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demonqueenbeee · 21 days

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The look in her eyes was different from what it had been those years before. 7 years ago her eyes had been a bright blue that reminded him of hope and the flowing ocean. Hers and her brother's eyes were the first he had ever seen to be so purely watertribe. And she was probably one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen in general.

He did wonder what it would have been it he had just.....

But then there was the first betrayal and he saw the hope in her eyes dull and the clear blue seem cloudy.

He remembered the look in her eyes as Azula struck down the avatar. How she cried and then nearly drowned them all to get to the boy's charred body.

The second betrayal she wasn't there to see but it was perhaps the worst of them all.

Zuko had so desperately wanted to do right by his father. He wanted a place in his home, he wanted his birthright. He wanted his father's approval.

So he told his father about her healing and the spirit water which fully prepared them for the day of black sun.

That fateful day Azula took down the brother and the blind earth bender, Zuko battled the freedom fighters and the watertribe fleets and his father took down the avatar.

The world took a drastic turn from there. The avatar had died and his warriors had no choice but to escape but they were trapped.

The Phoenix King had the navy ready to stop any of the ships. The flying bison had been wounded, the forests had their army patrolling every inch. No one would have escaped.

The entire fleet of southern water tribe warriors would have been put to death. The blind Beifong girl would have been kept as a bargaining chip against her wealthy family. The freedom fighters ,being the children they had been, would have been jailed for life. Not a single enemy would have had an outcome besides prison or death.

But then she saved them all.

Her feat of waterbending had gone down in the books as the most powerful, most impressive waterbending to ever have existed.

She hadn't been on the ships quite yet. She had been delayed and then surrounded by the palace guards, certain death awaiting her if and when she fought back. He watched from his balcony as they circled her, bow and arrow, fire and knives ready to strike. She was a mere 10 heads from the ocean, so close to an escape but it had been too late. They had her trapped and they had her entire side trapped as well. It was hopeless.

Yet she persevered.

She moved so quickly that he was amazed as she managed to avoid every little attack thrown at her and simultaneously drown the attackers.

That was her defining moment. Gone was the girl who saved the avatar , instead there stood a girl with an impossible choice. She could have escaped into the ocean, she could be free at the cost of her family or she could do the impossible and fight.

And she did choose the impossible. It was as if she called on the ocean to help her. The water rose as high as the mountains, picking up the southern watertribe fleets but sending the fire nation navy into a cold and watery grave. The water even reached the second floor of the base they had attacked. They had to replace the entire floor afterwards.

He wasn't sure what happened after as he had been called to help try to combat the destination. From what he had heard, everyone one of the resistances survivors had escaped, very few of the fire navy men had been recovered but the water bender had been subdued.

A yuhan archer had managed to strike her in the shoulder, enough to stop her from destroying the entire base. His father himself came down to imprison her.

He hadn't really kept up with her from then on. He was sure his father dealt her some great form of torture for her attack. He honestly didn't want to know.

Not even a month later and the watertribe peasant had managed to escape. The rumor was the spirits must have taken pity on her.

During the full moon every single one of the guards had fallen unconscious and she was able to get a hold of the key and like a shadow in the night, she was gone, not to be heard of ever again.

She hadn't been seen with her brother and the remaining resistance, she hadn't fled to the northern or southern poles and there had been no sign of her in the fire nation colonies or smaller villages.

She had vanished.

He honestly believed maybe the moon spirit had helped her take down the guards and granted her a safe passage for how else could 5 fully trained fire nation guards be taken down so easily.

Well, today he had learned exactly why.

He hadn't even given her the most miniscule of scratches and yet she had cut through the dense fabric of his robes. He hadn't been prepared for her attack and had no time to don his reinforced leather armor. She had appeared out of nowhere and had taken down his airship with a sharp disc of ice , taken his men down with more ice and then she had gone after him.

She chased him into the grassland and even as her water ran out it was like she pulled it out of the air and out of the grass.

He had finally surrounded her in flames, the air had dried out the grass was blazing. He had her and soon she would be taken down and he would be on his way to assist his father in the attack being led by her brother.

He didn't know she had returned. He honestly wasn't sure if anyone, even her people, knew. No one was supposed to know his location. he was supposed to help his father by being the wildcard.

He was finally supposed to impress him. Show him thay he was fit for the throne. Azula was dead, the Phoenix King had no choice. This was Zukos moment.

His fire was a breath away from taking her down, he knew she could feel the blistering heat as it got closer and closer to her. He would deal this blow and all would be forgiven.

He should have known better. No one knew how the woman had escaped. No one knew what she was truly capable of. How she did what she did.

Now he did.

As his knees fell to the floor and his free arm jerked behind him and his flame went out.

He had no control over his own body anymore and it felt like torture.

“What are you doing?” he managed to say. “Peasant.”

She smirked.

In the past seven years she had grown to be even more beautiful than before but also more terrifying. Her bright blue eyes now where so cold and icy, it made him shiver.

“Restoring balance,” she said as she somehow managed to make it even worse for him.

He began seeing black spots, the world was spinning around him telling him he would soon be an unconscious heap on the ground, even more vulnerable to the warerbender than before.

“What are you going to do me?” he gargled, his throat feeling like it was constricted.

“Taking you with me,” she said to him. “It's time to fix this world and without the avatar, I've decided it's up to me and you are going to help. Rest up, we have a lot to do.”

With that the world went fully black and the last thing he swore he saw agni himself nodding at her in approval .

#zutara #atla katara #atla zuko #fanfiction #atla fanart #atla fanfic #zutara fanfiction #zutara fanart

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marrondrawsalot · 2 months

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ATLA AU: Aqila

Bending: Fire and Water

Home: Fire Nation (original birth), Earth Kingdom (moved to by mom)

When Aqila was 5, she had a loving mother and a foster sister who was her true real sister to her. She never knew her father, or ever want to know. As she only had her real family with her. However, when she was 7, she learnt to fire bend. And her mother told her to never use it for any occasion. Just when she truly feels like in danger. Her mind still wonder, as she traveled the city in the Earth Kingdom and saw new faces. It wasn’t long for her to meet someone who gets hiding their secret bending. She met a boy, a year older than her fire bending to warm tea. And that boy knew she saw him.

Before the boy could attack her, the girl made a promise. She vow to never snitch on him, nor his partners. As she finds that a ruse thing to do, as she showed him she is like him. A fire bender. The boy was amazed. And promised to be there for her with his uncle to assist. And those two became friends. Until one day, tragedy arose. As Aqila woke up to the sounds of screaming, racing over as she sees a gruesome sight. As she watched her mother being taken from some earth soldiers, Aqila ran to her sister’s room and dragged her out. Running from home, with no where to go. The two stayed on the streets. Stealing very little to survive. That’s when the boy found them, and brought them over to his and his uncle home. The uncle was caring, sheltering the two as if they were his own. He knew very well Aqila was a fire bender. But he also knew, there was one more secret in her that wasn’t untapped.

And these four became a family, running a tea shop and working painfully. But it was all for the better. When Aqila was 14, she was running a shop until she was snatched away. When she caught her surrounding, she was surrounded by gold and diamonds. Something she dreamt for her family. She faced her kidnapper. And her heart nearly fluttered it was the crowned jewel prince. Jasminko (y’all put yah guns down I can hear y’all glocking them). He confirmed the stunt was set by him. Because he fell in love with her at first sight when he saw her. And Aqila, she felt her body numb but walked to him with open arms. To her, what she felt was love too. Her mother told her stories that she will find her true love. When she’s older and wiser. She will. And so she had sought she found it. But the life in the palace was unbearable. Heels, make up, changes to her figure, rules and the manners, she barely recall the time she saw her family. And when she brought up she was from a small family. The parents were not ashamed of her. And promised she will see them. But she always felt like one didn’t like her presence. As she always walk back to her ‘love’ arms.

Then one day, it all changed. A fate that damned her to love again or to trust. As she woke up to scalding hot water burning her face. She screamed and wailed, as guards came to the room. The sight was painful, a maid girl, was jealous of the girl. And burned her face to a scar on her right eye. Claiming she would do it again, to the heart. This sight damaged the girl nerves. She was lucky to still see. But she damned to stay. She made her decision to leave, but her ‘love’ refused to let her go. Saying he grabbed her from the dirt, and she will stay with him or he will trial her. It was then the girl knew. This love wasn’t real. And she ran away.

Now with a crime on her name, she ran away from her uncle shop and home. Her sister didn’t take the story nicely. And vowed to stay with her to the very end. And that would’ve been good. Had evil not deep into the girl heart. Making her ruthless in her thieving ways until she had a sight for blood. It was very clear, she became a cold blooded mercenary. A steel cool bounty hunter who works for paycheck to paycheck. She will not hesitate to fight her next enemy. Even if someone puts the price on it. She’ll work. But even then Aqila somewhat dreams to find love. For she only wanted her true love…..

To take away her life. And send her off to a peaceful afterlife. Where she’ll see her mother once again

@adrianasunderworld @mangacupcake @writing-heiress @the-weirdos-mind @skboba-stars @nproduction626 @rose-tea-and-strawberries @anxious-twisted-vampire @yukii0nna @achy-boo @abyssthing198 @zexal-club

Okay you made it this far. Y’all remember my twin Horglas post? AND REMEMBER I GAVE JASIR THE AVATAR ABILITY AS UNIQUE MAGIC? Yeah. He’s nerfed for this au. He knows he ain’t the avatar but sticks to earth bending so no one is suspicious of him. Cuz I thought of this shit text post

Jasminko, fake crying cuz he hates his twin: and it’s a shame we lost a good replacement.

