#one involving a certain bird and the trauma I put him through in this AU... >v>

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Hiii this might sound stupid, but regarding your Kaiju AU- would the ORCA (or whatever they called it in the godzilla movies) exist on the island? The one where they combine sounds to communicate with the Kaiju.

You can ignore this if you're uncomfortable answering it lol

Ooooh this isn't stupid or uncomfortable at all, Nonny! 👀 In fact, you've given me information that I hadn't found on my initial searching for ideas! (I still need to rewatch the Godzilla movies, but I'll get to that. Right now, I'm focused on the monster vibes versus the human/researcher vibes~!)

You are right in that it's called the ORCA in the series, by the way! :D

Now, as for the Kaiju!AU...

I'd have to say yes, there were attempts to create a system that would mimic the sounds made by kaiju to try and communicate with them. Tests were relatively unsuccessful in the earlier days (which led to another incident where Crystalflayer got offended and impaled the facility with giant crystals--no one was killed, but more than one person needed a change of clothes afterwards!), so the researchers went through a lot of trial and error to try and find the right combination.

Eventually, they did accomplish this by observing the reactions of the kaiju to recordings of their alphas (though these "songs" didn't work on Nevermore and the other ancients). The first test involved replicating Ragebloom's calls to his pack mates on Slyfang and Bruiser, which resulted in the two of them falling in line. An unusual reaction, but promising for research potential!

...of course, just like the ORCA in the Godzilla series, it wouldn't be long before someone decides to use it for their own selfish desires.

As of now (translation: until I figure out how to incorporate this into the plot/lore and what to name this thing), no one knows what happened to this device or if it's even still functioning. All that is known is that using it unleashed unspeakable horrors slumbering under the island...and they will stop at nothing until all have been consumed by the inky darkness within.

[thevagueambition]

Atla, Zukka and Sokka :)

ATLA

Favorite character: Zuko, 100%. He’s a character I relate to a lot, eg the whole “hard work vs natural talent” thing... I even have a costume, although I didn’t get a chance to use it when I meant to so I haven’t really done so yet OTL

Least Favorite character: Hmm, god, I don’t know.... Bumi, maybe? As a comedic character he feels a bit too “haha crazy” and he doesn’t really (imo) work well as a dramatic one... 

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

Zukka

Hakoda/Bato

Roku/Sozin

Tyzula

Jetko

Character I find most attractive: Zuko. Particularly s3 ofc lol

putting the rest under a cut for length

Character I would marry: idk. not big on marriage really

Character I would be best friends with: Sokka

a random thought: The true hero of ATLA is Iroh and I feel ashamed of not having mentioned his name yet in this

An unpopular opinion: The age difference between Kataang is 2 years which is the exact same age difference between Zutara and neither are particularly weird regardless of the fact that I don’t care about either ship

My Canon OTP: Don’t have one. Sokka/Suki is cute I guess is the closest I come to having strong feelings on a canon ship

My Non-canon OTP: Zukka

Most Badass Character: Toph but also low key Sokka bc he’s a non-bender

Most Epic Villain: That old blood bending woman who gave us all nightmares

Pairing I am not a fan of: Zutara, but that’as as much about fandom behavior back in the day as anything else

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Korra, all of LoK 

They gave Toph too little to do in s3 and she SHOULD have had her Zuko outing like all the others >:( Actually Zuko and Toph have a lot in common in certain ways and that was never fully explored

Also obviously SOOOO many characters in this series who were written as straight when they shouldn’t be lol. We get it, it was a kid’s cartoon in the 00s, but they didn’t have to agressively pair off everyone in neat m/f couples by the end of the series

Favourite Friendship: Aang & Zuko

Character I most identify with: Zuko, as mentioned above. He’s also the same MBTI type as me haha (INFP). Also, Sokka mix of being simoultaneously really clever and extremely stupid is a gigantic mood.

