#this is literally the first time anyone has heard him sing btw. not just the viewers but also the other trainees + the host panel

[arosebyan0thername]

If there are a million Reeve Carney as Orpheus fans in the world, I am one of them. If there are only two Reeve Carney as Orpheus fans in the world, I am one of them (Eva Noblezada is the other). If there are no Reeve Carney as Orpheus fans in the world, Eva Noblezada and I are dead 😔

[sanstropfremir]

speaking of idols doing gay shit, please watch jooan pull moves on sungkyu

[eteisvalssi]

gig report london 11.4.2024

now that i'm back home and stuck inside for a couple of days bc of bovid, i can finally finish my gig report from london! it's gonna be a long one 😅

i won't be getting too much into how i traveled to london bc the story is long, but let's just say that i would arrange it differently now that i experienced it

in london i met up with @joyuntold, who was my roommate for the two nights! kiitos for letting me tag along with you <3 we had so much fun just yapping the night before the concert that i almost forgot how tired i was at that point 😂

i hadn't slept in well over 24 hours so i went to sleep at 8pm local time and had a good night's sleep before going queueing so that i could stay there for the whole day after i'd gotten my number

the queue had already started the day before because of a misunderstanding and it being posted on social media, which caused the word to spread and suddenly everyone was getting their numbers and just going away for several hours. can we please just not do this?

i did have a fun time in the queue though! there were a lot of familiar faces but i just got really shy with my english for some reason and felt very awkward not talking, so i hung out with my finns a lot during the day

but everyone i talked to that day like overall was just super nice once again! i met and talked to a few mutuals too!

the first band member we saw was jure, he walked past the queue and we all just said hi to him

jan and nace came to the venue together shortly after. i waved at them and nace waved back :)

i didn't see the other band members come to the venue but we did see the family guštin walk by a couple of times

the ee line worked so well, we formed the number queue ourselves and the crowd management worked really well for us. there were multiple lines formed for every type of ticket, but i heard that the ga line was not as successful

i had already lost my hope for barricade on jan and nace's side with how many people there were in the queue before me, but i literally got the perfect spot on the barricade and didn't even have to run for it!

when we got inside i had already completely forgotten about the soundcheck so i was actually surprised when they came on stage 😅 they played astp and proti toku

roots & wings were fun, they were just trying really hard and that was kinda adorable :)

elle coves was amazing! hadn't listened to her songs at all beforehand but i really enjoyed it!

they played the gola setlist and i do get why it's their favorite one

kris especially was on fire during the gig!! idk if it was because his family was there but he gave his everything on stage

we got the demoni scream!!!

also idk what was in padam that night but bojan was really living it and i really felt it and got literal goosebumps

i remember there being a moment when i was like the jance shippers are gonna eat this one up, but i'm too feverish to remember what it was rn

we had a surprise guest on stage! louie starkey, grandson of ringo starr, came on stage during umazane misli and did his own solo.

a finnish translation of umazane misli was also sung that night by yours truly <3 i have no memory from that moment but i just saw a video of it and bojan showed a thumbs up to the band when i started singing 😂 btw if anyone else has any footage from that moment, i would love to see more!

we were like there's no way they're not gonna play ssol and were kinda shocked that it was not on the setlist, but of course they came to play it as an extra encore

after the gig i stayed at the barricade and kiki came over to give the setlists and i got one <3 that was the first time i'd even tried to get one so i was kinda surprised to get it, but it's now on the wall next to my photos i got printed :)

when we went outside there were a lot of people waiting and bojan did come to greet us quickly and take the picture he posted on instagram

i waited for a while but my feet were hurting so much from standing all day that i called it a day just a bit too early and just went to the hotel

the next day i found out that if i'd literally walked back towards the venue with the others instead of leaving to the hotel i would've met some of them 😅

my next two days were spent exploring london, we went to camden town with a friend i'd met before at a gig but we only got to know each other in london! and on saturday i was on a bus on my way to london and it was a sunny day and suddenly sunny side of london started playing from my playlist and that felt so good

overall it was a very fun experience! i got to meet so many cool people, i saw my favorite band yet again, i sung in finnish at fucking shepherd's bush empire, i basically traveled solo for the first time and it went very well. i'm really glad i decided to go :)

also i joked about getting bovid from the gig when i was feeling kinda stuffy and tired yesterday and today i tested positive with covid 🤠

[fallenclan]

okay, I have a few songs in mind for that Otterslip pmv! Just to let you know what to expect between all of these :) Give me your thoughts on these songs, I love these all dearly and really want to create something with all of these.

Toba the Tura by Forgiven Durden

Introduction to the Show by ミラクルミュージカル (Miracle Musical)

Alternatively, I use the Hawaii Part II Part II demo for Introduction to the Show because that version goes so hard. 10/10 demos. The piano is so crisp.

Time Machine by ミラクルミュージカル (Miracle Musical)

I will be using either the 1st or 2nd demo if I decide to do this song. The polished version on the official record won't do for Otterslip.

The Rockrose and The Thistle by The Amazing Devil

Worms by Viagra Boys

Poplar St by Glass Animals

I'd have to do this one carefully. Might have to edit my own version of the song for the pmv

I will be watching this post, so if anyone has more ideas.... then please share them in the replies or smth :)

-🎲

YOUR MUSIC TASTE IS SO GOOD. all of these songs are fantastic and they fit Otterslip so well,,, i've listened to almost all of them before but i still had to make myself a little playlist to refresh my memory and listen to them with the context of Otterslip in mind. devastating btw, in the best possible way. putting my thoughts below the cut bc they might get a little long!

Toba the Tura:

SUCH a good song. especially for Otterslip. a few lyrics that really stood out to me.

THE LAST ONE ESPECIALLY. that whole ending monologue just SCREAMS Otterslip. the girl he loved vacating to a new place? his daughter dying and going to the afterlife. a mountainous wall of stone to separate themselves from him??? its. a fucking mountain. they live in a mountain. theirs would be the light, his would be the dark. oughghghghg sobs and wails and cries forever

Introduction to the Snow:

what if i cried. man this song is so fucking SAD. and also not in a way. would work fantastic if one wanted to do a really lonesome depressing take on Otterslip's exile. im picturing an animatic with very few pov changes, just Otterslip maybe watching the stars or traveling through the outside of Fallenclan's territory, up until "you'll live forever tonight" and the piano afterwards, then i'm seeing lots of glimpses of his past life in Fallenclan, and the events leading up to Stormsight's death. ougghh

Time Machine:

GOD THIS WORKS SO WELL WITH HIS EXILE. "you'll have enough time to spend some time alone" HES LITERALLY ALONE. dice anon youre going to turn me into an Otterslip apologist. hes literally leaving today

The Rockrose and the Thistle:

jaw drop. a friend of mine introduced me to this band a while back but HOW HAVE I NOT HEARD THIS ONE. this song fits Otterslip so good its crazy. here's a couple lyrics that stick out to me

i'm definitely seeing some hints of Grassroot in this song. maybe he's singing it to her, maybe she's singing it to him, idk but shes There. ouches

Worms:

i've never heard this song OR this band before and it fucking RULES so first off thanks for pointing me in that direction. second OUGH i can see the Otterslip here. no lyrics in particular stand out to me but the Vibes... man the vibes they fit so well. i can see him singing this to Stormsight, esp since the "the same worms that eat me will one day eat you too" has such a threatening sound to it,,

Poplar St:

MY HEART. god this is so good and it works so well. again no lyrics really stick out to me in particular but MAN. the stress on "free falling love addict" is getting to me. considering Stormsight fell to his death. ouch.

conclusion! these are all fantastic song choices and you are a fucking genius. i'm almost temped to something with Toba the Tura myself, except i know I'd never finish it lmao. and as a side note, if you've never heard the Chonny Jash covers of a lot of Miracle Musical songs i would highly recommend. they aren't for everyone but personally I like them better than some of the originals, even.

and back to the topic of Otterslip: here's all the songs I have on his playlist at the moment (though i will be adding. probably all of the ones youve suggested.) in case you wanted more inspiration or simply some good tunes to listen to.

ty for your wonderful ask!!! you have given me much to think about...

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

No Place In Heaven (MIKA)

For every love I had to hide/And every tear I ever cried/I’m down on my knees/I’m begging You, please-/There’s no place in Heaven for someone like me/Won’t You open the door and try me once more?/Cause there’s no place in Heaven for someone like me./There’s no place in Heaven.

“Ugh horrible I am literally crying while typing those lyrics ho1w embarrassing. My Diocese voted five years ago to acknowledge the status of and bless same-sex marriages. I’ve been a Christian my whole life and am heavily involved in service roles in the church, and our vicar at the time was a colossal homophobe. He was so ghastly about the whole thing that even congregants who were uncomfortable with same-sex marriage thought he handled it poorly. I’m very queer, but unintentionally very stealth about it, and I got engaged to my partner during all this: despite him also being queer we’re a straight passing relationship, and I had to sit with the discomfort of the fact that people were ~thrilled~ for us... because we looked right. But by everything we were being lectured on at the time (and said vicar’s rhetoric was honestly that of an aspiring cult leader) our relationship was wrong even as it stood, let alone if we’d been the same gender (which is something we’ve discussed a lot both because of my own loose relationship with gender and because his prenatal scans were misinterpreted and his parents were told he was girl). And knowing that people weren’t happy for *us*, they were happy for what they thought we represented made us gag. But we couldn’t say anything openly because the vicar was stomping on open dissent to his views (despite the fact that the WIDER church DID disagree with him). I heard this song for the first time during that. I don’t even remember where. But it was SO cathartic to sing along to, and I actually don’t cry easily but this song let me get so many of those ugly tears out. The story has a relatively happy ending btw: same-sex marriages CAN be blessed, that vicar threw a tantrum, left and DID set up his own cult, and we now have a priest who is a lot more compassionate and accepting and is actively working to heal the pain and mistrust the first guy caused.”

