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#mouse zuko is everything to me
myattman · 1 year
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can I offer you some atla (but they're mice) in these trying times
(click for better quality | individual characters under the cut)
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I SEE THAT CROSSED OUT “AS A SNACK” IN YOUR LAST ASK 👀
Let’s say… hypothetically… Zuko would end up tasting the tiny he takes care of 👀 how would that happen?
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MWSHRJENDJRNRJF LISTEN LISTEN ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK
Okay yeah it is.
REMINDER TO ANYONE READING THIS THAT THIS IS STRICTLY SFW. DO NOT MAKE THIS WEIRD (not you Relic I promise lmao this is not aimed at you at all).
Once again, it would really depend on which season Zuko you’re dealing with. Because if you’re thinking of a more malicious fearplay perspective, season 1 Zuko would be the guy for that. I’d like to think the Fire Nation would consider tinies an exotic delicacy because why the fuck not, everything goes to shit when Ozai is in charge. But I’m not a fan of hard vore or digestion, so I’d consider this to be a situation where tinies are treated kinda like gum or legal drugs (sort of like your Tasty Au!). They’re delicious, they’re satisfying, and oh boy do they provide benders with a massive power up. Pretty soon tinies become staples of unlocking firebending capabilities: just gobble one up, tuck it away for a few hours, soak in that strength, and then spit it up for next time.
Maybe in regards to season 1, Zuko is gifted a tiny as a good luck charm by someone for his trip to hunt down the Avatar. Due to the fact that eating tinies is so normalized in the Fire Nation, he’d have no qualms with tasting you, and he’d definitely get addicted pretty quickly. It would be a power trip for him; he’s just been banished from his home, his father has mentally and physically scarred him, he feels completely lost, and besides Uncle Iroh, he has no one to turn to, and he won’t allow himself to turn to anyone. He’d take that anger and frustration out on you. He’d never hurt you-his honor won’t allow it-but he’ll scare you by holding you over his jaws, snapping his teeth at your kicking feet, playing games of cat and mouse by letting you run off only for him to slam his hand over you at the last moment and then toss you into his maw, etc, etc. I don’t see season 1 Zuko being a big licker or one who’d keep you in his mouth for long. He’s impatient and doesn’t have time for it. But he’ll make you fear him and he likes that because it gives him some sort of control in his out-of-control life.
Season 3 Zuko would be more for accidental fearplay and fluff. Protection vore would be up his alley and even then he’d never keep you within him for very long (unless you really beg him to. If you genuinely enjoy being in there, then he will reluctantly give in and admit he likes you being in there too). Much more gentle and focused on how you feel than season 1. More licking and time in his mouth too because being gentle with you gives him more of an opportunity to taste you to the full extent, and he just really likes holding you in his mouth because he likes how protected you are. There’s also huge potential for miscommunication and the classic “I need to protect you so I’m going to eat you but you won’t know it’s safe and I can’t tell you it’s safe right now so please don’t be scared of me I will comfort you when we are both safe” scenario,” which I love hehehehehee.
As you can see I’ve put a lot of thought into this and I don’t know whether I should be proud or ashamed. Thank you for indulging :D
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xxbimbobunnyxx · 4 months
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20 Questions For Fic Writers:
Thank you for the tags @lokis-army-77 & @onegirlmanytales
1) How many works do you have on AO3? - Honestly only like 3, I don’t usually post my fics on there bc I always forget. I need to sit down and do that. I have 11 on tumblr though.
2) What’s your total AO3 word count?- Like 30k
3) What fandoms do you write for? - Just Stranger Things atm. I have been considering a few other things lately tho.👀
4) What are your top five fics by kudos? - Again I don’t really post my fics on AO3 as much so I only have 5 on there lol but my top fics on tumblr are Beer and Bunny’s, Cat and Mouse, Best Mates, All You Have To Do Is Ask, and See You Again.
5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? - ALWAYS!! Sometimes when I’m feeling down about my writing I go back and reread them and it keeps me going/hypes me up.
6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - I do not have a single fic that ends even remotely angsty. I cannot do angsty endings, reading them or writing them. I need my happy ending.
7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - hmmm most of them honestly, but I really like the ending of Beer and Bunny’s. They’re so cute.
8) Do you get hate on fics? - I’ve never gotten hate before. I hope I give off a chill, in my own lane, kinda vibe.
9) Do you write smut? If so, what kinds? - Yesss lol honestly just nasty, pervy, unhinged smut. I don’t think I’ve ever really written any kind of soft smut. Not intentionally I’m just a whore. :)
10) Do you write crossovers? - I never have, no. I do have an AU based off my fav movie coming out soonish but it’ll be all ST characters still.
11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? - Nah lol idk who would take the time to steal MY fics
12) Have you ever had a fic translated? - not that I know of lol
13) Have you ever co-written a fic before? - Yes!! I have a whole AU universe with one of my friends and I’m working on two other collabs w other people. 👀🤭
14) What’s your all time favorite ship? - Listen, I’m fucking basic okay? I will always love Katniss and Peeta. Also Raven and Alexander from Vampire Kisses but no one ever knows that series.😩
15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? - Sugar and Spice. It was a series I started before I told myself I’m not allowed to write multi chapter fics bc I put too much pressure on myself about it lol
16) What are your writing strengths? - I’ve been told more than once that my dialogue is good. Which feels nice. Also nasty smut.
17) What are your writing weaknesses? - Transitions tbh, I’ll get to a certain point and get stuck esp transitioning into the smut which is usually what I was trying to get to in the first place.
18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? - I legit only speak English so I would not even try
19) First fandom you wrote for? - AVATAR THE LAST AIR BENDER lol zuko was my MANS
20) Favorite fic you’ve written? - See You Again, this one I’m just very proud of, and I love my OC girlfriend I made for myself and I just spent a lot of time on this one. I want to finish the prequel EVENTUALLY.
No pressure tags: @reidsbtch @babygorewhore @battymunson @take-everything-you-can @slutty-thevampireslayer @jamdoughnutmagician @lithium80sblog @bimbobaggins69 & anyone else who wants to🖤
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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years
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What I Thought About "Hunting Palismans" From The Owl House
Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.
Today, I present to you reason #4,693 for why The Owl House is the best thing at the moment: It's the perfect balance of serialized storytelling with an episodic format. The story always moves forward with an exact order for how episodes should be watched, but each episode still functions as its own standalone tale. Having prior knowledge of what happened before adds more to the experience, but you can still watch whatever you want and still have an enjoyable time. Take "Hunting Palismans," for example. It adds so much more to the overarching narrative while slightly continuing other threads. But it's still something you can watch as is without remembering the past or wondering about the future.
However, to properly explain how requires spoilers. I wasn't kidding when I say that this episode adds so much, so you're going to want to be wary of that when you continue reading.
With that said, let's review, shall we?
WHAT I LIKED
Coven Heads Meeting: We already saw these fellow schmucks in the trailer, but that doesn't take away how cool they are! It's not explicitly stated which head belongs to which coven, but you can already tell who goes where just from their designs alone. And I love that. I love that just by showing us some excellent character designs, anybody with half a brain can already figure out the particular type of magic each Coven Head specializes in. It's a perfect example of the show-don't-tell level of storytelling that is always at its best through animation, and I'm all for it because of it.
What the Day of Unity is: Several fans, myself included, have already speculated that the Day of Unity was that Emperor Belos planned to combine the human world with the Boiling Isles and rule it all with an iron fist. That being said, figuring it out is one thing, but being told that it's true is a whole different level pants-s**ting horror that I AM NOT READY FOR! Even when it's going to happen, I can assure you that I will not be prepared to witness it ...and I am scared of when it does.
Belos Body Horror: ...Disney, I was already scared s**tless of this guy. I DO NOT NEED THIS!
That being said, seeing Belos do...whatever the f**k that was, helps explain further why he needs the magic in palismans. I always assumed because it's like fuel for a car, giving him the power he needs. Now, even though the answer is more apparent, there are still some questions to be had. Is he cursed, and the magic keeps it at bay like Eda's potions? Or did he experiment with the wrong type of magic, and the palismans keep him stable? Only the future can say for sure...and I'm also not prepared for the answers from that either.
Golden Guard is Belos’ Nephew: Gosh dangit, THE INTRO HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET, AND THIS EPISODE IS ALREADY GIVING SO MUCH!
But, yeah, the most powerful witch on the Isles is apparently Golden Boy's Grunkle Belos. That very knowledge is incredibly interesting to discuss while presenting possibilities for future narratives. I don't know about you, but I see the Golden Guard going down the path of Zuko, learning that the magic of friendship is worth much more than whatever power he gains from being Belos' nephew. And possibly earning his uncle's love seeing how he's the only family he has. It's a situation that's vastly different from Amity's because even when she defies her parents, she'll still have Edric and Emira at the end of the day. For Golden Guard, knowing that he lost a great family to wild magic, the inclination to go against Belos is a lot weaker due to him being all he has left.
Oh, and also, Belos' family getting wiped out because of wild magic. Yeah, not only does that give the best type of motivation for Belos' distaste for it, but it also explains the Golden Guard's hesitance to use it. He's inclined to so he can save his uncle, sure. It's only the fact that he knows what happens with wild magic that causes some resistance...Also, we're less than a minute in, and I'm already getting all of this from one discussion between two characters.
HOW IS THIS SHOW SO GOOD?!
Intro Changes: It's about time too. It seems weird that the crew waited to change Eda and King's designs in the intro this late in the game, but it also tells me that Amity dying her hair lavender is the last huge change this season will present. Otherwise, why change the intro at all if you were going to alter Luz, Willow, and Gus' designs anyway? It just doesn't make sense to me.
Luz Keeping the Echo Mouse as a Pet: The fact that she keeps the most important creature in the world to her as a pet...it's...it's adorable, alright? And as we established several times, I cannot hate adorable things.
Don't judge me!
Amity Staying Home: There are two plausible ways why Amity didn't go to school that day. Either she's getting punished for dying her hair or because she's trying to avoid Luz so they won't talk about the you-know-what. Either could work and seem understandable to Luz, thus explaining why she admits how "that makes sense." Although, there is something to discuss in how Luz is curious as to where Amity is. Judging from the tone of her voice, it's pretty clear that she wants to talk about the little peck on the cheek and maybe get some confirmation as to what it means. Because there is no going back from that. You can explain away saying or doing something stupid, but you cannot un-kiss a cheek. That is a point of no return, and if Amity really is avoiding Luz because of it, that means it's up to our favorite weirdo to make the first move. As for what that may entail...we'll just have to wait and see.
Frewin: We get two bits of information here for the price of one reveal here. Knowing that Frewin is a palisman is shocking enough, but the knowledge that Bump is partially blind and needs Frewin to see? That is an intriguing piece of intel that I would have never expected to get revealed. This is reason #5,279 for what makes The Owl House so good. Even when the show presents information you wouldn't guess, it's all so interesting anyways that you can't help but go along with it.
Adopting Palismans: First of all, love the fact that the Bat Queen makes a return to provide a solution to the palisman trees being rare and solving her own problem regarding the discarded palismans. It's a situation where everyone wins in a way that is so clever that I can't help but admire it.
