#the land of stumps and dismay

[darks-arts]

You Can Not Kill Yourself, The Stump Is Occupied

[tournamentstuck]

Masterpost

[elvendoodles]

Farran's family branches in many vibrantly creative directions. BIOs under the cut

Sisota Meadowshade: Her resolve is as strong as the structures she designs and builds. Just don't ask her to read the client's instructions... she wouldn't understand them anyway.

Baqir Leafwriter: Baqir has put up his traveler's boots in favor of writing stories based on his travels in Elvendale and lands beyond. Rarely is he ever stumped by a question.

Farran Leafshade: Responsible and organized, Farran is most himself when caring for his house and garden. He is not afraid of getting dirty to make sure things get done.

Parno Leafshade: With fox-like wit Parno has become a favorite teacher at the local schoolhouse. Often seen teaching students or helping her father around the home.

Florance Leafshade: The gold sheep in her family, her lack of magical prowess is a sore spot. At least she has her gossip circle and mushroom garden.

Aicha Leafshade: Often skips school to adventure in the vast forests, finding all sorts of secrets. She knows every hidden cave, grove, and magical creature in the region.

Jeshan Leafshade: Honest to a fault, Jeshan is scandalized if lying is even suggested as an option. He loves learning as much as he can and often has to be torn away from his studies by Aicha, much to his dismay.

[homestuckexamination]

the one thing about the friendsim epilogue that bugs me is that it implies that mspar read homestuck there EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ESTABLISHED IT HAPPENED ON THE LAND OF STUMPS AND DISMAY INSIDE THE COMIC WHICH IS A COMPLETE INCONSISTENCY UNLESS ALL THAT WAS READ WITHIN SCRATCH'S PARLOR WAS THE EPILOGUES ON THEIR OWN

I need you to imagine Scratch decorating the room like the Land of Stumps and Dismay while MSPAR reads.

[triptychgardener]

so basically doc scratch decorated mspar's room like the land of stumps and dismay as well as taking their hoodie out to be washed

Huh.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

16th July >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time 

or

Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 

Tuesday, Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time 

Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: B(II).

First Reading Isaiah 7:1-9 Isaiah tells the king not to fear.

In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Razon the king of Aram went up against Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to lay siege to it; but he was unable to capture it. The news was brought to the House of David. ‘Aram’ they said ‘has reached Ephraim.’ Then the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the wind. The Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go with your son Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the Fuller’s Field road, and say to him:

‘“Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear, do not let your heart sink because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands, or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah have plotted to ruin you, and have said: Let us invade Judah and terrorise it and seize it for ourselves, and set up a king there, the son of Tabeel. The Lord says this: It shall not come true; it shall not be. The capital of Aram is Damascus, the head of Damascus, Razon; the capital of Ephraim, Samaria, the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah. Six or five years more and a shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people. But if you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all.”’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 47(48):2-8

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

The Lord is great and worthy to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy of all the earth.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city! God, in the midst of its citadels, has shown himself its stronghold.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

For the kings assembled together, together they advanced. They saw; at once they were astounded; dismayed, they fled in fear.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

A trembling seized them there, like the pangs of birth. By the east wind you have destroyed the ships of Tarshish.

R/ God upholds his city for ever.

Gospel Acclamation Psalm 118:24

Alleluia, alleluia! Train me, Lord, to observe your law, to keep it with my heart. Alleluia!

Or: Psalm 94:8

Alleluia, alleluia! Harden not your hearts today, but listen to the voice of the Lord. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 11:20-24 It will not go as hard with Sodom on Judgement Day as with you.

Jesus began to reproach the towns in which most of his miracles had been worked, because they refused to repent. ‘Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard on Judgement day with Tyre and Sidon as with you. And as for you, Capernaum, did you want to be exalted as high as heaven? You shall be thrown down to hell. For if the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have been standing yet. And still, I tell you that it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom on Judgement day as with you.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

---------------------------

Our Lady of Mount Carmel 

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Tuesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Zechariah 2:14-17 'I am coming', says the Lord.

Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is the Lord who speaks. Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people. But he will remain among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. But the Lord will hold Judah as his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his very own. Let all mankind be silent before the Lord! For he is awaking and is coming from his holy dwelling.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:46-55

R/ The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or R/ Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.

R/ The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or R/ Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He looks on his servant in her nothingness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed. The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his name!

R/ The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or R/ Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him. He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted.

R/ The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or R/ Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.

R/ The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or R/ Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy, the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his sons for ever.

R/ The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name! or R/ Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.

Gospel Acclamation Luke 11:28

Alleluia, alleluia! Happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Alleluia!

Gospel Matthew 12:46-50 My mother and my brothers are anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Jesus was speaking to the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared; they were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him. But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[thebeckster]

Next chapter of my Hobbit fic is up!

The Desolation

The Company of Thorin Oakenshield search for the hidden door.