Poll Runner: So many of you have left beautiful, personal descriptions of these songs and how much they mean to you, and honestly I love them all, but this one is honest to god my favourite. It’s just so raw and real and made me feel so many feelings (I’m queer and grew up in a fairly homophobic community). The submitter didn’t want their url on the poll post for privacy reasons, but they told me that if anyone reading this wants to reach out to them over being a queer Christian, then they can message me (the poll runner) to get their url.

A Boy And His Frog (Tom Smith)

What can I say without you there to guide me?/How else am I supposed to give?/How can I sing without you there beside me?/How else am I supposed to live/You could never just do the expected/I was just an idea in a bog/But you sewed up your dream and we made quite a team/Jim and Kermit, a boy and his frog

“Tender, Muppet-y devastation.”

Poll Runner: No celebrity death has fucked me up as badly as Jim Henson’s, and I wasn’t even alive for it.

A Boy and His Frog submitted by @sub-ignis

[girlwithwolftatoo]

Helllllooooo can I make a hc of how the boys react with reader having nightmares? I get some pretty horrific nightmares after SA trauma and I gotta deal with them alone every night….

Been there for mental health issues too, I hope you can find a way to get a better sleeptime <3

Moon boys + reader having nightmares

Jake Lockley:

*He's a night owl, prefers night to do his tasks, and taking an eye on you is one of them.

*The first time you woke up after a very bad dream, Jake helped you calm down with some sort of success, telling you the usual "it's jsut a dream" "everything's fine" and stuff, patting your head until you go back to bed.

*But since nightmares keep haunting you, he learns to develop some manners to help you deal with that. His fave form is cuddling with you until you fall asleep, as if he's sure your mind will remember he's near and there's nothing to be affraid of 'cause he's taking care of you.

*Hey may take you to a night walk by the city. Yeah, there's real danger outside but he can literally beat the shit out of them, and the walking can last until you have the need of sleep.

*I've mentioned Jake likes music, so don't be surprised if he sings to you in his calmed voice for you to rest (it'd be something like this )

Steven Grant:

*Our softest boi knows about nightmares and how they can be devastating, so after he witnesses you in a middle of a crisis, he's ready to enter in action.

*Asks for permission to download some sleeptime apps in your phone and explain to you how to use them.

*Places comfy blankets and, if you don't have one, buys a plushie you can hold onto while sleeping. "I heard it helps increase the serotonine in the brain... or was it dopamine? Lemme check out but yes, it helps"

*Is a Taweret plushie BTW

*He doesn't have a problem if you wake him up anytime a nightmare taunts you. Once you grab his arm and call his name, he'll ask you what's wrong and spend all the time you need to calm down, talk about your dreams if you feel comfy about it, and will kiss and caress your face until you can sleep again.

Marc Spector:

*He has tried to shush away his pain for a long, and recognize the symptoms of someone who's having heavy tr*uma issues. He'll go straight and ask about it, just to be sure.

*His pursuit is that people around him has a good life (like he told Steven) and will make sure you, his most important being, doesn't have to pass through a living hell alone.

*Will encourage you to search for profesional help and go with you at sessions if you're up to. Marc knows better than anyone the consequences nightmares can bring upon people.

*Gives you soft rubbing on the back and shoulders after a nightmare. "Hear me, you're safe here, okay? You're safe, nobody's gonna hurt you, I'm here"

*Will try to distract you if you want to, having a small chat or watching movies or, why not, making out without going further.

[thisplacehasbecomemytomb]

What if The Love You Want is not Vessel loving Sleep but it not being reciprocated but instead Vessel singing about his lover that he killed, metaphorically or literally, and how he feels remorse for his actions and because of that pain he turns to Sleep to allieviate the pain of his past? (btw this is my first time posting something like this, sorry if it's bad)

The lyrics at a surface level sound like they would be about Vessel talking about Sleep, but when you look at the music video it puts tbe lyrics into a different context. For me it feels like he's exploring his memories, and that the forest is just a visualisation of it. He walks through the forest varily, as if scared to live through the memories again. Maybe he is starting to question his relationship with Sleep (this will make sense later). He makes hiw way through the forest, and on the second chorus we meet the dancers, which I believe to be a manifestation of Vessels past love (who I will refer to as Eden, becasue I heard someone do that and think it's cool). Later in the video he approaches Eden and tries to attack her with a sword, which I belive is him trying to forget the memories of what he did to her, but she avoids his slashes, which is her refusing to let him forget, because he must face the consequences of his actions. But one small detail is that he slashes somewhat sluggishly, almost like he can't bring himself to let go of the past, as he belives he should suffer for what he did, and in the end he ends up stabbing himself in the stomach, which signifies him giving up on dealimg with his past relationship and going back to Sleep.

One thing I want to say is that I have no clue what the ribbons in the video mean, so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know. And sorry for poor formatting/grammar, I'm on mobile and I am very tired, I just really needed to write this down. And to all those going to O2 in November: see ya there :) (I got tickets!!!!!)

[thesingingrevolution]

when i started liking nct, i wasn’t sure what it would be like to have a bias. do i have just one for the whole group? do i have several? i wasn’t sure. before i made an active choice to learn them, i actually knew many of their names and faces, just not who was who. i was familiar with mark and johnny (ofc hahaahah) as well as some others such as taeyong (superm), yuta (my artist friend likes him and used to draw him), ten (superm), jaehyun (i liked him), jungwoo (i was really into skz and i saw him with lee know all the time), hendery (i wanted to know if any idols speak portguese and i found out nct has a member from macau), and yangyang (i followed him on insta and he was hilarious lol). im so silly i just named like all of them hhhng but i knew a lot of their names, some of their faces and for the majority of the ones listed i knew both. i knew my favest fav winwin by name. i found dm i sent him long before i stanned him. i sent him his own then-recent post and i said he was cute. i knew of him but i didn’t know him. and with nct it took me a while to figure it all out, but once i did i never looked back hahaha.

the first neo who every caught my attention in a bias kinda way (not like mark for appearing in a kpop funny moments or knowing ty from superm) was actually jisung. i saw him sing and dance and i thought he was so cute. i did my research and found out more about him and while i was casually checking them out i really liked jisung. i also had a jeno phase but jisung was really my guy hahahahaha.

i don’t remember everything, but when i started being an NCTZEN for real, my first fav was jaehyun, i have always loved jaehyun because his vibes are so good i genuinely really love him. he was the fav for a while. i was also really intrigued by taeyong, he was one of the top contenders. i was also considered yuta but it was a little less than ty and jh. when i really got into dream jaemin really caught my attention. i loved his personality and his performances. Wow….. jaemin is so special his energy is everything it felt so right. hahahaha. i soon after checked out wayv and i was CAPTIVATED by xiaojun, honestly how is he so gorgeous. i thought he was unreal with his beauty and his talents. i think xj, alongside jh and jm was one of the first that really was a strong contender for #1. but as i got more into wayv, I was obsessed with kun. Like crying because of how much i loved him obsessed (well documented on here btw). he is just too amazing i’ve never seen anyone like him. he basically shot up so many places so quickly. the first member version i ever got for any album was a kun one. there isn’t really a specific part on the timeline for this but i considered my original fav mark. mark is the first neo i ever heard of because of course, and mark is just awesome. i think just like jh his vibes are so good. you can just immediately fall in love with his adorableness and how funny and sweet he is. he was and always will be up there.

but honestly, everything changed when i started paying attention to winwin. i can’t even explain it, It was literally like a magnetic pull because i was so close to just giving up and being like dang i guess i dont have a oneitis in this group. i dont have just one Bias™️. and it’s all good. but someone had a problem with that lol. like i said it happened overnight basically but i started paying attention to him after he initially captivated me and i just knew. like within 3 days i knew . Well honestly i knew before but i was like 100% sure in a matter of days. basically love at first sight idk. Everyday i wake up and know i made the right choice even though it was never really a choice like he decided it for me. i just fell in love with his adorable and funny personality as well as his sweet face. i really love his dancing and how i see so much……. good? from him. It’s hard to explain exactly. but he just seemed so right from the start. and i adore him so much he is just so lovely…. i’m grateful for him. i’m grateful for all neos i love u all so much. but of course special shoutout to my main man 🤭

[forestslut]

HELLO! Bas pal! Hope you are well!

Have you been to many Bas shows? What’s your Bastille journey? Tell me the things! 😊

hiiiiii!! <3 i am well :) i've been to three Bas concerts so far! i first started listening to them in 2014. it's actually a pretty funny story; i absolutely HATED Pompeii at first because they played it so much on the radio lol! my best friend (who I met online bc of Bastille) also shares this experience :”) it is hands down one of my favorites of theirs now. the concept and the history aspect of it really gets to me!

i used to listen to the 1975 radio on Pandora a lot and heard several of their songs on there. never bothered to really look them up, but one day i took a look at who it was that was singing and was surprised to learn that it was them!! i think one of the first songs i heard of them that i really liked was What Would You Do. which, i know isn't actually THEIR song, but Dan's voice is just so beautiful. anyway, after awhile, one day i had one of those music channels going on the TV (fuckin miss that shit btw) where they have little pictures of the artist + fun facts, and thus began my obsession.

i found out that they were coming to Seattle and when they came on one of those music channels again, i started crying hysterically (bc i am Completely Normal about them) and my dad bought me a concert ticket to see them!! it was utterly life changing. i feel like i discovered this band at exactly the right time, and their music seems to enter my life at exactly the right time, every time. i love Dan's mind and have wished for years that i could sit down with him and listen to him talk for hours about his inspiration. i feel like there's a lot about him that i really relate too, and. UGH. i just love this band so much. for SO many reasons. the last concert i went to was in 2019. i went with a close friend at the time and we had an amazing night. didn't go to their last concert because i hate crowds, had no one to go with and also COVID, but if they tour again, i def wanna go. i miss them so much. OH! and also!! at my last concert, during Flaws, i was INCHES AWAY FROM HIM!! INCHES AWAY FROM THAT WHITE BALD HEAD LMAO. i'll never forget that moment. for years i wanted to be one of those people that got that close to him, and that dream came true!

also, fun fact! the title of my blog (that has been the same since the dawn of time) came about because 1. i love that question. and 2. during my first concert, Dan looked me straight in the eyes as he sang that very line. when i tell you my soul fucking ASCENDED. it's been the same ever since, and i don't think i'll ever change it. i tried changing it a couple years back but it literally felt wrong, lol. i love the song and i think it's important to ask yourself that question once in awhile.

thanks so much for sending this ask :') it's been a long while since i've talked to anyone who shares my love for Bastille, and it feels so nice to get the chance again aaaaaa!!

please tell me about your Bastille journey!!! <3

[rnelodyy]

c!Dream and the rules

(/dsmp /rp, all names refer to characters, not content creators)

I think one of the most striking parts of Exile is something that I rarely see talked about, and it’s Dream’s rules. Or rather, how his rules were made to be used as justification to hurt Tommy.

