#it's not as if she was lacking clothing anyway ^^'

[and-so-he-rambled]

Gotham Rogue Vlad Masters Part two

Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 3



The first night was the worst. Vlad broke into an empty old house without much difficulty, observing the layer of dust over everything and the lack of cameras or security beyond an old system he easily dismantled.

The kids were weary, plodding along and knuckling their eyes as they tried to stay awake and alert. Jazz had a hand on Danny the way she always did when Vlad wasn’t carrying him, refusing to let him go far from her.

She tightened her grip as a sleepy Danny began to sink into the floor, Vlad diving forward to scoop the child up. He returned to a solid state, still not in control of his powers. They’d had a few teaching sessions since Danny came into his care, but they hadn’t been far along when they’d had to flee. The stress and sleep deprivation wasn’t helping the boys already frayed control of his powers. Even Vlad, a Self proclaimed master of his curse, found himself phasing accidentally.

He led the two to the first empty bedroom and laid them both down, Jazz curling around Daniel protectively.

“Sleep Jazz, I’ll stand guard.” He shifted to his ghost form, Jazz eyeing him warily the way she always did before nodding and closing her eyes. He knew she would try to stay awake anyway, but was confident she’d lose the battle soon.

The ghost inspected his wound, frowning at the black lines spreading out from the hole in his upper arm. That wasn’t good.

He’d tested various of the Fentons and his old designs on himself when researching what he’d become, and none had this effect.

The ghost sent a copy to explore the house, sitting guard next to the bed and assuring himself that a ghost didn’t need sleep. Sure, he’d feel in like a truck when he switched back, but right now he was too dead to be tired.

-

The kids looked much better after a bath and a meal. He didn’t dare use the electricity until he knew where the bill would end up, or he could hack in and reroute that bill to get lost or paid under the table. For now he just heated a pot of spaghetti-Os over his flaming fist.

Danny had found a young boys room, mostly devoid of life but having a few toys he latched on to. He played and seemed like a normal boy if not for the flying around the house, kicking off of walls and tumbling through the air with a giggle as Jazz tried to wrangle him. they still had dark circles under their eyes and a haunted air, but they looked like kids again.

He left Jazz in charge when Danny went down for a nap, flying from the mansion invisibly before touching down behind a building and coming back into view. It was easy to slip into the crowd, injured arm held protectively to his chest as he weaved around people who semis just as soulless and dead as he was.

The shelters were a mess, and many of the food banks seemed overworked and shady. He snuck in through the back and stole two portions for the kids, storing them inside himself as he continued scoping out Gotham. It was a shit hole, but he could feel the ambience of death that clung to him like a second skin and hid him from prying eyes.

He went back as it started to grow dark, a bag full of broken electronics on his back.

As the kids scarfed down their food, once it was sufficiently pulverized, he began to disassemble and work on the tech. He needed a way to stay in contact with Jazz that couldn’t be tracked or hacked, and would likely give one to Danny once he was a little older.

Jack had been better with tinkering, despite being an utter buffoon otherwise. Vlad couldn’t help but think of him and Maddie the entire time he tinkered, hands feeling guided by theirs.

It took him a few days to finish them in between trips to Gotham to steal food and entertainment for the kids who were definitely feeling cooped up. They had new clothes now, stolen from a thrift store as to not stand out. He hated to see his charges in rags, but this city was a dangerous place to stand out. They had to hide until Vlad was more prepared.

He knew he couldn’t keep them locked inside the mansion forever, and he needed to do some research. He wanted to steal a laptop, but he’d need to find a place with Wi-Fi to hunker down.

He made a decision as Jazz did her nightly lesson of trying to teach her little brother how to shoot straight, they needed a chance to be children.

-

[creative-heart]

"Love's Blossom"| Enzo Vogrincic

Chapter 1: "Nurturing Beginnings"

Lucia’s notes: Here goes the first chapter of my new Enzo x Reader Series. It’s a bit short, but I hope you enjoy it as a way to get you into this world.

Content Warning: Baby Fever, slight brief talk of sex. I don’t think I’m missing anymore, but if I am, please let me know.

