not disappointing. “I ran.”

“Y/n…” Madison gives you a stern look — like a mother finding out their child didn’t defrost the chicken in time. “Why would you run?”

“I don’t want to be rejected.” The magenta swirls painted onto the walls are a stark change to the clay sidewalks of the strip mall. “And before you say he wouldn’t… It’s happened to my cousin. It’s possible.”

Madison frowns. “But that can’t be the only reason, right? I mean, we all know someone who has been rejected. It’s usually not the end of the world for them.”

“He’s a famous streamer,” you blurt, and you’re thankful the shop is as empty as it is. Just the words themselves sound fake.

Madison snorts. “Like, gaming? That’s what’s holding you back? He’s a gamer?”

“I don’t care that he’s a gamer!” You hiss. “I care that he has a loyal fanbase who more than likely all want to be his soulmate!”

“You can’t say that for certain,” Madison says. “I mean, everyone knows about the soulmate system. If you watch someone and don’t feel the pull, you know they aren’t your soulmate, right? So why wouldn’t they accept you?”

“I don’t know,” you say. “I’m just scared. I mean, he’s got this huge following and everything and I’m just me. I work in a yogurt shop for goodness’ sake.”

You head into the back to grab more cups, and the bell rings, signaling a new customer.

“Welcome to Yogurt Barn, what can I get for you?” Madison’s customer service voice pricks your ears.

You sift through the boxes to find the smaller cups and listen to the customer’s order. “Can I have a strawberry cone?”

Your string pulls, that same familiar voice filling your head, not on the screen but once again just a few feet away. He’s infiltrating your life, so close you could reach out and touch him, but it’s such a terrifying thought that you set down the cups.

You tear off your apron, and run into the break room to grab a water and calm yourself down.

It’s ten minutes before Madison comes back to find you. “Hey, are you okay? You disappeared.”

You take a deep breath and stare at the poster on the wall. It’s brightly colored, with a walking yogurt cup waving and reminding employees to wash their hands before scooping. “That was him. The guy— the pull— Dream— I can’t— Does he know? Is he following me?”

“It’s okay,” Madison runs her hand down your back. “It’s okay. He isn’t following you. When the pull starts it tends to draw the couple together until they meet. He probably doesn’t know it’s you.”

You nod and take your breaths in gulps. “Okay. Yeah, you’re right. You’re right.”

“Why don’t you go home early, okay?”

Dream is live again.

Fresh out of the shower, you pull a t-shirt over your body and burrow into your blankets. Earbuds in, you try to focus on the sound of his voice, ignoring every ounce of anxiety that’s been riddling your mind.

“Hi, chat. I’m gonna practice speed runs again. I think George is joining soon.”

You open the chat and scroll through the emotes, clicking the ones you like and sending them, just to calm yourself down.

[kylo donated $5: did you find your soulmate?]

Dream laughs. The sound makes your chest tighten with longing. Your fingers ache. “Actually, I went to the place I felt the pull again. I dunno what I was expecting, but they didn’t show up. But after that, I was running some errands and I felt it, chat! I felt the pull again.”

He trails off while his character starts to look for a lava pool. “I feel discouraged but I don’t want to like, chase them, you know? I don’t want to scare them off.”

You click the donation tab again.

[y/n donated $1: maybe your soulmate heard your voice and got scared of you because they watch your videos.]

It’s not the total truth, but it might help him sleep better. You don’t want him to feel discouraged, but you can’t bring yourself to follow the pull.

“That could be a possibility…” Dream crafts a portal and sends his character through. “But I wish I could talk to them. I wish I could tell them that it’s okay. Like, we don’t have to rush into anything.”

[y/n donated $1: They probably wish they could talk to you too]

“Thanks, Y/n.” He sucks in a breath as soon as he says your name. The Minecraft pause screen appears and the sound of a discord call can be heard.

Your heart pounds in your chest. Something about him saying your name just solidified everything. Your arms feel hot and cold all at once, like you’ve just been thrown in a frozen lake. He has to be feeling it too.

“Chat, I gotta go, okay? I’ll try to stream again soon.”

“Hello?” A sleepy voice comes in through Dream’s earbuds.

“George! Their name is Y/n!” Dream is so excited, his voice raising a few octaves as he talks. “Someone donated with that name and I felt like, super weird. I didn’t feel it until I said the name out loud.”

“That’s crazy,” George says, monotone but supportive. “Do you think the dono is actually them?”

“I don’t know,” Dream scrolls through their past donos and quickly screenshots each one. “I mean, they definitely could be.”

He shares the pictures in their group chat.

George hums. “It sounds like they’re trying to tell you how they feel without admitting that it’s them. Where did you say you felt a pull?”

“At the park, and at the yogurt shop down the road.”

“So go there again. Maybe all they need is a little courage. If you feel the pull this time, you should follow it.”

Dream thinks about it for a moment before finally agreeing. He changes the subject to their next jackbox stream, and George is now happily talking about how they’re going to team up against Sapnap.

He goes into Sapnap’s room that night. He sits on his desk chair while Sapnap sits cross legged on his bed, scrolling through his phone. “Do you wanna get frozen yogurt tomorrow? My treat.”

“Hell yeah!”

The new strawberry-lemonade custard is a hit. Not only are the colors aesthetically pleasing for the teenagers who want a nice snapchat story, but there was a promotional coupon in the mail that has people lining up to the door.

“It’s not even that good,” you tell Madison while the two of you are on break. You’re both using a sample spoon to try out the new summer flavors, and in your opinion, strawberry-lemonade isn’t even the best one. “Blood orange is better.”

Madison wrinkles her nose. “No, blue raspberry is best.”

“It’s sour, though,” you say.

“Guys! Break’s over and you’ve got a line!” Your manager stares disapprovingly at the cups of custard the both of you are indulging in.

“We’re coming.” You toss the cup into the trash and walk out, scratching at the sudden itch on your pinky finger.

Pulling on your gloves, you grab a scoop and address the first customer, “Welcome to Yogurt Barn.”

“Hi!”

You still like you’ve been caught stealing on camera. You look up, hand clutching the scoop so tightly you can feel the cold steel through your gloves.

It’s Dream.

It’s him. He’s tall, and his hair is a sunshine blond, dark at the roots and curling beneath his ears. And his freckles… little spots all across his cheeks so endearing that you get a little distracted staring at them.

Then he’s talking, and you have to focus on his jade-green eyes, not his lips, which are a warm pink. “It’s you.”

You blink. Fear strikes your spine and you drop the scoop. “I gotta go.”

“Wait!” Dream calls, just as Madison shouts your name.

You exit out the back door again. Your heart is pounding against your chest, ribs expanding, and all you can hear is the sound of your name coming out of his lips, just last night through a screen.

“Y/n?” Only it’s in front of you, a few feet away, and he’s searching your eyes for any reassurance that you won’t run away again. That you won’t reject him. “That’s your name right?” He keeps talking, a nervous smile flitting across his face. “The donos? That was you?”

You can see the string now, red and blaring, tightening with each step Dream takes. It’s signing off your fate, for better or for worse, and you can’t fathom why he’s trying so hard, why he cares so much.

It’s hot in Florida but you feel cold, chilled to the bone. You straighten up. You figure you owe it to him to look up in the eye.

He leaves you breathless, eyes shining in the sun. “It was me,” you say. “You’re Dream.”

“Clay, actually,” he says. His smile widens, and it’s magnificently bold. He’s triumphant, just from your reply, and that alone gives you the slightest bit of hope.

“Clay,” you say. “I’m— I’m not— I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“You don’t have to be.” Clay is quick to reply, hands open and palms up. It’s a complete surrender — putting it all in your hands. “We don’t have to announce it. We don’t have to be anything at all, if you need time. But I would like to be your friend. If— If that’s okay.”

But you want to be close to him. The draw of your strings pulling each other closer and closer makes you want to wrap your arms around him. If he hasn’t rejected you, maybe you can do this. “I– I want to be more than friends, but I’m terrified of you rejecting me. I’m afraid of the string getting cut.”

Clay set his brows, “I won’t let that happen. We’re connected. Fate, ya know?”

“Yeah,” you breathe, and it’s a sigh of relief. “Okay. Maybe I’ll give you my number?”

“I’ll give you mine!” Clay is animated, holding out his hand for your phone. “That way you can text me when you’re ready.”

The red string shines like gold in the Florida sun, and when your fingertips brush, it burns with a satisfying warmth.

[hikarimiyanaga]

Request : Hi, I love and enjoy reading what you write thus I want to pose a request that the Dimitrescu Family with a powerful blood magic S/O who can control people's blood (u know, similar to Skarlet from MK)

Blood Magic, it's one of the powers that I want to experiment with, in terms of writing.

Also, the knowledge/information I have about this is because of Avatar (I haven't played Mortal Kombat in a long time, forgive my broke self.)

I also accidentally deleted the request so it's like this.

I'm really sorry. I hope you enjoy it!

Alcina Dimitrescu / Lady Dimitrescu

As a magician, you were pretty powerful, as a Mage of Blood Magik, though, you were undefeatable.

When you came into the village, the weird parasites in almost everyone's body bothered the fuck outta you. Because why the fuck??

It was just sitting there and eating there soul?? You knew the consequences on messing around with Parasites like those so you wanted to leave immediately but you stopped when you saw Alcina.

This very tall lady who towers over you just stopped the world but then you just realized that you were actually the only one who stopped moving. You quickly turned away but felt it. You turn to her again and see the parasite. It was so deep within her.

"Fuck." You cursed under your breath but then you feel it. Not connected to blood but the energy and mana itself.

"Fucking hell." You use your magic to peek into the Megamycete and grimace.

"Fucking shit." As if third time's the charm, Alcina hears your cursing and looks at you. You clenched your fist and was just glaring on the ground?? What a weirdo.

"Mother, is something wrong?" Bela asks, as she was the one who accompanied Alcina for her little stroll around the village.

"No. Just that woman." You feel eyes on you so you look up to see Alcina staring at you. You huff then turn away.

Being a magician, you aren't actually a people person, you've always hated it when people knew what you were.

Your foes were the only ones who ever actually knew that you practiced Blood Magik... not that they lived to actually tell anyone else.

You try to leave, you really did but all those people. That giant woman, all of it just-

"Leaves a bad taste in my mouth, nothing else." You turn back, trying to excuse your good nature.

You spend days trying different scrying spells, revelation spells and cure spells to see if any would work on the Megamycete and who the fuck is actually using it.

"That fucking bitch." Not only have you seen Alcina's, the villager's and the other lord's memories but Mother Miranda herself. "She wants a daughter? All this for a fucking hell-spawn?" You never did like children yourself, they were too innocent, too goddamn corruptible and too gullible.

You sigh and make your decision. She wants a daughter? You'll give her a daughter. You put on your mask and get your potions.

You'll cure this village of those fucking parasites and diseases or you'll die trying. Most probably cure them.

It took literally a whole day just to get the goddamn parasites of the villagers and Karl, who was the only one of the four lords who volunteered when he heard what you were doing.

The next was Donna, who cried when you actually gave Angie a body. Then Salvatore was next, when you promised to be his friend.

Alcina was the hardest. She thought that if she accepted then her daughters would die and disappear. But you assured her and even showed her that you wouldn't let that happen. She was amazed by the other lords. Donna isn't sporting her scar and Angie is actually alive and in a real body. Karl doesn't have his powers anymore but his intellect is still intact and Salvatore was just beaming.

"How did you-?" You chuckle.

"Blood Magik. It's something that only some practice and even fewer get the hang of. And me?" You ask as the air suddenly gets heavier and everything quiets down as you let out your mana. "I'm the Master of it." Everyone looks at you when just as fast as it came, the tension was gone. You hold out your hand to Alcina. "So would you trust me?" She accepts and cries in relief when she hugs Bela, Cassandra and Daniela in their normal bodies.

Meanwhile, you grimace in silence as your organs will take some time recovering their usual functions... what? Blood Magik needs sacrifices and you would rather do it yourself than exploit other people.

And then lastly, Mother Miranda. You were actually afraid that she would try to fight you and you, with your organs all fucked up and your only weapons are basically your potions, were nervous. But she accepted and as you hand over Eva safely to Mother Miranda, you pass out and everyone panics.

Karl was absolutely fucking scared shitless and befuddled by your physical condition?? How in hell are you even alive?

You wake up three days later and Karl just gave up on trying.

You laugh at him and wheeze.

"I"m basically kind of an immortal too." He just sighs.

The next few weeks were spent inside the Dimitrescu Castle because that was the most comfortable house. The Beneviento House would be good too but Karl just felt that you would like it more in the Dimitrescu Castle. You agree.

As you spend more time with Alcina, you both just slowly but surely fall for each other.

Bela Dimitrescu

Hunting made easier. Brought to her by you and your Blood Magik.

With just one goddamn snap of your fingers and bam, a barrel is full.

This makes spending time with each other, a lot easier and longer.

She would listen to you tell your stories and you love it when she gets excited about books and such.

One day, you finally learn how to create a human body. There was a lot of things to do and spells to practice but you were determined.

And you finally achieved it. It took long enough but then you sensed it.

Mother Miranda stole a baby from a caravan??

"What in hell is happening?" You mumble as you gaze at the village. Then there it was, and it hurt the fuck out of your mana when the people turned into monsters.

"What the fuck!? Shit!" You curse as you feel the megamycete mutate. "Oh hell no!" You shout and use your magik to locate the shit.

"Die, asswipe!" You completely destroy it without batting an eye and you can hear Mother Miranda's shouts of agony.

You pant as you can finally feel the mana in the air be lighter. You go to the castle and as expected, everyone is in a bad shape.

It took months but you got them all back to normal, even most of the villagers.

Bela kept crying as you hug her, finally together with her.

Cassandra Dimitrescu

You met Cassandra while you were surrounded by Karl's werewolves. Dead werewolves. You were slightly out of breath and then your eyes met.

Ethan was about to chase her but you stopped him because she was the same as them.

"Why'd you stop me then?" You shrug at your brother who glares at you.

"We should just get Rose back and not kill anyone anymore." Ethan raises an eyebrow at you.

"What? You literally just killed like a hundred of these werewolves." You use your magik to get the blood off yourself.

"They attacked. I only countered." Ethan sighs as you just walk away. He follows you and as you get to the castle. You can instantly feel their energy.

"What the fuck? They're made of it?" You mumble to yourself. And just as Bela was about to push you and Ethan down, you counter her and made sure to not let her flies disperse.

'Shit. This is hard.' You think to yourself as you dodge both Cassandra and Daniela attacking you.