The thing about exile is that, outside of the initial rule of “Don’t go back to L’Manburg”, Dream never told Tommy the rules, yet constantly operated under the assumption that Tommy already knew them, and had accepted them. The rules also changed constantly, without Tommy ever being notified until he was already in trouble.

The second time Dream told Tommy to put his armor in the hole, he didn’t tell Tommy to do that right away. Instead, the conversation went like this (slightly edited to remove stammering and unrelated dialogue).

Dream: Do you have, uh… something you wanna put on the floor here? Tommy: Yes. (drops two pieces of red concrete as Dream digs a hole) Dre-eam! You’re evil. You’re evil. Dream: Anything else, Tommy? Tommy: Nope! Dream: Oh c’mon, I know there’s something else you wanna drop down here. Tommy: (panicking slightly) No, there… (messages BBH “take this and run”, throws him the disc BBH had gifted him earlier) Um… I don’t reckon there is! (pause) Dream: Okay, are you suuuure? Tommy: YES. Dream: Alright… How ‘bout your armor, Tommy? Tommy: Well, no, this is- I actually earned this myself. Dream: I know you did! Tommy: Leave me alone. Dream: Just drop it in the hole, Tommy. Tommy: Wh- no, NO, you can’t just come and demand things from me! I’ve been exiled, I’ve done your shit, what do you mean?! Dream: (sing-song) Tommy… Tommy: What? (Dream hits Tommy with his axe, taking over half his health) Tommy: (screams, drops his armor) OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY!

The only rule Tommy was aware of at this time was that he wasn’t allowed to go back to L’Manburg. Dream had taken his armor the night before, but there was no indication that he expected Tommy to do this constantly. Taking his armor upon initially arriving at Logstedshire made some kind of sense, allowing Tommy to keep it would run the risk of him trying to fight his way back into L’Manburg. Taking his new, very shitty armor (seriously it was an iron chestplate and a pair of golden leggings he got from a ruined portal chest) made no sense at all, so the fact that Tommy was confused and refused to cooperate at first isn’t unexpected in the slightest.

And the thing is… Dream was aware of this fact. Throughout the conversation, he never really sounded annoyed, and was actively teasing Tommy at times. This isn’t a good thing btw, it’s a sign that he was fully aware that Tommy didn’t know what he wanted from him, and that that would create a situation where Dream could “put him in his place” as it were.

If you’re a parent, and your kid does something that’s not allowed, without knowing it’s not allowed, you don’t start off with a beating. You sit them down, calmly explain the rules to them and explain why those rules are there, then send them on their way with the knowledge that they shouldn't do it again.

This interaction wasn’t an instance of Tommy acting out and Dream correcting him. This interaction was a trap. Dream set Tommy up to fail by not telling him the rules beforehand, and when Tommy offered even the slightest bit of resistance and asked why he needed to drop his armor, Dream jumped straight to beating him. It’s a powerplay, plain and simple.

This is demonstrated again with the destruction of Logstedshire. Dream got pissed that Tommy disobeyed him by having hidden chests with gear under his house, and retaliated by destroying everything Tommy had built, destroying every item he’d collected, killing his pet and only foodsource, barring him from the Nether, banning everyone except himself from visiting, and telling him to start over from scratch after a whole lecture about how Tommy betrayed him.

Again, I wanna point out some specific lines from this lecture that illustrate my point very well.

Dream: You were lying to me! You were lying to me. Tommy: No- Why was I lying?! Dream: What do you mean, why were you lying?! Tommy: I wasn’t hi- I wasn’t- Dream: You hid things in a chest knowing they were things I wouldn’t want you to have! And you hid it in a way that way I would never find it!

Except Tommy didn’t know that. The contents of the stash were all items that Tommy had obtained previously without any issue (diamonds, emeralds, iron, ender pearls, some pickaxes, and some purely sentimental items like flowers, a jukebox, and pictures of Tubbo and L’Manburg). In fact, the vast majority of them came from Tommy’s aboveground storage, which Dream had full access to, and had looked through before!

Dream also never said Tommy wasn’t allowed to hide stuff, and there was nothing to suggest he didn’t want Tommy to keep secrets from him.

There’s been a theory floating around for a while that Dream knew about Tommy’s item stash beforehand, since it was a very strange place to dig a hole (like, right in front of the house in the center of Logstedshire itself, instead of out in the plains where the TNT wouldn’t damage any structures), and Tommy had previously forgotten to cover up the entrance ladder. While Dream hadn’t looked inside the house, he would’ve definitely heard Tommy place the block back.

If this theory is correct, then this was yet another trap. Dream knew Tommy had a hidden room, and instead of just saying “hey, I don’t want you to have a hidden stash, go put this back and fill in the room” (which would’ve still been bullshit btw), he went COMPLETELY ballistic, destroyed EVERYTHING Tommy had, and while doing it, kept admonishing Tommy for betraying him, said shit like “I thought we were friends”, and even accused him of preparing to attack Dream. Again, a powerplay.

Hell, even the exile conflict itself is this! Tommy was exiled for griefing the king’s property while being a high-ranking official in L’Manburg. Except Fundy, the then-president’s son, CONSTANTLY griefed Eret’s shit after the L’Manburg war, ranging from ripping down one of their towers to “shrink” it, filling another tower with water, and multiple elaborate plots to steal the throne from under their nose. But apparently, between all of that shit and the exile-conflict, the rules were silently changed, meaning Dream could exile Tommy for breaking a couple blocks and placing some rude signs in George’s house. Even the punishment itself was changed without warning, as Tommy went from being exiled from L’Manburg to exiled from “everywhere that’s ever been touched.”

...I was originally gonna make a different point here. I may put it in the reblogs, because I still think it’s very interesting. But, in the middle of writing this essay I had to stop because it was late, then I spent the entire next day packing up because I’m in the middle of a move. It's now the next evening, I'm sat in my new room, on my camping bed, I opened this doc because I pretty much forgot what I typed, I reread it, and then I realized… This isn’t an isolated series of events. This is a pattern for Dream.

Before Tommy first joined the server, there were only three set rules: no stealing, no griefing, and no killing people. Except by that point, those rules weren’t enforced at all. In fact, Dream broke all three at once at one point, by killing George and burning his diamond armor because he didn’t feel it was fair that George got to run around in full diamond when everyone else still had iron.

Tommy joined the server, and broke the rules like everyone else. He stole shit, broke shit, killed George for funsies… and he got exiled for it. Seriously, they dumped him in an empty snowfield for breaking rules that nobody had enforced for weeks. So technically, the Exile-arc isn’t even the first time something like this has happened to him!

During the events that would eventually spark the Disc War, Sapnap stole a bunch of Tommy’s items (including the only Netherite chestplate on the server at the time), and told him he’d only give the stuff back if Tommy helped him with a conflict he had with Ponk. Long story short, Dream tried to intervene and was killed by Tommy and Sapnap, and Dream stole Tommy’s discs to force him to apologize. He then kept the discs, and the Disc War followed. Sapnap, despite being the aggressor and arguably forcing Tommy to participate in the conflict, was never punished.

This proves not only that the rules can change whenever Dream feels like it, but that they’re arbitrarily enforced. Dream refuses to punish his friends for the same crimes he endlessly fucks over Tommy for.

L’Manburg was created in part because of the fact that the rules were unevenly enforced. Tommy, Wilbur, and later Tubbo were repeatedly killed, stolen from, imprisoned, and even held hostage for very minor crimes, while the people killing, imprisoning, kidnapping and stealing from them were able to do so without impunity.

This was also the point where Dream just started making up new rules; there was no rule against having governments on the server, or making a separate area where Dream’s rules wouldn’t apply, so Dream banned governments, and used this new rule as an excuse to kill them, take their items, and tear their land to shreds.

And that’s another thing: the punishments for breaking Dream’s rules are INCREDIBLY harsh.

Kill him non-canonically one time? Your most prized possessions will now be dangled over your head and used to hurt you for the next few months.

Make a country with different laws that doesn’t infringe on anyone’s territory, has no desire to expand, is explicitly pacifistic and open to trade negotiations? You’ll be forced to fight a war you’re in no way equipped to fight, you’ll be betrayed and murdered and have your land destroyed in front of your very eyes until you literally have no choice but to surrender.

Mildly vandalize the king’s house, which nobody else has ever been punished for? You’ll be dragged into court, exiled from your home, and subjected to weeks of abuse until you believe that all of your friends hate you and you actively want to kill yourself.

Hide some stuff in a secret chest? Your only shelter will be exploded, your pet/only food source will be killed, all your items will be destroyed, you’ll be banned from the Nether, and none of your friends will be allowed to come see you.

This is all such disproportionate retribution it’s ridiculous. It’s like punishing someone for speeding by blowing up their car with a ballistic missile.

So to sum up: Dream’s rules are arbitrarily enforced, and he can just straight up make them up on the spot if he feels like it. Sometimes, he won’t tell you a rule exists until you’ve already broken it, and you’re treated as if you broke it out of malice instead of genuine ignorance. And if you do break a rule, and he decides you have to be punished, it will always be a punishment so harsh it doesn’t even ATTEMPT to fit the crime.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty fucking corrupt and tyrannical to me.

