#ROB!Agni

[worm-in-a-trenchcoat]

I just finished rewatching the ATLA cartoon and it made me remember how badly younger me wanted Zuko and Katara to end up together in the end omfg 😭

[incoherent-orca]

💭

🐳

[nono-bunny]

Losing my mind because it somehow took me literally until right now to realize that a Zuko and Katara encounter is a part of every season finale of ATLA, like, literally, what the fuck? And all of those are strong jumping off points for fics to boot, like???

"You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" is like. Such a big deal in the fandom, and while it tends to feature in all kinds of fics, it perfectly encapsulates the enemies phase in the enemies (to friends) to lovers of these two. An unreasonably sexually charged line too, wtf were they on about with that scene if not ship bait?

Fics diverging from the crystal catacombs are like. Such an obvious and natural evolution of that scene- it's the "something awful happens there, but what if it didn't?", I think. It was, in fact, the first fic I went out looking for- was rewatching the show and once again felt the accute disappointment of what could've been, and I wanted to read what could happen if it had. Ultimately I think the show made the right choice there, because Zuko getting what he always wanted and realizing it's all wrong is important, but it did rob us of him being a part of the gaang for longer, and that makes me sad.

Then there's the final agni kai.... Literally how can you watch that one without expecting them to kiss after? Genuinely don't get it, impossible. Peak Zutara. Possibly the single best fight of the show, and undoubtedly the best finale scene. A perfect resolution to the bond between those two- that gets completely thrown away to give Aang his woman shaped prize. Of course it's also a popular jumping off point for plot divergent fics!

Genuinely wild that they have THREE romantic coded finals, and yet they don't even end up together. Kataang and Maiko are barely even a factor in the first two season finals, too! Mai literally doesn't exist in the first, and in the second is very obviously representative of Zuko making a mistake. Literally cannot think of a Kataang scene in the first season finale (but I might just be forgetting? I obviously do not care for that one, lmk if there is one and I'll add it, but me being unable to think of one feels a bit telling given how much I hate those scenes), and the big thing for them in the second one is literally recreating a pose evoking a mother and son relationship, which is a big fat F on the shipping factor if I ever saw one.

"Kataang is baked into the show's DNA"- shut the fuck up, Bryke, and maybe have a look at what you ACTUALLY did with it. This isn't the kind of thing that you can just brush off... Especially because those are all scenes people associate with big emotional plot points of your show, and guess who's doing the heavy lifting there? It's definitely not Aang, that's for sure.

[zutara-landfill]

I don't care what anybody says. A post-agni kai conversation between Zuko and Katara was necessary. We were robbed.

[broadwaybalogna]

A retelling of the end of Zuko and Azula’s Agni Kai because we were ROBBED [Zutara]

”Zuko!” Katara yells, but another blast of lighting is hit close to him, separating the two.

Zuko tries to focus on the fight occurring in front of him, but the pain in his chest is beyond anything of what he expected. It’s excruciating, who knew Azula’s bending could be this painful. He had encountered firebender after firebender when fighting, but Azula was beyond them. Or maybe this just hurt more because she was his sister.

Zuko groans and reaches his arm out, trying to get up and fight as much as possible. But everything hurts. His body feels frozen and he can feel his heartbeat cry.

”You don’t look so good Zuzu,” Azula yells, he’s not quite sure from where. His eyes keep on closing without his permission and his body keeps on aching with every breath he takes, but he knows that if he lets his consciousness go, he may never get it back. So while Katara fights Azula, he’ll fight himself, and they’ll both win.

The sounds of water and lighting fill Zuko’s ears, and he tries to imagine what is occurring in his head.

He hears Azula say something else, this time, it sounds a lot more like a mumble in his ringing ears.

Then, silence. Zuko worries over what’s happened. It’s too quiet. A thousand thoughts flood his head at once and they all end with one of them dead.

Zuko winces, this time, he’s not entirely sure if it’s from the pain or the scenarios coursing through his head.

Almost as soon as it started, however, the silence ends, and the splashing of water can be heard not far from Zuko. This time, the sounds are all too loud, he can hear the clinking of chains against each other as someone is tied, and Zuko prays it’s Azula.

He hears Azula grunt in frustration and he knows Katara has won. He lets out a small sign before unwillingly redirecting his attention to the pain he can feel everywhere.