"Y/N?"

"Rose is in that direction. Just wait for me there." Ethan nods and quickly goes the way you pointed. You use your magik and they all freeze. "You guys are so troublesome." You sigh. "But then again, I suppose all good things are." You use your magik again and locate Alcina.

You made a deal with the Dimitrescu Head. In exchange for normal bodies, she'll have to let you, Ethan and Rose's part go. Ethan's outburst when he realized what they did to his daughter didn't help but you used that.

"You know I'm powerful, right? Trust me, you don't want to test my brother."

You leave the Castle with Ethan, unharmed but with a deal made.

It was the same with the other three houses and before you knew it, your niece was restored and you had to make eight people back to normal... It was hard but when you wake up, feeling groggy and disoriented with all of those people and your family, you think to yourself that it was all worth it.

You rebuild the village with all of them and actually get closer with Cassandra. She admires your magik and you admire her art.

Before you even knew it, you had fallen for her and even though she hasn't realized it yet, she has fallen for you too.

Daniela Dimitrescu

Being a powerful magician meant most of the world are after you.

That was how you found the village. It was isolated and so it was perfect for you.

As you were strolling along the village, late into the night, when everyone is asleep, you feel a somewhat murderous intent and you smile to yourself. Either you were too careless or someone was really good at hiding their intent.

When something was about to hit you, you quickly activated your magik but flinched when it didn't affect them, so you quickly turned and jumped back.

The person who attacked you was surprised as well that you could react like that.

"What? You dodged??" You sigh.

"I dodged because you were trying to kill me! Who are you?" Daniela smiles at you.

"Daniela Dimitrescu, I live in that castle. And you?" Why did this woman?? can you even call her that suddenly- You sigh.

"I'm Y/N... and something is really wrong with this village of yours."

"What?"

Before you and Daniela even knew it, you were both knee-deep in everything, you even saw the Megamycete together.

And call Daniela, good-natured because by then, she wanted to stop Mother Miranda and help everyone. So help you did.

You just couldn't say no to her, could you?

By the time, everything was over, you were already half-dead and Daniela finally realized she was in love with you.

It was a good thing that you have potions.

A/N:

I'm sorry that I have been gone for weeks now. College started then something happened that made me not want to write at all.

But I'm back, although I may be a bit slow.

I'm so sorry. I also closed off my requests since I'll be focusing on college and completing the Loving You sequel which is 70% done by now.

Comments and thoughts are always welcome!

Thank you for reading!

If you can, please buy me a coffee.

[amor-immortalem]

Can I Stay Up Here With You Forever ch.4

Previous

Taglist: @mediocredetective

Warnings: Mentions of past child abuse and neglect

“So, what’s the plan for today? Or are we jus’ stayin’ home all day?” Mammon asks as he lugs the suitcase he brought with him into the bedroom and opened some dresser drawers to put his clothes away.

“I figured we could go out and explore more of the city together. Plus, I want to get a few more pieces of furniture to fill out the house.” Arella runs a hand through her hair as she stretches. “Breakfast was great, by the way. Thank you.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that good- not compared to last night’s dinner anyway...”

“Don’t put yourself down like that, Honey.” The human gets off the bed to hunt for some clothes of her own. “You’re cooking is good, okay?”

He nods slowly. “Not if you ask my brothers though... One of ‘em always has something ta say ‘bout it- and none of its good. Even Beel has complaints sometimes.”

She frowns in response. “Well, I’ll have you know I genuinely enjoy your cooking. I wouldn’t mind if you cooked for us more often.”

Another nod from the demon as he returns to his task of emptying out his suitcase and Arella continues her search for the perfect outfit.

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“Where is he, Solomon,” The Avatar of Pride questions the sorcerer as he stands in the foyer of Purgatory Hall.

“I’ve already told you, Lucifer.” Solomon replies with a smile on his face. “I don’t exactly know. The human world is the best answer I can give you.”

The demon studies the human for a moment to deduce whether or not he’s lying about know where Mammon is. “Where in the human world?”

“I don’t know. Arella wouldn’t tell me where exactly she was summoning him to.” It’s a tiny lie. Of course, he knew exactly where they were, but Lucifer didn’t need to know that. “I have no reason to lie to you, Lucifer, but why exactly is it that you want to find your brother so badly?”

“I want to... apologize for my actions. It seems, after further review of the situation, that I was wrong. The bill I received was full of fraudulent charges to his credit card. Does that change your answer?” The first-born narrows his eye as the silver-haired sorcerer shook his head. “Then I’ll be off. If you hear anything, I want to be the first to hear about it.

Solomon only nodded, an amused smile playing on his lips. He wondered just how long it would take the demon to pinpoint Mammon and Arella’s location.

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They bounced from shop to shop throughout the day finding many cute trinkets and knick-knacks on their journey. The cutest ones- and Mammon’s personal favorite- was a set of crows sitting on a tree branch together, their bodies turned away with their heads pressed together so that they formed the shape of a heart. He instantly picked it up after Arella made the comment that the crows were representative of them and their love.

As their small shopping spree came down to an end, they had stopped to take a break in a park, just taking a moment to rest and enjoy the beautiful day. It filled Mammon with a warm feeling he wasn’t quite sure he could name just yet so he just opted to hold her hand as they relaxed on the park bench as a few small families played nearby.

His attention in particular was pulled to one certain family: A mother and father with their three boys. Watching them drug up a desire he thought he’d never have.

“Hey, babe,” He starts quietly.

“Yes, Love?” she hums in response.

“Do... Do ya want kids...?”

“Do you?” Arella replies with a question of her own, green eyes peering up at the demon.

“I asked you first.”

With a chuckle she answers, “Yes... having children with you wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I’d love to one day down the road. How many do you want?”

“Just one would be good enough,” He smiles, resting his cheek against the top of her head as they sit there in peace for a while longer.

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Sitting in his office, attempting to keep his mind off Mammon, Lucifer was working on his ever-growing stack of paperwork. It wasn’t working and something in the back of the demon’s mind was gnawing at him. Something Arella had said to him roughly a month ago about stealing his brother away to the human realm and never returning. A laughable idea for as much as he knew she wasn’t joking; she really held no power to make that decision. Mammon was a demon- one of the seven lords of hell. His place was here in the Devildom whether she liked it or not. Mammon himself had to realize this was all pointless eventually and then he would come home and that would be the end of it. Or at least that’s what Lucifer hoped anyway. He really didn’t want to have to drag his brother back here kicking and screaming.

Stepping away from the old, worn-out desk, the eldest decides a break for tea and a phone call might do better to take his mind of things for the time being.

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Putting up her dusty old tomes on various mythologies of the ancient past, Aubrie could just barely hear the phone. Hopping down off the ladder, the mythologist swiped up the device- a gift from the only demon in her contacts. He was lucky she didn’t have it turned off like she usually did while she was working.

“Good evening, Lucifer,” Holding the shiny D.D.D. to her ear, she answered with a chirp. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“Good evening, Aubrie.” Lucifer’s voice is smooth as silk and Aubrie has to wonder if he just naturally talks like that or he was using that ‘seductive speechcraft’ Arella had mentioned some time ago to get whatever it was that he wanted from their conversation. “Have you spoken to Arella recently?”

“I have. You know she just moved from England, right?” The ginger chirps. “I texted with her this morning to see how it went.”

“Actually, I didn’t.” The Avatar of Pride hummed as he sipped on his tea. “That’s interesting. Where abouts did she move?”

“I wish I knew. The best I can say is somewhere in mainland Europe,” Aubrie lets out a sigh. “I want to go visit her. I can’t imagine how lonely it is to move to an entirely different country where you’re alone- although for Arella that’s pretty on character...”

“She does seem independent,” Lucifer hums, “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Actually, that’s part of the reason I called. I’m sure she told you that my brother’s with her when you spoke earlier... I need her to send him back. He can’t be missing so much school- his grades are already abysmal to begin with and the longer she keeps him up there, the worse they’ll get. Plus, I have things I need to talk with him about.”

“She's worried about his safety with you, Lucifer. Apparently, you broke his elbow somehow? Or something to that effect.”

“I didn’t break his elbow. No, he did that on his own by falling on it, but my actions helped lead to it so I have some blame in it.” The black-haired demon sighs, “That’s why I’m looking for them. I want to apologize to Mammon- he didn’t exactly deserve what I did that led up to him breaking his elbow.”

The human nods at that. “And here I thought you would be too proud to apologize.” She teased.

“If it were anyone other than my brothers, maybe.” He admits. “But in their own way, each of my brothers are important to me. We’ve been together for eons. Losing a single one of them would be devastating to our family, Aubrie. Like right now, the house has been too quiet and dark since Mammon left for the human realm. Things aren’t right until he comes home.”

“I see, but if you knew your brother would be happier up here in the human world with Arella... would you let him go?”

“I can’t- and it's not because I don’t want him to be happy, quite the opposite, actually- if we were not of such high rank and standing, then I would be content to allow Mammon to follow what makes him happy- whether that be here in the Devildom or up in the human world to allow him to live amongst the humans.”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm sure Arella has told you about our rank here in the devildom. We’re each to rule over a layer of Hell once we leave RAD in a few years. Mammon has a responsibility to the Devildom as Lord of the Fourth Layer. It's not a thing that he can just leave behind in favor of spending the rest of his human’s minimal lifespan up in the mortal realm.”

“You could be less harsh on him though. I know our morals on what is wrong and right are different and it’s foolish for us to force our morals on to literal demons from some of the stories she mentions about the way you all treat your brother... Well, it sounds like abuse to me and for someone like Arella, that’s very triggering for her.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lucifer’s interest was piqued at the human’s words. He knew next to nothing about Arella’s past before the exchange program and she never talks about her past to begin with so having the opportunity to hear about it was enticing to the Avatar of Pride.

“Her home life when we were children was... less than happy. Her mother was physically, emotionally, and verbally abusive as well as neglectful. I have plenty of pictures from when we were children where she’s covered in bruises, black eyes, busted lips. She would never say anything against her mother so protective services couldn’t do anything for her, but we all knew that woman was the cause of them. So you see, the way you treat your brother drudges up all that old trauma for her and that’s why she behaves the way she does. Wouldn’t you do the same thing if you were in her shoes, Lucifer?”

“You’re not wrong.” He goes to take another sip of his tea but the cup is empty. “This was nice and also very insightful. I have to go now, enjoy the rest of your evening, Aubrie.”

“Thank you, Love. You too. Make sure to go to bed a reasonable time tonight.” There was a short pause on her end before Aubrie began sputtering apologies and trying to back pedal her way out of that embarrassing situation and the line eventually just cut off.

Lucifer couldn’t help but laugh softly at the ridiculousness of it all. Humans sure were a funny creature.

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Next

Find more writings on my masterlist

[imnotusedtobeingloved]

DESTINY IS A FUNNY THING

Warnings: Blood/Gore. Wounds.

Pairing: Zuko x firebender!fem!Reader

Characters: Zuko, Uncle Iroh, Jet, Avatar Aang (mentioned)

Requested: No.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor the gif. Credit to the owners.

Summary: You’re trying to find some food for the Team, when you encounter a furious Freedom Fighter.

It was a quiet evening as you strolled through the streets of Ba Sing Se.

You'd joined Team Avatar only a few weeks ago, doing your best to integrate yourself into their group. Which, other than helping the Avatar, also meant cooking, cleaning and finding food. You were tasked with the latter. The gaang hadn't been able to visit the market earlier, due to searching for someone who could produce posters, hoping to get any tips on the whereabouts of Appa. So now, with the money Toph had collected on her hunts, you were searching for something to fill your stomachs. You hadn't eaten all day.

Most shops were already closed by this time The only house that still had the lights on in this part of town, seemed to be a small restaurant. You tried to read the menu that was hung up next to the entrance, but the paper was so crinkled and the letters so washed out that you couldn't quite decipher what it said. You sighed. Some light would be really useful right now. There was only one solution.

You looked around warily, checking the streets five times, before you produced a tiny flame in your palm, reading over every offer as quick as possible. The fire disappeared when you were through. Unsure you counted the money in your pocket, biting your bottom lip. The prices were pretty high. Almost too high. You'd have nearly nothing left if you purchased your food here. You mulled over it for a few minutes, not realizing that someone had stepped up behind you.

"What do we have here?" You jumped, turning around quickly and coming face to face with a broad chest. Looking up, black eyes stared back at you. The boys face was narrow, framed by a mop of brown hair, and a blade of wheat grass hanged out of his mouth. "What do you want from me?" You asked, stepping back, until your back was pressed into the wall behind you. "You're one of them," he said, wielding a hooked sword in both of his hands. "You're one of those fire benders!" He lashed out, the hook grazing your skin as you tried to roll out of their range. "Ugh!" You groaned at the sight of a nasty slash in your shoulder. Yes, you were from the Fire Nation, and yes, you were able to bend fire, but you had never experienced that much training in combat. You knew how to defend yourself properly, yet you didn't succumb to the illusion that you were an exceptionally good fighter. You really just tried not to get your face cut off. And to your despair, this young man seemed to be especially good at what he was doing.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" You said, trying to talk your way out of it. He chuckled. "Nice try. But I saw you use your powers," he answered with a growl, hunting you mercilessly. So you did the only thing you could to survive. Run. You had no weapons, but yourself. And you couldn't use your fire once again. Your heart pumped wildly in your chest as your lungs started to burn. He didn't slow down even when you made it to a more crowded part of town, pushing people out of his way to get to you, and screaming at them to hold you off. You tried to get as many obstacles as possible between you and him. But his legs were longer than yours, making it easy to catch up with you. A small tea shop ahead of you caught your eye, seeming lively inside.

You'd almost reached the door.

Almost made it.

Then you felt the tips of two sharp hooks slash trough your back, ripping the skin. A toe curling scream left your mouth. Dizzy, you stumbled out of reach again as best as you could. All eyes were on you, when you tumbled trough the door of the shop. "I'm sorry," you mumbled, dots clouding your sight. "I didn't know where else to go," Your knees gave out, blood slowly trickling out of your wounds. "They're fire benders!" Was the last thing that distantly reached your ears, together with the picture of an old man, leaning over you with a worried expression on his face. Then you were gone.