When people say Tommy deserved exile, or made Dream spiral into villainy, or abused Dream somehow (seriously I’ve seen this take multiple times and every time it makes my brain melt) by breaking the rules, I would invite them to take a step back and ask themselves, why did that rule exist? Did Tommy know it existed? Was it enforced for everyone other than him as well? Does the punishment fit the crime?

Dream has a bad habit of making up rules, or enforcing old ones that were never enforced before, to punish those who threaten his power. None of the Dream Team were ever punished for anything, despite committing the same crimes as the L’Manburgians. That is, until they founded Mexican L’Manburg (i.e. went against Dream’s rule), at which point they were attacked by Dream and George was dethroned for “not being neutral enough.”

Tommy should’ve faced consequences for what he did. But those consequences should’ve come naturally, and been carried out by the people he hurt. Like, if Dream hadn’t intervened, griefing George’s house would’ve resulted in George griefing Tommy back in revenge. In fact, he DID do that, by turning Tommy’s entire house into granite and putting the Jump In The Cadillac picture on his front lawn.

These are natural, proportionate consequences. Exile was none of that. The Disc War was none of that. Everything that happened to L’Manburg was none of that.

Dream’s rules and how he enforces them are inherently corrupt and tyrannical. To pretend it’s anything but is disingenuous at best.

[narumika]

hello! I saw that the requests are open (although it may also be that you forgot to close them uh) and if it's not too much trouble I wanted to ask for a stage or HC (both are fine uh) for Hinata Aoi and Naru at once Fem! S/O who likes to clean and also sings very well but doesn't do it in public because she's too embarrassed, and Hinata/Naru only finds out because he found her cleaning and singing

the songbirds!

hinata aoi, arashi narukami (separate) x fem!reader

authors notes ; anonny i didn’t know if you meant at once as in poly but i don’t write poly, apologies :( i wrote them separately though,,

the first time he walked in on you singing and cleaning he thought he heard angels

he LOVED your voice!! it was so elegant,, please consider singing in public!!! he’d cheer you on no matter what and would defend u 100%

he understands having stage fright though, so he just hopes you feel comfortable enough to sing around him

he probably had asked you to sing him to sleep once, he just thinks your voice is so elegant and calming…

you both have small duets when you clean together

probably tried dancing and singing with you cause he’s just soooo silly

probably gifted you one of those disney princess bags with a microphone. he would don’t deny it

when she first heard you singing, she freaked out and rushed to you asking if you could sing with her

she loves your voice. a Lot. probably asked to record your voice for her ringtone

she used a lot of persuading but she got the damn ringtone. good for you naru, good for you.

she rants about your voice to mika, knights, literally anyone willing to listen (or anyone unfortunate enough to be in a 4 ft radius of her when she’s talking about your voice)

she thinks you’re very elegant, sings with you sometimes

has tried many, many times to get you to collab with knights. it’s okay naru maybe one day

when you guys have random spa days she sings to you and tries to get you to sing with her, it’s worked 2 times. you guys sound fucking amazing together btw

she is also apart of the disney princess bag with a microphone toy gifter club. she gives you elegant outfits (sewn herself or not) that matches your voice

her cat loves your voice too!! it starts purring when it hears you sing it’s adorable honestly

[bluexiao]

Five times he fell for you

CHARACTERS: Xiao; God!Reader

THEMES: Angst, Fluff, Hurt with comfort.

WARNINGS: mentions of death & the archon war.

NOTES: don’t tell me no one can fall in love 5 times because i just wrote this out of pure impulse ok. i already planned that this is how the fic would go but i honestly finished this like literally 30 minutes before posting it hahah. I just finished up cleaning & rearranging my room so i’m a bit exhausted but i just felt like i should atleast write a bit so yep i finished it fortunately hahah. enjoy reading! btw my requests are finally open! feel free to drop by and send one while it is~

Masterlist for series

The first time XIAO fell for you was when you fell from heaven, and that moment was what he could still vividly remember throughout the years.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know what it was the first time around. He let you be, fighting off the other gods with his fellow yakshas, risking his life for that one god who saved him from eternal damnation. For him, he treated you like a comrade, fighting with you side by side against everyone who dares against Morax, who you were all indebted to.

The second time was when he lost everyone else—every yaksha falling into darkness, but you were there for him, comforting him in a way only your voice could.

“Do you want me to sing for you, Xiao?”

He had never had anyone ask that kind of question or do that kind of thing for him, but he was so lost. He had heard of the wonders your voice could do in the battlefield, bringing down opponents far physically stronger than you. Could you do the same with the demons inside of him?

He nodded, and he seeked your voice everyday after that—silently, but willingly.

The third time was when you cooked him his now-favorite meal. No one ever cooked that kind of meal before, but when you made it one day, everyone wanted a taste of it, even him. It was a meal that came from the world you had came from—the world where you were a god. It was the only thing you could cook here, you say. Every ingredient that your world has were different from what Teyvat has, except for the ingredients of this meal.

“Must I ask what you think about it, Xiao?” you call him, eyes as pure as the stars and as innocent as the moon.

He cannot possibly tarnish them with the coldness he emits.

Looking away, he replies, “They taste good.”

The fourth time was probably when he finally realized his feelings for you. Burning like ice, warm as the fire—he recognizes the feeling, but he couldn’t acknowledge it fully without the thought of hurting you. And he didn’t want that.

You were a comrade, a friend, a fellow survivor, a comforter, someone he trusts. And for him to see you get injured badly in a battle now, it brought him memories of back then, lingering in the back of his mind like fireflies, ready to blind him from the hope that you’ve always given to him and to others who knew you.

He called out your name—he rarely does it, and there was a stinging feeling in his heart that told him he should have done it more often, should have talked to you more often—but it’s all too late.

You were dying in his arms.

“Can I sing for you, Xiao?”

“You mustn’t waste your breath for even a second.” he pants as he pulls you onto his chest, awaiting for the other adepti to heal you in any way, or the arrival of his god who had retired from his position and was living peacefully in the harbor, only to be called out by the adeptus who had appeared so suddenly, announcing your current status.

You were losing your breath, and so was his.

He coudn’t do anything again, barely could offer something in return of all the kindness you’ve given him; the care, the compassion, the joy—in return, what did he give you?

He feels a hand gently caress his cheek—your hand. And that was the last time he had seen you smile.

The fifth time and last time he fell in love… well, basically he already was, but he counted this one as a special memory as well. It was the time you awoke once again; your eyes fluttering open, gaze meeting his, voice as beautiful as before—yes, it was you. It’s really you.

“I hear you singing everyday, I’m afraid my slumber had taken a little longer due my desire to always hear your voice, Xiao.”

He didn’t mind the embarrassment nor the glances or giggles that were sent his way by the other adepti with your first words for over a month.

For the first time in eons, XIAO lets himself smile.

He knew you loved him too, and that alone was enough for him to last for eternity, as long as it’s with you, there is hope.

[infinitegalahad]

GENERATION KILL: COMFORTING THERE PARTNER

"This is just me formally submitting a request for that gk boys offering their own forms of comfort fic/ headcanon/ thoughts wtevr. Lol just as a reminder. 😀"@theboardwalkbody

Gif Credit: @ymagor

A/N: You're wish is my command, homes❣️ Here's a little change of pace! @theboardwalkbody inspired this post (and asked it!), so thanks for the Inspo friend! 🤩 I'm doing this for BoB and TP because I'm going through a slight writer's block and instead of thinking about long descriptions, I just wanna so head canons that get a little out of hand. I hope this isn't too ooc😔 Reader has *inserted mental illness* btw, it's up for interpretation! ALSO GN! READER! Enjoy!

Taglist: @theboardwalkbody @contrabandhothead

Masterlist

NATE FICK-

Nate's a calculated person. He can see the patterns in people, things, etc. Like how his father's eyebrows wrinkle when he's excited, or when his mother likes to prep a meal from vegetables to the main course. So when you're happy, sad, whatever-he knows it, and you don't even have to tell him.

He'll come home and see you. He knows that you've heard him calling you're name, but you don't move. He looks all over the house and finds you inside of your tub, just sitting there with no response. The water is running, and your clothes and hair are soaked.

So in an attempt to not disrupt your peace, Nate climbs in and sits next to you. You look over and he's stares at you. Just as your about to speak, he beats you to it.

"I'll get you a towel and some clothes."

And then, he just leaves. You hear the door quietly shut, and you blink for a few seconds. What the hell just happened? It snapped you out of your depressive trance. Now instead of feeling sad-you just were confused.

So you hear the door lightly open again and then close. After a few more minutes of soaking, you get out and see a towel and a set of clothes that are most certainly not yours. It's Nate's Dartmouth Lacrosse sweater and a pair of underwear-he knows you too well.

So you exit the bathroom and you see Nate, putting two cups down of you're favorite tea

And he's got that face. You know the face were he's like ☹️

"Hey, c'mere."

The two of you climb into bed with eachtoher. He throws one of those ugg blankets over you. You rest his head in his chest and he pats your head. There's a silence, until Nate says, "Do you wanna walk about it."

Normally, you'd say no and he'd read you a book you're reading or hold you as you cry, but this time, it's different.

"Yeah, I do. You won't judge, right?"

Nate tilts you chin up, and he's got a tired smile on his face.

"Why would I?"

BRAD COLBERT-

Brad may appear horrible with emotions and reading the room...in which he isn’t

Okay, scratch that. He tries to understand them, it’s just hard for him to give advice and use words to comfort you. He feels like he’s walking on glass, But sometimes, you just need him psychically more then anything.

When you storm out of a room when Chaffin makes a comment on your weight, Brad takes a few minutes to think what he should do.

Normally, he’d just leave you be, but he’s gotta do something. Getting up, he follows you down the hallway. You’re not far, and he’s calling you’re name.

You stop in the hallway, wiping the tears coming down toye face. Brad turns you around with his hands on your shoulder. He’s got a blank face on as he looks at you, seeing your red face and the tears.