Character I wish I could be: Idk... Iroh, in some ways, certainly. Honestly, by the end of the series all the main kids are pretty admirable people. Who wouldn’t want Aang’s kindness, Katara’s righteousness, Zuko’s determination, Sokka’s cleverness, Toph’s independence, Suki’s leadership, etc? Hell, Mai’s bravery and Ty Lee’s loyalty? I love all the main kids.

Zukka

When I started shipping them: Only a year or two ago, actually! I think last time I rewatched The Boiling Rock I was like 👀

Originally when I was an ATLA fan I was still in the “we must adheer to canon” phase of my existence in fandom and then for a good while I was still affected by my... hesitance to look like a, idk, stereotypical slash fan, in the sense that back in the day people were REALLY hostile to slash ships that seemed, idk, contrived. Zukka also just wasn’t a big ship back in the day I don’t think, Jetko has always been more popular. 

My thoughts: The cammaraderie that developes between them over their stay at The Boiling Rock is incredibly compelling to me and I think that... the ways in which Sokka holds Zuko accountable through “jokes” but still allows him the space to prove himself is really interesting and probably... something that is actually better for Zuko than either Katara’s rage or Aang’s kindness? Idk. 

Also they both have pretty complicated relationships to masculinity and what it means to be a man in their respective cultures and their sort of struggles with that and how those struggles look different due to circumstances like their parental situations and different cultural expectations... Zuko’s is less directly about masculinity per se because the Fire Nation has less strict gender roles, or at least ones that don’t code certain activities as purely masculine endeavours (eg warfare) but certainly there are shades of Ozai’s treatment of Zuko and Azula that are gendered as well as about birth order and it’s interesting how Zuko and Sokka both impose restrictions on themselves about how they should behave and what they should live up to culturally.

What makes me happy about them: I think they complement each other really well. They have a lot in common but are pretty different about their approach to things... I also just really like battle couples lol 

What makes me sad about them: Their respective trauma is part of what makes them compelling but it’s certainly also sad, so in that sense...

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: So much of it is modern AU and i don’t care for it lol. Completely ignoring any sense that the Avatar world must have some elements of homophobia bothers me to exist in the ways it does, but as does completely overplaying it, idk. It’s a balance not everyone strikes well. Also obviously when people demonise Suki or Mai to account for them not being in the picture that’s bad.

Things I look for in fanfic: Honestly, more than anything? Good characterisation. This is a ship that lives and dies by good characterisation. I also really like when they’re set during the time at the Western Air Temple.  

My wishlist:

Swordfighting duels!! Practicing swordfighting together!! Bonding over swords like the dumb teenage boys they are!! Yes I know about the innuendo that only makes it better!! 

Hakoda not just being cool with it but realising about Zuko’s abuse and being like Actually I Am Your Dad Now

I always want fic where the gaang find out about how Zuko got his scar and that with Zukka is even more *chef’s kiss*

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Hmm ending up with, huh? I like Jetko for the drama but not necessarily as endgame. Sukka is pretty cute so I’m down for that but Maiko is.... look, it made sense for the time that Zuko was back in the Fire Nation because but I 100% don’t think it’s something either of them benefits from afterwards. They’re better off as friends imo also Zuko’s gay

My happily ever after for them: I want them to travel the world together tbh? I never quite know how to account for Zuko becoming Fire Lord in my thoughts about him post-canon because... well obviously I hate monarchy and I don’t actually think Zuko would be particularly comfortable being the leader of a nation, so... I don’t know. Maybe after some years, maybe a decade, of guiding the nation back towards stability Zuko starts reforming the country towards something more democratic and becomes less personally involved in the affairs of running the country? I don’t see them as people who would or really could be tied down by each other because they each have responsibilities to their respective communities and I don’t necessarily find “and then they lived in the Fire Nation palace together for the rest of their lives” compelling... 