The next time you came anywhere near to conciousness again, you felt sick. You were lying on your stomach. Soft blankets and pillows were tucked under your body. And when you tried to move, you registered the texture of bandages on your shoulder and back. "Careful now," a soothing voice scolded softly. "Wouldn't want those wounds to open up again," A groan left your mouth when you finally managed to open your eyes. Once again, the face of an old man greeted you. The same old man. "Who are you?" you mumbled. "And where am I?" The man smiled, his friendly eyes glimmering in the sunlight. "My name is Mushi," he placed a small cup of tea next to you. "You're in our home. We brought you here after you collapsed in the tea shop, remember?" You nodded. Right. You remembered bits and pieces briefly, but you couldn't piece them all together. And then he came to mind. "Wha- what's with that guy, who-" "Don't worry about it," Mushi interrupted. "My nephew, Lee, took care of him. He's behind bars for now," You hummed, settling down a bit. It didn't take long before the others popped up in your mind.

You wondered if they were worried. If they cared. But you had to get back to them either way. "I have to get back to my..." you searched for the right word. "Family. I bet they're worried because I didn't come back last night," Mushi nodded, running a hand through his beard. "I understand," he stood up from your bedside, preparing another teapot as you sipped on your cup. It had just the right temperature and the rich jasmine flavor invaded your mouth. You smiled. "My favorite...," It was true. It really was your favorite. It reminded you of your home. Of quiet mornings spend with your grown ups, laughing at each others jokes. But those days were over. The war had claimed it all.

Mushi's light chuckle disturbed your thoughts. "It's my nephew's favorite as well," You hummed, staring down at the cup. “You know, you never told me your name,” He said, looking at you over his shoulder. “It’s (Y/N),” you stated, taking another sip and moving to sit up. “Thank you for taking care of me, Mushi. But i need to leave no- aargh!” You groaned loudly falling back onto your stomach. “Careful!” The door to your right opened. “What’s going on here?” A young man entered the room. He wore the simple clothes of a commoner, an apron loosely hanging from his arm. This must be Lee, you thought trying to stay still as the pain subsided. When you looked up at him, the first thing you were greeted by was the large burn around his eye, like flames woven into his skin. You flinched under his gaze. You couldn’t help but wonder if the scar had been from an encounter with a fire bender. Your Nation truly left it’s marks everywhere. “She’s still to weak to get up,” Mushi answered him, walking over to you. “I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here a little longer,” You sighed. This was a disaster.

You had to admit, this was definetely not how you had imagined your life to go, after joining the Avatar. You weren’t even around him for the next two weeks. The slash on your shoulder healed just fine and it didn’t bother you as much. Though your back was an entirely different story. You had to heavily rely on Mushi and Lee when it came to the wound. Bandaging or applying lotion to it was impossible without having someone to help. In the beginning Mushi was the one who primarily cared for you. Lee, on the other hand, didn’t bother to come near you. And why would he? You were just some strange girl that tumbled into a tea shop, covered in blood. The few times he did come in to get himself some tea, were spend in uncomfortable silence. At least on your behalf. Maybe he didn’t even care. Days went by without him even glancing at you, but one time he did. He directly stared at you to be more specific. “So, was he right?” he said, leaning against the counter behind him. “What?” you blurted out, confused that he bothered to speak with you. “The boy. Was he right? Are you a fire bender?” You swallowed heavily, lowering your gaze to his chest. “Don’t be ridiculous,” the lie didn’t leave your lips as smoothly as you hoped it would. “Of course not,” He narrowed his eyes. They're fire benders!, you faintly remembered the boy’s scream before you passed out. “What about you?” you retorted in the same demeanor. “Are you a fire bender?” Lee scoffed, reaching for two cups and filling them to the brim. “Of course not,” he imitated you, before handing you one of them. “Thank you,” you grinned, getting less tense around him. It earned you a short nod. That was the first time you two shared a real interaction.

The second time was more out of nessisity. Mushi was out at work for days, often taking no breaks, too caught up in his newest business. The Jasmine Dragon. Which left you at Lee’s mercy in the bandaging department. Luckily you were fit enough to sit up by now, crossing your legs, almost pain-free. Where silence was first unpleasant, it now had become a peaceful ritual for the both of you. Lee applied the lotion to your back, before you both worked to secure the bandage. You weren’t sure if he would talk to you, but you had a question burning in the back of your throat. “Lee?” He was clearly concentrated on the bandage, but you got some kind of acknowledgement. “Hm?” You nibbled on your bottom lip, unsure of how to phrase the words. “Have you ever felt... alone?” You’d joined Team Avatar, and yet you never felt more alone than before. “Like... not lonely but just-” “Yes,” he interfered and a few moments of silence passed. “I have. Sometimes i still do,” You played with your fingers in your lap, feeling him making a knot into the material to keep it together. “You know, i thought things would change,” you confessed. “I thought i’d found the right place. The right people. But now i realize that maybe i was wrong. Maybe it was all just a big mistake and i made the wrong choice once again,” you trailed off. “Does that make sense?” The question must’ve been written all over your face when you turned around. To your surprise he didn’t show the indifferent expression he wore around you all day. Now there was something more. Something softer. Sweeter. “It does, believe me. I know that feeling better than anyone,” His amber eyes seemed far away, lost somewhere between memories and dreams. Despite the nasty scar on his face, he was striking in his own way. Maybe particularily because of this scar. It showed his true spirit. Perhaps he was more of a fighter than he led on.

Over the following days, your healing made a promising progress. And so did your relationship with Lee. You’d never thought you’d feel affection for the boy, but here you were, sitting next to each other and sharing a platter of food. He hid an amazing sense of humor behind his shell and a gentle heart was buried under his armour. Another thing that had caught your attention was that Mushi seemed to leave for urgend business at the strangest of times, continuously leaving you by yourselves. But you choose not to think to much about it.

“You’ll get a stomach ache if you continue stuffing your mouth like that,” Right. What was it you found attractive about him again? “Shut up,” you laughed, pointing to his side of the plate. He had gobbled that dish up just as much as you did. ‘Guilty’ was written all over his forehead.

You focused your attention on the food, but looked back up when he was staring at you. You were surprised that he didn’t have a comeback. That was rare.

“Is everything okay? I’m sorry if that was-”

“Can i kiss you?” your eyes widened. “What?” your mouth was, once again, faster than your brain. Unfazed, Lee leaned in, waiting for you to do the same. Your lips met in the middle. Gently. Only brushing each other slightly, like a summer-breeze. He tasted bittersweet.

A few seconds passed until he placed his hands on your cheeks, carefully guiding the movements. He felt warm and safe. Like the pleasure of a close flame in the bitter cold. After a while, you reluctantly pulled apart, needing a few seconds to open your eyes. And when you did, you were filled with joy. Joy and regret. Your smile died on your lips as you remembered who you really where. “What’s wrong?” he said, pulling you into his side.

“I have to tell you something,” you started, furrowing your brows. You had to. Even at the risk that he would hate you afterwards. In time he had confided in you with some of his past, making you aware about his mark. He’d gotten it from a fire bender, just like you’d suspected. And it made you feel like a horrible person. So you took a deep breath. “I lied to you, Lee. I am a fire bender. I fled the Fire Nation because i wanted to start a new life,” You searched his face for a reaction, but it was empty. Just like it had been in the beginning. You held your breath when he finally opened his mouth to say something.

“I guess... i should tell you that i’m-” His Uncle burst into the room. “I have amazing news, everyone!” he exclaimed, a big smile gracing his face. “ We’ve been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!” Lee and you pulled apart, the atmosphere tense, but you both put on a grin for Mushi. “That’s amazing news, Uncle,”

And it was. You accompanied them the next day, knowing it would probably be the last you’d spend together. Your wounds were healed enough to walk again and didn’t affect your movements anymore. Which meant you would leave to go back to your family. Or... more like your companions. But honestly, you didn’t even know if you could call them that. You hadn’t been part of their group for long before you disappeared and you hadn’t heard from each other since.

Not to mention that, deep in your heart you knew, you didn’t really want to leave. The burden hung heavy over your head, but you choose to make this last day worth it. And if it was just to see a smile on Mushi’s face. “Many times i imagined myself here. At the threshold of the palace,” the man stated, as you climbed out of your carriage. “We are the Earth King’s personal guests, here to serve him tea. Destiny is a funny thing,” he rambled on, but you and Lee gladly listened. “It sure is, Uncle,” The atmosphere between the two of you remained awkward after you’d revealed your secret, but he didn’t seem to be averse. He still talked to you. The problem was that he wanted to talk about anything but your confession. Any time you came close to bringing it up, he bailed. And you wanted to know why.

It took a while until you reached the room where the Earth King would welcome you. Or rather, welcome them. You choose to stay outside. “Don’t be ridiculous, (Y/N),” Mushi had said. “Of course you’re coming with us,” But you had declined with a shake of your head. “It’s your tea shop. You and Lee did all the work. You deserve to share this moment together,” He seemed to want to argue against your choice, but eventually he accepted it. “Very well,” You watched as he disappeared into the room, behind his nephew.

The guards led you through the empty halls, supposed to bring you to a waiting room. But you’d never reach it. You grunted, as you got hid on the back of your head, the impact sending you to the ground, as your vision blurred... and faded.

thanks for reading! find part 2 here!

[sokkas-honour]

Hi there! Could you write for your #30 for your music playlist? Zuko x reader 😁😁 thank youuu!!!!

nothing has changed - zuko x reader

pairing: zuko x fem!reader

wc: 2.3k with lyrics

notes: reader is katara & sokka’s older sister! this time the lyrics are in bold + italic so that you don’t confuse them with the flashback + dream scenes, not that i think you would but just in case.

warnings: mention of sibling problems, if there’s anything else feel free to lmk!!

-

nothing's quite the same, as it has been on those familiar days,

as the night sky reigned above the fire nation, zuko looked out the window of his palace bedroom, memories flooding back from his time travelling around the world, away from his nation. wether it had been looking for the avatar or actually working with him, you had always somehow been there. first as his enemy, then as his friend, then as his lover.

he remembers the days where you’d find yourself fighting each other; he would attack you with his fire bending while you’d land hits with your battle club, knife or your whales tooth scimitar. when he’d feel nice, back in his avatar hunting days, he’d solely use his duel swords to make the playing field more even but he’d constantly forget that you were able to handle yourself even against benders. he had always found you to be beautiful and the tension between the two of you when you fought was undeniable.

he remembers when he tried to make amends with team avatar and even try to join, he remembers your initial reaction to it. you sided with your sister, not liking the idea of the boy who tried to hunt your friend, your siblings and yourself down, and the idea of accepting someone of the firenation, a nation that had taken your mother from you, into your friend group.

you came around before your sister, having joined your brother and zuko to try and free your father. he had proven himself in terms of having changed and as being a valuable member for the gaang. he still remembers exactly what you said when you came back from the trip.

“zuko!” you called before he could go too far, wanting to give some sort of privacy to the reuniting family. the ex prince stopped in his tracks as he waited for you to catch up to him.

“yeah?” he asked, unsure of what you would say. your brother had already made his amends with him but had warned that although you wouldn’t be as hard as katara, you still might take a little while to come around. either he was about to hear you accept him as part of the group, or you were about to, well he didn’t know.

“i wanted to say thank you. thanks for helping me get my father back. you really have changed.” zuko was a tad bit taken aback, not thinking he’d get your approval right after the trip but it didn’t bother him. a small weight seemed to be lifted off his shoulders. you gave him a proud smile and he felt his heart race.

“it was nothing. you both deserve to find your father again.” he blushed, bringing his hand to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. he returned your smile with a small one.

all of a sudden, you grabbed your scimitar and pressed the sharp tooth end lightly on his neck. his heartrate sped up but it wasn’t fully from you being close but also out of fear, sokka hadn’t warned him about this. his eyes widened.

“but if you even dare double cross us. if you even dare lay a finger on either of my siblings, i won’t hesitate to hurt you.” your previously bright face turned dark as you threatened him, not moving your weapon from his neck until he nodded nervously. when he finally did, you lowered it and your face returned to what it was before.

“good, i’m happy to have you as part of the team zuko.” you put your hand on his shoulder as a sign of acceptance, accompanying it with a small grin before turning around to go reunite with both of your siblings and your father.

he laughed a bit at the memory, remembering the fear that he felt during those few seconds but also the weird attraction he still had while you threatened his life.

he also remembers when you both finally admitted your feelings for each other. unbeknownst to him, you had also felt some sort of weird attraction to him when he was still hunting the avatar but it went from a weird and almost uncomfortable attraction, to one of genuine caring and love.

you had both grown rather close after your rescue at the boiling rock, spending many moments together along the beach and in town. it was after seeing the horrible play about their mission thus far, your character seeming to constantly fight with katara over zuko while also being an annoying and overprotective sister, constantly belittling your sibling’s feelings.

zuko remembers you storming out right after the show closed, sokka’s and katara’s characters having almost insulted you multiple times and you just needed some air. the words of the characterised katara still ringing through your head. ‘you’re a terrible sister y/n.’

“hey y/n.” he approached you calmly as you leaned against the balcony, staring at the bright moon that had been your friend during many sleepless nights after your mother died and your father left.

“you ran out of there pretty fast so i just wanted to make sure that you were okay.” zuko informed, leaning his back against the balcony after you gave him no response. he turned his head towards you and searched for a reaction.

“yeah, the show was just.” you took a deep breath, thinking of a word to describe the monstrosity you had just seen. “horrible, let’s put it that way.”

zuko laughed at your bluntness. you turned your gaze away from the moon to zuko, a small smile creeping up on your face at his carefree and content expression. his laugh was also something you didn’t realise that you liked about him but the last couple of days had made you create a long list on things about him that made you swoon.

“that’s certainly one way to put it.” his laughter died down and he met your staring gaze, both of you not breaking it.

“listen, if there was anything happening between katara and you, or if there is anything, i’m totally cool with it.” you blurted out, needing to get it off your chest to have an answer on the relationship portrayed in the show. you knew that katara would’ve told you something if it were to happen but you had to be sure.

“why would? why would something be happening between katara and i?” zuko asked, confused at your question that seemed to have come out of nowhere. the firebender knew that he wasn’t great at expressing his feelings but he had hoped that he’d been somewhat obvious about the way he felt toward you.

“the show, in the show you two have a lot of romantic scenes. that’s literally one of the main fighting points for katara and i’s character, other than me being told i’m a useless and horrible sister.” you mumbled the last part. pushing yourself off from leaning over the balcony to stand up straight, body still not facing zuko.

“you do realise that the show is incredibly inaccurate?” he rose an eyebrow and stared you, confused as to why you would base your information on some horrible adaption.

“yeah but parts of it were true.” your head fell, letting the words of katara’s character get to you.

