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tsukimefuku · 9 months ago

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content warning: soft Aizawa x Reader, spoilers for season 6 of the anime, hurt and comfort, some fluff, roughly proofread. just a little something to get me off the writing rut. 1.1k

With a long-drawn sigh, Aizawa slouched back into the teacher’s lounge sofa, stretching his own leg forward as he mindlessly covered the eye patch with one of his hands. You wondered if his movement was propelled by a force of habit to scratch his phantom eye.

You had been catching up to speed on all the plans the pro heroes had made for what could only be dubbed as the D day. All the tireless, collective efforts to save Japan from more heartache and destruction. They had suffered enough — you all had.

At that moment, as your colleague draped his arms over the sofa, you couldn’t help but picture in him the figure of a hero Atlas carrying the weight of the world on his back.

Oxygen calmly came in and out of your nostrils, but somehow, your chest tightened as the room grew quieter after Aizawa’s sigh. The few stray rays of a setting sun cast on both of you the fleeting warmth of the calm before the storm, such as the bated breath from a last night on Earth.

“Hey,” you said, your voice lower than usual, barely above a whisper.

He hummed in return, still with his head dangling back in between his worn down shoulders, as he gazed past through the ceiling.

“You seem tired,” you concluded, mentally facepalming yourself with the stupidity of the obvious. Of course he was. You were too. The entirety of the UA was. “I…” you tried offering something else in earnest, but your voice trailed off to silence, only adding to the somber discomfort as the sun drew nearer to the horizon and darkness began slowly seeping into the lounge.

“I know,” he replied, tilting his head forward to look at you, fully aware that there was nothing much else to say in such circumstances. The dark circle under his eye hinted that tiredness was probably the only feeling his weary self could muster up to bear at that moment.

Ever since your high school days, when you weren’t much more than a teenager with a silly crush on your grumpy classmate and a chip on your shoulder, you had never seen Aizawa look so exhausted. Not during the exams you took together, not when you became teachers and pro heroes with gnarly working hours, not even after spending weeks in the hospital.

He looked decades older than himself.

You stepped towards Aizawa while sparing him a smile and stood in front of him, tilting your head down to meet his gaze.

“You’re looking like shit.”

A soft smile pulled on his cheek, which instantly brought you some semblance of comfort. These smiles from him — a rare occurrence, as you’d learned quickly during your first week of classes at UA with him eons ago — always did.

“Right back at you,” he replied, leaning forward on his knees with his elbows.

You chuckled, and he huffed, still with that smile on his face before it faded. His usual nonchalant expression was slightly tainted with the preoccupation of a teacher. You knew, you had seen that same face in the mirror more times than you could count.

“Aizawa, the students will be okay. They’re trained, we have a solid plan, and we know what we’re all dealing with this time,” you stated, putting your hands over his shoulders.

“You know that doesn’t guarantee anything,” he noted, and he was absolutely right.

“Still,” you insisted, “you have to believe it will all be okay. Otherwise, you won’t be able to rest well for tomorrow, and you absolutely need to.”

“I’m not the worrisome type,” Aizawa remarked.

“You give yourself too much credit.”

It was his time to chuckle, soft and low. For a while, you both stood there motionless, with your hands resting reassuringly over his shoulders. To share each other’s presence had been a staple for years, and the same could be said about the comfort you both drew from it.

Aizawa had this no-bullshit, straightforward way of dealing with things that drew you in right from the start, and the silly teenage crush became true admiration after a while. That, and the endless patience — in his own brand of brashness — that he had with you, because somehow, he saw something in you. Potential, he said years ago. And he was right.

You decided in a not-so-recent past to let go of your feelings for him — a not so successful attempt, but still. You were both always elbow-deep in a workload that never seemed to decrease, no matter how many hours you put in between the school and the pro hero gig. To have only twenty-four hours in a day seemed like a bad joke from the Gods to people like you two.

Not the greatest idea to get involved like this and risk such a treasured… something. Friendship? The word felt inaccurate to this day to explain the deep trust and bond forged through those decades.

“Can I offer some help with anything?” you gently brushed your thumbs over his shoulders before retreating your hands back to your waist, “You always have a pile of stuff to sort out before sleep, and you sure as hell need some shuteye quality time.”

Aizawa kept silent, his gaze low and focused on the ground.

“Shota?” You asked, still meeting no answer whatsoever.

Before you realized, he rested the side of his face over your abdomen, and gently pulled both of your hands up to his hair. Surprised, your breath hitched on its way out, and your eyes fluttered as your heart picked up the pace.

“Is this okay?” Aizawa asked, closing his eye while he relaxed further into you.

You softly hummed in accordance, brushing the tips of your fingers down his long locks, careful not to tangle them on his eye patch elastic band.

“I’m not just…” he paused, considering his words for a moment before continuing, “I’m not concerned only about the students.” He said those last words in a whisper, as his hands made their way to hold your elbows delicately.

Your hands instinctively tightened around his head, pressing him against you until it became a yearning embrace.

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” you whispered back, heaving a little before your next words, “promise me you will too?”

His hands slid under your arms, trailing around your body to press against your back while he hugged you back.

“I promise.”

You both stayed there for what felt like an eternity, embracing each other in borrowed time until the sun was finally set under the city’s skyline, taking away the last rays of clarity along with it.

written by tsukimefuku ㋡ comments and reblogs are appreciated. do not copy, translate or repost. copycatting is for losers.

#mha #bnha #aizawa x reader #mha x reader #bnha x reader #aizawa shota #shota aizawa #bnha aizawa #aizawa #aizawa shouta #mha fanfic #mha fic #mha fluff #fuku writes #tsukimefuku

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missaccuracy · 2 months ago

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thoughts abt the recent atla comic ashes of the academy?

I'm gonna give quick thoughts based on the first impression, overall it was pretty mid for me. There was staff that I liked, but at the same time I think it's getting some valid critisizm.

On the positive side, I'm glad we got some more screen time for Mai, it's her solo comic, after all. I've seen an opinion that she was ooc for liking to be around kids and for all of the erasing of her imperialistic backstory (but that's not only Mai's problem, I'll get to that later). And while I'd agree that it's unusual to see her being warm around kids, I wouldn't say it's nessessary ooc, Mai was emotionally repressed her whole life, but when she got the chance, she showed her softer side and at the same time she has such a calm and intelligent aura to her and I liked her very much.

As for Azula, I'd completely lost my hope that they'd do anything interesting with her by the middle of the comic. I don't have a problem with her being a spoiled little brat, but I still hoped we'd get some interesting beats with kid Azula. As it is, we didn't get much interesting content on the dangerous ladies and anything particularly new about Azula, which is just boring.

I also wanted something differrent for Kiyi. She's almost pointless for the overall plot and I wanted for her to have a more meaningful role in the story. Instead, she's just kinda there and doesn't do anything important which is a shame to me.

Zuko doesn't have much screen time in this comic, but he's pretty much in character to me as well. What I thought was strange is Ursa and mainly how she wonders what went wrong with Azula instead of, you know, worrying about more important things, like Azula's current whereabouts? She's Azula's mother, why doesn't she bring up the subject of trying to find Azula?

And of course:

We shouldn't forget that Ursa had an off-screen anti-imperialist redemption to the point of her being sarcastic about the Fire Nation's traditions now.

This is a genuinely annoying problem that many other people have already pointed out. The narrative doesn't address characters who had an imperialistic past, like Ursa and Mai, for the sake of making them kinda "always good". It's pretty lame to sweep that under the rug and I see why so many fans are complaining about this. The main theme about the academy bringing out the worst in the students was also kinda perplexing. I think the comic tried to show that it enabled Azula's worst tendencies, but it really didn't show Azula's regression for the worse. It's not that Azula needed to be an angel at the beginning, no one argues that Azula wasn't prone to violence herself, but it still would've been better if Azula got from level 1 to level 2 in mischief and manipulation.

I'll have to add that Ty Lee's brief appearance was nice, she's her usual optimistic self. But I got sad when she didn't appear in the flashbacks, I hoped to see the whole trio together as kids.

Additionally, some panels that I liked:

I can feel Mai's awkwardness about the first time of being a teacher.

And this:

I laughed at this one. Azula's reaction to the knives flying straight towards her is genuinely funny. I like how in the comics Azula is completely unfased whenever some sharp objects are coming her way. She doesn't even remotely panic and just slightly moves her head to the side. Simply badass.

#atla #ashes of the academy #asks #mai #azula #zuko #kiyi #avatar last airbender #atla comic #azula meta #atla meta #answering asks

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zuko-always-lies · 2 months ago

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Ashes of the Academy First Impressions Review

Non-Spoiler version: I didn't like it, and if you're looking for good Azula content or good young! Dangerous Ladies content, you should look elsewhere. And if you are looking for Maiko content, that's pretty limited at best.