Second, the idea of students choosing to adopt palismans instead is cute. I'd say it gives further insight into who these characters are in how they say what they want to be, but there's nothing really new added that fans couldn't figure out from the get go. But I will say that it's pretty cool to know that these characters have official staffs now. Speaking of which, if you're upset that their palismans don't match up with your headcanons...grow up.
This was a cute and smartly written scene that should not be bogged down by whiney fans who can't accept a series doing something different from what they expect.
Little Rascal: I’d take a bullet for this bird. That is all.
Luz Being Uncertain of her Future: A lot of fans offer several ideas of what the future could look like for Luz. Will she stay in the Boiling Isles? In Connecticut? Or will she go back and forth? We don't know, but one question we rarely brought up is what does Luz want? More specifically, what does she want to do? After everything Luz went through, the adventures she's gone on, and the lessons learned, what is something that Luz wants her future to be? That's an answer she doesn't really figure out, and I'm genuinely ok with that being a question that's tabled for another day. Most kids who ask that question themselves aren't always going to find an answer after a short amount of time and sometimes even need to spend their lives trying to figure it out. So having it be something Luz has to consider and probably find out in a future episode is the smarter option, as it allows time for it to simmer in her own mind and provides more insight into her character. As stated several times in this episode, she doesn't think things through, so it's nice that the writers finally allowed her some time to wonder what's next when the adventure is over.
Luz Having to Improvise Without Paper Glyphs: You want to know what my favorite Spider-Man moments are (this is relevant. Trust me). My favorite moments are when Spidey's web-shooters run out of fluid, and he's forced to improvise with that big brain of his to find a solution. That's sort of what happens with Luz in "Hunting Palismans." She didn't bring her glyphs with her (why would she), so she's forced to use the environment around her to make new ones. Plus, Luz also flexes her knowledge of the Boiling Isles by mixing her glyphs with a magical plant (which Willow certainly told her about) so that she and the Golden Guard could knock out Kikimora's dragon. It's yet another showcase of her intelligence that a lot of fans are too keen to overlook. Unfortunate to see, too, because looking at how well Luz can craft the perfect solutions by fighting smarter, not harder, is a fantastic add-on to her personality. I love characters who win through their wits rather than their raw powers, and I once again hope more people will catch onto that aspect of her too.
Golden Guard Whistling the Theme: Look, I love it when a show acknowledges its own theme song, ok? Leave me alone.
Luz and the Golden Guard: This is one of those dynamics you didn't know you wanted until you have it. And now that I have it, I DEMAND MORE!
Seriously, seeing these two interact off of each other was a ton of fun to watch. When Luz and GG are initially at each other's throats, their threats and mockery towards one another aren't out of spiteful anger between two mortal enemies. It's more like...two siblings who get on each other's nerves yet are supposed to deal with one another. It's equally adorable and hilarious, and yes, I absolutely loved that they're forced to work together in this episode because of it.
Although, while the entertainment value is fantastic, it also adds more proof of why Luz is the best character in the series. She spends one night with this guy, and that's more than what she needed to make a difference with him. I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're buddies now, but Luz definitely sowed the seeds into his redemption. He's far from willing to join her side, but he still does something he rarely does with anyone else: He told her that his name is Hunter. And this is what Luz does. Through nearly every person she meets on the Boiling Isles, she always manages to change them for the better. It'll be a while before Hunter deflects from Belos, but if Amity proves anything, Luz has a way of sneaking into people's hearts. They just need to spend more time with one another, and I can't wait to see what happens next because of it.
Kikimora Wanting to Kill Hunter: This shows a lot about who Kikimora is, but it potentially proves just how dysfunctional the Emperor's Coven can be. If Kiki proves anything, the coven must be filled with people willing to backstab and cheat their way to get on Emperor Belos' good side. Just look at Lilith. She literally cursed her own sister just to get in and received all the rewards because of it. The Emperor's Coven may be the best choice for witches to do magic, but if you're surrounded by people you can't trust, then is it really worth it?
The Guards Not Knowing Who Hunter is: This helps add to how much of a big deal it is for Hunter to reveal his name to Luz. If people can't even recognize his face, there's a chance it means that he keeps his true identity a secret except for those in his inner circle.
And the coven guards brushing off his brand is more than believable to me. They may be aware that Belos' right hand is young, but teens will be teens. Anybody with enough artistic talent can fake a brand. So it isn't too far off for those two to think Hunter was just a kid pulling a prank.
Hunter is Powerless Without his Staff: Not much to say here. It's just some more neat insight into Hunter's character that makes me wonder if even Belos' magic is real magic.
But I will say this: The fact that Hunter comes from a lineage of powerless witches, well, who's to say that isn't because of a...certain ancestor?
(*Cough* Hunter is related to Philip *Cough*)
Hunter vs Kiki: A pretty well-animated fight scene that adds potential drama to the story for the future. Now that Kikimora knows that Hunter helped Luz escape with the palismans (albeit unwillingly), she may or may not hold that over his head when the time comes. Or, at the very least, decides to keep a closer eye on him whenever he makes a slip-up.
Eda and King Getting Luz her own Palisman Wood: These last two weeks have been severely lacking in the Eda and King department, but scenes like this more than make up for it. Those two have formed such a bond with Luz to the point where they would do the impossible if it meant she would feel better. It proves just how much of a family they all are and the lengths they would go for each other. After all, weirdos have to stick together.
Little Rascal going to Hunter: Hunter is right. That was surprising.
Given how much Little Rascal stuck by Luz, I was more than positive that she would be the one he chose. So seeing Little Rascal pick Hunter instead is a much nicer twist. There could be multiple reasons why, and I'm just going to leave that to the analyzers in this fandom to decide. Especially since the answer isn't really all that important.
So, instead, I'm going to go ahead and sit in the corner as I wOrRy AbOuT tHe DaY tHaT bElOs FiNdS lItTlE rAsCal!
IT'S GONNA HAPPEN! AND I SWEAR TO ALL THAT IS HOLY, IF THE WRITERS KILL HIM, I WILL NOT BE HAPPY!
WHAT I DISLIKED
First, there's...um...
Well, there was this...
Ok, as much as I liked--No, that turned out well anyways...
...
...I've got nothing.
I, honest to goodness, have no complaints about "Hunting Palismans" Not even the tiniest of nitpicks I would usually ignore due to how well-executed everything else was.
It's all written fantastically to the point where it's...perfect.
IN CONCLUSION
"Hunting Palismans" is an easy A+. It introduces even more plot threads, gives insight into characters, and despite being essential to the story, it still manages to be a fun episode all on its own. And, I'd go so far as to say that it's one of the best, if not the best, episodes in the series. There's nothing bad about it, and that surprises me. I rarely find nothing bad to say about any story, even the ones I enjoy greatly. I'm sure there are some flaws that others would be more than happy to point out, but why bother hunting for the imperfections when I could accept that, for once, an episode is simply perfect.
(And that’s six hits in a row...THAT STINKER IS GOING TO HAPPEN! It hasn’t happened yet, BUT IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN! I CAN FEEL IT!)
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laniidae-passerine · 2 years
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for the fandom ask thing: ruby redfort or our mando rr au if you feel up to it
i'm so sorry this took me so long to get to!!! ok here we go
Ruby Redfort
blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): Hitch! he's everything I want in a character - controlled, nervous, clever, unsure of himself, poised, disastrous, attractive, on -4 hours of sleep, witty, cotton-mouthed, stylish, unable to keep a solid relationship for more than two pages. Perfect!
scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Mouse! love her she's just so sweet and kind but she'll stamp on ya toes to get you to stfu
scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Valerie <3 bc I read "scary hot woman with diamond revolver, flaming red hair, sunglasses, perfect style and a scarred face" when I was 7 and went "oh she's an icon". Admittedly I'm on a one woman mission to make everyone love her but she's still underappreciated
glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): SJ <3 remember when she kept talking about Sabina having been poisoned when Hitch was miming "shut the fuck up!!!!" signals at her? legend
poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): mmmm. is anyone unpopular and 'problematic'?? the Count is a legend and frankly thee most pathetic man is Miles but we all adore him
horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): haha Babyface is getting his shit rocked!!!!
eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): for trying to kill children crimes, Marnie and/or Casey. for irritating me crimes, Quent
Mando!AU
blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): I can't pick!!!!! they're all my beloveds <33333
scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Ruby!grogu dangerous but also baby
scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): I think the literal iconic energy that LB!Fennec exudes... damn girl call me
glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): Zuko!Cobb messing around on his lil crime planet and getting shot lol he's the moment
poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Count!Moff Gideon is problematic and trying to steal baby blood so yeahhhh
horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Mando!Hitch I love you. also putting you on a rat wheel or making you do a 1000 piece puzzle sounds funny as hell to me sorry
eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): Casey!Dr Pershing. evil maniac go to hell rn
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class1akids · 3 years
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The first time I found out that Deku's going to get so many quirks, I was worried he was going to be too overpowered/can do everything himself and everyone else would be cast off to the side. I really hope everyone still has a unique and important role to play by the end - I think this is something avatar did really well with.
Yeah, same here. I didn’t like the multiple quirks because it took so much away from one of my favourite things about Deku (him as a team player / quirk combo mastermind) and it also diminished him as a character, and focused too much on his power-development. 
Plus, I feel like it’s quite anti-climatic to have him gain a new power just suited for the situation every time he’s cornered, while other characters have to try to think their way out of it, or use their resources. 
I agree that avatar did this very well - because even if Aang had all the elements, he was not at the same level as his teachers. Katara still had healing on him, Toph had metal-bending, and Zuko had a lot of the non-bending/sword skills and the type of confidence Aang lacked.
This I think unfortunately is not the tendency with Deku. 
Deku made Satou and Ojirou redundant from the outset.  
His Black-Whip is more powerful and versatile than Sero’s tape or Tsuyu’s tongue already and he got fast-track mastery of it in 3 months, compared to classmates who had been honing their quirks their whole lives. It also showed in the war arc with both Sero and Tsu pretty sidelined. 
Float is not as versatile as Uraraka’s Zero Gravity, but combined with BlackWhip and super-strength, it can do pretty much everything ZG can do and without the limit Uraraka has. 
So yeah, it was pretty sad looking to me to have Uraraka’s supermove be a cutesy Mickey Mouse-version of Deku’s BlackWhip move. Especially because after the Sport Festival Uraraka was supposed to move towards more gritty fighting. 
We still don’t know exactly how Danger Sense works, but it could really further reduce characters like Jirou or Shoji, who already have very little fighting role. 
HK is also struggling to give a role to Iida, who seems to have been outpaced by both Bakugou and Deku when it comes to pure burst speed, though I think Iida can still sustain it longer. But he doesn’t really pack a punch. 
I still expect some characters to be relevant in the end - Bakugou obviously, Todoroki who is set up to have the secondary main fight (sort of how the agni kai went in ATLA and I don’t expect Deku to get an elemental power). Uraraka will have her fight with Toga.
Based on this arc, I’d expect Tokoyami, Kaminari, Kirishima, Momo and Mina to each get some highlight, as well as Shinsou, who has been brought in since the Sport Festival, so he’s going to be important in some way to the endgame. 
I think btw that Deku won’t be fully powered yet going into the final fight - I expect him not to unlock the last (or last 2) quirks until mid-fight. 