“hey, you’re not a horrible sister. in fact, i know that sokka and katara would say the opposite, in fact, they already have! multiple times!” zuko wasn’t about to let you beat yourself up over a badly interpreted story that was based off of misinformation. he put his hand on your cheek that had since turned away from him. when you felt his warm hand, your brought yours up to put it on top of it, letting your head settle against his hand and turned to fully face him.

“i know it’s just. katara and sokka have always been closer and, i sometimes neglected katara and was overprotective of her. i had always been closer to my dad so i had no idea how to deal with her and was just jealous of the attention she got as the youngest.” you admitted, not wanting to look into zuko’s eyes as you confessed something that not even your siblings knew.

“that doesn’t mean your a bad sister. katara and sokka both love you and know how much you love and care for them.” he caressed your cheek with his thumb in a caring manor as you finally met his caring gaze once more.

“thanks zuko.” you smiled in recognition, thanking him for his comforting words.

“and not only do katara and sokka love you for who you are, i love you for who you are. the y/n in the show was nothing like the y/n i know.” he ranted, not noticing his confession that slipped but you caught it and a huge smirk grew on your face.

“what?” he stopped talking when he noticed your mischievous grin.

“you love me? zuko we only became friends like two weeks ago.” you laughed, butterflies still dancing in your stomach at the idea of him feeling so strongly towards you in such little time.

“i mean i dont if it’s love but it’s definitely something similar. i like you y/n. you keep me on my toes, you make me laugh, you challenge me to be a better person.” he clarified his previous statement which just made things even better for you.

“uh huh.” you nodded, indicating him to keep going. zuko usually wasn’t the one to have a lot to say but tonight seemed to be a special night.

“and after seeing all the horrible things i’ve done, not only in person, but theyve all gotten thrown back into our faces tonight. it’s totally understandable if you’re not there yet to completely forgive me, i mean i would but.” zuko’s out of character rambling continued, making you laugh but you couldn’t keep letting the poor boy dig himself an even deeper hole so you took a deep breath and grabbed his hand to remove it from your cheek so you could lean in and press your lips against his in order to shut him up.

zuko’s eyes widened in surprise, taken aback by your bold action but you were always the one to take bold moves. after the initial shock, zuko eagerly kissed back, moving his hands to your waist in order to bring you closer to deeper the kiss. some part of him had been waiting for this moment ever since he had laid eyes on you.

“spirits zuko, you never talk that much.” you teased once you broke apart from the kiss which just earned a blush from the raven haired boy.

“well um, i.” zuko stumbled, failing to find a reason for his previous ranting but he never got the chance to answer as you pecked his lips , and you both got interrupted by a certain watertribe boy.

“y/n!” you heard your brother call out, probably concerned at your running away and the fact that you still hadn’t come back.

“looks like sokka’s calling me, if you don’t mind.” zuko unwrapped his arms from your waist and you started walking back inside to the voice who called you. you made sure to send a wink in his direction before you left, leaving the banished prince blushing and with a stupid smile on his face.

zuko grinned as he thought about your first kiss. he sighed happily and went under the covers to doze off and let sleep take over temporarily.

i dream about an old familiar face, then wake up and you're gone without a trace,

“zuko!” the firelord lifted his head up and saw you running towards him down the long hallway of the palace. enormous smile on your face at the sigh of your boyfriend at the end of the hallway.

“y/n!” he greeted you with a mirroring expression and a hug when you finally reached him. arms wrapping around your waist as you cuddled into his chest.

“ i missed you.” you mumbled into his chest, feeling his chest rumble as he chuckled at your statement.

“i missed you too.” he replied, eyes meeting yours as you lifted your head to look at him. he used one of his hands to move the hair out of your face before placing his lips softly onto yours.

“i have news.” you announced as you broke the kiss, a huge grin on your face as you looked up at zuko with an infinite amount of love.

“which is?” he asked, not knowing if he should be concerned or excited.

“well, as you know i went to see katara while i went home and you’ll never guess what she told me! i’m pregnant!” you told zuko the news and you swear you saw him panic for a split second before he fully processed the information and his face was replaced with pure bliss.

“really?” he didn’t believe it, you two were finlay going to have a child together. who would’ve thought back then when you two fought against each other that you would’ve been carrying his future child. you simply nodded before he leaned back into kiss you.

he woke up in the morning, thinking that his dream was a memory and that you were laying right next to him but as he turned around, he was met with an empty bed. he sighed slightly, you were still away in the south pole with your family as you had been for months. nonetheless, he was happy to have dreamed about your beautiful face.

and though you're away, nothing has changed, we always made it out, even when im old and blue, i’ll think about my time with you.

when he stepped out of his chamber, he was met with a servant giving him a scroll, no doubt a message from you. the firelord thanked them before returning to his room to read in peace.

whenever one of you were gone on a mission somewhere in one of the four nations, you both communicated through letters so that you could keep in touch. it would also serve as a way to your future selves to look back in the early moments in your relationship fondly. you’d always have memories that would never go away written in those scrolls.

atla taglist: @draqondance @biqherosix @missmorosis @firelady-jay

zuko taglist: @duh-dobrik

[concernedbrownbread]

Hey, Brother

Written for day 2 of @sokkaweek: Eldest Sibling

Summary:

“You’re the best little sister ever, Katara,” Sokka said gently.

“I’m not,” she whispered, her voice shaking, “I got her killed.”

It was like the chill of the air around them reached into his blood, freezing it completely.

Word Count: 1122

Read here or under the cut

---

Winter had given way to spring, though the snow was far from melting. Sokka gazed out at the sea, watching the horizon for … something. For war boats, for a storm, for Dad. But the line where the ocean met the sky remained unwavering … much like an annoyance at his side.

Katara was playing with water, like always.

“I’m bored,” she said, weaving magic water between her fingers, “Can we go home?”

“No, we need to stay on the lookout.”

“Don’t be dumb,” she said glumly, “I have to help with dinner.”

“You’re dumb!” Sokka retorted, “And dinner can wait.”

Katara rolled her eyes, “Do you ever do anything actually productive.”

He skipped over the part that he was the only able bodied male in the Tribe, the one who could hunt the best, meaning anything they cooked was because of him. It was his job, not something to brag about.

On the other hand, “I have a great system that can keep our waters warm from now on,” he said smugly.

Katara scoffed, “I can do that!”

Sokka scrunched up his nose when the water floating between her palms started to boil.

“Don’t be gross, no one likes your water magic.”

Sokka cringed when Katara’s water dropped, and she looked down at the snow, “I know. No one except Mom and Dad.”

“And Gran-gran,” Sokka said, “She was very proud.”

Katara shrugged, “I guess. Can we go now?”

Sokka hesitated. At twelve, he wasn’t well-versed in the area of social cues, especially when it came to dumb little sisters. But even he could tell something was wrong.

“Don’t you wanna play with your magic water more?”

“It’s not playing, it’s practicing,” Katara bit back heatedly, which made Sokka grin, “And no. Don’t you want to eat?”

“Of course!”

“Well guess who had to help cook?”

Sokka groaned, “Fine. You go, I’ll be there in a minute.”

His eyes went back to the horizon. Katara didn’t move.

“What if he doesn’t come back?” Katara asked, “Goes away like Mom did.”

Goes away, was putting it lightly, even the little ten year old knew that. But Sokka didn’t correct her.

“He’s the best warrior ever. He won’t die on us.”

“Really?”

“Yup. I’ve seen him fight. Fire Nation doesn’t stand a chance.”

Some of the tension seeped out of Katara’s shoulders, but that same tension seemed to grip Sokka instead.

The truth was something he would not let Katara know. Not if he could help it.

Sokka had snuck into enough meetings to know one measly Water Tribe fleet stood no chance against the Fire Nation. But if they did not go to war, war would come to them, and this time it would take Katara as well.

So. Dad might die. Dad might already be dead. That was a possibility. In one world or another, that was a reality.

Sokka didn’t take his eyes off the horizon.

“How come he didn’t stop the Fire Nation from taking Mom then?” Katara asked.

Sokka gulped, but his voice was level. Unwavering, like the ice around them. Unwavering, like Katara’s faith in good and hope and Avatars.

“It was a surprise attack, there was nothing anyone could do.”

“I could’ve done something,” she said matter-of-factly, “I should’ve done something.”

“No, Katara,” Sokka said firmly, “We were just kids.”

Her eyes didn’t meet his.

“Let’s go to dinner,” he said instead.

---

“Hey, Sokka?”

Sokka huffed, rolling over, “What? It’s late. Go to sleep.”

“Do you hate me?”

Sokka was about to tease her when he stopped. The tone in her voice caught him off guard.

“No,” he said honestly, shifting closer to her, “You’re stupid and annoying, and I don’t like you most of the time, but I love you Katara.”

Katara said nothing. Sokka felt his stomach squeeze.

“You’re the best little sister ever, Katara,” Sokka said gently.

“I’m not,” she whispered, her voice shaking, “I got her killed.”

It was like the chill of the air around them reached into his blood, freezing it completely.

“No you didn’t,” he yelped, “How could you say that? The Fire Nation was the one - “

Katara was crying into her fist now, “She died protecting me, Sokka. She died because of me.”

Sokka got out of bed, pulling her up too and holding her tight, “That’s what Moms do, Katara. They protect their kids. She didn’t die because of you, she died because someone from the Fire Nation killed her.”

Katara shook her head into his shoulder, “I did this - my bending - even you hate it - “

“I don’t hate you, though, stupid. I love you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

“Will you do my laundry for a week?”

Sokka drew back, “I don’t love you that much.”

Katara giggled, wiping her tears, “Oh, fine.”

They settled into a quiet, still clinging on to each other. Eventually, Sokka said:

“I hate it, but I'm glad you were born with it,” Sokka said earnestly, “Don��t you remember how happy Mom and Dad were, when they found out?”

How terrified they had been, too, but Katara had been asleep when they talked about that. Sokka was the one who had peeked through the curtains to hear them talk, and Sokka was the one who would take that secret to the grave.

“Mom loved it,” Katara remembered, “She told me I was special.”

“You are special, Katara. And Mom loved you. We all love you. None of us blame you for what happened. It was the Fire Nation’s fault.”

Katara wiped her eyes, “Thanks, Sokka.”

He kissed her gently on the forehead, “Anytime.”

“I hate the Fire Nation though,” Katara said as they went back into bed.

“Yeah, me too.”

Sokka was old enough to know that war was more complicated than that. But he also knew the ache of a gaping wound in his chest, one that he had buried under work for the Tribe and the endless snow of the South Pole. His mother’s loss had been hard on him, but he learned to keep his feelings on a leash.

Katara wasn’t like that. Everything she felt was deep and unshakable. She cried for baby penguins. She still believed in the Avatar. And she loved harder than anyone he’d ever known.

Sokka didn’t care for Avatar’s, knew the death of penguins was a part of life, and loved cautiously. He never knew what it was like, to be sweet, hopeful Katara, who dreamed too hard not to be hurt.

But holding her, in the bed that night, he promised himself this.

He would protect her. From the harshness of the world and war, from the pain of losing hope. From becoming bitter like him.

He would protect her, come what may.

---

Author's Note: I'm sorry about the ending, it's not great. But thanks for reading!!

[sokkascroptop]

traitor. (sokka x f!reader) pt 13

part 1 | part 12 | part 14

A/N: Here’s a cute little part. Occurs in ‘the headband’ episode, but doesn’t encompass the whole episode, just the important parts :)

Y/N sat there in silence after Aang told her what he had learned in just one day at a Fire Nation school. What did that mean for her education of five years at one? She tugged one of their blankets around her shoulders because even next to the fire she was shivering. She felt like she had been punched hard in the stomach and all the wind was knocked out of her. 

“I don’t know about this,” Aang whispered. “It feels wrong to steal someone else’s clothes.”

Katara and Y/N exchanged a look. “I call the silk robe!” Katara shouted as she jumped over the rocks they had hidden behind. 

“But I guess if it’s for the good of humanity… I call the suit!” Aang followed her. 

The rest of them joined and ran between the lines of clothes looking for anything that might fit. Y/N was reaching for a pair of pants when Katara stopped her. “Pick something else.”

“Why?”

“People are used to seeing you wear Fire Nation clothes. You’ll be more recognizable if you pick something you always wear.”

“Fine.” Y/N wrinkled her nose and pulled a deep red skirt from the clothesline. 

“This too.” She whipped a shirt at Y/N’s face. When she caught a look at it she shook her head wildly. “No way!” Y/N worked to keep her voice low so the man they were stealing from couldn’t hear her. “It’ll be hard enough to fight in a skirt, Katara. I’m not wearing it.”

---

Y/N poked at the bare skin of her midriff. “I mean seriously, Katara. I have to shrug this shirt on like it’s a robe and it ties in the back. If a bad guy gets ahold of that I’ll be half-naked.”

Katara pulled her hair out of its braids and hair loopies and didn’t spare a glance at the other girl. “You complain almost as much as Sokka.”

Y/N huffed and crossed her arms. “I don’t.” She unwound the leather tie around her braid and let her hair hang loose down her back, tying a similar top knot to Katara’s. “Let’s just go find the others.”

“How do we look?” Katara asked the other three. Y/N gave a very unenthusiastic twirl. Y/N turned back to notice how Aang’s eyes widened and he blushed as he looked at Katara. Y/N raised an eyebrow and glanced at Katara’s face, who was looking back at Aang with soft eyes. What is going on here? Y/N hummed in thought.

“You look like a girl,” Sokka said as his eyes bounced from Y/N’s skirt to her face. 

“Thank you for that astute observation. I am a girl,” Y/N replied drily. 

Sokka was blushing furiously. “No, I mean–”

“Oh, Katara. Your necklace,” Aang interrupted. 

Katara rubbed the carved bone. “I guess it’s pretty obviously from the Water Tribe.”

“Don’t worry,” she patted Katara’s shoulder. “We’ll get you something else in town so it doesn’t feel like you lost it.”

 ---

Y/N slid the new bracelet she had bought around her upper arm while she listened to Aang talk. All of them bought something to make their disguises more authentic, while also being able to feel more like themselves; a new Fire Nation necklace for Katara, a flame pin to hold together Sokka’s top knot, a headband for Toph and the bracelet to help hide the burn scar on Y/N’s bicep. 

“I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago. Just follow my lead.” Aang confidently turned the corner of the building they were behind and winked at a guy on the street. “Greetings, my good hotman!”

Toph pulled on Y/N’s elbow. “Is this really how they talk in the Fire Nation?”