However, if you are looking for more fiction that sabotages its own themes by demonizing little! Azula, you are in luck!

Spoilers under the cut:

As always, ATLA media is so dedicated to demonizing Azula that it undermines it's own themes. The supposed theme of the comic is that the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls corrupts the youth and teaches them to be violent, cruel, and mean. Supposedly Ursa believes that the Royal Academy might have been the point where Azula "started to go wrong."

Yet the actual comic has several flashbacks to young Azula, and she's depicted as having been mean and cruel and entirely awful from the start of her attendance there. Hicks could have depicted a progression, where Azula becomes progressively worse as a person the more time she spends in the academy, but she choose not to. Moreover, some of the casual cruelty Azula does feels more Zuko-like than anything else. It's not impossible to imagine Azula doing everything she does, but some of it feels more like stuff Zuko would do.

As always, every demonized depiction of little Azula adds to the "Azula problem," where she's somehow a much better person at 14 than she was at 8, despite only having entirely negative influences over the past six years. Given Azula was apparently already totally awful from the moment she stepped into the Academy, maybe Ursa was the real bad influence on Azula!

Moving beyond that, another way Hicks undermines the themes of the comic is through the depiction of little Mai. Hicks could have depicted little Mai as someone who became a worse person under the influence of the academy and did things that grown up! Mai now regrets, but she didn't. Apparently Mai is entirely immune to all the corruption the Academy imposes and is, of course, "inherently good."

Mai of course is entirely good, entirely anti-imperialist, and entirely against the bad practices of the academy from the start. Better writing might have Mai start out fairly indifferent about it all but gradually turn against the Academy as she sees it's practices from a different viewpoint and realizes that what it put her and her friends through was cruel and wrong, but this is the Avatar comics. Mai can't have learning experiences where she learns to be a better person, since Mai was always a good person the whole time.

A few months ago, I posted that any depiction of Azula and Mai at the Academy needs to explain why they became friends. The good news is that Ashes of the Academy offers an explanation. The bad news is that it sucks:

Mai's father pushed Mai to become friends with Azula for their family's political advantage, but Mai didn't want to since Azula was so, so, so very mean, but Mai's father was persistent, so Mai eventually gave in and agreed to it. And Mai got Azula to like her by showing off her knifethrowing skills (OK, that actually sounds like something which could have happened).

Mai thus was an entirely false friend to Azula from the start, only pretending to like her for her father's political ambitions. Why Azula never noticed this, despite going to an Academy which encouraged people to be paranoid about their best friends, is a too sophisticated question for this comic. And of course "spending a decade pretending to be friends with someone I hate so my dad can get more power" is not something that canon Mai, who transparently couldn't give a rats ass about his ambitions, would do.

Of course, this does raise the question if Zuko and Ty Lee should be on the lookout for Mai being a false friend to them. After all, I'm sure Ukano pushed to Mai to seduce Zuko...And if Mai is willing to put up with two of her biggest relationships in her life being entirely fake, who's to say she wasn't only pretending to be Ty Lee's friend out of convenience? After all, we know she disliked Ty Lee girliness, but maybe Mai was willing to put up with it in exchange for having a chi-blocker on her side if she needed it.

Now, moving beyond Mai and Azula, the other aspects of the comic are just pretty uninteresting. I know a lot people were baited into buying it for the Maiko, but there's barely any Maiko in it, and their relationship struggles are definitely not resolved at all. The weirdest thing is Zuko telling the Headmistress that Mai will be a teacher at the Academy before he's bothered asking Mai. That's kind of an asshole move, to be honest.

I don't remember how Smoke and Shadow depicted Michi, and I'm not going to bother looking it up, but she's oddly warm toward Mai here, both in the flashbacks and in the present. It really seems like Hicks missed the point of what the cartoon said about her.

Kiyi and her friend have a pretty boring role which doesn't really drive the plot of the comic at all, and they don't get to do anything interesting. Better writing would have Kiyi begin to be corrupted by the continued awful practices of the academy, but this is the Avatar comics.

The headmistresses conversion to good felt distinctly unearned and unrealistic, but I suppose she's not Azula, so she was always inherently good.

I wasn't expecting any of the political stuff to be good, and it wasn't. All the Fire Nation elite families apparently hate everything Zuko is doing, which is fair and unrealistic. Why they haven't just slit his throat in his sleep is unexplained.

The evil old headmistress felt like an entirely unnecessary plot element, added only so the comic could get a fight scene. The Dai Li who for some reason work for her also felt very unnecessary. If they want Azula to become Firelord, shouldn't they have been putting their effort into assassinating Zuko?

These Dai Li were depicted as still being completely loyal to Azula, despite not having seen her for many years. A better written and more interesting work of fiction might raise the question of what Azula's ability to create durable, lasting loyalty in people she barely touched says about her as a person, but this is the Avatar comics.

About the only thing I liked is Ty Lee. She had a brief appearance at the end of the comic, solely in the present, and she actually felt like she was mostly in character, including through violating Mai's personal space against her wishes. A much, much better writer might have had Mai remember how Azula was careful not to do that, but this is the Avatar comics, and we got to keep our expectations low.

#Azula #Mai #Ty Lee #Zuko #ashes of the academy #spoilers #ATLA #ATLA comics #faith erin hicks #review #Ashes of the academy review #Ursa #avatar the last airbender #not a tenth as good as Azula and the Spirit Temple #Maiko

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firelordsfirelady · 1 year ago

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V. Ocean and Moon

Author: @firelordsfirelady

Imagine: When Y/N—a princess of one of the Water Tribes—is told she’s leaving her tribe, she never expects that she’s to be betrothed to the Fire Lord’s son, nor was she prepared to be exiled the very day she arrived at the Fire Nation. With her life in the hands of her new fiancée, how will life change for the princess?

Pairing: Zuko x F!Reader

Trigger warnings: arranged marriage, feelings of fear, banishment, mentions of burns/abuse, frustration, violence, betrayal

Word Count: 921

Destined to be Yin and Yang

I own no rights to any of the Avatar Last Air Bender characters.

Author’s Notes

The characters as all aged up so Zuko’s banishment happens when he’s 16

Keep in mind I am bringing a unique world with inspiration from ATLA in their characters, some of the events that happen, bending, etc. Not many things may align or occur with what happened in the show. It’s intended that way, so I hope you enjoy it regardless.

See Y/N’s inspiration here.

Destined to be Yin and Yang Soundtrack (YouTube)

For two days, I did not leave my room nor did I open my door to anyone. Several times someone knocked at the door to bring me food or ask if I needed anything, but I assured everyone that I needed nothing. By noon of the third day, I was starting to feel better, but I still did not want to deal with Zuko and his attitude. I was busy working on my third drawing since I had sequestered away to my room when three harsh knocks sounded on my door.

“Gentle now.” Iroh’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door that was followed by three softer knocks on my door.

“Unless you have jasmine tea, go away.” I smiled to myself as I continued my sketch, knowing damn good and well that Zuko did not have any jasmine tea with him.

“I told you this was pointless.” Zuko grumbled before I heard footsteps walk away from the door. A few minutes later, however, a set of gentle knocks sounded on my door.

“I have jasmine tea this time.” Zuko grumbled from the other side of the door.

“Tell her you have cookies too.” Iroh’s softer voice said, and Zuko sighed heavily.

“And cookies.” He said. “I brought jasmine tea and cookies.” Sighing heavily, I set my pencil down and walked to the door.

“I hope the cookies and tea are better than you have been to me.” I said as I opened the door to find Zuko standing there with a tea tray and a small plate of cookies with Iroh standing off to the side behind him. “The tea certainly smells divine.” Stepping to the side, I motioned for Zuko to enter. Iroh gave Zuko a small push forward before he turned and walked away. “You can place the tray on the desk. I won’t ask you to do anything more than that.”

Moving to stand by the bed, I watched Zuko set the tray down before he paused at the sight of the paper laying on the desk. Curiosity was evident on his face as he gently picked up the drawing I was working on. I felt my face heat up as I watched the prince look over my art before I took a seat on my bed.

“Go ahead and say that it is so improper of a princess to have such a hobby.” A humorless chuckle left my lips as I played with a strand of hair.

“I wasn’t going to say such a thing.” Zuko said quietly, which caused me to look at him through my lashes. I had drawn two koi fish—one black and one white—to represent the moon and the ocean spirits, and Zuko was studying the picture with curiosity. “What is the story behind the drawing?”

