#this was written almost entirely for kat

[mvndfvelds]

HELLO !! i've not written any fanfiction in like 3 years so excuse how awful this is, but the spencer reid obsession is just too strong to resist. also there are a serious lack of gn!reader and especially male!reader fics, so if i ever write it'll be for those pairings :))

here's a cringey little valentine's day drabble x

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☆ pairing: gn!reader × spencer reid (no use of 'y/n')

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Valentine's day is overrated anyway, right? At least that's what you've been telling yourself all day whilst being silently bitter about the fact Spencer, your roommate, probably already has a date.

It had hit around 6pm, and you had yet to hear Spencer move from his room - in all honesty, he probably had a date with about 10 books this evening anyway. The romance films all seemed a little too much today, so you ended up laying there staring out the window with a takeaway pizza box laying across your stomach.

Giving up on sitting alone, you swung your legs off the sofa and onto the floor, padding up to Spencer's door and raising a tentative hand to knock.

"Come in!"

You poked your head around the door, still not wanting to intrude fully. You opened your mouth to speak, but he butted in already, "look. If you're gonna comment on the fact I'm alone today, I'd like to remind you that you are too."

"I- wow, you think so lowly of me!" You snarked, "I was going to ask if you wanted to watch something with me seeing as we're both alone?"

"Statistically, there's still 30% of Americans who spend their Valentine's day alone or with friends anyway. Besides, it's all developed into feeding into capitalism now. Oh, and yes, I'd like to watch something!" He rambled whilst you smiled fondly and turned to leave, assuming he was trailing near behind you.

Both of you flopped to the sofa again, the soft lighting in the living room was almost romantic when you looked to Spencer. You tore your eyes away and trailed through the romcoms - Spencer would never admit it, but his guilty pleasure film is '10 Things I Hate About You'.

Halfway through the film you draped a blanket over yourself, revelling in the fact Spencer had moved his feet into your lap afterwards. It wasn't out of the ordinary to be subtly affectionate with Spencer anymore, you'd both taken a fair while to settle into a domestic life, but it was second nature now. Though that didn’t mean your heart didn’t stutter a little at every touch.

"I don't really understand high-school hierarchies," he said absent-mindedly, referring to the film.

"Me neither, though I don't either of us need high-school hierarchies to be considered 'nerds', do we?"

He chuckled lightly before deciding to reposition himself on the sofa entirely, turning the other way and asking, "can I lay my head on you?" You nodded, slightly bemused by his wriggling, focusing on the TV.

One of his lanky arms had made its way to drape over your lap, and one of your hands had settled on playing with his hair. Nearing the end of the film, during Kat's monologue, Spencer sniffled lightly.

"Spence... are you crying?"

He shook his head defiantly, "no? It's just a film."

You held his chin gently and turned his head so he was looking up at you from your lap with teary eyes. You cooed teasingly making his face heat up, "see, you're just a little crybaby. No shame in it, man, we've all been there."

You ran a thumb over his cheekbone, catching a stray tear and wiping it away. "If you weren't a pretty crier I'd take the piss out of you right now, y'know?" You said, sounding far too fond when it was only supposed to be a joking comment.

Evidently this wasn't going to slip past Mr. BAU, so he grinned up at you shyly and muttered, "you think I'm pretty?"

You nodded, face pink, you'd fallen into your own failed sarcasm and there was no way out at this point. Ah, fuck it, you may as well take your chances. You leant down slowly, your intention clear, waiting for a sign that he was happy with this. It soon came as he lifted his head slightly to meet your lips in a gentle kiss. You let out a small whine when he flopped back down with a satisfied grin, finding one of your hands and playing with your fingers gently.

"I guess we don't fit into that 30% anymore, right?"

[bellisima-writes]

August Fanfic Roundup

Good morning fandom readers,

I was able to read a bit more this month than last, but still not much. Quality over quantity, right? Here is a round up of the goodies I was able to gobble up in between the craziness that is my life:

Lesser known fiction (a shout out to some of the newer writers in our community!):

A Place for the End of the World by @kitty-kat-undercover - E - 77k

Three weeks after Aziraphale left for Heaven the Second Coming is fast approaching. A heartbroken Crowley decides to return to an old friend's home in Canada to live out the last few days before the end of the world

This was a beautifully written and original take on how Crowley and Aziraphale's story could end. The author has an incredible ability to paint a robust picture with their words, really dropping you into the landscape and feel of the story. There is a tenderness and a joy to the characters and the prose that paint the whole thing in a hopeful light; something I don't think we see too much in our angsty post season 2 world (my works included).

The story includes characters from the show as well as some wonderful original ones, all of them bursting with love and fondness for the world and each other that really shines through on the page. If you want a romantic character study of Crowley's journey through his grief and Aziraphale's discovery of his own bravery, then this is a great choice.

Apus by @notalostcausejustyet - E - 3.6K

A beautifully written one shot about the power of love, both of another but also of yourself, and the discoveries that can be born from that love.

It's a soft and sexy snapshot of the ways in which Aziraphale and Crowley continue to teach each other things about themselves, how their adoration of the other enables self discovery in both, and the power of love throughout it all.

@notalostcausejustyet is not just an amazing author, but an incredible human being. Definitely check out this and their other work!

Well known Post S2 fiction (stuff most of you have read but I am still catching up on):

scherzo in f-sharp minor, for orchestra by @astrhae - M - 23K

Two years after leaving, Aziraphale turns up at Crowley's doorstep without his memories.

Told entirely through Crowley's POV, this story packs a LOT into relatively few words. The prose are poetic and the reader is taken on a journey through a selection of vignettes and snippets that are weaved together to tell a complete Second Coming story.

The historical references stand out here, as well as the almost cinematic way I felt as though I was being pulled along through a montage of images and scenes, never lingering too long but fully feeling the weight of each of as they pulled together to tell the story.

The focus here is entirely on Aziraphale and Crowley and their journey to save the world and get back to each other. Not sure if there's anyone left who hasn't read this, but if you want a beautifully written but relatively short Season 3 what if story with a laser sharp focus, this is for you.

Classic fiction (reserved for older pre and post season 1 works only):

Married at First Sight by @aracloptia - T - 147k

A little young to be a classic but it was started before season 2 so I think it counts.

Human AU in which Aziraphale and Crowley join a reality TV series where they meet one another at their own wedding and have to stay married for six weeks before deciding whether or not to break up or stay together. Things start off rocky for the pair, and after a while they decide on an arrangement of their own to help them survive the remaining length of their marriage while also minimizing their own humiliation.

This one was a joy to read: sweet, funny, beautifully written, with wonderful (and sometimes tragic) characterizations and depth that likely doesn't belong in an AU about a reality TV show. Not to mention how brilliantly crafted it was - I actually had to message the author at the end of one chapter to ask them HOW they made it all work so well!

I was at the point this month between all of the heavy post season 2 canon stuff I had been reading as well as writing my own darker AU, I needed a palate cleanser to lighten the mood. And this was PERFECT.

I am partial to human AU's, and this one joins some of my favorites alongside Slow Show, Old Vines, What We Make It (Shotgun Wedding) and For His Eyes Only. I know this one has been making the rounds on my side of tumblr (it's how I found it myself) but if you've still not read it, you definitely should! You won't be disappointed.

I am also reading a few awesome WIPs by some of my mutuals that I hope to include next time! I'm just a wee bit bogged down with the start of the school year as well as trying to pull together my own WIP.

Til next month!

[vechter]

what do you think it would take for dick grayson to kill?

a lot of people think he takes "killing" very lightly and he would easily commit murder on anyone who hurt his loved ones but i don't think it's that easy. it's way more complicated than that. i thought you could make a post on dick and his connection with his morals and how he perceives things?

i totally understand if u dont want to or if you need some time to construct the post <3

okaaaay. a couple of thoughts on this but the first thing that comes to mind is this set of panels from nightwing (1996) #112:

this is his voiceover right at the beginning of the renegade arc and it's written by devin grayson. while i don't agree with all aspects of how she writes dick, i think this one is a fairly accurate depiction of what dick himself thinks of his morals.

this is coming right off the blockbuster saga so dick has lived that moment where he froze and let tarantula shoot blockbuster:

the thing with dick's no-kill mentality is that he adopted it from bruce but it's way more nuanced than that.

bruce mentored him in his most formative years; he taught dick almost everything there is to know about vigilantism and crime. but the thing is, dick was an entire person before he met bruce! most of his inner strength and determination and will power is a reflection of being raised by mary and john grayson till age 8/9/10 (kat actually has a wonderful meta about this). panel below from jla (1997) #76:

it's what makes dick so different- it's why nightwing is a beacon of hope, why he's the guy every superhero trusts.

on the other hand, bruce is staunchly dogmatic in his moral code. for him, to take a life is essentially becoming a part of the senseless violence that took his parents from him in that alley. he will never be the same if he lets himself give in. and if he's not the same, he can't be batman (panel from batman 1940 #650):

dick, however, is different in the way he approaches this. while you cannot understate his adherence to no killing, his loyalty to bruce supersedes all. just look at his first thought after letting blockbuster die in nightwing 1996 #93:

did blockbuster deserve to die? yes. did dick himself think that? yes, for a brief moment. but that's the thing about vigilantism- it's all about split seconds and moments that are lost before they're ever held. it's why all of them have to hold themselves to such strict standards.

there have been several instances where dick has threatened killing when it's his loved ones in danger. panel from new teen titans (1984) #18 (lil nebulous bc i can't remember if he was under brother blood's influence or not):

but i think one of dick's chief characteristics is how deeply he values control, which brings me to dick killing the joker.

see, the thing is dick's moral code is deeply influenced by his desire to protect his loved ones. he gets angry when they're hurt. but this protective rage often wars with his desire to stay in control! if you read joker: last laugh (2006) #6 through that lens, it gets rlly interesting:

we see him state that this isn't the way. but his anger is driving him:

dick's reaction is soooo fun. it's not really about the joker being dead, it's about how he lost control and let the joker win! it's not about the joker, not really, it's about what it says about dick. if dick is not in control, can he trust himself? what does it say about him that he let his rage get the better of him?

