#and Iroh is always fun to write so yay

[grimgoregrimoire]

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both? 

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time? 

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app? 

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh 

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate

🥝 ⇢ do you lie a lot? what's the most recent lie you told?

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

🐚 ⇢ do you like or dislike surprises?

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username?

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Hi hi thank you so much for all the emojis!! 🥰

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

Pffftt well, I've been "editing" my book for the past two years, so..... Joking aside, I would probably give it a solid 8. Nothing is as good as seeing all the hard work you've put in and then just giving it that extra little cherry on top!

Now, if you're asking me about spelling and grammar editing.... Don't.

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

🧛‍♂️🗡📓👻🏳️‍🌈

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both? 

I've never written a reader insert but now yall got me thinking 😅

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

I have this weird thing where everyone thinks I look like someone else, and it's caused some pretty hilarious phenomenons. One time at the airport, a kid started screaming and crying because I waved at them. I still, to this day, have absolutely no idea who they thought I was ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time? 

So I have this fun little thing called ADHD...... But yeah, honestly, I'm incredibly chaotic, and while trying to keep up with the real-life stuff and all the distracting stuff and all the projects I got going...... Yeah, that's why I'm typically up until 2 am writing lol

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Yay another one!!!

Zukka (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Anytime Hakoda takes Sokka for some father-son bonding time, Sokka relentlessly insists Zuko come along. Zuko and Hakoda think he's just being a clingy boyfriend, but he just wants to show Zuko that he is deserving of love from a father figure and that Iroh isn't just doing it out of guilt.

(In turn, Iroh tags along from time to time, and their trips quickly go from family bonding to a dad joke battle)

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

Literally just come say hi!! I swear, contrary to popular lore, I don't bite!

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

I'm very lucky. Everyone in my family is doing great. Having this great opportunity to finish and publish my book. And I have great, supporting and loving friends 🖤

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app? 

"He was just one of this like shitty guitar players in a shitty band."

"And?"

"And he was in a punk band, and I did graffiti. Can I make it more obvious?"

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

I never finished Stranger Things' first season, I don't know that I even got through the first five episodes. I was so bored the whole time.

Bonus hot take; I had the exact opposite problem with The Walking Dead. Around season five, I got really bored.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Guys, go Google New England Vampire Panic. Very interesting to read about, and also a good band name if you're from New England!

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

Even if you absolutely suck at it, if it's something you love, do it with all the confidence in the world, and you'll find your place.

+ Nobody's as confident as they claim. It's all a production. Fake it 'til you make it, but don't sell your soul over it.

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

So I've recently gotten into Baldur's Gate, and I just really fucking need Gale and Astarion on like a buddy cop mission where it's just absolute clown to clown communication. Gale being his waxing poetic self, and Astarion is far too emo and far too gay for this shit.

I don't know! I'm willing to bully all my friends until one of them picks it up or I just do it myself lol

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

Don't force it. If it's not coming to you take a break don't chase it! You'll only wear yourself out and hate what you did write.

Rome wasn't built in a day, but it sure burnt down in one. Remember that.

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh 

Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Very specifically, "You're evil"

Muahahahahaha 😈

🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate

Oh man, I don't think there's absolutely anything redeemable about that woman.

1.) Uhh, when she shuts up, she's cute ig.

2.) She's fun to write because I don't get to be pure evil a lot.

3.)................... She's kinda the gateway to one of my favorite characters?? 👀

🥝 ⇢ do you lie a lot? what's the most recent lie you told?

Here's a fun little fact about me, I'm brutally honest sometimes to the point of offense 😅 and I don't ever really have a need to lie.

That being said, I love randomly lying to strangers for literally no reason. Just recently, someone was being rude and interrupted my dinner with my family, so when they asked what I did for a living, I gave them a very detailed description of how I work in a morgue. I've never worked in a morgue a day in my life lol but it got them to leave me alone.

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

Man, this might be too deep for tumblr, but it's that time of year again when I can't stop thinking about death and all that good stuff. I'll spare you guys the gritty details, though.

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

"Look, when I moved out here, I got a mess in Oakland waiting for me, okay? My friend got all this shit and fucked this guy over and this crazy motherfucker showed up ate half my burger and killed a fucking guy. When the boss showed up, told me to get his wife outta there, I did and I ain't never been back. I got know idea what's waiting there for me."

"Hm, that's unfortunate," I crossed my arms, "Especially 'cause I watched it happen in Pulp Fiction with you last night!"

"Goddamn it."

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username?

So I answered the username part over here, so I'm going to answer about my pen name now!

I actually changed my pen name fairly recently to Gabryél Grimm-Goretz. Gabryél is actually part of my legal name 😅 and so I thought it would be cool to use it because i never get to use it day to day. I went with Grimm-Goretz to kinda represent my family and heritage in a way while also leaning into how my writing is typically grim and gory.

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

Whelp, we've got a nice handful of followers over here now, and unfortunately, I can't tag everyone. BUT I want to tell you all that you are appreciated. You are talented, and you are loved! Never let anyone tell you you're not good enough 'cause they're no better 🖤

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them

Right here! uwu

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it

I'm gonna be a little bit of a punk ass and tag myself here lol Link link link

I did this piece last year in celebration of one of my favorite band's new albums, and yeah! I just love it. It came out so good.

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

When a narrator is like, "She smiled tit-ly, so deeply that her large pendulum breasts heaved, then jiggled tightly into her pink, completely see-through lace bra. Her breasts were no doubt expressing their own excitement." 🙄

For you 😌💞

[the-power-of-stuff]

I hope this isn't weird but I'm so glad I found this blog. I'm new to Avatar Sokka/Suki and I had no idea there was so much already out there. Thank you (and for the fic rec list) but can you tell me how you got into them?