“Uhh.. you know, I didn’t go into the city much but I’m almost one hundred percent positive that no they don’t,” Y/N whispered.

“Spirits, do not stop him. This is hilarious,” Toph laughed as Aang tipped his head to another man walking by, calling him ‘hotman’.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. I wish you could see the looks people are giving him.” 

The five of them stopped in front of a restaurant. “Oh, I didn’t know we were going to a meat place,” Aang said a little dejectedly

“Everyone here eats meat!” Sokka exclaimed. “Even the meat!” He pointed over to a cow-hippo who was eating meat off the ground. Y/N’s stomach turned at the sight. Maybe she didn’t want to eat meat today either. 

---

Aang left, promising to meet them in the same spot outside after he found something vegetarian. Ten minutes had passed and there was still no sign of him. Katara was beginning to pace with worry. 

“He could have gotten lost looking for something to eat, right?” She asked the rest of them.

“We could go look around for him?” Y/N offered. When she noticed the hint of fear in Katara’s eyes, she added, “Nothing happened to him of course. He probably just got lost! Or he’s looking at some shop. How about you and Toph stay here, wait for him to see if he comes back. Sokka and I can wander the town looking for him.”

“We can?” Sokka asked. 

Y/N nudged his ribs. 

“We can,” he confirmed. He popped the last bit of his elk-caribou kebab in his mouth and threw the stick away. “Aang will come back and we’ll feel silly for being worried about him.”

“I hope you’re right, Sokka.” Katara said. 

---

“Ooh, let’s look in this shop,” Sokka marveled, pulling Y/N along with him. It was only a shop full of little trinkets and bags but everything Sokka saw excited him. 

“What do you think of this bag?” Sokka tossed the strap over his shoulder and posed. 

“You have an Earth Kingdom bag back at camp that looks the same,” she retorted.

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but now that we’re here, I need a Fire Nation one.” 

Y/N shrugged and Sokka took that as her statement on what she thought of the bag. He placed it back on the table and picked up a ceramic box. “What about this box?” he asked.

She took it from his outstretched hands and inspected it. It was a black box with a golden Fire Nation flame on top. “What are you going to put in the box?” she asked as she handed it back to him.

“I–um, cool rocks that I find?”

Y/N hummed, amused. “And what are you going to do with the box full of cool rocks?”

“Put it in my bag,” Sokka muttered. “Fine! I won’t get it!” 

---

“You’re not very fun to shop with.” Sokka said when they left. 

Y/N looked up at the sun to check the time. “We’re supposed to be looking for Aang, not shopping.”

Sokka waved his hands. “Aang is fine. He’s the Avatar, he can take care of himself.” 

“I’m assuming by the way Katara reacted that he doesn’t necessarily go off by himself a lot.”

“Katara–” he paused to think of the right word, “–she mother-hens us.” He held up his hands defensively. “Not that I’m saying we don’t need it, because sometimes it’s nice, but she worries entirely too much.”

Y/N stopped a fruit stand and picked up a ripe peach. “I don’t know, it’s kind of nice.” She passed along a few coins to the merchant and handed a second one to Sokka. 

“How is it nice?” Sokka asked, then bit into the flesh of the peach.

“I don’t know. The way I grew up there was never anyone worried about when I would come home, you know? I just came and went as I pleased and then when I moved to the palace it was the same way.”

“You lived at the palace?” Sokka blurted out.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Y/N watched as Sokka cut the pit of the peach out with a small knife and tossed it into the road. He nodded at her to continue. “I moved to the capital to go to school and about a year after, I moved into the palace.” She bit into the peach and wiped the juice off her chin with the back of her hand. 

“Why though? Why not live with your parents?” He asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Do you always ask this many questions?”

“I’m just trying to figure you out,” Sokka stuttered. 

“Why?” Y/N giggled. She abruptly stopped when Sokka blushed and gave her a look she couldn’t decipher. 

“I just want to,” he finally said. “We don’t know anything about you.”

“Well, if you must know–it’s embarrassing–but my parents encouraged it actually. They were ecstatic that I was able to get close to the Royal Family and even though we weren’t nobility they had this absurd fantasy that I could marry Zuko.” Y/N covered her face in humiliation. 

Sokka shared a look of disgust. “Fire Prince Ponytail, huh?”

She smiled at the joke, but it faded quickly; the hurt of Zuko’s betrayal still heavy on her heart. “He wasn’t always like that.” Y/N ran quickly to his defense. “I knew him when he was still good.”

Sokka collapsed on the ground and leaned up against a wall. “So tell me about it.”

Y/N sat next to him and bumped his arm with her shoulder. “About what?”

“Your palace life, Princess.”

---

The sun was setting when her and Sokka headed back to the cave. The streets were lined with paper lanterns and Y/N could hear lively music being played somewhere. It was busier than it was during the heat of the day and Sokka and Y/N were frequently bumped into from all sides, right into one another. Finally, after losing him twice in the crowd she looped her arm through his. She felt him tense up under her touch, but immediately relaxed. 

“Oh, hey, what’s that?” She pointed off in the distance to a wooden board that looked like it had pictures posted all over it. She weaved them around the crowd to stand in front of it. It was a bulletin board full of advertisements, lost items, found items, and wanted posters. Her eyes ran across the assortment of them–The Blue Spirit, an Admiral named Jeong-Jeong–until her eyes landed on one in particular. 

“Yeah, they put these out when we first started traveling with Aang.” Sokka poked at a yellowing poster of Aang in his airbender clothes. “Luckily they won’t be hunting for him anymore.”

“Yeah. They aren’t hunting you,” Y/N pointed at the only poster that drew her attention. The one with a similar likeness to her face. “But I think they’re hunting me now.” 

Sokka peered around them to see if anyone was watching and ripped the poster down and shoved it in his pocket. “We need to tell the others.”

They only stopped running when they reached the mouth of the cave, the sun low in the sky. 

“Where were you two?!” Katara scolded. “We waited for you to come back but you never did!” 

“We looked around for Aang but–” Sokka started. He unfolded the poster from his pocket. 

“Well did you find him?” She asked.

Sokka and Y/N shared a look. “You mean you didn’t?” Y/N fretted. 

“No and Toph and I came back here when we couldn’t find anyone–”

The four of them jumped a noise outside. Y/N reached back instinctively to grab the hilt of her sword just when Aang strode in with Momo perched on his shoulder. His clothes were muddy and there was dirt on his face like he’d been chased through the woods but he was smiling. “Hey guys!” 

“Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick!” Katara raced to pull him into a hug. 

Aang sheepishly pulled off his headband. “I got invited to play with some kids after school.” 

Sokka’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “After what?!”

“I enrolled in a Fire Nation school and I’m going back tomorrow.” 

“Enrolled in what?!” Y/N thought Sokka was going to pass out. 

“Let’s just sit down and talk about it,” Y/N suggested. 

“I’m learning about all the propaganda they teach–”

Behind her, Y/N knew that Sokka was still talking, still flailing his arms around but she couldn’t hear the words he was saying because–

“Propaganda?”

Everyone froze, unsure of what to do next. Y/N could hear Toph behind her by the fire. “Oh no.”

“Um–”

Y/N wasn’t sure what to think. “No, don't even think about not telling me! What do you mean they teach propaganda at Fire Nation schools?”

---

Y/N sat there in silence after Aang told her what he had learned in just one day at a Fire Nation school. What did that mean for her education of five years at one? She tugged one of their blankets around her shoulders because even next to the fire she was shivering. She felt like she had been punched hard in the stomach and all the wind was knocked out of her. 

What did Sokka, Katara, Aang and Toph think of her as they realized that these were the things that she grew up learning? That she had foolishly believed that the Air Nomads–known pacifists–had created an army big enough to destroy the Fire Nation so they had to be taken out first. That the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, after hearing of the destruction of all the Air Temples and supposedly the Avatar, had joined together and invaded the Fire Nation. That she had believed in and supported the idea that the Fire Nation was doing the right thing, that cleansing the world of troublemakers and creating obedience and peace in the villages was ‘the only way’. 

In the back of her mind, Y/N was trying to reason with herself, You knew the whole time. That’s why you left, that’s why you're trying to do good with the Avatar; to right the wrongs of your Nation. But it didn’t matter. She’d believed long enough for it to be harmful.

“Not to take away from the frankly alarming things we just learned but–” Sokka handed Aang the poster. “–we also found this when Y/N and I were in town.”

“What is it?” Toph asked. 

“It’s a wanted poster for Y/N,” Aang muttered. 

Katara jumped up to join him in reading it. Y/N didn’t need to see it again. She’d memorized it the first time she laid eyes on it. 

And suddenly, her day was ruined. She couldn’t remember the taste of the peach she had eaten that afternoon or the feeling of the sun on her face. She couldn’t remember what the music sounded like as her and Sokka wandered out of town or what it felt like to spill her life story to someone who wanted to listen. 

“Maybe I should go,” Y/N said numbly. 

“What?” Katara said looking up from the poster. 

“I’m putting you all in danger by being around you. Without me you’d be free to roam without the fear of being caught in the back of your minds all the time. It would be better for all of you like that!” Y/N was starting to get mad. Why couldn’t they see it? Why couldn’t they understand that this is the best option for everyone? That she was trying to save them?

“Why would you say something like that? How is that better?” Toph argued. 

“Because you don’t need me here anyways? How could you want me around after hearing what Aang learned at school. Mind you, up until ten minutes ago, I believed every one of those things to be true!” Y/N stood up and paced around the cave, no longer able to be sitting still. Their campfire threw wild shadows of her form on the walls. 

Y/N was beginning to feel like her outburst was due to more than just learning about Fire Nation propaganda but she couldn’t stop her mouth from moving. She stopped in front of them all for a second. “Tell me exactly what purpose do I serve on this mission?” 

She took their silence for an answer. “Exactly,” Y/N growled. 

Sokka stood up with her. “Not everything needs an exact purpose! You just fit with us!”

“But I don’t!” Y/N shouted. Her eyes and nose were stinging with unshed tears. Y/N rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands to keep the tears at bay for just a second longer. “I need a reason. I need a purpose. I have to have one! I don’t know how to describe this feeling. I’m just... lost. And–and I don’t even know how to explain it to you. How do I try and explain that my life has no meaning when I have no one to serve? I sit here with you guys and I’m wondering how you even wanted me to come when there was no reason for me to be here? I can’t even be your Fire Nation guide because I’ve never even seen most of the cities and apparently, I don’t even know my own history!”

Y/N looked at Katara. She blinked and twin tears traced down her cheeks. “I told you. I’m weak. I care about someone who wants me dead so badly she made me a wanted person. And all I want is to make her better so I can go home and I just can’t get past it all.”

Y/N put her head in her hands and sobbed. She felt two arms wrap around her waist and a head lay on her shoulder. Two more arms wrapped around the both of them. And pretty soon all five of them stood huddled in the cave in a group hug. 

Y/N sniffled. “Why are you all comforting me like you’re my friends?”

“You are our friend,” Katara murmured into Y/N’s shoulder. “Don’t you want to be friends with us?”

Y/N whimpered. “I really do. I guess I just needed to hear you say it.”

“If it makes you feel better. I have no problem bossing you around.” Toph’s voice was muffled from the pile they were in. 

Y/N smiled through her tears. “Thanks, Toph.”

---

A/N: listen, I don’t care if I made you cry, because I cried while writing that scene more than once and that’s all that matters. 

Taglist: @myexgirlfriendisthemoon​ @reclusive-chicken-nugget​ @astroninaaa​ @aangsupremacy​ @beifongsss​ @crownofcryptids @welovediaaxx​ @littlefluu​ @lozzybowe​ @thebluelcdy​ @ohjustlookalive @sugarmoongey​ @fanficdepot​ @teenbiology​ @13-09-01​ @riespage​ @davnwillcome​ @naanlianid​ @creation-magician​ @lunariasilver​ @vintagerose1014516 @bcifcng​ @rockinearthbending-marauders​ @francesciak​ @thia-aep​ @aphrcditeee​ @milk-n-cheese​ @solarsuki​ @sendnuwudes @humbleseame​ @my--shitty--art​ @lovingcupcake51002​ @loganrwebb​ @celia-not-cecilia​ @treestarrrrrrrr​ @p--e--a--c--h--e--s​@velveteencurls @izzieserra​ @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak​

[rubyleeray]

MARS RED Review

Hey All! 

It’s been a while (way too long!) but I’m back! And I’m here with something extremely exciting!

A couple months ago, the good folks at Favary very kindly reached out and offered me the chance to be part of a beta test for their new game - MARS RED: Edge of the Nightmare based off of the Stageplay turned Anime of the same name written by Bun-O Fujisawa. 

Regretfully at the time, I was completely unfamiliar with this story/universe but that didn’t matter for long because as soon as I saw vampires - I was immediately on board. Not to mention the stellar cast featuring so many of my favourites!:

The Story

I want to start by saying that I’m not 100% certain as I have not seen any of the original source material yet, but I believe this is a new original story that continues/expands upon the existing MARS RED universe. 

You play as Yastufusa Yuki, a newly-turned reluctant vampire that is spiralling into an existential crisis. One day he encounters Organization Zero (a group of good vampires that hunt bad vampires) and discovers he holds a unique and rare ability to mentally recreate and perform crime scenes. With their help, Yatsufusa sets out to realize both his life and afterlife’s purpose while simultaneously helping fight crime.

Even if you are someone who has had enough of/doesn’t particularly like Vampire content (can’t relate!) - you will still enjoy MARS RED. Yatsufusa’s journey into self discovery in the afterlife is a more human story than you may think. If you have ever felt lost, lonely, confused, depressed, and/or unsure of yourself you will be able to relate to Yatsufusa in some way. And if that still isn’t enough to convince you, there are so many hilarious and touching moments, you will never be bored.

And the scene with the baby sparrow just completely melted my heart:

Gameplay

MARS RED is already unique to me in the sense that it is the only non-romance game I have on my phone but it’s also a Mystery/Crime/Horror Visual Novel which is such a great combination! I am not sure if there are any Good Ends or how many there may be yet (the story is still in development) but I have come across a couple bad ends. These were easy to go back and get for me because they involved choosing the options that no one earnestly playing a heroic protagonist should pick 🤣. They were quick and funny and are very obviously the wrong choice so if you haven’t hit one yet, you’re on the right path! If you want to get a bad end, go to the end of Chapter 1 and refuse to help.