Freya, in front of the casket: *fake crying, looks around and leans in/whisper’s* okay I know you ain’t dead you little shit

Jasir, whispering: Believe me Avatar, I ain’t cut out for your work. I’m still surprised as you are about my abilities. I just wanted to bend water or earth. either would be fine. But someone said “hey. Let’s fuck this kid up.”

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #marron ocs #twst #twst oc #Aqila (Twst oc)#Abbe (Twst oc)#Jasminko Horglas #Jasir Horglas

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randomwritingguy · 1 year

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The Myth of Y/N (Korra x Reader) Part 25

CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD

Korra’s POV

The slam of the door echoes across the dining room followed by an intense silence. No-one says anything for a few seconds.

I turn to Suyin, giving her a sympathy gaze. “I am so sorry for that. That was uncalled for.”

“Apology accepted!” Varrick replies, voice loud and booming. “Now, if you all don’t mind, I’m going to dive right in. I’m famished!”

Ignoring the businessman, I continue staring at Suyin. The anger that was present within her eyes has now diminished.

“Is your friend normally like that?” She eventually asks, voice now calm and controlled.

I shake my head. “No. They aren’t.”

Looking back at the now closed door, I narrow my eyes in deep concentration.

Where did all of that come from? What was Y/N’s problem? Suyin has been nothing but kind to us! What they said about her was just mean! What’s gotten into them?

Ever since we’ve left Air Temple Island, Y/N has been acting…off. Something’s bothering them. I’ve been so busy on finding the airbenders that I’ve neglected my best friend’s feelings. Still, that’s no excuse to treat Suyin like that.

Sighing heavily, I turn back to my food. “I’ll have a word with them later when they’ve cooled off.”

“Make sure you do.” The matriarch replies, also turning her attention back to her food.

I still stare at my food, untouched for the past few minutes.

First Lin. Now Y/N?

Can things get any worse?

Y/N’S POV

I storm through the corridors of the maze-like building, hoping to find a way out of this obnoxious place. My fiery rage from my debate with the matriarch still goes strong. If anything, the anger is amplifying.

Each step I take, the flames within grow. Each step I take, the dragon’s voice at the back at my mind becomes louder and louder and louder.

Suyin is corrupt. Just like the Earth Queen. Just like Tarrlok and most of the Republic City Council were. They are all the same.

No, stop it.

Stop denying. You know it’s true. Suyin puts on a noble façade with a fake smile, but she is just as bad. Maybe even worse.

No! Tarrlok and most of the City Council treated all non-benders like they were Equalists! The Earth Queen rules with an iron fist and treats her people like they’re objects! Suyin doesn’t do that!

Suyin’s methods are different, but her rule is the same tiresome, infuriating theme as theirs. Arrogant, self-absorbed egomaniacs who attempt to make their vision a reality whether the public like it or not. Tarrlok tried to be Republic City’s saviour and ended up as bad as his father, but he never sugar-coated his actions. He accepted them for what they were. The Earth Queen doesn’t hide her true self either. She is what she is and she’s proud of it. But Suyin? Either she’s oblivious and painfully unaware of who she really is or she’s lying to herself. She hides her true self. She phrases her actions as kindness and honourable. That is why she’s worse.

I said stop!

Suyin has the majority wrapped around her little finger.

Her family.

Her city.

Asami.

Bolin.

Mako.

Korra-

STOP!

The intrusive thoughts, the dragon, goes dead silent.

I slow down my steps, the door to the outside in my vision.

Suyin is flawed, hypocritical, and arrogant, but she isn’t as bad as the others. She’s trying to bring a positive force. She leads a beautiful city and has an amazing family. She’s flawed, not evil. Flawed, not evil. Flawed, not evil.

This time, the dragon is dead silent.

Good.

The anger, while still present, has diminished slightly.

I just need some fresh air. Yeah, some fresh air. Maybe I can leave the city and explore one of the nearby mountains. Go and walk around the natural environments. Yeah, that will be nice. Calm. Peaceful and relaxing. When, I’m done I will go to bed. Yeah, that sounds nice.

Taking a deep, long, breath and releasing it in a soothing exhale I open the doors, expecting to see the starry night sky…

Only to see metal surrounding the sky!

WHAT?!

Domes surround the city when its night?!

DAMMIT!

“UGH!” I groan loudly, throwing my arms into the air. “I can’t even look at the stars now?!”

First no secrets at all, then not allowing Opal to leave, then Varrick, and now I can’t even see the night sky?!

I march around the area, not really paying any attention to my surroundings, until I eventually reach to some sort of metal bench. Sitting down with a loud huff, I bury my face into my palms and rub them against my features rapidly.

I thought getting airbending was a dream come true. In my early childhood I longed to have bending. Now I get what my toddler-self wished for and everything goes downhill. First, my parents. Then, the Earth Queen and her corruption. Then this Zaheer and a bunch of criminals. Now this.

What’s worse is none of my friends even seem to care. Not even Korra, my best friend. Sure, we haven’t always seen eye to eye but our differences in our beliefs haven’t always been this stark.

There’s got to be someone who gets what I’m saying, right?

“Excuse me, are you all right?”

I whip my head upwards and see on of the Zaofu guards standing before me. She’s wearing big metal plates covering her form, her helmet with three dagger-like spikes on it covering most of her head. However, I notice her grass pupils and a tiny black mole underneath her right eye.

“Uh, yeah.” I tell her, dropping my hands back onto my knees. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

The expression on the guard’s face doesn’t change in the slightest. “Do you wish to be escorted back to the dining room of the Beifong Household?”

“No!” I rush out, causing the guard to jump back slightly in surprise. I regain my composure and respond in a more controlled manner. “No, I’m fine. That is the last thing I want to go right now.”

This time, I see a flash of curiosity painted across the guard’s face. “Is there a problem?”

I sigh. “To be blunt, I had an argument with your matriarch.”

Her expression, again, changes very little. All I see is a slight frown. “I see.”

Shit, did I make her mad? Oh, who am I kidding? Suyin is the city’s leader! Of course, her guards are going to be mad!

Rising from my bench and dusting off my clothes, I face the guard. “I hope I didn’t intrude or disturb you from your duties. I just wanted to have some fresh air but, much to my disappointment, I was greeted by the metal domes.”

“I understand your frustration.” She sympathises, her tone having no trace of anger or annoyance from my earlier comments. “However, they are a vital addition to the security of Zaofu. It helps keep the public protected.”

“Yes, of course.” I reply. “Suyin called it the safest city in the world. However, I fear she has sacrificed some freedom for maximum security.” Knowing who I am talking to, I raise my hands in an apologetic gesture. “Not to discredit your job and your effectiveness, I’m sure you and the rest of the guards are great, but surely you can understand what I’m saying, right?”

The guard doesn’t respond for a moment, her face neutral. I can almost hear the cogs turning in her head.

“I do.” She finally says. “However, I believe that it is necessary. Without that protection, our freedom can easily be taken away.”

Hm. An interesting perspective.

I nod in understanding. “I get that. Still, I just find it frustrating. Doesn’t help that Varrick is here.”

As soon as the name of the businessman leaves my lips, I notice it. A flicker of irritation in the guard’s pupils.

“The…inventor, right?” she asks, voice gruff.

I hum in confirmation. “After all the shit he’s done, he gets away with it all and ends up living the life here. It’s a misuse of justice. That’s what my argument with Suyin was about. She wouldn’t hear any of it. Even my friends wouldn’t listen. Not a single person agreed with me. It’s frustrating!”

Finishing my rant, I notice the guard staring at me with…curiosity? Familiarity? Something else entirely?

I let out a tense breath, scratching the back of my head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant to you. I’ll leave you back to your duties.”

“I agree.”

Huh?

I whip back to the guard. Her face is once again neutral.

“I’m sorry?”

“I agree with you.”

“Oh…”

I open my mouth but close it again having failed to find my words. After a quick swallow, I speak up once more with confusion. “I…I was under the impression you would have sided with your matriarch.”

Then, much to my surprise, a pretty smirk forms on her lips. “I may be Suyin’s guard, but I don’t believe in everything she does. I am a person, after all.”

Oh…well, that’s true.

Chuckling with a sheepish smile, I cross my arms together. “I guess so. And who is the person I am talking to?

Her smirk widens slightly, and she stretches out her hand.

“Kuvira.”

I take her hand.

“Y/N.”

“I know. Suyin had me do a background check on you and your friends.”

“Oh…yeah. Forgot about that.”

She chuckles. It’s nice.

When the handshake ends, I gaze back at the buildings at the edge of the dome.

“I should probably head to bed.” I tell her. I gaze back Kuvira and give her a small smile. “It was nice meeting you. It’s refreshing to find a like-minded individual.”

Kuvira smiles in return. “The feeling is mutual. Perhaps, we could meet again the following day?”

My eyebrows perk up in surprise. She wants to hang out? Well, it will be better than dealing with awkwardness with me and the others whilst meeting a new friend. Plus, maybe I can get to learn more about Zaofu.