Word Count: 1.3 k

It only took for Enzo’s cousin Juan to put his newborn baby boy in Y/N’s arms for the baby fever to ignite a new kind of fire in her gut, one that she had never felt before, and it burnt so bright she thought it might consume her. The Brunette was so taken by the little boy’s hand grabbing her pinky with his whole little fist that she didn’t realize Enzo was looking at the image in front of him as if it was the air he lacked to live; a new urge of making Y/N a mom growing in his heart.

The afternoon went by basically with them two gawking at the infant boy and as soon as they sat down in their car to head home Y/N looked over at her boyfriend “How crazy would it be if I said I want to have a baby?” she bit her lip a bit scared of the dark-haired man’s reaction to this revelation even though she didn’t quite expect the response she got back. Enzo snapped his head to look at her as soon as she said that the widest brightest smile spreading across his face, “I was thinking the same, for some reason seeing you with Luca made me think about how cute a mini us would be”.

And so they came up with a plan, Y/N went to see her doctor and explained the situation and she took the girl off her contraceptives starting her on some vitamins and folic acid as well, to help boost her reproductive system. For the next three months or so, it wouldn’t be successful according to the doctor, as Y/N’s body needed to get rid of all the hormones before any baby-making could happen, not that they couldn’t try anyway. 

Two months into this endeavor, they had agreed not to try testing before the three months had passed so they wouldn’t get too anxious about it, not that it was working for Y/N, the brunette was going insane with the wait. So when Juan and his wife asked the pair to look after little Luca for the night as they had a child-free wedding, Enzo and Y/N jumped at the opportunity to try to get as much hands-on experience with a baby as they could before they got their little one.

Leading up to the day they’d be taking baby Luca, Y/N walked in on Enzo reading a parenting blog and trying to understand what he needed to do with him, as she silently approached him from behind kissing his cheek while he sat on the couch she asked “What are you doing my love? reading up on baby care?” The older man looked at his girlfriend blushing a deep shade of red “It’s just that I want to make sure I know what to do with him tomorrow, like, what temperature do babies take their bottles? How will I know when he needs a diaper change? Like he’s my nephew, I need to do a good job, plus I know nothing about babies.” Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable he looked all worried.

When Saturday rolled around, Juan and his wife dropped Luca off at Y/N and Enzo’s place at around six pm with his diaper bag with all the essentials needed for the night. “Right, so in there are enough diapers to last him like a day, in case there are any emergencies, a couple of clothes changes, and his pjs, his pacifier, and all the bottles he’ll need until we’re back with Camila’s milk in them, you only need to warm them up, and they’re microwave safe” Y/N smiled holding the baby kissing his head “Don’t worry guys, we’ve got you covered, you go have fun, if there’s anything you must know about we’ll make sure to let you know”. As both Juan and Camila kissed their baby’s head and left the brunette turned around rocking the sleeping baby in her arms to look at Enzo “you alright there?” she smiled as he stood frozen holding the bag.

“Yeah..” He replied absentmindedly “It’s just I didn’t ask them how will we know if he’s too hot, or too cold? won’t he need another blanket? what if he doesn’t like the way we change his diaper?” Y/N laughed standing on her tiptoes to plant a loving smooch on the taller one’s lips “As adorable as I find the way you panic, you need to relax baby, you’ll see it’s more intuitive than you think, plus, I’ve changed diapers before, so we’re good” He nodded softly as Y/N went to lay the sleeping infant in the traveling cot they had set up in the guests room for the night turning the monitor on before walking back out. It always amazed Enzo how much of a natural his girlfriend was with kids, they seemed to just be naturally attracted to her like bees to honey were and he loved seeing how much she enjoyed playing with the little ones at all social gatherings they attended.

As the evening went on they found themselves taking turns to play with and hold the baby, Enzo took most of the feedings and Y/N took the diaper changes under the attentive gaze of her boyfriend who wanted to soak up all the knowledge he could on this. Once they had Luca in his pjs Y/N gently paced around their living room after dinner trying to make the baby go down for the night as the raven-haired man laid back on the couch watching her, his eyes never leaving her body as she kept going “come on bubba, I know you’re tired, go to sleep” she pleaded at the whiny, fussy baby as he was overtired.

When he finally gave in to sleep she sat down with him laying on her chest as she rested back against Enzo “Finally, he was so overstimulated he couldn’t even fall asleep” she whispered rubbing his back gently and watching him sleep. Enzo hummed softly as he just looked at her with loving and reflecting eyes “I wish I could be the little man right now” he whispered and smiled at Y/N’s quizzical look “so that I could be laying my face on those perfect boobs of yours, little sucker” he chuckled lowly at her glare “What? You can’t blame me they’re just way too amazing, I would die a happy man in there” Y/N rolled her eyes smiling feeling the warmth grow up her face.