Shock and dismay pulled a gasp from Bilbo. She’d never seen a landscape so dead before. Even bare rocky stretches of the Misty Mountains showed more life than the landscape stretched before her. Bilbo couldn’t see a scrap of green, not one patch of grass, no moss or lichen on the stone. The only sign that there may have been trees once was the charred, petrified stumps that were barely distinguishable from the rocks. It may have been because autumn was on its way out, snow already blanketed the mountain, but Bilbo suspected the season was not entirely to blame for the emptiness stretching before them. Seeing her aghast expression, Balin explained in a low voice. “It used to be green lands as far as you could see. The fields, orchards, and pastures of Dale. Flowers as far as the eye could see, even well up the mountain. It used to be a fertile valley. But dragon fire burns all, even rock and soil. This is the desolation of Smaug.” He shook his head and sighed heavily. “I wish you could have seen it, lass. You would have felt right at home.” Bilbo knew Balin’s words were meant to comfort her by conjuring happy memories of home, but all she could imagine was her beloved Shire, burnt and scoured beyond all recognition and hope. The Water lifeless and choked with filth, the sky polluted with smoke, her beloved Hill an ashy lump, with only the charred stump of its beautiful tree remaining. The only comfort she took in that moment was that there was nothing in the Shire a dragon would covet. There was no need for one to come and desolate her home.

[buzzdixonwriter]

The Next Great Awakening

Christian churches in America are imploding because thanks to the Internet, people see through their bullshit.

This is written not from an antagonistic atheist POV -- oh, no, far from it -- but from a believer saddened and dismayed by the pure egregious imbecility / selfishness / bigotry / animosity of far too many of my co-believers.

We sat in silence as charlatans and slickee boiz perverted the gospel, only rarely offering mealy-mouthed critiques of the most egregious offenders.

The price for such cowardice proves dear.

The Internet proves the biggest threat against the religious hucksters because it allows people to compare notes.

Once upon a time if a believer had questions, they’d take it to their pastor, and if the question stumped the pastor, they’d simple smile and say, “God works in mysterious ways,” and change the topic.

Not anymore.

Now people with questions go online looking for answers, and what they found aren’t answers (well, not ///real/// answers; the slickee boiz have a line of patter that can double-talk its way outta anything) but others with questions.

And once those note got compared, the realization came through that most of what passes for religion in modern America -- and yes, I’m including supposedly respectable mainstream denominations here -- is bullshit.

Again, I say this as a believer, one who is sympathetic to most Christians’ -- even the really dumb ones -- desire to live a better life.

Organized religion failed badly in the years leading up to 9 / 11, enjoyed a brief uptick as folks returned to their childhood faiths, then nosedived again when it failed even more badly after that.

It began failing in spectacular fashion during the covid pandemic.

Historically America goes through periods of religious fervors called “great awakenings”, the first from1730-55, the second from 1790-1840, the third from 1855-1930, and the fourth from 1960-1980.

Astute observes will note they coincide with periods of great social stress in America.

They have not been good things, at least not uniformly good.

The first triggered what we call The French And Indian War but what the rest of the planet refers to as The Seven Years War, and that set the great empires of Europe at each others throats and no sooner did that get tamped down than the American and French Revolutions spring up so while a great deal of good came from it, the process getting there was hypocritically bloody.

The second occurred as the nation tried to figure out how to govern itself (realizing in the process that maybe there was something to letting a well-regulated government run things,  getting their asses kicked by the British and Canadians in the War of 1812, and culminating in the rise of a vulgar (in every sense of the word) populist nativist movement that ultimately led to the naked land grab of the Mexican War.

The third ramped up just before the Civil War and defined the terms of “great awakening” once and for all.  For all the pious hypocrisy mouthed from Southern-financed pulpits, the real focus of each great awakening lay in keeping white people -- in particular wealthy white people -- in power.  The longest lived of all the awakenings, it fought tooth and nail even after the defeat of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery to maintain white supremacy, and indelibly marks white evangelism to this day.  It came to an end in the 1930s when it failed the American people and failed them miserably by promoting Prohibition (thus flinging open the doors to widespread corruption and criminality on several orders of magnitude greater than the already endemic corruption and criminality) and choking in the face of the Great Depression by backing the bankers and billionaires instead of starving unemployed workers.

The fourth great awakening featured two main trunks, one a push for social justice in the form of civil rights for all, the other a rigorous rejection of same.  People forget how spiritual the hippie era was, and despite the rise of Eastern religions, neo-paganism, and various oddball cults, it took the Golden Rule / “Love your neighbor” stand quite seriously and sincerely.  The other side told people it was a sin for the government to force white kids to go to school with ///those kind/// and eagerly sought alliances with ultra-right wing reactionaries who wanted to shrink the size of government to the point where covid could drown it in a bathtub. 

Now the charlatans proclaim the fifth great awakening is upon us, and they envision it as a return to “that old time religion” that will keep them and their billionaire buddies in power but I’m not so sure.

There may very well be a great awakening -- indeed, there’s an argument it’s already begun in the form of the New Age movement -- but I don’t think they can muster the numbers to make it a white evangelical dominated one (and if they do, God help us, because the blow back will be spectacular and bloody when it eventually fails).

I think the next great awakening will be in the form of a rejection of dogma and a return to a less narcissistic / more emphatic social norm as found in the Quakers and Shakers and hippies of old.

 © Buzz Dixon

[stocky2016]

"Kuala Legacy"

Standing here in lifeless woods, gaunt and utterly dismayed

a sight I thought I'd never see, our forests totally betrayed

An endless field of stumps and trunks, so empty and so bare,

a broken heart in every tree-stump, a graveyard of despair.