“I’ll tell you on one condition.” Zuko looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Make me a cup of that jasmine tea?” Zuko set the drawing on the table before he set to work pouring a cup of jasmine tea. I smiled at him as he handed me a warm cup of tea. “Thank you.”

Inhaling the vapor from the tea, I sighed with contentment before I took a sip and let the warm liquid wash over my insides.

“The two koi represent the two most important spirits to the waterbenders—the moon spirit and the ocean spirit.” I motioned to the picture. “The black one with the white dot is the ocean because we believe the ocean gives us life. The white koi with the black dot represents the spirit of the moon, and our ancestors learned to waterbend by watching the moon’s pull on the ocean.” Zuko took a seat on the chair by the desk as I continued my story.

“The spirits come to our plane once a year to be mortals for a night. Though I have never seen them in person, I’ve had visions of these two koi fish since I was a young child.” I motioned to the picture. “I’m not sure what form the spirits take when they come to visit us, but I cannot help but think that koi fish is fitting for them.” Zuko looked at the picture for a moment before he shifted his gaze back to me. There was a slight upward curve to his lips as he looked at the picture again.

“You can have it.” I said as he looked at the picture, which made him turn to look at me. “You can have the picture. I’ve drawn them more times than I can count. Plus, I have other pictures to keep.” I smiled at the firebender. “If you don’t want it, that’s fine too. My feelings won’t be hurt if you don’t.” I shrugged before I sipped my tea. “Thank you for the tea and cookies. I appreciate it.”

Zuko slowly stood up and gave me a nod. He looked at the picture for another second before he stood up and delicately grabbed the art off of the desk.

“…Thank you for sharing your story…and for the art.” He awkwardly said before he bowed and turned to leave the room. He paused as he reached the threshold of the door. “I am sorry about what I said to you the other day.” With that, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

I stared at the closed door Zuko left through, and my cheeks felt warm.

Perhaps there was still some kindness left in the Prince after all.

Tag List @chevysstuffs @puttyly @ginger24880 @night-fall-moon @junieshohoho @0kauy @coolgirl458 @hypnoticbeing @angelruinz

#avatar imagine #zuko imagine #zuko x reader #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #destined to be yin and yang

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m1ckeyb3rry · 1 year ago

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── THE GLASS PRINCESS // ONE

Series Synopsis: You wake up in a strange room with no memories, broken glass at your bedside, and a prince named Zuko as your only chance at figuring out who you really are.

Chapter Synopsis: You meet Mai, Ty Lee, and Prince Zuko.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5.6k

Content Warnings: complicated relationships (strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers), amnesia, alternate universe, lots of secrets and lying and mystery

A/N: this is my first ever attempt at writing for atla despite how long ago i watched it and how much i’ve written since then HAHAH. tbh i don’t expect much to come of it but oh well we’ll see how it goes!! also this is an alternate universe — the extent of which things have been changed will become more apparent as we go along. also apologies in advance if anyone is ooc, i haven’t watched atla in forever so idk if i’ll get it right!

There was a pile of glass on the nightstand when you woke up. It glimmered in the light, the fire refracting on the shards and forming tiny little rainbows on the wooden floor. Rusty streaks stained the faceted tips, though, and you winced as you tried to imagine how that quantity of blood could’ve made its way there.

“It’s yours,” a girl said. You startled, for you hadn’t noticed her presence, but it seemed like that had been her plan. She stood in the corner, her clothes a dull maroon, her hair glossy black and eyes a sharp, dark shade. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she regarded you, but her face was otherwise smooth, betraying nothing.

“Mine?” you said, voice cracking from disuse. “What do you mean? The — the blood?”

“And the glass,” she affirmed. “In some sense, anyways. Some of the pieces, we had to pull out of you, and others were apparently just lying around where you were found. At least, that’s what Zuko said. I’m still not quite sure why he went and collected it all to bring back, though…”

You squinted at the glass, trying to find some familiarity in it, but there was none. You had no idea why you would be surrounded by it, nor why it would be embedded in you. The girl waited for a second, but when you did not speak, she scoffed.

“Sorry,” you said automatically.

“We’ve been waiting for you to wake up for so long,” she said, an accusatory note entering her voice. “Zuko refuses to say anything, and it’s not like we can bully the crown prince himself into telling us what happened, so you’ve been our only chance at figuring everything out.”

“Oh,” you said, a migraine building behind your forehead as you tried to go through the events that had led to your presence here, in this austere room, on this plush mattress. “I — I don’t know.”

“You don’t know,” she repeated drearily. “Wow.”

“I’m sorry,” you said again. “I really don’t. I’m telling the truth.”

In fact, you were rapidly coming to the conclusion that you didn’t know anything. Your childhood, your family, your home…there was nothing. Where your memories ought to be was a bleak stretch like night, barely interrupted by flashes of blue. You reached for that blue, for that lovely shade like sapphire, but it was always just out of your grasp, something you could never quite touch no matter how much you wanted to.

“How about I tell you what I know, and we go from there?” she said. You nodded, though you were only half paying attention to her. The rest of you was fighting back a panic that threatened to twist your insides, a dread that was rotting through you, both sensations borne from the fear that you would never remember anything again.

“Prince Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation and told only to return once he found the Avatar,” she said. “He found him eventually, found him many times in fact, but he wasn’t able to capture him. It’s irrelevant, though — he did do something just as impossible. That is to say, he infiltrated Ba Sing Se.”

You thought that you were probably supposed to be awed by this, but considering you had zero idea what any of it meant, you just felt further confused. Still, you smiled at her, hoping she would keep talking until something or another made sense.

“Fire Lord Ozai couldn’t ignore the opportunity. He sent an army to the prince’s aid, and under his command, they managed to destroy the Earth Palace and depose the royal family. The Earth Kingdom’s in shambles, and all but the most secretive resistance efforts have vanished,” the girl, who had still not introduced herself, continued.

“I don’t see what this has to do with me,” you said, ducking your head.

“Neither do the rest of us,” she said. “That’s what you were supposed to know. For some reason, the fact is that upon returning from Ba Sing Se, the prince had your body in tow. You were wrapped in so many bandages we couldn’t tell what you were at first, and then we thought you must be closer to a corpse than anything, but he insisted you were alive, and that we had to heal you.”

“The prince himself did such a thing?” you said. Even you understood what the magnitude of that title meant, what kind of person a prince was bound to be. And if that was the case, if this mysterious Zuko really was the prince of an entire nation, then why would he have sullied his victory with care for the brutalized body of a random girl?

“He did,” the girl said. “It was the first thing he saw to. Not the reclamation of his crown, but that you were being treated with the best technologies the Fire Nation has to offer. Don’t you think it’s strange? Worthy of investigation? Don’t you agree that we should be curious about what significance you have?”

“Yes, um, naturally,” you said, taken aback by the rapid-fire line of questioning. Despite her initially bland facade, she was surprisingly intense, relentless, even, the stark contrast between the two personalities enough to make you curl inwards.

“Maybe he loves you,” she said, narrowing her eyes at you, inspecting you critically. “I suppose it’d certainly be an explanation, though it wouldn’t give us any clues about who you are or why he might love you in the first place.”

“I wouldn’t know,” you said, shifting in your seat uncomfortably. “I don’t even know my own name, let alone whether I was in love with someone.”

“Don’t even know your own name?” the girl said, raising her eyebrows. “You really are pathetic. I’m impressed.”

“I can’t remember anything specific about my life. I know general things, of course. The color of the sky. The way the moon looks. But the history of the world, my own existence…these are things I cannot recall,” you said.

She appraised you with the beginnings of something like sympathy flickering in her irises. Clenching her jaw and deciding upon something, she straightened her back and turned to the door.

“I should tell Zuko you’re awake,” she said. “That’s what he told us to do, the instant you regained consciousness. I’ve put it off long enough.”

“Wait!” you said. “What’s your name?”

She glanced at you over her shoulder. You blinked at her, willing her to understand — that before you could meet this prince, you had to know something. Even if it was only as small as this girl’s name, you wanted to have at least one thing in your head, a word or other such piece of knowledge that you could cling to, that you could form a barrier around your mind with.

“Mai,” she said. She did not elaborate before slamming the door shut behind her, but it was enough for you. There was this one constant now — you knew a girl, and her name was Mai.

As you waited for Mai to return with the prince, you busied yourself with inspecting the room you were quartered in. You had mistakenly called it austere due to the lack of decorations hung up, but now that you had the chance to look closely, you noticed that the wall itself was covered with intricate, swirling designs engraved by a firm, steady hand. The blanket that had been drawn up around your shoulders and was now puddled around your hips was made of silk and stuffed with feathers, and its quality was such that it all but shimmered. This was not the kind of room that just anybody stayed in; it was a room fit for someone of high rank. A lady. And a lady you were not, yet here you sat, in this room that made you feel entirely out of place.