Omg, no, this isn't weird at all!! I'm legitimately so happy to hear you say this, like...no joke, this has kinda been my dream for the past few years and is basically the reason I've been attempting to curate Sukka stuff the way that I do. So...yay!!

Which ties nicely into how I got into them, I guess!

So, like a lot of other folks, I got back into ATLA during the 2020 Renaissance when the animated show got put on Netflix. And while I'd always liked Sokka (he was one of my top 3 faves when I first watched the show years ago, behind Appa and Iroh), this time around, I got really attached to him. Something about his sense of humor was hitting just right (my husband has a similar sense of humor but we'll just ignore that and move along *innocent whistling*). And then watching him grow over the course of the series and gain all these badass skills and become a competent leader...it drew me in hard. So of course, given how endeared I was to him, I just really wanted him to get to kiss his super awesome girlfriend as much as possible.

I also think there was something about this, like...really tender, playful, healthy portrayal of a romantic relationship that I found compelling. I gush a lot about their casual intimacy. How they'll be on the sidelines of a scene but still touching one another. Or how easy and carefree they are when they tease each other. But because their romance is relatively subtle and in the background of the main action of the story, it also left me wanting more. So of course I went to AO3, and I was like "AO3, gimme all the Sokka Suki kissing stories." But unfortunately I burned through what I found way too quickly.

(Just for fun, I did an "otp:true" search on AO3 for Sukka just now, and only ~70 of the 289 fics that currently meet that criteria were published pre-Renaissance. The fact that that number has quadrupled in the past four years is thrilling to me! But it also gives you an idea of what the Sukka landscape was like then.)

So yeah, I started writing Sukka fic to fill the Sukka-shaped hole in my gut, and it's been sort of self-reinforcing ever since then. I couldn't stop thinking about them, so I started writing about them, but writing about them means I just keep thinking about them, etc etc... And I've been here ever since! Plus I've made some really good friends from writing Sukka, and they're all such enablers. 😉

Long story short, Sukka inspired me in a way I hadn't been inspired in years. They got me writing again when, before that, I hadn't really written anything in maybe a decade. Being into Sukka is a compulsion. 😅

I'm so glad you found the fic rec list useful! I've been terrible about maintaining it lately, but you've totally inspired me to get back in there. It can be kinda frustrating going through the Sukka tag, or at least it used to be, since they so often appear as just a background ship in fics. Now there's the "otp:true" search and the "Enforce first-tagged?" browser extension that are both really effective filters. But yeah, I started that rec list partly because I wanted other Sukka fans to have an easier time finding Sukka stuff than I did! Then again, if I'd found it easier, I might not have started writing them. 😃

[lovelyelbowleech]

hello!!!!! hair anon here!!!!! i’m so sorry i haven’t commented the last few chapters, i’ve been in thesis-writing hell and also doing other things hell. BUT!!!!!!! I am here because I missed responding to your last few chapters and also because I am DEAD over the newest chapter. DEAD. but also VINDICATED. because sokka’s hair is finally long enough to put back in his wolf tail 😭 all that time stressing about their hair, and he and i are finally free 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

just. AHHHHH. oh man also POOR MAI!!!!! so a crazy thing that happened is about ten or so chapters ago i got the crazy idea that what if ozai and mai got married? because i thought it was going to be azula and zhao initially but then i wasn’t sure that’s where that was heading. and then i was like, well, mai and ozai would make sense in the world of the fic and would be soul-destroying… so maybe…? and then kind of dismissed it bc it felt too far-fetched and like you were going the azula marrying someone route. let me tell you. I have never felt worse in my life about being right about something 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

but ajdksk AHHH. I’m never going to get over how you write all these characters!! I LOVE sokka and zuko, as always, especially them touching foreheads right in the middle of the camp 😭 and i LOVE how katara and zuko interact, holy shit. that convo they had in the last chapter?? i LOST IT. Also I’m OBSESSED with the potential future interactions of toph and zuko. I’m really excited for them to interact more!!!!!!!!!! And maybe bond over being visually impaired/Blind and maybe working on using bending as an accessibility aid together?? 👀👀👀👀👀👀 also IROH AND AZULA. AZULA AND KAZUMA. Their last conversation had me biting my nails and ALSO laughing. this poor man can’t catch a break 😭 also I LOVE azula’s sudden and violent turn against ozai. you know. less so the reasons for it. 😬 but i’m very pro characters being anti-ozai! so….. yay?

anyways i have so much more I want to say and I know I’m forgetting things but I want to keep this shorter so THANK YOU, SO MUCH, AS ALWAYS!!! You are an inspiration and I am so, so in love with your story and writing. I hope you’re having a good day when you see this, and I am waiting patiently but SO eagerly for the next chapter 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Hello, Hair!Anon!

I hope things are going well with you and the thesis hell has not been too hard on you! As you can tell from my late reply, my life has also been a little hectic, and my brain is at a barely functioning level 😂

And yes, Sokka's hair is nearly at the point of being back as it should be, your long wait is over!

Glad you enjoyed the chapters! Katara and Zuko remain great fun to write, and there will be some Toph & Zuko coming up soon too, as a treat.

Azula and Iroh, and Azula and Kazuma have been the surprise most fun team ups (well, team up and victim of blackmail) to write. I have been enjoying plotting out their interconnecting stories a lot.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter too (its done, just needs a beta read, so should be out this weekend, oor next depending - its a long one)

Thank you as always for the lovely comment! Hope you are having a great week! ❤️

[cabbageslost]

Live Reacting to Live Action AtLA - ep 4

Nothing about this is spoiler-free. You have been warned. Skip til after you've seen if you're worried.