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Alright let's try this Soulmate body switch AU I'm also attempting this whole "make a tag" thing... bare with me, ive only actually used this app for like 4 days now im gonna go with "RayMakesSoulmates" for now... uhm, idk what else to go with uhhhhh yeah, names Ray btw...
Okay here we go. The idea of switching bodies is something a bit strange to me so let me make this work for me.
Basically it happens once a year after you either turn 17 or meet your soulmate. If its the latter then there has to be alot of turmoil and confusion on one side to trigger the first switch because it does not happen at the first encounter. However after the first encounter you'll sometimes have little blurry dreams that are in fact core memories of your soulmate. But theyre always too blurry to point out who's involved and sounds are too muffled to pin point any specific noises words or what have you.
Now, the dreams don't happen every night but they happen often enough that you are made aware that you have met your soulmate at some point recently.
So after Zuko visits the south and they begin their cat and mouse game around the world Zuko often has blurry dreams of white with black falling what he thinks is people screaming and what he knows is muffled crying. While Sokka has random dreams of what he thinks is someone moving away into the darkness and someone screaming out to them but he can't figure out what they're saying. Another dream he has is a blurry glow of bright blue and crying. There's also one that shows up more often than the other two, its when he sees what he believes is someone moving towards him saying something, but its muffled, then a bright light and muffled screaming and crying.
However after Ba Sing Se Sokka has a dream that's clear and vivid, not muffled and not blurry. After he takes a moment from shooting up to a sitting position he realizes that this is not a dream, he's switched bodies. Standing up and moving the blankets off of him he looks around and sees the there are fire nation items everywhere, it looks like he's in a royal bedroom. He elects to keep calm as he moves towards where he thinks is a bathroom, he is correct and when he looks into the mirror he freezes. His heart drops into his stomach. Sokka can hardly believe what he's looking at. Staring back at him is not his face, but Zuko's. He reaches up to touch the scar on Zuko's face. While yes he has control over his body and he doesn't exactly know how to act 'firenation' let alone 'fire nation royalty' he stands straight. "This won't last longer than 3 hours." He reminds himself
"What won't last longer than three hours?" Azula's voice breaks through
Instantly on edge and irritated Sokka- ahem Zuko turns to Azula "what do you want Azula?" He says in a voice thats much less irritated, theyre siblings right? So they have to be chummy right
"Oo! You sound so much less angry!" She muses "disgusting, anyways, Mai wanted me to let you know she's leaving today"
Why would he care about that? Oh they must be friends? Maybe they're dating? Okay, don't screw this up "uh, okay"
"Aw don't be so sad Zuzu~ you two would have never worked out anyways, her and Ty Lee switched bodies just three days ago. It was honestly was kind of amusing watching her string you along" This is not how siblings normally talk to eachother. He just glared at Azula "alright alright sheesh, ill leave you alone" he found something to write on and quickly jotted down the conversation because if he was given that information Zuko would need it.
Meanwhile Zuko shot awake and found himself lying next to appa Katara and Aang, so he is alive huh? Confused he figured he must be dreaming until he realized his vision was clear and nothing was muffled. He was below deck on a fire nation ship. He paused a moment before he stood and noticed Sokka's boomerang beside him. He lifed it and saw Sokka in the reflection. His reaction seemed to mirror(haha get it) Sokka's when he saw Zuko in the mirror. But he dropped the boomerang and it made a loud bang which woke the other two up "Sokka what are you doing, the sun is barely up"
He paused and cleared his throat. Okay, sure he's been chasing them he needs to not blow this "uh, sorry, nightmare"
Katara shifted and turned to him, a genuine look of worry in her eyes "do you want to talk about it?" She asked in a tone that reminded him of his mother. Genuine love.
He forced himself not to tear up at the memory and just shook his head "no, I honestly can't remember it. Just scared me is all" the hesitation in Katara's expression before she responded was strange to him
"Alright, if you say so, do you mind going and asking dad to change the course? We need to stop and get supplies"
His hesitation and expression probably made her realize what happened "okay, youre not Sokka right now are you?" He froze and nodded slowly "alright, you dont have to tell me who you are, but I'll help you through the motions, Aang and I switched back in Ba Sing Se, that was the day when you questioned why I said I'd fly around, er- or that was when Sokka questioned me" okay she was a little more accepting of this than he thought.
"Uhm, okay, yeah, right, uhm, I don't want to blow this so can you just uh show me around? I'm sure Sokka knows all the people he's- oh agni he's gonna meet my dad" zuko internally cringed.
In that moment it seemed to click with Katara "alright, so you're telling me your Zuko"
Zuko flinched and backed up against the wall "look I dont know what you want me to do about this, but I promise you that I'm not going to ruin anything, I know I messed up, hell Sokka's probably noticing that my family doesn't work like yours does. I've been so confused my whole life okay, I'm sorry I betrayed you in Ba Sing Se, my sister has a way of manipulating me. I just hope he doesn't get hurt, he probably doesn't know he needs to keep his mouth shut in my family." Zuko was panicking when Katara reached out
"Zuko, zuko what do you mean?" Her voice shaky
"Look I cant tell you everything, I cant tell you my life story not right now, I need to get through with this. If we meet again, which I hope we do, ill tell you then. But right now, please just show me what Sokka goes through day to day. I know he's not gonna like what happens on the other end, I just hope it doesn't go too bad."
Katara nodded "alright well. Let me walk you around and let you learn the peoples names, ill just say hi to them and say their names." She paused "but first, tell me about your mother, i dont know if I believe it anymore"
He sighed before telling her the entire story.
Meanwhile at the palace Sokka was sitting in a war meeting knowing to keep his mouth shut unless spoken to. He didnt want to set people off or let them know he wasn't actually Zuko. The topic of the earth kingdome came up and Ozai turned to him "Zuko, you've spent time among the Earth kingdom citizens. What information do you have?"
"Uh, the Earth kingdoms citizens are strong willed and hopeful, as long as they have hope they will not yeild"
"Hmmm, I see, we need to crush their hope"
"Well, thats not what I-"
"I think we should take their precious hope and burn it to the ground!" Azula cuts in
"Yes, yes good idea Azula" Oh no
About an hour after the meeting the switch flipped, Sokka made notes about everything that he found important in time before the switch was over.
After they switched back Sokka found his sister and grabbed her shoulders "Katara, I have to tell you something, I just got back from a body swit-"
"And your soulmate is Zuko? I know, he cried when I was nice to him, what happened on your end?"
"Well, his whole family is mean to him"
"Figured"
"I was in a war meeting and found out their plan for the comet"
After relaying the information he found they discussed it with Aang.
Let's skip ahead to after the failed invasion and to the air temple when Zuko shows up.
"Hello, Zuko here"
No fighting it in this one
"Get your jerk bender butt over here" Katara and Sokka said practically in unison.
>im gonna wrap it up here. And yes Katara would notice its not Sokka and would totally pick up on Zuko, she's observant
>and no Azula wouldn't notice at all because she's used to Zuko being stand offish with her. Plus Sokka is so much better at impersonations than Zuko
@chaoticidiott @roman-does-nothing @bisexuallsokka @transzukostanblog
I dont know if I did this AU justice, I tried.
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lilbadasstoph · 3 years
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Fanfiction idea! The adventure of puss in boots but as zukka ( would it be a great idea if it was female sokka and zuko is still male?) i think only ppl who watched the adventure of puss in boots more then 2 times will understand and the ones who ship zukka if u dont love the idea then don't read this post also this is very long :>. //sokka is a kind boy and smart i think the fanfiction might take days to write i prefer more then 39 chapters or somthing? In your opinion to the one who wants to write this fic idea
The adventure of zuko ( will be the name of the fanfiction idea if anyone want it somthing else that would be okay) nether world and blood wold everything ofc is thiss in the fic like in the show if u would like to make some changes ok 👌
It would be kind of best if zuko is puss but the personality and reactions and some other things are, different. / and sokka is dulcinea but ofc sokka a boy, sokka lovesss poetry sokka is kind boy and tough but also very brave and wants to figth sokka have a book full with poetry and interesting stuff ( i would make female sokka :>) and some episodes in puss in boots migth not fit in this idea like uhh idk some??