A "cuddly" force with razor claws, devouring every other tree

tearing down trunks and break the bark, to feast upon the leaves

An ancient species come ashore, like Adam from his grave

the kuala bears will never stop, forest leaves stripped, too late to save.

The heat of summer and the cold of night, takes what nature's made,

the veins of life are wasted away, for what debt have we now paid

The choices of man and climate change, the land's resources never saved

the price of arrogance, still remains and has to be paid

A new life from the ashes, can rise up green and proud

strategies of conservation, will determine what we're allowed

The trees will grow again, emerge from the underground

we must learn from out mistakes, fate can be quickly reversed

Mother Nature's dilemma needs more than just a helping hand,

to restore life and confidence in trees raided to the ground

Hope and dedication will hopefully offer some way,

to reclaim the beauty of this place's deity.

Nature's call, is as ever haunting, it's simple message clear,

As it whispers through cold breezes taunting all our ears,

Embrace the resulting peace it can sometimes bring,

and find solace in its beauty for a happier chorus to sing.

Give the trees resurrection and let a new dawn appear

a chance for the land to blossom and grant our spirits cheer

Let's bring nature back to life, and watch her thrive,

and the graveyard of trees will perhaps live, even survive.

Bare and desolate, this forlorn graveyard of trees,

stripped of all life, by the ruthless Kuala bears.

Once majestic and alive, now naked wizened and cold,

the earth cries out for reform and management to behold.

G.P.S. 5th October 2023

Pictures courtesy of Google Images or self owned.

[charliesinfern0]

finally settled on a name for page’s planet!!! it’s Land of Dusk and Storms :)

[loud-whistling-yes]

I've been imagining MSPA Reader playing Hiveswap (as in as a player like how we played it) and boy, they will not be a happy camper

Spoilers in the tags to follow

[darks-only-the-arts]

Ive had this idea in my head for a w h i l e and now ive finally drawn it !

Felt the ending of HSFS warranted another layer added to this panel 

[yandere-toons]

I woke up 5 in the morning to write this

Part 1 of… whatever i can call this

Ok so i haven't completely finished her character yet (she doesn't even have a name) but i have an idea. A little girl by the age of eleven gets forcefully turned into a vampire much to her parents dismay. They try to keep the situation all under wraps but unfortunately things didn't go as planned, the hunger gnaws at her one late evening turning off all her rational thinking and feasts on the neighbors dog. And just as her luck would have it she was spotted by the owner. The next part I'm a little stumped on how it would happen but long story short her parents send her off to Transylvanian in hopes that if the villagers fear her then at least they won't try to kill her.

The rumor of there being another vampire inhabiting Transylvanian has everyone on edge, a stray vampire feeding in another vampire's territory was absurd. Especially when that vampire was feared by all who spoke his name, at least in the village. Igor had caught wind of the gossip and decided to investigate for himself, besides it was his master's domain and it is his duty to exterminate any pests who try to leech off of his land. Though it seems like someone else has beaten Igor to the chase, a very distressed dr. von Goosewing who for ones thinks that maybe even he's not qualified for this situation as he stares into the deep crimson eyes within the darkness of his airship. A short girl with unkempt hair and a ruined dress with mud and dried blood staining its fabric, a vacant look in her hungry eyes. It wouldn't be surprising to think that such creatures didn't have any morals. But the tear stained cheeks told a different story. Besides all that Igor found potential in her, she was young and impressionable, perhaps she is the best catalyst to show his young master what a true vampire is, so he took her in.

Alright now that we've got the backstory settled I'd like to get to some trivial headcanons.

She wears all white lolita outfits or summer clothes with flower patterns on them. She has a red bow around her neck to cover the bite mark because it brings up bad memories.

Although she sometimes thirsts for blood and doesn't want to, she has a substitute for it. I don't know if you know this but it's been detected that coconut water is identical to human blood plasma. So as long as she has it she doesn't need to drink blood anymore much to Igor's dismay.

If she stands out in the brought daylight for too long she can get burnt, so she carries around a parasol with her.

She really likes the sun and wishes to be able to frolic in its glory someday on the flower fields but for the time being she occupies herself with the moonlight. It's oddly calming.

Haven't thought of her species yet but all I can tell you is that she is not a bird (but I would be lying if I didn't say that mentally I imagined her as a shorter and younger version of Snufkin, but like the fan made version where he looks more like a cat).

Her eyes turn a darker and darker shade of red the more angrier she gets.

Out of all of them she is unknowingly the most observant one, but often doesn't intervene in the trouble her friends find themselves in. It's either because she genuinely thought that they were competent enough or it's for her own enjoyment. But when things get irritating is when she puts her foot down.

At first Duckula and her gained a sort of mentor and student relationship that slowly developed into a sibling like relationship.

Que protective big brother Duckula.

You know those videos of children knocking down stuff from the table and laughing maniacally? That's her sometimes.

Is very patient with Nanny but sometimes even she's too much for her to handle.

She used to be afraid of spiders but soon learned that there's worse things to be afraid of, like herself.

She's not a very violent person but can't help but cheer Igor on when he threatens a particularly rude person.

Likes to play tea parties as much as she likes to “decapitate” her plushies or re-enact a particularly brutal scene from a play. Doesn't like being watched however.