..

Okay, just like with the first three, this will be my space to blather my way through the 4th NAtLA episode. Almost to the halfway point. Here's hoping this one brings it, cuz if there's a Bumi who is "toned down" I will be just screaming into the void. Firing it up now...

..

Well. At least they let Katara be the one to be out looking for Aang. I feel like she hasn't gotten enough "umph" in this version.

Secret love cave is turning into secret haunted tunnels. *sigh* Gonna guess this change won't be one I like.

Wait, what? They're skipping WAY THROUGH a ton of Bumi lead up. Straight to instant knowing. *deep breath*

Yay, she gets a water skin now an-- oooh, Jet's back. Kick his ASS, girl! One hope speech then his stubborn ass goes down. YES! Yes that WAS you!! woohoo.. okay, favorite part so far. LOL

Pun game is strong with Bumi.

At least we still get the nomads, but.. this bit isn't even a book 1 thing. And it being here is gonna probably mean skipping a fairly iconic part from the OG.

Wait, Iroh dropped a pai sho tile? But that stinky sandal turned out to be an MVP later.. lol..

Okay, still having crazy Bumi trials of a sort.

Sokka's instincts showing up to lead them out of the cave. I kind of love their sibling fights. Giving me hope for Katara getting better writing as we're going on, because she clearly acts well (and her imperfect, layered self was always my favorite and I want none of that toned down.)

Guard/Iroh exchange is actually a pretty standout scene, acting-wise. And Iroh's expressions.. oh man, if those expressions didn't hit you in the feels enough, here's the flashback. Shades of Leaves on the vine..

Ah, sibling love. Um, okay. Yeah, still don't like it. This adaptation already has so much they cram in, no reason for them to try and reach out for more season 2 stories to shove in.

Aang and Bumi fight.. I wish that they would have Aang explain that he didn't "leave", not in this version. He and Appa were out for a midnight stroll when stuff happened to go down. What's the point of making that change if he's still letting the world think he left them? (Which, I mean, he was 12 and understandable.)

Yes!! A (very brief) mail chute ride AND a MY CABBAGES!! Some of my prayers have been answered.

Okay, and I approve the addition of this Zuko/Iroh flashback. "Everything I need is on this boat." Uncle Iroh, you and these ninjas-chopping-onions moments.

Ah, ending on Zuko ignoring an Appa sighting. Guessing that's why they were making Bumi completely hammer on Aang having run away (though he didn't) - because they were trying to get a couple points from The Storm in.

..

Alright, well. This one was a roller coaster for me. I actually did love the added scenes (the Iroh/Zuko flashbacks), and they seemed to start writing Katara better (please keep it up), and I got my tiny glimpse of a fun ride. Also got to see Katara put the smack on Jet, but the awesomeness was dampened a bit since she was immediately making excuses for him in the cave with Sokka. And then a lot of the rest of it was disappointing. Putting Cave of Two Lovers in there for no reason was a big L, and I remain frustrated by the repeated "you ran from this" stuff that is getting tossed at Aang - including by his own past life who would 100% know that didn't happen (in this version). It was a decision to change it to make it not a running away, but then there's no decision to have Aang reassure the world he never chose to leave them? Bonkers. I mean, it was frustrating enough in the original, since when he ran was when they were removing him from Gyatso.. he had been still around the temple after being told he was the Avatar, he wasn't running from that alone. But at least he was choosing to run, so I kind of "got it" then. But they changed it and now he hasn't even run and just.. meh. I'm also frustrated at the pretty big lack of showing the Gaang actually forming a close bond. It's all the little "fun" things that they cut out that just don't let us see how they're close friends.. we just have to be told at the end of the fight, I guess.

[pethfics]

ZUTARA WEEK 2022, Day Five: Album

Title:  The Collector of Music and Memories

Summary: One day, he would show them his collection and show them the beauty they had created simply by accepting a great and powerful love in their lives.

Read on FF.NET

@zutaraweek 

[emletish-fish]

7. what is you favorite sentence/paragraph? read it to us! (asker can choose what fic) (x)

I chose three! One from each of my 'big fics'. No Zombies, Worst Prisoners and Good Boys under the cut:

NO ZOMBIES:

No Zombies was a delight to write. I had pretty much the whole idea from the get-go, (of a returned style AU with Hector coming to spend time with the family in the modern world). I finished it quick - and it's not too long (side-eyeing Good Boy and Worst Prisoner). It was the first fic where I felt like I really "stuck" the landing. I was quite flexible with my original outline, but I still knew where the journey ended. It ended exactly how I wanted it too - happily but with a bitter-sweet note.

The emotional core of this story is how Elena, family matriach, who is so gruff and no-nonsense, who despises Hector in the films, and who has such a warm heart under such a grumpy exterior would slowly soften and come to love Hector, (and how she grows as a person because of this and becomes more comfortable showing love/emotions to her family). It was like a platonic slow-burn as she learns to understand Hector better - which is why this bit is my favourite because it's where she starts to really feel fond of him for the first time:

“Well, I'm just glad I'm a better teacher for him than watching old Ernesto De La Cruz movies.” Héctor had replied with a wry smile. “It's probably because I'm so much more handsome than that butt-chinned, over-the-top ham.”

“Because you're a pointy-chinned, over-the-top ham?” Elena replied, feeling surprising witty. She never made teasing jokes like this normally, but it was so easy with Héctor.

He looked mock-offended. “I'll have you know, my chin is wonderful and I've given it to several of your grandchildren, so there.”