Now, I don’t know if it’s a pandemic thing or just a me-getting-older thing😬, but I have almost no patience for games with checkpoints that I have to grind/spend like crazy for. All I really want to do these days is interact with a good story. MARS RED is the game I’ve been searching for for so long! Everything centres around and furthers the story which is super refreshing because for some reason that’s becoming increasingly rare in this genre (and industry in general🫖). Not only is it a solid, mysterious, supernatural crime story, it’s also super fun to play! I absolutely love when a game has mechanics that actually exist to serve and support the story and experience as opposed to just shamelessly providing the player with another reason to spend.

Here’s another confession: I hate most gachas. There, I said it. Why? Because for the most part, I only want/like stories. I don’t want avatar clothes or duplicates of N items that I have to go in and manually delete constantly. I just want to have more content of my faves without spending my entire pay cheque. Is that so much to ask!? MARS RED thinks not! I saw there were two current gachas even in beta: one limited and one not. I was excited because I love everything about the game already but I was also skeptical because I have a long history of being burned to a crisp by all gacha games. I was expecting to see an offering of the typical beautiful and virtually unattainable rainbow rare prizes like cards that are essentially useless (but damn are they pretty!).  However I am thrilled to report that MARS RED has blessed me with my dream gacha. STORIES GALOR-IES! 

The rainbow rare item was a story with a cg and I managed to pull it on my second 10-pull and OMG I loved it. It was so wholesome and pure and a great length that made it feel as premium as it gets! 

Aside from the story, there are three other major mechanics: Investigating, Inferring, and Exploring. 

Investigating is so much fun. It reminds me of my childhood days reading iSpy books and playing Spot the Difference games. To investigate, you simply tap on items in the scene to read about them. 

Each item offers their own unique clues and context and you better remember what you see because you better believe someone will ask you about it later and that’s called “Infer.”

During the Infer portion, you are given a limited amount of time to make assumptions and come to conclusions based on what you found during the Investigation portion. If you are like me and love playing Investigator - you will love this!

During the Explore portion, you don’t actually have to do much other than pair up 2 people and choose a location. They will Explore on their own and level up/earn you the money and points you’ll need to progress later on in the process. You can also earn rewards called “Murmurs” which are little short anecdotes between the guys.

Cons

My only “con”/criticism is that I wish there were more cgs. I hardly came across any and there were so many fantastic moments that would have completely blown me away with an accompanying CG. But for the record - the CGs I did see were gorgeous! 

Random Thoughts

I feel like this would make an excellent BL game - where are my fellow YatShu, YatSuwa, and/or YatDe, shippers?! XD

I love Yatsufusa. He is my son and I want nothing but the best for him and his vampire/human friends. If anything happens to him...I WILL become a vampire myself and avenge him. I already want NEED a little plush doll of him. 

This game is generous without spoiling the player and it’s user-friendly without making me feel like a child. I really appreciate that especially since I feel that most recently released games cram a million mechanics in without ever connecting them to the story. (Have I talked enough about how bothered I am by a lot of recently released games 🤣?)

HAS TUMBLR ALWAYS HAD A 10 PIC LIMIT?!

Closing Thoughts

If you’re looking for a game/story that you can actually enjoy without stressing over - give MARS RED a go! The world needs joy now more than ever and Yatsufusa’s smile is pure serotonin! Go get yourself a boost and download this game available now on both Google Play and App Store! 

Thank you for spending some time with me! I hope you are doing well and keeping safe & happy. I’m off to go play more of this game (Chapter 7 just released!) while finally checking out the anime! Stay safe and healthy and I’ll see you soon!

***Disclaimer: I was provided early access to this app for the purpose of reviewing it by Favary. I have not been nor will I be compensated for my review, but I received a small in-game sum of points to complete the story in the beta. This does not mean my opinions or words were bought and paid for. These are my honest thoughts and feelings and Favary entered into this agreement with me requesting and expecting nothing but.***

[imreallyhereforkataang]

On The Southern Raiders

Several months ago, a fellow ATLA-consumer asked me the following in reference to TSR:

I came across a post (on tumblr, what a surprise!) the other day saying that Aang never seemed to care about Katara’s feelings revolving around her mom. […] Do you think people genuinely interpreted Aang’s actions like that? Simply by watching? Or are they purposely misconstruing it?

I responded with the vast majority of what follows. It was a while afterwards that I rejoined the fandom for long enough to see the massive spectrum of takes on The Southern Raiders that continues to be put out on the daily.

There seems to be this recurring idea that Aang’s actions in TSR demonstrate that, not only did Aang “never care about Katara’s pain” regarding her mother, but also that he was “forcing his morals on her,” etc. On the topic of whether people honestly believe this to be in Aang’s character or see him this way deliberately, I think sometimes they jump to the conclusion that Aang didn’t care because it stems from a misconstrued interpretation of Aang and Katara as individuals and their dynamic as presented in the show, which may extend to the belief that Aang doesn’t give back what Katara gives to him. In general, I can see how someone might form that impression, but they’re missing some key contextual pieces.

Just a quick disclaimer: This is (obviously) a look into TSR and dives into Katara and Aang, both as individuals and together. I try to make this fairly objective while relaying my own opinions, but this will subsequently hold pro-Kataang rhetoric, platonic or no. Additionally, because this is TSR we’re talking about, I do allude to elements here that mold into what I see as ‘specific common misconceptions about Z*tara’s romantic compatibility based off this one particular episode.’ Why are these relevant? Because there is a clear trend where the people trying to put Aang down or even demonize him for this episode are often pro-canon!Z*tara advocates. To be clear, I don’t have an issue with people who ship them for fun outside of canon, so if you like romantic Z*tara but also appreciate Aang, any perceived digs are not directed towards you! But I think some of these things are worth mentioning here in the interest of examining TSR and Aang-bashing.

(Also fair warning that this is nearing 7k words.)

So, with that out of the way:

I briefly mentioned how people can misinterpret Katara and Aang’s back-and-forths in terms of emotional support, and I feel like that starts with Katara.

Katara is a naturally caring person and earnestly reaches outward to empathize with people. She’s extremely perceptive when someone is hurting (the only one to look concerned when Aang showed gripes about killing Ozai in The Phoenix King) and is often seen as the nurturing character who will coax others to talk about their inner struggles (she does this with Toph in The Runaway and Zuko in The Old Masters, for instance).

Time and time again, when Aang has struggled on his Avatar journey, Katara has been the one to get him to open up and articulate his turmoil, ultimately supporting him or convincing him that there is still hope for better days. She’s been there for him at all times, from The Storm to The Avatar State to Bitter Work to The Serpent’s Pass to The Awakening and beyond, exercising patience and care. It’s a role she undertakes, and as Aang is our main character and undergoing, arguably (I guess? But to me inarguably), the most of everyone in the gaang, it makes sense that Katara, given her empathetic nature and their strong bond, will often be the one expressing true concern for Aang.

So we know that when Aang struggles, which we understandably see a lot of, Katara is his rock. But what about giving back when Katara struggles?

When it comes to Katara’s share of turmoil, the death of her mother and how it continues to impact her is one of her greatest sources of pain. Honestly, it might be one of the only times we actually watch her struggle on her own, as Katara tends to be a powerful self-advocate (see: The Waterbending Master). The thing is, even though Katara has mentioned losing her mother several times throughout the series, and of course she always sounds regretful when it’s brought up, she tends to keep the rawness of her associated sorrow bottled up. Almost every time Katara mentions the death of her mother, it’s been, in very Katara-like fashion, to express understanding towards others. With the exception of @Zuko in the crystal catacombs and TSR, she only brings up her own grief to empathize (@Aang in The Southern Air Temple to prepare him for the genocide and show understanding when he grieves, @Haru in Imprisoned when Haru talks about connecting with his father, @Jet in Jet when he talks about losing his own parents to the Fire Nation, and @Hama in The Puppetmaster when talking about losing members of the Southern Water Tribe). Really, The Crossroads of Destiny and TSR are the only times Katara actually brings up her own pain for the sake of bringing up her own pain, and it’s not often that we see her physically break down over it like we do in the former.

Katara isn’t the sort of person to bring up her turmoil simply for her own needs, or because she realizes it’s weighing on her heavily in that moment. It’s a sore spot that’s changed her behavior (as Sokka explains in The Runaway), making her grow up faster, and that she’s continued to carry for years and years. And yet, again, before The Southern Raiders, we never watched her actively cry over her mother except for when she was alone in The Swamp and with Zuko in The Crossroads of Destiny (and also perhaps when she was alone in The Runaway).

Thus, The Southern Raiders is an interesting episode because it’s where those feelings Katara has been harboring are fully brought to the surface and, in extent, it’s the episode where we see Katara at her lowest point. All of that pain is made fresh and present, the murder no longer feeling like something that happened long ago with, as she believed, no available ends to tie (“Now that I know he’s out there, now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice”), and it causes her to lose sight of herself. That’s not only starkly reflected in her decision to bloodbend, but also in how she doubts that anyone understands her pain.

Katara undermines Sokka’s hurt at the same loss she’s experienced and forgets all the struggle that Aang has had to endure from the start. Not only does he know how it feels to lose a parental figure (Gyatso) to the Fire Nation and not have been able to help (“My people needed me and I wasn’t there to help”; “I’m not the helpless little girl I was when they came”), but he also knows how it feels to lose an entire culture (something only Katara and Hama have similar experience with). And Katara knows this – she’s the one he’s expressed the most of his grief to, and yet here she forgets that. So we can already see how this opportunity Zuko has given Katara, the chance to find her mother’s killer and the anticipation that she feels from it, is bringing out a darker side of her that, unlike the Katara we know and that she wants to be, does not empathize or pause to understand. She’s so engrossed in her own pain, for the first time in so long, that she can’t see beyond it.

In consequence to this episode being about Katara’s emotional journey, I think The Southern Raiders is the most opportune time to observe who will give Katara what she has always displayed towards others. When a character undergoes the level of hurt Katara expresses here, it’s usually she who reaches out to that person, but now it’s her turn to be emotionally compromised. Now we get to see who steps up to the plate.

A lot of people conclude that this person is Zuko. That he’s the one who will reach out to her and connect with her emotionally to help her deal with that pain. I do agree that Zuko played a vital role in Katara’s emotional journey here – he was the catalyst for it. He had an established motivation to get off her bad side and onto her good side, a possible solution alluded to him, and knowledge that comes with hailing from the Fire Nation to go forth with his idea. And he does, and he’s physically there to help Katara through its execution.

However, Zuko making the effort to give Katara this opportunity does not reflect a lack of effort on Aang’s part. Firstly, because, as explained, Aang didn’t see how raw this pain still was to Katara. At this point, Zuko had been on the receiving end of two beratements where Katara angrily mentioned her mother’s death. Aang was not, nor did he witness these incidents. Aang understood the significance of her necklace (Bato of the Water Tribe) and looked concerned for her when she mentioned her vision (The Swamp), but Katara never seemed to express to Aang just how raw her mother’s death still felt, just as Sokka never did. She mentions it in The Southern Air Temple, but their topic of discussion was the Fire Nation killing the airbenders, and Aang was trying to fend off the idea that they might have committed genocide against his people. Considering context, there’s no reason to fault Aang for any of the things he did on this issue, or a lack thereof.

Just as Katara and Sokka thought, Aang probably believed it was a concluded topic in terms of active response. It was something that happened years ago, Aang was in an iceberg at the time, and neither Katara nor Sokka nor Aang thought it was something to go back on and revisit. When Katara yelled at Zuko, she never suggested looking for the killer. And again with that quote, “Now that I know he’s out there,” I don’t think hunting for the man was on anyone’s mind. As a viewer, it was never on my mind, either.

What Zuko had that the rest of Team Avatar did not was direction and knowledge on how they could potentially track down this specific Fire Nation military official. Even Sokka, who could remember the emblem of the Southern Raiders and underwent the same loss Katara did, not only seemed to have no intention of tracking his mother’s murderer, but also took Aang’s side when Zuko and Katara explained what they were planning to do.

Which supports the next point – regarding how Aang responded to the idea once it was out there.

Quick tangent, but it’s a scene like this that shows how Aang’s feelings for Katara have matured. The way he reacts to Katara in The Southern Raiders conveys how he knows she’s not perfect, he knows she can make mistakes, and even if, to some, he comes off as trying to hinder her on this sensitive topic, he overtly wants what’s best for her.

Aang recognizes the change in Katara’s demeanor when she approaches him about borrowing Appa. He seems to notice that something is off about her energy, probably to this extent for the first time, just as for the audience, and his instinct is not to step out of her way and “stay on her good side,” but to try and assess the situation before he lets her go in the condition she’s in. Katara is undeniably not thinking clearly during this scene, nor for much of the episode’s proceedings, given her tone, expressions, words, and intent. She’s undergoing, just as Aang says, “unbelievable pain and rage” (callback to The Avatar State; “for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary”). Aang understands where Katara is coming from, and he offers her his two cents, but he doesn’t “force” them on her, either.

Watching how Aang’s expression changes between looking at Zuko and Katara, he appears intent and almost stern towards the former. But for Katara, he’s first treading the waters, then concerned and earnest. Aang doesn’t shame Katara for her dark rhetoric or tell her what she should or shouldn’t do, but tries to help her regain some control of her emotions (“Katara, you sound like Jet” – he knows this side of Katara isn’t truly her, or who she wants to be, and this comment might serve to give her insight as to how she sounds) and then offers Katara a choice. Aang makes light of an option that she’s overlooked upon having this opportunity, and he tries to explain why the road she’s going down, the way she’s choosing to handle the situation, is self-destructive. All in all, he’s looking out for her. In his own way, he’s doing for Katara what Katara would have done for him.

I think it’s made fairly clear that, had Katara killed Yon Rha, (who, while, yes, is vile and got away with murder, was also defenseless against Katara by the time she caught up with him), she would’ve regretted her decision. The frightening thing is that I don’t believe she would have accepted that regret from herself, either. It would always remain a blemish in her energy (mind you, not because murder will inherently do this to everyone in ATLA, but it would to Katara specifically given her nature), something that would make her forever carry a bit of that darkness we so rarely see from her, much heavier and more permanent than withholding forgiveness, instead of following “Let your anger out, and then let it go.”

Here’s the thing people seem to forget about TSR: Canon shows us that Aang’s method for handling the situation is beneficial to Katara. It’s true that Zuko was the catalyst for this journey and he was there to help Katara see it through, but it isn’t true to say that Aang didn’t do her a favor by reaching out and being honest with her before they left. Remember the ultimate note on this side story: “You were right about what Katara needed. Violence wasn’t the answer.” The narrative teaches us that Aang was correct on this front – maybe not for everyone, but he wasn’t trying to nudge everyone. He was trying to nudge Katara.