While you sob and stutter, he fixes the collar of your shirt, tucks your hair behind your ear, which is normal. He likes to neaten you up to make you feel better.

But he starts to use his thumb, wiping the tears coming down your face. You shocked as he cups your face, making you look into those icy cold eyes. He looks like the Iceman, cold and emotionless, but what he says very Brad.

“You’re beautiful.”

Then he pulls you into a tight grasp. He’s a whole foot taller then you, and you like the way he snakes his hands around his waist and slightly lifts off you your feet. His sheer presence is intimating, but for you; comforting. 

RAY PERSON-

THIS MAN. although a hick with a big mouth, he does know when to shut up and can read you’re emotions like the back of his hand.

He can just see the sadness swelling in your eyes and the way you pick at the foot at your plate and avoid all of needs for cuddles in bed. Heck, it’s making Ray sad.

So he does what he does best-not shutting up, well-about things he likes about you.

“Man! Look at my hot girlfriend/wife! There reading books by the liberal media, total smartie here! Oh! And they have a degree from-“

Ray will also beg for to your attention and follows you around like a puppy. Like you’ll be sitting on the couch and he’ll come rest his head on your lap. You ignore him, but he starts to twist and quote random movies so you finally give in.

Is Ray annoying? Yes. But did he make you smile? Also yes.

Also Ray is a cook, and knows all of your favorite meals. Of course, he sets the table, lights a few Mantown candles (yes there real google them), and comes to serve your meal with two plates.

“The most beautiful man/woman I have ever seen, the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the Avril to my Bizzy D-you’re hot pockets.”

It makes you laugh, which makes Ray happy. He feeds off of that attention. You sit in Ray’s lap, eating hot pockets, and watching The Best Damn Tour. You lean on Ray’s shoulder, and he leans right back.

POKE ESPERA-

Alexa play Whatta Man’ by Salt-N-Peppa BECAUSE! WHAT! A! MAN!

Poke is one tough mofo. He embodies the meme of “Good morning to my beautiful wife/husband and child everybody else get fucked”.

But like every baddie; baddie’s gotta have soft spots for there bitches. He has two; you and his daughter. And oh god he’s love the two of more then anything in the world.

Poke knows you and his daughter well enough. His daughter first notices that your not as enthusiastic and bubbly, and then she tells Poke. But Poke already knows because he’s observant and very in touch with his emotions.

So when he’s a work; he thinks and does a lot of self reflection. He wonders why you’re upset. Did he cause it? What can he do to make it better? He asks all the guys for advice, and even his own daughter.

An idea strikes! Poke’s got a lot of anger, so his therapist told him to express his emotions by journalling. But Poke learns that it helps him get everything out of system, so he’s a secret writer. Heck, he even likes poetry; and would kill anyone if they’d find out.

While off at work, small letters start to appear across you’re house. Some are long, some are short, but there sweet and make you’re day.

“I held the stars in my arms wen I held you”

“I can’t wait to kiss you.”

“Your eyes stole all of my words away”

And the covers of the notes are done by Poke’s daughter, covered in glitter and Lisa Frank stickers.

You confront Poke about this “mysterious pen pal” and Poke is like “I mean, your lips do sound tempting”

You know it’s Poke, and he knows it, but there’s something about the mystery that is very romantic.

WALT HASSER-

Here comes our favourie country pumpkin

Now let me say. This man LOVES you more then anything the world

Doesn’t wanna show you off (but he does)

So when you’re the slightest bit sad, Walt is even sadder then you are

Walt is someone that lives to receive attention, and also he’s someone that likes to give it. Especially to the love of his life!

Walt gives you things you actually need, and nothing that is materialistic. Growing up, his parents had a healthy relationship, and the apple clearly doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Waits on you hand and foot. A back massage? Done. A fuzzy blanket? Right on it! A specific burger from a joint that is thirty minutes away at three in the morning? Walt’s driving like a manic just for you. You have the man’s undivided attention.

“Walt?”

He stops whatever he’s doing and runs over, getting on his knees, “Yeah, what’s up baby?”

“Can you sing the song? Y’know, our song?”

Walt nods his head, now an eager puppy, and gets his gutair to play the song he wrote especially for you. And this is making me realize how painfully single I am oh my

RUDY REYES-

Rudy has an iv of respect woman/men juice. He always understands the assignment-and desires extra credit.

So whenever you’re down in the dumps, Rudy will drop everything and drag you into the car to go walk on his favorite trail. It’s ten miles long, but Rudy is a fitness freak.

First, you hate doing it. But the more you talk these long walks, the more you begin to enjoy it.

Sometimes there silence. Rudy won’t speak force you to talk. Talking is stressful, and Rudy will wait until you’re ready. The two of you holds hands, and Rudy has such a calming presence. It’s really hard to get angry at him.

You finally speak and tell Rudy you’re problems, and he listens and doesn’t interrupt. He’s got a hand on you’re lower back, or on your thigh. He’s basically you’re emotional support teddy bear and will always be a lending ear, or a total cuddle monster.

Rudy has the best advice as well. It’s always some yoga shit, but damn, those breathing  exercises do actually help.

EVAN “Q-TIP” STAFFORD-

Oh Q-Tip. My feral goblin son😭

I love him, but sometimes-things can fly over his head.

But when you start to ignore him and hide away from him, he begins to notice. And he HATES IT.

Like Christianson will ask him if he’s okay and he’ll literally quote a 2pac song and be like,

“I would drop all my girls for you, Walk barefoot 'round the world for you, Fly around like the birds for you, Thats why I wrote these words for you..”

Lilley is like “Brah we gotta help a homie out”

So the three stooges create Lovegate. The mission? to make Q-Tip’s partner happier.

Q-Tip is very artistically inclined. So with Christenson’s editing skills and Lilley’s camera, Q-Tip writes you a song and does a whole music video.

The man rents out a movie theatre venue just to show you. Of course, you’re blown away. It’s horrible and you can taste the autotone, BUT IT’S THE EFFORT THAT COUNTS. and q-tip has that smile on. you know what i’m talking about!

Doc Bryan walks in on the two of you making out and is pissed since all he wanted to do was see the re-screening of Bridemaids but NO, Q-Tip just had to rent out a theatre to show his partner a music video about them and then make out.

He see’s Lilley, who’s recording and asks to interview what Doc’s opinion on the music video, and this is what he’s says.

“I think my ears bled, but thank fuck those two aren’t acting like emo’s.”

DOC BRYAN-

The gif has a purpose. Trust me. SPEAKING OF THE MAN OF THE HOUR

Bryan, like Poke, is a very observant guy. He’s an angry motherfucker, and even a little insensitive, but ever since dating you; he’s tried to change.

He hates the world. People are shitty, and it makes him feel shitty that you’re sad because when you feel shitty, he’s in a shitter mood then he’s usually in

Knowing that his words might sound a little harsh, Byran knows how to distract you. Without words. After all, he didn’t work out for nothing.

Long hugs are you’re thing. The two of you will run into eachother, find a private place, and he’ll just wrap his arms around you. His big arms are protective, and he’s warm, and you just sink into him.

Sometimes, you’ll fall asleep. Byran sometimes will fall asleep with you, other times he’ll gently lay you down and put a blanket with a gentle forehead kiss.

When you cry in his arms, he’ll wipe the tears away. He can feel them against his arm, and he doesn’t know what to do. Crying girls/guys are not his speciality.

But when you squeeze his arm back, to let you know what your there and that you love him, Byran will freeze. He has no idea what to next with words. He’ll put his hand over yours, and turns out; it works well.

After this is all over, he’ll check up on you and ask you simply if you’re okay. You respond with a smile. Byran isn’t one for smiles, but for you, he shows a subtle smile back. Just to let you know.

[hateswifi]

Duck Season

Don’t ask me about the title go ask @thecaptainthunder also it is they’re prompt.

The Master: Master List

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

“Good morning, class, as I mentioned last week we have a transfer student,” Madame Bustier greets the class, smiling wide as if it weren’t a Monday morning. Damian rolls his eyes, avoiding anyone who looked like they wanted to talk and headed up to the back corner desk, where no one was sitting. 

It didn’t take long for someone to ignore the social cues he’d dropped because there stood a tan, green-eyed girl.

“You should come sit with me, the class bully sits back here and you don’t want to get mixed up with that,” the harlot says, batting her eyelashes. 

“I’ll take my chances back here,” Damian grumbles back, but once again she doesn’t take the hint.

“Lila, you’re in my seat,” another, sweeter, voice says. The harlot’s smile falters before she retreats down the stairs to stew in anger in her seat.

“You’re late,” he reprimands, looking at the apparent ‘class bully’.

“Welcome to our class, I’m Marinette, the class president,” She smiles, it doesn’t reach her eyes, she’s faking it.

“So class bully and president? Interesting mix.”

“Interesting assumption,” Marinette shrugs, pulling out her classwork. He raises an eyebrow and does the same, who does she think she is to talk back to him.

Needless to say, their relationship didn’t start out the best but it got better.

“I can’t believe they’re such imbeciles,” Damian breaths out, an almost laugh, Marinette thinks to herself. Damian has been in the class for a week now and absolutely hates and loves the class. He hates how stupid the class, but again loves the class because of how idiotic they are.

“What’d she say this time?” Marinettes sighs, sliding into her seat. This was becoming a routine almost, she sits down right before the bell rings and usually has enough time to hear Lila’s amazing stories from Damian.

“It was a classic Jagged Stone story,” Damian sighs.

“I literally know Jagged, and they know that I know him, but yet, in the beginning, I was ‘too jealous’ and now they won’t even listen to anything I say,” Marinette shrugs.

“You know Jagged?” Damian asks, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s not important, they can look up any of the information she says without having a personal contact, now shhh, class is starting,” Marinette says, ending the conversation. She avoids talking about herself, almost as bad as he does. He doesn’t mind it too much because she doesn’t appear to be a threat, but yet again appearances can be deceiving.

