ryu-slayer

[ryu-slayer]

A writer friend told me something that broke my heart a little bit today; they're going to quit publishing their fanfic.

My instant thought was that they had been trolled or attacked or that something terrible had happened in their life because this person is so passionate about their writing. It wasn't any of that. Engagement with their works has been going down, as it has for many of us. Comments are like gold dust a lot of the time, and just looking through the historical comment counts on old fics on ao3 demonstrates this trend very clearly. It was not simply the comments dropping off which caused them to decide to stop posting, however.

My friend came across a discord server for their fandom (I should point out here that their fandom interest and mine diverged a couple of years ago, we stay in touch but don't currently read each other's posts because I'm not into their fandom and they would rather gouge their eyes out with a wooden spoon than read anything Star Wars) and specifically to share fic in that fandom. They joined, because we all love a good fic rec, only to discover that their latest multichapter fic, which has almost no comments and very few kudos, is being hotly discussed in this server as one of the best stories ever. Not one of these people has bothered to say this to them on the fic. When they asked, none of participants could see the point in telling the author of the fic they apparently loved so much that they love it.

This discovery has absolutely destroyed my friend's love of sharing fic. They share because they love seeing other people's enjoyment, and fic writers do that through comments and kudos/reblogs/likes because we don't get paid. There is no literary critic writing a blog post/article about how amazing the story is for us to copy and keep/frame. There is no money from royalties. All we have are the words of the people reading our works.

Those people on that server could have taken five minutes of the time they spent gushing about how amazing my friend's story was to other people and used it to tell the one person guaranteed to want to hear that praise how much they loved it. They could have taken a moment to express their opinion to the person who spent hours upon hours plotting, writing, editing, and posting those chapters. Instead, they deprived my friend of thing that keeps them sharing their writing, and in the process have killed their love of it. My friend now feels used and unmotivated.

I won't be sharing a link to their fic, they said I could share their experience but not their identity. I know they plan to post one final chapter. I know they intend to express their hurt at being excluded from the praise for the thing they created, and I know they intend to announce that as a consequence they will not be posting for a long while, if at all.

So please, I beg you, don't hide your love of a story from the writer. It's just about the only thing we have.

[ryu-slayer]

I will testify that even if I strongly dislike, utterly hate, and cannot stand a character, I will never go on someones post talking about liking that character and say so. Basic decency and all that

[ryu-slayer]

MOOD! Animation in any form takes a ton of work, and this whole craze to make everything live-action is an insult to this form of art. Respect the animation and animators!

my biggest issue with the httyd live action-and just about any live action reboot is that it seems that the live action adaptations are being made to make the original “better”? like, so many people talk about a live action spiderverse, a live action hercules, a live action PRINCE OF EGYPT (dont piss me OFF.)-like animation is a beautiful work of art, and for some reason putting real people and cgi in it is supposed to be an “upgrade”? im probably being that friend that’s too woke, but i just think it’s so disrespectful to act like something that takes so much time and effort and energy is immediately considered as lower because it is animated. animation is beautiful, and it is one of the most heartfelt art forms there are, and erasing that for the sake of a cash grab is downright degrading to animation as a medium.

[ryu-slayer]

When the Sun sets, the Ocean A Blaze

It's been eight years after the end of the war and five since the young Fire Lord and ambassador from the Southern Water Tribe started courting. But now they feel it's time to take the next step under a Ember Island sunset. Day 2: Dusk of Zutara week.

Hey everyone! So I know this is a bit late. But that is in part because I wasn't originally planning on doing anything for ZK week 2024, but the muses had different plans hahaha. Anyway I hope you enjoy my contribution to ZK week 2024 with day 2's prompt Dusk.

[ryu-slayer]

Kathony Kisses Part 1

[ryu-slayer]

It Shouldn't Need to Happen...

Someone open the tequila! I'm back on my Kataang salt.

One of the (many) things I hate about Kataang is that there is no real build on Katara's side. Even the moments that get trotted out as proof that Katara liked Aang back (like the dance in that stupid Footloose pastiche that meant nothing to the overall plot) are undercut by the fact that Katara doesn't acknowledge them. It's business as usual afterwards, and nothing about how she treats him (like her baby brother-son) changes. The only explicit proof we get that Katara likes him back in an he is my equal and I see him as a potential partner way is that awkward kiss in the end. Here's the thing, that kiss shouldn't have been necessary.