A while later she went to put Luca down in the guest room tucking him in before walking back out to the living room and taking the tea Enzo offered her sitting back down with him “You think they’ll get bigger?” Y/N looked at him “Your boobs, you think they’ll get bigger when you get pregnant? Because if they will, I’m taking you to our room right now and we’re not getting out until we get a little Vogrincic in there” he smirked as she smacked his arm playfully “we can’t tonight Mr. there’s a sleeping baby in our guest room, I won’t be fucking you, not that I don’t want to tho” the hazel-eyed woman said lowly sitting on his lap straddling him stroking his chest playfully.

“Then you’re being especially mean right now because you know what you’re doing” Enzo smirked at her innocent-looking smile “Oh yeah, don’t play innocent, we both know exactly what you’re doing grinding against me like this baby girl” he whispered against the skin on her neck kissing softly going to her soft spot slowly grazing over it with his teeth a shaky breath getting caught in the back of her throat her eyes fluttering closed as he kept kissing up and down her sensitive skin. As she ran her hands through his dark locks she heard the baby start crying and sighed pulling away from Enzo “I’ll get him” Y/N got up and walked to the bedroom picking him up from his crib, checking his diaper before laying him down to change him. As the older man looked at her walk away she sighed this has to be the only downfall of babies he thought running his hands through his hair.

Taglist: @madame-fear @lastflowrr @cyliarys-starlight @castawaycherry @luceracastro @deepinsideyourbeing @koiibiito @espinasrubi @candycanes19 @nperoconelcositoarriba @lxdyred

P.S: If you enjoyed this and want to be tagged in upcoming work, leave a comment down below.

[king-bumis-armpit]

Hey! If you are still looking for maiko prompts.

You could write a sour zuko finding out that Mai and kei lo broke up. I like imagining ways for him to find out and what his reaction would be.

And I’m always a fan of stories where Mai runs away when zuko is banished, or try to smuggle herself into his ship.

Anyway, have fun!

Put a Ring on It

Summary: Kei Lo buys an engagement ring. Zuko freaks out. 

“I’m thinking something gold and traditional.” Good, Zuko thought bitterly. At least Mai will hate it. He had well and truly lost her. He had lost her to another man.

Author’s Note: This idea was given to me by a lovely anon! If you have any Maiko fic ideas that you want me to write, send them my way! And thank you, if you already have <3

Gene Luen Yang wants me to believe it took Mai and Zuko 3 years to get back together. Ha! I spit in your face, good sir. This fic will do it in one! (I’m kidding, I’m kidding… mostly. I hate the comics but I’m sure Gene’s a decent fellow.)

This fic takes place 8 months after the events of Smoke and Shadow, vol 3. It’s canon compliant up to that point, and canon compliant with Korra, but I know nothing about the comics that chronologically happen in between so it might contradict those. For the purpose of this fanfiction, marriage proposals in the Fire Nation are the same as modern proposals with an engagement ring. 

Also! Happy (late) Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! You’re the best!!

Zuko made his way quickly through the rain, hood pulled tight over his head. He was out with only a few plainclothes guards today, hoping to maintain some anonymity. It was only a week until the Feast of the Mother of Faces, and Zuko had yet to find a suitable gift for his own mom. He wanted to get her something especially nice since they had been apart for so many years. He was pretty sure his last gift to her was a macaroni necklace, and figured he had to at least up his game from that.

His uncle had given him some recommendations of places to shop, and the first of which was a small but well-known jewelry store in the Caldera. As he slipped inside, he noted that the place was nearly empty except for the store clerk. His guards would be watching the door from a tavern across the street, and were instructed not to check in unless he spent over an hour in the building.

The spectacled shopkeeper looked up at his arrival, “Can I help you find anything, sir?”

“I don’t think so?” Zuko replied. “I’m just browsing for a Feast of the Mother gift.”

“Ah,” the man nodded in understanding. He gestured to the wall to Zuko’s right. “We have a lovely selection of necklaces and pendants that might be suitable. Prices are listed on the tags. Let me know if you have any questions or if you would like me to remove any items from the case.”