“Sure!” I tell her. “Where and when?”

“Here at nine?”

“An early bird, huh?”

“That is required when you have a job like mine.”

“Indeed. See you at nine, Kuvira.”

“And I you, Y/N.”

We exchange goodbyes and, just like that, we head our separate ways. Kuvira is probably going back on her patrol whilst I walk to my guest room.

At least one good thing came out of tonight.

That good mood didn’t last long, though. Soon after I return to my room, I am interrupted with some pounding knocks.

“Y/N, we need to talk.”

Shit. It’s Korra.

Sighing heavily, I slowly but surely walk up to the door and open it and in front of me I see a very pissed Korra.

“That was out of order, Y/N. What in the spirits were you thinking?!”

Frowning slightly, I cross my arms. “What I was thinking was giving Suyin some rightfully deserved criticism. It’s about time someone gave her the harsh reality.”

My response only seems to anger Korra who places a hand on her hips. “What you did was humiliate her in front of her family. She was trying to do something good, and you threw it in her face.”

Something good? Seriously?!

“You’re telling me after everything Varrick has done you are okay with him escaping punishment?” I ask her. “You were there when he bombed the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center. So many people could have been hurt!”

The features of my best friend’s face softens slightly. “I was confused initially and I see where you’re coming from. But Suyin is trying to better Varrick and Zaofu by-“

“-Don’t give me that!” I interrupt, throwing my arms up in the air. “She’s doing it for herself.”

The softness on Korra’s face hardens once more. “Varrick is leading her technology division that can benefit the city and its people.”

“Which will benefit Suyin and her reputation.” I counter smoothly. “I see through her act.”

“You think too lowly of her.”

“And you think too highly of her.”

We both go dead silent for an intense moment. The air is thick and suffocating.

I let out a deep and heavy breathe, rubbing my hair with my palm. “I don’t want to end our night in a fight.”

Korra’s face softens once more and her gaze casts downward. “Me neither. Things are already awkward with Lin and Suyin. I don’t want things to be awkward between us too.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let out yet another sigh. “Look, I won’t apologise to Suyin. I think she deserved it. However, I’ll try to tolerate her while we’re still in Zaofu. For you.”

Looking back up, I see Korra nod slowly and a tiny smile form on her lips. “Okay. Thank you.”

I smile back. “Don’t mention it. Have a good night, Korra.”

“You too, Y/N.”

Closing the door, I lean backwards on the door with the back of my head pressed against it, revealed that the moment is over. I can still feel the bittersweetness of the departure.

Let’s hope tomorrow is better.

TIME SKIP

I stand in the same place as the night before, five minutes before nine. I make sure to got up early to avoid any awkward meetings. I haven’t spoken to the others else since Korra and I don’t particularly want to join them at breakfast. Despite telling her that I’ll try to tolerate Suyin, I still fear that she will somehow get a reaction out of me. It’s best I stay out of the matriarch’s way for now.

“Impeccable timing.”

I turn to the source of the voice, and I pause.

There, in front of me, is Kuvira standing tall and proud. Now absent of her heavy armour representing the Zaofu Guard and replaced with the known green robes that typical citizens wear. No longer wearing her helmet, I can see her jet-black hair tied up into a ponytail. She’s stunning.

Feeling my cheeks warm slightly, I cough awkwardly. “Of course.”

Kuvira doesn’t react to the scene playing out before her. She tilts her head in a questioning way. “Have you had breakfast?”

I open my mouth to answer her question but instead of words, the answer is the growling of my stomach. Shit.

Kuvira smirks. “I guess not.”

With a sheepish grin, I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah, I decided to skip breakfast with the others. I didn’t want to risk causing another argument.”

Listening to my explanation, the smirk fades from her lips. Then, the guard turns and starts walking. “Come. I know a place we can eat.”

Huh?

Rushing forward to catch up, I walk side-by-side with her. “We?”

“I haven’t had the chance to eat either.” Kuvira explains. “I know a good place that serves good food. Besides, this will be an opportunity for you to see more of Zaofu.”

Oh…

That’s…sweet.

As she leads me to the train that leads us to another section of the city, I have more look at the intrinsic building. They scream of a utopia with signs of a bright new era on the horizon.

“I’m really impressed with the architecture.” I comment, turning my gaze to Kuvira. To my surprise, she is already focusing her attention at me with a curious glint in her cool eyes. “It’s so much better than what I saw in Ba Sing Se. Not a single inch of poverty and dilapidation.”

She smiles. “Indeed. Thanks to Bataar, the architect, Zaofu is the most advanced city in the entire Earth Kingdom.”

The mention of the architect brings a flash of memory in my mind with the image of a middle-aged man and his younger accomplice passing by the dining room, with the former apologising to his wife and telling her he had a major breakthrough in the tram system.

Despite my issues with Suyin, I cannot deny that her husband is a genius. This architecture and technology should be shared with the rest of the kingdom!

“Well, he should be proud of what he has accomplished.” I finally respond. “All of this is revolutionary! Why hasn’t this been shared with the rest of the nation?”

My question appeared to trouble Kuvira slightly as I see her rip her gaze from me to stare through the tram’s window with a frown present.

Uh oh. Did I make her upset?

“Unfortunately,” Kuvira begins with a trace of bitterness. “the sharing of Zaofu’s resources wouldn’t be possible.”

The phrase of her answer makes me perk an eyebrow and lean forward slightly.

“How come?”

The frown deepens on Kuvira’s face. “The Earth Queen would never allow it. She despises changes or, at least, changes she didn’t implement. She certainly wouldn’t allow a rival of hers to improve her kingdom.”

Of course. Why am I not surprised?

A frustrated groan erupts from me, and I slump down to the tram’s seat. “Typical. The Earth Queen has a chance to improve the lives of her people and refuses it because it would hurt her pride and ego. I met her when we visited Ba Sing Se and what I saw was despicable. Her people were suffering and she herself was vile.”

I hear a hum of agreement from my companion.

Sighing heavily, I glance away. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant. It’s just been troubling me for a while.”

“There’s no need to apologise.” Kuvira assures me, finally looking back at me. “I had nothing to add. I agree with you completely. The Queen is a horrible woman who should never have been in charge of the Earth Kingdom.”

“Exactly!” I exclaim, relieved with being understood. “I told Korra and Tenzin the same thing! You know what they said? They said there was nothing we could do other than advise! How is that right?”

All I get from Kuvira are two words.

��It isn’t.”

Before I can respond, the tram reaches its to a screeching halt. We have arrived.

Leaving the transport, the guard leads me through the city for around twenty minutes or so until finally we reach a small establishment. It has a square-like shape with the windows revealing the green interior of the building. I notice a counter with all types of food displayed with a male cashier behind it.

I glance up to see the sign on top of the store. “Badger’s Borrow.”

“Is this a café?” I ask her.

“It is.” Kuvira confirms. “I sometimes come here when I’m not on duty or busy with my dancing. It is welcoming and peaceful.”

Humming in acknowledgement, I gesture to the store door. “Well then, shall we?”

My gesture brings a smirk out of her. “We shall.”

The following minutes were nothing special. All it consisted was us waiting in line and ordering food to eat. Kuvira paid for both of us before I could even tell her I had no cash. She must have know beforehand. Clever.

Now, we sat on a table by the window eating our food. The time it took for us to explore Zaofu, travelling on the tram, and walking to the store was long enough for sunlight to shine down on the city.

“The food is pretty good here.” I tell her, taking bites of the item I ordered. “I can see why you come here.”

“Indeed.” She agrees with a smile. “It’s relaxing.”

The softness in her voice as she compliments the burrow opens a door of revelation for me. When I first saw her, I thought she was all serious, tough, and no-funny business. Now, though, I realise there’s more to her than meets the eye. Heh, in a way, she is a lot like Korra.

Korra…

The image of Korra’s rage at my outburst to Suyin flashes to the forefront of my mind brings my mood down. Despite making up at the end of the night, arguing with my best friend always saddens me greatly.

Kuvira seems to have noticed the change in my mood. “You seem troubled.”

I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”

Glancing upwards, I see curiosity and concern in her gaze. This time, however, I’m going to do ask the questions.

“Can I ask you something?”

Her eyes widen in surprise of the sudden topic change but relents. “You may.”

I lean forward to further engage in the situation. “You barely know me and yet you’re showing me around the city and taking me to a coffee shop you go to. Why?”

The guard’s eyes widen slightly in surprise of my bluntness but proceed to narrow in thought. She doesn’t respond for a while, as if she doesn’t know the answer herself, and I take a drink to act as a distraction to fill in the silence.

“You intrigued me.” Kuvira at lasts respond, though brief as it is.

Oh?

“Intrigued you?” I repeat.

She nods. “Your frustrations with Suyin, specifically.”

I frown. “You said you agreed with me when I talked about Varrick.”

“And I still do.” Kuvria confirms. “Even more so after given it some thought. When Suyin announced Varrick’s contribution to Zaofu despite his history I was troubled.”

Interesting.

I take another sip from my cup, my eyes still locked with Kuvira’s, and place it back down. “Did you say anything to her?”

She shakes her head slightly. “I did not. It is not my place. I’m the Captain of the Guard, not an adviser.”