A month into the hell that is his class, he ran into her during one of the many akuma attacks. She had just run into a closet he was running for, he was a bit worried about her because Lila likes to take action during the chaos. He was expecting to see some cliche scene of Lila corning her, but when he opened the door, there stood the Parisian hero.

“What the actual--” He was cut off by her quickly butting in.

“Oh my god! You can’t anything, I have to go, but-”

“I understand, go fight,” Damian says, effectively stopping her rambling.

They had an awkward conversation after her and Chat Noir defeated the akuma, she picked him up and dragged him to a secluded roof away from the public prying eyes, and the numbing idiocy of the class.

“So another way you knew she was lying is you’re Ladybug,” Damian says as soon as they touch down.

“I would’ve known it without being Ladybug, seriously a foreign girl comes in announcing that she’s best friends with a hero but she's been in the country like three days tops, it’s pretty obvious,” Ladybug huffs, dropping her transformation. “Why’d you follow me into the closet?”

“Ehh Lila likes to come up with lies during the chaos, so if you had an alibi I thought it would be helpful,” Damian shrugs.

“Aww, you care about my well being,” Marinette coos, nudging him.

“You’re bearable,” Damian mumbles, a hint of warmth spreading across his cheeks, must be the afternoon sun.

“That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard you say since you transferred,” Marinette points out.

“That doesn’t matter, now let’s leave,” he says, standing.

“You really want to go back to class?” Marinette asks, standing as well.

“No but I don’t want to sit in the sun, so let’s go somewhere else. Are going to get us down?”

“Sorry, I can’t at the moment, but we can climb down the fire escape,” Marinette says, rubbing the back of her neck.

“That will do,” Damian says, easily moving down the escape. 

“Can we stop by my house real quick I want to grab a sketchbook, if that's ok with you,” She asks, pointing at the bakery that’s just down the street from the school.

“You live above the bakery?”

“Yeah, you hungry?”

“No, I don’t like sweets.”

“Your loss then,” Marinette shrugs, entering the back door. She appears a couple of minutes later, putting cookies in her purse. He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t question it. They walk over to the park and sit under a tree in the shade. He just sits in the shade and lets sounds of the birds singing, the breezing leaves, and the light trickling water take over his sense. It was a bit later when he hears her start humming if it were practically anyone else, he would’ve snapped at her to stop it, but her humming was calming.

He honestly should’ve seen it before he responded. It was a month after the revelation of her being the Parisian hero. They were walking around the Seine near evening after the defeat of another akuma and another day of drama with the harlot and sheep. Marinette had leave early due to the akuma and he was left to deal with the idiots by himself 

“What’s the matter?” he questions. 

“Oh, sorry, I have a lot on my mind,” Marinette says quietly. He steps in front of her and lifts her chin.

“What’s on your mind?” She looks up at him, his breath hitches in his throat, her eyes are glistening in the sunset.

“I… I don’t want things to change, but,” she pauses, taking a deep breath. “I really like you, you’re kind to me, even though you don’t try to show it and-”

“Enough,” Damian cuts her off, she stands in front of him, vulnerable. She’s trying to distract her self by rolling a rock underneath her foot. “If you don't want things to change, then don't change them.” He responds sternly. 

“Umm, ok, I’m sorry, I’m just going to go home then. Umm! Good night!” She says, swinging her head up quickly, just enough to see her eyes glistening with tears before she turns her back and she rushing home. 

“Why’d I say that?” Damian asks himself he watches her back and she rushes down the sidewalk. He has a strange urge to follow her, to pull her into a hug, and to, strangely enough, apologize for making her cry. “What’s the matter with me?” He sighs and agrees to talk to her tomorrow morning before class, as normal.

But that wasn’t the case, she slid into her seat just after the bell rung. Not only was that different, she was wearing make up, not enough for a majority of people to notice, but he knows her well, and her smile doesn’t reach her eyes again. He was going to try and talk to her during lunch, but conveniently Agreste calls for her attention as the bell rings before he could get a word out, they’re already out the door.

He feels weird, he knows he shouldn’t he also doesn’t understand why or what that feeling is. His feelings have been pretty abnormal since he got to know Marinette. When he met her, he hated her, but honestly, he hates everyone he meets so he didn’t expect to end up not hating her in the end. She was different than anyone he had ever met, she was kind, without knowing who he was, her smile was contagious. She beautiful but was humble and wasn’t a harlot like other women who had attempted to his attention.

“Grayson, I have a problem,” Damian says, sitting down in the library to eat his lunch in peace.

“What’s up, Birdie, you never call me,” Dick asks.

“This girl said that she likes me.”

“It’s not the first time, you’ve never had a problem rejecting girls before what’s up?”

“She’s my acquaintance.”

“So you like her? What's the problem?”

“Like her?”

“Do you have romantic feelings for her?”

“Explain.”

“Do you like it when she’s around? Is she apart of your life and it feels like a piece is missing if she’s not there?” 

“But that could be platonic as well.”

“It could be, but do you ever have urges to hold her hand, if she is crying to wipe away the tears, or to hold her in a hug?” (I had no idea how to write this btw, almost asked for help but imma too awkward)

“She cried last night and all I wanted to do was hug her and apologize,” Damian sighs.

“You were going to apologize? She must be special.”

“She’s fantastic, a literal angel,” Damian sighs, slouching in his chair to look at the ceiling. “She takes care of and loves animals. She so good with kids, even with brats.”

“Talk to her, I’m sure she’ll understand,” Dick says, there a banging being him. “Sorry, I gotta go, Jason just walked in.” he says before hanging up.

“Talk to her?” Damian mutters to himself. “Do I have feelings for her?” 

He heads back to class early, hoping to talk to her before class. There was one problem, she didn’t show up for afternoon classes along with Agreste. 

He decides that he’ll take the work and notes to Marinette. He enters through the bakery, they had stopped there a couple of times before to pick up stuff sometimes a sketchbook and sometimes a snack. Sabine and Tom recognized him and let him in. He knocks on the trap door and hears a come in, he pushes it open and sees Agreste and Marinette in their pajamas, playing a video game.

“Agreste, Marinette,” Damian says, stepping into the room.

“Damian?” Marinette asks, turning surprisingly pale pretty quickly. 

“I brought your stuff and I wanted to talk to you,” Damian says, rubbing the back of his neck, looking at the ground.

“Ummm… sure, Adrien can you give us a minute?” Marinette says, standing up from her spinning chair.

“You hurt her again, I’ll cataclysm you,” Adrien says, opening the trap door before disappearing underneath.

“Umm first, here’s your stuff and notes,” Damian says, handing her them. “Another thing, I’m going to guess you noticed, but I’m not good with emotions in general.” 

“Yeah, I kinda figured.”

“It took me a bit, but I talked to my brother today,” Damian pauses, taking a deep breath.

“Where’s this going? I don’t want to get hurt again,” Marinette says, taking a seat of her chaise.

“I didn’t realize it before I talked to Grayson, he’s my brother, but I like you. I missed you in class and I don’t ever want to see you cry again. I want to be able to you without it being weird,” Damian says, rubbing the back of his neck, looking anywhere but her.

“You like me?” Marinette asks, standing up.

“I hate the fact that I made you cry, I never want to see sadness in your beautiful blue eyes ever again. You’re too good for me, you are an angel,” Damian says, taking a deep breath.

“I’m just me though,” Marinette says, looking at the ground. Damian steps forward, tipping her chin to look up at him.

“And you’re perfect,” Damian says, Marinette reaches on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek.

“And you owe me for playing my heart, I honestly thought you didn’t like me and I had a mini-crisis,” Marinette giggled.

“Would you like to go adopt a hamster?”

“That’s perfect if we can her name her Fluffy,” Marinette smiles.

“We’ll talk about the name,” Damian chuckles.

“I’m open to a discussion,” Marinette shrugs.

Bonus:

“I just had the weirdest conversation,” Dick says, hanging up his phone to look at Jason.

“What’d ya mean?” Jason asks, plopping down in a chair across from Dick before slouching to put his feet on the desk, taking a bite from his apple with a solid crunch.

“I think Damian in love,” Dick says, causing Jason to choke on his apple.

“What the fack did I miss?”

Bonus Bonus:

“Remember how Damian was in an emotional dilemma,” Dick asks, entering the dining room.

“Damian has emotions?” Tim asks, throwing his coffee back like a shot, or maybe it was a straight-up espresso shot, Dick wasn’t really paying attention. 

“Yeah, not the point, not only does he have a girlfriend they have a hamster named Nightingale. Probably so Bruce can’t try and turn her into a bird,” Dick says, muttering the last bit.

“Hey I wouldn’t adopt Damian’s girlfriend, give me some credit,” Bruce says, taking the phone to look at the picture.

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

@mlbchaosqueen is this angst?

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[scarletemeterio-thesecond]

Hey, sorry if I'm bothering you, but I wanted to ask if you could do a part two of Heartbreak and Betrayal. I really like the story, but it's sad that it ended that way 🥺,maybe a fluffy ending for the second part(?). 🌻 Btw english it's not my first language, sorry if I made mistakes! Have a nice day!🥺💕

Omg, thank you for being so sweet, and you're definitely not bothering me! Don't worry, english is not my first language either! Hope you have a nice day too! <3

Thank you so much for requesting a part 2! I actually had a few ideas to continue that imagine but I wasn't sure if anyone would want to read it. It's literally the longest thing I've ever written, I hope you like it!

•••

Making Things Right (Zuko x Reader)

Warnings: Mention of toes, mentions of scars

Genre: Fluff

Fandom: Avatar, The Last Airbender

Summary: Zuko and reader meet up again after the events at Ba Sing Se

Word Count: 4389

part 1

Joining the Avatar was one of the best things that have ever happened to me. I didn't only find amazing friends, I found a new family. I haven't been with them for long but we've already had a lot of adventures.