If Elena was a different person, she probably would have pulled Héctor into a warm, laughing hug then. She might have told him seriously that Miguel had always been difficult for her. He felt things so strongly and got so upset and emotional – she'd always struggled with how to help him, how to calm him. Miguel was so happy now. She knew that was because of Héctor.

She might have told Héctor that he was at least six thousand times the musician, eight thousand times the teacher, and ten thousand times the man that Ernesto De La Cruz was.

But Elena was who she was.

Instead she said “Idiot,” and ruffled his stupidly messy hair rather fondly.

She told herself she wasn't warming to the fool musician, but she knew it was a lie.

GOOD BOY:

My current work. It's another platonic slow-burn, but this time set in the Cobra Kai universe with son and father pair - Robby Keene and Johnny Lawrence. In the show, these two characters have such a dysfunctional relationship that is so full of miscommunications and missed chances, and they genuinely want a better relationship (and it would be so healing for both of them! Do not get me started!) I lean much more into the magical realism in this story, as I turned Robby into a dog (Animal transformation - PIXAR's Brave style), so that he could immediately get the cuddles and easy affection he so clearly needs.... because I have never seen a more touch/affection-starved character aside from Zuko in ATLA.

This also gave Robby a chance to really understand, not only his father, but the other people in his cicrcle. He discovered he had a support network. He got to know he was loved by many. he got to witness the actions people would take as they searched for human-him (not knowing that he'd been turned into a dog). And it gave Johnny a chance to learn how to take care of something, feel needed, and express his love for his son without the weight of their complicated history/his own trauma hanging over him. It was hard to pick a favourite, but I will say the Johnny-stream-of-conciousness chapters are definitely the easiest/most fun to write. One of my favourite bits is in the first one, The queen of ice-cream runaway when Johnny tells Robby about when Laura (his grandmother) found out Shannon was pregnant and she was going to be a grandmother.

It's the first inkling Robby gets that while his father wasn't there for him and he was neglected a lot, Johnny did his best to keep the bad shit from his own childhood away from Robby as his own way of showing care. It hints at the deep and damaging abuse Johnny endured. When he finally had a say with his own kid, he would have done anything to protect Robby from feeling the same. I'd say here is where Robby really begins to warm to his Dad;

Then I told her our chosen name and she said I was a dumbass and Swayze was a terrible middle name, and we had to change it to some shit like Alastair or something. She thought he should have a rich sounding middle name. And I say Mom, Alastair sounds like some lame-ass insurance broker who upskirts his secretary and then cries as he jerks off to the pictures, what else you got? She thought Sebastian, and that was worse! What a pussy name.  Sebastian is going to be sitting in the little french patisserie cafe drinking the tiny-ass coffee for dolls and eating the éclair with his prissy finger tips. I already want to kick Sebastian's ass. Who wouldn’t? I’m not going to give my kid a name that is going to get his ass kicked.

And she couldn't talk, cause she named me after Johnny Cash, just cause she liked his music. And she couldn't think of a middle name at the time, so I didn't get one. Thank goodness. I could have ended up Johnny Alastair and had to kick my own ass.

So Swayze stayed.

Then she mentions how she and Sid can help out, so I didn't need to do the two jobs, stupidly long hours thing. And we need the money. I know we need the money. But my whole body froze and I just went No. None of that for little Robby Swayze. ...

... She’s going on about spending Sid’s money on Robby and I just...I can’t. I can't allow it. Cause I knew how he would be, and the way he would treat that kid. So I tell her, no thank you. Not a fucking cent mom.  Sid’s not getting to feel like he owns a hair on Robby’s head. That motherfucker can go jump. You thought we needed Sid’s money when I was a kid. You decided it was better for me, and that was your choice. I did not get a vote in that. But this is my kid, and this time it is my call, and I am choosing no. I’m not going to have Sid make my kid feel like he has to apologise for existing every day. I'm not going to have Sid treat my kid the way he treated me. I will never need money that badly. I will never put my kid through that. I'll work myself to the bone doing 20 hour days before that. I'll work on the 40th floor without a harness before that.  I will sell my fucking organs before it comes to that. Not a cent mom.

WORST PRISONER:

My 'what if Zuko made friends with the Gaang early on?" AU that then turned into a three-book long saga (and I will return to it, Worst Prisoner readers - Thank you for you patience). It does have evenutal Zutara, but the focus is really on the Gaang + Zuko as a whole, and all the interpersonal relationships. I'd say there is more gen-shipping around Zuko as a central character, as Iroh & Zuko, and Sokka & Zuko are both given equal prominence. in fact, all the friendships and familial relationships were equally important to me. (the book 3 Zuko & Azula stuff is so interesting, but it is ...less funny I guess.)

This fic is such a joy to write, and I really try and balance the humour with the bittersweet/sad parts, and one of the main sources of humor was the Sokka-Aang-Zuko -Katara qudrangle of dumbassery. I love the four of them together in book 1, and so many of their interactions were a hoot to write. But if I'd have to pick a favourite moment, it would be the moment in the deserter chapter in book 1, where they all decide to 'officially' be friends:

“Well, you can figure that out and find someone while I'm up in the Northern Water Tribe. Then when we finish up there, we'll come find you,” Aang offered.

“Really?” Zuko’s eyes were shining optimistically. It was a strange expression for him. Aang was so used to seeing him with a grumpy face.

“Really, I promise,” Aang said, feeling so glad that he could help Zuko go home.

“Yeah, I second that. If this means we won’t have to put up with you chasing us, I am in!” Sokka said. “Sheesh, you could have just asked ages ago!”

“You know, this means I was right,” Aang started to say, feeling very vindicated. The others looked at him curiously. “If we had just talked about friendship in the forest, we could have sorted this out weeks ago!”