the only other canonical instance where dick kills someone is creighton kendall in nightwing (1996) #146. but the thing with this one is that it's different from the other two. dick is very much in control of the situation. in fact, it's pretty much premeditated:

tomasi's run is excellent, prolly one of my favourites, but for some of the events that transpire, you don't really get any kind of introspection on them. and dick is very much an introspective guy, even if it's introspection based on his warped perception of himself. so, i'm a little unsure if he feels any guilt about this or if he thinks it's a justified call. because he did plan it out by letting kendall drag him across the water, soaking his wings and timing his own jump.

so, i think how dick would approach the situation is very important. if it's something like the joker or the blockbuster, where dick is lost to senseless rage or emotionally spent from deaths he blames himself for, dick will never forgive himself. but for a guy like kendall, where it's the only viable last resort, dick will not have the same level of self-hatred and guilt over it.

i think this conversation with babs in nightwing (1996) #53 is a pretty good summation of what moral philosophy he adheres to:

but to be fair, dick kills the joker literally 10 issues later and then blockbuster comes into his life soon enough to blow it all up, so maybe this is a slightly rosy view of what he thinks is the right thing to do.

which is why the monologue in nightwing #112 is such a good articulation of his evolving code. dick has been in a position where he has surprised himself more than once so he doesn't hold the same view about the infallibility of his ethics any more.

all this to say, dick will absolutely not easily kill someone who has hurt any of his loved ones. the only time such a thing would be tenable would be in a moment of great emotionality or him facing the absolute worst kind of sophie's choice, and even then- the odds of him killing someone are laughably low. remember, this is the guy every superhero trusts indubitably and whose resolve is too strong to be darkened!

[elis-corner]

Multiple comfort hermits? feeling down mentally atm...

Anon, you sent this at the exact time I was reading comfort Hermit fics.

And yes I lost motivation halfway at one point, but two months later and I'm back XD

Hope you're okay, love <3 Enjoy the selection of Hermits decided on by my good pal Kat

Rendog

Ren considers some of his canine traits to be advantages. Entirely understandable. A superb sense of smell, sensitive hearing… who wouldn’t be appreciative? At least, as long as you’re not near Bdubs, sensitive hearing is great.

There are times when he finds himself appreciating them more, though.

Until you’d met Ren, it was only a myth in your eyes that dogs were extremely empathetic. It didn’t take long for your opinion to change.

He was the one you knew you could turn to for comfort and to have someone who’d just be there to sit and listen

It meant the world.

Sometimes, though, life throws things at you that are hard to handle, and it becomes a struggle to open up and be honest with others and yourself.

It’s times like that when Ren works his magic.

The moment he walks into your base he knows something is up You’re not bustling around, working or planning whatever new idea you’ve concocted. Instead, he can hear your quiet sniffles from a few rooms over.

Within a second he’s speeding in the direction of your voice, and the moment he finds you he’s sitting beside you, pulling you close so he can hug you

His grip is tight as he asks what’s wrong, the concern in his voice so painstakingly obvious that all your emotions begin to come flooding out.

He sits there and listens to you, tossing whatever assurance or compliment or opinion he feels you need. If it’s real bad he’ll pull out the jokes. If you don’t show a hint of a smile it’s innuendos from then on.

He doesn’t leave your side, even if you insist you’re feeling better, and if any other hermit offers to help instead it’ll become more persistentHe’s a bit possessive. Just a bit.

He can’t stand the idea of you being there alone, and though occasionally annoying, it’s more endearing than anything.

There have been incidents when he’s gotten a bit too worried, though…

‘I’m serious, Y/n! It’s alright! You can talk to me!’ ‘Ren, I’m not in the mood or state to have you over. I’m getting changed. Please, can you just lea–.’

Needless to say he believed you the next time you used that “excuse”.

Xisuma

Can I even begin to describe X finding out you’re not having a great time? The answer is I can.

Think concern, hugs, words of comfort, and lots of empathy and attention

Think of a sad puppy. That’s him. Without taking how jacked he is into consideration.

On one of his regular checkups making sure you’re okay he’s bound to have figured out something isn’t right

He won’t outright address it at first, instead giving you as much space and time as you need

If you don’t want to talk he won’t force you to

When you inevitably approach him, though, it’s all love and care for the next month or so.

Compliments, stories, hugs, little activities for the two of you to do together… anything to see you smile again 

It breaks his heart seeing you upset ❤️

Mumbo

Man doesn’t quite know what to do.

What if he makes it worse? What if it doesn’t help?

Mumbo is either going to do something small and sweet or huge and sweet.

Either way, there’s a 50% chance of it going wrong.

But that’s okay! It’s part of the charm! You laughing at him almost burning his base down was entirely part of his plan!

There’s not much to write since it could be summarised in a single sentence: He has no clue what to do, but the man’s trying his best *insert TBH creature face here*

Scar

mmmmmmmm the way he hums while he builds, the way he talks to himself, the weird little noises he makes when he takes too much fall damage or is jumped asdakjdahdkajshdaskjdh adorbs :sob (Note: this part was written by Kat but I’m leaving it here)

When you’re upset he doesn’t really understand the concept of personal space Prepare to be swaddled in blankets, love, comfort foods… whatever he can think to give you

If there’s something he thinks (or knows) you like, you can be sure as hell he’ll do it. He’ll sing your favourite songs, put on your favourite movie, go shirtless if you’re into that… anything for you.

Will Scar sit and listen? Of course! What else is he there for?

Jellie, being the best girl she is, leaves Scar’s side to snuggle with you. No scratching today, just adorable love.

Speaking of adorable love; the look of pure love and admiration Scar gives you while you talk. Man knows how to validate your feelings for sure.

If you’re still not happy after a day of treatment by Scar, don’t fall asleep. It may be a good thing to rest, but know that he’s going to ask either Cub or Grian for advice, and that’ll end in disaster.

By the end of it, you’ll be all laughs and giggles (or groans of annoyance), and Scar will be able to sleep easy knowing he made your day the slightest bit better.

[bqstqnbruin]

See You Again

I'm actually posting a fic for the first time in seven months aka the first fic I've finished in seven months peace love teaching

anyway, I wrote this for the lovely @wyattjohnston's summer fic exchange! I got to write for @selfindulgentpoorlywritten but I've never written for Nico before, so I hope you like this (I was fully inspired by my own mess of a life)

Edit since I’m a dumbass thank you to @kat-hearts for reading this first and being amazing ily 😭

One of the characters, Nat is nonbinary, and I did my best to make the reader gender netural, which I haven't done before on either account, so I hope I did it justice (if something is glaringly wrong, please let me know!)

Warnings: I was mean with the ending? A little? Also, some swearing, drinking, almost physical fighting

Word Count: almost 2.8k

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“When was the last time you saw him?”

You tried to shift through your memory to figure that out. In person, the last time was sometime in the first week of December about two years ago. Thinking about him, which thankfully didn’t count, would involve you giving a much more recent answer, way more recent than you would really like to admit. “I don’t remember.” 

“Well,” your roommate Nat says, looking down at their phone. “I have bad news.”

“Fucking hell,” you moan, tilting your head to hit the back of the seat of the Uber. You knew what they were going to say before the words even started to come out of their mouth.

“Nico is going to be there tonight. With all the guys.” You let out another groan, the Uber driver giving you a scowl through the rearview mirror. “I’m sorry! Jack didn’t know he was coming, or he would have told us way before we got ready.” 

You stare out the window, trying to think of all the ways that you could get out of this situation. You already paid for the Uber and didn’t want to pay for another one. You weren’t about to go somewhere by yourself, especially since the bar you were heading towards wasn’t within a reasonable walking distance if you were to go somewhere by yourself, and no way was Nat going to leave with you without Jack, and Jack, of course, wasn't going to leave without his teammates. 

“We can go back right now and I’ll tell Jack to have fun with his team instead,” Nat tells you as if they could read your mind. They put their hand over yours, trying to give you any sense of calm that was setting into your panic. “We do not have to be around Nico.” 

“What kind of person tells someone they like them but not enough to date them?” you mutter, knowing you and Nat have had this conversation many times on your kitchen floor, drunk and crying together at 2 in the morning. They had introduced you to Nico one night after a game when the team went out to celebrate. They had been dating Jack for about a year at that point, meeting him through his brother at Michigan and reconnecting when they both realized they were going to be in New Jersey together. Quinn had used the reasoning of, “he won’t know anyone in the state,” only for everyone to realize later that he knew Jack had been smitten with Nat since they met. If only you had been so lucky. 

You had known of Nico, obviously. How could you not? He was the captain of the Devils, the team you grew up surrounded by, the number one draft pick in the sport your roommate never shut up about. He covered your social media feeds without you really wanting them to and everyone you knew talked about what a great game he had the night before. You couldn’t escape the idea of him, no matter where you went. 

When you met him that night a few years back, there was something about him in person that you were drawn to. He had been just an idea to you, not someone you could think about as being real. You spent that entire night with him, your friends either wandering off or you too enthralled with Nico to notice that they were there. Nat and Jack were heading back to your place before last call, and you were left knowing that you had to see Nico again.  

He asked if he could kiss you, making you melt as his hand gently snaked its way to your cheek, pulling you close when you said yes and covering your mouth with his. You waited for his text the next day, anxiously checking your phone until he finally did after 3 pm. From then on, you told each other everything, texting each other whenever you could, him calling you and heading over to your apartment whenever he didn’t have an obligation to the team. You fell hard for him and you had believed that he felt the same about you. 

“The kind of person who doesn’t know what they have until it’s gone,” Nat tells you, trying to pep you up. “Hey, we can find you a guy that is just as hot as Nico tonight.” 

“I’m gonna move to Ireland and isolate myself with the spuds.”

“Act like you can be away from me for that long,” they tease, earning a laugh from you. “I’m serious, though. Tell me what you want to do, or who you want to do, and Jack and I will make it happen.”