Right now, we were at the Western Air Temple since our plans for the invasion didn't work very well. We tried to talk to Aang about defeating the Fire Lord, but he didn't pay much attention. We needed to find a firebending teacher for him before the comet, and we had no idea where to look for one. We decided to follow Aang since we needed to find a solution to this problem. Once we all were back on land, Toph spoke, and we soon realized we had company. He was here, in front of us. The person I thought -and wished- I'd never see again, right there a few meters away from us.

He said he wanted to join us and even started talking about how much he had changed; I didn't believe anything he said. I hated to admit it, but the opportunity to let a potential firebending teacher go was kind of stupid but we were talking about Zuko here, the guy who had betrayed us; and he even said he sent that assassin after us! Apparently, I wasn't the only one who didn't want him here so we kicked him out.

"Why would he try to fool us like that?" asked Katara.

"Obviously, he wants to lead us into some kind of trap" said Sokka.

"This is just like when we were in prison together in Ba Sing Se" started saying the waterbender.

I wanted to agree with them, to say that I didn't believe any word he said but I just couldn't. I wanted to hate him, but a part of me knew we needed him, so I just stayed silent while they continued talking, with Aang joining them.

"He wasn't lying" said Toph, snapping me out of my thoughts. "And I'm just saying that considering his messed-up family and how he was raised, he could've turned out a lot worse".

"You're right, Toph. Let's go find him and give him a medal. The 'not as much of a jerk as you could've been' award" said Katara, clearly starting to get annoyed.

"All I know is that while he was talking to us, he was sincere. Maybe you're all just letting your hurt feelings to keep you from thinking clearly. Well, all except (Y/N), not a single bad word about him has left your mouth" she commented and I immediately wanted to kill her for pointing that out.

"Why would you even try to defend him, Toph?"

"Because, Katara, you're all ignoring one crucial fact: Aang needs a firebending teacher. We can't think of a single person in the world to do the job. Now one shows up on a silver platter and you won't even think about it?"

"I'm not having Zuko as my teacher" said Aang.

"Ugh, I'm beginning to wonder who's really the blind one around here" and after saying that, she left.

There was an awkward silence in the air, and I knew they would practically hate me for what I was about to say.

"She's right".

"No way, (Y/N)! The guy literally broke your heart and you're still defending him?"

"I'm not defending him, Sokka! I'm just saying that we should consider him as Aang's firebending teacher. Where would we find another person willing to do it?"

"You're just saying that just because somehow you still love him" said Katara in an angry tone.

"You have no idea how I feel" I said immediately. "And I thought I made myself very clear when I said I didn't want to talk about any of that the moment I joined you. Toph is right, you're all blind here".

After saying that, I started walking away. Once I got to a quiet place in the Temple, I sat down with my back against the wall, and as soon as my body touched the floor, I started crying. I didn’t know why, but I felt so frustrated, I was angry, sad, and even though I hated to admit it, I missed him so much. I often wondered what would’ve happened if things had been different and it only made me feel worse because I knew it made no sense to wish for something impossible, but sometimes I just wanted him by my side. I realized that Toph was approaching me and I quickly tried to get rid of my tears.

"Are you okay?" she asked me as she sat next to me. I loved how good of a friend she was and how much she cared about all of us, even if she didn’t show it all the time. "I know you were crying and I can imagine what happened but I’ll let you tell me about it if you want, yeah?" I nodded.

"I just told them you were right, about Aang needing a firebending teacher and… well, here I am. I know that he did bad things in the past, I personally experienced some of them, but we can’t let this opportunity go to waste and Katara started telling me that I was just saying that because I still loved him".

"Well, she’s not wrong, (Y/N)".

"I know, it’s just that- It made me feel even worse than I already feel because I know that I shouldn’t have feelings for him after everything that happened but I just can’t help it". I could feel the tears running down my face again. "I’m just so hurt, Toph. And I’ve even dreamt of seeing him again and exchanging a conversation with him but at the same time I feel like it’s not worth it; like he was just pretending with me the whole time".

"You have every right to feel like that" she started saying.

"But?"

"But maybe talking to him wouldn’t be such a bad idea" I knew she was right but deep down I tried to convince myself that she wasn’t. "I’m not saying you have to do it, not if you don’t want to. Maybe if he ends up joining us, you could take some baby steps, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess that doesn’t sound so bad" I admitted out loud. She smiled briefly and then she punched my arm and I couldn’t help but smile at her action. Toph was just so Toph sometimes. She got up and left, leaving me by myself, now a lot more at peace with my thoughts than before. I stayed there for a while and finally decided to go back to the others since it was getting late and it was my turn to make dinner.

We all ate in silence, there was a slightly uncomfortable silence, which was broken by my voice, asking if anyone had seen the little earthbender. Everyone said that they hadn’t seen or heard of her since earlier today and I found that pretty unusual.

"I’m sorry for reacting the way I did today" I said.

"No, (Y/N), I’m sorry for talking to you like that. I shouldn’t have told you what I did" said Katara, grabbing my hand and smiling at me. "We know you meant no harm, and we shouldn’t have been that mean to you". I accepted her apology, but I knew she still didn’t like the idea of Zuko joining us. After dinner, we all went to bed and it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.

I woke up with the sun hitting my face. I stayed in my room for a few minutes and I finally decided to get up and go outside. Everyone was already up, which didn’t surprise me at all since I was extremely tired last night, so it made sense that I was the last to wake up. It was Katara’s turn to make lunch, but I decided to help her; I wanted to do something and I also wanted to spend some time with her. We shared some much-needed laughs and I felt so grateful to have a friend like her in my life; we had our fights, but at the end of the day, we were always there for each other and I loved that about our friendship. When we were done, we quickly started serving the food and she began to wonder where Toph was.

"I haven’t seen her since she stormed off yesterday" said Sokka.

"Maybe she’s just exploring the Air Temple" commented Haru. "There are some pretty fun spots to practice earthbending".

"I think we should go look for her".

"Oh, let her have fun with her rocks. I’m in no rush to have her yelling at us again".

"I don’t know, I think Katara is right. I haven’t seen her for a while and I’m starting to get worried" I said.

Then, we heard a loud noise and everything moved around us, and Toph fell from a little pile of rocks.

"Toph, what happened?"

"My feet got burned" she answered and Katara quickly started healing her feet.

"Oh, no, what happened?" she asked worriedly again.

"I just told you, my feet got burned".

"I meant how".

"Well, I kind of went to see Zuko last night".

"What?" I asked as the others reacted surprised too.

"I just thought he could be helpful to us and if I talked to him, maybe we could work something out".

"So he attacked you?" asked Sokka, also worried.

"Well, he did and he didn’t" said Toph before saying that it had been an accident.

"See, you trusted Zuko and you got burned… literally" said Sokka. "And it’s not the first time this happens, we can’t trust him".

As he said that, I immediately touched my arm, which now had a scar thanks to everything that had happened back in Ba Sing Se. They all kept talking but I didn’t pay any attention to them, I was concentrated on my thoughts. I didn’t think much about my scar but when I did, it just took me back to the catacombs. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and we tried to hide as soon as possible. Just before doing that, we saw Zuko telling Combustion Man to stop hunting Aang, but he paid no attention and continued anyways. We tried to fight back since we had to do something if we didn’t want anything bad to happen to us. Thankfully, Sokka had the amazing idea of using his boomerang, which literally saved us. Well, along with Zuko. He was climbing from a root, trying not to fall and he didn’t.

"I can’t believe I’m saying this but thanks, Zuko" said Aang.

"Listen, I know I didn’t explain myself very well yesterday. I’ve been through a lot in the past years, and it’s been hard. But I’m realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth." He looked at me while saying that and it didn’t take me long to break the eye contact between us. "I thought I had lost my honor and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It’s something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what’s right. And all I want now is to play my part in ending this war, I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world".

I could see that Aang’s expression was a lot softer now as Zuko kept talking, and I realized mine was too.

"I’m sorry for what I did to you. It was an accident." He said to Toph. "Fire can be dangerous and wild. So as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don’t hurt people unintentionally".

"I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher" said Aang. "When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara. And after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love" I lifted my head at his words, feeling the young Avatar’s eyes on me and I quickly looked at Zuko before looking away once more. "I’d like you to teach me".

"Thank you. I’m so happy you’ve accepted me into your group".

"Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it’s okay with them" he then proceeded to ask every single one of us our opinion on the matter, and I felt my heart beating fast when he said my name.

"You need a firebending teacher, it would be dumb of us to refuse his offer" I said, and that made it official: Zuko was now part of our group.

Having him around was a bit weird at first, but as the days went by, I got used to his presence. I hated to admit it but having him around wasn’t so bad after all. We were now having dinner, and we were glad Zuko and Katara were fine after their trip together. It was weird to be camping, but I liked to be outdoors, so it didn’t bother me; well, except for the cold, of course. We stayed around the fire for a while after we finished eating, but we finally decided to go to bed since we had to get up early in order to go to Ember Island. Everyone had gone to their tents but I stayed outside for a while, drawing whatever went through my mind.

"Here" I heard a voice say. I looked up and I was met up with Zuko’s face, and he was offering me his robe. I looked at him confused and he sat by my side. "You’re cold, I can tell because you’re curling your toes" he said.

"Thanks" I said, grabbing his robe and putting it on. He stayed there beside me and asked me what I was drawing. "Just Momo sleeping". As I said that I gestured with my head to show him where the lemur was, and he let out a smile.

"I know I said this a couple of times already but I’m glad to see you again and I-" he said, but I interrupted him.

"Please, Zuko, I don’t want to talk about it now. It’s late, I’m tired, and I’d very much rather have this conversation at any other moment; not now, please". I begged, not wanting to deal with this right now. He nodded and told me he understood, but that we would have to talk sooner or later. "I know, I’m still very confused. Give me some time to figure out my feelings, please".

"I will, I promise".

We stayed there in silence for a few minutes while I finished my drawing. Once I was done, I started getting up to go to my tent, and when I was going to give Zuko back his robe, he told me to keep it. I smiled at him and started walking away, but I turned around and walked back to him.