“Captain of the Guard?” I repeat with surprise. “Adviser or not, that’s a pretty impressive rank to hold. You must be proud.”

She nods with pride. “I am. It is an honour to be given such a title.”

“Suyin must trust you pretty well.”

“I am her protégé.” Kuvira reveals to me, taking a sip of her own drink after the comment. “She mentored me since I was a child.”

“Interesting.” I comment. “Your parents must be proud.”

As soon as that sentence leaves my lips, I know I made a mistake. Kuvira frowns sharply and gazes down at her cup. Her eyes have hint of bitterness and…shame.

“I’m sorry!” I speak up almost immediately after my previous comment. “I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.”

“It’s fine.” The captain assures me sharply, though her tone betrays her. It’s clear she’s feeling uncomfortable now.

Despite the awkward silence that followed, I don’t feel any of it. Instead, a great wave of sympathy washes over me and also…familiarity.

An idea comes to me.

Should I do this? I mean, she’s a stranger. I haven’t even told Korra and Mako yet! Or even Tenzin, Kyuni and the others!

A stranger who seems to be like-mind as I. One who seems to be familiar with family troubles. Maybe this might make her feel slightly better.

“If it makes you feel any better…” I begin, trailing off slightly but then catch myself. “I have my own issues with my parents.”

At the mention of my situation, Kuvira immediately snaps her attention to me with her eyes widened. “You do?”

I nod solemnly. “I was gifted airbending too like Opal. I was so excited. I was always so interested in the Air Nation’s culture and to have the chance to be a part of it was…amazing. I remember feeling the rush as I went to call my parents. I told them and do you know what they said?”

Before Kuvira can even have the chance to respond, I chuckle sadly. “My father accused me of abandoning my tribe! Then, he tells me if that if I join the Air Nation I will not be considered as their own! Can you believe that? After years of loving memories, they were willing to abandon me!”

A single tear rolls down my left cheek and I quickly swipe it away.

“Sorry.” I tell her, gazing at my cup. “Didn’t meant to dump all that emotional shit onto your plate.”

Then, to my surprise, I feel a hand land on top of mine with a slight squeeze.

I look back up and I see Kuvira avoiding my gaze and instead focus it on our hands.

“I won’t sugar coat it by telling you everything will be fine.” The captain tells me, her voice hoarse. “It won’t be fine. It will never be. All I can tell you is following your own path. Don’t let your idiotic parents stop you from fulfilling your passions.”

My heart stops from Kuvira’s speech. When it concludes, it resumes.

Her advice is similar to Asami’s and yet…Kuvira’s seems the most…helpful? I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe it was her bluntness of it all. Maybe it was because she seems so familiar.

When she called my parents idiotic a brief spark of anger threatened to erupt but it quickly faded. After I gave it, some thought, she was right. I mean, after everything we’ve been together my parents are willing to cast me aside for wanting their child to follow their dreams and do some good in the world? What kind of parents do you have to be to do that?

“My parents abandoned me when I was a child.” Kuvira speaks up, her stature tense. “They dropped me with Suyin with a mere sack of my stuff and left me. Father told me it was for my own good but, really, it was to make their own lives easier. They abandoned their own daughter. They abandoned me.”

The sympathy that I already had for her intensifies in power and I place my own hand on top of her, now squeezing her hand gently.

Kuvira was abandoned as a child, but she overcame it. She was cast aside by the people she trusted the most and yet she rose to such a high position: The Captain of the Guard of Zaofu. It’s inspiring.

It has inspired me.

If Kuvira can overcome her past with her parents, then so can I. I can surpass this. I know I can.

“Your parents are fools.” I assure her. “From what I’ve seen, you’re so much better than them. Screw them.”

My own comfort brings a smile on Kuvira’s lips.

A smile forms on mine.

Then, in a tiny coffee shop with a stranger I barely know and yet feels so familiar, everything becomes clear. Everything.

“You were born in the Southern Water Tribe, you grew up in the Southern Water Tribe, and had practiced Southern Water Tribe traditions. And now you are abandoning your culture for another!"

“You are trying to abandon your tribe, and your mother and I will not tolerate such a betrayal.”

“The next time we talk, you better tell us you are not joining the Air Nation. If not, don’t contact or visit us ever again.”

The echoes of the past, once plagued my mind, are now only harmless afterthoughts.

I have made my decision.

I will join the Air Nation.

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

Hope you all enjoyed it!

Feedback is appreciated! :D

See you all in the next chapter!

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juniperhillpatient · 1 year

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The Firebending Masters Re-watch

THIS EPISODE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT SO FUCKING MUCH!!!! AHHH!!!

[id: Zuko & Aang back to back looking around at the rainbow fire created by the dragons, Ran & Shao. end id]

Toph's story about learning earth-bending from the badger moles - the original earth-benders - was amazing! I just think that's so fucking cool, that animals were always the original benders, & that Toph learned that way. I Just Love This Show A Lot.

[id: a gif of Toph being kissed by a badger mole. end id]

+500 iconic behavior points for Toph for this story.

There is something so narratively beautiful in Zuko deciding to join the Avatar in a mission to restore peace & balance to the world & learning in the process that his fire-bending doesn't have to come from rage it can come from love - fire is life, not just destruction. This lesson is truly what Aang needed too, in order to learn fire-bending. This episode serves as such a beautiful contrast to the episode "The Deserter" where we see only the violent & destructive nature of fire, & how Zhao defeats himself with fire fueled by rage.

I have seen this episode referred to as a "power up" kinda thing for Zuko & Aang but that's not how I see it at all. I think that this episode was about learning the true nature of fire-bending, for both Zuko & Aang, who have only ever known about fire fueled by anger & created for the purpose of destruction. Both boys still had to actually practice their forms after this & continue learning & improving, with this very important newfound knowledge.

I also love that it was a dance. It's just kind of beautiful that in a show about the horrors of war & lost childhood & what it means to regain peace & balance, the answer to understanding the element that's been the symbol of the enemy this whole time is dancing, not fighting. I don't know, I just really like the message behind that. +1000 iconic behavior points for Zuko & Aang each for being deemed worthy by freaking DRAGONS. love that for them.

I'm just gonna pepper in also that this episode REALLY said Zukaang rights. I mean aside from the fact that they're narrative foils, former enemies working together to master the final element - fire - they literally dance surrounded by rainbow fire. C'mon.

And I mean, Zuko & Aang's dynamic is just great & fun in this episode. I cracked up when Aang was trying to get Zuko to share his flame & Zuko was like "quit cheating off me!" they're such....children lol (another great moment was "I don't care what anyone else says, Zuko, I think you're pretty smart" as well as "what do you want to do now?" "I don't know, contemplate our place in the universe?")

Also, this scene was hilarious & also meaningful - I really do love the writing of this show --

Zuko: Yeah. It's like the Sun, [He curls his hand into a fist.] but inside of you. Do you guys realize this?

Sun Warrior chief: [Smiling.] Well, our civilization is called the Sun Warriors ... so yeah. Zuko That's why my firebending was so weak before. Because for so many years, hunting you [Turns toward Aang as screen zooms out to show Aang.] was my drive ... it was my purpose. [Aang turns toward Zuko as well.] So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a new drive. [Cut to Zuko's face as screen zooms in.] I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world.

The ending with Zuko & Aang demonstrating their moves & Sokka & Katara teasing them cracked me up. Another great episode!

#atla re watch #atla book 3 #the firebending masters

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dadvans · 2 years

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just read the excerpt of the long sid/nate fic and i am fucking gasping! that last sentence was Serotonin injected straight into my veins! thank you for that glimpse, seriously amazing stuff

i'm getting very emotional about this, thank you so much. as just mentioned in my last ask, writer's block has been kicking my ass solidly for the past two years. in the past month i've probably written more than i've written since 2020, and i'm going to try and harness these vibes to keep going and finish some fucking things soon.

here is a snippet of an unfinished PWP from when sid and nate were in Cannes together: (inspired by this photo)

Nate had been to yacht parties. This wasn’t a yacht party. Nate didn’t know what the fuck this was.

He’d slept in his seat most of the first leg of their train ride to Cannes, half-drunk with a gold medal around his neck until he woke up to the train slowing to a stop somewhere in Germany, where everyone shotgunned warm tall boys of beer on the platform waiting for the next train. The next leg of that trip had been the longest, their entire group dividing time between the bar cart and wrestling in the too-small sleeper compartments. There was a third train after that, but Nate didn’t really remember it. He hadn’t been sober since they started drinking post-win in the locker room, and now he was finally hitting the plateau where the world felt warm and fuzzy and hilarious, albeit slightly out of reach. Which was entirely how he wound up here: on a superyacht bigger than Rhode Island surrounded by movie stars with the World’s Feistiest Twink climbing him like a tree.

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about me,” said Feisty Twink, affectionately patting his chest. Mike was there too, not even trying to bite back his laughter. “Now tell me more sexy hockey words, my Canadian prince.”

“Uh.” Nate looked at Mike for a life line, but Mike just looked back at him, smile as wide as his face. Fuck him, Nate thought, and nodded toward him. “Ask this guy. Goalies are the dirtiest guys in the sport. They tape the ends of their sticks up for a better grip with a bigger knob, you know.”