Only a few minutes had passed before the door slammed open, but it was not Mai nor any sort of prince who entered. It was another girl, as bubbly and cheery as Mai had been cool and collected. She beamed when she saw you sitting up and looking around, bounding over to place her hands on your shoulders.

“Hi! Hi, hi, I’m so glad you’re awake!” she said. You tried to smile back at her, but the exuberance was so jarring that you could not do anything but brace yourself against it.

“Thank you,” you managed to say as she shook you. “Who are you?”

“Ty Lee!” she said. You noticed that she had a habit of ending every sentence with her voice ticking up in delight, like she was perpetually thrilled with the world. It was even more of a contrast to Mai than you had anticipated, and you felt your head spinning as you tried to keep up with the differences.

“Did I know you before?” you said. She cocked her head.

“Huh? No, I have no idea who you are, just like you have no idea who I am. You sure are pretty, though! Even prettier when you’re not all passed out,” she said, miming fainting before beaming at you expectantly. You tried to laugh, but it was an awkward sound, clearly unconvincing.

“The same to you,” you said. “Er. Obviously, aside from the part about passing out.”

“Obviously!” she said. “Now, just stay very still, okay?”

You froze in place immediately, wondering what she was going to do but trusting that it would not be anything harmful. Or, perhaps trusting wasn’t quite the right word for it — you just had no choice but to obey, because you had no other metric for what was correct. Whether Ty Lee wanted to help or harm you, you couldn’t know for sure, but either way she would do something, and since she was only the second person whose face you had seen, you had to let her do it.

She jabbed her pointer fingers into your neck, side, and wrists, all in a quick, precise succession. You waited for something to happen, but there was nothing, and when she raised her eyebrows at you, you could only furrow your own in a non-answer.

“Felt nothing?” she said. You nodded in the affirmative. “Interesting.”

“Was I supposed to?” you said.

“I dunno!” she said. “I guess we’ll see once the others get here.”

“What do the others have to do with it?” you said. At this, she winked and raised her fingers to her lips, as if you two were sharing some silly secret.

“If I tell you, then that’ll ruin things! We can discuss it later, but for now, you have to keep it to yourself, okay?” she said.

“Why?” you said. It wasn’t accusatory; you were genuinely curious.

“Let’s just say that certain parties would not be pleased if they found out what I was doing,” she said, giggling nervously and glancing at the door. “And those parties aren’t the kind you really want to offend, so please just keep your mouth shut!”

“Don’t want to offend? Who, like Prince Zuko?” you said.

Before Ty Lee could respond, there was a knock at the door. She scrambled away from you, so that she was standing in the same corner Mai had been in, looking demure and respectful. It was like she had never spoken to you in the first place, and when she had arranged herself suitably, she motioned towards the door.

“Me?” you said.

“Yes, you!” she said. “It’s your room, isn’t it?”

“I would hardly know,” you reminded her. She considered this before making a face in agreement.

“Right, there is that fact. Anyways, yes. This isn’t a hospital wing or anything, it’s your room, which means that when someone knocks, it’s up to you to tell them if they can come in or not,” she said.

“You didn’t knock,” you said. Ty Lee cleared her throat.

“Ah, well, I’m from a Fire Nation family! People of higher rank are allowed to do things like barging in on others,” she said. “I can’t tell you the amount of times Princess Azula has stormed into my room without warning.”

“I see,” you said, mostly because you didn’t know who Princess Azula was or why she merited mention. “This must be a servant or something, then, considering they’re knocking on even my door.”

“Probably,” Ty Lee said. There was another knock, louder this time, and you swore under your breath as you realized you had forgotten to answer them.

“Come in!” you said, folding your hands in your lap and looking over at the doorway, wondering who it could possibly be.

To your surprise, it was a boy. He was dressed in fine armor, his dark hair tied back in a regal topknot, his features angular and his eyes a sharp gold. His face was set in a frown, but when he saw you, you thought you picked up on the faintest trace of happiness. Almost immediately, though, it was quashed by a scowl, so that you could not be quite sure if you had actually seen it or if you had just been imagining things.

Behind him was Mai, looking as bored as she had earlier, though she seemed marginally more excited to see Ty Lee than she had been when you had woken up. You supposed they must’ve been friends or something.

“You should bow,” Mai said, directing the statement at you.

“No way!” the boy said immediately, waving his hands in dissent before you could even move. “I mean, ah, she doesn’t have to do that. It’s fine.”

“Woah! That’s crazy, Zuko, normally you’re all about honor and tradition and whatnot!” Ty Lee said. “It’s strange to hear something like that coming from you.”

So this was Prince Zuko, the boy who had, for some reason, saved your life. He was the only one who knew anything about your past. Your name, your identity, your origin…if you wanted to know any of these things, then your best chance at finding them stood before you, gazing at you with an inscrutable expression.

“Your royal highness,” you said, not bothering to get out of bed but dipping your head in what you hoped was a sign of respect anyways. He coughed awkwardly.

“Um. Yes,” he said.

“So,” Mai observed from the spot she had taken beside Ty Lee, “she’s awake now.”

“I see that,” Prince Zuko said. Mai rolled her eyes.

“Will you tell us who she is? Or why you insisted on saving her, maybe?” she said.

“Why don’t you ask her?” he said. “She’d know as well as I would. Maybe better.”

“I already tried,” Mai said. The prince’s scowl deepened, the corners of his mouth tugging further downwards at the offhand statement, his eyes flicking to you before returning to Mai.

“Of course you did,” he said. “And what did she say?”

“Nothing,” Mai said.

“She doesn’t remember anything,” Ty Lee said. “Not even her own name. You’re the only one left who can tell us anything about her.”

Something in Prince Zuko’s demeanor shifted at that moment. A despairing anger warred with resignation and defeat, but below the surface, some other emotion was hidden, kept locked tightly away, something that he was suppressing, so that no one could dare to even attempt to comprehend it.

“I see,” he said. “Is that the case?”

He was asking you. You did not look at him when you responded, focusing on the pile of glass still stacked on the nightstand.

“Yes,” you said. “Your royal highness. It’s the case.”

Prince Zuko considered this, and for a moment, there was an eerie silence in the room, as you all waited to hear what he would say. Who were you? Would he finally disclose it, or would you be further stranded in the darkness?

“Ursa,” he said finally.

“Your mother?” Mai said. He shook his head.

“No, not her. It’s — um, it’s her. Her name,” he said, jutting his chin in your direction.

“She has the same name as your mother,” Mai said flatly.

“Yes,” he said.

Ursa. That was your name. You didn’t feel some great reclamation of your identity upon hearing it; in fact, it meant nothing to you, except that at some point, people must have called you that.

“Is that why you saved her?” Ty Lee said. “Because she has the same name as your mother?”

“Yeah,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s exactly why.”

“Really? We thought you might’ve been in love with her or something,” Mai said. “I guess this is in character enough, though.”

“How’d you find someone with a Fire Nation name in Ba Sing Se, though?” Ty Lee said. Prince Zuko gave her an irritated look; she only gazed at him innocently until he sighed and looked away.

“She had been taken prisoner on the front lines and brought to Ba Sing Se to be, er…tortured. For — for Fire Nation secrets,” he said.

“Why would they think an ordinary girl would have Fire Nation secrets?” Mai said.

“It’s not like Fire Nation citizens are easy to kidnap!” he snapped. “She might not know any vital information about the nation, but it was probably better than nothing!”

“Well, sorry for asking,” Mai said, rolling her eyes at him once again. It seemed her fuse was particularly shorter when it came to him, not that it had ever appeared to be particularly long to begin with.

“Do you think they got anything out of her?” Ty Lee said, in a not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject and break the tension. Prince Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It doesn’t matter, does it?” he said.

“I guess not. Not now that Ba Sing Se is ours and the rest of the Earth Kingdom has all but fallen,” Ty Lee said.

“Right. Even if they found out anything from her, it didn’t help them in the end,” he said.

“What should we do with her?” Ty Lee said. “Poor girl, she doesn’t even know her lefts from her rights!”

“Uh, I do know that much…” you interjected. Ty Lee paid you no mind, continuing to speak to Prince Zuko like you weren’t there.

“She can’t live in the palace like this forever!” she said. “But she’s like a blind little child, alone in the world. Where can she even go?”