You didn’t want someone just as hot as Nico, you wanted Nico. You hated the fact that there was more than one time that you had pulled up his messages on your phone, part of you unable to delete that conversation thread even though you knew it would be the healthy thing to do. But you weren’t known amongst your friends for doing what was best for your mental wellbeing, so you kept them, going back through the conversations you had in the four months you were seeing him. The last text was what haunted you the most, him telling you that he was going to be back in Switzerland for the summer and that he ‘didn’t want you tied down to one person’ while he was gone.

He said he would text you when he was back. 

He never did. 

There were multiple times when you wanted to text him, but you never did, either. 

“Yeah,” you manage to choke out. “Let’s do it.” 

You spend the rest of the ride in silence, trying to think of where in the bar you would be able to hide from Nico so that he wouldn’t see you. The guys were already inside, Jack telling Nat about 10 minutes ago that they went to start drinking as fast as they could. 

The bar was somehow muggy inside, as if the beer itself hung in the air rather than the sweat of the nearly one hundred drunk people that were crowding every square inch of the floor. Jack was easy to spot for Nat, his five foot eleven frame not the largest of his teammates, but still distinct enough that your roommate had left your side within seconds of entering to be with their partner. 

So much for finding you someone tonight. 

You tried to stay away from him, closer to Nat and Jack as best as you could, but they kept wandering off from you. The last thing you wanted to do was go with them when they were both on their way to drunk and have a history of doing slightly illegal things in the bathrooms at bars. 

You had to find someone to talk to. Any person who looked interesting. Any other guy on the team who you were friends with, but that was really only Jack, and that was really only because he’s dating Nat. Your phone was your only comfort, finding a table that had been pushed up against the wall and hoping that there was something you could doom scroll on that would distract you from looking towards Nico. 

He had the right to do what he wanted at the bar with his teammates. You weren’t together. 

“You ok?” you hear during a lull in the music, pulling you away from your phone for a moment. You didn’t know who was standing in front of you, one of the newer guys from the trade deadline that Nat definitely hadn’t introduced you to. He was waiting for you to respond, looking like he had wanted to sit down with you.

“Yeah, just, not a big ‘going out’ person.”

He lets out a nervous laugh, a smile that sends a jolt through your system that you hadn’t felt in a while. Since Nico, if you were really willing to be honest with yourself. “Me neither, honestly. I’m just here because I didn’t have anything else to do.” 

“I got dragged here with my roommate so they can be with their boyfriend,” you tell him, gesturing to Nat and Jack trying their best to sneak out of the bathroom, Jack’s shirt buttoned wrong, both of their previously neatly styled hair in a mess that you only saw after hearing them the night before. 

“So that’s the infamous Nat,” he says, taking the seat beside you. You nod as he continues, “Jack never shuts up about them. Not that Jack shuts up about anything or anyone, ever, but especially not Nat.” 

“I always knew he was a good one,” you tell him, introducing yourself so he knew you as more than just, ‘his teammate's partner’s roommate.’

“I’m Timo.” 

You spent the rest of the night bouncing between the table and the bar with Timo, him buying you every drink you wanted. There was something about him that was different, but you couldn’t focus all of your attention on him. 

He was talking about his time in San Jose while you were waiting for your next round of drinks. You couldn’t focus on a word he was saying, Nico within your line of sight talking to a girl. A really attractive girl, you might add. You felt your heart drop, feeling a lump in your throat forming faster than you could lie to yourself about that scene having no effect on you. Naturally, Nico would talk to other people. You hadn’t talked to him in two years, let alone seen him in person. Just because you couldn’t get over him, no matter how hard you tried, that didn’t mean he didn’t get over you.

“And then I got traded here, and I love it, so far,” you tune back into Timo, who is suddenly much closer than you remember. It’s just because the bar is loud, people are starting to crowd for drinks, and, fuck, you have to admit, he’s pretty hot. 

Nico was still watching. 

Timo took your hand, leading you off to the table where you were before, the drinks in your hand probably not ones that you needed to begin with. His free hand snaked its way to your waist, pulling you close to him. You could feel your heart racing faster with every inch he got closer to you. You wanted him to kiss you. 

You thought you did. 

“I’m sorry,” you pull away right as his lips were about to meet yours, tears starting to form in your eyes, leaving the drink he bought you in his hands as you ran from him. Your breath catches in your throat while you try to find Nat and Jack, just praying that they weren’t back in the bathroom or too intoxicated in general to help out. 

You heard Timo calling after you, somehow, through the volume of the music and your own drunkenness, breaking through and getting to you. You didn’t want Timo calling your name, you wanted it to be Nico. 

You needed it to be Nico. 

“Hey, hey,” you hear, feeling a familiar hand gently place itself on your arm. You turn around, Nico’s face a mixture of concern and fury. “What did he do?” 

“He, he,” you stammer, the tears falling faster the more you looked at him, every memory you had with him suddenly rushing back into your mind. “He didn’t do anything. You did.”

You yank your arm from him, trying to find anywhere to be in the building that didn’t have one of Nico’s teammates looking at you causing a scene. You knew he was following you, calling your name again and again over the music. People were starting to stare, but no part of you cared, trying harder to not let the tears that were burning your eyes fall down your cheeks. 

Nat and Jack were nowhere to be seen, the rest of Nico’s teammates trying to figure out what was going on when you burst through the front door of the bar, the cold fall air hitting your face as soon as you did. You let out a sob, trying to steady yourself against the wall of the building, sliding down to the ground while people waiting to get in tried to figure out if they should help you or if you were just another drunk person having some sort of meltdown that was none of their business. 

“Hey,” you hear, a soft voice coming from above you. “I’m so sorry if I did something wrong.” Timo slid down next to you. “I read the situation wrong, I thought you were also into me.”

“I am, I just,” you start, trying to think of what to say. 

“Hey, what the fuck did you do?” Nico yells, pulling Timo off the ground. “What did he do to make you cry?”

“Nico, stop,” you let out, Timo looking both confused and terrified by his new captain’s hand on his shirt collar. “He didn’t do anything.”

“What the fuck did I miss?” Timo asked, slowly trying to back away from Nico staring you down. 

“Why can you talk to other people and I can’t?” you ask him, feeling your sadness turn into anger. “You had no issue not talking to me for the last two years.” 

“I’m gonna go,” Timo lets out, barely loud enough for the two of you to hear and sneaking away before you could notice. 

“You didn’t want to talk to me,” Nico counters, taking a step towards you. “But you wanted to talk to TImo instead?”

“Where the fuck did you get that idea?” 

“You never texted me. You’ve spent the entire night avoiding me. You think I didn’t see you when you were by yourself on your phone?” 

“You were in Sweden. And you could have come up to me and talked to me, what was stopping you? Oh, that’s right, your new girlfriend.”

“Switzerland. And she’s not my girlfriend. I haven’t seen anyone in ages.”

“Wherever you were, you weren’t here,” you tell him, your back against the wall. How long had it been since he had last seen someone? There was no way you had been the last person he was with. “You told me you didn’t want to be tied down while you were back home. You didn’t even want to talk to me, because if you did, you would have.” 

“You’re joking,” he scoffs. “You think I didn’t want to talk to you? Every fucking day I have thought about how our conversations would go when I saw you after you get home from work. I would think about you telling me about your day, about everything you would tell Nat, or whoever you were seeing at the time. Every single person I saw in the last two years, I wanted them to be you.” 

You didn’t know what to say, letting Nico’s words sink in. “Then why didn’t you text me when you came back from Switzerland?” 

Nico took in a deep breath, closing his eyes and tilting his head up to the sky. “Because I thought there was no way someone else wouldn’t have realized how amazing you are. There was no way I could be someone who you thought was worth waiting for.” 

Nico takes a step towards you, his hand gently taking yours. This was a moment you had been thinking about since he left for Switzerland two years ago. You knew he was going to kiss you, having you pinned against the wall of the building. His free hand cupped your cheek.

“There you guys are!” Nat interrupts, them and Jack clearly having just finished up doing something they weren’t supposed to be doing. Nico steps away from you, clearing his throat, the red in his cheeks so noticeable there was no way even your roommate wouldn’t comment on it later.  “We’ve been looking for you, for um.”

“Long enough,” Jack finishes their sentence, a stupid smile covering his face. You knew he was lying, but no part of your brain was letting you focus on that. Nico leaned against the building, his arm up over your head. “The uber’s almost here. Are you ready to go?”

No. “Yes.” 

The three of you leave Nico standing there by himself, Nat and Jack falling asleep in the Uber as soon as it gets on the highway. 

You check your phone for the first time in a while, a lone notification popping up on your phone that hadn’t been there in almost two years. 

‘Nico, iMessage.’ 

[nerdieforpedro]

No Stops and No Pulling Out

Chapter Three of A Safe Place for Us Series

Dieter Bravo x Aisha Smith (black plus size AFAB)

My entire masterlist and blog are for readers 18+ MDNI. I do not consent to my work being used in AI, recommended on TikTok, borrowed or plagiarized.

Summary: Dieter arrives at Aisha’s place. He continues in his honesty and his Kit Kat responds in kind. The point of no return.

Warnings: All the smut basically, fingering, oral (f receiving), both of them being bossy and chatty? (What was I thinking? Was not. 🤭), unprotected P in V (wrap it up IRL), aftercare, a smidge of cum play?, cockwarming, cuddles 🥰

Word Count: about 1.6k

Notes: This chapter is very horny. Here we are, I’m no quite sure what so say other than I hope you enjoy. 😉😆 I laughed way too hard at my own warnings, but I think I covered everything.

Main Masterlist/ Dieter Bravo Masterlist/AO3 Link

Once passed the threshold of her bedroom, she pushes Dieter onto the bed and drops her robe. The straps of her nightgown drop and expose one of her large breasts, the ones that Dieter has dreamt about. He’s laying across the bed removing his shirt and shimmying to the edge, he notices that she looks tense. Standing, Dieter takes one of her hands and kisses the back of it. “You’re sure you want to start now? Don’t seem excited at all Kit Kat.” His smirk earns the crack of a small smile, Aisha leans forward and kisses his cheek, his scruffy beard tickling her lips.