“Nathan, I’m a Christian woman, you can’t just say these things to me without putting a ring on my finger,” Feisty Twink slurred, his dull fingernails scratching from Nate’s chest to his stomach through the thin cotton of his t-shirt just enough, before turning to Mike. "Enchantée, baby.”

Nate’s stomach stirred, and he was ninety percent sure it wasn’t the post-win bender he was on. Feisty Twink was cute in his own way, and Nate wasn’t opposed to sneaking away with him at some point, somehow. It would be great to finally deal with the blue balls he’d been nursing since breaking up with Logan in February.

In a bout of second thoughts, he was reaching out to pull Feisty Twink back by the hem of his shirt when Sid appeared, two beers in hand. He handed one to Nate, and Nate took it, pretending that he hadn’t just been caught. “Oh, hey bud.”

“Hey,” Sid said, grinning. He absolutely knew what was up.

Nate continued to feign cool, collected, and not horny enough to make dumb decisions, instead leaning back against the railing of Deck Whatever on Megafuck Superyacht. “What’s up?”

“Not much. You?” Sid took a sip of his beer and licked at the foam caught up in the prickly stubble that was beginning to gather on his upper lip.

“Oh,” Nate said, which was the same second that Feisty Twink got bored with Mike and turned back to him. “You know.”

Feisty Twink did a once over of Sid, said “Twirl for me,” and watched as Sid indulged him, doing a 360 turn with his hands raised. Feisty Twink sucked in a breath. “Girl, is that for real?”

“It’s real, yeah,” Sid said, and smugly took another sip of beer.

“Fuck, what are they feeding you boys?

“Not enough,” Sid replied, a little too serious. He nodded at Tyson, standing twenty feet away and way too drunk. He was staring dreamily up at Uma Thurman, who was holding her heels in hand like a weapon. “Hey, see that guy over there? He’s been talking about you all night.”

Feisty Twink took the bait and bid them farewell, slinking over to Tyson. Nate leveled a look at Sid he hoped had some heat, like not cool, man.

“It’s not like I was lying,” Sid said with a little more humor in his voice, sliding closer. “He was talking about you guys. Mostly to me though, telling me to stop pouting and let you get your dick wet.”

Nate’s scowl melted away into something shy and fond. “Wow, jealous much?”

It wasn’t so much of a question as it was a teasing accusation.

“You weren’t going to actually leave with him, were you?”

“Honestly, man, I was thinking about it.”

Sid hummed. “Your breakup was that bad?”

“Hey, he’s kinda cute.”

“You can do better.”

“Is that an offer?”

Sid shrugged.

Nate got a little bit closer, turning his back to Mike, who was trying to get a server’s attention. “Sid, was that an offer?”

Sid licked his lips. “You know it’s always on the table for you.”

#dadvans replies #sidnate #hockey rpf

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puppyluver256 · 2 years

Photo

[Image Description: A woman with blue skin, maroon eyes, and multicolored hair (mostly purple with one strip of turquoise and one strip of pink) in a ponytail with two silver spoon-shaped hair clips. She is wearing a long pink button-up shirt under a green t-shirt with lightly frilled sleeves, blue capri-length pants, turquoise socks, and maroon loafer shoes. She has a tan bag slung over her shoulder with both the Psychonauts emblem (a brain surrounded by lines of black and blue) and the pansexual flag (three stripes of magenta, yellow, and blue) attached to the strap. She is holding one hand up, above which is a floating spoon that is being bent by psychic ability, and giving a peace sign with her other hand. The background is a swirling gradient of blue and black. End ID.]

-----

Got inspired to make a Psychonauts OC a while back after re-watching a video about our real-world "psychics" (ie. utter frauds) inspired an idea of complete and total irony. Let me introduce you to Yuri Randi!

Yuri's a roaming recruiter for the Psychonauts, often out scouting for promising candidates to the Psychonauts proper, the intern program, and even finding kids who would benefit from some time at the Whispering Rock summer camp. That's not getting into her...unofficial work. You see, both her personal experience with her own abilities and her years of work scouting for real psychics has led to her getting really good at noticing when people try to fake it, not to mention one of her dads is a non-psychic and former stage magician so he knows those kinds of tricks as well. So she has developed a kind of hobby of sorts where she goes to these fake psychic shows and...basically just makes them look like fools for trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the real damn thing. And yes, you may have already guessed by her name, but her concept was inspired by the feud between so-called psychic fraudster Uri Gellar and James "The Amazing" Randi >:3c Yeah, I'm a little bitter about Gellar and his litigious nonsense putting Kadabra into legal limbo, how could you tell??

A few more fun facts about Yuri while I'm still on this train of thought: - While I think it would be a common enough thing for most psychics to start with spoon-bending (after all, didn't Ford refer to the campers as "spoon-benders" once? and I saw that reveal in Rhombus of Ruin too), Yuri was so proud of her first that she ended up keeping it decades after and uses it as a hairclip. Her specialty is manipulating metal, though of course she's got quite the handy range of varied abilities figured out, that's just the one she's most fond of personally. - She has two dads, one of whom is her biological dad with the help of a mutual friend acting as a surrogate, who she affectionately calls "auntie" even though the nature of her relationship with her dads has never been kept secret from her. Her "auntie" and bio dad are the psychic ones, and her other dad has always been very supportive of her abilities, especially when she's using them to dunk on the frauds. - She has crushed on nearly every adult at the Motherlobe for at least a few days each. The longest of these crushes have been a tie between her feelings for Milla and Sasha, alternating between the two roughly at the same time. - Her overall fashion sense and tendency to carry her bag of Very Important Things (mostly snacks) with her even throughout the Motherlobe has led to her being mistaken for an intern more than a few times, even by applying interns that weren't brought in by her. The confusion doesn't last long once she reveals she's in her early 30s.

💖🐶 Check out my pinned post for ways to support my artwork, among other things! 🐶💖

~If you like, please reblog to show your friends! Likes are appreciated, but reblogs let more people see my content! If you have something to say, feel free to give feedback in tags/comments/replies as well!~

#psychonauts #psychonauts 2 #psychonauts oc #yuri randi #jess drew the thing #sfw #image description

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middleagerunblog · 4 months

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XIV.

To tell you the truth, though, I don't think I deserve your kindness. I'm trying my best to be a much better person, but things aren't going so well. The next time we meet I hope I'll have my act together. Whether that will happen or not, I don't know.

- Kafka, in the note he writes to Sakura, before leaving her apartment, not knowing where he is going to stay next as "fate seems to be taking" him "in some even stranger directions" about a fifth of the way through Kafka on the Shore

So the weekend wasn't great in terms of eating, which bled into Monday, which again, wasn't great. Held on for most of Tuesday but finally succumbed to a few Christmas goodies before dinner and many more after. Woke up Wednesday with a bleh feeling in my stomach, resigned--like I so often am in these instances--to buckle down and try again.

My wife and I discuss weekend plans, which involve socializing and eating and drinking, and I already start to dread wearing pants and properly-fitting clothes over a bloated belly.

But I still have time, I can have a healthy Wednesday to Thursday to Friday morning-afternoon before my pants-required event on Friday night. And I've realized recently that it's not my weight per se making my clothes feel too tight, but rather it's how I've been eating. My clothes will feel better weighing 190 after a light/healthy eating streak than they would weighing 185 coming off a bender.

So Wednesday morning is my typical weekday morning, I have nothing other than a cup of coffee then half a bottle of water before/during/after my 3-mile run at an easy pace. I feel predictably amazing immediately upon finishing my run, motivated to continue the feeling by eating well the rest of the day, motivation that typically falls apart somewhere just after lunch to just before dinner.

But I tell myself today will be different.

After driving my youngest son to school, doing a couple hours of work at my sit/stand desk, opting to sit this particular morning when I usually stand for the first part of the day, I take the dog on a walk, listening to the final few tracks off Donda by Kanye West. Wearing this particular outfit (a hoodie with shorts and sneakers and my Steelers tossle cap), walking this particular dog, listening to this particular music, enjoying this particular weather (about 50F and sunny), I feel unusually confident.

youtube

Back at the house, doing more work, having a couple 1:1s via phone, I start to get hungry, especially after 11a. But I hold off starting because I pick my oldest son texted me for a ride home from school just after 11:30. It's finals week and his usual ride home is on a different schedule today.

When we get home at around 11:45, I heat some olive oil in a pan on the stove. I take some of the already chopped and seasoned golden potatoes in a Ziploc bag in the fridge (excess from a recipe we made last week) and start to cook them in the pan and cover them with a lid. I wait a few minutes and flip them, they shouldn't take too long to cook since they're chopped into fairly small pieces. After another few minutes I flip them again and add a decent helping of kale (also excess from another meal prep session) and put the lid back on. Everything seems to be cooking up nicely. I don't wait that much longer before adding the rest of the leftover chopped up sirloin steak (from yet another previous meal). I mix everything up with a spatula and sprinkle on lots of everything bagel seasoning. After another minute or two, it's ready. I use the spatula to transfer everything from the pan to a large bowl, top it off with some Willy's salsa (I prefer hot but mild is all we have) and shredded cheese. I take my first mouthful at 12:02. It's delicious.