“Boo, forest friendship!” Sokka said.

“Don't boo him,” Katara admonished, elbowing her brother.

“I agree with Sokka. There's no way I would have appreciated that speech weeks ago, Aang,” Zuko said.

Sokka smiled at Zuko for saying he agreed with him. It actually wasn't that rare of an occurrence, but it still seemed to surprise Sokka every time.

“See, Aang, forest friendship is bullshit,” Sokka said.

“I didn't say that!” Zuko cut in. “I just meant, maybe … I had to be dragged all over the Earth Kingdom by you guys ... and shot ... and taken to nonsense fortune tellers ... and I had to be forced to eat Sokka's truly terrible and disgusting cooking—”

“Oi!”

“—and I had listen to Aang lecture me about friendship and vegetarianism in the forest just so I could come here.” He looked around at the deserters’ camp site. “I dunno, maybe it was meant to be this way.”

“What are you saying? You want to be forest friends with Aang now?” Sokka asked accusingly.

“I mean, sure. If Aang will have me, we can be friends,” Zuko said, and looked uncertain.

“Yay! I knew you'd want to be my friend,” Aang said, feeling delighted.

He was so happy he had a Fire Nation friend again. Kuzon had been an amazing friend, even though he'd gotten Aang into so many sticky situations. He had already thought Zuko was his friend, but it was nice to make it official. Aang always knew the Fire Nation had good people in it too, and now he had been proven right. He jumped up and gave Zuko a huge hug.

[riceccakes]

Earth, Wind, and Coffee: Chapter Three Analysis

chapter one analysis | chapter two analysis

back again for another chapter analysis. i think ive been looking forward to this chapter the most, it’s where some big decisions were made!!! this analysis is a long one, i hope that’s all right! i kinda got carried away. so, let’s dive right in, shall we?

some fun stuff before we start!

chapter three was supposed to be the last chapter of the fic

idk if any of you were there when i first started writing this fic, but it was only going to be three chapters with a possible epilogue. however, everything changed when i finished the end of chapter two. (lil atla reference there for ya) (sorry i know that was bad, moving on). like i said in my last analysis, i had an idea of what i wanted to happen (the separation of korrasami) so that they could come back together. it was just a matter of what separates them. so, i’m not sure where i got the panic attack idea but once i did, the rest of the story changed. i realized i couldn’t quite possibly finish the story in one chapter so i split the ideas i had and decided on it being four chapters

now, this being said, maaaaajor changes were made in my story outline. most notably: korrasami was going to be a couple in this chapter

this was originally going to be a full fledged “they meet, they get to know each other, they fall in love, happily every after” but the thing was, i planned on treating their romance as korra’s recovery; that being with asami is what made korra better, that all she needed was a partner, someone to love, and that is not what i wanted to portray with this story. i’ve never been a fan of stories that give a character a love interest and all of sudden their problems are fixed and they’re completely happy, and here i was about to do just that. i knew i’d never respect myself if i continued down this narrative, and when chapter two ended with korra’s panic attack, i realized her growth needed better love and attention. so, i changed what happened and gave her some therapy

this change in the storyline also let me explore more of kuvopal !!! (is that their ship name?)

so, back to LOVE WITCH for a second (because that glorious fic really did steal my heart) not only did it make me love kuvira’s character more, it also got me into the kuvopal relationship! and yet again, i wanted my own go at it. with the original timeline, there was just no space for me to include the lil bread crumbs of their relationship. however, however, however; by splitting the ending between two chapters (and adding some stuff in between) i was able to lay some foundation for them, which im very happy about :)

into the chapter we go:

let’s talk about the meeting! the whole reason this fic came to be! i’ll start by saying i always knew the project was going to get pulled out from under asami. 1) because thats some angsty/hurt shit right there and im a sucker for writing angst 2) i didn’t feel like creating a whole ass presentation because knowing my ass i would’ve made a powerpoint about it so i had every detail down to the font asami used and 3) getting the presentation taken away from asami was a pivotal point in her character arc.

i actually started the chapter in two different ways. at first, i’d written her whole entire morning with there always being one thing that was off. like, instead of a perfect omelette, it was going to split and asami would’ve had a scramble, still good, but not her favorite. instead of going through all green lights on her way to work, asami was gonna meet every. single. red. light. i would’ve gone through with this if it hadn’t felt strange; i wanted to give the impression that something bad was going to happen but i felt like having something go wrong with every thing in her morning was gonna be a dead give away that some even bigger big bad was about to happen, if that makes sense. so instead, i went with the picture perfect scenario, almost too perfect, if you ask me. and indeed, it was too perfect, because hiroshi was too much of a coward to tell his daughter any sooner that his board agreed to get a new presenter

im just gonna cite a bunch of my favorite lines/bits from this chapter because i really enjoyed writing it xD

Iroh has already begun but Asami hears no words, only a blaring ring in her ears. Her face feels hot and she wonders how red she is. She stares at the black binder, notes the natural grooves and curves of the material, the plastic covering over top of it, the metal spine peaking out at the bottom. She’s only brought out of it’s dark trance when she feels a hand be placed on her arm; Kuvira. 

when you’re upset, do you ever just, hyper focus on one thing and its like you’re analyzing it under a microscope for the first time? yes? no? well, i do that, and personally, i do because if i focus on my anger/hurt emotions any more, im going to explode and i dont want to explode. so, this instance about looking at the grooves in the binder and each of the components of it just hits with me, idk if does with you too, but like bruuh.