“Yeah I can. I said I could. And I do want to, it’s just going to change everything.” Placing her hand on his back, Bravo pulls down his pants and steps out of them. The first kiss to her neck has her exhale while with the next he earns his name cooed softly while he brings her over to the bed. Falling back, he beckons her to sit on his lap, but ends up pulling her because she was taking her time. A knee placed on the outside of his thighs, she’s spread for him. His hand guide her hips down to graze the head of his cock. He feels her slick entrance on his tip, licking his lips at the thought of being inside of her soon. “Dee, put it in.” Aisha’s nails are digging into Dieter’s shoulders.

“Not yet. I need you a lot more wet Aisha.” His middle finger quickly entered her head without warning and she yelped. “Sorry baby, but you’re not stretched and relaxed enough for me yet. I think you’ll enjoy the baby making process if I can get three in.” The perplexed look on her face made him start moving his finger slowly, having her ride it while she repeated his name and the soft curse of ‘fuck.’ “Same Ai. God this is so better than how I pictured it.” Pulling down both of nightgown straps, she lifted her breast to Dieter’s mouth.

“Stop talking and suck. Help me get there Dieter.” Nodding, his tongue warmed her nipple as her hips began to roll in his finger, Bravo fell back and Aisha did with him, straddling him as a second finger entered her moist core. Now making a vacuum around her chocolate pebble, Dee watched as her back started to arch and her hips began gyrating in circles. “M-More…ahh…almost…” Slipping a third finger in proved difficult as she was clenching his two so tightly, so he used his teeth to nab at her nipple. It was enough to have her drip down his hand and wrist as her body became rigid with her orgasm. Her full weight was on top of him as he held her. Panting for a few moments, Aisha was able to look up at Dieter and saw admiration on his face. She shouldn’t but she felt shy suddenly at him seeing such a different side of her.

“Didn’t know you liked to give commands like that in bed too. I just thought it was during movie nights and meals.” He jokes as she rolls off of him, still watching him. “What is it?”

“So…you love me and that’s why you want to help me have a baby Dieter?” He can tell she hasn’t quite accepted his words from her question. Why is he only good with them when they’re written by someone else?

“Because I love you I want to put a baby in you. Maybe two or three, we’ll see how the first one goes. You know I’d take care you and our kid right? Aisha you’re one of the few good things I have besides my Kit Kats, sobriety and my robe.” He turns to lay on his side and kisses her breast then forehead. “Now if you want me to continue, that nightgown is coming off, you’re keeping your legs open wide and I’m kissing both sets of lips.” Bringing the two fingers he had inside of her, Dieter licked them slowly as she removed her nightgown and tossed it on the floor. Wordlessly, Aisha slipped a leg under Dee’s side and put her other one on his hip to flip him from his lateral laying position to on top of her.

“My one set of lips are going to be kissed by your cock Dieter. Guide yourself inside of me. Now.” Twitching from her aggressiveness and another command, he reaches down and moves his head and shifts against her wet slit, coating himself in her juices. “Stop teasing me and fuck me Dee.” Getting himself situated on his knees, he grabs a pillow and taps her hip for Aisha to raise them for him.

“Aisha, I’m not just going to fuck you. At least the first time. I told you I love you, are you going to act like you didn’t hear me?” He asked with an sharp edge, allowing his bulbous head inside of her warmth. He held her hips still so she couldn’t despite trying to use her legs to get some leverage. “Do you feel the same or you truly just want a kid from me? Hm?” He felt her walls grip him, trying to pull him further in.

“I heard you, I just…I’m going to be covetous with you Dieter. Your time, your love, your attention and maybe even your Kit Kats.” She strokes the vellus hairs on his arms as her eyes meet his with a soft smile. “I’ve loved you for years.” Bravo quickly bottoms out within her spongy walls, throbbing within her. He kisses between her breasts as her back arches, the stretch of his thick member dragging toward her depths. He doesn’t move, kissing her chin next before exhaling. “My god Dee, that’s what you have in those pants?! My pussy won’t be the same…”

“Damn right she won’t, she’s mine now as are you. Beautiful.” Her cunt clenched when he spoke about her quivering cavern and moaned when he said he was hers. He didn’t announce when he was going to move, he just drew back and slid into her slowly. Their bodies found their own rhythm between grunts and whines, as Dieter sped up, Aisha began to pull his hair and licked his Adam’s apple. Dieter used his forearms to hook under her knees to spread her legs further as he rutted into her.

He felt close, but he didn’t want to stop. Having her moan and cry his name out, growling hers, he wants to churn his come inside of her and then fill her again later. Dieter thought he could hold out a bit longer, but he wasn’t able to, once he began pouring into her, his hand quickly dropped her leg and his thumb found her clit, he licked his thumb and circled it, trying to make her climax so she could milk his cock. On this he was successful, and her velvet walls did clinch around his softening length as he remained within her.

Dieter found her eyes and watched her purr. At least he thinks he heard a purr and this is why he wouldn’t want another man to experience this. Possessive? Yes, but she moaned when he called her his. “Aisha. Aisha, damn sweet girl…” Using his tongue, he cleaned his thumb of her slick and bit her bottom lip, forcing her mouth to open for him to slip inside, making her taste herself.

“Are you…always like this Dieter?” Able to speak between pants and Dieter’s thumb bobbing in her mouth. He didn’t pull out and just warmed within her. He knew he would have to eventually. They would need to clean up. But then what, just appointments until things are figured out? More, he wants and needs more from her.

“No. It’s only with you. Aisha. I’m not in the habit of wanting someone this much. You did that to me.” Cupping her face, a light kiss, gentle. He can do that and be that for her. She watched his features soften with the kiss. Dieter looked warm to her, Aisha couldn’t recall him ever this territorial with her. Protective maybe, especially after her work was stolen but not like this. Where it doesn’t look like he’s going to let her go. It makes her feel safe, but also scares the hell out of Aisha. She ruffles his hair as he finally slides out of her. The loss of his girth has her groaning and feeling the drag of his length exiting her has her crave it again. “Come on.”

“W-Wait, I’m not ready to stand yet.” Dieter has already popped up out of bed and is pulling Aisha by her hands to take her to her bathroom. Wobbly and leaning on Dieter’s arm, they make it there together and wipe each other down, cleaning up. “I’m still dripping a bit Dee.” She states barely above a whisper as he’s between her legs, spreading her again to ensure that she’s clean and dry. The sensation of the washcloth and his hand. He flicks his tongue on her inner thigh. “D-Dee, don’t.”

The low chuckle as he stands, “I’m not. Nowhere near ready to go again. Come on, back to bed with you Scribbles.” A light slap to Aisha’s ass as he holds a handful of it and takes her back to her bed. Laying next to her feels right, having her curl on his chest gives Dieter a wide smile.

“You’re going to get some sleep too?” With heavy eyes, Aisha peers up at Dieter and presses her palm into his chest, “We’ll talk more tomorrow morning Dee.” Her voice trailed off and he was right behind her.

“We will. I promise Ai.”

Chapter Two. Chapter Four

The cuddlers 🤗: @megamindsecretlair @soft-persephone @soft-girl-musings @rosecentaur1916 @westside-rot

@mysterious-moonstruck-musings @schnarfer @yorksgirl @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @guelyury

@readingiskeepingmegoing @gwendibleywrites @pascalsanctuary @survivingandenduring

[augment-techs]

Hope this isn’t being rude but you don’t like Tomberly? Or rather the fans of the ship? Is it okay to ask why? Genuinely asking.

....Well, I'm gonna get eaten alive for answering this, but I'm so bored right now I also do not care. How to put this.... It's not necessarily that I find Tomberly to be an inherently bad pairing, or find that the people who have this for their OTP to be especially unpleasant in every facet of their being. No, it's more like...a very specific type of Tomberly shipper that can--and HAS--ruined my day because they cannot FATHOM these two characters, SPECIFICALLY, being in a relationship outside of each other and making it the entire rest of the fandom's problem. Like, in the 90s, I could understand it. I was in kindergarten, but it was literally one of the first ever kid show pairings that delivered a kiss and felt like they were perfect. Fine, great, awesome. But it is 2023. They are now the ONLY Rangers LIVE that have kissed, and a lot (and I do mean A LOT) of these shippers feels like that's destiny, it is written in the stars: They were Meant to Be. They Are The Best. There Will Never Be Another True Pairing. They are the LOUDEST and MOST ANNOYING about this when literally anything in media shows the characters in another, different romantic relationship (Tommy) or perfectly happy and fulfilled being on their own (Kim). And I am stuck with that one scene from the Birds of Prey/Harley Quinn movie just BLASTING in my brain every time one of these fans crosses my dash with a snide remark about Tommy/Kat in ANY narrative, or making heart eyes at Kim just standing next to Drakkon in the comics in any dimension ever:

And this is not even bringing up how they are generally dismissive of other characters outside of these two, because where one goes, the other follows. (Examples: Trini, Zack, Jason, Kat, Tanya, J.J., Hayley, Bulk and Skull--not getting into it with these two, but it is a PROBLEM--and on and on and on.) Not to mention they have a tendency to dismiss any flaws (Kim being selfish, a little manipulative, dismissive of other people's feelings, too into her looks, sometimes being too one-track minded vs Tommy's lack of any personality outside of being a Ranger, being secretive and dramatic in the early days, constantly picking fights, making everything a big deal, being a doormat, being too submissive, being jealous) as just bad writing/bad acting, instead of just... Understanding that maybe there is a POINT to this? These are the inconvenient shippers mind you. These exist in every fandom, it's just a little harder to avoid them when you're in a SMALL fandom. And I have my own biases; as a consummate multishipper I see characters are beneficial only if they can branch out into BETTER characters, with better options and plots ahead of them than just Good Girl Meets Rugged Guy, They Kick Ass, They Fall in Love, They Live Happily Ever After blah blah blah blah. Also, and I cannot stress this enough: I am almost exclusively a fan of the PR COMICS. And the comics are doing their best to make all their characters multidimensional and slightly different from what we had in the 90s. Which means I can look back at the live action MMPR series and say, "Both Kim and Tommy Were a Dumpster Fire, I Don't Think I Like Them Very Much," and happily skitter back to their current comic selves and say, "You're a dumpster fire, too. But that's okay~ You're teenagers who make mistakes and are still growing into yourselves and can make new choices. Nothing is set in stone and the multiverse exists. What are you going to do about it?" * * * tldr; I don't HATE Tomberly. I don't HATE their fans. I am a multishipper who believes in options and not dunking on any other possible relationships they might have outside of each other. I like Kat Hillard, I like Matt Cook, I like Tommy, I like Kim. These are not mutually exclusive and I am okay with anyone as long as they're not needlessly cruel to other fans and what they like. I might find Tomberly boring, but so what; I also thought every relationship in FRIENDS (outside of the basic Chandler/Monica), Beverly Hills 90210, the Superman Animated Series, and the ENTIRETY of GLEE (that wasn't roasting Rachel Berry) was boring. I don't like it, I skip it and move on. If I happen to be a little snide myself in posts about them...