After the catastrophe that was the family reunion she prepared her own special “blood” using her coconut water and some red food coloring, and even if she got caught she had a plan. She would tell them that the first time she tried to drink blood she became sick and swore to never drink it again but she just wanted to fit in with her family so much she faked it. Despite the ingenious lies she still has a plan C. If she were to drink blood unknowingly and someone called her out on it, she would tell them that the victims she bit from look awfully sick so that might have been the reason for their bad blood, also she's eleven how was she supposed to know. She's really proud of this plan.

Likes to play with Fluffykins :3

Don Diego mistakes her tinnitus for the same voices he hears.

When Don Diego asked for her name she stammered because at the time she had none and was mostly called Little Lady or other nicknames so he thinks that her name is Em.

Despite Don Diego's pyromaniac tendencies he's her favorite cousin, second would be Rory and then Guillame Bill.

I can imagine all of them playing a chaotic card game, or perhaps even clue.

Don Diego tried to adopt her once he realized that Duckula hadn't, at least not legally with papers and stuff.

She thinks that Goosewing is harmless, for the most part.

Found an old group photo of her with her parents, she then proceeded to crop them out and keep only her, mainly to remember how she looks like because the reflections stopped working. The only indication that there was someone else in the photo with her is the hand on her shoulder.

Does Not like the word “parents” she only associates it with bad things.

You know the book Dracula, yah imagine the story taking place where Duckula resides and the “main character” totally misreading the situation. Mainly because Igor wants to kill him and somehow fails every time subsequently raising the new visitor's suspicion.

Sometimes forgets that she's eleven because of what she's gone through and thinks that she is responsible for things she shouldn't be, Duckula helps her loosen up though.

Y'know because she isn't meant to be resurrected after she turns to dust I can imagine Igor putting her remains in an urn somewhere in the castle maybe with a portrait or a scrapbook of their adventures that 2015 Count Duckula finds later on. And if i'm not mistaken he's extremely lonely so finding out his ancestor had someone kinda makes him angry but also sad, he wondered where all that went and if he could have had something similar.

From dark beginnings to happy endings!

It makes me imagine Good Guy Goosewing secretly having tea parties with the girl, and Duckula competes with him over who has the better teacups.

Also, the line "... it was his master's domain and it is his duty to exterminate any pests who try to leech off of his land" is so eloquent and so Igor.

Don Diego as the favourite cousin and potential adoptive father is so neat!

I like the idea of her wearing summery clothes and carrying a parasol. From a distance, she'd look quite chic!

You're not mistaken. 2015 Duckula is the most lonely Duckula of all.

[homosuckofficial]

The MSPA reader “holding a gun and standing on a tree stump”

( @thetrueburntl request)

[beifongsss]

nightmares [sokka]

Pairing: Sokka x reader (hopefully the tags work this time)

Summary: Another request from an anon. “ your writing is so good aa!! what about having to share a bed w zuko (or sokka tbh i’m a simp for both) for a couple nights bc there weren’t enough beds for everyone and no one else wanted to “. First of all: thank you!! I’m glad you enjoy my writing :) <3. Second of all, the ideas I had for this fic just seemed to work best with Sokka so forgive me for not choosing Zuko.

Also, I apologize if I haven’t gotten to your request. Some of them really stump me and I have trouble with planning out a fic so some of them might be done in bullet format instead of a fic.

Note!! Suki and Sokka didn’t happen!! pls i’m sorry.

masterlist.

~

It had been Aang’s idea to go back to Ember Island to celebrate Zuko’s coronation. Zuko, although hesitant, eventually agreed. The royal family’s beach house stood empty and Zuko was finally ready to go back, finally being part of a happy family once more.

It was a larger group than originally anticipated. You had accidentally let it slip to Suki, who then let it slip to Ty Lee, who then informed Mai. The beach house seemed too crowded, not that anyone minded. The only issue was that there weren’t enough rooms to house everyone, even with Zuko and Mai sharing a room already.

The ones who were left didn’t want to share a room, claiming that it was supposed to be a relaxing getaway and that sharing a room with someone wouldn’t exactly be relaxing.

“Alright, alright,” Aang had finally said, his Avatar peacemaking skills coming out. “Look, there’s not enough rooms for everyone to have their own so two of us will need to double up.”

Grumbles spread throughout the group as Aang’s words settled in.

“Listen,” Zuko said. “Whoever chooses to double up can have the master bedroom. Trust me, that bed is big enough to share without ever touching each other.”

“C’mon everyone,” Katara said, picking up a hat. “Write your names on a piece of paper, put them in here, and then Zuko will choose.”

Everyone did as told, crossing their fingers and holding their breaths as Zuko moved his hand around, shuffling the papers before picking one out.

“Okay the first person is,” Zuko began, unfolding the paper. “(Y/N)!”

You huffed silently, crossing your arms and ignoring the relieved sighs of everyone else.

“Don’t celebrate yet, there’s still one person left to choose,” Zuko said, rummaging around the hat again. Everyone went silent once again, waiting with baited breath as the prince Fire Lord plucked another piece of paper out of the hat. A large smirk spread across his face as he silently read the name. Looking up, he made eye contact with the water tribe boy, aiming a teasing glance at him. “The second person is Sokka.”