Prince Zuko looked at you, and then he exhaled heavily. You swallowed, waiting for his judgment, knowing that he now held your life in his hands, wondering what he would decide, wondering what fate was in store for you. For Ursa. Since you both were one and the same, after all.

“Send her to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. They’ll teach her what she needs to know to be a proper Fire Nation girl,” he said.

“She’s not a noblewoman, though,” Mai said.

“Do you think the headmistress will argue with me if I say I want her admitted?” Prince Zuko shot back, though there was a tinge of insecurity, a questioning undercurrent, like he really wasn’t sure if he would get away with it or not.

“Nope,” Ty Lee said. “But do you think she — Ursa — can handle it? I mean, we were there, right, Mai? You remember how it was.”

“It’s a tough environment,” Mai agreed. You could tell what she was thinking: what place did a girl who came to the palace covered in bandages and glass, in the arms of a once-banished prince, have in a royal academy? “She’ll be eaten alive there.”

“And what if someone challenges her to an Agni Kai?” Ty Lee said. “Do you think she could win that? Is she that good at bending?”

“She’s not a Firebender,” Prince Zuko said.

“Why was she on the front lines if she’s not even a Firebender?” Mai said before pausing. “Never mind. I don’t feel like listening to your dramatics when you explain. But, you know, she’ll struggle that much more without bending to protect her.”

Prince Zuko’s face settled into a pensive mask of thought before he lit up, brandishing his pointer finger as if he’d come up with the idea of the century. Mai did not look amused, though Ty Lee seemed fascinated by what he might say.

“Ty Lee! You ran away from school to join the circus, right?” he said. Ty Lee went from looking fascinated to nervous, but she nodded.

“Yes, but I’m back now, so I don’t know why you’re bringing that up,” she said.

“My sister doesn’t have any immediate need for you,” he said, eyes gleaming. “Maybe it’s time you finally finish your education for good.”

“You want me to go back to the Royal Fire Academy?” Ty Lee repeated. Prince Zuko nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. You can watch out for her,” he said, jabbing his pointer finger at you.

“What will Azula say?” Ty Lee said.

“It’ll be fine,” Mai said. “If she needs you, you can just take a vacation from school or something. It’s better that you do this than laze around the palace.”

“I don’t want to be a burden,” you said quietly, speaking up of your own volition for the first time. “To anyone. I’m just grateful that you saved me, Prince Zuko. The rest of it is unnecessary. You don’t need to force the royal academy to accept me, and you don’t need to make Ty Lee come just to watch out for me. It’s enough that I’m alive. I can make my own life from here.”

“You don’t know anything. How can you expect to make a new life when you don’t even remember the one you’ve had until this point?” he said.

“I suppose there might be some benefit to Ursa going to school,” Mai added. “As long as she can survive the academy, it’ll be good for her. She can get caught up on everything she doesn’t remember, and it’ll be in an environment where her classmates are the children of the Fire Nation elite, so she can make further connections with people in high places.”

“Maybe she can find someone who has a brother she can date!” Ty Lee said, swooning.

“No!” Prince Zuko said. You all gave him strange looks; when he noticed, he turned a red as bright as his garb. “It wouldn’t be proper. You know, since you’ll be attending in my name and all; if you date anyone, it’ll reflect on me. So you can only date the people I approve of.”

“Alright. If that’s what you think is best,” you said. The last thing you wanted was to make things difficult for the boy who had, by all accounts, saved your life.

“I do,” he said.

“Uh-huh,” Mai said from the corner. “You know, Ty Lee, this reminds me of when Azula took us to the zoo that one time.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess it does!” Ty Lee said, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Prince Zuko said.

“Is there a zoo nearby?” you said. “I don’t remember ever going to one. I’d like to visit, if it’s possible.”

“I’ll take you!” Ty Lee said. “When we have a break from school and classes and all.”

“So you’ll go with her?” Prince Zuko said. Ty Lee huffed.

“I don’t really have much of a choice, do I? Besides, I’m sure Azula will be happy to hear I’m pursuing my education in my downtime instead of just doing nothing. And you know I’d do anything to make her happy!” she said before cartwheeling over to where you were still situated in your bed, throwing her arms around you affectionately. “We’re going to be classmates, Ursa!”

“I look forward to it,” you said genuinely. Ty Lee tapped you on the forehead.

“Me too!” she said.

“You are?” Mai said. “I don’t remember you ever liking the school, Ty Lee.”

“I don’t,” she said, abruptly wilting. “Everyone was so mean there. But my parents will probably be happy, and at least I’ll get to spend more time with Ursa! Maybe I’ll be the only one around when she regains her memories, and I’ll get to hear her story in her own words first.”

“For the sake of the prince’s mental wellbeing, let’s hope that’s not the case,” Mai said. Prince Zuko did not even respond, too busy inspecting the glass on your bedside to rise to the barb.

“Fine, then,” he said. “Make sure she’ll have everything she needs to attend the academy.”

“Which one of us was that pleasantly worded command directed towards?” Mai said.

“Whichever one of you has the time to do it, I guess,” he said. “This is the glass that came with her?”

“Yes. On the subject, why’d you go and collect so much of it? What a waste of time that must’ve been,” Mai said.

“I don’t know,” Prince Zuko said, sweeping the glass into the small bag lying on the ground by the nightstand. “I thought it might be important in healing her or something. I mean, you know, how could the healers understand what they were pulling out of her unless they saw it?”

Mai did not seem to believe him, but to your surprise, she did not question him further on the topic, only nodding. Maybe she respected him just a bit more than you had thought, though considering your original hypothesis had not exactly been favorable for the prince, this didn’t mean much.

“Where are you taking that?” she said instead, motioning towards the bag. “To dispose of it?”

“Yeah,” Prince Zuko said. “I’ll have it taken to the incinerator.”

You felt a twinge in your stomach. “Do you have to?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he said.

“That glass is my only link to who I was before. Even if it was a bad memory, at least that memory was mine,” you explained. “I — I know it’s strange, but I feel like if you destroy it, you’ll destroy me, in some sense.”

“Ursa…” Ty Lee said, helplessly sympathetic, grasping your hands in her own. “It’s just glass. It can’t tell you anything about yourself, besides the fact that you were hurt during the fall of Ba Sing Se.”

“Your royal highness,” you beseeched Prince Zuko, who shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably at the title. “I know you have already done so much for me, so it is in bad taste for me to ask you for another favor, but please do not send that glass to be burnt away. Please save it. At least until I remember why it was there in the first place.”

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “It’s waste material. Nothing good will come of you keeping it. Nothing at all will.”

“I just—” you began before breaking off. “Never mind. I’m sorry for asking.”

“Zuko, maybe you should just do it,” Mai said.

“Leave it, Mai,” Ty Lee said. “He’s made up his mind. Even we can’t change it once he’s like this.”

Both of them looked at him, but he only picked up the bag and tucked it under his arm.

“I’m leaving now,” he said. “Don’t come after me.”

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving you alone in the room with Mai and Ty Lee. Both of them seemed sorry, and actually, unlike what you had expected, Mai was the first to speak up.

“I’m sorry, Ursa,” she said. “He’s always been the temperamental sort.”

“It’s okay,” you said, still unused to being referred to as Ursa, even if it was the name you had supposedly bore for your entire life. “He and Ty Lee are right, after all. It’s just glass. Trash. What use could I really derive from something like that? If that’s all that’s left of my old life, then maybe I’m better off not remembering at all.”

“You don’t really believe that,” Mai said. “But if it makes you feel better, we won’t argue, right, Ty Lee?”

“Hm? No, we won’t,” Ty Lee said.

“What’s gotten you all distracted?” Mai said. Ty Lee shook her head.

“It’s nothing. By the way, can you help me pack for the academy? I’m worried I’ll forget something,” she said.

“That, or you want me to do it all for you,” Mai said.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do that!” Ty Lee said.

“I’m just joking,” Mai said, but since her voice remained that same steady deadpan, it was hard to tell. “Yes, I’ll help you, and I’ll get things ready for Ursa, too. That way she can leave as soon as Zuko gets her admitted into the academy. Let’s be honest — the sooner she can get out of here, the better.”

“That’s true,” Ty Lee said, though when she noticed your downcast expression, she rushed to reassure you. “Don’t feel bad!”

“It’s not a problem. I understand; you’ve already wasted so much time and so many resources on taking care of me. It’s only logical that you’d want me gone,” you said.

“It’s not like that,” Mai said. “There’s just people in this palace that you’d be better off never meeting. It’ll be good if you can get out before you have that displeasure. That’s all.”

“I see,” you said. “Then thank you once again for doing your best to look out for me.”