[stormbite-art]

i feel morbidly curious since i've been looking at old sb art and stuff, what was the original story/first draft like? story-wise and character-wise? again, just curious

The original first draft, version 0.001, pre-alpha, unrendered version of Stormbite was a hot mess, but there are still some anachronisms of it in the published version because I loved messing around with it in its raw form.

RIP Version 0.001 - Circa. 2012~

The first version was written by an angsty, unknowingly asexual, hyper stressed, nerd-ass teenager full of spite filled ambition, who had a little book/art club of other nerds who were into art, manga, video games, hyperfixations on birds, mushrooms, fish, and all other niche Ology zones, that they wanted to entertain and please. We all liked sci-fi and fantasy, non-human protagonists, were all raging angrily about how a certain series was going and the state of YA fiction at the time (it was those dark 2009-2013 years where all YA fiction was paranormal romance love triangle bullshit).

Because I was full of spiteful ambitious rage, and it was not my first rodeo in deciding to make a creative project of some kind, I decided to do my own story/comic with some characters created by my nerd club friends.

It was entirely what you'd expect of a teenager who did not fear cringe and was just wanting a good time to entertain friends. Plots were flexible abstract things, and canons were loose. Ships passed in the night, and AU's were golden and hyper modifiable to fit any scenario or adaptation. There was no lore or world rules, it was a free for all.

I managed to get through almost 20 pages of colouring this super rough comic, and doing what is essentially still the first chapter without really doing a script or any forethought into what happens next. Version 0.001's remnants still exist in chapters 1-5 and that is it, everything else after that came later when I decided that drawing took too long, and writing was faster and easier to change. Drawing out thumbnails of scenes did help in writing what happened and how a fight played out however.

The original versions of the characters however:

Storm had the full anime works: She had a split personality with colour changing, glowing eyes, possessed by the spirit of her dead twin, a metal collar that couldn't be taken off, lightning and frost powers, nerdy t-shirts and converse.

Kat was originally a blonde-haired blue eyed white girl, with blue jay wings which changed. Her tail was cut off, she was a trained assassin who wore revealing ninja outfits, her and Amell was meant to be a thing.

Beth had a pet owl called Harrold who was a spy for her, wore a cavaliers hat and was a self-proclaimed technomancer who could hack anything and control technology, was cheerful and helpful, had all of her limbs, and was obsessed with blueberry muffins.

Wilny was pasty emo boy with scraggy hair and much greener wings. Also he could actually stop time rather than mess with perceptions to make it feel as though time has stopped.

Amell was a skinny, lanky dude, greek rather than kiwi, and had blue eyes, and could lift a car in flight.

Comet was more of a main character with a kind of disturbing backstory, long hair, reality manipulation powers

Raoul was a wolf-girl before she became Asena and Raoul his own person. Palmer didn't really fully exist.

Malana is more or less the same, but was meant to have horns at one point and was created in Risio but was a reject.

Sabre & Fell were generic bad guys. Rex was a good guy.

There was also a lot of other characters who either have been recycled into other minor characters (ex. Rai, Asena, the Varren group ((that was the first rodeo)) or Roux) or have been lost to time and cut completely.

Of course, time goes on, you grow and change, develop and redevelop both what you like, how you work, what you can do and prefer, so of course it evolved a lot more and there was a lot of changes along the way.

Personally, I think they all look a lot better now.

[pascalsbby]

Oh Kat, let me start with I love you. I love you deeply and desperately for giving us Carnal.. the same goes for TDAHB. There appears to be no end in sight for how much this grows with each lyrical masterpiece I read and reread. How do I even start to compliment my favorite series and such a ethereal writer. Nothing I say can do either justice. But I am going to try.

The thing about it is that I not only relate to Birdie but you write in such a way that I also relate to this completely feral Joel.. the mental torment and torture they both go through is so palpable. You do such a beautiful job of bringing dark desires to life. It all feels so real. Something (everything) about Birdie is so deeply personal to me somehow. Like sure some of the details are not my exact lived experience (hitting close tho) but who she is at her core speaks to my entire being. I love her and want to hold her and never leave.

The dialogue, the set up, the internal monologue, real, real, real. Your style of writing gives some of the most visceral imageries I have ever experienced while reading.

I repeat almost every single line, paragraph over and over while reading. Letting the words roll around in my mouth and mind. I love the way they sound, feel and taste on my tongue. It is so poetic and deeply moving. My brain and body respond to your art in a way that has me on my knees for you, truly. It is such a hauntingly beautiful experience to read you work.

Thank you 💓

a gift for you "the warm, guts and roaring blood of me"

Sincerely, Carnal Mary 🫠

Mary, I love you back. Deeply. Here is my attempt at expressing what all of your love has given me.

I always sit and think about what I want to say, for far too long. Not because of any other reason besides the one where I want you/every who has commented and shown love, to feel how grateful I am for your feelings and thoughts. “I hope that they know when I say thank you I really mean: YOU’RE PROUD OF ME? YOU LISTENED AND LIKE WHAT YOU HEARD? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO ME?” Being seen and feeling heard feels good. It’s an understanding that I haven’t encountered too often. You make me feel seen, heard, understood, listened to. 

I haven’t written before this, in a really long time. I haven’t painted in a long time, either. Sometimes I think of high school me– she was familiar with far too much, far too soon, yet still believed in some sort of magic that is hard to pull from now. I’m terrified at the pace it's retreating, but it resurfaces every once in a while. It feels like an innate overflowing. The kind of warmth you can only get from sitting directly underneath the sun’s eyeline. I feel like that whenever I'm thinking/writing Birdie. She is a thousand different versions of me and you, of them, of him, whoever. But in this story, she is paid attention to… hated, discarded, loved; even in the name of love/lust/want/yearning. Yet she isn't shamed for any of it here. I’ve felt the overflowing the most when writing this, and even more so when reading what people (you) think about it, how it makes you feel, what you think about when reading it, too. 

Whenever I sit down and write, sometimes it hurts and I can’t get it out. Other times it feels like a warm hug. Regardless, I feel like I dug the heaviness out of my chest and sat it beside me for a while. This is the calm that I would sit on my bedroom floor and cry for at 14. This silence can’t be as loud as the deafening pull of someone else's forced anger/sadness/despair. This is mine, and yours, and whoever reads it and feels it in their chest, too. To hold the warmth, guts, and roaring blood of you is a privilege. Thank you for sharing your poetry with me.

Love forever n' ever,

Kat

[mcfanely]

Can you... recommend some dfo fics? 🥹

Im starving for some dfo🫡

only if you want to! I dont want to seem demanding

You could never be demanding, Nonny! I have multiple docs of fics that I keep track of (all tagged and organised, they're my babies)

Being able to provide recs will always be something I love!

Let me go and find some of my favourites in the lists

Anyone

By Gentrychild

@gentrychild

Read it. Just read it. Everyone's wild about it and rightly so. Read it.

Inheritor

By bard_linn

Fuck man I can read this constantly! Paced? Amazingly, DadMight? You know it, DfO? It's only an extremely important aspect of the plot! Read it, it's a series that I adore!

you can't help the things your heart longs for

By LifeOfMystery

@lifeofmysteries

Awesome fic! It's like, the perfect execution of "reality quirk" you could think of and I come back to it constantly! So well written, and whilst it may be currently unfinished, entirely worth the read!

Cardiac Arrest

By AMournfulHowlInTheNight

It's technically Dad for One, so I'm putting it here because I say so. Bro it starts out angsty and just INCREASES, it's such a unique idea overall, you just have to check it out! It's close to completion so be there when it concludes!

A Rose by Any Other Name

By katydid

@aimportantdragoncollector

It has white haired Izuku, angst, vault time, THE GOOD KUSH, and it's a lovely length of "you can read this in one sitting and you won't want to put it down, but it won't be so long as to encroach on the sleep I know you're not getting", and tell Kat I said hi!😂

Accumulation into being

By Sakilya

@sakilya

Like sentient quirks? Like Izuku? Like DfO? Like beautiful writing? This fic is the BOMB I LOVE ITTTTT, it's an awesome brainwave and I go back to it a load, plus it's a series so there's more than one fic for it and each one must be read right now immediately (also hey Saki💙 I read this all the time💙💙)

It's a small list! I know for certain I've forgotten some and when I remember them I'll just come back to this and add them on, but for now! This is all I can get off the top of my head at almost 3am shhh

I hope you enjoy these! And that this was helpful! Thank you so much for the ask, it's always fun to get them!💙

[aparticularbandit]

So what was the process of creating Timeline Canon like? Was it entirely generated by asks and threads and random ideas and totally made up as you went along, or were there parts that were planned well in advance? Did you always know where the story would end up, or was it a process of discovery?

So - answering these together because they kind of play with each other - and I! have time right now!

Timeline Canon was more built on my having threads with a lot of different partners and my brain just lumping them together into oh, this plays into this, these go together - which is something I did with other RP characters, too, not just with Jess, just...I didn't try to show them in an overarching story like this. Most of the later verses and threads were made up as I went along sort of - with the exception of knowing that Jess and Scully could not end well because. Jess ended up with Regina after her period of Default (I don't remember when I added that year of Default in - it might not have been pre-writing with River, but like. Once started story-ing things out, knew that was going to end. tragically).