I recently acquired the official DVD commentary for The Southern Raiders. I’ve transcribed relevant points on the end of this post if you’d like to read them in full, but Bryan and Andrea Romano (voice director) talk about how “even though Aang is sort of not in this story very much, to me his presence is in all of these scenes ‘cause you know he’s like, the little angel on her shoulder”; “I agree with you, he is with her through this entire journey she goes through.”

The fact that what Aang said resonated with Katara when it mattered – Katara, who becomes stubborn when she feels strongly about something, who doesn’t let anyone stop her when she disagrees with them, who is going through the most raw, emotional turbulence we have seen her in throughout the show –, the fact that Katara ultimately agreed with Aang’s words, that his words were the aid she needed in realizing there was a decision in either killing Yon Rha or sparing him, hugely states that Aang was there for Katara. Aang helped her see she had a choice for her own sake when her mind was clouded by pain and rage. You don’t need supplementary commentary to see that – Katara was seriously considering revenge, Zuko was leaning towards punishing Yon Rha but, for the most part, staying out of the decision (though based on the two back-and-forths he had with Aang before they left and his reaction to Katara walking away from bloodbending the wrong man, he didn’t realize how detrimental to Katara killing Yon Rha would be – his intention when giving Katara this opportunity was ultimately to gain some ground with her, and while he shares a sense of her pain, he doesn’t foresee what the nature of this journey will do to impact Katara specifically, which I get since he hardly knows her), and so it was ultimately Aang who helped Katara find her path even when he wasn’t there with her physically.

People can argue that Aang was forcing his morals on Katara, but he wasn’t. He was offering valid wisdom, yet pressing enough to hope that she’d actually listen and maybe react, as she did, rather than Aang simply standing back. It would’ve been easy for Aang to do nothing (like he said) and not risk coming off as unconcerned about her feelings, like he did to some viewers, because we know how Aang feels about Katara and that he doesn’t want to create rifts between them. But he risked stirring them, in her volatile state, in order to get his point across, if it meant that in consequence there would be a better chance Katara wouldn’t make the mistake that he knows would haunt her after this foreign mood of hers has passed. Aang isn’t about to let her go without trying to help her, even when she seems to not want help. It’s not in Katara’s nature to seek emotional support, and the audience has never seen her like this, but Aang recognizes that she needs the nudge (which, had her mind been clearer, she’d apparently agree with over her idea of revenge) and gives it openly and hopefully, even when she isn’t in a receptive state (or so it seemed). Again, Aang’s “morals” in this case of murder turned out to be, as he suspected, compatible with Katara’s as well as Sokka’s, so clearly he did a good thing there.

I think some people believe that Aang “forces his morals” on Katara because they’re under the impression that Aang’s concern is the general idea that she will kill somebody, the persons involved being irrelevant. That he’s acting selfishly and, in the interest of aligning with his own ideals, doesn’t want the girl he loves to be “corrupted.” This sort of mindset that “he’s against killing, so he won’t let Katara have this” leads to the conclusion that he’s not giving her the free reign to make her own choice.

However, this idea is debunked again and again in the episode. Aang says, clear as day, “I wasn’t planning to [try and stop you]. This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man. But when you do, please don’t choose revenge” as Katara turns away from him to go, and Aang stands back and watches with concern. He’s not being “forceful” – he’s being honest, like Katara’s been for him, and even supportive. If Aang really wanted to ensure that Katara followed his own morals, if he were actually not giving her free reign, he would’ve either disallowed Katara and Zuko from taking Appa or gone along with them. Aang could’ve justified joining the mission – it is his bison and that would split up the gaang evenly. He could’ve forced himself on this journey and used the time before meeting Yon Rha to monitor Katara like a chaperone, believing he’s just trying to help and making sure she doesn’t get hurt.

And yet he doesn’t. He lets Katara do this, and his parting words continue to be what he hopes she’ll choose. But his final action, letting her set off with Appa and leaving him behind, means that he’s leaving the decision up to her.

I feel like people completely forget some segments of the episode. Like how Sokka says “I think Aang might be right” and doesn’t go on the journey that he has as much reason to embark on as Katara does. Or how Katara literally says right before departing, “Thanks for understanding, Aang.”

Aang’s stance on Katara getting revenge goes beyond Aang just being against killing – he’s not voicing his opinion out of defense of Yon Rha or because he doesn’t want to love someone who went against his morals. He’s doing it because he knows what Katara’s going through and he doesn’t want her to have to face the consequences of letting the pain get the better of her. He’s trying to help her from going down a dark road, not for himself, but for her, because he knows her and knows this is something she would regret.

So when Katara tells him later that she didn’t forgive Yon Rha, Aang doesn’t push her or ask questions. He’s glad – and proud – that she didn’t do something that would’ve permanently hurt her, and beyond that, she could dissent from his morals as she liked. When Aang saw Katara after her trip, the first thing he did was run to her purely to ask if she was okay, not to discover whether she killed; he already knew from Zuko.

Bottom line is that Aang cared about her feelings. Particularly the feelings of the Katara she normally is, the Katara she means to be, the Katara who doesn’t bloodbend or unempathize, the Katara who’s hurting and whose pain is getting the better of her. Aang saw what was happening and did what he could to help, nudging her on the path she needed when her vision was clouded (sounds like Katara helping Aang when he’s in the Avatar State. Again, The Southern Raiders provides an instance of Aang giving back to Katara what she’s given to him, like with The Desert/The Serpent’s Pass, his pain from which Aang pointed out in “How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa?”).

Overall, people might honestly interpret Aang as being unsympathetic this episode, and I can see how from a superficial standpoint. But by doing so, they’re missing the significance of Aang’s choice to reach out and the importance it played in helping Katara conserve her own image of herself. She bloodbends someone – not even confirming that it’s the right person, first – in a rush of pain and rage after practically swearing it off less than ten episodes ago, so she clearly loses some semblance of herself during this episode, and it’s Aang who makes the most effort to help her find balance without getting in the way of her search. Ultimately, Aang’s role in TSR demonstrates how well he understands her personally, as well as his ability to step back and let her make her own decisions while still offering a viewpoint that her pain prevents her from seeing.

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Okay, big breath. Halfway through. I’d like to talk in more depth about how Aang understands Katara’s position.

I was thinking once again about Aang saying, “I do understand. You’re feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?” As presented to us, those two incidents had several things in common.

Aang went into the Avatar State due to intense emotion, as opposed to a life/death situation, and caused mass destruction that risked placing harm on others. And both of these times, Katara was the one to pull him out of that state. An important thing to note is that there’s one other moment very similar, but not identical, to these, which took place in The Avatar State. Just like in The Southern Air Temple and The Desert, Aang entered the Avatar State due to intense emotion, out of anguish when losing Katara. But the difference here was the amount of destruction caused. When Aang lost control of himself, he went through with hurting the people in his vicinity, and when he came out of that state, he hated to see what he’d done. Aang told Katara that he hoped she’d never have to see him like that again, and he hoped it for himself, too (but, of course, she did see him like that again in The Desert).

What I’m trying to show here is that Katara losing herself to her “pain and rage” in The Southern Raiders parallels Aang losing himself to his “rage and pain” in The Avatar State, not just in The Southern Air Temple and The Desert, as he directly references. But why am I so adamant about The Avatar State as opposed to those other two episodes?

Because we saw the lasting effect that The Avatar State had on Aang. There are many analyses out there that explain how Aang has had to struggle with control over his vast power, oftentimes depicting it as something he’s afraid of. For so long, Aang fears the Avatar State, what he’s capable of while in it, and how he can’t regulate his actions when it occurs. This conflict comes up time and time again, and a huge part of his character arc is involved with that struggle.

But again, for the significance of The Avatar State episode specifically, I was thinking about chakras in The Guru. From his Earth Chakra, we see that Aang continues to fear himself in the Avatar State, and from his Water Chakra, we see that one of his two greatest sources of guilt is that he lost control of himself in The Avatar State due to his rage and pain, lamenting that he “hurt all of those people” (the other being that he ran away, which, as mentioned before, is tied with his guilt at not being there to help and isn’t unlike the anguish Katara must feel now at not having been able to help her mother, get her father’s help fast enough, etc.). Pathik tells him that, in order to open his Water Chakra, to absolve the guilt and let the pleasure flow, “you need to forgive yourself.”

So here we have this idea that forgiveness is the key step to opening a person’s Water Chakra. Water, symbolizing pleasure and healing. “It’s easy to do nothing, but it’s hard to forgive.” “Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing.” These things Aang says in The Southern Raiders reflect what Pathik taught him about the Water Chakra.

Forgiving oneself is (obviously) different from forgiving your mother’s killer, but with this insight it’s clear that Aang personally understands how it feels to let your pain and rage get the better of you, and how it hurts deeply to face the consequences of your actions once the moment has passed. He recognizes that Katara is in a state not unlike the one he’s in when he loses control (“I do understand”) and he doesn’t want that for her. He wants Katara to be able to regain control of her actions and navigate out of her clouded vision so that she can make the choice that’s right for her. Aang is trying to help Katara see the pieces she’s missing, like how Katara does for Aang when he’s in the Avatar State.

Forgiveness is a necessary step in order to heal, and maybe it wasn’t a choice Katara ultimately made, but that was a decision Aang accepted. She didn’t kill Yon Rha, she didn’t have to now struggle with guilt or having to admit to that guilt, and she didn’t have to be faced with the strenuous task of forgiving herself for something she definitely would not have wanted to admit needed forgiving for. She saved herself from the pain that could have resulted from her own actions, because Aang helped her see she had a choice. When it mattered, when she was about to deliver the final blow, Aang’s words helped her pull out of that emotion-induced near-equivalent of an “Avatar State.”

To me it’s really fascinating to see the connections between these incidents – The Southern Raiders plus the three episodes where Aang enters the Avatar State out of emotion/rage (almost four if you count The Storm, but he manages to contain it when Katara calls out). The way these arcs parallel each other (“I went through the same thing when I lost my mom”; “How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation?”; “Watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary…I can’t watch you do this to yourself”; “As you watch your enemy go down, you’re being poisoned yourself”) and ultimately culminate in acts of mercy. It’s incredible how Aang and Katara are able to reach each other when they’re in their emotional states, and know what the other needs and who they are when they lose themselves.

In addition, I also think Andrea’s point about how Aang “teaches” Katara is further reflective of the impact Aang has on the people around him. I’ve seen many circulating posts about how Aang hailing from the time before the war and being raised by the Air Nomads allows him to bring a unique, positive influence to those around him who, in contrast, grew up in war-time and were most likely (Bumi is an exception) never alive in the time of the Air Nomads. However, along with the lightheartedness and fun (see: The Avatar Returns and The Headband), this also includes the specific wisdom and peacekeeping ways of the airbenders that became lost in the war, and that Aang symbolically ends the war with: An act of mercy, thus showcasing the survival and triumph of the Air Nomads as well as the Avatar. In TSR, Aang shares this wisdom with Katara – that the choice exists, and there is strength in not choosing revenge and electing forgiveness if she so resonated with it.

[Click here]    

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Back to the original question –

It may be possible that if someone were to overlook some characterizations and watch The Southern Raiders episodically, as opposed to as part of a whole arc, then they might genuinely form the impression that Aang is in the wrong here. I think I myself might’ve been a bit surprised by his approach when I was younger (though Katara’s attitude was also very surprising and even unsettling), but that was also at an age where I didn’t really understand the severity of the situation and just how much Katara was drifting from herself, or what killing Yon Rha could do to her, or, simply, in that volatile state, what she needed to hear.

I’ll be honest (drawing from personal experience, not sure if others relate) – I think as a child, one may not see the episode as intended because, unlike many other episodes, the takeaway lessons in The Southern Raiders are either expressed through words or an instance of not doing something (the instant where Katara doesn’t kill Yon Rha, since not doing something is less stark to a child than doing something). It’s a gray story in terms of right/wrong, and when you’re young, I can see why those lessons are misinterpreted because the viewer gets so caught up in the adrenaline rush of the action in this episode, the stealth, the bloodbending, the frightening amount of anger in Katara. It consumes most of the viewing experience, and within all that, the ultimate big lesson that “Violence wasn’t the answer” might get missed because violence or violent intent constituted almost all of the runtime. I see people who don’t remember this episode as a commentary on vengeance/forgiveness/the middle ground, but as “the one where Katara and Zuko got super badass."

Getting older, The Southern Raiders is such a gruesome episode. I now see the crucial, ‘quieter’ points that I overlooked as a child. Things like Sokka siding with Aang, Katara thanking Aang for his understanding, Zuko ultimately agreeing with Aang’s assessment of what Katara needed. Sad thing is that some people don’t appear to see this episode the way it was intended in time. TSR requests a perceptive mind from its audience, and some people don’t seem open to that.

I feel that this episode is often treated as shedding light on canon romantic Z*tara for similar reasons as to why people might miss the lessons – Zuko and Katara look cool and badass, on their way to kill a man. It’s exciting to see them working together, the nature of the mission is intriguing, but understanding subtext means acknowledging the tragic underlining of the episode, that it’s painful, that it’s Katara’s journey. It’s disappointing to me when some people chalk up Zuko and Katara’s relationship to being “badass” and “sexy” as a result of The Southern Raiders. It feels out-of-context, caught up in the “coolness” of this episode and misinterpreting physical synchrony as emotional, especially since their dynamic changes anyhow after Katara forgives him.

The episode presents very clearly that Zuko wasn’t right in his assumption about what Katara needed. Again, not necessarily his fault, although his comments about "Air Temple preschool,” “Guru Goody-Goody,” and forgiveness being “the same as doing nothing” display his skepticism of going the peaceful route (though this is curious to me given how often he showed mercy towards Zhao). He honestly didn’t realize the implications this journey would have on Katara, but by the end of the episode, I think it’s safe to say Zuko learned that Aang knew what he was talking about. Aang, whose whole nation and father figure were killed, and yet was able to forgive. Who could see how Katara was responding to the information Zuko gave her.

That’s not to discount Zuko’s role here. Maybe Katara did need closure, and Aang did say “This is a journey you need to take” (although, I do wonder, as Aang asked originally, what it ultimately accomplished. I get that Katara felt like she needed to take the opportunity once Zuko handed it to her, “Now that I know we can find him,” but if Zuko had never brought it up, would things be different? I hope it accomplished something in regards to Katara’s turmoil – perhaps she was able to forgive herself in that she could finally confront the man who did this, when all those years ago she came back with help “too late” – but at least she forgave Zuko in consequence), but this journey was so emotionally turbulent for Katara, heavy to the point where she wasn’t even herself anymore (as said in The Avatar State, “I saw you get so upset that you weren’t even you”).