Zuko smiled and gave the man a slight bow. This was shaping up to be easier than he expected. He looked through the glass at the different options. He noticed some that were similar to pieces he recognized from his childhood. There was one in particular, a gaudy and ruby-encrusted flame, the size of his fist, that reminded him of something his father would buy. Best to stay away from those. There were some cloth chokers, similar to one that Katara occasionally wore when she was in the fire nation. He wasn’t quite sure they would be his mother’s style, but perhaps he should send a memo to Aang. (For a monk, who swore off material things, that kid sure bought a lot of gifts for his girlfriend. The thought made Zuko smile.) 

Then, he caught sight of a delicate silver chain. Most women in the Fire Nation preferred gold, but Zuko knew one woman who hadn’t. 

— —

“Silver matches my knives, Zuko. The aesthetic of it all is very important to me.”

Zuko snorted. They had decided to explore the numerous palace basements, and had come across one of the many treasuries, nearly all of it gold. Mai had immediately protested the lack of her favorite metal.

“Well gold is the emblematic color of our nation, so most of the royal jewelry is gold. You’re going to have to get used to it eventually.” Zuko blushed when he realized the implication of his words.

“Oh? Why is that?” Mai asked, fixing him with a satisfied smirk. 

His cheeks were burning, but he decided to play it cool. “I plan to put a golden crown on your head one day… if that’s alright with you.”

Mai kissed his cheek, and then his nose, and then his lips. “I think that’ll be alright. One day. But I really would prefer silver.” 

He cupped her cheek with his palm and guided her in for another kiss. That was the last room they managed to explore that day.

— — 

And even though they were no longer together, Zuko thought about her more than he cared to admit. He leaned in to examine the silver chain. It carried a small charm, about the size of his thumbnail. The charm itself was also silver, fashioned into the shape of a plum blossom. A wine colored garnet– again, a favorite of Mai’s–  was nestled in the center of the flower. Zuko felt his heart seize. It was perfect, but not for the person he was supposed to be shopping for. 

He contemplated buying it anyway. Maybe he could stop by Mura’s after this and place an order for a bouquet. Surely his mom would want flowers. And if Mai was there, he could give her the necklace. What’s a gift between friends? 

The sound of the door opening broke his reverie. The rain had gotten heavier since he entered the shop, and the new customer had practically flung himself into the building, allowing the door to slam behind him. 

The shopkeeper seemed slightly irritated by this noisy appearance, but nonetheless asked him the question he had asked Zuko. “Can I help you find anything, sir?”

The man removed his hood, and Zuko felt his muscles turn to ice. It was Kei Lo.

“Oh yes please!” He gave a good natured smile, all cheerfulness and boyish charm as he swaggered up to the counter. The universe was taunting Zuko. Of course he couldn’t buy a ridiculously expensive present for Mai. She had a boyfriend. She had made that quite clear when he last saw her eight months ago.

“What are you looking for?” the man asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Zuko noticed how Kei Lo shuffled, seeming nervous. “I– I’m here to buy an engagement ring.”

Zuko was going to be sick. He was going to throw up. Right on the floor. Right in front of the store clerk. And right in front of Mai’s soon-to-be-fiance.

“Congratulations!” The storekeeper seemed to have fully gotten over irritation and beamed from ear to ear.

“Thanks!” Kei Lo said sheepishly. “I haven’t asked her yet, but we’ve talked about it before so I’m confident she’ll say yes.”

Zuko took several deep breaths and forced himself to quietly turn and face the display case once again. Kei Lo obviously hadn’t noticed him yet, and he knew that any interaction between them would be a disaster.

“Have you discussed ring preferences?” the older man asked.

“No, but I’m thinking something gold and traditional.” Good, Zuko thought bitterly. At least Mai will hate it. 

As the two walked over to the ring cases and discussed the pieces, Zuko’s thoughts began to spiral. How had this happened? He had well and truly lost her. Mai, his soulmate, his best friend, his plum blossom. He had lost her to another man. Except…

Except he hadn’t yet! Kei Lo hadn’t asked her yet. He could buy his own engagement ring from a different shop and ask her right now! Or he could run there and ask her without one. 

“Prince Zuko!” He heard his Uncle’s voice in his head, echoing the wisdom of the past. “You never think these things through! You had no plan! You could have died!” Then he said something about ice and chasing the avatar. The exact words were hazy, but the sentiment was clear. He was too impulsive. 

