dragons-i-guess

[dragons-i-guess]

You, a necromancer, were always fond of your skeleton minions. Even going as far as to make each one a personalized name tag. Then you were cut down by those blasted heroes, only to one day reopen your eyes and see an Elder Lich looming over you with a very faded name tag.

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u know something that must have happened a lot w the OT star wars trio

Luke: *insisting something that's very obviously latent force sensitivity is a 'totally normal experience' that 'happens to everyone*

Leia: *strenuously backing him up*

Han: *outnumbered and getting more & more mad about it*

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Fic idea that I may or may not ever write #2: A Frozen Ember

So this one is inspired by The One Where Hakoda is Kiyi's Dad, but takes a slightly different direction with it. Most notably, removing the Hakoda/Ursa romance and having them be purely platonic. Nothing against their romance, it's just not my cup of tea.

After killing Azulon and being banished by Ozai, instead of returning to her hometown, is placed on a tiny ship all on her own with barely any supplies and set adrift in the ocean, obviously meant to die of drowning, dehydration, or starvation. Instead, by luck or some design of fate, she's shipwrecked in the South Pole and found by Hakoda on a hunting trip. She's near dead by the time she's found, and initially he only plans on getting her well enough to interrogate her.

He wants to know where the ship that launched her boat is and where the rest of the crew are. She says there was no other ship and she was the only one aboard. He doesn't believe her at first, but she says that she was banished. She admits to killing her husband's father because he was going to kill her son, but not who said husband, father-in-law, and son are. After grilling her for some time, Hakoda decides to bring her back to the village for now until he decides whether or not he believes her story and what to do with her.

He never really makes a conscience decision, but she is determined if not very skilled with helping the other women of the village cook, mend, clean and what-not, and as the days drag on she just . . . settled into the village. She's clearly not used to physical labor, but she does it with a grit and determination that earns her respect from the tribes people, and her kindness and humility also earn their regard. And without anyone ever really deciding it, she just becomes part of the village.

Until word drifts in from abroad. The Fire Lord is dead. His son has taken the throne. And the Fire Lady has mysteriously vanished. The Fire Lady with a suspiciously similar name to their new guest. Hakoda puts two and two together and confronts her. She admits to everything. She says all she wants is to move past where she came from and start a new life. Hakoda, in a moment of weakness or kindness depending on who you ask, decides to let her stay. She works hard and earns her keep, and if she's never fully accepted as one of them, enough of the village doesn't reject her that she's comfortable enough.

Fast forward three years, Katara and Sokka find Aang, Zuko crashes into the village and . . . why does that random water tribe woman recognize him? Why does she look so similar? Wait, is that . . . no, it can't be . . . He's in denial at first, but she talks about how they used to feed the turtleducks together, how she would tuck him in and tell him stories. She touches his scar and asks if he did this to him. Zuko tries to say that he deserved it, that he disrespected him, but Ursa is having none of it. She takes him in her arms and cries, saying she should have taken both Zuko and Azula and run away, long before Azulon called for his head.

And that's as far as I've thought it through. Where it would go from there, I'm not really sure. Maybe Zuko converts to good a lot sooner. Maybe he accuses the Water Tribe of kidnapping and brainwashing her. idk.

[dragons-i-guess]

Looking for Obi-Wan. I don’t care what the Obi-Wan show says, Cody finds Obi-Wan and collapses sobbing into his arms, begging for forgiveness.

okay but seriously where the fuck is cody

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the whole anakin wanting to be a master thing is even funnier when you consider it from obi-wan's pov, who at age twenty-five - three years older than anakin in rots - was still a padawan. like anakin is over here, 22 years-old, essentially a sleep-deprived college student with bags under his eyes standing in front of his profs saying "how DARE you put me on the university board but not make me a professor, it's unfair!!" meanwhile when obi-wan was 22 he was bugging qui-gon to let him take a 600 level seminar (his trials) but every time he asked qui-gon would hit him with the "you need to complete your pre-reqs first."

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Zuko: Bad news— Sokka locked himself outside of his own house.

Zuko: Good news—we didn’t have to wait around for a locksmith.