Asami has her hand over her mouth, silently sobbing, feeling as if she’ll throw up. She leans her head on her wheel, her mind wanders to what could’ve been, what should’ve been. She feels as if her car is closing in on her, that the metal is compacting. The seatbelt keeps her locked down to the driver’s seat and she can’t leave if she wants to. The Satomobile holds her hostage and she lets it. Even while it’s hurting her, even while it’s harshly molding itself onto her, she stays at her father’s heel because, what else is she to do?

this is one of my favorite things ive ever done with asami’s character, is using future industries/satomobiles as a sort of vehicle (heh) for her relationship with her dad. this paragraph just kind of hurts, but the good hurt? but also not good hurt? it’s just, (and not me over here boasting about my writing or anything) it’s so poetic that she has this breakdown and she’s so upset with her dad, i mean “what should’ve been” like, asami KNOWS that the shit that’s just happened is more than wrong, yet asami is still somehow wondering how she can please her dad and it’s in the literal legacy hiroshi built for himself. “she stays at her father’s heel because, what else is she to do?” i remember writing that and being like “shit, am i really gonna do this? yeah” ugh, i could go on forever about how i love this section, but i’ll stop here for now.

Asami begins yelling, screaming at the top of her lungs, letting all the thoughts, all the insecurities her father gave her finally be released into the world. Kuvira lets her, simply nodding and following along on the couch while Asami paces her living room. She spews out word after word, about the work, about the presentation, about Iroh, his position, her position, the company, the CEO, and she only stops when she feels the weight of her father rest on her shoulders.

back with more diction; i really love this paragraph because of how we circle back to hiroshi. note how i first say “the CEO” and then a few words later say “her father” because, in a way, this is asami’s confession that hiroshi is CEO first and father second, if i haven’t already explicitly said so. it’s so heart wrenching and sad but my favorite thing about it is this isn’t even about korra. like THIS right here is a prime example about how i realized this fic became more than just a love story. in the planning stages of this fic, asami was going to go through getting the presentation taken away from her, but what was she going to focus more on? the fact that korra wasn’t around anymore. and yes, asami still does think about korra after this, but so much more happens for her. asami gets to know kuvira more, asami gets to know her lab partners more, (and my personal hc is that they’ve all been lab partners for two years and only NOW asami is getting to be friends with them in their senior year, but hey, better late than never!) and to me, what’s even better, is that a bunch of realizations come to asami w/o korra being there. asami is growing and the idea of being able to grow without needing to have a partner in order to grow is so important to me, not only for the fact that growth should be endless and something you do all the time for yourself, but asami literally wants to share it with korra. not boast about changing and growing and becoming better, but just be better with korra. sdlfakds i swear, im fangirling over my own writing, oops

okay, moving on from The Meeting and onto the rest of the chapter

this dock scene was also another part i wrote beforehand and it had a completely different ending in that asami was going to ask korra out on a date. of course, korra would’ve said yes, and then yay yay happy ending. this didn’t happen and i’m glad it didn’t. in one version of this dock scene, asami was actually going to be upset with korra for disappearing, and even worse, mad that korra wasn’t there to comfort her after the presentation. oof, i know. so so glad i didn’t continue down that line, cause it is toxic, and my girls aren’t like that at all.

Once Korra’s eyes meet hers, Asami says, “That doesn’t mean you always have to be on your own.” She smiles at Korra, at the girl who’s turned her world upside down. Her hand remains on Korra’s cheek and she feels the girl sink into her palm. “I’ll be here for you, and it seems like Tenzin will be too, what with saying he was calling you more. And you have his family, and your own family, even though they’re away, they’re here to support you, we all are. You can still be strong and turn to other people for help. It takes great strength to ask for help and I know for a fact you’re strong enough, those bags of coffee beans were nothing for you.”

i like this line of dialogue here for a few reasons, mostly because asami is so soft and so right and the joke at the really helped lighten the mood but didn’t take away from what she’d just said before. i don’t have too much else about the Reunions section, though if you guys have any questions or anything you wanna point out, please do so! i think what i will say is that i tried to be as real and gentle with korra’s progression. i was so nitpicky about everything i wrote because i didn’t want to get any of it wrong or over dramatized or fake. recovery from anything is so important and it takes time and it’s not a straight line so i hope i did a good job with it the rest of the fic. 

moving on, i love the found family trope and this leads me into the next section, New Friends

when i think about this section, i like how soft it is, and i really enjoy the ending bits: korra recounting memories from the south, asami meeting tenzin. i think what i like about the end of this chapter is that, it kind of leaves the question: what’s next?

asami has grown, she’s changed, she sees the errors of her father’s ways but she’s not excusing them. korra has grown, she’s changing, she’s taken the first step in recovery. now it’s just a matter of, what happens with this growth now. and i really loved how i wrapped up the fic in the next and last chapter, so i hope you enjoy it too :))

honorable mentions:

there were a lot of changes in this chapter and one of them got changed twice! korra was gonna get a therapist but then i was like, we gotta get the krew together, and then i was like supppppoorttttt grouuuppppp, because lets be honest, all the krew has stuff they need to work through, and i know therapy isn’t for everyone, but mental health is so vital and important. asami is an advocate for therapy in the chapter but there are also other means to take care of yourself and your mental health and while i’ve never been to a support group, i understand finding comfort in knowing you’re not alone.

i guess what i’m trying to say is please take care of yourself and dont be afraid to lean on others. i know not everyone has the means to get a therapist/psychiatrist and i know that your friends aren’t made to only be your therapist. buuuut, don’t be afraid to reach out, there’s nothing wrong with needing help and support :)

anything i would’ve wanted to change?

honestly, i think the only thing i would’ve wanted to change was mako’s speech during the support group meeting. for me, it was a lil bit too poetically out of character. not to say i want to change the content, but rather the manner in which it’s presented. other than that though, i really loved writing this chapter :)

so this analysis was reeeaaaalllly long, i understand if not everyone made it to end. anyways, thanks so much for reading this analysis and the fic! once again, i’m very much open to questions and any comments, i love them very much! i’ll see you guys in the next analysis of the final chapter :)

[lorewytch]

Yay! a Challenge!