There WERE parts planned in advance with the earlier stuff, though! Willow and I did a lot of plotting of how Jess and Roger's relationship looked like prior to the movie and talked a lot about it, so stuff like their letters and the events they referenced, we knew the major stuff in advance, but smaller stuff not so much! (And sometimes we did the other threads surrounding those and then they got to comment on them in letters later! Which was fun.)

...and then Haruko and Eleanor - I wrote both of those, two, so that was me wanting to play around with things just for the fun of it. I brought them in because I wanted them, etc.

But I think - and I touched on this a bit with the last ask of yours I answered - these being rp threads is the important thing. Who I wrote with heavily relied on who I met and wanted to write with (and whether or not they wanted to write with me) - so I didn't really actively look for characters or sought them out for parts in a story - I wrote with them because I liked their character, I liked the way they interpreted the character, and I could see ways for Jess to interact with them (or vice-versa - Alana is a case for this, I think, because I had no idea who she was prior to meeting Kat and was not at all interested in seeing Hannibal (this changed later), but she was a good writer and I'd seen her writing with Ducky - who wrote Andromeda - and then she wanted to write with Jess and we figured stuff out from there).

But, like, when I started writing Jess, I aggressively did not want to write ships. Romantic etc. At all. I was glad she had a canon husband because then I did not have to deal with that, because it wasn't something I was interested in writing. (And also a lot - a LOT - of the sphere I ended up in with Jess wrote smut, which I aggressively did not want to write.) Jae's Regina I think was the first ship not-Roger I started writing, and that had more to do with seeing how the characters interacted with each other than my wanting to ship with her? They just. played well together. (But also Jae and I had good writing chemistry that way. I think almost every character we have written against each other has ended up in a ship with at least one of our other characters (with two exceptions that I can think of). But that's the thing about writing with people in RP - whether characters get shipped or not really relies on your writing chemistry with the other writer and what your character says about their character; River and I for MONTHS wrote Jess and Scully just like I am intrigued but also I have no idea what my character feels about yours I don't even know if they like each other but they don't hate each other what even is this.

But also. The part of the RP sphere I was in were mostly female characters? There were other male characters - like @neko-shadow! whose interactions with Jess I love! - but Jess? wasn't interested? in Shadow? that way? But they flirted? All the time?

And also. A lot of people in the RP sphere who were into shipping and writing a bunch of smut also cycled porn gifs? Because this was before the ban? And I? was not at all interested in seeing a bunch of dicks on my dash?

...and also personal preference may have fallen into this because I, personally, am not as interested in guys romantically as I am in girls (I'm super super ace. SO ACE), and that may have fed into what happened with Jess? (Most of my RP characters have had more female ships - most of them haven't had male ships at all - but like. The part of the RP sphere I was in was also. mostly female characters who were interested in other female characters. That was just. How it happened.)

[plantislandpals]

★ || ASK BOX — OPEN

"Hello, is this thing on?—" "HIHELLOHI!!!!" "Woah, is that what humans look like?" "Um... H-hi?" "Sup!" "Well Howdy!"

Hello there traveller, it seems you've reached the home of the Plant Island Pals! Ask away! ("If you dare!")

((Plant Island Pals is an AU! Some events may differ from canon or happen in a different order))

★ || Rules

- Just don't be weird m'kay?

- Oh and also make sure to put who you're asking in the thing because I am big stupid

★ || Main Cast

((Under the cut because there's too many oopsie))

((Also since I didn't make that clear at the start, like in msm canon these guys are all Agender and use they/it pronouns))

★ Minervaa — Clamble, Plant Island

Easily recognised by their terrifyingly wide eyes and small pupils, Minervaa is notorious on Plant Island for being an absolute menace. They are an impulsive thrill seeker who seems to have no fear even in the most dangerous situations - good thing Bytee is around to make sure that they don't do anything too risky! They have a bit of a short fuse and can say mean things without meaning to but underneath all that they have a heart of gold and care deeply about the monsters in their life.

★ Bytee — Wubbox, Plant Island

In contrast with their adoptive younger sibling Minervaa, Bytee is cool, calm and collected. Ever since they were awakened by the monsters of Plant Island, they believe they owe them some kind of debt and tries to do everything they possibly can to help, with varying amounts of success. They usually don't like to do anything that would upset anyone, but sometimes they quietly encourage Minervaa's chaos.

★ Hayzel — Oaktapus, Plant Island

Hayzel and Minervaa might look completely different on paper, but these two best friends are more similar than you think. This laid-back monster is equally fearless, though they're less of a thrill seeker and more blissfully unaware of the danger around them. In fact, it seems the only monster in the entire multiverse who can make them angry is their sibling Morton. Recently, they've been trying to get Flurry to relax.

★ Flurry — Mammot, Plant Island

Flurry is a bit of a nervous wreck, well, more than a bit. The poor monster's tried every trick in the book to be more confident and assertive but nothing seems to work. If it wasn't for their friend group - consisting of Minervaa, Hayzel and Kat - they probably wouldn't leave the Castle at all. Somehow (probably from Glitch) they managed to get their paws on a book written by humans about ghosts, and now they're obsessed with the idea of finding one.

★ Kat — Rare T-Rox, Plant Island

Kat is the middle ground and mediator of their friend group: not as impulsive as Minervaa and Hayzel but not as anxious as Flurry. Though they offer advice when asked, it's common for them to just take a step back when the rest of the group starts doing something silly. It's not that they don't like the chaos; they'd just rather watch it than be a part of it. They think Wublins are, like, the coolest ever.

★ Morton — Toe Jammer, Plant Island

Morton is the annoying, smug, "I'm smarter than you and I know it" type, so it's surprising that Bytee of all monsters would form a friendship with them! Maybe they both like to think they're the only two intelligent monsters on the island. They always wear their sunglasses - even indoors or at night - and have dreams of making a found footage horror one day.

More characters may be added as the story develops!

★ || Secondary Characters

These characters won't appear as frequently, either because they don't interact with the main cast much or they aren't on Plant Island. (Also these guys don't have refs cuz I'm lazy)

★ Rosemariee — Furcorn, Whereabouts Unknown

An almost legendary figure on Plant Island, Rosemariee was a brave and friendly monster who never let their small size and weak body stop them from adventuring through the monster world. They have helped discover many new things, and is even rumoured to have been part of the original group of monsters that freed the Tribal Island Kayna! They haven't been seen in a long time, but Minervaa might have some stories to tell you about them.

[richincolor]

We have three books on our radar this week! Which ones are you interested in?

Forty Words for Love by Aisha Saeed Kokila

In this luminous young adult novel by New York Times bestselling author Aisha Saeed, two teen protagonists grow from friends to something more in the aftermath of a tragedy in their magical town. Moonlight Bay is a magical place—or it was once. After a tragic death mars the town, the pink and lavender waters in the bay turn gray, and the forest that was a refuge for newcomers becomes a scourge to the townspeople. Almost overnight, the entire town seems devoid of life and energy. The tourists have stopped coming. And the people in the town are struggling. This includes the two teens at the heart of our story: Yasmine and Rafay. Yasmine is a child of the town, and her parents are trying and failing to make ends meet. Rafay is an immigrant, a child of Willow Forest. The forest of Moonlight Bay was where people from Rafay’s community relocated when their home was destroyed. Except Moonlight Bay is no longer a welcoming refuge, and tensions between the townspeople and his people are growing. Yasmine and Rafay have been friends since Rafay first arrived, nearly ten years ago. As they've gotten older, their friendship has blossomed. Not that they would ever act on these feelings. The forest elders have long warned that falling in love with "outsiders" will lead to devastating consequences for anyone from Willow Forest. But is this actually true? Can Yasmine and Rafay find a way to be together despite it all? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Writing in Color: The Lessons We've Learned edited by Nafiza Azad and Melody Simpson Margaret K. McElderry Books

So, you’re thinking of writing a book. Or, maybe you’ve written one, and are wondering what to do with it. What does it take to publish a novel, or even a short story? If you’re a writer of color, these questions might multiply; after all, there’s a lot of writing advice out there, and it can be hard to know how much of it really applies to your own experiences. If any of this sounds like you, you’re in the right place: this collection of essays, written exclusively by authors of color, is here to encourage and empower writers of all ages and backgrounds to find their voice as they put pen to page. Perhaps you’re just getting started. Here you’ll find a whole toolkit of advice from bestselling and award-winning authors for focusing on an idea, landing on a point of view, and learning which rules were meant to be broken. Or perhaps you have questions about everything beyond the first draft: what is it really like being a published author? These writers demystify the process, sharing personal stories as they forged their own path to publication, and specifically from their perspectives as author of color. Every writer has a different journey. Maybe yours has already started. Or maybe it begins right here. Contributors include: Julie C. Dao, Chloe Gong, Joan He, Kosoko Jackson, Adiba Jaigirdar, Darcie Little Badger, Yamile Saied Mendez, Axie Oh, Laura Pohl, Cindy Pon, Karuna Riazi, Gail D. Villanueva, Julian Winters, and Kat Zhang. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Actually Super by Adi Alsaid Knopf Books for Young Readers

A globetrotting novel that takes a determined teen from Japan to Australia and to Argentina and Mexico on a quest to prove that humanity is more good than bad from the author of Let’s Get Lost and Before Takeoff. Isabel is having an existential crisis. She’s three years into high school, and everything she’s learned has only shaken her faith in humanity. Late one night, she finds herself drawn to a niche corner of the internet—a forum whose members believe firmly in one that there are indeed people out in the world quietly performing impossible acts of heroism. You might even call them supers . No, not in the comic book sense—these are real people, just like each of us, but who happen to have a power or two. If Isabel can find them, she reasons, she might be able to prove to herself that humanity is more good than bad. So, the day she turns 18, she sets off on a journey that will take her from Japan to Australia, and from Argentina to Mexico, with many stops along the way. She longs to prove one— just one— super exists to restore her hope for the future. Will she find what she’s looking for? And how will she know when—if—she does? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

[filmforager]

Joy Ride: Review

Crazy Hitch-hiking Asians

While comedies like Bridesmaids and Girls Trip have showcased the hilarity of female friendships, major studios have shied away from films about Asian girls just having fun. But, doing for raunchy comedies what Crazy Rich Asians did for rom-coms, Joy Ride is here to give the genre a much-needed shake up. Delivering a ton of riotous laughs at breakneck pace, this is one of the funniest films in years.