Go with with me for a second. I was recently revisiting Legally Blonde (classic), and it gave me another reason to hate the Kataang kiss in the finale. Compare how Kataang was handled to Elle and Emmet's relationship in Legally Blonde. We never see them together in an explicitly romantic way. Even the last scene, at Elle's graduation, he's in the crowd, and the whole post script reveal that he and Elle had been dating for two years and were about to be engaged could have been skipped and nothing would've been lost. The movie wasn't about Elle and Emmet. It was about Elle learning that she was smarter and more capable than anyone realized, even her, and she didn't have to change anything about her personality to be successful. Still, the fact that they did end up together makes sense. We understand why they are attracted to each other. In Emmet, Elle finds a rare supportive figure who believes in her abilities and values her beyond her physical appearance. He, in turn, is drawn to Elle's determination and intelligence (and the fact that she's hot is a bonus). That's made clear in the movie before anything remotely romantic happens between them. They don't kiss in the movie at all. We don't even see the proposal. Still, them ending up together makes sense because the movie set them up for it. It was a bit disappointing that we didn't get to see them kiss, but that's not what the movie was about. My point is, we didn't need them to kiss to believe their relationship. We may have wanted it, but we didn't need it. Because the writers did their job.

Circling back around to Kataang. They needed the kiss to show where their relationship stood. If the show had ended without them kissing, even with Katara going out to stand on the balcony with Aang, it could just be read as completely platonic. Following with the undercurrent of mom/sitter and child, Katara going out to the balcony with Aang could've been read as his caretaker's quiet pride in the child she'd raised. They needed to kiss to make it clear that their relationship was no longer platonic, and it was entirely because the writers had neglected to give Katara any real reason to want to be with Aang romantically.

That's its. That's the post.

[ryu-slayer]

I think about this every goddamn day

[ryu-slayer]

It's funny when people say that Zuko being in love with Katara would trivialize him sacrificing his life for her and then turn around and say Mai deserves Zuko because she saved his life.

"It would make Zuko's redemption arc less believable,"

Kinda like how I don't believe Mai's?

[ryu-slayer]

Happy Zutara Week!

Day 1: Crest

During a summit in the South Pole, Zuko and Katara find a chance to spend some time together. Zutara Week Day 1: Crest

@zutaraweek

[ryu-slayer]

Zutara Week 2024- Day 1 Crest

Finally I can participate again!! Hopefully I can draw something daily..hahahha

This year prompt kinda abstract tho, but I tried my best! XD

What I had in mind when reading 'crest' actually was the crescent moon......and then 'house crest' from medieval knighthood..

And thus, drawing Zuko using the metal armory hehehe

I thought I can finished it quickly, but apparently I need almost 4 hours to finished it.... hopefully you all love it as much as I do~

Happy Zutara Week All~~~

@zutaraweek

ps. I am considering to sell the higher resolution of this art in my Patreon, (for wallpaper etc), if some of you interested ...but maybe gonna update it later. Also, please support me with Ko-fi (link 📌 at my profile) if you love my arts~~ hehe thx! xD

🚫 do not edit, use, reupload my artworks! Thx!!

[ryu-slayer]

Mood. Every week is Zutara week so let's celebrate!

Forget captains... Dante Basco and Mae Whitman are the king and Queen of the Zutara Ship!!!

[ryu-slayer]

Headcanon that Athena mentions her "friend" to Telemachus every time she has the chance and Telemachus, being this curious boy always wanting to hear stories, always encourages her to do so.

Then one day, Telemachus being bored as hell and probably got into another fight with the suitors, goes up to Athena and asks her if her friend ever did something stupid

And Athena just. Jumps to tell all the bullshit Odysseus got into. It's like a therapy session to talk about how dumb he can be. And Telemachus eats it all up

Fast forward to when Ody comes back home and Athena just hangs around sometimes. Telemachus, again, bored goes to ask Athena about stories of her friend and the shit he did. And Athena freezes up. Odysseus gets curious, and jealous, cause he never knew about a friend, and asks his son.

The mix of pure horror on his face when he discovers his son knows all the stupid shit he did in his youth, and the joy of Athena calling him her friend and talking about it goes entirely unnoticed by his son.