He needed to wait and collect more information. Then he could form a plan and– and then what? If Mai wanted to marry Kei Lo, then he knew he had to support her. He wanted her to be happy more than he wanted his own happiness. But when he spoke to her in the Dragonbone Catacombs she herself admitted that she didn’t like Kei Lo as much as she had liked him. He cursed himself. He had driven her away and broken her heart twice! Now she was scared to trust him. But if he could just convince her to give him one more chance, he could fix it. He had learned how painful it was to live without her, and he would not repeat his mistakes.

His heart ached to imagine Mai in a wedding dress at someone else’s side. Even as a kid, when he pictured his wedding, he pictured Mai as the bride.

— — 

“Mom! Mom! Mom!” Little Azula tugged at their mother’s sleeve. “My friend Mai is here and we want to play a game with Zuko! Please! Ty Lee is sick, so we need another person.” Zuko rolled his eyes. He considered Mai to be a shared friend since they all used to play together at Ember Island, but lately Azula had been calling her “my friend Mai.” It made him angry and he didn’t know why.

Ursa patted her daughter’s head. “I think that’s a great idea. What do you think, Zuko?”

He crossed his arms. He remembered what happened last week with the apple. But if Ty Lee was sick then Mai was alone with Azula. What if his sister was teasing her? Or telling her lies about him? He needed to intervene. “Sure. I would love to play with you Azula.” His tone of voice did not match his words, but his sister didn’t care.

“Good!” Azula grabbed his hand and marched him into the fountain garden. Zuko knew that this couldn’t possibly end well.

Mai was sitting under a tree, twirling a knife. She looked up at their approach and raised an eyebrow, “I thought you went to get mochi.”

Azula shrugged. “I changed my mind. I want to play a game.”

Mai looked at Zuko with great trepidation. He couldn’t blame her. Last time Azula said those words, he had tackled her.

“No firebending this time, Azula,” he ordered.

“Of course not,” Azula agreed. “We’re going to play wedding. I’ll be the officiant and you two will be the couple.”

It took all of Zuko’s discipline to not stare at Mai and search her face for a reaction. He heard her sigh, and he felt his stomach drop.

“Well,” Azula prompted. “Come here.” She made Mai and Zuko stand facing each other while she launched into a monologue about the rich culture of the Fire Nation. She went on for a while and Zuko was so bored that he almost forgot to be embarrassed. When Azula wasn’t looking, he noticed Mai yawning. He bit his lip to keep from laughing. “And naturally,” Azula carried on. “Fire bending comes from the breath. In order to symbolize the joining of flames, the couple will now share a breath and share a kiss.” She looked at them expectantly.

“Azula, I don’t think we should do this,” Zuko protested.

His sister smirked. “Why not? You don’t want to kiss Mai? She’s not pretty enough for you?”

Zuko saw red. “Mai is really pretty! You take that back right now!”

“If she’s so pretty, then kiss her!”

Mai cleared her throat. Pink dusted her cheeks, but aside from that her expression remained neutral, “Can’t we just pretend?”

“What do you mean?” Azula asked. 

Mai shrugged. “Like this.” She leaned slightly closer to Zuko and kissed the air. 

“That looks ridiculous,” Azula said.

“That’s weird. I thought you said you were better than Ty Lee at everything.” Mai’s words made no sense to Zuko, and apparently they made no sense to Azula either.

“Well yes, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”

Mai smirked, “I bet Ty Lee would be able to pretend. She’s more creative and she has a better imagination.”

Azula was irate. Zuko knew first hand that people were not allowed to be better than her at anything. “I have an idea,” she replied. Zuko shuddered, that was Azula’s scary voice. “Next time, Ty Lee can be the bride. I bet Zuko would kiss her.”

For once, Mai’s facade cracked. Her face scrunched up and Zuko was afraid she was going to cry. “No!” Zuko cut in. “I don’t want to play this game with Ty Lee.” Azula huffed, but Mai looked up at him hopefully. He took her hands and kissed the air like she had. “I now pronounce us husband and wife.”

“Hey!” Azula pinched his shoulder. “That’s my line.”