The group went wild, but not in celebration. Everyone knew about the feelings that the water tribe boy had for you, and everyone knew that you liked him as well. Everyone, that is, except for the two of you. You both remained oblivious to the way the other felt, causing everyone else to feel frustration whenever the two of you interacted.

“Alright,” Katara said clapping her hands to get everybody’s attention. “Let’s go get settled in and meet at the beach in thirty minutes.”

Everyone made their way to their respective rooms and you found yourself following Sokka as he entered the master bedroom. You looked around the room, gazing at the decor and the large window. There was a balcony outside, giving a clear view of the beach. The bed was pushed against a wall, a fluffy loveseat off to the side and a dresser pushed up against another wall.

“I can uh, I can take the couch,” Sokka’s said, drawing your attention back to him. He was standing in the middle of the room, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided your gaze.

You glanced at the bed. Zuko hadn’t been lying, it was ridiculously large. Breathing in, you turned back to Sokka. “N-No. It’s okay we can share the bed.”

Sokka’s eyes widened, causing you to backtrack. “Unless you don’t w-want to. That’s-”

“No!” Sokka yelled, a little too loud. He quickly cleared his throat. “No. We can share. I don’t mind.”

You nodded silently, face burning in embarrassment before grabbing your swimsuit and heading into the bathroom to change. Once you were gone, Sokka sat on the bed, burying his face in his hands as he wondered just how he was going to survive these next few days sleeping in the same bed as you.

~

The rest of the day passed normally. You had helped Aang and Toph build a sand Appa, gone surfing with Katara, and even learned a few tricks from Ty Lee.

It was nice to have everyone together, especially now that they didn’t have to worry about the war. Now they had the opportunity to be normal teenagers; well as normal as one could be when Zuko was the Fire Lord and Aang was the avatar. You had gone to a local restaurant for dinner, enjoying each other’s company as you teased and told jokes.

After dinner you had gone to see a play, much to Zuko’s dismay. The Ember Island Players hadn’t gotten any better since the last time you had seen them, causing you all to leave the play early, instead choosing to head to the bustling streets. There was a festival going on, music playing and fireworks blasting as you walked through the town.

A performer jumped out at you, causing you to yelp and grab the hand closest to you. An upward glance told you that it was Sokka who you had grabbed onto. You blushed furiously, smiling softly when you felt his hand tighten around yours. You spent the rest of the night hand in hand, pretending not to notice the teasing glances from Katara and the knowing smirks from Toph.

When you finally got back to the beach house, it was late. Everyone mumbled their good nights and went straight to bed, too exhausted to stay up any later. You collapsed into bed after taking a shower, snuggling into the pillows. You opened one eye when you heard the bathroom door open, humming as you saw Sokka standing at the foot of the bed awkwardly.

“Hurry up and put out the lights,” you mumble keeping your eyes closed as you buried yourself under the covers. Sokka fidgeted and put his hair down before crawling onto the bed, lying down stiffly and putting out the candles at the bedside. You snorted as you shifted, noticing that Sokka was anything but relaxed. “Just go to sleep Sokka. It’s not like I’m gonna bite.”

Sokka blushed at your words before turning onto his side, trying to ignore your body heat as he drifted off to sleep.

~

It was the middle of the night when you landed on the ground with a dull thud. Sitting up, you looked over to the best, glaring at the water tribe boy when you noticed him lying spread eagle on the bed. He had unintentionally kicked you off the bed as he slept. Shaking your head, you took one of the blankets and made your way over to the couch, silently thanking the royal family for choosing comfy furniture.

It was half past dawn when Sokka was woken up by you shuffling around the room. Groaning, he sat up, running a hand through his hair before halfheartedly shooting you a glare. “Why are you up so early?”

You jumped slightly when you heard his voice before whirling around, ready to give him hell for kicking you off the bed. Your angry words were cut short however, when you noticed Sokka’s hair was down. You felt a blush rise to your cheeks before turning back around. You had always thought that Sokka was attractive, but something about him with his hair down always got you extremely flustered.

“You kicked me off the bed last night,” you replied flatly, picking up your hairbrush before taking on a teasing tone. “If you didn’t wanna share a bed you should’ve just said so.”

“I-I, no that’s n-not it,” Sokka stuttered, jumping out of bed.

“I’m joking,” you said, turning back around and flashing him a small smile. “Just...try not to kick me tonight okay?”

Sokka silently nodded his head, a sheepish expression on his face as he began to get ready for the day.

~

The second night came quicker than you anticipated. Ty Lee had proposed a girl’s day and had planned out so many activities that all you wanted to do by the end of the day was sleep. Luckily, you had gotten back before Sokka allowing you to shower and get ready for bed with no distractions.

By the time Sokka had walked in, the candles had been blown out. He smiled softly as he noticed your sleeping figure before showering as well and settling into bed.

Sokka was in the state between being awake and asleep, lying blissfully as he relaxed, when he was woken up by soft whimpers. Looking over to you, he frowned as he noticed a distressed expression on your face, tears beginning to stream down your face. You were having a nightmare.