Zuko was sitting in a chair lonely until he saw a beautiful person passing by riding on a horse zuko wanted to follow sokka and became inlove a lil bit? zuko thought (i should follow him incase he/she in danger ) then zuko got of his chair and followed him
__ when zuko got in San Lorenzo sokka asked some questions " after zuko answers some of them San Lorenzo still didn't rlly trust him especially miss seniora zapata
The San Lorenzo's became to know him he introduced himself suddenly thieves came to the town zuko drives them away the San Lorenzo's cheer for him after a day or two he became the protector of San Lorenzo zuko didn't rlly want to be the protector of a village but he got used to it one by one until he suddenly when he rescued San Lorenz again from thieves he got the key to the treasure house
Zuko became trustworthy to San Lorenzo New villains starts to come to San Lorenzo first normal kind of dangerous monsters? second El moco (i dont rlly remeber the other monsters) then the mouse that takes souls then suddenly a sword in a rock appears in the middle of the town then small girl kid goblin visits San Lorenzo named " cleevil" the orphan liked her after they played with her basket ball but Viena hats cleevil when the orphans draw on paper Viena draws cleevil picking her nose cleevil didnt like this and gets mad sokka tries to comfort her but Viena says somthing mean then cleevil lost her nerves and destroys everything miss zapata opens the door and sees the mess cleevil made and yells " CLEEVIl!!" she yells out loud " that's it you are brandished out of this town!" round women points at the goblin " but it wasn't my fault!" cleevil says in a bit low voice " she's rigth it's not her fault you see Viena-" sokka tries to support cleevil but got interrupted by zapata" i dont wanna hear it! Cleevil out " and points at the door cleevil goes out sadly with her head down and going slowly ( i dont rlly remeber what happend next if u remeber u can Write it in the fic)
There's a sign under that sword in the rock it says " the one who pulls the sword is the great hero of San Lorenzo" sokka didnt believe in this "nonsense" and magic sword and stuff the San Lorenzo's all look at each other and they take turns to pull the swords but no luck exept sokka and zuko still didn't try to pull the sword zuko told sokka for him to pull the first sokka sayed "fine" aggressively he runs to the sword zuko turns around and says "if sokka didn't pull it the it could me the hero it would be kind of ama-" suddenly sokka pulled the sword! Sokka and all San Lorenzo's gasped sokka sayed in confusion " what!? How could i be the hero of San Lorenzo i never did any stabby stuff like zuko used to do " sokka looks at zuko and sees a shocked face on him after a hour a villain with a evil sword comes to San Lorenzo apparently he's getting controlled by the evil sword
Then sokka and the one who holds the evil sword were fighting " talk about blood and killing in my country again and ull regret it its just gross! Gross!" sokka glows blue around him and throws the villain up on a balcony " wait! Not like this dont Hurt the man-" the good sword says " why not!?" sokka blocks the evil sword" he is just getting controlled by the evil sword he has nothing to do with this! ". Then sokka screamed when he was thrown of the balcony up in the gateway of the door sokka grunts as he gets up slowly the man holding the evil sword lands roughly and hard on the roof sokka gets up quickly " if i the guy holding the sword is under control of that sword then we will have to hurt just the sword!" sokka whispers yell to the good sword. While fighting the guy sokka's sword is thrown and got stuck in the ground sokka backs away a lil then he fell in the ground the guy raises his sword then after he gets the chance to strike zuko blocks the sword sokka opens his eyes slowly and gets up to help zuko sokka runs to grab the sword and fights with zuko after then the evil sword is thrown to the ground next to the rock the good sword was in " ugh.... What happend." the guy sayed " you were controlled by a evil sword my old friend!" the good sword says ad Flys to his hands " good sword! I'm sorry for throwing you and taking the evil sword instead of you" then the good sword thanks sokka for bringing his friend back then he leaves with his friend zuko and sokka goes to the evil sword " i guess we will have to put that sword onto that rock". Sokka says " i will put it" zuko says softly going towards the sword then he pulls it up his eyes starts to turn red he shakes his head and puts the sword in the rock " no no nooo! You will pay for this Zuko!". The evil sword yells sokka goes and writes on the sign " evil sword do not pull" then they carry the rock the evil sword is on and puts it on the treasure house then they close the door
( oh gosh i dont remeber much but i will see puss in boot again and edit the post this post taking so much time to write )
After days and days past zuko keeps driving away thiefs he's starting to enjoy and finally understand that having ppl on your side supporting you is great zuko is enjoying being the protector of San Lorenzo and getting love like he barely even got that much love since he was lil when zuko sits near the fountain taking a rest from all this stably stab stuff sokka goes to comfort him zuko suddenly found a Strange feeling in his heart ' is that love? Or is it just a feeling' zuko tough ' pfft no way nobody could love me when I have this ugly scar..'. " zuko?" sokka asks zuko opens his eye quickly and looks at him " were you listening?" sokka crossed his arms and frowns " oh uh yeah" zuko sweats a lil " then what was I saying?" sokka says still crossed arms " uh. You were saying uhh" i got to take care of myself?? " zuko shrugs and Smiles sokka couldn't help but huff and shakes his head
One morning a women flys up and San Lorenzo's look in amazement " zuko! I'M HERE to get my revenge for taking my foot!" then she puts out the left foot but it isnt even harmed or anything sokka cough "uhh u mean the other foot?" the duchess looks at her Foot and puts out the other one " my right foot!". The duchess yell " oh uhhh that might have been not and an accident?" zuko shrugs "i dont care! I will still get my revenge on you" the duchess yells then puts a magic spell on her uhh gun thingy? " careful i migth be more dangerous then u tou-" the spell talked the the duchess continue striking at zuko but zuko dodges and pulls his sword out and tries to figth the duchess but she keeps striking lighting on him first after he gets a chance to even run at he and push her down
Season 2? and 3 i will continue the post tomorrow or after tomorrow writing about season 2 and 3 the adventure of zuko c: hope u like the idea
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azula
from early childhood, azula was already seemingly shaped for royalty, she was her fathers favourite and a fire bending “prodigy.” while no one is born “evil,” azula is a perfect example that a child can be corrupted and became evil through pressure and responsibility. it certainly seems that azula was always supposed to be fire lord and that zuko never stood a chance of becoming fire lord. more evidence backing this up, is the fact that she, not zuko, was named after the current fire lord. while she was in favour of her father, it seemed very clear that zuko was her mother’s favourite and this began to form jealous rifts between the family, which would become a plot point as sibling rivalry between azula and zuko. “my father says she was born lucky, he says i was lucky to be born.”
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when we are first introduced to azula, she is a cunning, witty and ambitious leader who goes to great lengths to succeed, yet even as scary as she seems, she still seems like she is trying to constantly impress her father. our first introductory scene of her, is the scene of her practicing on the ship and even one hair our of place is enough to discredit her impressive fire bending she had just displayed as it was not “good enough.” in season two we see her join up with friends mai and ty lee, ty lee who she “uses fear to control” and to convince her to come with her and leave the circus. throughout the entirety of season two, we see her play a steady cat and mouse game with team avatar, while also going after zuko and iroh and turning the dai li against their leader. she takes down aang, proving that she is calm, level headed and extremely smart as no one else made a move to while he was going into the avatar state.  
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season three, we begin to see the start of azula’s downfall, especially in the boiling rock episodes. this is a huge turning point for azula, as she loses both mai and  ty lee, but it is more the way she loses them that leaves a larger impact. when sokka and the rest are escaping mai betrays azula and helps them escape, or as she puts it, “saving the jerk that dumped her.” this angers azula and she asks why. mai says “i guess you just don’t know people as well as you think you do. you miscalculated.” for azula, who likes to seem calculated and self-assured a lot, finding out that she was wrong can be very harmful. it is also a parallel from earlier in the boiling rock episodes where she states: “i’m a people person.” mai continues to say: “i love zuko more than i fear you.” which many people have speculated may have been something her mother said to as a child, or may have replicated feelings that her mother displayed to her as a child. it is no wonder that this sparks a tempered, and for the first time, out burst of emotion from azula. “No! YOU miscalculated. You should have feared me more!” which is the first time we see azula lose her unnerving calm. when the girls are preparing to fight ty lee steps in and chi blocks azula. this is very different from mai’s betrayal, because mai was not chosing between azula and ty lee, she was choosing zuko (much like azula’s mother). ty lee was choosing mai. whether or not you ship ty lee and azula or not, you can agree that ty lee plaid an important role in azula’s life, as did mai and their betrayal hurt azula.
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now we move on to the final episodes of the series. most importantly the scene between azula and her father. when her father declares that he is leaving alone, azula once again loses her cool. the most fascinating line is: “you can’t treat me like this! you can’t treat me like zuko!” when fire lord ozai yells “AZULA!” the fear on her face is very real and it has been confirmed that she was worried she would face the same fate as zuko, regardless of smiling when he got the punishment. when discovering that she is the new fire lord she seems happier, but not like she would have acted the season prior, almost duller. not the kind of voice that has seem to won and got everything they wanted. 
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in the scene where she fires the dai li, she mentions that “sooner or later they all would have betrayed her like mai and ty lee.” is this maybe a sign that she is not as nonchalant and uncaring about their betrayal then she is letting on? this scene is another scene in the same episode where azula is angry, which like afore stated wasn’t at all until boiling rock, because she is cool and unnervingly calm. even the way she’s sitting does not look like she has got what she wants, she looks defeated and empty.
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now we move on to the mirror scenes. at first she “prepares her hair to meet its doom” by cutting it off with scissors, this is very far from the girl who wouldn’t have a hair out of place at her debut, considering this is her coronation. 
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when her mother appears, azula is very hostile.her mother says she is there to see her coronation and azula says “don’t pretend to act proud, i know what you really think of me. you think i’m a monster.” considering this is azula’s imagination, could this be reflecting how she feels about herself? when her mother points out that azula uses fear to control people, azula says “well what choice do i have? trust is for fools, fear is the only reliable way.” this could be from the fact that the two people she trusted most had betrayed her, or azula has never trusted anyone in her life at all. therefore, confirming she feels she needs to use fear to control people. “even you fear me.” “no. i love you azula, i do.” and despite seeming to want her mother’s love all her life, she smashes the mirror where her mother is standing and falls to the floor crying. which we’ve never seen her do before, and we’ve never seen her this unhinged. 
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finally, the final agni kai. the final agni kai, “the showdown that was always meant to be,” one azula had been anticipating her whole life. azula’s fighting type is usually calm and cool and pre-meditated. though, throughout the fight she is brash and not thinking moves through, rather just shooting fire. she is also laughing and seems to be tainting not only zuko, but herself. not to mention that going to strike katara with lightning did seem like a smart and sneaky move, but not really azula’s style, because she knew she was losing. 
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in the final moments of the battle, is the final time where we see the complete unhinging and downfall of azula. could this be pent up emotion from trying to be perfect her entire life? we cannot be sure, but it seems highly likely. also to be beat by a mirrored version of herself, both same age and holding considerable power, one having grown up with love, and one grown up with coldness.
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azula’s story is truly devastating. but does she deserve a redemption arc? she truly seems at times to enjoy being evil, and she was born and raised with evil and the desire to rule and conquer. she can still be defeated and not need a redemption arc. she is not zuko, she is azula. in the show she grew as a charatcer differently, becoming more powerful, than redeeming. but many people support that mental instabilities reached her to this point, comapring the symptons to paranoid schizophrenia. needless to say, she was a truly broken villian. 
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seyaryminamoto · 4 years
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Yakuza Sokkla AU headcanons?
Well, for starters I can point you to a Yakuza AU fic that already exists and features Sokkla, though it’s not the main pairing... here you go!
Now then... let’s toy around with a set of headcanons, shall we?
Azula of course belongs to the biggest baddest yakuza clan in the nation, spanning back who knows how many generations, probably since the Edo period. It’s a pretty violent clan, with complicated and gruesome rites of passage. For instance, Zuko could’ve even been burned in this setting for the sake of proving himself a worthy successor to his father :’D it may sound insane, but there’s a real-life yakuza tradition of amputating their pinky fingers to settle conflicts or as punishments... so in their case, the burning is a rite done to the clan’s heir -- if the heir survives, he’s proven himself, so, strangely, in this AU Zuko’s burn is a mark of pride rather than shame :’D (and Ozai probably has a burn of his own too). Theirs could be, perhaps, the Homura clan (as a reading of Homura 炎 would mean “flames”).
Sokka would belong to a smaller yakuza clan, but his father could be a little like Hanzo and Genji’s father from Overwatch, a wise old man who actually reels back his more criminal and wild associates, who surely want their clan to outdo the Homura at all costs, even if by breaking their more traditional and respectful (and samurai-ish (?)) approach to their work. I’d think their clan can be the Kawakami clan (written  川上, means “above the river”).
The Kawakami are renowned for having THE coolest tattoos so that’s one nice thing they have over every other Yakuza clan around, bahahaha. Sokka has been learning (amongst other things) how to make tattoos of his own too, so he gets plenty of art education here and is damn good at what he does because this boy has the soul of an artist and if it were nurtured properly he’d go the distance with his talents, MARK MY WORDS!
Eh-hem, Sokka fangirl rant over... as they’re from rival clans, Sokka and Azula have bumped into each other on occasion, whenever friction rises between their groups. They’ve known of the other’s existence (and their respective siblings) all along, and they’ve been raised to hate each other’s guts :’D as kids they probably only saw each other on a few occasions, but once they’re old enough to take up missions of their own, their paths will cross more often.
The Homura clan traditionally handles most the drug trafficking and arms trading, and of course, the Kawakami are trying to deal in those things too... which results in frequent spats over suppliers, even outright fights between group members, until Hakoda Kawakami decides he’s had enough of the nonsensical rivalry and determines their clan will benefit most from a truce and an alliance with the Homura clan. He tasks his son and heir with arranging it, since this could be their rise to yakuza glory!
Of course, Sokka Kawakami has a lot of possible ways to achieve success at his father’s request. He starts by making peace offerings to the other clan, yielding some suppliers, for instance, in a show of good faith. But Ozai Homura is not amused and not impressed because he can tell these people are up to something: as he wants his heir Zuko to stay focused on learning the elements of the business that matter, such as learning to read stock markets and such (legit, it seems the Yakuza do this to find out which companies to extort :’D), he dispatches his daughter to handle the lesser threat of the Kawakami clan.