Thankfully he was spared a confrontation by the arrival of his mother. “Zuko! Azula! It’s time for dinner.” She caught sight of Zuko and Mai’s clasped hands and smiled. “You’re welcome to stay too, Mai. I can send a servant to your mother to let her know.”

Mai politely declined, and Zuko was sad to see her go. That night, he thought for the first time about what his wedding might be like. He imagined hands entwined with own, slightly colder than his. They were soft except for the side of her index finger and thumb where she gripped her knives.

— —

Zuko caught himself staring at his own hands, and tried to shake off the memory. Since that day, he couldn’t help but picture Mai as his bride. It was almost involuntary. But if she had truly grown to love Kei Lo, then he would have to get over it. His mouth tasted like ash.

Zuko pulled his hood down, to the point where it hung in his face obnoxiously, and he walked over to a display case of bracelets that was closer to the rings. He tried to appear nonchalant as he looked over the merchandise, but he listened to the other two men intently.

Kei Lo was in the middle of speaking. “I walked into her shop one day on a whim. She was so beautiful. I asked her out on the spot and the rest is history.”

The older man smiled. “How lovely! I met my husband at work as well. He came in to buy a gift for his grandmother and he kept coming back. Eventually, I asked him out because I was worried he would bankrupt himself spending so much money here.”

Kei Lo laughed. “Wait, he bought something every time he came in?”

“Yes,” the shopkeeper shook his head. “I think he felt guilty for wasting my time. But we’ve been together for thirty years at this point and I don’t consider any of them wasted.”

“Wow! My girl and I have only been together for seven months.” Kei Lo replied. Zuko huffed. That was wrong. He and Mai had been dating for nine months at least according to what he learned from Ty Lee. Kei Lo really should know that.

“What’s her name?” the shopkeeper asked. Zuko shuffled close still, pretending to admire the bracelets in the sale section. Unlike the others that were behind glass, these hung from artful stands. He allowed his fingers to graze a band of beaded obsidian.

“Her name is Machi,” Kei Lo answered.

Zuko spun around, but his sleeve had caught on the stand and the entire thing toppled over, making a terrible noise and scattering bracelets across the floor.

“I– I– I’m so sorry,” Zuko’s face burned hotter than the sun. 

Kei Lo looked at him stunned. “Zuko?”

The shopkeeper’s eyes went wide. With the scar and the name, he put it together. “Fire Lord!” He bowed at the waist, and– for a moment– Zuko was worried the man would lose his glasses. “My deepest apologies. Had I known it was you I would have helped you pick something out for your venerable mother–”

“It’s okay! It’s okay!” Zuko reassured him and the older man rose from his bow. “I’m sorry. I knocked over your display stand and the bracelets–” Zuko righted the stand and began to gather the fallen items, but the shopkeeper would not have it.

“Oh no!” He rushed over to help. “You do not need to clean my shop, Lord Zuko. Thanks to you, my husband and I were finally married under the law.” 

Zuko smiled, “I’m glad. But still, let me help you. It was my fault after all.”

Kei Lo clapped a hand on the shopkeeper’s back. “I’ll help too.” 

The three of them quickly subdued the mess. The shopkeeper noticed a few damaged pieces which he took to his back room for repairs. Zuko made a note to send the man compensation. 

While the store owner was removing and cataloging the damaged pieces, Zuko and Kei Lo were left alone. Kei Lo broke the silence. “So… How’s Mai?”

“I don’t know,” Zuko answered honestly, and the awkward silence descended once more.

Zuko felt relief course through his body. After making a fool out of himself, he could finally take it in. Mai and Kei Lo had broken up. Kei Lo was engaged to someone else. Kei Lo thought that Zuko and Mai were talking.

The first part was wonderful news. Zuko felt it was safe to assume that Mai had dumped Kei Lo. When he released Kei Lo from the prison, the man had made it abundantly clear that he was with Mai to stay. Besides, the thought of Mai sending him on his way made Zuko very, very happy. The only potential concern was that the breakup had happened a long time ago, at least seven months. And, in all that time, Mai had made no effort to see him. For all he knew, she could be with someone else too.

“Umm…” Zuko did not know a subtle way to ask what he wanted to know. “Have you heard if Mai is with anyone right now?”