Katara comes over to him and flips him to his side, taking out leftover water and bending it to fit around her hand shape. She lightly presses her hands against Zuko’s wound on his chest and lets it heal.

Initially, he hates the feeling of pressure on his fresh wound, but it quickly fades as he is relieved of any and all pain. Zuko opens his eyes and looks over to Katara.

”Thank you, Katara,” he rasps out.

she smiles and tears tug at her eyes, “I think I’m the one who should be thanking you… We did it” she replies, letting the tears from her eyes finally fall.

Zuko looks at her and the tears streaming down her face.

”Are you okay?” He asks, taking into account her physicality. It doesn’t look like she has any wounds.

Katara tilts her head, still lightly crying. “What do you mean?”

”You’re crying,” he obviously points out.

”Yeah, tears of happiness,” she laughs out.

Zuko looks over to Azula, whose hands and mouth are iced as to avoid attacking any further. He looks back over to Katara who looks equally as confused as he feels over the concept of tears of happiness.

”You… Cry when you’re happy?” Zuko finally clarifies.

”Yes,” Katara quickly answers.

he tilts his head as Katara did earlier, still not grasping the idea.

”You’re doing it too,” Katara finally points out.

Zuko widens his eyes and brings a hand up to touch the bags under his eyes which are indeed wet. “That might be moreso from being shot with lighting than joy, if anything. Are you sure you’re okay?” Zuko checks Katara’s arms and analyzes her face.

”Zuko, I never thought I’d say this, but you have a lot to learn about being happy.” Katara lightly jabs at him.

Zuko lets out an “mmm” of acknowledgement, still not completely sure if Katara is okay, but allowing her to win the conversation.

Katara takes Zuko’s arm and allows his to lay his weight on her as they begin to leave.

”And for the record,” Zuko finally continues, “you’re a pretty crier.”

Zuko is just able to catch a glimpse of Katara’s face heat up before she turns her head the other way.

”You’re so awkward,” she says, flushing.

”It was a compliment!” He argues.

And Katara laughs. A nice, light laugh that almost makes Zuko forget everything that happened.

This time, it’s his turn to turn away his blush.

[plague-of-insomnia]

A sneak peek at the next chapter of The Glue That Binds Us, a sebardagni post-apocalyptic sickfic:

Sebastian was tired today. His muscles were complaining especially, like teens wanting to sleep past noon on the weekends, and he had to carefully brace himself with both hands on either side of his body to ensure he remained sitting. He didn’t think he could walk today, but he didn’t want to admit it. Not when Bard had only been home a few days and Sebastian was doing all he could to make it seem like he was fully recovered from the pneumonia and as fine as he could be.

He knew he should call Agni. If Bard weren't home, he would have already. But something about Bard returning from the seeming arms of death meant that Sebastian felt like he owed the man at least a few days without excessive worry. He couldn't prevent the attacks that often robbed him of sleep during the night, but this--pretending he was fine during the day--he could at least attempt.

He slid his arms into the familiar loops of the homemade forearm crutches Bard had made him and wrapped his fingers around the handgrips. He could do this. The cabin was small. It was only a few feet from the bed, through the bedroom door, and then just a couple more to the sofa in the main room where he'd be able to stop and rest.

Of course, if he fell, he could seriously injure himself--not to mention get a lecture from both Agni and Bard for his stubbornness. But it was already bad enough that both men treated Sebastian like glass. It was already infuriating how he'd desperately want to help, have the motivation, but not the strength, energy, or breath to help Agni with much of the house and farm work.

It didn't help that every time he closed his eyes he wondered if he'd never wake up again. Or how much it pained him to know that he would be leaving Bard alone, most likely, when he did.

Agni was a good actor and did a fairly decent job of keeping his spirits up and his true emotions hidden, but Sebastian had been with Agni for most of his life now; nearly a quarter of a century. He knew Agni almost better than himself.

It had not escaped Sebastian's notice in the last couple weeks as he finally began to recover from the pneumonia that had knocked him on his ass, when his mind had cleared enough for him to be able to notice things Agni likely thought he was still too sick and confused to.

Like how exhausted he was, physically, mentally, and emotionally, as if it radiated from his bones. Sometimes, Sebastian had wondered if he had died if it would have lifted the other man's burden, though he feared it might actually be worse.

Sebastian wasn't certain, but he suspected that Agni wouldn't want to live once Seb was gone.