“(Y/N)?” he whispered softly, not wanting to wake you up harshly. You didn’t respond to his voice, instead flinching in your sleep. Sokka hesitantly reached out to you, laying a hand on your shoulder to try and gently shake you awake. At his touch, you stopped moving, leaning into him. Sokka held his breath as you rolled over, moving closer to him in your sleep. Sighing softly, you nestled your head onto his chest, your scared whimpers subsiding as you relaxed against him. Carefully, Sokka wrapped his arms around you, bringing you closer to him.

Your breathing evened out once more as you fell into a deep sleep, no longer being plagued by nightmares. Sokka couldn’t help but stare at you in his arms, wondering how someone could be so beautiful. His heart raced as he held you and he found himself pressing a kiss to your forehead before drifting off to sleep as well.

~ The next morning you woke up because of the sunlight coming in through the window and proceeded to snuggle deeper into your pillow to avoid it.

“Good morning,” you heard Sokka chuckle, causing your head to shoot up from what you now knew was his chest, not your pillow.

“S-Sokka!” you exclaimed, trying to pull away from him. “W-What?”

“You were having nightmares,” Sokka mumbled, still half asleep. “You rolled onto me and this seemed to calm you down so I went along with it. Now shush and let me go back to sleep. In case you forgot, you woke me up early yesterday.”

You swallowed as Sokka shifted, blocking the sun for you and still holding you close. His soft snores filled your ears as you thought back to the previous night, realizing he was right after remembering your nightmares. Trying to calm your racing heart, you took another look at him before snuggling into his chest and drifting back off to sleep.

When you woke up again, Sokka was gone. A part of you was glad, knowing that you weren’t fully ready to face him after the previous night. You stepped into the dining room, being greeted by everyone smiling at you. Greeting everyone back, you made your way over to the table, taking a seat next to Aang. Looking up, you made eye contact with Sokka, causing the two of you to look away from each other immediately, blushes on your face. You took a sip of tea.

“So anything interesting happen last night?” Zuko asked, causing you to choke on your tea. You received a few weird glances. You shook your head as others replied.

“What about you Sokka?” Zuko questioned once more, noticing that Sokka was abnormally silent. Sokka glanced at you, his face softening slightly before turning back to the Fire Lord.

“Nope. Nothing at all,” he replied.

“Then why is your heart racing?” Toph asked, an innocent look on her face. Sokka’s face heated up as he shot her a glare (not that she could see it) and kicked her underneath the table, causing her to release a low hiss before kicking back. Your face went even redder, causing Mai to speak up.

“Is it hot in here (Y/N)?” she questioned, exchanging a knowing glance with Zuko.

“N-No,” you replied, looking up at her. “Why?”

Mai picked up her cup of tea, taking a sip before putting it back down, a smirk on her face. “Oh no reason, you just seem a little flushed.”

The rest of your day proceeded normally, with the exception of a few comments made to either you or Sokka, which usually ended with the two of you looking like a bright red mess.

~

That night, both you and Sokka lied wide awake next to each other. Sleep had been evading the two of you, yet neither one of you had acknowledged it.

It wasn’t until Sokka turned onto his side, facing you, that the silence was broken.

“(Y/N)?” the blue-eyed boy questioned, causing you to turn and face him. You stared at him for a moment, noticing the way his hair fell over his eyes and how his eyes seemed to shine brightly even though it was dark. You didn’t say anything, merely humming in reply to tell him that you had heard him. “What was your nightmare about?”

You hesitated slightly before answering, something that Sokka noticed.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for asking.”

“No,” you replied immediately. “It’s okay. It’s just, it’s not really something I like to think about.”

Sokka nodded in understanding as you breathed in deeply.

“In my nightmare,” you began, looking away from him. “We’re aboard the Fire Nation’s airship fleet. Everything is going as planned until it’s not. Suddenly there we are, separated from Suki and Toph and you’re hanging on to the railing of the ship. I keep trying to get to you but there’s just so much fire and debris and I can’t reach you until all of a sudden I can. But when I reach you, you’re gone. You’re gone and Suki and Toph are crying and I’m crying because I wasn’t strong enough to save you.”

“Y-Your nightmares are about me?” Sokka asked, staring at you with a look that can only be described as a mix between sadness and astonishment. You nodded, still not meeting his eyes. “Why?”

“Because I’m afraid of losing you,” you whispered back, finally looking at him. “Because losing you was the only thing that was on my mind when we were taking down the airship fleet even though destroying the ships was supposed to be our priority.”

“But why?” Sokka asked, still not understanding what you were talking about. “Zuko was out there fighting his crazy sister! I think that’s a little more daunting than taking down a few airships.”

“But I don’t love Zuko,” you said, effectively shutting him up.

Sokka’s eyes went as wide as saucers as he took in your words. “You mean...you l-love me?”

You nodded your head, holding your breath as you realized that you had just confessed your feelings.

“I love you too,” came Sokka’s quiet reply, a blush overtaking his features as he smiled at you. Now it was your turn to look at him in shock. “I have ever since you told me off for being a hotheaded, sexist jerk.”

You chuckled as you remembered that argument. He had made a comment about you and Katara being girls and you had gotten upset, resulting in you insulting him. By the time you were done with him, he had been looking at you in a way you couldn’t really describe until right now. He had been lovestruck.

“I can’t believe it took you this long to confess,” you teased

“Can you blame me?” he retorted. “You’re pretty intimidating when you want to be!”