From first-time director Adele Lim (part of the writing team on Crazy Rich Asians), Joy Ride is tied together by a moving study of identity and friendships. We follow Audrey (Ashley Park), an uptight career woman who was adopted by an American family, and never met her birth mother. Learning how to blend in in a dominantly white neighbourhood, she met best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola), a slacker who protected her from racist bullies, and now specialises in body positive art installations (a lot of penises). When a big work opportunity presents itself for Audrey in Beijing, Lolo convinces her to hit two birds with one stone and meet the woman who gave her up for adoption. 

The journey takes a while to get going, as the two friends pick up Audrey’s college roommate Kat (Everything Everywhere All At Once’s Stephanie Hsu), a saintly actress with a wild past, and Lolo’s cousin ‘Deadeye’ (Sabrine Wu), a strange but endearing K-pop stan. But as with all joy rides, things don’t go entirely to plan. And after a run-in with a troublesome drug-dealer, this trip takes a turn for the chaotic. 

Written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, this keeps the laughs coming at a pace that’s almost hard to keep up with. You may think you’ve seen every scene of friends accidentally taking drugs in cinema, but you’ve not seen anything quite like this. The standout set piece is a mind-blowing sex montage featuring a Chinese basketball team, which brings plenty of tension, lust and repressed feelings to the surface. There’s also a hilarious K-Pop rendition of Cardi B’s ‘WAP’, which reaches a shocking climax the likes of which you rarely see in cinema.

Joy Ride might go to some crazy places with its comedy, but there’s still plenty of heart amid the chaos. While you can see the third-act complications from a mile away, Lim keeps things fresh with plenty of surprises and a dedicated cast that bicker and bond like real life friends. Everyone gets a moment to shine, though Sabrine Wu’s oddball performance threatens to steal many a scene. The result is a study of female friendships that feels sincere and true to life, as well as an affecting story about belonging that will have you reaching for the tissues. Fast, lean and full of freewheeling energy, this is not a ride you’ll forget in a hurry.

With first-time director Adele Lim at the wheel, Joy Ride manages to be both an outrageously funny comedy and a touching portrayal of female friendships.

★★★★

[abcleverun]

A Leg to Stand On

I want to start by saying the art and essay were non-malicious; even this isn't meant to be aggressive, and I took no offense to A Rebuttal of a Rebuttal. I’ll get more into why I wrote Criticizing the Attorney at the end of this, but I drew the art because Kat looked fun to draw, and I’ve had that meme with her and Ben in my head for almost a year. Since you released your latest youtube video, it reminded me of the idea, and I had to finally get it out. As I said in the tags of that post, you (Cat) are free to do whatever you want with the image.

Now—my essay wasn't about me arguing what should and should not have happened, it was about critiquing the defense. "The right thing to do" and "what I would like to see happen" are two separate things. I don't feel bad for Harangue, and I thought that moment where Ben, turned human, continued hitting Vilgax was a great scene, for all the reasons Cat pointed out in her section.

I will concede:

In Ultimate Alien, Ben is a deputized agent of the Plumbers. By OV, it seems he's no longer fully affiliated with the Plumbers. Ben being a special agent absolutely makes sense.

I wrote my essay entirely by American standards. I don't know how Plumber law works; we only have scraps and hints laid out throughout the franchise. From what I could see of it, it's pretty heavily based on US law, but I can't claim for sure that it's all 1 to 1.

It's true, I made assumptions too, but the "he might've had a breakdown" part felt a bit... odd? To me, like that was a little too specific. But at the same time, even writing about that in the original response, I did feel like I was being a bit of a hypocrite.

By the standards I laid out, Rook absolutely has committed police brutality in the past. I've talked about that with friends privately before; I strongly dislike and disagree with Rook's tactics and beliefs. I actually have a shelved essay on how I dislike the plumbers as a whole, and I might pick it back up again.

I disagree/will stand by my original points:

“Do you really think the galactic courts would side with Vilgax over Ben on a debate about excessive use of force?”

No, but I think if Vilgax had some decent lawyers, they would absolutely make that argument. (That actually sounds like a normal UA episode plot...)

They were indeed too lenient, but they were following procedure, unlike Ben. Procedure sucks, but it's there for a reason. It's not the best reason, but it's better than having no procedure. That's kind of part of the limitation of science fiction; it's always written from the perspective of someone living in current time, with current technology, and their current laws. It's hard to think of anything better if you're a liberal if you only know all you've ever known, hence why space cop procedure still sucks, despite being set up by super advanced and hyper intelligent aliens. The writers seemed to be less interested in “what would the most ideal legal system look like?” and were more focused on portraying “Cops… in SPACE!”

Moving on: even if Haragnue went unpunished, Ben still wouldn't have been in the right to punish him; Harangue should've gone through the system. Harangue being rich and powerful makes that harder, but not impossible. Harangue was supposed to be a sort of Alex Jones type parody, and Alex Jones had his day in court and lost. I honestly think it'd've been interesting to see him get processed, if written by someone capable of pulling off a plot like that. It all depends on what kind of fantasy you want to go for; UA might've taken that up, but it was only natural that OV took the path it took.

I don't think Harangue was really hurt by being turned into an alien, but if Harangue decided to sue, he would absolutely have a leg to stand on. That was my main point: both Vilgax and Haragnue have cases.

Ben has MUCH STRONGER cases against them, but that's another story—one I hope to dive into in the future.

Now, "Why did you respond to something I wrote four years ago?”

It was the first essay in your blog directory.

“Why respond to any of the essays at all?”

I always felt like your arguments could’ve been more objective. I wanted to try my hand at scratching this itch that was kind of bugging me about these takedowns, almost like stress-testing it. I could've added more "here's a better defense for Ben," but hindsight is 20/20 and all that.

I was intending to do more, but the flame kind of fizzled out after writing the one. It actually helped the juices flowing for general essays on Ben 10; a few I’m working on now are Diagnosing Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, Ben is Unintentionally a Queer Icon, and (Possibly) Why Ben Tried to Murder Kevin—the last one being my attempt to answer that without using the “Ben’s just evil” argument.

Lastly, I understand why Lunany called me AB, but I enjoy going by Suzie.

@xcatxgirlx (Not tagging Lunany because she said she's not interested in interacting with the fandom), I'm very open to discussion on this and other topics regarding Ben 10. Looking forward to your video.

[supernutellastuff]

running like water - a Zutara oneshot

AU Post-finale, that time when an assassin crashes Zuko's 18th birthday. Luckily he has a master waterbender by his side. Ft. a badass Katara, Fire Nation political intrigue, and Bloodbending as flirting.

(Realised I'd written this years ago but never posted. Hopefully this gives me some much-needed inspiration while I muddle through my WIPs. Happy reading!)

link on ao3

Or read below!

It’s Zuko’s 18th birthday and he is nowhere to be found. By all accounts, he’d made an appearance at the Royal Ball for a respectable amount of time and then disappeared into thin air. Katara hurries across the halls of the palace, one hand gathering the skirts of her formal gown, her heels clicking on the marble floor. The palace staff haven’t seen him either—he wasn’t in his bedchambers, nor in the library, and she’d even checked under the willow tree next to the turtleduck pond. Katara fumes, her annoyance rising. She’s laboured over his gift for days, the least he could do is not get kidnapped or whatever.

It’s nearing midnight and Katara is about to contemplate hiring the services of Jun and her shirshu when she remembers the one place she hadn’t yet searched: the rooftop. While the rooftop was largely inaccessible, owing to its steep pagoda architecture, there was a flat alcove, hidden to the public, that opened up to the sky. Zuko had shown it to her a while ago when he was making plans for renovation, but it was dirty and in disrepair then, which is why it had slipped her mind.

The entrance to the roof is hidden behind a tapestry, a rather heavy, ugly thing the colour of blood. Katara twitches the tapestry aside and slips behind it. A narrow spiral staircase stands in front of her, illuminated by a hanging dusty lantern. Clutching the wrought iron railings, she begins the dizzying climb. An unexpected sight greets her at the top.

The place has been transformed into a charming rooftop garden. Vines climb the walls and trail down the parapet. Rows of potted herbs are flanked by beds of exotic flowers, the spicy and sweet scents intermingling in interesting ways. Fat beeswax candles stuck on iron stands are placed strategically in recesses, giving the entire garden a low, atmospheric lighting. And lounging on a profusion of cushions, eyes shut, his top knot undone, is Zuko.

“Took you long enough,” he says lazily, cranking one eye open.

“Happy Birthday,” Katara snaps, flinging the wrapped parcel at his stomach with a little too much force.

Zuko straightens immediately. “What is this?”

“Your present, dummy. I’ve been running around everywhere looking for you.”

He frowns. “Didn’t Oromi deliver you the message?”

“What message?” she asks, sinking into a cushion beside him.

“He must have misplaced the note again.” Oromi was the new palace gardener, a country lad, kind-hearted but rather forgetful. He was a magician at his work, though—he could make the stubbornest of saplings sprout and the most exotic flowers bloom under his care, almost like he was bending them. This little rooftop garden seems to be his doing. “I wrote you a message asking you to meet me here. I could not stand all those dreadful festivities.”

“Yes, yes what a bore having people throwing grand parties in your honour.”

A sheepish smile spread across his face. “I appreciate it all, I really do.”

“The royal cooks roasted an entire hippo-ox in your honour.”

“And I savoured every bite of it…but it exhausts me, having to put on this stern, aloof, regal front.” He does look exhausted, there are lines around his eyes that have no business being there. He also looks older; the planes of his face have sharpened and there’s stubble on his face on days he has no official business. “I hate pretending to be someone I’m not, especially on my birthday, when I’d rather spend time with the people I like.” His eyes flicker to her and her stomach flips.