Athena meanwhile is dying inside.

Penelope is cackling

[ryu-slayer]

If you could re-write the ending of A:TLA, how would you approach canon Zutara? How would you resolve Aang's infatuation with Katara and the subsequent romance between Katara and Zuko?

Zuko and Katara’srelationship honestly does not need that much help to be canon. The build-up isall right there in the show, and it’s very well paced. And actually, when youthink about it, the build-up for a Kαtααng break-up is also right there in theshow. It would take such minor tweaking to make this whole thing work.

There is a prime opportunity for Kαtααng to start breaking up atthe end of Season 2. When Aang realizes he is too attached to Katara and has tolet her go, that can be the beginning of him realizing his attraction to her istoo self-centered. For example, in “The Awakening,” he could apologize forabandoning Katara when she and Hakoda were having issues of their own. Thenin “The Headband,” after Katara kisses him on the cheek, we get Aang’shappy reaction shot as always…but then a moment of doubt as she startsputting away the bundle of clothes that allowed her to pass herself off as hismother. In “The Avatar and the Firelord,” instead of Roku saying thingslike “I was persistent” and “being the Avatar doesn’t hurt yourchances with the ladies,” he could emphasize how Ta Min and he didn’t get alongat first, but became a perfect match due to the way they balanced each other. (Hey,here’s a thought: instead of Roku’s male earthbending teacher Sud, whose modelis based on the original boy!Toph, why couldn’t we have his eartbending teacherbe a lady, perhaps foreshadowing Taang? By combining Sud and Ta Min, it wouldalso show the difference between a divided world with four separate nations andthe more unified world of the past.)

“The Runaway” would then comeat the perfect time for Aang to get a full dose of Katara being motherly towardhim. Next comes “Nightmares and Daydreams” two episodes later. I havepreviously demonstrated how Katara provided emotional support for Aang ina whopping nine scenes in that one episode,and instead of a purely happy ending where Aang gets to sleep, we could showhim sound asleep and Katara purely exhausted from all the work she’s been doingto help him. 

During the “Day of BlackSun,” Katara didn’t get a lot of development compared to Aang and Zuko. So Iwould take advantage of her “healing Hakoda” subplot a little more.Emphasize that she has drained herself so much taking care of Aang that she isfinding it difficult to help out when she is needed the most. Maybe she wouldhave to fight and heal if they ran intosome trouble, and she might think she is handling it, but then can’t slice openenough airships at the end to keep the adults out of prison. We would still getthe Kαtααng kiss in Part 1 with Katara’s ambivalent reaction, which would leadnicely into…

“The Western Air Temple.” After the invasion fails, Aang revertsto his Season 1 self, and starts flying off again when Katara needs him. Thiswouldn’t need to be touched upon–it just emphasizes the running theme throughoutSeason 3. Everything else can pretty much stay the same until “TheSouthern Raiders.” Now this episode is one that I would have liked to seeElizabeth Ehasz’s original script for, before Bryke felt so threatened by theZutara relationship that they tried to have her write Zutara as worse than itwas originally conceived. (They pretty much failed anyway, but still, sheshould have just been given free reign on the project.) Maybe Katara couldpromise to help Zuko find his own mother after the war? That would be a sweetbookend, foreshadowing a furtherance to their relationship.

After “Southern Raiders”comes “Ember Island Players,” and I would have had the episode opening withKatara and Sokka spending some quality time together, maybe Katara taking Sokkashopping instead of Suki to make up for her “you didn’t love her the way Idid” remark. She could ask Sokka some pointed questions about his relationshipwith Suki, which would not only give Sukka more development, but also leadSokka to wonder if there is someone she is thinking about dating. It also leadsto some worry on this part, because the kinds of questions she’s asking are allabout what’s good for the person she might be interested in, rather than whatworks for her. Cue Aang’s tirade andthe “unexpected” kiss, and Katara refusing to talk to him after.