Which would mean Bard would be alone again, like he was when they'd first met almost five years ago.

[littleweowmeow]

I just love people who shout about the villainous deeds of Zuko that he committed sometime before our era (as if this cancels his redemption arc and the fact that he is a hero in the end lol). And they do it with such pathos of great enlighteners, the only ones who see the truth while the "gray mass" is blinded by their love for the "colonizer". It is impossible to look at this without laughing. It's like smart thoughts were chasing people, but people were faster.

Like I always say that Zuko is a villain at the beginning of his journey and that's what makes his arc so impressive. He has the potential to become like Ozai or Azula and he is already on the way to it. But he stops and doesn't do the same thing. Although he may also thinked, namely, "well, if it hurt me, then I have the right to hurt others," and I do not claim that he has never resorted to such rhetoric. He fucking stopped and went in the exact opposite direction and damn it it's so important! It's as if we're talking about a character who turned away from an entire political system that brainwashed people and from his disgusting family, which drove him into a psychological trap for a long time and breaks the cycle of violence because he doesn't grow into an abuser. The plot itself holds him accountable both for his actions and for what was done by his ancestors. He wanders around the Earth Kingdom and feels all the damage done to the world by his country on his own skin, he cannot escape from his past and the past of his people, so despite the fact that he saves the villagers, they drive him away with horror and hatred. In the finale, Zuko literally becomes the Fire Lord, pledging to atone for the sins of his entire people over a hundred years of war. But come on. What if Zuko was the one who didn't want to continue the violence from the very beginning?

Agni Kai with Admiral Zhao. Zuko, in a position of power, can do whatever he wants with his opponent. An opponent who smiled when his face was burned, an opponent who reveled in power over him right before the duel, an opponent who would definitely not show mercy. And what does Zuko do? Shows mercy. Although he remembers exactly what Ozai did when Zuko himself ended up on the floor. He refuses to act like his main tyrant when he can do it but doesn't. It is also interesting that Zhao calls Zuko a coward for showing mercy and then, when the duel is over, hits him in the back. Yes, Zuko is definitely definitely an evil and incorrigible guy.

And now my favorite:

Anon : You understand that the Blue Spirit literally robbed people, the same refugees because in his opinion these people owe him? He's still a disgusting racist and colonizer!

I'm : I am aware of this and I do not shut myself off from the inconvenient truth. And in the subsequent series, he literally saves the village of such "peasants" from people who abuse power over peaceful and defenseless residents, although he was more than inclined not to do so. Oh yes, no one tells him what to do, there is no one around and Zuko is alone. He chooses what to do and his choice is to save the inhabitants of the enemy village from the oppressors. (A very villainous act of a real colonizer) Zuko does not get mad at the inhabitants when they drive him away because he did not save them in order to get laurels. He just walks away. Not taking revenge for ingratitude or anything else. (Very villainous, but okay).

Anon : ...

I'm : ...This is called personal growth.

Anon : * piss with boiling water *

I don't even need to do brain gymnastics to justify him. He changes himself and accepts responsibility for his actions, faces their consequences. Zuko doesn't make excuses for himself and the plot doesn't do the same for him. Unlike many, he has a real redemption arc. There is a group of fans in the fandom who justify the villain in every possible way and humiliate other characters so that they seem worse against the background of their "poor meow meow", these are those people who cannot stand criticism of their favorite and want their favorite not to face the consequences of his actions. Oh yes, this character does not have a redemption arc. I didn't mention their names, but you all know who I mean. Zuko stans doesn't need to babysit him and justify everything he does. Because Zuko accepts responsibility himself. Because Zuko is no longer a villain. Cope with it.

[cienie-isengardu]

The Last Agni Kai is my top favorite fight in the ATLA because of the music, colors, choreography and the tragic sense of two siblings forced to battle each other but I’m still not sure why Zuko and Katara needed to confront Azula instead of being part of team Avatar in the final, the most important battle. Like, I get it thematically, as Azula and Zuko had their own storyline to resolve and so on, but from the perspective of in-universe events? Taking the title of Fire Lord would mean nothing, if Aang was killed by Ozai and the man returned to Fire Nation as a winner against Avatar, leaving Zuko and Katara on enemy territory all on their own, to either fight to the last breath or flee. 