More work, a few more calls, and I'm ready for some afternoon coffee. It doesn't take long to make since I'm only brewing one mug's worth. But being in the kitchen surrounded by Christmas goodies starts to make me crave sweets. A few cookies would pair amazingly with my coffee. Instead I go to the pantry and measure out a 1/4 cup of unsalted cashews and a 1/4 cup of unsalted mixed nuts and put them into a plastic cereal bowl. I pour the coffee into the large mug, take that and the bowl of nuts back to my desk for some more work.

I look at the clock at 4p, think to myself I'm still feeling satiated, finish up my last few calls, and come downstairs around 5p. My wife got home a few minutes earlier, so I make us each a cranberry juice and club soda on the rocks with lime for a healthy non-alcoholic drink to start winter break. Everyone starts to get into the treats, but I know if I can hold off another hour, I am driving my daughter to soccer practice, and I've all but made it.

Just before leaving, changes in driving arrangements are proposed and I am overly curt with everyone, giving them made up reasons why plans can't be changed. The real reason is probably because I'm hungry and cranky and just want to be successful on my goal of being healthy today and don't want any new obstacles in my way.

On the way to practice, my daughter and I listen to my "Last Christmas" playlist on Apple Music, consisting of the original plus 36 different cover versions. We both spontaneously burst into song each time midway through the second verse at "I wrapped it up and set it with a note saying, 'I love you.' I meant it," and sing the rest of that verse through the next refrain.

I drop my daughter off at the soccer field then drive to a Chipotle close by for my dinner. I order a salad and they seem to be out of the salad mix so the worker makes my base out of the lettuce used for toppings at the end of the line. They are also out of fajita veggies, so this salad is barely a salad. I get pinto beans, carnitas, hot and mild salsa, and cheese. I try to add guac, but they are out of that too, but that saves me a few bucks so I'm OK with it. I have to wait an unusually long time to pay as the worker at the register is try to sort out some mistakes with someone else's online order. Another worker finally covers the register, rings me up, and I take my lackluster salad and medium cup for ice water to one of the few clean tables in the mostly empty dining area. I eat my dinner and read chapters 10 and 11 in my book. The line about trying to be better but things not going well resonates with me.

Back to the soccer field just after 7:30 and I know that I've made it. By the time this practice ends and we make it home, it'll be 8:30. If I've held on for this long, I will hold on for the rest of the evening. We listen to more of the "Last Christmas" playlist all the way home, singing in the same spots.

I make it home, brush my teeth, put my pajamas on, and type out the first half of this post to keep myself busy and away from the kitchen and all the Christmas goodies. I wake up Thursday feeling moderately hungry and prepare to face a another day of similar but different challenges.

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eversonzoe-reviews · 1 year

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Parasite by Bong Joon Ho

Parasite is a South Korean dark comedy thriller film created and directed by Bong Joon Ho. The film focuses on the dirt-poor Kim family who manages to con their way into the rich Park family’s home. It starts when the Kim’s oldest son gets given the opportunity to work in the house as the daughter’s tutor, soon he brings in his sister to be the art tutor for the son and with their parents they plot to get rid of the Park’s driver and replace him with the Kim’s father and get rid of the housekeeper and replace her with the Kim’s mother. They end up succeeding but when they find out that the housekeeper is living under the house with her husband in secret chaos ensues when it is a fight for their places in the house. The film represents a power struggle between rich versus poor and poor versus poor.

In order to fully grasp how impactful and astounding this film is, there needs to be an understanding of Korean culture. Context is so important for this film if the viewer is not from Korea. Basement homes are foreign to western audiences but to a Korean audience, they are normal. Basement homes, more importantly, the one belonging to the Kim family is pertinent to the plot as it is the reason the Kim’s actions in the film lead to their downfall.

Bong Joon Ho is widely known and appreciated for his work and its theoretical meaning to society. His films are almost like a mirror that is held up to society as to say, ‘look at yourself, this film is showing you who you really are.’ He has done well to do this not just in Parasite but in his other works like Okja (2017) and Snowpiercer (2013) he has made it apparent in his films to include the power imbalance of the world between the rich and the poor and Parasite is no different. The parallels between the Kim family and the Park family are uncanny but the difference is one is rich and the other is poor. Both are just as bad as the other, however, as the viewer, a side is typically chosen because you see the progression of the film through their eyes. The films are not created with the idea of the audience must choose a side, but typically the audience does because it is human nature to want to understand and ultimately side with a part in the film.

The thriller leaves the audience with edge-of-the-seat and pillow-scrunching scenes that are shot and edited beautifully. They are intense but also sometimes broken up with comedic relief so the audience has a chance to catch their breath but don’t take too long as you will possibly miss something. That is something that is also amazing for viewers. The film is rewatchable because every time they re-watch the film, they will pick up on something that they missed last time which just adds to the experience that is Parasite. The film is always the same, but something is always different. Minuscule details that have been there from the very beginning, become more apparent as you watch which doesn’t change the outcome of the film, but it does change the journey you take to get to the outcome. It also leaves you thinking long after the film has ended ‘what if?’ What if they did not open the door for the former housekeeper? What if they did not all work to get themselves in the Park’s home? What if Kim Ki woo did not take the job offer from his friend Min? Would have they all survived? So many questions surrounding what-ifs arise once the film is over but all of them go unanswered because if those what-ifs appeared in the film, then there would be no film. Bong Joon Ho’s brilliance as a writer and director shines through in this film because it is a mind-bender of a film, and the audience has a good go at navigating the film but not all understand its significance, and some understand it too well. It’s no wonder why this film won Best Picture at the Oscars, Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes and many more awards and acclamations.

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littlemisslipbalm · 3 years

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Bachelor Party Shenanigans

Summary: Y/N is hired as a professional party girl for a week long bachelor party in the Alps. She should've known the men attending this party would be rich and obviously famous, but only when Harry Styles walks through the door does it really dawn on her. On the first day of the trip, she and Harry are drawn together. Jacuzzis, tiny bikinis, and dirty talk.

oh fuck I'm back y'all with a filthy fucking story for y'all. It is raunchy and hot and practically pwp. But maybe I write for the other days of the trip. I wrote this while high and while rereading it I got so fucking wet so tell me what you think.

Warning: drug use (weed and c*ke), slight dom/sub, m/f sex with no condom (it's assumed everyone was tested before the trip and on birth control), smuttttt to the max

He’d never seen anyone like her. Well, sure, he’d seen women with physiques like hers in the same lack of clothes but he’d never seen a woman with that physique and that much light in her eyes.

Her black bikini left less to imagine then most expected. Her breasts were large and full yet happily pointing forwards in the cool fall air. Her nipples stayed covered under the small triangles covering them that were barely held together by some black string tightly surrounding her perfect torso.

His eyes scanned down her stomach and roamed to the right side of her upper hip where the next chords of black string were tied together. Once again some brave black fabric covered her juicy mound that attempted to be set free. Her plump lips snug against the fabric, beginning to soak it in a different way than the jacuzzi had. Those ties traveled to the back of her and he was able to see as she turned to speak to her friends only slightly. Her head turned and her ass came into view with a slight pivot of her feet. But she stayed mostly planted. Planning on turning back to the man she had just caught staring at her.

Her ass was pert and big. Bigger than Harry would’ve expected, but then his eyes glanced at her thighs. Fuck, her thights, they were thick and as juicy as her ass, his eyes stayed glued to the place her ass went in and her thigh poked out right below it. He wanted to spank the shit out of those thighs and ass. When her eyes gazed back at him, she leaned forward onto the ledge of the jacuzzi and her tits pressed themselves together deliciously. He licked his lips unintentionally, as he felt his length begin to stiffen. Her eyes glazed over at the sight, before flitting away her gaze quickly so as to not be caught.

She was there for entertainment. Not to fuck the hottest guy there. Even if that did seem like a good goal to have now that she knew Harry Styles was one of the attendees at this Bachelor Party bender she had been hired for. They were up in a cabin in the Alps. But the cabin was more like a mansion, just made out of wood. James, who she now knew was a friend of Harry’s, had hired her and 6 other professional party girls to attend this bachelor party. For the whole week. They weren’t required to have any sex or sensual encounters with the men unless both parties were consenting. They didn’t have to drink a certain amount. They didn’t even have to be nice. The girls were simply doing their job as long as everyone was having a good time. But if that meant the girls had sex, drank, or were overly agreeable then it also wasn’t discouraged.

The first few hours had been amazing so far for Y/N. She and the rest of the girls greeted the men as they arrived. The girls all wore scantily clad stewardess type outfits - mini skirts that barely covered their asses and cropped tops that accentuated their chests - and led each guest away with one girl at his arm. She took the third man to his room and helped him get settled. She had also gotten high as a kite before the men arrived, so helping him get settled also included changing into her bikini in front of him. Niall had been the third man to arrive. Another note that should’ve keyed her into the possibility that these people were all going to be extremely rich and most likely extremely famous. She let him put his hands on her waist as she led them out to the pool deck, where she led him to the jacuzzi.

By the time Harry arrived at the pool deck, alone - it seemed he’d shrugged off his escort before coming out to the festivities -, Niall was out of the jacuzzi and Harry was simply entranced by Y/N.