Zuko: Bad news— Gran Gran and Hakoda find it very concerning that I know how to pick locks, and tried to unlock my Tragic Backstory(TM). I was too embarrassed to admit that the reason I learned it was because, at thirteen, I figured that was the kind of skill that would impress my father and the Fire Nation Military.

Zuko: Good news—a cute girl saw me do it.

Zuko: Bad news—it was Katara, and since she’s already seen me fall off of several high places, tell terrible jokes, tell her “I’ll save you from the pirates”, cry because I saw a turtleduck that was just too damn small, and knows that I can play the tsungi horn, she’ll never think I’m cool no matter what I do. It’s too late. She knows.

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This is beautiful. I want more. I’d ask for permission to write it myself but *stares at miles long list of fic ideas to get around to at some point* yeah . . .

3 sentence aus

Jin climbs back over the wall to her family’s Upper Ring estate, just like she has a hundred nights before; her maid, still asleep at the foot of her bed, hasn't even noticed she was missing, but she can’t help but hear her mother’s admonishing voice in her ears, Ladies do not consort with commoners.

Nothing about Li was common, Jin argues in her head, he was special—but in her heart, she knows that Li doesn’t belong to her; he belongs to the world she’s grown to love and can never truly be a part of, a world of cabbage merchants and tea shops, clattering wagons and laughter, firelight and music—but a lady must content herself with a world of silence and embroidery, shadows and rice paper screens, fine jade combs and heavy silks that bind her arms close to her body, and Jin resigns herself to the fact that she’ll never see Li again.

But almost a year later, at a party in the Earth King’s palace, her mother pulls her aside, saying, “Lady Jin, there’s someone here I’d like you to meet,” and a young man in crimson silks and a golden flame in his topknot turns toward her, and Jin looks into the Fire Lord’s face—

—and with a gasp, she sees Li.

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The Kataang/Zutara ship war rages ever on . . .

I've seen a lot of flak being put out by both sides, and frankly, some of it is really nasty, so I'd like to just take a moment and ask everyone to calm down a bit. First things first, Katara, Aang, and Zuko, are all fictional children. They're not real people. No real people are being hurt in any of their relationships or lack thereof. Second of all, the people on the other side of your screen are real people, and what you say to or about them can and does affect them.

It's perfectly okay to dislike Kataang or Zutara. It's perfectly okay to point out aspects you see as problematic in portrayals of either one of them. It's perfectly okay to prefer one over the other. It's not okay to make personal attacks against someone just because they like one or the other. It's not okay to say that everyone who enjoys one or the other must be morally corrupt or else immature or sexist, racist, etc. There are things to be enjoyed about both ships, and just because you personally can't or don't enjoy one or the other for whatever reason doesn't mean other people are wrong for enjoying it.

So let's all just take a deep breath. There are stunningly beautiful works that have been created for both ships, whether fanfics, fanarts, cosplays, or any other medium. How about we celebrate all of that, on both sides? There are definitely conversations to be had about problematic or challenging aspects in both ships, and it is good to be having those conversations. But let's make sure that when we have those conversations, we don't villainize or demonize the people who enjoy whichever ship we're discussing.

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Fic idea that I may or may not ever write #1: Zuko in Westeros

Feel free to use any or all of these ideas in your own fic if you want.

Shortly after the events of Zuko Alone, Zuko sees a flash of blinding white light and falls unconscious. In the Riverlands, around the time Robb is returning from his campaign in the West, Beric, Thoros, and the Brotherhood Without Banners are marching along a back road when there's a flash of of blinding white light. Once they blink the spots out of their eyes, they see a ring of fire and lying unconscious inside it is a certain scar-faced teenager. Seeing as he appeared accompanied by fire and light, they immediately assume he was sent by the Lord of Light and is special somehow.

Their certainty only increases when Zuko wakes up and reveals 1) that he's a firebender 2) he's the son of the Fire Lord and Fire Lady and a prince, and 3) he knows the Lord of Light/R'hllor by a secret name, which they take to be a super-special secret name as of yet unrevealed to the unworthy masses (Zuko asks them if they are referring to Agni when they first mention the Lord of Light). Take all this together, they immediately dub him the Prince of Light and Champion of Agni/R'hllor/the Lord of Light, and swear their undying allegiance to him.

Zuko is very confused.