Kei Lo shook his head. “To be honest, I’m surprised she’s not back with you. She was normally so… neutral, I guess. You know how she is. But when she talked about you, a light would enter her eyes. She would go on and on…”

Zuko felt a spark in his chest. “Really?” He could hear the pathetic hope in his own voice. “She seemed so hesitant to trust me again. I thought she hated my guts.”

“No,” Kei Lo smiled wistfully. “I take it you don’t know how we broke up.”

“To be honest, I thought you were proposing to her.”

Kei Lo let out a raucous laugh. “HA! Agni, that’s why you bumped into the bracelet stand. Were you spying on us?”

Zuko laughed along sheepishly. “Kind of. I really did come here to get something for my mom, but when I heard your request… Part of me wanted to run to Mai right then and make a grand declaration.”

“I would have paid to see that. Front page news: The Fire Lord’s Shocking Proposal.”

“Yeah,” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s a good thing I didn’t.”

“Well, I was going to say that after all the stuff with the Safe Nation Society, Mai and I had a talk. I told her that if we were going to keep dating, I needed to know that she was over you. She has this one portrait of the two of you, and she keeps it in her dresser. I told her to get rid of it or I was gone. She made her choice.”

Zuko remembered that painting. He had one very similar to it in his own room that he kept on his desk. His was in ink and hers was in color. 

And then he remembered that he should probably express some sympathy for Kei Lo. “It seems like it all worked out for you in the end though. I wish you and Machi the best.”

Kei Lo nodded. “Thank you. I’m so glad I found her. I was really upset when Mai and I broke up, but it all seems so trivial now. For what it’s worth, I think you should reach out to Mai. See if she still has that painting.”

“I think you’re right.” The two men shook hands. If Zuko had learned anything from this experience, it was that he didn’t want to wait anymore and risk Mai moving on completely. He needed to find her and apologize and beg for her to come back. 

When the store owner returned, Zuko purchased the plum blossom necklace.

Endnotes: I’m open to writing a part two where Zuko gives Mai the necklace if people would be interested. (I mean, I might anyway even if you all aren’t, lol.) But I wanted to get this out close to Mother’s Day since I made up the Fire Nation version of Mother’s Day for this fic. And, a big HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the moms!!!

Also, I couldn’t get into it in the story, but Kei Lo is that guy who falls for his barista, right? He went on like one date with Mai and then decided she was his reason for living. So I thought it would be hilarious if that’s how he met his next girlfriend! And then he could ambiguously say that he met her at the shop where she works which is also how he met Mai. Anyway, it was a funny head canon that made me laugh.

Thank you again to the anon who suggested this! I hope I didn’t make it too silly. I love putting our dramatic boy in ridiculous situations. Also, I plan on writing your other idea as well at some point, but this one demanded to be written immediately <3

[sainte-melasse]

*~~Be an angel and don’t reblog her on a kink/nsfw blog~~*

[dollya-robinprotector]

Mom says it's my turn to draw FemRobin.

[ilikedetectives]

Minthara would love going to a cat cafe I just know it.

[sarahjacobs]

punk spot and goth sarah stuff 🫰

i also made playlists of the kind of music i think they'd listen to :') you can listen to spot's here. most tracks fall under the hardcore subgenre, but there's also a good amount of ska and pop. generally has a chaotic, garage, and/or dated kind of sound, really wanted the kind of stuff that scratches my brain in a specific, rough way

there's also sarah's playlist, which i'm less confident about because i'm wayyy more immersed in punk subculture and music. but. i tried! some gothic rock, mostly punkabilly and gothabilly. i feel like she'd be into music that has that campy slasher feel, so that's the overall mood i was gunning for

[cassianandfenrysaremyboyos]

I'm sorry but this just pisses me off (Not Hunt obviously, but Bryce)

Bryce rant incoming which you can just ignore and I'll probably delete later

But Bryce just puts all the blame on the Asteri. And yes ultimately they are to blame in the larger sense of things. But Bryce plays a direct role in leading them down the path that results in Hunt, Ruhn and Baxian being caught. It was her need to find out Danika's secrets with no thought to the consequences, her idea to go to the Eternal City. And she takes NO personal responsibility for it at all!

Hunt is blaming himself for everything that's happened. Even when it's not his fault at all. When we're in his pov he's constantly drowning in guilt, thinking about how he should of done more, he should of tried harder, he should of been better, how it's all his fault this happened and that his friends suffered.