That night, the entire party found themselves in the hot tub. And while it was certainly a big hot tub, all the men still managed to find themselves with a hot girl’s ass sitting pretty on their laps. Most of the girls whispered dirty things in their seat’s ears while the larger group attempted to carry on a somewhat normal conversation even though they all had seemingly willing and practically naked women on them. Of course some of the men also weren’t single, but when they arrived James made people with wedding bands place them in a little container that he went and hid away. So maybe part of the rules was that everyone was single. That wasn’t important to her.

During the party, someone produced a nice baggy of expensive cocaine. Like rich rich people cocaine and while Y/N was already drunk and high enough wiggling her bouncing ass against Harry’s crotch, she was definitely in awe. Harry received the bag eventually and his green eyes moved to the skin between her breasts. Her eyes followed his gaze and saw the sensuous valley floating just above the water’s surface.

Could I, he asks raspily in her ear. She nods, a small whimper on her lips that only he hears.

The sign of approval was enough as one of his hands wrapped slightly around her throat and leaned her head back. She obeyed his commanding hand as her eyes stayed glued on his face the entire time. He blew on her chest, attempting to dry any possible drops of water on her. His breath pricked her skin and gave her goosebumps as well as two mounds a little larger than goosebumps emerging from beneath her barely clothed tits. She takes a deep sigh and her chest pushes up and down. Harry licks his lips again before emptying the contents of the little bag onto her upper cleavage. He attempts to straighten out the line but grows impatient and hornier with every passing second of her looking like that, all spread out on him, waiting for him to touch her. To use her.

She whimpers one more time when he actually does the line of coke and his hand on her throat tightens ever so slightly. She feels herself getting wet once again because of Harry. Then he releases her and brings her back to upright sitting. Thanks, babe, he says raspily as he sniffles his nose a little. You’re a fucking wet dream, he says nonchalantly before turning back to the broader conversation of some business investment of James’.

A little bit later, she’s still seated on Harry’s lap but now she’s practically sitting reverse cowgirl in his lap. Facing out but both her legs on either side of his. She bounces every so often and Harry’s free hand will travel beneath the bubbling surface and squeeze down hard on her hip to tell her to stop. But she also knows he doesn’t actually want her to stop with the growing pressure of his cock against her.

He also at one point simply moves his hand holding his beer next to her mouth. Her wide eyes glance at him and he says drink and nothing else before nudging the lip of the bottle against her pouty ones. She tips open her mouth and he pours it in. This time his free hand returns to the base of her neck, guiding her to tilt it back further and make eye contact while he did that.

He hasn’t even actually touched her and she already feels fucked out of this world. She knows her eyes are glassy and she’d just about let him do anything to her that he wanted. And she knew he wanted her. She’d been feeling him grow in size as the night went on. Would it be so wrong to slip him inside her right now, with everyone else around. Like duh, yes, but with the way he was looking at her right now, she’s not sure he’d stop her. Being in the jacuzzi was too hot now and not in a good way. She was gagging for Harry’s cock to be inside her and pounding her and basically breaking her in two.

I need to go take a shower, I think, she mumbles and begins to stand from her happy place. Her tits push right past his face and he stops himself from drooling. Fuck he wants his mouth on them this instant. Wanted to fuck her right in that jacuzzi in front of everyone else and make them jealous of how hot they were together and how good he fucked her.

Still he’d settle for any sex with her now. His cock couldn’t take much longer without being slammed between her sweet lips. She ran ahead of him, but he knew where to find her. In his room. And there she was, in his room with his pink fuzzy robe on. Or at least she attempted to put it on. One shoulder was hanging dangerously low to show off the upper curve of her nipple. And the rest was tied up so that he saw all of her legs and almost her sweet pussy.

Fuckin’ minx, Harry mumbles as he kicks the door closed, knew I’d find you here. She purred and sat back on his king sized bed. Her legs were crossed as she bent them and put her feet on the bed. She leaned back and let both sides of the robe fall off her shoulders. She stared up at him and Harry groaned at how hot she looked. And how confident yet submissive she was. He needed to be inside her.

How bad do you need to be fucked, Petal?

Real bad, sir. So fucking bad.

Sir? Harry quirks his head, but nods once she bites her lip at him.

He kneels on the bed, towering over her and pulls at the tie of the robe, rendering it useless. He peels the two sides away and whistles low under his breath.

Fuck me, petal, he says breathlessly, but I thought you were hot with that all but nothing bikini today, but you proved me wrong.

I’m going to fuck you every which way, is that alright my dirty little slut? Harry asks softly yet states firmly after he makes you cum for the first time with just his tongue and skilled nose. She nods and whimpers, her right hand lazily tangled in his hair and the other squeezing her hickey covered tit.

After the nod of approval, Harry was ready to finally sink his cock into her weeping hole. It had tasted so sweet, but he knew it could be filled with even more. He flipped her easily and commanded her to get on her hands and knees. She obeyed happily, back arched and ass wagging happily in Harry’s face. He grinned and swatted at it strong enough to leave a mark, but nice enough to make her pussy start to drip again.

Gonna ride my slut like she’s meant to be, huh? Harry asks rhetorically as he takes a handful of her ass and hip and yanks her closer to the edge of the bed. Fuck she murmurs and Harry swells with pride. His right knee kneels on the edge of the bed as he positions his hard angry cock at her slick entrance. He whips the tip teasing through her folds and she presses back into his touch eagerly. His hand pushes her back in place and then she receives another slap. She whimpers out a moan once again and Harry rubs the area in happiness. Fuckin’ slut he mumbles to himself with a slight chuckle. He was in awe of just how perfect she was to fuck.

Alright, gonna wanna hold on tight sweetheart, Harry warns before pushing into her cunt for the first time. Even after the first thrust, Harry was sure this wouldn’t be the last. His head throws itself back onto his neck as he continues to fuck into her at a rapid speed. Their hips are meeting hard and fast as his balls slap against her clit savagely. She moans out in absolute pleasure all the while. Over and over again, like she has no control over her mouth.

Her tits bounced around in time with Harry’s thrusts even though she fell to her elbows quite quickly after starting from the force of him. As she felt her orgasm start to heat up her insides, he ripped it away from her to flip her to her front and begin fucking her again. This time her leg went over his shoulder as he pounded her. Their slick wet was making unthinkable sounds that only made them both moan more. All she could repeat was Fuck, over and over again as he pinched her nipples in his hands and rammed so hard into her that she thought she might have a bruised pelvis. But it felt so good while she was buzzing from the weed she’d smoked a half hour earlier.

Wanna ride my cock, you slutty princess? Harry spoke breathily as he continued to thrust into her with a slightly slower tempo. I wanna see you slide up and down my thick shaft and see your huge tits bouncing around your perfect body. Wanna see them almost hit you in the face while you concentrate on the burning in your pussy and not the burning in your thighs. I’m gonna make you ride forwards and reverse baby. He laughed again as she pouted.

He grins as he begins to move the two of them into the new position he wanted. Her on top, legs spread around him as he slips his cock easily back into her tight hole. Tighter than the last person Harry had been with that was for sure. She raises up slowly and moans at the sensation of his cock slipping almost completely out of her so slowly. And then down again, over and over. Her hands reach down to Harry’s chest and support her as she gets a good rhythm going. She can tell Harry loves the sight and that he’s keeping himself from cumming so that he can fuck her long and hard, through more than just the first orgasm he gave her with his tongue. When she twitched on his cock this time, he didn’t stop her. First he turned her around so that her ass was facing him while she bounced her pussy around his cock happily. Her ass cheeks clapped together with the force of her motion. It was music to Harry’s ears.

He slapped her ass again because fuck did he love they way her cheeks shook when he touched them or right now when she was bouncing herself perfectly on his cock.

The sight of her juicy glistening lips moving up and down on his hard shaft made his eyes almost water. It was more than pornagraphic, it was wet and hot and completely animalistic. He wanted to split her in two.

Finally he decided he really had to cum after she’d come four times. But he wanted one more out of her so he pulled out of her and pulled her from the bed. C’mere, he was gruff with her now and she moaned at the overstimulation she had received, yet she also wanted more. She was insatiable for that dick. And all the dirty words he said.

He pushed her to the full length mirror on the wall and pushed her hands to be on either side of it and bent her slightly over as if she were over a bed or a desk. But there was no desk so she was staring at her bent over body in a mirror. And so was Harry. Her tits hung and swung as he positioned her exactly as he wanted. Legs a little wider than her hips and him close behind. His large hand traced from the top of her spine to the little tramp stamp that swirled above her ass. He groped at her cheeks before smoothing the hand to the front of her stomach and holding her tightly to him.

Gonna fuck you till your legs give out and you’re begging me to stop fucking you. But I know you’ll never say that because I know you’re absolutely gagging for my cock. Knew it the minute I laid eyes on you in your sluttly fucking outfit. Begging me to fuck your cunt the exact way you like it.

She heard his words as she stared at him, beginning to push his cockhead against her swollen clit. Fuck she moaned out and Harry chuckled before slamming himself back into her hole. Then he pulled out entirely again. Then back in. And all the way out and back in. Fuck the difference made her scream out another time this evening. The fullness and the emptiness all at once was so overwhelming.

That’s right, petal, Harry coos naturally, take it like the fucking whore you are.

And then he speeds up and he’s fucking her just as harshly as before except this time he knows he’s going to cum. Soon.