He tries convincing them that, yes, he's a prince, and yes, he can make fire with his hands, but he's not that special, but Beric and co just respond with some vague, significant sounding proverb about how the Lord of Light works in mysterious ways or something like that (Zuko yells something about them sounding too much like Uncle).

So Zuko is stuck with this band of outlaws following him proclaiming him a prince (some even think he must be Azor Ahai). Having figured out by now that he's definitely not in Kansas anymore, Zuko doesn't really know what to do, but taking care of the Smallfolk seems like a decent thing to be doing, right? Oh hey, who's this girl we've captured that reminds me of my little sister in some (scary) ways? Apparently someone important named Arya Stark. She's a king's little sister or something. And she really wants this Hound guy dead because he killed her friend, which, fair (also reminiscent of Azula). The Hound guy is being given a trial by combat to prove his innocence. Hmm. I bet I could take him.

Zuko fights the Hound instead of Beric. Between being a prodigy with his dual dao and also having firebending, he wins and kills the Hound for Arya. He throws up afterwards, this being the first man he's actually killed himself, and he and Arya have a discussion about their first kills (this girl has killed how many people? Definitely very Azula like). Zuko basically imprints on Arya and decides to help her out. So instead of just ransoming her to her brother, he asks her what she actually wants. After some discussion, she decides she does want to go see her brother and family again, so they set off for Riverrun. Except along the way they find out Robb's actually going to the Twins for a (Red) wedding, so they head there instead, arriving just in time to fish all the bodies of the river, including Arya's mother.

Arya wants vengeance.

Zuko takes a look at the Twins and thinks, I managed to sneak into Pohuai stronghold, this place can't be much harder. Having conveniently had both his swords and his Blue Spirit mask on him when he got transported to Westeros, he puts them on and Blue Spirits all the prisoners the Freys took out of the Twins (and also sets the place on fire and kills a great many Freys in the process). (Arya wanted to come to, but Zuko put his foot down. This girl might be just as scary as Azula, but she's also even younger than Azula. No way. No how.)

And that's about as far as I've thought this through. Arya gets declared the new Queen of the North by her brother's rescued bannermen, Zuko decides to stick around to take care of her, and by extension the Brotherhood also now sign on with the Starks, although they continue to be not-quite in the chain of command and still go about lynching looters regardless of what house they're sworn to.

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Arya: "I can't believe there's anyone who doesn't know about you and Margaery. I mean, they've even started calling you 'the Maid of Casterly Rock.'"

Myrcella: "I mean, technically, no man's ever been in my bed."

Myrcella and Margaery: *flounce off to have "tea" together*

Tommen: *oblivious* "Huh? I don't get it. What's so funny?"

Arya: "Oh, you sweet summer child."

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Actually. The rarely touched-upon political implications of Coruscant's weather being man-made.

"Don't rain on my parade" is a very literal phrase among the Senators because honey, whoever has the best connections WILL rain on your activists in particular if they don't like what ur doing

[dragons-i-guess]

So I've noticed in the past couple weeks that the Zutara vs Kataang ship war seems to have intensified in the last few weeks, likely as a result of the live action ATLA coming out on Netflix. I've been mostly experiencing it from the Zutara side since I follow #zutara but not #kataang. That being said though, I'm really sad about the number of attacks coming from both sides. I've actually seen a lot more Zutara attacks on Kataang than vice versa (again probably because of which tags I follow), but I've seen a lot of Zutara people talking about the attacks they've fielded on their Zutara posts from pro-Kataang people. And this just really makes me sad. Why can't we enjoy both? Why can't we acknowledge the beauty in both? Why does one have to be "right" and one "wrong?" You don't have to put others down in order to enjoy what you enjoy.

I know there's people who see problematic aspects in Kataang, and similarly there's also people who see problematic aspects in Zutara. I'm not saying they're not there. I'm not saying you aren't valid for disliking one or both ships because of said problems. But no need to rain on other people's parades, yeah? It's perfectly valid if you can't overlook the flaws in certain characters or character dynamics, especially if they're close to your heart and your lived experience, but that doesn't mean the people who can look past them are evil or villainous or morally corrupt. Just because something has flaws doesn't mean the people who enjoy it are enjoying it because of the flaws. It's perfectly fine to call out and discuss the issues in Kataang like Aang kissing her without consent. It's perfectly find to call out and discuss the issues with Zutara, like Katara's people having been effectively genocided by Zuko's. But calling people morally corrupt for enjoying what they enjoy is completely uncalled for.