Then we have the part in the finale where Aang storms off,again, never to be seen until after Ozai is defeated. I think this makes Aanglook pretty bad, actually, added to the fact that he never even thinks that hisfriends might be worried about him. I would have him send Momo away, not rightbefore the battle, but after he wakes up on the island, in order to deliver a letterto the GAang (he could snatch up the baby Ozai scroll in his rage and then haveit with him on the island to further his moral dilemma, then ultimately send itback to the GAang). It wouldn’t reveal Aang’s location, so the GAang wouldstill have to track him down, but it would explain that there is something hehas to do before the Firelord is defeated. It would also tell Katara that he issorry and has to respect her wishes–a parallel of Zuko’s breakup letter toMai. Aang and Katara both realize that they can’t put each other’s wellbeingover the wellbeing of the world, or their own wellbeing, respectively, andbeing attached to each other that way is a mistake. 

“Sozin’s Comet” is full of Zutara moments–Zuko putting a handon Katara’s shoulder to calm her down after Aang runs off, Katara encouragingZuko to join in the group hugs, Zuko choosing Katara to fight by his side,Katara encouraging him when he is worried about his uncle’s forgiveness, Zukotaking the lightning bolt for Katara, etc. etc. It really needs very littlework in that direction. One thing I would change is the final dialogue betweenZuko and Iroh, where Iroh instead promises to support Zuko and be at his sideas Firelord–provided he gets his own tea shop! (And when Katara says, “Good luck, General Iroh!”, Iroh could reply with “Good luck, everyone,” then with a meaningful look at Katara, “and thank you,” showing that he knows she helped Zuko get up the courage to apologize to his uncle.)

I would have the ending Mαiko scene take a different path, withZuko overjoyed to see Mai alive and thanking her for the sacrifice she made forhim, and her replying, “Yeah. That’s just it, Zuko. I made the sacrificefor you, but not for myself. This whole time, I haven’t thought much aboutwhat I really want from life.” She looks around at the walls of thepalace. “All I know is that I just escaped from prison, and going rightback into the one that trapped me as a child is not going to happen.” Thenshe pauses. “When you knew Azula was going to take me down, you didn’t goback for me.” She holds up a hand as Zuko starts to apologize. “It’s notyour fault–I saw the people with you. You were choosing your new life overyour old one.” She looks at the scar on Zuko’s chest. “You still are. Andnow I have to do the same.” She kisses him good-bye and says she’ll see himagain, and when he asks how, she’ll just give a secretive smile–and pull out athrowing star shaped like a White Lotus when no one is looking. 

During Zuko’s coronation, I would have Katara smile at both ofthem, not just Aang. Instead of that teaser scene with Zuko sounding more likehis Season 1 self during his Ozai questioning, I would have cut that scene andleft more time for the end GAang reunion. We could see Aang and his newself-confidence being more capable of keeping up with Toph, and then a scenewhere Zuko awkwardly comes up to Katara, rubbing the back of his neck, andasking whether the offer to help find his mother is still open. She says yes,and just presses her lips to his for a tiny moment–not a sweeping romantickiss, but a promise of things to come.  Then when they are all together, Iwould bring the GAang out in order of appearance–Sokka and Katara, then Aang(keeping the Aang and Katara hug), then Zuko, Suki, and Toph. And why a sunset,I wonder? Maybe it could be a sunrise instead–them watching a new dawntogether.

[ryu-slayer]

[ryu-slayer]

9 Things Zuko Does That Aggravate the Avatar

I take it back. I no longer hate the last chapter of Where the Tulips Grow. In its honor, here's a little follow-up, just because it made me laugh.

And because Aang is like fifteen and a little jilted.

Aang doesn't hate Zuko. He doesn't hate anyone. He doesn't even hate the Fire Lord--er, former Fire Lord--so obviously, Sokka doesn't know what he's talking about.

Then again, Sokka did stroke his beard and suggest that Aang journal about his feelings, and that didn't sound like a terrible idea.

Inhaling deeply, Aang dips his brush in ink and spreads a piece of parchment across a small table. He'll make a list of things that he doesn't like about Zuko, and then he'll blow it into the fireplace, and that will be that.

Sokka's pretty wise for a guy with a fake beard.

He tried to kill me and my friends.

Well, that's not exactly true. Really, Zuko was trying to capture Aang and his friends. Katara had been raging about Combustion Man being Zuko's fault last time they'd spoken, but still. Aang doubts Sokka and Katara would have survived long after being captured, so.

2. He shot fire at me after I saved him.

Zuko was really ungrateful that he hadn't been left for Zhao to find.

3. He sided with Azula in Ba Sing Se.

This one, Aang thinks, needs very little explanation.