This means a huge cat and mouse struggle begins between Azula and Sokka: she decides to turn his displays of generosity against him, by extending Homura “protection” AKA extortion to people within Kawakami territories, arguing that the Kawakami’s displays of weakness these days mean they’re no longer upholding their duties to “protect” their people as they should. Naturally, Sokka is outraged that she’s fucked up his plan but he counterattacks by reaching out to the people she’s trying to steal away to prove that he’s indeed going to protect them. From HER! :’D The people in question are just plain confused because who should they believe at this point? xD
After a few weeks of this pretty pointless tug of war, Sokka decides he needs to step up his game and take a new approach to fulfilling his father’s request: he asks Azula for a peaceful private meeting in an empty park at night (and by private I mean they’ll talk alone while about 20 members of each clan point guns at each other from the shadows of the park), and he explains what’s going on and why he’s been up to what he’s up to. Azula is uninterested in any alliances, for the Homura are perfectly strong as they are, but Sokka points out... their tattoo game ain’t as good as the Kawakami clan’s. Azula is confused but intrigued.
Next thing Ozai knows, Azula is offering to take one bullet for the clan: she will receive a tattoo from the Kawakami heir to see if they have ONE worthwhile thing to offer their clan or not. Ozai is utterly uninterested but fiiiiiiiiiine, their artists have been pretty lackluster lately and it’s known decent tattoos are needed for people to respect a yakuza clan as it should be.
As these tattoos are very difficult, painful and time-consuming, it takes more than one session. Sokka of course insists he must be alone with Azula or he won’t be able to focus -- not that he’s focusing too much while she lies down naked to the waist on his tattoo parlor and he works on inking her back as best as he can :’D the very FATE of his clan rides on whether he can do wonders on Azula’s body or not... (?)
... Obviously, this ends up taking a whole other meaning when it’s time for him to work on other, more intimate parts of her body...
Ehem. Things are no longer PG-13. Not that they ever are when it comes to the yakuza. Or to me writing these two.
Azula goes home after the final session of her hugely-detailed epic tattoo with the biggest, stupidest smile on her face because ahaha that tattoo was good “ahaha yes father he’s TALENTED I mean, very talented, the things he does with his HUGE needle...! Um, y-yeah, I’m totally talking about tattoos, not about anything else, that’s not it (?)”
A temporary alliance is crafted then, despite Ozai thinks Azula’s approval of the Kawakami clan is super weird and isn’t exactly crazy about allowing this puny clan to even breathe in his direction, but he’s always had a weakness for his daughter + has no idea she’s doing the tattoo artist so he lets everything run its course (?)
I guess one day he finds out and legit war blows up between both factions (?) buuuut that’s too much plot to plot and I have enough big stories in my head as it is x’D feel free to imagine that war and its outcome for yourself, anon (?)
(as a bonus, looking into the yakuza wikipedia article revealed that, amongst their TONS of criminal activities, the real life yakuza actually offered relief and assistance during big catastrophic events in Japan, like the Kobe and Sendai earthquakes? How epic would it be for the Kawakami clan to offer relief and earn the loyalty of a fuckton of people, turning them into a clan big enough to rival the Homura before Ozai is the wiser... :’DDDD further spice into the clan war, eh, ehhhh?)
Well, that was fun xD I hope you enjoyed it too, Anon xD
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attackfish · 4 years
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I recently received two prompts for this AU, and searching through my blog made me realize how unwieldy this AU has gotten, so I made a tag, and decided to post these four old drabbles from Livejournal here just so they would all be easily accessible. Universe tag: [Link]. Where the Morning Light Shines: [Link].
Toph Bei Fong
They should have left her to die in a field. That’s what everybody whispered. It would be kinder than to let her grow up and be absolutely useless to their village. It was the kind of thing that made villages choose new leaders. It was the kind of thing that made villages kick out old leaders. No village could afford permanent dead weight, not anymore.
Gaoling used to be a city. Of course it did. All of the villages did. In the Earth Kingdom, people stayed rooted. They didn’t abandon their homes. Toph grew up without one. Every day, her parents tried to protect her from the sad, horrible fact that they had no one but each other because of her.
But Toph wasn’t dead weight. She could tell where every rabbit-pheasant, and every pigeon-mouse in every den was. She could catch any one of them and bring them home. She could keep her family fed every day. No one else had that.
And when she rode into Gaoling with her parents on the badger-moles, that everybody thought were gone from the world, no one called her dead weight. They called her a gift.
Sokka and Katara
“I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since Mom died I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!”
Hakoda of the Water Tribe had two children, two golden children. Two children to hunt when he was to old to, if he lived that long, two children his tribespeople called miracles, and gifts from the spirits. Sokka and Katara had been born so close together. People talked. Things were going to get better, weren’t they? Children were being born again, like they used to be.
Sokka and Katara were almost grown, and nothing was getting better.
“Uh... Katara?” The water lashed at the sides of their canoe. Sokka sank low and clung to the sides, but Katara didn’t seem to notice.
“I even wash all the clothes!” She shouted, the water growing wilder and wilder. “Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, NOT PLEASANT!”
“Katara, settle down!”
The wall of ice behind them split and fell into the water, sending waves crashing into their little canoe. The golden children were going to die together. Katara stopped yelling and stared, arms wrapped around her brother as a new iceberg rose in place of the one falling into the sea. It was glowing.
Even when the boy inside came out, he didn’t stop glowing with the kind of life the world hadn’t seen for a hundred years. Katara and Sokka just had to stand near him to know things were going to get better.
Winter When He Goes
Katara left her Gran Gran’s tent when the moon rose, pulling the sleeves of her parka low over her hands. Hama stood on top of the low ice wall around the camp, sending icicle after icicle at a leather target, waiting for her student, and Katara swallowed. Gran Gran told her stories about how when she came to the South Pole, there had been tons of students, and tons of waterbenders to teach them. Katara wished that was still the way things were. She hated being Hama’s last hope.
She shuffled her way up the steps to the top of the wall. Hama folded her arms and let the icicles she had thrown into the target melt. “Why do you insist on climbing the stairs?” she grumbled at her student. “Boost yourself up on the ice like a proper bender.”
Katara climbed the rest of the way up the steps. She couldn’t wait for winter.
Winter was supposed to be the worst time of the year, when there was no sun, and the winds howled around, and no one could leave their tents long enough to hunt, or learn to bend, but winter was when their dad was home.
He had to go farther and farther away from the tribe every year to find food, and it took longer for him to come home. Someday, he might not come home at all.
And then winter would be the worst time of year.
Except even then, at least she wouldn’t have to deal with Hama.
Zuko and Iroh
Ozai’s line was the line of the old Fire Lords. Every member of every Fire clan left knew that, but none of them cared anymore. Zuko picked his way over the rocks, the sea spray lashing his body and face. His eyes darted into the pools between the stones, his knife in hand. “Ha!” Falling to his knees on the slick stones, Zuko shoved his arm into one of the small pools and pried loose a clam-mussel to throw into his skin bag. Once, before the Avatar had disappeared and everything had easy, clam-mussels had covered the beach. Uncle told him that once, there had been other people to gather them, people who were paid with money. Zuko had never seen money.
It was so hard not to eat them, crouched among the sea-slicked stones instead of carrying them away to share with Uncle.
o0O0o
The sun had gone down behind the clouds by the time Zuko made it back to camp. Uncle had his pot on the fire already, full of cricket-moths frying with oily Huangyou seed pods.
They hadn’t eaten in two days. Zuko’s stomach cramped with hunger, and tonight, he was going to be full, actually full.
Uncle pulled the pot off the fire. People killed for good steel knives and metal pots.
Nobody cared anymore that Ozai’s line was the line of the old Fire Lords. What they cared about was that his clan held the old capital city and all the wreckage inside, with all the odds and ends, and good steel knives and metal pots. What people talked about was that he had two children. Ever since the Avatar had disappeared, one child born was a wonder, two was a miracle. What people talked about was that he had kicked one of his children out of his clan. People wondered out loud what kind of person would throw away a miracle, what was wrong with him.
Or wrong with the child.
Uncle handed him the waterskin, and it tasted slimy, like the water had been in there too long. Uncle sometimes talked about something called tea, that he had drunk when he was still a child, before it had gotten really bad. But he said it didn’t fill up his stomach, so Zuko didn’t see the point.
Zuko picked a moth-cricket out of the pot and popped it into his mouth, eating as quickly as he could so he could put the clam-mussels into the pot while they were still alive. “If we’re going to search the southern Air islands, we’re going to have to leave now.”
Iroh nodded, mouth full of moth-crickets and glanced at the outrigger canoe carved from one of the big, dead jungle trees from the Fire islands, its main hull packed with nets and sail. People killed for those too.
When Uncle had been young, he had travelled the world searching for the Avatar to capture him for the Fire Nation. Back when there had been a Fire Nation. Zuko needed to find the Avatar so there would be a Fire Nation again.
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vomara · 4 years
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atla daemon au snippet: azula & zuko.
(ao3)
“Dad’s gonna kill you,” Azula singsongs from his doorway. Anantachai curls around her leg, mirth written on his feline features. “Really, he is.”
Zuko tries not to startle at her voice, but he can’t help it. “Ha, ha, Azula, nice try.” She’s lying. She has to be.
“Fine, don’t believe me,” she says, approaching the bed. “But I heard everything. Grandfather thought father’s punishment should fit his crime.” Her voice lowers as she imitates grandfather’s threat. “You must know the pain of losing a firstborn son by sacrificing your own.”
A wave of terror overcomes Zuko, and he grasps his blankets helplessly. Rahmi hides under the covers, quiet as a mouse, tucking her face into the side of his leg. “Liar.”
“I’m only telling you for your own good,” Azula replies, standing up next to his bed. Her form is hazy in the darkness, the edges defined only by the light coming through the door.
Behind her, a single color draws Zuko’s eye. Ananta shifts, his form slipping, his musculature becoming all at once flat, his skin brilliant in tone. A pure, sharp blue, the likes of which Zuko had never seen on a daemon. He swallows thickly, an instinctive fear coursing through him. Azula’s daemon had never taken this form before.
The daemon flies circles around them, silent as Azula continues to taunt him. “I know. Maybe you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt you.”
Zuko squeezes his eyes shut. “Stop it, you’re lying,” he starts, but his voice falters, because at that moment, Ananta lands on his hand. He feels the scritch-scritch of his insect legs before he sees the creature, but the moment he recognizes it, his eyes fly open.
Blue consumes his vision as the daemon languidly stretches his wings. He seems almost mocking as he sits on him, digging his appendages into Zuko’s arm. Zuko can count the number of times Ananta’s spoken to him on both hands, but he still recognizes his voice when he hears it. “Why would we lie?” Ananta asks, laughter in his tone. “Sometimes the truth is worse than anything we could ever come up with.”
Azula’s smile cuts like a dagger, and fear runs down his spine. No discomfort on her face, even though Ananta is lounging on his hand. She’s smiling as she leans on his bed. And through the sheets, Zuko feels her fingers pry, searching for a hidden form. She finds what she’s looking for, her hand pressing down.