He asks her if she likes it. The pace, the thickness, the length, the pressure, she really didn’t know what he meant. But yeah. I fucking love it, she manages to get out before she feels her pussy contract again and Harry pushes through it, throwing his head back and fucking her orgasming pussy primally. Her body quivers with the aftershocks and she tries to get away from the pressure but Harry can’t be stopped now he’s chasing his release and it’s coming. Right there, fuck, he rasps. His eyes open at the last minute to see her tits still shaking and her ass right in front of him and he’s coming inside her. Then, one. Two, Three more thrusts inside her drenched pussy. His cum leaking out of her like the perfect cream filled dessert that he knows he’s had too many, but he knows he’ll need more of when he’s had a little rest.

Part 2?

#harry styles fan fic #harry styles smut #harry smut #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #harry styles one shot #harry styles x yn #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic #sexyyy #hot ...#sorry it's just p*rn basically lmao

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kataraslove · 2 years

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thinking about post-canon kataang referencing dialogues that they’ve shared together, and memories that they explored with one another, during the war, but now as older adults in a time of peace:

aang thinking deeply about something and katara interrupting him with a bemused smile and a “hey.” “hey,” aang responds with a soft grin. “watcha thinking about?” katara proceeds to ask him, sitting next to him on the bed. these two lines become their opening for when one of them is deeply preoccupied in their thoughts, and the other wants to find out what’s bothering them.

just because they have a solid grasp of communication and are perceptive to each other’s feelings most of the times, doesn’t mean that they won’t get on each other’s nerves sometimes and act downright petty when they want to fight. “i know it’s great!” “i’m glad you know.” “good!” “FINE!” *door slams* (later, when they’ve both calmed down, they apologize for their behaviour).

penguin-sledding!! and koi fish-riding!! and surfing and WATER BOMBS, HYAAHH and all the fun that they shared together on their travels as kids, now tenfold because they are Master Benders (TM) travelling the world. and whoever says that masters can’t have fun have obviously never met katara and aang.

even though they are both master benders, aang is still blown away each time katara comes up with a cool ass new move. “that was amazing!!!” he grabs his head again, in awe at how amazing his wife is.

and katara is still so proud every time aang enters the avatar state at will. she’s just, so proud of him, y’know? proud of how he’s grown up, proud of the man that he’s become, proud of being part of his journey, proud that they got to save the world together.

katara wears new clothing from across the world and aang blushes each time, like he’s twelve all over again. “you look beautiful.” sometimes, aang will also try on new things that drives katara crazy (in a good way). new clothing. new footwear. a new sash. even makeup. and each time katara grabs his face and whispers, “you look beautiful,” before bringing him down for a kiss.

the fact that aang will not miss out on the opportunity to brag about his height growth to katara. “who has to get on their tiptoes now?” “still you,” she answers with a proud smirk, having elevated herself from the floor with ice. and aang lets her win this once, because even though he’s an airbender, and a waterbender, and an earth and firebender, he also loves his girlfriend. but sometimes he can’t help but draw out his competitive spark, and the two spend significant time trying to out height-bend each other.

this time, katara is the one to pull him to the dance floor when aang’s feeling a little bit unsure. “take my hand,” and “it’s just you and me,” becomes their lullaby, their reassurance that no matter what happens around the world, they’ll always have each other.

the kiss at their wedding echoes the kiss at ba sing se, in iroh’s tea-shop. a warm embrace in the form of a hug, before katara leans in, reminding aang that she’s ready, and has always been ready. his arms around her waist pull her closer, her arms around his neck deepen the kiss. amidst the cheering and yelling in the surrounding world, the two re-affirm that it’s once again, just them.

after all, what is the childhood best friends to lovers part of kataang, if not for the deep experiences that they’ve shared during the war that made them fall in love? experiences and memories that they’ll revisit and keep with them until the day they die (and then after, in the spirit world).

#things the comics could have done instead of have them call #each other sweetie 400 times #kataang #atla #avatar the last airbender

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miinesweeper · 3 years

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john bender ⌁ a class act

pronouns: they/them type: fluff

—

"i'm so fucking fed up with mr. collins," y/n fulminated with absolutely no exaggeration, yellow detention slip clamped and waggling around between their fingers as they moved, "he busts me for every little fucking thing,"

john leaned against the cold, smooth brick wall of the almost-never-used first floor girls' bathroom where y/n and him would go during school to talk (and do other things sometimes) when they simply couldn't bother going to class.

his eyes followed them as they paced back and forth, their footfalls echoing around the empty stone room. mr. collins was a name that bounced around this room pretty often, even though it was only the second month of school. every time y/n mentioned him, john's jaw clenched a little.

"oh, shorts a little too short? detention. one second late after the bell? detention. essay one sentence too short? detention!" they ranted, their hands motioning in front of them and landing at their sides in tight fists, "he fucking sucks! and i have to spend the whole year with him! miserable piece of shit-"

they were lucky no teachers were out in the hallways near the bathroom right then. they certainly would have both gotten saturday detentions for skipping class if anyone heard y/n shouting.

"he used to do the same shit to me," john replied, considerably more quiet than y/n, "the guy's a real piece of work,"

john figured that mr. collins was being so hard on y/n because he (and everyone else in school, for that matter) knew that they were dating him. and he got in trouble plenty last year when he was in mr. collins' class. y/n was just guilty by association.

"i don't think i'm gonna last this whole year without punching him,"

"not that i don't want to see him get his face smashed in, i do, sure as shit, but don't go getting violent," john instructed, considering lighting up a cigarette but deciding not to give away their hiding spot to any possible passersby, "what period do you have him, third? how about tomorrow you just skip and come here?"

he stood up from the wall and walk toward y/n, placing his hands on their waist. they shed the anger that was pent up tensely in their body language and hugged him, "sounds good," they said into his shoulder, "if he doesn't give me a detention first," they added bitterly.

"i don't think he will," john replied into their hair.

the end-of-second-period bell rang and the halls overflowed with kids, the dam-doors of classrooms unable to contain them anymore. y/n walked out of the large study hall room, walking slowly and leisurely through the halls as they weren't intending on going to their third period class.

to get to the bathroom that john and them usually hung around in, they had to walk past mr. collin's classroom though. it was a thirty second long speed-walk that filled y/n with anxiety. any second mr. collins could come out that door and catch them and make them go to class. probably serve them up a steaming hot detention too.

the worst part of the long, straight-forward journey down the hall was the second or two where they had to walk right past his door. the tall rectangle of glass in the door could mean life or death for them. they walked on the other side of the hall from it, as far as possible from being seen.

but just as they walked past the door, y/n flinched. mr. collins' yelling blew up like a bomb on the class, the surrounding ones too probably got some of the aftershock too. he was yelling the way that no teacher ever yelled, no matter how rowdy and loud the class was being.

they wanted to stick around, maybe take a peak inside to see what made him so angry, but couldn't risk that. no one was around, so they made a beeline down the hallway, running like it was gym class.

they rounded the corner like a car screeching onto a quiet residential street, shoes squeaking along until they made it to threshold of the bathroom. they felt like they'd flown down the hall faster than a bullet.

john was already there, waiting for y/n in the same spot that he stood in the day before.

"what are you running like a bat outta hell for?" he asked, a confused look on his face.

"you're never gonna believe this," y/n said, catching their breath.

john leaned forward with interest, looking incredibly calm compared to his significant other, panting in front of him.

"i was literally just walking past mr. collins' class on the way here. and he just," they paused trying to think of the right way to describe the scene to him, "he just exploded, yelling at the class asking 'who did this? who the hell did this?'" y/n tried to imitate his anger, but couldn't even get close to sounding as furious as he had.

"oh? did what?" john asked, in a fake innocent tone that y/n had heard him use before.

"i didn't stick around long eno..."

john's face went from innocent to mischievous, a small hinting smirk.

"oh my god, john!" they said and playfully shoved his shoulder, "what did you do?"

his hands casually slid into his pockets, "well," his tone was like a smug movie director being asked about his amazing film, "all i really did was get some paint from my garage,"

y/n could already tell where this was going.

"you see, mr. collins' first class is third period, so he doesn't come in for an hour or two after everyone else. so, before third period, i got into his room and gave his chair a nice, fresh thick coat of black paint,"

the ecstatic but also somewhat terrified look on y/n's face made john feel proud.

"honestly i thought maybe he'd have a keen enough eye to spot it before sitting down in it, considering he notices every time your shorts are too short. but, clearly not," he shrugged. (haha, 'BUTT' clearly not- get it- cus he got paint on his butt-)

"you're going to be in such deep shit," y/n said, worried for him but overjoyed that he'd gotten revenge on the asshole english teacher.

"oh i know," he said. he'd come to terms with that part already; about seven years earlier when he first got in trouble at school and decided that no detention or suspension was going to stop him from doing whatever the hell he wanted. "god i wish i coulda seen his face," he said as he put an arm around y/n, "now that that's taken care of," he yanked a carton of cigarettes out of his jeans pocket, "smoke?"

"fuck yes," they said, taking the one he handed to them and resting it between their lips, waiting for him to light it.

the two sat against the back wall, taking puffs from their cigarettes, hand in hand.

y/n turned and looked at him, "you are fucking crazy, john bender,"

date: aug 31, 21' word count: 1052

#john bender #the breakfast club #john bender x reader #the breakfast club x reader

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