Azula, as just crowned Fire Lord, was not that big of threat at that moment because ATLA takes place in a world that has limited long-distance communication and it was not like she had an idea what was going on with Ozai or if he was attacked by Avatar or not. She was far away from Earth Kingdom and would not be able to travel fast enough to aid her father, no matter how much she would want to do so. She would need to learn first about her father’s defeat to plan revenge or counterattack - what gives the White Lotus & alliance forces some time to plan the next step. With Ozai defeated, Zuko could come back to challenge her for the throne the same as he did originally. And even if he died during the final battle against Ozai and/or Ozai’s forces, there is still Iroh with a legit claim to the throne, right? Not to mention the psychological blow to Fire Nation’s psyche, if Avatar came to Fire Nation with their dead or depowered “great” Fire Lord.

And sure, Zuko taking throne with Avatar’s support wouldn’t put him in the best light, considering how his people were raised on imperialism and propaganda, but let’s be real here, his original regime was too controversial for the sole fact he left his country to aid Avatar and his future politics were aimed at peace and repairing damage done by Fire Nation across the world. On that matter alone, coming back to face Azula with the whole Gaang at his side won’t change that much.

My problem with how Zuko and Katara were sidelined on a different mission is not just the whole Iroh’s hypocrisy of I can’t fight my brother ‘cause history will remember it bad but you definitely should go fight your sister for the Fire Lord title. It is just the disappointment we didn’t have a chance to see Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Suki united like the Old Masters, all different elements in harmony, benders and non-benders supporting each other and together defeating the common enemy; the new generation all here for Avatar so their friend could focus on his task. Dunno if I make sense, but I truly wish that our young representatives of all cultures were there together, as there should be Zuko - firebender - standing against the corruption and deprivation of once honorable Nation, the same as Katara (waterbender) should be allowed to partake in mission alongside her brother, as they together went against the world since the first episode. 

Like I said, I love The Last Agni Kai, but damn, we were robbed of Gaang’s final battle against Sozin’s Legacy. Because we have never(?) truly seen them all together at the same time in full battle? Shame. Just shame…

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Princess Azula

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

This is one of those characters I should’ve done a long time ago, but just never got around to because I felt it was just way too obvious. I mean, come on, Avatar: The Last Airbender is considered one of the greatest works of western animation. Everyone and their mother has talked about this show at some point, so what could I even add?

Well, as it turns out, the way people talk about Azula is exactly what inspired me to write this! I have never seen a character so completely and critically misunderstood! Hell, this is a character that people like to disregard the core themes of the story to talk about! Discussion of her online made me so genuinely angry that I decided fuck it, it’s Azulain’ time! So here we go, my 200% anger-fueled analysis and review of the mentally-unstable Fire Nation princess who terrorized the Gaang!

Motivation/Goals: Azula has basically made it her life’s mission to be the ultimate tool of the Fire Nation, and specifically her father Fire Lord Ozai. To that end, she does basically whatveer he tells her to do? Kill the Avatar, conquer Ba Sing Se, take out her brother and uncle… So long as what she does has a net benefit for the imperialistic goals of her country, she’s down for it, and doubly so if she thinks it will get her even a little crumb of daddy’s attention.

Performance: Superstar voice actress Grey DeLisle of Literally Every Fucking Cartoon Ever Made fame lends her voice to the crown princess of the Fire Nation, and her smug, condescending delivery really sells Azula as a manipulative schemer who is constantly playing 4D chess to outmaneuver her opponents. I think I might even go so far as to call this one of DeLisle’s finest performances ever, for reasons pertaining to her delivery of lines in certain parts of the story that will be described below.

Final Fate: Azula’s fate is a perfect example of the show’s excellent writing because it robs us of catharsis in an extremely narratively satisfying way.

Throughout the finale, we watch as Azula’s mental health rapidly declines as literally everything in her life spirals out of her control for the first time. This is a girl who has defined herself as always being two steps ahead, always having everything firmly in her grasp, and yet her brother has run off with the heroes, her two best friends “betrayed” her, her father gives her the throne but only because he is crowning himself the Ultra Super Cool King Deluxe, and she is constantly grappling with feeling as if her mother viewed her as a monster while also subconsciously knowing that Ursa did truly love her. Keep in mind, all of this is happening to a teenage girl, so is it any wonder she completely and totally snaps?