Rahmi squeaks, trying to escape Azula’s grasp, and Zuko’s heart beats faster. “Azula, stop it!” He pushes against her hand, and Ananta flies upwards, landing on his nose. The blue obscures his sight completely, Ananta’s beady eyes boring into his own, and now Zuko’s sweating, and shaking, and he feels sick, panic coursing through him. “Azula, stop! Stop!” He grabs at Rahmi with one hand blindly, while the other reaches up to pull Ananta away and then --
Azula’s looking at him with wide eyes, her expression dropping away, and suddenly, Zuko can feel the silky membrane in his hand. The daemon. He’s touching her daemon. He’s grabbing her daemon, practically crushing it.
He lets go.
Azula steps back for a moment, before her lip curls. Her fist tightens sharply around Rahmi’s form, choking her out.
He barely manages to cry out before a voice cuts through the air. “What is going on here?”
Azula retracts her hand quickly, so as not to get caught, and Rahmi burrows into his leg, clinging to him like a newborn koalacub. She’s trembling, and Zuko reaches a hand under his blanket to calm her down.
Ananta lands on Azula’s shoulder as a parrot-shrike, the blue disappearing as rapidly as it came. His previous form is no more, but Zuko will never forget it.
---
The next day, mother is gone.
From across the courtyard, a large butterfly daemon sits on Azula’s shoulder. Non-hybrid, rare. Size, remarkable. Color, prized.
It’s settled.
---
Three days after that, her fire burns blue.
---
[End notes:
Azula -- Anantachai (Thai name meaning "infinite victory", Ananta alone is "infinite/boundless"), Blue Morpho butterfly. Zuko -- Rahmi (Indonesian name meaning "mercy"), unsettled.
azula's daemon is a non-hybrid, which makes it exceptionally rare, and a sign of power. it may seem like it doesn't suit her, but consider the image of a giant blue butterfly silently flying ahead of her, an ominous symbol to come. her daemon is also... peculiarly quiet for a daemon, so take of that what you will. ozai doesn't consider her daemon to be a sign of weakness, due to its rarity. to him, it shows that she's simply that much more powerful, in that she'll never have to use her daemon in combat.]
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mxrcayong · 4 years
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spite - the avatar series (02.01)
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chapter one
Ever since two members of the now internationally renowned pro-bending team praised the coffee from “Iroh and Me”, business has been booming. It didn’t help that these two members, namely “The Osaka Prince” and “The Mouse”, are among the top pro-benders and are heartthrobs everywhere they go.
What once was a quiet café in the isolated part of downtown Sooman was now a booming social space, with the owners even being pressured into expanding their small café into a chain restaurant.
Thursday afternoons were always the busiest. People wanted that extra boost of coffee or bubble tea to push them through the week, most likely trying to complete their work by the end of Friday so they could finally be free. Despite the fact that only an hour ago they had a line down their block, Tari glided around the café effortlessly with a rag in her apron pocket and her tray with dirty dishes in hand.
“Someone’s chirpier than normal today,” Hendery commented as Tari slid back behind the counter, where Hendery placed the last customer’s drink in the line on the counter. “You don’t normally hum.” His eyebrow raised inquisitively, “Does this mean it’s easier for me to convince you to let me go home early tonight?”  
The new manager of the café rolled her eyes, chuckling. “Quite the opposite actually. Do you think you can close tonight?” She unconsciously grinned as she thought of the reason she’d be going home early.
Hendery jokingly groaned, dramatically throwing his arms on the bar counter and slamming his head onto his arms. “I don’t know if I like you being corrupt with power.”
Her eyes widened before she playfully pushed him, just strong enough for him to fumble over his own feet. “You say that as if I haven’t let you go home early normally!”
As dramatically as he can, he let out a scoff and rested the back of his hand on his forehead. “It’s never enough for you!” Tari smiled, feeling grateful to have Hendery work with her. “What’s tonight then? You never go home early these days.” He practically sang, jumping onto the stool they have behind the bar counter as they waited for tables to bust.
“Do you remember Sonan and Kilari?” Tari inquired, although she is certain that over the four-year period of working together, Hendery met them. He nodded, also keeping in mind the fact Tari mentioned they moved out of Sooman. “Well, Kilari is finally a fully-pledged Fire Sage and Sonan is visiting to celebrate.” Not completely the truth, Tari thought, but it’ll do – it’s not lying.
It really isn’t a lie. For one, Kilari’s last six months in becoming a Fire Sage required her to ‘disconnect from her world’. She quite literally hasn’t spoken to anyone else but her fellow pledges for the last six months. Unfortunately, six months ago happened to be the anniversary of Amon’s incarceration. They all planned to meet up, but unfortunately – Yuta and Jisung had a qualifying competition and Kilari had to start her ‘disconnection’. Therefore, Sonan didn’t come to visit and it was just Doyoung, Johnny, and Tari.
Now, that Kilari is finally done with her disconnection and the boys have a break before the world cup – Sonan is coming back.  It was such a big occasion that Johnny even decided to leave his journalism retreat early. Therefore, tonight was a celebration of not only Kilari’s success but a delayed-one-year-reunion for saving the world. Not to mention, it was also Tari’s one year anniversary with her boyfriend.
Basically, tonight was going to be a big night.
“So big night, huh?” Hendery seemed to read her mind, making Tari chuckle and nod. A ding of the door signified someone has left their table. Tari, almost unconsciously, was quick to stride over and clean the table like clockwork. “And I wasn’t invited?” Hendery scoffed in fake offense, just loud enough for Tari to hear but not loud enough for people to complain.
Tari’s coworker, however, noticed how the one person in the corner seemed to be interested in Tari’s plans – their movement slowing down at the mention of Tari going out. Her co-worker, yes, is a part time model – but he isn’t just a pretty face. He has noticed the same person wearing the same get-up, taking the same seat in the back corner, and just barely getting enough food or drinks to avoid being considered a loiterer.
“Dude, I literally invite you to everything!” She exclaimed, laughing as she returned to the counter with her tray of a plate and coffee cup. “It’s like a reunion as Kilari had a goodbye party with us last year too.” She excused, telling a partial truth again.
Another two tables disrupted the conversation, the customers leaving the café with a distant ‘thank you’ being shouted at them. As if choregraphed, Tari maneuvered her way around the counter to start collecting the dirty dishes, Hendery hot on her tails.
Hendery, however, continued to notice how the person in the corner’s attention seemed to always snap back at Tari. He’d think it’s just another customer attracted to Tari, but it was too…common. Her co-worker made a mental note to ask the bosses for security footage of that side of the café to see how many days this customer has been watching Tari.
He furrowed his eyebrows, approaching Tari to whisper to her. “I think they have been here all day. Can we kick them out for loitering?” He wasn’t sure if Tari was aware of how often the same person shows up, or how attentive this customer was to her, but he didn’t want to cause alarm.
Tari sighed; her heart beat slowly increasing. Since she noticed them two months back, she’s been feeling like there’s been eyes burning holes in the back of her head. For this reason, she’s been asking Doyoung to pick her up from work – which wasn’t particularly out of his way. It’s actually the reason Tari stays behind for closing as Doyoung’s work ends later than usual. She only voiced her specific concerns to Doyoung (rather than her normal excuse of not wanting to be lonely), when he practically forced her to tell him during their movie night.
“Not allowed.” She sighed, remembering company policy. The person was a customer – they had a drink in front of them and Tari can attest to taking their order. “It’s fine. But yeah, is it okay if I leave in an hour?” She swapped the conversation back to something lighthearted.
“Of course.” He grinned, trying to suppress the bad feeling in his gut as he started trying to embrace Tari – a dirty rag in his hand. “Anything for my favorite manager.”
Tari pushed him away, trying to avoid getting dirtied from his rag as she squealed; “I’m your only manager.”
“Exactly!” Tari scoffed at Hendery’s response.
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Tari’s concerns about her stalker didn’t subside even when Doyoung picked her up from the café. It didn’t subside as she gave him his usual coffee and the two left. Because in the corner of her eye, she could sense movement from the same person who has yet to leave their seat other to order.
But she felt safe. She was with Doyoung, who quite literally has been with her through the worst of times. “Do you think we can take a lot of turns?” Tari whispered, despite the impossibility of the person seemingly following them hearing them.
Doyoung smiled slightly, “Already one step ahead of you.”
Moments like these remind Tari of how much, despite teasing him all the time, she appreciates Doyoung. It was always like this, ever since she moved to Sooman and met Doyoung. The two of them against the city, not caring about the weird stares they get and protecting each other.
The way to the train station from the café involved some twist and turns anyway, but Doyoung made the way to the train station a maze. Tari wasn’t even sure if she could track the path the two of them took. Although she was insanely confused about where she was – especially as Doyoung distracted her with conversation, but she was filled with relief when she turned around and saw the unidentified figure was gone. Despite being completely unsure of where she was, she knew she was with Doyoung and that’s all that mattered.
Eventually, the train station came to sight. The statue of Fire Lord Zuko wearing his armor marking the transportation hub. It wasn’t among Tari’s favorite places – always too crowded and bustling with life, but she saw how gorgeous it was. Central City Station had humongous arches and intricate details inside. No matter how crowded it was, the high glass ceilings made the building felt spacious.
“I can’t believe we’ll all be in the same place again.” Tari breathed out, excited but noticeably anxious. In her eyes, this was the one family who she has never left behind and who (although are across the world) never left her. She was anxious about any potential awkwardness it may be to have everyone in the same room after so long, having to catch them up on life and hoping everyone still merged well together. Oh shit, she realized, I don’t think Sonan knows about me and –
Doyoung threw his arm over Tari’s shoulder, sensing her anxiety. “We can always host this on the weekend. Sonan will be leaving Tuesday anyways, after Yuta and Jisung’s finals.” Tari shook her head insistently, pushing herself to face her anxieties and not accept the tempting offer. “We can always just let you celebrate your anniversary properly toda-“
“No, it’s rude for us to cancel so last minute.” Tari insisted, although she had to force the words out. “Plus, I just really want to see everyone.”
The air bender then quickly abandoned his serious tone and started enthusing about the event himself. “You know, I can’t promise Johnny and Yuta won’t eat all the pizza.”
“I think Jisung will scarf it down before you even notice the pizza was there.” Doyoung raised his eyebrows, as if doubting Tari. “Don’t forget how tall he’s gotten!”
“Wait, whose taller?” Doyoung asked as the two stopped in front of the arrivals board, waiting for Johnny’s train. “Johnny or Jisung?”
A voice from the side startled them. “Definitely me.” Johnny’s cheeky grin hasn’t been seen by the two of them in a week, but for Tari – it felt like months. She stood frozen, grinning like she was a starstruck fan, as she stared at Johnny. He was wearing one of the outfits he knew Tari loved on him – something he normally would wear when he has to look formal but not too formal. He rolled his eyes and dropped his duffle on the ground, the plop seeming to echo in the station.
This felt like a movie. It felt like the whole world around Johnny was in slow motion as he widened his arms. Doyoung had to push Tari to make her move towards Johnny.