And then Bryce does none of that. When we're in her pov she doesn't really show any major guilt. I can't think of any times when she blames herself like Hunt does. And I'm not saying she should be wracked with guilt. But a normal person, a good person, will usually feel bad and will feel guilty and blame themselves to some degree when something bad happens and people they care about are hurt, regardless of how big or small they're involvement is, or even if they're not at fault at all, case in point Hunt being wracked with guilt even when it's not his fault.

And to make it worse she acknowledges that Hunt warned them, warned her. But that she disregarded it and would of done it no matter what.

And then she has the audicity to say she doesn't regret it. And she thought they were on the same page. ON THE SAME PAGE!!?? Hunt made it clear in hosab that he didn't want to go down this road again, that he didn't want to get involved. YOU just didn't listen Bryce. And yeah Hunt's an adult, he can make his own decisions and he could of said no and not gone. But of course, OF COURSE!! he wasn't going to let Bryce go down that road alone, because he loves her, and doesn't want anything to happen to her, and wants to protect, so of course he would never desert her. But that doesn't mean he wanted to do it!

For Bryce to be that unaware of Hunt's feelings, when he explicitly stated them. For her to be that disconnected from her mate's feelings that she's surprised that he wasn't really on board is kinda unfathomable to me. Just that complete lack of awareness really does make her look quite selfish/self centered.

Anyway sorry, this post is a mess but I just had to vent

And then when Hunt mentions the consequences he and his friends faced, Bryce makes it about her pain. She's hurt that Hunt mentioned that they suffered. And the worst part is, Hunt then regret's it, he regrets saying something that hurts Bryce, because he cares about her and feelings. And she does not consider his feelings to the same degree

It just pisses me off

[deadmomjokes]

Idk how me, a broad and chubby woman from a long line of broad and chubby women, and my husband, an average-height man from long lines of very tiny women and very average men, managed to produce a child so exceptionally tall, long, & lean that she can't wear store-bought clothes anymore without alteration. Yet here I am, dusting off a sewing machine I barely know how to operate....

[scover-va]

Just realized i forgot to post my design for if po3 made itself a humanoid body

There was gonna be another doodle but it didnt look right so you just get this. But it pulls on an electronic mask for the uberbots + bounty hunters

[freakoutgirl]

sometimes you will want to cry in mundane or unideal situations and that's okay. sometimes you will want to cry even if you don't have a "reason" and that's also okay

[nikialexx]

i think it's really cool how in most fanart i can easily figure out who's dorcas and who's mary even though there's not any canon description of their physical appearance (that i know of) other than 'black'

[gayday]

.

[nerice]

i still wonder what is up with the scarlet aeonia flower in the side chamber before malenia's boss room........ on first playthru i assumed the traveler's set you find there is millicent's and it means that you were too late but millicent is in fact still around. melina is the only other character who wears that set but she's also still alive (unless you burn the erdtree first but i haven't yet so! either way it makes no sense) there's a possibility that the clothes you find are malenia's and this is where she first went into godslumber (second time after unleashing it vs radahn) bc the scarlet aeonia spell tell us it has bloomed twice for malenia alrdy (there's no flower left on radahn/that battlefield but there is one left after you defeat malenia so yk.. possible? it's hard to tell in the statues but the tunic that malenia wears as a child is kind of similar! + the description of 'worn by young women who set off into the world to confront their fate' hhhhn

[yeahivegotanaccount]

Click on pics for translations. Feel free to point out any flaw in writing or drawing.

[thejadecount]

Gravity Falls 2020s AU

Mabel’s Aesthetic

Mabel’s was the hardest to pin down but i think that’s because I genuinely don’t know the names of feminine clothing. Hopefully my notes explain it better.

What was in My Notes:

- Puffy turtleneck sweaters with bishop sleeves

- Off the shoulder sweaters with a noodle strap bra/undershirt

- Bright wardrobe mostly consisting of hot pink, bright yellow, neon blue with accents of black, white and secondary colors.

- Every choker and pair of earrings in existence

- Outgrown hairbands for putting her hair in a bun

- Loves crop top sweatshirts & jean jackets

- Bright colored platform boots and high top vans

- Also loves fishnet undershirts with the long sleeves

-She’s just utterly insane. All the colors. All the aesthetics. There’s nothing and no one to stop her. Color

-Her canon aesthetic but more punk/modern I guess with a little art hoe thrown in