“We’ll leave you alone for a bit,” she said. “I’m sure this has all been a lot to process, so it’ll be good for you to come to terms with it on your own time.”

“Bye, Ursa! See you soon!” Ty Lee said.

“Bye,” you said, though your farewell was lacking much of her cheer. Even if Mai was right, you didn’t really want to sit alone. You had nothing to think about or do in the solitude, so what good would you gain from it? But you could hardly beg them to stay, not when you did not know them and they did not know you, so you only watched as they left you sitting by yourself in silence.

It was only when the moon was high in the sky that your door creaked open once more. You were still awake — you had been having trouble getting to sleep, so you had tentatively begun to walk around your room, testing your legs, familiarizing yourself with the motions of walking once more. When you heard footsteps, though, you immediately grew still, hoping that the visitor would be someone you recognized and not someone with more nefarious intentions.

You had been expecting, or perhaps hoping, that it would be Mai or Ty Lee, but to your surprise, it was Prince Zuko. He was not wearing armor, and his hair was loose and messy around his face, but there was no doubt that it was him.

“How much do you really remember?” he said without formality or even a greeting. “Hey. Tell me the truth, at least.”

“What do you mean?” you said. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“I mean, have you really forgotten everything?” he said.

“Yes,” you said. “There’s nothing but a vast darkness whenever I try to look back at the time before I woke up here. I don’t remember a single thing about myself. I didn’t even know my name until you said it.”

He cocked his head at you, trying to discern if you were being truthful, and eventually he must’ve come to some conclusion, because he just buried his face in his hands.

“Okay,” he said.

“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?” you said.

“It depends on who you’re asking,” he said. “And if you’re telling the truth.”

“I am!” you said.

“I believe you,” he said.

“Well…” you said. “There is one thing. Sometimes, in between the darkness, I’ll see something blue. I don’t know what it might represent, but I know that it’s there. It’s the only other thing I can recall — that precise shade like jewel-paint.”

“That could be anything,” he said.

“Yes, I know that,” you said. “That’s why I wouldn’t have even mentioned it ordinarily. Maybe something important to me was that color, or maybe there was just a blue tapestry on the wall where I was injured. There’s no concrete explanation, but I wanted you to know the full truth.”

“So that’s it, then,” he said.

“I suppose it is. On another subject, do you really mean to have me attend the Royal Fire Academy for Girls?” you said.

“You’ve already been accepted,” he said. “You’ll go. It’ll be alright.”

“Mai and Ty Lee didn’t seem to think so,” you said.

“You’re stronger than both of them, by far,” he said. “If they survived, you will, too.”

“Yet I’m the one that was captured,” you reminded him. “I don’t see how that makes me the stronger between us.”

A ghost of a smile flashed over his face. “You may not believe it, but at least to me, you are.”

“Did you know me very well, then, to be saying that with such confidence?” you said. “Before you found me that day? Were — were we friends?”

You didn’t want to say anything else, for it seemed presumptuous, but friends was close enough to what you were really asking that you figured the prince would understand.

It seemed that he did, but he did not appreciate the implication, for his face closed off and his posture grew withdrawn. Turning away from you, he pursed his lips.

“No,” he said. “We weren’t anything. You didn’t know me, and I didn’t know you. I only saved you because — because you and my mother share a name. That’s all.”

“It’s strange,” you said. “That name doesn’t even feel like it’s my own. Is it the amnesia that causes such a phenomenon?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “But you shouldn’t overthink it. Have fun at the Royal Fire Academy, Ursa. I’ll give you a messenger hawk; write to me frequently. And — and if you remember anything…”

“If I remember anything?” you prodded.

“Tell me first,” he said. “Not Ty Lee. Not anyone else. Me.”

#zuko x reader #zuko x y/n #zuko x you #zuko #avatar the last airbender #atla #reader insert #the glass princess #canon au #m1ckeyb3rry writes

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fictionalsillies · 1 year ago

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☠️ Introducing : me ☠️

( ⚠️ very important disclaimer : I’m not in a position where I can donate money , so please do keep this in mind ! I kindly ask to avoid spamming my inbox with the same asks in quick succession if possible .

Also my inbox might momentarily close from time to time , it usually reopens shortly though 👍 )

………………………………………🌌………….……………………………

Just realized that I didn’t even make a blog to introduce myself yet , so I finally decided to get it done at long last :,)

Please be sure to read this if you’d like to know more about me and this profile’s rules ! ( the most important stuff is at the bottom of this post 👈 )

stimboard made by @charlies-crushes

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⋆ ★ GENERAL INFO

You can call me Lotty , both she/her and they/them pronouns are fine with me and my hobbies include mostly drawing silly stuff related to my favorite fictional characters and my original characters/self inserts ( they kinda fall in the middle of these two categories , some are more similar to me than others but they’re all a way to insert myself in my favorite stories :]👍) ;

I’m a huge fan of anything animated , especially independent projects on YouTube like Monkey Wrench , Lackadaisy , Murder Drones , Atlas and the Stars , TADC eccetera :)

There’s also a variety of games I like , such as Hollow Knight , Night in the Woods , Ori and the Blind Forest and many more !

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⋆ ★ F/Os and S/Is List

( this list can be subjected to changes and updates )

Jaw Bone ( Monkey Wrench ) —> Jade

-Status : current primary f/o , I’m non-sharing when it comes to him , so I just tend to avoid checking out content regarding other ships with him ( to clarify , I’m never mad at anyone for liking the same character as me or for enjoying pairing him with someone else ! It’s merely a decision I made for my own emotional benefit :)👍)

Molecule Man ( Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur ) —> Cosmo

-Status : current second main f/o , I don’t feel quite as non-sharing with him as I do for Jaw Bone , but still I prefer not to look into other ships with this character ( as always , it’s never out of anger towards anyone ! I’m happy for everyone who likes him , it’s just a personal choice I made to avoid feeling more anxious and stuff 👍 )

Blair Presken ( Far-Fetched ) —> Aubrey -Status : current third main f/o , I feel a bit iffy when it comes to sharing her , though I’m more down to check out selfships with Blair rather than ships featuring other canon characters

Bea ( NITW ) —> Sarah

-Status : neutral sharing , I actually enjoy some ships with her and other canon characters like MeaBea

Godseeker ( Hollow Knight ) —> Lihm

-Status : neutral sharing

Baroness Von Bon Bon ( Cuphead ) —> Crème

-Status : neutral sharing

╰┈➤ Comfort Characters

Lucifer and Rosie ( Hazbin Hotel , also while I really like these two characters I don’t consider myself a supporter of Vivziepop )

Ori ( OATBF and OATWOTW )

Mordecai ( Lackadaisy )

Krobus ( Stardew Valley )

Perrito ( Puss In Boots TLW )

Monika ( DDLC )

Entrapta ( SPOP )

Double Trouble ( SPOP )

Raine ( The Owl House )

Marcy ( Amphibia )

Narrator ( The Stanely Parable )

Quirrel ( Hollow Knight )

Snatcher ( AHIT )

Commander Peepers ( WOY )

Bruno ( Encanto )

Elsa ( Frozen )

The Spot ( Spiderman ATSV )

Spiderman Noir ( Spiderman ITSV )

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⁭ ⁭ ⋆ ★ ART REQUESTS

- Current status : CLOSED , with an exception for my closer moots { I tend to get anxious about receiving too many requests and becoming too overwhelmed to draw them all : this has happened before in other occasions and it was a pretty stressful time for me , so that’s the only reason why I’m putting this limit 👍}

{ also I’m more likely to draw self shipping/oc x canon related ships related requests , it’s kinda my thing at this point ^^” }

{ oh - and I would prefer not receiving anything heavily nsfw ( though mildly suggestive elements are okay-ish , depends on what the request is about ) : I’m not able to draw that kind of thing anyway because of my less-than-great anatomy , so that’s a no-no :T }

╰┈➤ ART TRADES

-Current status : OPEN-ish { not always able to accept due to irl matters keeping me busy , it really depends on the time }

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⋆ ★ RULES ( very important )

I’m not a fan of pro-shipping and all things related to it since it makes me pretty uncomfortable , so if you actively post about that I’d rather have you not interact with my profile , or my content : do so at your own risk , because if I find out you will be blocked expeditiously . I honestly prefer to stay as far away from that community as possible , so please do respect my boundaries . Also needless to say , but if you’re homophobic or racist in any way you definitely aren’t welcome here .

I try to curate my online experience , meaning that I tend to quietly block blogs for my own personal safety . This includes users who share my main f/o : please know that I have nothing against you , I’m happy you’re having your own fun ! It’s just necessary for my mental health , since I have a deep emotional attachment to Jaw Bone and he is very important to me .