Clearing her throat, Katara gestures to the package lying in his lap. “Open your gift.”

Zuko picks up the gift, examining it from every angle. Katara watches him carefully as his deft fingers unwrap the parcel, untying the strings and peeling off the layers. Nestled in the folds is a stack of small, unassuming-looking, semi-circular cakes.

“It’s a mooncake,” says Katara hurriedly. “A traditional Water Tribe recipe. Probably not a very special gift but my mom used to make them for birthdays-”

Zuko is already digging into the stack. He takes a bite, makes a sound of appreciation, and polishes off the whole cake. “Is there fruit jam inside?!” he asks in delight, mouth full. He offers a cake to her and picks another for himself.

“Yes!” She grins. “Salmonberry jam. I spent days in the palace kitchen, trying to get the thickness of the filling right. It needs to be the right amount of oozy…”

The words die on her tongue. Zuko is licking the jam off his fingers. She puts down her cake, suddenly very flustered.

Zuko looks up as she falls silent. Their eyes meet and the moment holds still. They’ve been dancing around each other for the past two years, longer than that, if she’s honest. Lingering looks, not-so-accidental touches, charged banter…she’s been noticing it more in their interactions lately, whether it’s quiet picnics beside the turtleduck pond or heated fights during state meetings. And now this connection, whatever it may be, is threatening to make itself known in very real ways. Katara has half a mind to brush off the moment with a flippant remark.

It’s Zuko who breaks the silence. “You look beautiful, by the way,” he comments. She’s wearing a traditional Fire Nation gown, richly embroidered in threads of red and gold, but her hair—

“Your hair is braided Water Tribe style. It looks good on you.”

She smiles, fighting off a blush. “Thank you.”

He’s not done. He runs his hand through his hair, seemingly gathering courage for something. “Katara, I-”

There’s a rustle behind her. She spins around. Her body falls into a fighting stance before she can even register what she’s seeing.

A man has climbed over the balcony and dropped to his feet. Clad in black from head to toe, he grins at Zuko. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Who are you? What do you want?” He sounds calm but like her, he too is in a fighting stance, feet planted solidly on the floor, hands balled into fists at his side. Gone is the rumpled, cake-loving boy—in his place stands a deadly warrior.

“I’m no one, and everyone,” the intruder replies coolly, pacing from side to side.

“Catchy,” says Katara, not taking her eyes off him, cursing herself for not having her water canteen on her. “But that tells us nothing. Why are you here?”

He turns to her, appraising her from head to toe. “Good question. I’m here because I was told he’d be alone. Instead, I find him here with a date. Anyway, doesn’t matter. The more the merrier.”

“What do you want?” Zuko repeats, his voice a low growl.

“You, of course.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Zuko punches out a plume of flame so bright it turns night into day. But the assassin is ready. He moves his arm and a smooth disc of metal grows in his hand, blocking the fire and dispersing it on all sides. Katara averts her head from the heat. “He’s a metalbender!” she yells.

The fire had evaporated all the water from the air; Katara draws every drop she can muster from the soil and plants around her, sending Oromi a mental apology, and takes control of the water. There’s not enough room for one of her signature water whips. She flings ice daggers at the same time Zuko attacks with a rapid series of fireballs. Forced to parry their combined charges, the assassin should have been cornered and trapped, and that should have been the end of it.

But with a twist of his hand, the man curves his metal shield, deflecting her daggers and sending them onto the fireballs. There’s a great sizzle and a large cloud of steam mushrooms in the air. Taking advantage of the distraction, he tosses something at Zuko.

“Zuko!” she shouts. She hears a yelp of pain and a thud. The steam is still hanging in the air; she can’t see. She frantically bends the vapour, blowing it away into the night sky, beyond the balcony. Cool air rushes in, stinging her scalded skin. Her sight clears. And there’s Zuko on the ground, squirming, as twisting ropes of metal wrap around his ankles, wrists, torso, and most alarmingly, his neck. Katara moves towards him.

The assassin laughs. “One more step, girl, and I squeeze the life out of him.” The rope around Zuko’s neck tightens and he chokes.

Katara stops. Her mind is working rapidly, one eye on the bindings around Zuko, and one eye on the assassin. She’s out of breath, her hair is burned, her gown is ripped in places, and she’s out of water. She hadn’t worn a water canteen with her water gown. She hadn’t expected trouble inside the palace. She’d grown complacent. And now that was going to cost Zuko his life.

“If you’re going to kill me, just get on with it,” spits Zuko between gritted teeth. “But let her go.”

“Zuko, shut up. I’m not going anywhere.”

“How about this, I torture the Fire Lord, extract some information out of him, and then kill you both. How does that sound?”

“Why are you doing this?” asks Katara.

“To return things to the way they were, of course.”

She snorts. “Heard that before.”

A furious look splits his face. “You wouldn’t understand, little waterbender. Go back to your primitive backwaters and don’t interfere.”

Katara glances up at the starry sky. Get him angry, keep him talking.

“How come a metalbender is interfering with the Fire Nation’s state of affairs then?”

“I’m not interfering! I have a personal stake in this.”

“What, money? Did some disgruntled Fire Nation lord pay you to topple the throne? Or are you a Azula sympathiser, clinging to some romantic notions of an autocracy? Or god forbid, are you one of those nutjobs who want to bring Ozai back?” She mocks a look of disgust and horror.

The man clenches and unclenches his jaw. She can sense that his anger is rising, he’s bursting to defend himself.

“Okay I have two more guesses.” Katara is talking faster now. The ropes are now cutting into Zuko’s skin. Despite the pain, he’s been keeping quiet. Perhaps he knows what she’s up to. “You’re an ex Dai Li agent who turned to metalbending and is now taking revenge. No? How about-”

The assassin hurls a block of metal at her stomach, knocking the wind out her. “You’re getting on my nerves now. You’re that waterbender girl, aren’t you? The one who was with the Avatar? I expected better from you. All you have is talk. You don’t have water, what are you going to do?”

And it’s at that exact moment, the clouds in the sky disperse and the full moon reveals itself.

Katara rises up and grins, a slow, unnerving grin. She couldn’t have timed it better herself.

“I don’t need water.”

The man doesn’t know what hits him. One moment he’s in full control, the other he’s a puppet in her hands.

“What is happening to me,” he cries out in fear and pain as his body contorts against his will. The ropes binding Zuko fall away and he springs to his feet. “Keep him there!”

“Gladly,” replies Katara with a grim smile. A fury like she’d never felt before rises in her stomach and she flops the assassin around like a grotesque marionette. He hurt Zuko and he is going to pay for this…

Moments that feel like eternities later, Zuko returns with the palace guards. She releases her control and the man crashes to the floor. Looking shocked and horrified, he scrambles away from her and straight into the waiting arms of the guards.

She rests against a vine-covered wall, suddenly exhausted.

As the guards take the would-be assassin away, the Head Guard insists on staying with Zuko or taking him inside to the medical wing. Zuko shoos them away impatiently. He has eyes only for her.

Once they’re alone, he approaches her. “Are you okay?”

“I should be the one asking you that.”

“I’m fine.” He shows her his neck and wrists where he’d tried to burn through the rope, but the hot metal had only burned him in return. “Nothing that can’t be fixed.”

“I’m sorry about your garden,” she says, gesturing at the dead plants, burnt flowers, and wrecked furniture.

“In retrospect the hanging ivy was a security hazard.”

She laughs. Then sighs. “We’ll need to question the man, find out who he is, what he meant by information-”

Zuko places a hand on her shoulder. “Tomorrow. We’ll deal with him tomorrow.”

Katara leans into him, glad for the support. “You didn’t tell me what you thought of the mooncakes.”

“Katara, I would love the mooncakes even if they tasted of ash.”

“Well, you got your wish.” She smiles and points at the trampled cakes that had been unfortunate enough to come into contact with one of Zuko’s fireballs.

“Another crime to add to the man’s tally.” His expression turns serious. “You were amazing out there, Katara. The bloodbending. You saved my life.”

Katara shifts. While the others had never outright spoken about it, she knew they disapproved of her bloodbending—it was too violent, it was too destructive, it wasn’t like her, etc. etc. But Zuko…the quiet awe is Zuko’s voice is devoid of any judgement. She remembers the same non-judgemental support from the time they went looking for her mother’s killer.

“I want to know what it feels like,” he whispers.

“What?”

Zuko steps closer to her. “I want you to bend my blood. I want to experience what it feels like.”

“What—but no—it’ll hurt you!”

“I should know about it from the training point of view. What if I have to face a bloodbender in battle one day?” he says, matter-of-factly. Then his voice drops to something deep and low. “Besides, I’ve always been curious ever since I saw your bloodbend.”

Katara has a strong feeling that they’re about to cross a line of no return. “Are you sure?”

“I trust you,” is his simple reply.

So Katara goes for it. With trembling fingers, she makes figures in the air, just like Hama had taught her, but gentler, much gentler. She can feel his heart pumping, the blood flowing through his veins. There’s something strangely intimate about having access to his body like this. Zuko watches his hand rise up in the air above his head and come back to rest on her shoulder. He lets out a hiss that could either be of pain or of amazement.

This feeling—of having power over someone, making them do whatever she wanted—was always something that had excited her about bloodbending, and made her feel ashamed of it at the same time. But this was something different. Having power over Zuko, moving his body whatever way she wanted, but only because he was letting her…it ignited something very different in her. An excitement like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Longing. Desire.

She releases the bloodbending and looks up at Zuko. His pupils are dilated. And he’s looking at her with the same excitement. Longing. Desire.

“I had this whole speech planned,” he says hoarsely. “With the candles and the flowers and the cushions under the stars.”

“Another crime to add to the man’s tally,” she repeats in a whisper, their faces closer than ever.

“Should I make my speech now? Katara,” he begins dramatically, “I have known how I felt about you ever since-”

“Zuko,” she advises. “Shut up.”

And they spend the rest of the night in the ruined wreckage of the garden, under the starry sky, on cushions slightly sticky with salmonberry jam, doing a whole lot of shutting up.

Leave a comment on ao3 or read more of my work!