Soo @turtleduckdog tagged me in this ^^ And I will do ittttt cause its fun!

name your top 10 favorite characters from 10 different fandoms then tag 10 people

1. Ducktales- Webby Vanderquack. Gosh I honestly didn’t believe I’d love Webby as much as I have. She’s very similar to me in some ways which is probably why I’m drawn to her. I love pink and am quite the girly girl. But I also love weird stuff like magic, I’m awkward at talking to people. I will often yell. “Churros!” when I see the churro cart. I also try to be a optimist and see the good in people like she does. What’s not to love?

2. Animaniacs- Yakko Warner. My first cartoon crush XP Witty, able to talk his way out of any situation and quite the charmer. He’s got a great sense of humor. I do wonder if he will be the same in the new edition of the cartoon.

3. Gravity Falls- Mabel. Was there a doubt? I love her wackiness and randomness. Her willingness to just be herself.

4. Tangled the Series- Cassandra. Not only does she have a awesome name, but I understand her emotions about feeling overlooked, stuck on the sidelines and feeling if there was something more she was destined for.

5. Tiny Toon Adventures- Babs Bunny. Might as well continue with the disney/warnerbrothers theme here. Like Yakko, Babs was witty and quite the trickster. She always had something to say and probably was the smarter of the duo. She certainly got Buster out of a scrape or two.

6. Care Bears- Cheer Bear, I still remember this cartoon to this day because I loved its characters and idolized Cheer Bear as a little kid. I wanted to be like her so much so I tried to blend her character into me. It’s helped me a lot in life and will always be grateful for her.

7. Gargoyles- Elisa Maza. She was a pretty bad ass cop and good hearted as well. She made the show for me.

8. Real Adventures of Johnny Quest- Jesse Bannon. I loved Jesse in this version of Johnny Quest. I’m glad she was included more in this series and I loved the stories of some of these episodes. Quite a few gave me chills. Even if the computer animation if cringe worthy now as is the voice acting. Jess was so much stronger as a character and able to handle her own. She was a bit like Webby in a way that she wouldn’t back down against bad guys.

9. The Wild Thornberries- Eliza Thornberry. Who doesn’t want to talk to animals? I certainly want to know what my cat is thinking. Eliza is independent, strong, kind and fearless quite a lot. She would get herself in quite the pickle and end up safe at the end. Still it was slightly scary watching poachers almost grab her.

10. Avatar- Katara. She grew so much as a character as the series progressed I was amazed at her character development. Zuko was a close second because I loved his bad to good.. and of course Iroh was a really close third. There were just so many good chracters in this series! I kinda wished this had a anime one like it. I have tons of anime I’d love to add to this. I don’t have much time tonight to write out my top ten favorite eps of DT but I’m working on it! Edit: I just realized I could have done anime in this if I wanted to. Face palm. It didn’t specify just cartoons. Oh well lol. I have way more fandoms than ten for animes and RL series. XD I don’t know many people and I’m sorry if I tag you and you don’t wanna do this. Feel free to ignore me! I tag @randomduckydoodles, @pick-and-shovel-laborer, @thebardscipher I think that’s all I feel comfortable tagging in this lol. Have at it if you’d like or haven’t done it already!

[emletish-fish]

Worst prisoner: Zuko alone notes

ff.net

Ao3

Notes:

One million squillion thanks to the gorgeous Boogum. She is a gem!

Thanks to everyone who leaves feedback. It warms my heart to read that you are all enjoying this wild ride.

In these notes, I will ramble about:

Zuko's not stupid, but he thinks he is.  

Zuko's character in general.

Toph!

Sela and the Kyoshi warriors.

So I'm not touching the Blind bandit episode. That episode was gold. I love it and I don't think there's anything I could add to it. How the Gaang meet Toph would have still gone down the same, because it was awesome.

Instead this chapter picks up at the end of the blind bandit and covers the start of the chase and Zuko alone. I think these two episodes were happening concurrently, but focussing on different characters. I have given the Gaang a day or two travelling with Toph before the dangerous ladies catch up. Next chapter will cover when Azula gets into the mix – and there will be drama.  

I actually don't think Zuko's that much of a dumbass.  He's reckless and does dumb stuff when he's emotional, but he's not an idiot. His intelligence is something that is frequently mocked by mutliple characters throughout the series. Azula, Ozai, Sokka, Aang, Mai – hell, even Uncle Iroh, all take pot-shots at him about being stupid. Zuko internalises things and I think he has internalised this perception of himself.  He sees himself as a hard-worker, someone who has to struggle and fight to get things, not someone who is naturally clever and 'gifted'.   He always compares to himself to his sister, and  Azula has Machiavellian brilliance. No wonder he feels stupid compared to her.

Zuko blows up at his Uncle in this chapter. It's been a long time coming friends.  Lashing out at his Uncle is Zuko's coping strategy when he feels overwhelmed by the sheer amount of bullshit that is his life. Uncle's lies about the flower friends has been simmering away as a big issue for Zuko because it has very much undermined his trust in his Uncle. This secrecy has negatively impacted their close relationship. Zuko is also feeling very isolated, even before he runs off. He is missing the Gaang instead of his Fire Nation home, but him associated the Gaang with 'home' is still more on a subconscious level for him.  