You chuckled before shifting closer to him. You grew quiet before speaking. “You know, last night was the first night that my nightmares didn’t keep me up all night.”

“If you wanted to cuddle with me you could’ve just asked,” Sokka replied, smiling smugly as he wrapped his arms around you. You rolled your eyes before tangling your legs with his. “I’ll keep you safe from your nightmares.”

You smiled softly before looking up at him, being taken by surprise when you noticed him already looking at you.

“C-Can I kiss you?” he asked quietly.

You nodded wordlessly, closing your eyes when you felt Sokka’s lips brush yours. You shuddered slightly before leaning up and fully pressing your lips to his. His arms tightened around you as he kissed you, and yours wrapped themselves around his neck. You pulled away, meeting Sokka’s eyes as he smiled down at you. Silently, he pressed another kiss to your forehead before resting his chin on your head.

The two of you drifted off into the most peaceful sleep either one of you had had since the end of the war.

~

Sokka woke up grumpily the next morning, reaching out for you when he realized you were no longer wrapped up in his arms. Letting out a low whine, he sat up, realizing that you were gone. He quickly changed into his day clothes, too lazy to tie his hair up before heading downstairs. He entered the dining room groggily, rubbing at his eyes before making his way over to you, leaning down and pressing a kiss to your lips.

You melted into the kiss, only pulling away when Katara dropped her fork.

“When did this happen?” she asked, eyes wide as she looked between you and her brother.

Finally wide awake, Sokka looked at everyone with an embarrassed expression. He looked at you in a panic before answering. “Last night.”

“You guys really just had to confess last night, didn’t you?” Toph groaned, pulling out a handful of coins and handing them to Zuko.

Everyone else grumbled as they handed Zuko their coins as well. You sat there gaping at them, before scoffing in exasperation. “I can’t believe you guys placed bets on us?”

“I can’t believe Zuko won,” Aang muttered, looking at the Fire Lord before looking back down on his plate.

“It wasn’t that hard. I said you’d confess in the bedroom,” Zuko said, a smirk on his face as he made eye contact with you. “The best part was pretending that the second name that came out of the hat was Sokka’s.”

The room exploded into chaos at Zuko’s words, with Toph shouting all kinds of insults at the Fire Lord as she realized that he had rigged the bet to work out in his favor. 

You and Sokka sat silently as you watched everyone argue.

“Y’know what?” Sokka asked, putting his arm around you. “I can’t say I’m mad about what Zuko did.”

Looking up at Sokka, you smiled before pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Me neither.”

~ ahahahaa i hope this is good and i hope you like it and it turned out completely different than what i originally had planned and i hope the tags work this time.

[shatouto]

I.Raised as sith Anakin au asdfghjkl I actually cried at some parts when obiwan was treating his injuries. T-T “I always looked at you like this… should I not?” …. My poor (criminal) child has a lot to learn. I wanna go down the angst road but I’ll never find my way back so let me just go the opposite direction because I feel like ani will short circuit everytime obiwan shows him any positive reaction/emotion that he can’t recognize...

aaaAAHH thank you SO MUCH for these asks, i am so so so happy that you like this super self-indulgent au (at least on my side). writing a very needie babie woobie ex-sith anakin is one of my biggest guilty pleasures, so i am always super grateful when people join in. i LOVE anakin and ahsoka bonding with that sibling rivalry. im not super good with ahsoka so i’ll probably leave that to @obiwanobi; for the time being i will go feral over the idea of anakin not knowing how to read ;;O;;

lost lonely loth-wolf

It’s not just boredom that scratches at Anakin’s bones from the inside; it’s idleness. Under Darth Sidious’s care (for want of a better word), he must always make himself useful, be it training or killing. No waking moment should be wasted; he should spend every of them on bettering himself in combat and commanding. He must always convince his Master not to doubt his worth, lest he be cast back into slavery again. Idleness is but the short-lived quiet before storm.

Having nothing to do makes his old scars ache.

It borders on astonishing him how the Jedi can afford themselves so many luxuries. Music halls, corridor murals, gardens, so many gardens. Not that he has seen all of them; he only saw glimpses from under his hood, whenever Obi-Wan takes him by the hand and walks him through the Temple to get to the hangar, for their nightly trips in the park. He’s no stranger odious displays of wealth, but the Temple is not odious, and that is hardly wealth. Everything looks simple and… soothing, somehow. The Jedi seems not wealthy, but rich.

The thing they are the richest with, is books. Loads and loads of them, along with datatapes and datacards. Anakin hasn’t been to the Archives, but he has heard the apprentice (Ahsoka, she has a name) talking about it. There are datatapes in Obi-Wan’s quarters as well. Obi-Wan can often be found poring over his datapad with one of those tapes plugged in, quiet and serene and glowing at the edges, backlit by the late orange sun. There’s always a lock of hair falling over his forehead. Anakin can’t recall how many times he has had to stop himself from reaching over to brush it back in place.

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan’s voice stirs him out of his reverie. Their eyes meet, and Obi-Wan smiles a little. Anakin’s face heats up, which he promptly ignores. “What are you looking at?”

You, the true answer. Obi-Wan did tell him not to stare, though, so Anakin shrugs and drops his gaze to the glowing device on Obi-Wan’s lap. Obi-Wan, in turn, rests a warm hand on his shoulder.