Sokka

How I feel about this character: I love him so much. His character developement is so compelling and as one of the very few prominent non-bending characters he is also compelling in the ways that situate him within the world and forces him to look for other things to contribute with. Again, the ways in which he is undeniably very clever but simoultaneously kind of dumb is also just... Very Good and Relatable lol. He was someone I overlooked a bit for a while but I think Sokka’s Master really awakened me to how great he is and on rewatches he became one of my faves. Also, you just gotta love any character that uses sarcasm as a shield lol. 

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Zuko, primarily, as discussed above. I’m fine with both Yue and Suki as canon ships but I’m not really invested in it. When I was younger I liked Sokka/Toph somewhat but actually Toph is a lesbian so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ You could always do Suki/Toph, kill two birds with one stone you know

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Gotta love a good father-son relationship <3

My unpopular opinion about this character: I don’t know what the popular opinions about him are tbh. I’ll use this to say I think ADHD!Sokka makes sense though

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Hmm, idk... the episodes he had that were focused on him were very good and did a good job of exploring his inner life in the face of how often he’s a comedic character, so it would have to be more in terms of his relationships with other characters. More interactions with Zuko would have been good ofc ! :3c

Favorite friendship for this character: Hm, probably Aang. Protective Older Brother Mode for a character that isn’t even technically his sibling is Very Good.

My crossover ship: I don’t really have crossover ships

[kivaember]

Idea - Aza finds a chocobo egg and it hatches and imprints on him.

This is now chapter 4 on Mor Dhona 99 to explain Rations’ existence in that AU, so thank you for the prompt ;;w;; 

Fic Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16318847/chapters/38220851

Also under the cut: 

Estinien jolted awake when something thumped solidly on hisdesk right next to his ear, followed by Aza’s very unwelcome voice chirping, “Hey,Esty. Stop slacking for a second and look at this!”

“Ergh,” was his intelligent reply. He was tempted to ignorehim – he was wiped after chasing a ‘Behemoth sighting’ all over Saint Coinach’sFind all morning only to find out it was some overly large dog with hornsstrapped to its head, so he really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Aza’s tomfoolery.However… Aza would just pester him until he indulged him, so plastering on hisbest resting bitch face, he lifted his head and squinted at the large objectAza rudely dumped on his desk.

“…that’s an egg,” he said rather dumbly. Indeed, right nextto his elbow was a large, off-white egg with faint blue speckles. It was aboutas big as his damn head, and he belatedly recognised it as, “A Chocobo egg. Where in the hell did youget that?”

“Well, I went for my usual early morning run, right,” Azabegan, and Estinien could’ve kicked himself for falling into that trap. Shit,now he was stuck sitting through one of his fucking stories, “And I normally go out near the river, where all thehorsebird farms are-”

“Chocobos,”Estinien corrected, not for the first time, “Will you stop calling them horsebirds?”

“Never,” Aza sniggered, his eyes twinkling with mischief, “Anyways,stop interrupting. So, I was running by this farm, and I noticed there was a bitof a crowd by one of them. They were selling off some horsebird eggs, and theywere kinda expensive, yeah, but I was thinking, you know, better support ourlocal farmers-”

“Aza,” Estinien said flatly.

“So, I bought one,” Aza finished, patting the top of the eggaffectionately, “The guy said that you can cook these into a monster omeletteor something, and they’re pretty tasty!”

Estinien knew this, because Ishgard were fucking obsessedwith Chocobo omelettes, as well as being obsessed with the animal in general.Chocobos were very much like chickens, where there were certain breeds thatlaid unfertilised eggs fit for consumption. They were very expensive to manage,and it was only Ishgard and Mor Dhona that regularly farmed and sold them. Somerich Ul’dahn would pay for them from time to time, but that was about it.

“And you brought your future omelette into work because…?”

“Well, it’s still pretty big and we have a kitchen here, soI was thinking maybe I could be niceand cook us an omelette. But if you’re going to be a grump about it-”

“I want omelette,” Estinien demanded, “As recompense for thetrauma you put me through.”

“You’re such a diva, Esty,” Aza sighed, “A little whiny baby.”