I also think as Zuko leans more into the blue-spirit identity, and relies on his swords more, he would think more on the teachings of Piandao (My personal favourite original white lotus member). The swords are an integral part of blue spirit, the same as ninjitsu. Both these non-bending skills give Zuko a sense of achievement which firebending denied him. He is proficient at swords and ninjitsu, and I think he gains a certain sense freedom from using these skills. The blue spirit really helps Zuko feel more free from his old identity. It is also helping him work through some stuff with his dad, and how he really feels about bullying and abuse.

I think Zuko would be fuelled by righteous anger at injustice and desire to protect people.  There is still an element of anger, but it is more useful and positive anger, because he hates seeing people treated badly.  He's passionate about justice, honour and protecting people. Goodness, how do people get the idea that Zuko is a “bad boy” when all that boy is about is trying to be honourable?

Zuko's biggest motivation, even when he was little, was to take care of people and protect them. Think of Mai in the pond, or 'you can't sacrifice those soldiers like'.  This was an innate part of him, that he tried to suppress to please his father. It's also why people like Song with her burn scars have a big impact on him.  Zuko regaining his full bending when he uses it for the defence of the innocent felt right.  Hey hey, starwars reference: He's stronger protecting what he loves, than he is fighting what he hates. Even though firebending is more aggressive, I reason that Zuko's would be stronger when he is defending something he cares for.  He might actually be accidentally rediscovering other bending styles, which also relied on other sources rather than hate. Yay!  Now he just has to change decades long traditions in his militaristic homeland. I’m sure it will be fun for him.

So Toph. I love her. Toph to me is a miniature, ass-kicking Gina Linetti (from Brooklyn 99).

Toph doesn't tolerate pussy-footing, but she also isn't gentle or sensitive to other people's feelings. Especially in the beginning. See Toph was brought up both very spoiled, and very isolated.  Her noble status, from what we see of the Earth Kingdom society, meant that she never had to care about other's feelings, even if she did have a friend.  The only people she associated with, outside her privileged bubble, were rude, brash Earth Rumblers. Toph could live life like this iconic Gina Linetti gif.

Toph has never hung out with  kids her own age, before the Gaang. Going from relative isolation, to being surrounded by the Gaang 24/7 would be a big adjustment for her. Now she’s in the huddle.

Zuko never hung around with kids his own age that much and he was awkward. But Toph's response to the Gaang's persistent friendship is rudeness. I think this rudeness is partly fuelled by Toph feeling defensive, because she doesn't know how to react around the Gaang. She is constantly pushing them, especially Katara. No one said she had to set up her rock tent as far away from them as human possible – but this is where Toph chooses to camp.

 I thought that was interesting. She moves closer and softens her rough edges around them as the show progresses, but I still think some of her initial stand-offishness was a result of her finding her feet with people her own age.

The girl's fight is really because they have two very different world views which are clashing. Toph is an isolationist, everyone should be an island and carry their own weight. Toph is trying to prove her worth and that she doesn’t need help from anyone, but she is also struggling with interacting with the group on a friendly level.  Katara comes from a very communal upbringing where everyone needed to pitch in to survive.  She's sees Toph's refusal to help the ‘community’ as an affront to her whole way of life.  Toph and Katara completely misunderstand each other here, but their fight was an important part of them getting to know each other.

I think Toph's feeling of competitiveness towards Zuko would be a fairly natural reaction to being frequently compared to him. I also think it would be normal for the Gaang to compare them – not maliciously, they aren't trying to hurt her feelings. But Zuko is the only other person they've added to their group on a long term basis. He and Toph have some traits in common. It's only natural that they would make comparisons between their two belligerent badasses. I think this initial tendency to compare them would be one effect that Zuko joining the Gaang in season one would have on their relationship with Toph.  However Toph quickly sets them straight and establishes her own identity.

“That's what mums are like,” is such an important line for Zuko and such a character building line for Ursa. (Boo comics, boo. That woman wouldn't have just abandoned those kids to a psychopath so she could shag her high school bf). 

Anyway, I like this line and I wanted to work it in, just in a different context.  Thank you Sela.I'm always a big believer in fleshing out those background lady characters.

Sela was also a former Kyoshi warrior.  I have also always been puzzled about the Kyoshi warriors, because seriously, Suki is 16 and she is wonderful and well-spoken and  great warrior – but she is still a teenager. Why is she in charge? Where are all the old warriors?

I couldn't come up with anything satisfactory, so Sela is cagey about her past. I am assuming it is something bad, maybe something to do with the war, maybe something to do with Ba Sing Se, but nevertheless, Sela had a good reason to desert and choose to go live an anonymous life where nothing and no one would ever sneak up on her

Gosh, when little Lee said that to Zuko in the show, I just though “Thank goodness, that is what that kid needs. No surprises. Nothing sneaking up to pull the rug out from under him. Let him have a bit of warning for once.”

The lesson Zuko learns in the village is a different to the show.  He's grown much more since Makapu.  Instead, Zuko gets to learn from Sela. It was heaps of fun to write their chat, and I think she helped him just as much as Uncle Iroh helps Toph. She helps him start to let go of the bad things, in a way that all of Iroh's proverbs couldn't accomplish. I think because Zuko would feel a kinship with Sela's inability to talk about all the bad things that had happened to her, and her desire to move forward.   She also helps him come round to Iroh and the flower friends.

I had a couple of lines in Zuko and Katara's POV about how much they miss each other. Because I am a sap.  Katara tries not to think about it, and pushes her feelings down.  Zuko's a massive moper.   But they will see each other again.

But next chapter, some members of the Gaang will reunite with Zuko. Azula will be in the mix and there will be drama!