I hope we can all learn to appreciate the fact that not everyone has the same tastes as us, and that's okay. In fact, it's more than okay, it's wonderful that we all see things differently and find joy in different things. Let's celebrate all of the wonderful fan art and fan fics and what-not that come out of both Zutara and Kataang instead of trying to prove that one is "better" than the other.

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Zuko was wrong, actually. (I think.maybe.) Because juice, like, comes from the moisture in thing thing and then you remove the non-liquid bits, whereas in (most?) tea, you infuse the leaves with water instead of relying on the inherent water. True hot leaf juice would be if you extracted liquid from a couple leaves and heated it up, which would be expensive and probably bitter but a fun way to do it

[dragons-i-guess]

Loki is secretly a furry

[dragons-i-guess]

Okay. First things first, let me just sit with this a bit.

I can't speak for op, either the tumblr op or any of the twitter ops, but the first thing that popped into my mind when I heard this was the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, a topic surrounding which there is a LOT of pain and frustration right now, and frankly a topic around which there has been a LOT of paint and frustration for 80 years. People are right to be pained and frustrated and angry over what's happening and been happening in Israel/Palestine. I just want to acknowledge that first and foremost and be a transparent about what's in my headspace as I'm writing this and where I'm coming from.

On a similar vein, I should acknowledge the fact that I'm writing this a as a white, Christian, American gentile, which means I am speaking on these topics as an outsider and/or, depending on your perspective, one of the benefactors/perpetuators of colonialsm. Maybe that means I shouldn't be speaking on it at all, certainly some would say I have no right to, but I'm speaking on it nonetheless.

Let's did into what these characters did that the show demonized, starting with Jet. When we first meet jet, he's introduced to us and the gaang as a freedom fighter, fighting back against the Fire Nation. That is to say, he is introduced as someone who uses violence against the oppressive nation. And this is not demonized whatsoever. Yeah, Sokka gets some icky vibes from him, but that's as much to do with the fact that Jet's hitting on his little sister as anything. When all we think/know he's doing is attacking Fire Nation patrols, both we and Katara see him as a hero, as someone rightfully fighting back (using violence against) his oppressors. When does the show start demonizing him? when it's revealed that he plans to destroy an EARTH KINGDOM town. He justifies this by saying he's doing it in order to get at the Fire Nation people who are occupying it, but that doesn't change the fact that he is destroying the homes of his own people. Even if we set the aside the issue of whether civilians are acceptable collateral damage in war, he's not attacking Fire Nation civilians. He's attacking Earth Kingdom civilians, his own people. THIS is what the show demonizes. Not fighting back against oppressors, but sacrificing your own people, innocent people, in order to do so.

Now, Hama. She at least is not targeting her own people. Instead, she's going after the Fire Nation. But she's going after Fire Nation civilians, her own neighbors in fact. If instead of capturing and torturing civilians, she had gone all painted lady like Katara had and destroyed factories and attacked soldiers and supply depots and what-not, I do not doubt the show would have heroized her instead of villainizing her. But she didn't. She didn't go after military targets. She didn't go after soldiers or factories or military supplies. Instead she imprisoned and tortured civilians. The show was not demonizing using violence against oppressors: it was demonizing the targeting of innocent people in retaliation for being oppressed. It wasn't demonizing violence. It was demonizing violence against the wrong target.

Now, we can argue back and forth about whether the fire nation civilians really were innocent or if they bore the guilt of their nation's actions, we can go back and forth arguing over what degree of civilian casualties are acceptable as collateral damage when fighting a guerilla war against overwhelming forces, we can spend hours upon hours debating over where to draw the line between regrettable but necessary or at least justified violence and war crimes that are never justified. The point the show was trying to make though was that crossing that line, wherever it may be, isn't right, no matter how often and how severely the other side crosses it themselves. Just because they are doing evil things does not permit us to do evil things in return.

"As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy." - Christopher Dawson

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when she says she doesn’t send nudes