“Who’s calling who a diva?” Estinien grumbled, “Just lastweek you spent a good hour whimpering on the floor because you got a bramblestick stuck in your tail’s fur. You acted like you were on your death bed.”

“That’s because it was super painful, you asshole,” Azahuffed, “It took me hours to get all the thorns out.”

Estinien rolled his eyes but didn’t push the argumentfurther. He slouched back down on his desk, propping his cheek on an upturnedpalm as he studied the egg next to him. It was fairly large for an unfertilisedegg – they tended to be a bit smaller, but this was huge. Probably some enterprising farmer figured out how to makethem bigger.

He didn’t have long to study the egg, though, because Luciachose that moment to wander over with a new job – a pack of wild wolvesinvading one of the ‘horsebird farms’. It was a job any low-levelled grunt witha rifle could deal with, but they were that shortstaffed that the likes of Estinienand Aza were forced to go over and deal with it.

So, Aza was forced to stash his egg under his desk, bundlingit up in the spare clothes he kept at work in case he turned back to Miqo’teform after a full moon nightshift, and it was promptly forgotten about for therest of the day.

—

The next morning, Aza dumped the egg on his desk once more.

“Hey, Esty, you’re an expert on horsebird eggs, right?” theMiqo’te said before Estinien could complain about him taking over his personalspace, “Doesn’t this feel a bit too heavy for an unfertilised one?”

“It’s probably because it’s half your size that it feelsheavy,” Estinien grumbled, but he indulged him and picked up the egg – andpaused because, that was very heavy, “Huh.”

“Right?” Aza took the egg back, weighing it gingerly in hishands before setting it down a mite gentler than he had before, “What if it’s…y’know…?”

“Fertilised eggs are strictly regulated,” Estinien told him,“You have to jump through multiple hoops to own a Chocobo, let alone hatch one.They require specialised care and whatnot. I doubt a farmer would just sellone.”

“Maybe the farmer made a mistake?” Aza asked, “I mean, I don’twant to make an omelette and have a half-grown baby horsebird tumble out. That’dbe kind of sad.”

“Sad?”

“Well, yeah! It’s killing a baby, isn’t it?” Aza frowned atthe egg, curiously poking at it. It gently rocked on Estinien’s desk, “Backhome, there’s a tribe that actually does that. They steal Yol eggs and crack themopen to eat the babies in there.”

What the hell was a ‘Yol’? Whatever, Estinien wasn’t gettinginvolved in this. If it turned out to be an actual Chocobo egg, then Aza coulddeal with the legal consequences of it. At worse he might have to hand it to thelocal Chocobo Sanctuary, at best he might be able to claim ownership of it, ifhe was quick enough with his admin. Then again, Aza lived in a shitty apartmentnear the House of Splendours, which was the worst possible place to raise ababy Chocobo…

“Do whatever you want with it,” Estinien muttered, turningto his computer terminal, “Sit on it, brood, whatever. I’m not gettinginvolved.”

Aza rolled his eyes at him, but he reclaimed his egg andwent back to his own desk. He bundled the thing back up, and after a pauserested it on his lap instead of having it sit at his feet. Estinien rolled hiseyes at the sight.

Guess this meant he wasn’t getting his omelette. Damn it.

—

It took three days.

Three days and at the tail end of their shift. It was ten o’clockat night and Estinien was ready to go home,Halone damn it, but Aza put that stupid egg on his desk and yelled, “It’shatching!”

“Then why are you putting it on my desk?” Estinien snarled, immediately trying to remove it so he didn’tget freshly born egg gunk all over the wood – it’d take ages to clean that shitup! “Put it on yours!”

Aza’s response was to smack his hands and chase him off withvery intimidating growls and snarls. It was when their little scuffle was graduatingup to a proper wrestling match – Estinien boldly wrenching Aza into a headlock andalmost tripping over his chair in the process – when they were interrupted by avery quiet ‘crack’.