However, one she started moving, she had to hold herself back from leaping into his arms. But Johnny refused to not spin her around and lift her – it’s all hes been wanting to do for the last week. He pulled her into a suffocating hug before lifting her above the ground, spinning her around. Her arms automatically wrapped around his neck, keeping her safe as he spun and she laughed – until he eventually placed her on the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Johnny smiled sweetly before pressing his lips against hers.
As disgustingly cute as they may be, Doyoung knew that this wouldn’t have been different a year ago today – just less kissing. Overall, he was just happy to see his two friends so ecstatic and glowing.
“I’ve been waiting for that for the last week.” Johnny murmured against the kiss, “Especially because someone didn’t kiss me goodbye.”
Tari’s eyes widened in offense. “I did!”
Johnny quirked a single eyebrow, “Excuse me? The last words you said to me before I left was ‘Get on the train, you dumbass’.”
“You were going to be late!” She excused, stepping back from his embrace and letting Doyoung come closer without feeling too much like a third-wheel. Johnny playfully rolled his eyes before giving Doyoung a quick hug.
As soon as the pleasanties got out the way, Johnny laced his fingers with Tari’s and the three left the station. “How was your week without me? Boring? Lonely? Sad?”
“Like you never left.” Doyoung groaned. “Straight up, because of you two visiting last week, all of the gym trainers are asking me how to work out my calves.” Johnny burst out laughing and Tari felt her heart leap, despite having heard him laugh a million times. If she could hear anything for the rest of her life, she’d want it to be Johnny’s laugh.
“Your turkey calves?” Tari clarified, leaning into Johnny’s shoulder as she looked over at Doyoung on the other side of Johnny.
Her best friend scoffed in fake anger, “Listen, I need to salvage as much dignity in that place as I can. You two completely ruined my reputation.” Tari laughed at the memory; she visited to give Doyoung coffee and Johnny had went with her. While Tari dropped off coffee at Doyoung’s personal office (yes, Doyoung is now one of the managers of the gym), Johnny decided to tell Doyoung’s fellow trainers about not only his obstacle course of a room, but his nickname of ‘Calf Monster’.
At this moment, Tari couldn’t care less about her stalker. All she cared about was having her two boys with her and seeing her chosen family in a few hours. “I mean,” Johnny started over exaggerating and grossly bit his lip as if he was checking out Doyoung, “look at those calves.”
“I liked it better when you weren’t dating.”
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jctko · 3 years
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Jetko week, day 1: Confession
Hi folks, here’s my shitty late contribution. I had a world of difficulties with this piece, but I also enjoyed it and felt like I got to vent a little. It’s a bit more Gen than most of my fics, but it was made with Fleabag in mind so...
i. confession
Dear Jet
Please come to my wedding.
Thanks,
Katara.
-
The first time Jet sees the priest, he’s in the bar on the way to Katara’s house. It’s a little bar on the corner of a main street, with a green sign and blinking lights. It is very distinctly English, in the sense that the mist and fog clambers up the windows. But the warm light beckons him in, and before he knows it he’s sitting at the counter waiting for a beer.
Jet lights a cigarette just as the door opens once again with a jingle of wind chimes. 
He’d be a young man if not for the red scar stretching his skin taut. It kind of makes Jet’s heart drop to his stomach, if he’s being honest. From the moment he appears, Jet identifies him as a man of contrast. Sharp white skin beneath a black turtleneck, interrupted by violent red.
The man glances at Jet and narrows the one eyebrow he has left. “Something interesting?” Jet shakes his head. “Not at all.” Then, before he can even feel it, a smile is splitting his face in half. “Hi.”
The man ignores him, instead going to the other end of the bar and ordering a scotch on ice. Red-gold liquid slides, languishing around white ridges of ice. Jet snorts and finishes his beer, leaving a tip. “See you,” he says to the man.
-
It’s Katara’s engagement dinner. Technically, Aang should be there too, but he’s doing something with the rest of the monks. It’s a nicer restaurant than Jet’s used too, a barn location with minimalist food. It’s not exactly what Jet would choose. Glasses swirl around him, and a lazy jealousy fills Jet’s chest. He knows that he needs to reassess his meds, but recently they fill him with an icy numbness that burns as much as it chills. 
“Putting pine nuts on your salad doesn’t make you a grown up,” Katara is laughing.
“Fucking does,” Jet mutters under his breath. 
There’s a bit of a rustle, and then someone is sliding into the one vacant seat. “So sorry, I was- traffic,” Jet is wondering how there could be traffic in a town as small as this when his eyes make contact with red. That’s all there is.
Katara moves in for a hug and then turns. “Jet, this is Zuko. He’s the priest! And Sokka’s best friend.” Jet nearly scoffs but simply waves his hand in a friendly gesture. Zuko just watches him, which makes things really awkward considering they’re sitting adjacent. The two of them sit around their meals, listening to the conversation as it sloshes around the table like water in a fishbowl.
Jet’s gaze slides around the table, and he allows himself a moment to think. There’s Katara, of course, and her father. Then there’s Sokka- who is clearly not going to address Jet in the time of this conversation. Her eyes are alight with that practiced happiness that has eventually become real. 
There’s a crash and some yells, and Jet realises he’s dropped his glass. Red wine has splashed out across the tablecloth, leaving everything a kind of musty pink. 
“Shit,” he mutters, and then repeats it so everyone can hear. “So sorry, I’ll just grab a- some tissues- ahah.” He gets up and is blocked by a speedy waiter. That’s the kind of restaurant this is. Jet turns back to the table, and is met with multiple pairs of second-hand-embarrassed eyes. “I need a piss.”
He turns and goes not to the bathroom, but past it to the alleyway.
The lighter sparks in his fingers to the point that he nearly drops it. Who in their right mind has a wedding in November! He curses, but halts at the sound of a soft voice. “Careful.” He looks up and sees a woman; red hair bobbed to her shoulders and eyes the type of blue he can’t catch in the moonlight.
“Thanks,” he says, but all there is is shadows passing over a dumpster. The air smells kind of like blood, so he covers it up with nicotine.
He’s halfway through his cigarette when the door opens and the priest steps out. There’s no eye contact, but Zuko awkwardly shuffles closer. 
“Want a cig?” Jet holds it out and Zuko takes it in silence. “So you’re a cool priest, huh? Cigarettes and alcohol,” Jet laughs as Zuko glares. They don’t know each other well enough for this kind of banter. 
Smoke drifts through the alley in its comforting disgust. “Who were you talking to, just then?”
“What? Oh, nothing.”
Zuko turns to go, clearly satisfied with their interaction.
“I wasn’t staring because of your scar,” Jet says suddenly, and Zuko stops at the end of the street. He makes a half-turn, and his gaze glances over Jet’s body. “I have a few grizzly scars too, so it made me-”
“Our scars have nothing in common.” Zuko raises his speed and is soon gone. Jet chuckles to himself, pitifully.
He leans his head back against the brick and feels static in his scalp. Cool wind soaks over his skin, bathing him in a type of quiet light. 
“That was smooth.” It’s the same voice of the woman before. She’s amused. “Thanks, Suki.” He doesn’t open his eyes, instead hearing the soft ramble of her voice. The cigarette burns to the filter and he finally drops it into a pile of trash. His stomach burns something awful, like he’s going to throw up. He turns and heads to the car. 
-
Over the next day, Jet finds himself thinking about the priest. There’s not any reason to, it’s not like they’ll bump into each other before the wedding. But there’s something about that frightened scowl that reminds Jet of the kids he helps in social work. He’s known several kids who go to religion as a source of healing, but most of them haven’t exited it.
He doesn’t know what it is that brings him to the churchyard. Not the building itself, of course, but he finds himself lingering among the gravestones. Part of him feels slightly dead, he thinks. He finds kinship with these people below the ground; no doubt by now rotting and hollow like old fruit. 
“Are you stalking me or something?” His attention is tugged to- of course- Zuko. He’s even in his priest habit, a black thing with a white collar. It looks good on him, Jet thinks, in the time it takes to process Zuko’s presence.
“It’s illegal to go for a stroll through the graveyard now, is it?” 
“It’s morbid,” Zuko tilts his face so that he’s giving Jet his good eye. “You don’t know anyone here, do you?”
“Sure I do,” Jet grins and puts a piece of grass between his lips. He found it on the border of the property, “Or- I don’t know them yet, but I will one day.”
If his eyes don’t deceive him, Zuko makes a snort. He twists away from Jet, catlike as he starts to walk along the path. He stops down by a grave and reaches to pull weeds from the flowerbed. Florence Doyle, 1874-1917. Beloved wife and mother. 
“Poor woman,” Jet mutters, tracing his fingers along the stone rendered green by time. Some of the other headstones are now so old that they are illegible- this woman will join them one day, Jet thinks. And so will I. “I wonder if anyone at all visits her.”
“The dead don’t care. Those aren’t them, just skeletons under the ground. They are with God now.” Zuko pauses, because he is currently doing just what he thinks strange, “This is my job. For the presentation of the church.” He frowns a little and pulls out the final weed. 
He starts to head back to the parish but Jet clears his throat. “Have dinner with me tonight, at the pub.”
Zuko doesn’t answer.
-
Jet goes anyway, waiting at the bar for someone that might not even come. He’s got a pint of beer inside him already, but all he does is watch the horse races on the pub TV’s. It makes him feel like more of a waster than usual. He sips foam from his glass and sighs. This is hard. Zuko sets down beside him, and sniffs. 
“Why’d you come?” Jet asks, and then regrets it. His voice sounds slightly raw under the influence of alcohol, and he’s been finding it difficult to sleep. Someone behind him reminds him that alcohol is a depressant, but he ignores it. “You didn’t have to.”
“You are very uniquely irritating,” Zuko shrugs and the bartender immediately goes for the usual. Jet is quiet; watches the man unscrew an amber bottle and pour it over rectangles of ice. It burns like fire, like Zuko’s eyes, swirling around the shimmering ice. Jet realises he’s missed hearing that. It feels like years.
“I am very unique.” Zuko laughs at that. It’s a frightened sound, like a mouse. Jet doesn’t dare look in his direction as he says, “Would you like to walk back to the parish after this? I could do with some night air.”
-
They walk in silence through the streets. Jet knows him. This is a sensation that grows inside him over the moments that they spend together. They go for almost an hour without talking, and the sounds of Zuko’s breath makes something clench in Jet’s chest. 
Without speaking, they drift into the church. Jet has never been religious. He tried to be for a time, but it didn’t really gel with him. He believes that something might be out there, but it certainly isn’t embodied by men of cloth- God would never exist inside a capitalistic system. He smiles at his own predictability.
A shadow moves at the corner of his eye and he turns without thinking. A curve of red hair glances out behind a pillar. He twitches, takes in a deep breath, and accepts the fact that Zuko is looking. 
“Who are you looking at?”
“No one-”
He winces at the twist of his words. “I would like to make a confession.”
-
He sits awkwardly on the wooden seat, his hands fumbling. He doesn’t know how to do this. “Well, I have a lot of sins to begin with,” he laughs awkwardly, “Sodomy, self-pleasure, queerness. I’m a manic depressive wreck who is clearly possessed by something wicked, and I think my former self drowned a village or something because I just can not get a break.” He laughs around his fist, his fingers gripping his skin a little too tightly. “But mostly I think I’m just- everything is wrong. It’s never felt right. And I wish- I wish I could believe in God, because I just wish I could step in a direction without wondering where it’s taking me.”