“You can read anything on those shelves, you know.” He gestures towards the bookcase in the living room. “They’re all my favorite novels. The bottom shelf is younglings’ stories, and I still enjoy them greatly. Ahsoka leaves her comics lying around often, in which case you are perfectly in the right to read them as well. Force knows how many times I have told her to tidy—”

“I hate reading.”

Silence shatters upon them. Anakin scowls deeply, biting the inside of his cheeks. Books are written to corrupt you with lies. The majority of them are but garbage. There’s no need to busy yourself with those things, no need to wade through messy pages of drivels composed by Force-blind loudmouths, when your Master can dispense true wisdom to you. Your Master has great plans for you, so great that you needn’t burden your mind with trivia. So Anakin doesn’t read.

Nobody ever taught him to.

Obi-Wan gives a dismayed little “Oh.” Anakin rises to his feet and escapes to the fresher, as reluctant as he is to leave his warmed seat.

He shouldn’t have said that. At least not in that harsh manner. Night after night Anakin can’t sleep without seeing Obi-Wan’s face: his upturned brows, his downturned lips, his eyes wide in surprise. They never truly speak of it again, because that is how Obi-Wan is: if Anakin refuses something, Obi-Wan will simply let him be.

Obi-Wan leaves on a mission once more. Day after day Anakin passes by the bookcase in the living room, eyes sweeping over the datapads, fingers itching to pull one out - just to look at the pictures if there are any. He could now, right? There are no eyes looking over his shoulders anymore. No Master to sneer at him, call him a silly boy, and order him to go to meditate in the Sphere.

It takes Anakin another day to make up his mind. He picks a nice moment into the evening, after he has had his one meal of the day (the way he eats when he is alone), and crouches before the bookcase. He could have taken one of Ahsoka’s comics, but his eyes keep getting drawn towards the bottom shelf. Younglings’ stories, Obi-Wan said.

Anakin plucks out a datatape with a lilac casing, and takes the datapad left free for use on the other end of the shelf. He settles on the couch, something like excitement brewing in his belly as he plugs the tape into the datapad. The screen lights up in its familiar cyan glow. The cover page is a beautifully drawn illustration of a Loth-wolf under a great tree. He taps through the pages until he reaches the other illustrations. The Loth-wolf is depicted in various sceneries: in its den, between the trees, atop a boulder, under the starlight, and there never seems to be any other being around, beast or sentient. It feels wrong to him, so he keeps tapping to go through the pages. There has to be at least a scene where the Loth-wolf is with its pack, doesn’t it?

The main door slides open, and Anakin almost drops the datapad. He snaps his gaze up to find Obi-Wan staring back at him. Whatever expression Obi-Wan is wearing, Anakin can’t afford to study it for so long. He rises to his feet, fumbling to unplug the datatape from the device with just one hand and the Force.

“Oh, is this The Lonely Lost Loth-wolf?” Obi-Wan says with utter delight, his hand gently covering Anakin’s. “I hope you’ve been enjoying it, Anakin. This is one of my most-read books yet.”

“I…” Anakin struggles. He’s hot in the face and tongue-tied and his eyes flit over their nearly entwined hands in the bluish light from the screen. He dreads the moment Obi-Wan asks, I thought you didn’t like to read? - something he’s bound to do. Mockingly, maybe. The truth perches on the tip of Anakin’s tongue; what would Obi-Wan think of him if he says it? Even younglings a quarter of his age know how to read.

But Obi-Wan asks no such thing.

“What a strange coincidence; I’ve been meaning to reread this story,” the Jedi Master tells him with a gentle smile. “I would be loath to fight you for the datatape, though. I think we’ve had enough of fighting for a lifetime.” Humor twinkles in his eyes, and Anakin blinks, stumped. “So how about we share this?”

“Uh… Yes?” Anakin lets go of the datapad, now that Obi-Wan has a hold on it. “How?”

“Well, I would like to read to you, if that’s alright with you.” Obi-Wan squeezes his hand lightly. “I do prefer to take it from the beginning - it’s been a while since I read this last - unless you…”

“No,” Anakin says immediately. “I—Yes. Yes, I… want to hear it from the beginning.”

Obi-Wan changes into something soft, and insists Anakin settle in bed for comfort, just for the night. (To be truthful, Anakin would settle in bed with him every night if he could bring himself to.) It’s reminiscent of his first night here, only with a lot less blood and a lot more tenderness.

There was a time when Lothal was made of forests. There were more beasts than men, and among the beasts, the wolves were the strongest, wisest, most respected of them all. There were two Loth-wolf clans: the blue-eyed, and the golden-eyed. They did not always like each other. On the night the first daughter of the blue-eyed clan was born, the golden-eyed wolves hatched a plan…

Obi-Wan’s voice pours like velvet, smooth and warm with the occasional sparkles in his melodic lilts. Anakin’s eyes droop; he strains to open them as the kidnapped Loth-wolf princess begins her journey to travel back from the swamp land, to find her family and restore peace in the realm. At some point, he finds great, pooling-blue eyes looking down at him, and ashen fur with markings like the stars. A calloused hand runs through his hair.

The stars blink at him, and Anakin smiles as he drifts into the softest darkness.