Therefore, I personally find that simplifying TSR into “Katara and Zuko being cool” to the point where people glorify the way Katara acts in this episode insulting to her character, simply because I don’t enjoy watching deep pain morph Katara into becoming something she dislikes (see: Bloodbending and how it’s often glamorized in fandom). To me, it’s not as if she’s honing something akin to her inner strength. Katara is an extremely powerful character, which is shown time and time again, and her power comes from her physical capabilities as well as her inner strength. “Hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength.” Bam, Katara right there. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m too weak to do it or if it’s because I’m strong enough not to.” As is a theme in this show, there is a strength in restraint.

In her right mind, Katara would be horrified by her actions in The Southern Raiders, or at least what her ultimate intention was, and if people more closely understood Katara as she is, then I feel like they’d agree. As Aang did.

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Do I think there are people out there who deliberately reimagine TSR as ‘the episode where Aang was a “self-righteous prick” to Katara’? Yes, absolutely. As for motivation, I can’t really think of any reason for trying to make Aang look bad besides trying to make him look bad in comparison to another character (i.e. Zuko here), or maybe people have their own personal reasons for disagreeing with Aang’s sentiment while forgetting that Katara ultimately does not (in regards to the killing). Or maybe people just dislike main characters who manage to uphold their morals and it goes in-hand with those who think Aang should’ve killed Ozai.

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Honestly, there’s a lot more that can be said on the topic in regards to what Katara learned about herself in TSR, as such might be reflected in her active choice to spare Azula in Avatar Aang (which Bryan notes in his commentary: “Katara also finding a peaceful means” in reference to Aang), but frankly I’m kind of exhausted so I’m gonna leave this half-baked copy-and-paste from something I wrote earlier this month:

I feel like the only people Katara has harbored legitimately murderous thoughts towards have been Yon Rha (her mother’s killer) and Zuko and Azula (Aang’s killers, indirectly and directly), indicated by that unique energy she’s carried around those three that we don’t see a lot from her, where her voice becomes lower and the weight of her words more threatening (also the fact that she issued clear death threats to the first two).  

For the final Agni Kai, Zuko planned on ending Azula. He goaded her into using lightning and intended to redirect it at her (he didn’t want to, of course, as Bryke noted, but that was the decision). So it’s striking to me when Katara, despite having a very opportune chance to end Azula and knowing Zuko wouldn’t have judged her for it since he was about to do the same, makes the active choice to keep her alive. Katara could have unfrozen herself and gotten to Zuko immediately, but instead she took the time to restrain Azula and allow her to live. And I do believe that a part of the decision was made clearer to her after the events of TSR. Katara realized, subconsciously or no, what she isn’t, and that she’d try to preserve Azula if she could despite how much she might hate her for what she did last season.

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DVD Commentary for The Southern Raiders

[…]

Andrea Romano: This is where she does bloodbending, right? So scary!

Bryan Konietzko: It’s this dark skill that she reluctantly learned in episode 3x08. And there’s another important lesson – it’s like, once you have power over someone, are you strong enough not to use it? Or, use restraint in life?

Dante Basco: […] The thought of bloodbending is an idea that – it’s just crazy! Like, the average television or Nickelodeon show […] is not thinking about bloodbending. But yet it’s a very possible situation in this world, and I think that’s what makes it so exciting for people who watch the show.

Michael Dante DiMartino: Yeah and it’s not a skill that they take very – or certainly that Katara takes – lightly. It’s a very serious proposition to do that on somebody.

AR: And it’s not treated lightly. Here she is, she’s so close to being out of control. And that’s what adds so much to the drama of it, is, we think, she could really lose it here and really do something that she regrets for the rest of her life. But she manages to hold herself.

[…]

BK: We see that she’s unbalanced emotionally, and so that’s what’s coming out.

AR: […] But we can only hope she’ll make the right choice. (Imploringly) Use your powers for good!

BK: I love that, even though Aang is sort of not in this story very much, to me his presence is in all of these scenes ‘cause you know he’s like, the little angel on her shoulder-

AR: Absolutely, yeah.

BK: -y'know, that she’s ignoring at this time. And so, to me it really is a story about Aang because it’s like, it’s just about him trying to have influence over her actions from afar – just, by not telling her what she has to do, but just by gently suggesting what she try to achieve with this journey.

AR: It really is a juxtaposition there, where the young Aang sort of tells her, like a parent, go ahead, go out and do what you have to do, but please, I hope that you choose forgiveness rather than revenge. And here he is the young one, and she is the older one who should be, sort of, teaching him and in fact they switch and he teaches her. So I agree with you, he is with her through this entire journey she goes through.

BK: I think it’s also interesting that, if you look on paper, Aang has lost a lot more than Katara has, and he sort of gently reminds her of this. He’s like, 'Hey, my whole culture was wiped out. Everyone I’ve ever known was wiped out.’ And uh, but as we all know in real life, you can’t really quantify suffering. It’s really a personal thing and everybody…everybody’s situation, when your own world kinda crumbles, it seems like the whole world’s falling apart. You can’t really equate these things. And so, we just see Katara lost in a very human moment in this episode.

AR: I love that scene. So dramatic. You just go 'Oh no – don’t do it! Don’t do it!’

[…]

—-

DVD Commentary for Avatar Aang

[…]

Bryke: It’s sort of like a multi-stage thing. He releases his emotions, these raw feelings of anger and wrath, and then learns to control them and rise above them. […] We obviously wanted a cool moment of Aang in the Avatar State, and it was kinda finding that right story beat for him. And in this case it was him being the totally wrathful, vengeful version of the Avatar […] But it’s really not Aang. It’s really this energy that has kinda taken over him. He’s not in control at this point. […]

So, can kind of recognize this Kung Fu move he’s doing. It’s what he was having nightmares about in 2x01, as he feared being this sort of wrathful, y'know, Hand of the Avatar. That was that same kind of […] chopping motion in those 2x01 nightmare scenes. […]

I feel like that’s his defining moment. That’s why we call this episode Avatar Aang. […] He’s finally learned to control the energy. […] He’s controlling it, he’s not letting it control him. […]

[technospotatoes]

C!SAM - Redeemable Qualities Analysis (Dream SMP)

Hallo! I’m back with another brain rot post for ya’ll instead of doing my schoolwork :] 

Recently, I’ve been doing some thinking and theorizing with some friends on discord following Quackity’s huge lore stream (if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you watch it). I woke up this morning with a head full of many thoughts about C!Awesamdude and where his story could take us. Seeing as how there is going to be lots of change in the future with the server, there must be changes in these characters as well-- evil to good, good to evil, and the like. With these changes comes my thought: “can these characters be redeemed?” Here are my thoughts on how this applies to C!Sam.

Please let me know your thoughts and theories, I’d love to discuss with you! As always, strap in, it’s gonna be a long one :]

I hope you enjoy!

Author’s note: I want to start this off by saying that all of the contents being discussed are fictional, and are from the Dream SMP universe. I do not support the actions of these characters, but merely have interest in analyzing them through a lens of psychology and for entertainment purposes. Content of this post will contain spoilers up to 3/25/21 of the DSMP lore. I will also talk about ATLA a little bit ;)

Content warning: mentions of torture, manipulation, death, possible psychological trauma

(pls be safe ily)

What makes a redeemable character? 

  Redeemable characters are some of the most pleasing and favored characters in modern media. Their stories are rich with emotion, and they can even evoke some form of catharsis within the most skeptic consumers. Redeemable characters are memorable and inspiring, and without one, a story can feel empty. Before we apply this character trope to the Dream SMP and C!Sam, we need to answer a basic question in order to fully understand the complexity of redeemable characters and how they are so universally significant. 

What is a redeemable character?

  Simply put, a redeeming character or characteristic counteracts or corrects something negative. From a storytelling standpoint, a redeemable character is someone who has roots in good qualities, turns bad, and has the ability to revert their wrong choices to become a better person. 

Examples of redeemed characters in popular media include: 

Zuko - Avatar the Last Airbender

Boromir - Lord of the Rings

Kylo Ren - Star Wars

Severus Snape - Harry Potter 

  Zuko, for example, starts his story off as the villain. He tirelessly hunts down the protagonist, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal to please his father. However, as the show progresses, we learn that Zuko wasn’t always bad. He was only driven to his path of villainy because of his fear of failure, of his father (the firelord and true antagonist of the show), and of a greater punishment than what he had already received. With the help of his uncle, Zuko learned to push through and accept his past, while also making amends with his wrongs and coming to the realization of who the true enemy was; ultimately choosing peace and unity over destruction and fear.    Zuko’s story is so appealing because it was drawn out. It was raw, it was real, and it was a genuine telling of how damaged people can heal, change, and come to accept themselves. Because he went through the process of redemption, he was not only able to be loved by those around him, but also by his audience-- And I believe that this can be the same case with any redeemable character. 

So how does this relate to C!Sam? How could he possibly be redeemable if he is not evil?

  C!Sam has become increasingly interesting to me in the DSMP lore, and he has shown how complex his character is-- in contrast to many first impressions that people have of him. Based upon his actions from the past, and his willingness to remain neutral in times of conflict, we can conclude that he sustains both “neutral good” and “lawful neutral/good” qualities. This means that Sam is a reliable character, driven by his own personal values, and is devoted to helping others (when he sees fit). Evidence of these qualities emerge…

When he sided with Pogtopia during the Manberg War to maintain good relations with Tommy and Tubbo. 

When he saved Hannah from the Egg

Created Sam Nook to assist Tommy in building his hotel

Built Pandora’s Vault for Dream

Showed concern for Ranboo after one of his denied prison visits

  Sam’s moral code is deeply rooted with good intentions; he keeps an eye out for his friends, maintains his relationships, assists in builds/projects, and also serves as a “stable adult figure” for some of the younger members of the server. In contrast to his logical outward appearance, C!Sam lets his emotions drive his decision making-- which can lead to many severe consequences depending on how he acts. However, recently Sam’s actions indicate that he is experiencing a flip in morals. 

Below are incidents that have led to C!Sam’s recent change in moral code. 

Incident 1: Trapped with the Egg

  Many weeks ago, during the height of character involvement with the Egg lore, C!Sam was lured into a trap by BBH and Antfrost. He spent about a day trapped in close contact with the Egg, and after he was saved by Puffy and Tommy, he was clearly changed. It is likely that the Egg is behind these sudden changes in character motivation for Sam… similarly to how it corrupted BBH, Ant, and Punz. Whether this is the case with Sam is unclear. 

Incident 2: Tommy’s death

  C!Sam and C!Tommy’s relationship within the DSMP lore is one of my favorite things to talk about. After his victory over the disk war and finally landing his nemesis in prison, Tommy was left empty, without much to do. He decided to take upon a new project to incite a new era of peace, and was able to enlist the help of Sam with building his hotel. Throughout this process (and under the watchful eye of Sam Nook), Tommy and Sam were able to develop a bond with each other through their work, along with their interactions at the Prison. 

  Sam has made it clear that he intends to defend Tommy no matter what-- but after his untimely death at the hands of C!Dream, Sam was deeply wounded. He felt as if he failed his promise to keep Tommy safe, and he made it clear that the blame for the “security issue” and C!Tommy’s death should be placed fully on him. No matter how selfless and responsible this makes his character appear, this event will only serve as the basis for severe consequences in moral change in the future. 

Incident 3: Confrontation with Quackity

  Following the large emotional impact of Tommy’s death, C!Sam is very vulnerable, because he is still within the stages of grief. C!Quackity came to Sam for a partnership, to take advantage of Sam while he was low to gain the upper hand. It’s no question that Q’s character is a talented manipulator, we can see that clearly in his interaction with Sam. Q restates again and again that Sam failed, further cementing Sam’s existing guilt and desire for revenge for his failure. Sam gives in to the manipulation, and somewhat reluctantly allows Quackity to torture Dream to get information and to get payback for what he did to Tommy... which completely goes against what his responsibility of Warden entails. 

  As Warden, C!Sam is supposed to uphold the law and rules of visitation, but because of his leniency with Quackity (in breaking the rules) and because he is still emotionally raw, he no longer defends good from evil, but is now biased against it. C!Sam probably wants Dream dead, but as Warden, his opinion shouldn’t matter. Because Sam fully blames himself for failing Tommy, he's lost the "lawful good" in his character, meaning Warden Sam (as a set of morals) truly doesn't exist anymore.

Incident 4: Ponk’s mistake

  To recap a stream briefly, Ponk did a prank on Sam a couple days ago, and stole a few of the expired keycards to Pandora’s Vault. Rightfully, Sam was very angry, and not only took back the keycards, but also imprisoned Ponk. However, where this interaction should have ended, C!Sam only took it to the extreme. (TW!!!!) Out of anger and frustration, C!Sam tortured Ponk for his wrongdoing by setting him on fire, and amputating his arm (END TW!!!). 

  This only proves my point from Incident 3. Warden Sam is fading, only bits and pieces of his morally neutral character remain within him for basic tasks. His encounter with Quackity had a huge impact on his psyche, not only is he allowing the torture of the prison occupants, but he is doing it himself as well. C!Sam is now starting to believe that pain and torture are the only solutions for punishment, which is the complete opposite of what he believed before Dream was imprisoned. 

In short...

  C!Sam is losing his grip on moral and mental stability because of his emotional insecurity due to his psychological trauma. Because of this, I believe that it is entirely possible for Sam’s character to explore the route of evil and unlawful values-- which furthers the possibility for a redemption arc. Even currently, Sam is eligible for redemption as well.

  If C!Sam is willing to acknowledge his wrongs from today and improve himself upon them, he will likely become a more memorable, lovable, and even more human character than we’ve seen in the SMP before. 

SIDENOTE!

IRL Sam recently posted in his discord talking about his character. Here are a few key things to keep in mind as the story goes forward: 

“There is a LOT of things in the plan for me as a character and a very big change is coming about for me as the story moves along.”

I believe this change could be a villain arc, or a turn towards evil that incites the possibility for redemption. 

“My character is playing a role that I think is VITAL for the server and a role that I like to think was a good one for me to pick up and accept.”

You can read the reddit post I referenced for this here (ty to my friend on discord for providing me with the link <3)

TYSM FOR READING!! <3 <3 <3