He waits for something, anything, but Zuko remains quiet behind the wooden screen door. Not a breath escapes either of them, the tension lingering in the atmosphere that smells of pine and sweat of thousands before him.
“I want love but I don’t know if I can get it. Because I- I had love once and- and I lost it.”
“Katara?” “No. Some- someone else. And it was a different love.” He closed his eyes, “The kind of thing that makes me know what I’m going to do tomorrow. I’m going to call her, I’m going to arrange tea, I’m going to compare traumas. I’m going to look after her and I’m going to be looked after. I had it, once, and it was so much more beautiful than anything I can describe to you. Not a thousand encounters with heaven could ever compare to the beauty of that stability. But the stability was broken, and I can’t ever get it back.” His hands shake. “You can’t fix a relationship with a dead woman.”
He swears he can hear voices travelling past the confession box. He hears his name in a soft, cool voice. 
“The only reason I was invited to this wedding was pity and concern.”
Zuko makes a sound and Jet feels like he’s crumbling inward. He’s not okay. He wishes he were okay. It feels so much less escapable the older he gets, as if he’s wandering the earth in a cage of his own mind. Something burns, like alcohol, and he wishes he were still at the pub. The opposite of taking his suffering away, he feels it washing through him like a tsunami of pain. He is silent, not even making a whimper. Not a tear leaves his eye, and yet he sits there feeling like a marked Cain. A struck Abel.
The curtain slides open and he tilts his face upwards, to where Zuko stands above him with a face of calm understanding; pressed into that testimonial frown like paint over cement. He doesn’t say anything and he doesn’t move. His golden eyes look like honeycomb moons; and before he knows it, Jet’s starting to cry. At least a year’s worth of tears build up and crash; and he rocks his body forward so his face is buried in Zuko’s habit. He shudders and sputters, nearly gagging from the pain of it all. A hand rests on the back of his head, holding him stable. 
He cries so hard that hours must have passed; though it is still dark. All the energy is gone from his body by the time he wipes his eyes. Zuko doesn’t look at him, but it’s not from embarrassment. It’s from respect. 
It’s pretty obvious that Jet can’t walk home tonight. Silently, Zuko leads him back to the parsonage and gives him a bed to sleep in. Jet’s words are all gone, his throat completely wracked. Still, Zuko senses the note of panic at the motion of leaving. Still clothed, Zuko slides into bed beside Jet. 
He’s still there when Jet wakes up.
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faelapis · 5 years
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atarahderek replied to your post: okay. so. i’ve noticed that when people push back...
Zuko betrayed his uncle and helped his psychopathic sister murder a 12-year-old boy in cold blood. I’d say that qualifies his arc as one of redemption.
i feel like zuko’s betrayal of his uncle is portrayed very much as like, a temporary lapse in judgement. it doesn’t have too much bearing on the overall tone of his character. it’s more comparable to The Episode Where The Protagonist Does a Bad Thing than grounds for needing a full redemption.
even if that was a bigger deal, i still stand by that zuko’s arc - in atla’s narrative - is predetermined by the fact that he was always a relatively good guy who just... knew that the fire nation’s actions were bad, even as a child. even despite all socialization to the contrary. he was the only one willing to go against what his dad wanted. that’s why we’re supposed to think he’s “worthy” of being redeemed in the first place.
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he’s like... jamie from game of thrones. his first instinct (of doing the right thing, despite his Mean Family dishonoring him) was always right. he just needed to be pushed in the right direction and find better friends. that’s not redemption to me.
also, in what way is zuko trying to hunt down the avatar really all that morally challenging? like... yes, aang is 12. most shounen series have young protagonists. zuko’s just a teen. it’s much more in line with team rocket - underlings going on this mission, but never framed as a viscerally evil thing. even if they’re technically the bad guys. it’s always framed like he wants to “capture” aang, not kill him himself. it’s basically cat and mouse-esque.
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and because atla has such a narrow idea of who can heal, it’s never zuko’s own idea. he’s always carrying out the wishes of others. he’s not invested in the ideology of the fire nation at all.
i also disagree that “helping someone else do a bad thing” is that dramatic or interesting as a redemption starting point. not only because of the guilt by association thing (azula, unlike zuko, does do some genuinely bad things! even if your label is a bit ableist), but because the contrast between them, as played out in the show, strengthens this idea that zuko was always more deserving: he was “good” and she was “bad”, even as kids. 
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that bores me. a lackey realizing his higher-ups using him is fine, but it’s not much of a redemption, because we’re supposed to realize they were being used a long time ago. the conflict was never really their fault.
compare that to jasper in SU - jasper also starts out wanting to capture “rose” and put him before trial, and is technically a lackey of sorts. however, she grows clearly more desperate. she’s stranded on earth, basically alone against the world. so she takes everything into her own hands - expressively tries to shatter “rose”, gives amethyst a brutal thrashing (physically and emotionally), and forces a bunch of confused, corrupted gems to do her bidding.  
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like zuko, jasper thinks she’s doing the right thing throughout all of this. 
however, unlike zuko, jasper does shit that could genuinely make the audience uncomfortable. you might even be faced with the question of when it’s okay to do “anything” for your cause, and how much we should consider someone’s socialization and personal moral code in judging their actions. 
thusly, jasper is viscerally wrong and viscerally sympathetic, without sacrificing one for the other. she is a genuinely “bad person”, while still being allowed to heal. most importantly, that never rests on some previous indication that jasper was always “better” than other, “more evil” homeworld gems. 
instead, SU is truly universalist. it believes in redemption for genuinely “bad” people. it’s not just in very special circumstances, where select individuals were always “good” compared to others, as is textually spelled out in zuko’s case. 
in atla’s world, healing is only available for those who need to change the least. for the lower rung. for the victims of crueler families. thusly, i contend it’s a “realizing you were used” arc, not truly redemption.
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muffinlance · 5 years
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Your recent ask about struggling with your serious writing projects really hit home, but was also super inspiring. And intimidating. I hope you know I think of you like a writing sensei now. Is sensei the right word? Writing big sibling? Anyway, how do you deal with the anxiety of all those projects? I want to be a Proper Writer too, and I have the ideas and the time, but I always get nerfed by anxiety whenever I try and write original fiction. Any tips on how to stop overthinking?
In light of our shared fandom, dear @captainkirkk, I will accept "Sifu".
Writing tips!
You are obviously solid on writing mechanics and short story arcs (maybe long form arcs too, but I've only had the pleasure of reading your short fics thus far.) So in your case, it is probably just a lack of experience causing most of this anxiety. 'Cause I have found that becoming comfortable with each new stage of writing is an exercise in exposure therapy.
If you're specifically worried about original characters/fics, consider working more OCs into your fanfics just to get more experience with/feedback on them. You'll know real fast if people are reacting well to your OCs, and can tweak things accordingly in the wonderfully low-stress world of fanfic.
As far as anxiety on writing in general, as far as I can tell it never goes away, but there are definitely strategies to lessen it. You'll have to experiment with what works for you. For me, going for long nighttime jogs and just turning ideas over in my head in a low-stress not-even-trying-to-write-right-now environment is super helpful. And if you haven't already, it's Real Big Important to learn to separate the "something is wrong with this story" anxiety from the "I am the worst writer ever and everything I touch becomes ash unto mine eyes" anxiety. I've gotten in the habit of literally trying to write out my anxiety causes. Mock example that's pretty much exactly like what I really do:
(I start with a clear statement of the problem:) Why do I hate this scene, it feels like the literal worst?
(Then I list potential causes:) are character interactions weak? Anything I can do to increase tension/character interplay? More background elements to add depth to scene? Is this supporting the plot enough? Do I even need this scene or can important elements be combined into future scenes? Etc.
Then I work my way through each question, allowing "no this is fine" to be an acceptable answer. And if everything is fine... I might just be in a grr mood where Everything Is Awful and I should take a break because I'm only going to do more harm than good here. Go for a jog, play with the cat, switch to another story for a bit if-I'm-not-grring-at-that-one-too. I actually ran into this with Little Zuko 31; I basically did exactly the above, and ended up scraping about 3k of perspectives-in-the-waiting-room because they were slowing the pacing and coming off as too Zuko-whumpy in a story that doesn't usually drag its heels in depressing bits. My solution was literally "this boy needs a goddamn coat earlier in the chapter so everyone can stop worrying about him and we can get back to the right tone", so I deleted a whole slew of scenes, inserted the early Yue POV, and had her bring him a goddamn coat. And suddenly the chapter was good, great, I-can-work-with-this. But it took a few hours to A) acknowledge that I was writing myself deeper into a pit of this-isn't-working, and B) put my finger on the cause enough to fix it. Sometimes it takes me days to figure that stuff out. Or months. Or years. I've got a novel I just took out of my Grrr Drawer that I hated hated hated, but now that I've got more experience with fixing things, I was able to spot what was wrong and figure out a roadmap for fixing it.
If you haven't already, make sure you've joined some sort of weekly-if-not-daily critique group where you can crit a metric ton of stories and read the crits others have written; it is notably easier to spot mistakes on someone else's work, and many times you'll walk to the fridge and go "...wait a sec, I'm doing that too". I have learned more about story structure from criting works that were almost-but-not-quite working than from reading all the perfectly edited novels in the world. (Critique Circle is an excellent site for this, best I've found, though as with all crit sites you need to know how to work the system so you're getting the most out of your time spent there. If anyone is interested in CC specific tips, shoot me an ask.)
Also, if you haven't already, figure out what stages of your projects you need what kind of feedback on. It took me a Real Long Time to figure out I worked best without input of any kind until I had a draft I personally couldn't improve upon further. When working on my original projects, I no longer show anyone anything until things are finished and polished. Then I invite the crit jackals in (I love my crit jackals, proper constructive criticism hurts so good). Fanfiction has been an interesting experience and a reminder of why I work that way: I am really easily influenced to change things based on reviews. I've now got enough experience writing full novels that I can (mostly) sort out "cool ideas" from "cool ideas that actually work in the broader context of this story", but I still find myself tweaking my outline after reviews. In ways that are hopefully good. But back when I was a less confident writer with terrible outlining skills, oh man I wrote myself down unworkable tangents just because "wouldn't it be cool if..."
So yep. In summary: experiment with anxiety relief strategies and self-care that work for you, acknowledge that the anxiety will always be there and that is normal there is nothing wrong with you, use the anxiety as a tool to address whatever your subconscious is trying to tell you about your story (stop and have a Real Talk with your anxieties--are they trying to tell you something, or do you just need to take a quick brain break?), and know that you're already an amazing writer you just need to practice more on original fics and get them out in the world. <3
Also: sometimes you will get to the end of a project and it... Just didn't work. It's unfixable, or would take more time to fix than just moving on to your next project with lessons learned. I see so many newer writers getting stuck on their "dream story". The one they've been editing and re-editing for years. And it's like, honey, you remember that first clay pot you made in kindergarten? That one that's lumpy and leaning to one side and objectively terrible and I'm pretty sure a mouse crawled inside, got lost, and died in it? Your novel is the equivalent of that. Don't try to fix this pot, go practice making more.
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