I get incredibly anxious when receiving private messages without warning , so please just ask me beforehand weather or not I’m down to chat either in my inbox or my blogs , or just say something other than just “hi” in the message ! Overall , private messages as a whole just make me nervous , I prefer not using them unless it’s absolutely necessary ( plus I almost never check them , so I’m not the best at keeping the conversation interesting … I’m the most awkward human on the planet when it comes to that stuff .-. )

I can find myself too busy to hang here at times , so if it takes me a while to respond it’s definitely not because I have something against you in any way : this isn’t an excuse , but I do also suffer from adhd , so it’s possible for me to forget about some stuff while struggling to focus on everything else … yeah ;C;

Some of my posts may include occasional swearing sometimes : it’s kinda necessary , since my main f/o kinda uses bad words a lot … still , I thought I’d say this anyway !

If by chance I ever happen to draw something mildly suggestive ( I’m never going to do anything fully NSFW tho !! ) , I’ll always be sure to put a warning at the start of the blog 👍

( also this profile’s theme might change from time to time based on which character I’m currently obsessing over ://] ❤️ )

#fictionalsillies blog #intro post #Spotify

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justanotherbirdbrain-blog · 4 months ago

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Geology and the Extinct Silver Trout

Okay... this is a little out of the scope for this blog I admit... But two days ago I watched this YouTube Documentary by Atlas Pro linked here.

It was super interested and I recommend giving it a watch...and I really can't stop thinking about it.

The REALLY short blip of this entire documentary is looking for the extinct silver trout (Salvelinus agassizii) that was found in these two lakes in Connecticut that were then overfished, and then later outcompeted by introduced species.

A sad story, as most extinction stories are, but there was a lot of interesting points that were brought up in this video, and in very old records regarding the fish and I would like comment briefly on all of this!

First, some background info:

These fish were found in 2 lakes hundreds of miles away from one another, yet not found in any other lakes, ponds, rivers between the two today (notice the stress on today).

Except... 20~ish thousand of years ago these lakes were along rivers that connected to a large glacial lake named Glacial Lake Hitchcock.

Tragically, Lake Hitchcock catastrophically emptied a couple thousand years after forming, leaving the original population of these silver trout gone, and these small remnant populations, very far apart from one another.

I won't really get into the overfishing practices or anything like that because I want you to watch Atlas Pro's video. But something that stuck out to me was that it was a man named Aggasiz's request that specimens of the fish be sent to be identified in the first place, but otherwise I am unsure of if they would have been identified sooner due to the ambiguity of the fish being used against it to allow for more fishing (avoiding fishing seasons and such).

But this entire video I heard whispers of that name, that I couldn't shake off. The name Louis Aggasiz... Now for the geology community this may ring some bells as the first man to hypothesis about the existence of ice ages!

And upon looking it up, it was in fact the same Louis Aggasiz!

How ironic right? Agassiz the man who first considered ice ages (documentary about that here), had also been the person to push for the identification and preservation of a fish population created because of a glacial lake that occupied the area thousands of years ago.

Anyway!!

One of the questions Atlas Pro had at the was quite simple. "two of these lakes hosted these populations, could there be more remaining we had never discovered? A fun idea to ponder! Especially because these locations still have large swaths of pristine land.

He opened this out to researches and people about to go into a Master's and Ph.D. to look into! and I also agree. This could be the perfect collaborative study in geology, geography, and biology!

Anyway, I hope y'all watch the video and the documentary linked. I have since binged a lot of Atlas Pro's content and it filled the void that was forming from lack of Miniminuteman's videos. Later!

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low-budget-korra · 3 months ago

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Let's talk about how the Avatar creators don't know how to handle their own creation

Yes, I will forever be thankful for atla and tlok existence but I can't ignore how much they changed in the way they treat their own characters. Especially the women and the dark skinned ones

And yes, who am I to think I know more about the character than the ppl who wrote them? I know. But I just can't witness without saying anything

1. Katara in tlok

No, I didn't want her to fight and get her ass beat like Zuko. She is an old lady after all. And even tho I still think it's believable that after she got pregnant, she stepped out of the fight path and became a full time mom, bc I think it makes sense that she decided to be for her children the mother that she didn't have. But...

In Republic City see Aang big ass statue, we see Zuko's, we see Toph's, we see Sokka's, so where the hell is Katara's? In Jinora 's tattoo ceremony, where is Katara? It's like they forgot her existence sometimes.

What's her legacy in tlok? We see that Sokka was a respectable council, Toph was a respectable chef of police, Zuko regained the honor of his nation (we see there's no prejudice against firebenders, and ppl from Fire Nation) and Aang...well I don't even need to tell about. But where is Katara legacy?

And Suki...poor Suki tho. She is not even mentioned

2. Kuruk

As much as Kyoshi novels gave him more depth and cleaned his legacy. We need more about him. He is the Avatar ( apart from Wan and now Korra) that deals with the spirits. A book or a show about him, focusing on the spirits lore would do wonders for the Avatarverse.

He is prob the most underrated Avatar. Most of the randoms and even some fans still have this idea that he was a bad Avatar bc he only wanted to party and all. And Bryke does NOTHING to give him lore, to give him the attention he deserves.

Why they greenlight the Roku novels? The new show it seems that will deal a lot with spirits so why they choose Roku instead of a Kuruk novel where they could deep dive into this and prepare the fans for the new show? Make it make sense.

They don't care if ppl think Kuruk is useless. But they cared about Roku jokes enough to make him a novel and making him powerful

Ps: I know Bryke is not the one that wrote the novels but they are for sure the ones that approve or disapprove what's in them and which Avatar will have their novel and which will not

3. Korra

They don't hide anymore how much they hate Korra. Since Avatar became popular again, Korra suffered even more hate bc of this generation of incels and Bryke chose to please them instead of the fans. How long we don't have Korra content? The 10y anniversary went by and they didn't even make a post about it. No hq (apart from Mako and Bolin one that's was announced), no novel, no official art, no movie... Nothing. They want to erase her.

Not only this,but also shit on her legacy. And yeah, let's give the brown bissexual character who suffered unnecessary hate, more "reason" for ppl to hate her and bully her fandom 👍. A fandom that is full of woc and lgbt - two groups of ppl who already suffer hate just for exist.

"oh but they say she is the strongest Avatar ever" I DONT GIVE A FUCK. All I wanted (and all of a lot of fans wanted) is for them to treat her with respect and decency. Just like they treat Aang, Zuko, Toph, Sokka... They making her be the strongest is a "shut up" for her fans not to complain Abt them destroying her legacy

4. The disconnection with the fandom

With this show, they don't want to please the fans. They want to please the random audience, the one that jumps from show to show without joing the fandom. And this is bad because the Avatar Studios is not solidified in the industry yet. They need the Adult Gaang and the new show to be a success.

The problem is the majority of the fandom didn't want a new avatar right after Korra, I'm on other social medias, so other bubbles and I can guarantee this. Ppl wanted a show about Adult Gaang, older Korra, adaptation of Kyoshi and Yangchen novels, an new Avatar somewhere in the 10.000y cycle Wan started... Yet they choose none of this.

And why is it important to give the fans what they want now? Because this would allow AS to gain money and become a respectable studio, and only then go for more "dangerous" projects.

They want to please the fandom, the incels and the woke mob all at once and this never worked well. And they are about to retcon and prob pretend tlok didn't exist, just to please the incels

They recast all of the voices, and Aang's new VA is apparently pro-Israel. Like, they want to be "cool and representative" when casting only based on ethnicity but didn't bother to cast someone not pro genocide to play a genocide survivor? Talk about performative activism right there.

5. The Comics

I didn't read all of them but the ones I read show some of the worst mischaracterization I've seen. Asami, who never lost a fight and was always helpful, being a damsel in distress. Aang, one of the most emphatic characters of the Avatarverse showing empathy towards Ozai but not Azula? Pós book 4 Korra acting like b1 Korra, and getting her ass kicked by some random criminal? Azula being genuinely stupid? What the actual fuck?

Oh, and different from the Novels, the comics are written by at least one of the Bryke

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It's truly sad to see what they are doing with their creation and the fandom.

#korrasami #the legend of korra #avatar korra #asami sato #avatar #tlok #legend of korra #the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #avatar aang

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sneezypeasy · 1 year ago

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Why I Deliberately Avoided the "Colonizer" Argument in my Zutara Thesis - and Why I'll Continue to Avoid it Forever

This is a question that occasionally comes up under my Zutara video essay, because somehow in 2 hours worth of content I still didn't manage to address everything (lol.) But this argument specifically is one I made a point of avoiding entirely, and there are some slightly complicated reasons behind that. I figure I'll write them all out here.