“The egg!” Aza gasped, flailing free from Estinien’s grip byelbowing him hard in the side and kicking the back of his knee. Estinien wentdown with an ungraceful yelp, wincing when Aza stepped on him in his haste tolean over his desk, “Esty, you can see its beak!”

“Fuck sake,” Estinien muttered, seriously contemplating justlying on the floor until it was all over. After a moment curiosity compelledhim to get up, what with Aza ‘ooh’ing and ‘aah’ing as the cracking noisecontinued. He slouched over to his desk, dismayed to see the egg was mostlybroken open, sticky eggshell clinging to the damp-feathered chick sittingamidst the mess. It blinked its giant, dark eyes, peering up at Aza curiously.

“It’s so cute…”Aza breathed, “Look, Esty. Look how cute it is.”

It was very cute, but Estinien would never admit it evenunder the pain of death. He grunted instead, looking the chick over critically.It was a deep gold and quite heavy-set – a destrier breed, which meant it wasgoing to grow up huge, and it wasalready cheeping and flapping its stubby wings at Aza, its beak open wide forfood. Oh fuck, that’s right-

“It’s hungry,” Estinien said, “You need to feed it. You did get food in advance, right?”

Instantly, Aza’s besotted look became one of blank panic, “Uh.”

Seriously, Aza could be an absolute dumbass sometimes, “Allthe shops are closed, so you can’t buy any until morning. It can keep untilthen… it’ll just be really hungry.”

“I’m not gonna let it starve!”Aza protested hotly, “It’s a bird, right? It probably eats the same thing Yolsdo.”

“The hell is a Yol-”

“Stay here, Esty!” Aza commanded, picking up his leatherjacket from the back of his chair and slinging it on frantically, “Look afterlil’ Rations until I get back. I’m gonna grab them some food.”

“Rations?” Estinienrepeated, “You are not calling aChocobo Rations-”

But Aza wasn’t listening. Like the force of relentlessnature that he was, Aza bolted across the floorplate and into the hallway likehe had a pack of angry Behemoths on his heels. The Chocobo chick – Rations,apparently – cheeped frantically, struggling onto its feet and waddling to theedge of the desk.

“Ah, no,” Estiniensaid, quickly snatching it up before it could leap off and hurt itself. Hegrimaced at the sticky, tacky feeling that clung to his fingers, and thensighed when Rations immediately decided it very much disliked this and startedsquawking and cheeping up a storm, flapping its stubby wings and pecking at hisfingers.

“I should toss you into the oven and bake you into a pie,”he grumbled, ignoring the sharp pain of a blunt beak nipping at his fingers, “Gods,will you shut up?”

Rations’ response was to shit in his hands.

“Fuck sake-”

—

The situation concluded thus:

Aza ended up coming back with a Tupperware box full of wormsand insects and the like, muddy all over, along with a warm, thick blanket tobundle the chick up in. Estinien felt that he should be given a medal for hispatience and tolerance, as Rations shat on him a total of five times pecked hisfingers to absolute ruin.

It was at this point Aymeric ventured out of his office tosee what the commotion was all about. Aymerictook in the scene of Estinien withhis dead-eyed, thousand-yard stare and Aza fussing over a baby Chocobo chick,trying to feed it a cricket, and decided to intervene before blood was shed.The end result was Aza declaring that Rations was the cutest, most preciousthing in the world, and even though he only had her (somehow he could tell itwas a girl) for less than twenty minutes, he will kill anyone who touched her.

Werewolves were, unfortunately, very quick to bond, and theybonded intensely. Aza was not exaggeratinghis threat there.

Estinien left that sticky situation in Aymeric’s hands,though. Let the big furry try to convince the overprotective werewolf to let goof his new feathery daughter. Estinien was going to go home, have a bath andthen try to smother all urges to strangle Aza in the morning. Gods, thatpint-sized werewolf was the bane ofhis bloody existence sometimes!

Next time Aza decided to bring a damn egg into work, he was goingto break the damn thing over his head!