"Here, I want you to have it" I said while giving him my drawing. He smiled and thanked me. We stood there, looking at each other for a few seconds until he said it was late and that we both should go to bed.

"Good night, (Y/N)". Right before walking away, he gave me a quick kiss on my cheek and I was glad it was dark enough for him to not see that I was blushing. I went to my tent and tried to be as silent as possible since I thought Katara would be already asleep.

"Did you guys kiss?" I heard her ask.

"Spirits, Katara, you scared me!" I yelled in a whisper.

"I'm sorry. Did you, though?"

"No, nothing happened" I said, hoping she'd believe me. I took off Zuko's robe and started getting inside my sleeping bag as Katara spoke again.

"Then why do you have his robe?"

"I was cold and he gave it to me, okay?" I looked at her and I realized she wouldn't leave me alone unless I told her everything, so I did. "I'm just so confused" I said after telling her, letting out a sigh.

"I think you're just scared of him hurting you again" she said. "And I get it, he really hurt you and you have every right to be mad, but I see the way he looks at you, (Y/N)".

"That's the thing, I don't even think I'm mad anymore. I guess you're right and I'm probably just scared, but I don't want to be".

"You still need some time".

"How much?" I asked. "Because if I'm being honest I miss him a lot and I just want to be with him, and it's already been a while since he joined us. It's like I'm just a tiny little step away from being ready".

"As much as you need, (Y/N). You'll know when you're ready, trust me". She grabbed my hand in order to reassure me and I smiled at her. "Maybe you're ready and you just don't want to admit it to yourself" she whispered.

She then proceeded to say good night and quickly fell asleep. I was tired, but I just wasn't able to stop thinking about my shared moment with Zuko and what Katara said to me. Maybe she was right and I was ready; maybe I was just scared of being ready, of getting hurt again. I could feel my head starting to hurt a little, but still I thankfully managed to fall asleep, which was actually a blessing since I didn't want to be tired for our trip.

Being at Ember Island felt extremely weird, but it was the best place we had to hide until the comet. Aang and Zuko were training, and Katara, Toph, and I were sitting in the corner. We were all talking when suddenly Sokka and Suki told us about a play that, supposedly, told our story.

"We were just in town and we found this poster" said Suki and then Sokka showed us said poster.

"Listen to this. The Boy In The Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Puan Tin, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar" he started saying, reading what was on the poster.

"Do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about us?" asked Katara.

"Oh, come on. A day at the theater? This is the kind of time-wasting nonsense I've been missing" said her brother. And so we decided to go that night. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but we honestly needed to take a break.

The day went by pretty quick, and soon we had to get ready to go.

"I think that maybe you should take of that shirt" said Katara, looking at the one I was wearing under my fire nation attire. "We don't want people to suspect we're not from the Fire Nation, and your shirt is blue".

I sighed in frustration but I knew she was right. However, I didn't want to take it out, mainly because I was a bit self-conscious about my scar; it was the only reason I used my long sleeve shirt.

"Could you come and help me?" I asked the waterbender. "I can't put this top back on my by myself". She nodded and we went inside for a moment. I had taken off my blue shirt and when she was helping me with my red one, she noticed something was wrong.

"I can stay here with you if you don't feel comfortable going out without covering it" she said, talking about my scar. I honestly considered accepting her offer for a moment. I wasn't that self-conscious about my scar anymore, but covering it was easier: I didn't have to worry about people looking at me, or things like that. But tonight I didn't really care about what anyone could think, so I refused.

"It's nothing, Katara. We should go, we don't want to be late" I said right before she finished helping me with my top. I thanked her and we went back outside to meet the others. We were all ready and so we left.

When we got to the theater, we quickly went to our sits since the play was about to begin. I sat between Zuko and Katara, with Aang and Toph at each end of the bench.

Everything up till the intermission was kind of weird; the guys have told me some things that happened before I joined them, but seeing some actors recreating that was extremely funny.

"Look guys, I know it must hurt but what you're seeing up there is the truth" said Toph before going back to our sits.

When it was Toph's moment to appear in the play, she got excited. She was played by some guy and she actually found that extremely funny, and so did I; maybe coming here hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

Or maybe it was. I wasn't in the play, and when they were acting the whole catacombs situation, they made it seem like Katara and Zuko liked each other. I knew they didn't, but it still made me feel weird and I could tell they felt the same. Suddenly, Aang got up and left and a few moments later, I decided to do the same. I sat on the floor with my back against the wall, waiting for the next intermission. It wasn't long till everyone got out, and Toph, Zuko and I stayed there while Katara went to look for Aang and Sokka went backstage with Suki.

"Geez, everyone's getting so upset about their characters. Even you seem more down than usual, and that's saying something" said the earthbender to Zuko.

"At least you guys are in the play, they didn't even mention me" I said under my breath.

"You don't get it, Toph. You get a muscly version of yourself taking down ten bad guys at once and making sassy remarks".

"Yeah, that's pretty great" said the little girl.

"But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life and shoves them back in my face. Even the ones they don't talk about!" After hearing that, I didn't even think before acting, I just grabbed his hand and started caressing it. He kept talking about his uncle but I didn't say anything; I just stayed there in silence, letting them talk.

We went back in for the last part of the play. To be honest, I was a little bored and just wanted to head back to the house. I could tell I wasn't the only one, and there was a weird tension in the air. We all were a bit shocked at the end of the play, and on the way back to the house we all talked about how bad it actually was. Once we got there, everyone quickly went to bed, and when I was leaving, Zuko told me to stop.

"Is now a good time to talk?" he asked and I slowly nodded. We sat near the fountain, next to each other. "I don't know what the playwright was thinking, but that thing with Katara never happened at the catacombs" he said after a while.

"I know" I whispered. "It was just a play" I reassured him. He nodded and let out a sigh before talking again.

"I have so many things to say but I don't know where to begin with I-" he took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "I just want to make things right".

"I'm not mad at you anymore, Zuko" I said. "I used to be so angry and sad, I guess I needed some time".

"I understand. I'm so sorry for everything that happened, I feel so guilty for betraying you and for hurting you" he said the last part while looking briefly at my arm. "If I could go back to that day, I… I don't know what I would do, honestly".

"We can't change the past, Zuko" I said. "I just have one question and I need you to answer me with the truth. Did you ever feel something for me? Or were you just faking the whole time?" I could tell my heart was beating fast, and I even had some tears that threatened to fall down my cheeks.

"Every single moment with you was true" he said. "I really loved you, and I regret never saying it out loud because I know that it's too late now".

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at him in the eyes.

"I never stopped loving you, (Y/N). Yes, I came here to help Aang, but also because I wanted to see you again. But after being around you for a while I realized that maybe you're better off without me".

"Don't say that" I whispered, preparing myself for what I was about to say, but before he words could leave my mouth he started talking again.

"But it's true. And I know deep down that I'll always love you, but I can't make you love me back if you don't and I-" I cut him off by grabbing his neck in order to press my lips against his.

"I do love you, Zuko. I never stopped loving you" he looked at me surprised, and I didn't know if it was because of what I just said or the kiss. Nevertheless, I kissed him again, and this time he kissed me back; the kiss was sweet and at the same time kind of desperate, and when I backed off a bit, I could tell he had a little smile on his face.

"I missed kissing you so much" he said, cupping my face to then give me a quick kiss on my nose. "I missed you so much" he whispered.

"I missed you too" I said right before hugging him and placing my head on his chest. He kissed my forehead and suddenly, right here with his arms around me, I felt at home.

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Deadlock (Go Child!)

Every instance of inspiration in my weary heart is running dry/And every melody is swiftly wearing thin/But even though I can't push past this mental trap no matter what I try/A voice inside me beckons me to try again

"it's about how sometimes you can't get inspiration and you just feel DOWN because of it! I love this song and I feel it almost everyday"

No Place In Heaven (Mika)

For every love I had to hide/And every tear I ever cried/I'm down on my knees/I'm begging You, please-/There's no place in Heaven for someone like me/Won't You open the door and try me once more?/Cause there's no place in Heaven for someone like me./There's no place in Heaven.

"Ugh horrible I am literally crying while typing those lyrics how embarrassing. My Diocese voted five years ago to acknowledge the status of and bless same-sex marriages. I've been a Christian my whole life and am heavily involved in service roles in the church, and our vicar at the time was a colossal homophobe. He was so ghastly about the whole thing that even congregants who were uncomfortable with same-sex marriage thought he handled it poorly. I'm very queer, but unintentionally very stealth about it, and I got engaged to my partner during all this: despite him also being queer we're a straight passing relationship, and I had to sit with the discomfort of the fact that people were ~thrilled~ for us... because we looked right. But by everything we were being lectured on at the time (and said vicar's rhetoric was honestly that of an aspiring cult leader) our relationship was wrong even as it stood, let alone if we'd been the same gender (which is something we've discussed a lot both because of my own loose relationship with gender and because his prenatal scans were misinterpreted and his parents were told he was girl). And knowing that people weren't happy for *us*, they were happy for what they thought we represented made us gag. But we couldn't say anything openly because the vicar was stomping on open dissent to his views (despite the fact that the WIDER church DID disagree with him). I heard this song for the first time during that. I don't even remember where. But it was SO cathartic to sing along to, and I actually don't cry easily but this song let me get so many of those ugly tears out. The story has a relatively happy ending btw: same-sex marriages CAN be blessed, that vicar threw a tantrum, left and DID set up his own cult, and we now have a priest who is a lot more compassionate and accepting and is actively working to heal the pain and mistrust the first guy caused."

Poll Runner: So many of you have left beautiful, personal descriptions of these songs and how much they mean to you, and honestly I love them all, but this one is honest to god my favourite. It's just so raw and real and made me feel so many feelings (I'm queer and grew up in a fairly homophobic community). The submitter didn't want their url on the poll post for privacy reasons, but they told me that if anyone reading this wants to reach out to them over being a queer Christian, then they can message me (the poll runner) to get their url.

Deadlock submitted by @rook-reaper