4. He betrayed Katara in Ba Sing Se.

Aang scowls down at the paper. He'd never seen her so angry before Zuko had shown up at the Western Air Temple.

5. There was something going on between Zuko and Katara in Ba Sing Se.

All of his friends, Katara included, say the play got that wrong, but if the play got that wrong, why was she so upset at the temple? Why couldn't she just forgive him? Katara is like him; she forgives and would never hurt anyone on purpose. Aang nods at the paper for emphasis. Whatever got into her that day was Zuko's fault.

6. Zuko makes Katara angry.

She's spent too much time with him. Katara supported Ozai's execution, even after Aang wrote to her and begged her to stop it. She refused, and he just knows it's because Zuko was there and not just writing her a letter and he must have been constantly bothering her about Fire Nation justice or whatever. Katara would never hurt anyone on purpose, and Aang wouldn't either.

7. Zuko married Katara.

Aang prides himself on his ability to let things go. It's the airbender way to be free of attachments, and he's always been able to follow that philosophy. Except for Katara. Guru Pathik said he had to let Katara go, but letting Katara go is what got him killed in Ba Sing Se, and besides, doesn't the universe want him to be happy? And then just when he thought they were going to be together, Zuko popped out of the woodwork and stole her from him.

He waited until Aang was out of the picture to swoop in and manipulate her into staying in the Fire Nation. He got hurt during the battle knowing she wouldn't leave him like that. He--

Aang takes a deep, calming breath and reminds himself that he doesn't hate Zuko.

8. Zuko won't give up the colonies.

This is Aang's biggest problem. The newer ones have been dissolved for almost two years, but Zuko is refusing to bring the Fire Nation citizens of Yu Dao home. So now Aang has to go and try to talk King Kuei out of starting a war, and then King Kuei went to the colony with an army anyway, and then Katara was there with the Fire Nation army saying she agreed with Zuko, and then the mayor's Earth Kingdom wife agreed with Katara, and now the whole thing is a mess.

Aang doesn't know how Zuko brainwashed her, but it's really frustrating.

9. Zuko can't get along with Kuei.

This one is completely Zuko's fault. The Earth King is a great guy who just wants to live in peace with his pet bear. Aang does not understand why Zuko is always picking fights with him about things like the colonies and whether or not sea prunes are edible.

Aang shudders. Kuei is right on both counts.

And that's it, Aang thinks. Nine things about Zuko that make him a terrible person. Iroh would be a much better Fire Lord. As the parchment dries, Aang lifts it and rereads his list. Sokka said to take three really, really deep breaths, and then to blow it into the fireplace. Once the list burns, Aang can let all of these go, and maybe then he'll be able to really clear out his chakras. That's the idea, anyway.

Sokka's pretty smart, Aang reminds himself.

Just as he prepares to burn the list, Hawky flaps into the room through the open window, looking dazed and a little confused (pretty normal for Hawky). Momo squawks indignantly when the bird lands next to him. Greeting Hawky with a quick pat on the head and some berries, Aang pulls the message out of its tube.

Then the list is forgotten. Aang shouts at the wall and rips his glider from its perch, throwing it open and darting into the sky.

The tenth thing Aang hates about Zuko is scrawled across the tiny parchment. Sokka is going to be an uncle in the summer.

P.S. The title is a reference to the last chapter:

“Stop avoiding me, Zuko,” she says, looking like she’s going to push everything off his desk if he ignores her. “We haven’t sparred since the last full moon, and we both need to stay sharp.”

She’s right, and he knows it. The assassination attempts have been foiled easily enough so far, but there are more rumors of rebellion fomenting in the south, and the Earth King isn’t budging on his demands to evict Fire Nation colonists from Yu Dao (Zuko isn’t budging on Yu Dao either, one more thing Zuko does that aggravates the Avatar). 

[ryu-slayer]

Hey, the ACLU is getting people to send letters to your Reps to have Congress pass the No Kings Act.

This bill is to ensure that even sitting presidents are held liable for their actions. That NOBODY is above the law.

Their goal is 150k messages sent and at the time of writing this they're about 2.1k off from that goal!

ACLU gives you a prefilled message that you can edit to send to make the process easier, and will send it out for you.

This only takes a few minutes!

[ryu-slayer]