From a surface-level perspective, Zuko's whole arc, his raison d'etre, is to be a de-colonizer. Zuko's redemption arc is kinda all about being a de-colonizer, and his redemption arc is probably like the most talked about plot point of ATLA, so from a basic media literacy standpoint, the whole argument is unsound in the first place, and on that basis alone I find it childish to even entertain as an argument worth engaging with, to be honest.

(At least one person in my comments pointed out that if any ship's "political implications" are problematic in some way, it really ought to be Maiko, as Mai herself is never shown or suggested to be a strong candidate for being a de-colonizing co-ruler alongside Zuko. If anything her attitudes towards lording over servants/underlings would make her… a less than suitable choice for this role, but I digress.)

But the reason I avoided rebutting this particular argument in my video goes deeper than that. From what I've observed of fandom discourse, I find that the colonizer argument is usually an attempt to smear the ship as "problematic" - i.e., this ship is an immoral dynamic, which would make it problematic to depict as canon (and by extension, if you ship it regardless, you're probably problematic yourself.)

And here is where I end up taking a stand that differentiates me from the more authoritarian sectors of fandom.

I'm not here to be the fandom morality police. When it comes to lit crit, I'm really just here to talk about good vs. bad writing. (And when I say "good", I mean structurally sound, thematically cohesive, etc; works that are well-written - I don't mean works that are morally virtuous. More on this in a minute.) So the whole colonizer angle isn't something I'm interested in discussing, for the same reason that I actually avoided discussing Katara "mothering" Aang or the "problematic" aspects of the Kataang ship (such as how he kissed her twice without her consent). My whole entire sections on "Kataang bad" or "Maiko bad" in my 2 hour video was specifically, "how are they written in a way that did a disservice to the story", and "how making them false leads would have created valuable meaning". I deliberately avoided making an argument that consisted purely of, "here's how Kataang/Maiko toxic and Zutara wholesome, hence Zutara superiority, the end".

Why am I not willing to be the fandom morality police? Two reasons:

I don't really have a refined take on these subjects anyway. Unless a piece of literature or art happens to touch on a particular issue that resonates with me personally, the moral value of art is something that doesn't usually spark my interest, so I rarely have much to say on it to begin with. On the whole "colonizer ship" subject specifically, other people who have more passion and knowledge than me on the topic can (and have) put their arguments into words far better than I ever could. I'm more than happy to defer to their take(s), because honestly, they can do these subjects justice in a way I can't. Passing the mic over to someone else is the most responsible thing I can do here, lol. But more importantly:

I reject the conflation of literary merit with moral virtue. It is my opinion that a good story well-told is not always, and does not have to be, a story free from moral vices/questionable themes. In my opinion, there are good problematic stories and bad "pure" stories and literally everything in between. To go one step further, I believe that there are ways that a romance can come off "icky", and then there are ways that it might actually be bad for the story, and meming/shitposting aside, the fact that these two things don't always neatly align is not only a truth I recognise about art but also one of those truths that makes art incredibly interesting to me! So on the one hand, I don't think it is either fair or accurate to conflate literary "goodness" with moral "goodness". On a more serious note, I not only find this type of conflation unfair/inaccurate, I also find it potentially dangerous - and this is why I am really critical of this mindset beyond just disagreeing with it factually. What I see is that people who espouse this rhetoric tend to encourage (or even personally engage in) wilful blindness one way or the other, because ultimately, viewing art through these lens ends up boxing all art into either "morally permissible" or "morally impermissible" categories, and shames anyone enjoying art in the "morally impermissible" box. Unfortunately, I see a lot of people responding to this by A) making excuses for art that they guiltily love despite its problematic elements and/or B) denying the value of any art that they are unable to defend as free from moral wickedness.

Now, I'm not saying that media shouldn't be critiqued on its moral virtue. I actually think morally critiquing art has its place, and assuming it's being done in good faith, it absolutely should be done, and probably even more often than it is now.

Because here's the truth: Sometimes, a story can be really good. Sometimes, you can have a genuinely amazing story with well developed characters and powerful themes that resonate deeply with anyone who reads it. Sometimes, a story can be all of these things - and still be problematic.*

(Or, sometimes a story can be all of those things, and still be written by a problematic author.)

That's why I say, when people conflate moral art with good art, they become blind to the possibility that the art they like being potentially immoral (or vice versa). If only "bad art" is immoral, how can the art that tells the story hitting all the right beats and with perfect rhythm and emotional depth, be ever problematic?

(And how can the art I love, be ever problematic?)

This is why I reject the idea that literary merit = moral virtue (or vice versa) - because I do care about holding art accountable. Even the art that is "good art". Actually, especially the art that is "good art". Especially the art that is well loved and respected and appreciated. The failure to distinguish literary critique from moral critique bothers me on a personal level because I think that conflating the two results in the detriment of both - the latter being the most concerning to me, actually.

So while I respect the inherent value of moral criticism, I'm really not a fan of any argument that presents moral criticism as equivalent to literary criticism, and I will call that out when I see it. And from what I've observed, a lot of the "but Zutara is a colonizer ship" tries to do exactly that, which is why I find it a dishonest and frankly harmful media analysis framework to begin with.

But even when it is done in good faith, moral criticism of art is also just something I personally am neither interested nor good at talking about, and I prefer to talk about the things that I am interested and good at talking about.

(And some people are genuinely good at tackling the moral side of things! I mean, I for one really enjoyed Lindsay Ellis's take on Rent contextualising it within the broader political landscape at the time to show how it's not the progressive queer story it might otherwise appear to be. Moral critique has value, and has its place, and there are definitely circumstances where it can lead to societal progress. Just because I'm not personally interested in addressing it doesn't mean nobody else can do it let alone that nobody else should do it, but also, just because it can and should be done, doesn't mean that it's the only "one true way" to approach lit crit by anyone ever. You know, sometimes... two things… can be true… at once?)

Anyway, if anyone reading this far has recognised that this is basically a variant of the proship vs. antiship debate, you're right, it is. And on that note, I'm just going to leave some links here. I've said about as much as I'm willing/able to say on this subject, but in case anyone is interested in delving deeper into the philosophy behind my convictions, including why I believe leftist authoritarian rhetoric is harmful, and why the whole "but it would be problematic in real life" is an anti-ship argument that doesn't always hold up to scrutiny, I highly recommend these posts/threads:

In general this blog is pretty solid; I agree with almost all of their takes - though they focus more specifically on fanfic/fanart than mainstream media, and I think quite a lot of their arguments are at least somewhat appropriate to extrapolate to mainstream media as well.

I also strongly recommend Bob Altemeyer's book "The Authoritarians" which the author, a verified giga chad, actually made free to download as a pdf, here. His work focuses primarily on right-wing authoritarians, but a lot of his research and conclusions are, you guessed it, applicable to left-wing authoritarians also.

And if you're an anti yourself, welp, you won't find support from me here. This is not an anti-ship safe space, sorrynotsorry 👆

In conclusion, honestly any "but Zutara is problematic" argument is one I'm likely to consider unsound to begin with, let alone the "Zutara is a colonizer ship" argument - but even if it wasn't, it's not something I'm interested in discussing, even if I recognise there are contexts where these discussions have value. I resent the idea that just because I have refined opinions on one aspect of a discussion means I must have (and be willing to preach) refined opinions on all aspects of said discussion. (I don't mean to sound reproachful here - actually the vast majority of the comments I get on my video/tumblr are really sweet and respectful, but I do get a handful of silly comments here and there and I'm at the point where I do feel like this is something worth saying.) Anyway, I'm quite happy to defer to other analysts who have the passion and knowledge to give complicated topics the justice they deserve. All I request is that care is taken not to conflate literary criticism with moral criticism to the detriment of both - and I think it's important to acknowledge when that is indeed happening. And respectfully, don't expect me to give my own take on the matter when other people are already willing and able to put their thoughts into words so much better than me. Peace ✌

*P.S. This works for real life too, by the way. There are people out there who are genuinely not only charming and likeable, but also generous, charitable and warm to the vast majority of the people they know. They may also be amazing at their work, and if they have a job that involves saving lives like firefighting or surgery or w.e, they may even be the reason dozens of people are still alive today. They may honestly do a lot of things you'd have to concede are "good" deeds.

They may be all of these things, and still be someone's abuser. 🙃

Two things can be true at once. It's important never to forget that.

#zutara discourse #the colonizer argument #anti anti zutara #text post #long post #anti maiko #anti mai #tagging just in case #anti purity culture #this is not an anti-ship safe space

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