Her final Agni Kai with Zuko during the height of Sozin’s Comet is epic, but it’s the conclusion where she is defeated by Katara and left as a sobbing, flailing mess that really knocks Azula’s character arc out of the park and cements her as the ultimate antithesis of Zuko. He had the guidance of a good, kind father figure, while she was stuck with Fire Hitler; he had a group of friends to love and support him, while she only had companions who put up with her out of fear and turned on her when they finally had enough; he was able to come to terms with his past traumas and grow to be better because of his numerous support systems, while all she had were toxic influences that led to her essentially collapsing under the weight of her internal conflict. She is what Zuko could have been if no one lent him a helping hand… and it is soul-crushingly tragic. The last we see her, she is a broken mess of a person, someone who has literally lost everything in their life, had the sole purpose of their existence stripped from them, and has just been reminded that she lost because she is a lonely, miserable, pathetic individual without any friends.

After her being on top for almost the entire show, this should feel like a triumph! But it’s not. It’s sad. It’s tragic. There’s no joy to be found. And boy oh boy, is it fucking powerful.

I’m just going to ignore what happens to her in the comics. It’s better that way.

Evilness: So here’s where things get really interesting, because while Azula does some truly evil things throughout the show, there is a tendency to exaggerate just how awful she is because most of her evil actions are just things she says she wants to do/has done. Combined with her smug, arrogant demeanor and it’s easy to believe she would do these things, but we don’t actually witness them. To wit, while she taunts Sokka about torturing Suki to the breaking point, when he finally reunites with her she sure doesn’t seem as cripplingly broken as Azula implied. I think it’s important to note that, as Azula is a massive liar, if we don’t actually see her do something (even something she’s threatening to do), it’s not really a mark against her. She’s a cunning manipulator, after all, conquering an entire city without lifting a finger.

On that note, though, she does have plenty of wicked moments under her belt. She conquered Ba Sing Se for the Fire Nation, she constantly tried to kill Aang and her brother while they were on the run in the Earth Kingdom, she had her friends locked up for defying her… Like she’s one messed up daddy’s girl. Even taking into account the inherent tragedy of her character and the fact she’s a teenage girl, she still kind of steps up to crossing the moral event horizon. She’s very much the product of grooming in an environment meant to espouse the joys of fascism and imperialism, and since she never had a strong guide like Iroh her moral compass is busted.

With all that being said, I think she’s a solid 5/10. She does some really nasty things, but at the same time a lot of what colors the perception of her is stuff she only implies. Also I’m not considering any of her pre-breakdown fights with Zuko as truly evil; this is just how siblings are. You bet your ass sibling squabbles would look just like that if they could shoot fireballs from their hands.

Best Episode: For all her badass moments, awesome schemes, incredible fights, and powerful moments… “The Beach” might be her best episode. This might sound crazy, but I stand by it; I think showing us an awkward, human side of her really helps to sell that Azula isn’t actually some unstoppable force. She’s just a teenager who has no social skills and can’t exist outside of the confines of being a royal or a warrior without looking like an absolute weirdo.

Best Quote: After outmaneuvering season 2’s arc villain Long Feng, who concedes to he rand says she’s beaten him at his own game, she flippantly replies, “Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player.” I don’t think even Jet got so brutally murdered. It’s the sickest burn in the series aside from Zuko’s scar.

Final Thoughts & Score: The whole reason I even wrote this Psycho Analysis is because the constant and critical misunderstandings of Azula I see online constantly piss me the fuck off.

There is a subset of Avatar fans who completely and steadfastly believe that Azula is in fact an irredeemable monster, a complete sociopath with no redeeming qualities who needs to suffer and die. They reject any attempts at assessing the character in a more nuanced light, because “why can’t villains just be evil?” They treat her as if she’s some sort of pure evil being instead of an emotionally stunted child.“She’s crazy and she needs to go down” might as well be the mantra of these media illeterate Avatar fans, parroting opinions that mirror the words of Iroh after Azula almost killed him but ignoring that crucial context as well as Iroh’s entire character. Like, do these people actually pay attention to the core themes of the entire show? You know, mercy, redemption, humanity, the importance of all life? Did they miss the part of the finale where these core themes were cemented by Aang removing Ozai’s firebending with energybending, or were they too busy bitching about it being a deus ex machina to realize it’s thematically appropriate?

Like they want Azula to just be this evil, unredeemable cartoonish villain in a show that explicitly says no one is like this. There’s even a point in the final episodes where it’s pointed out that genocidal colonizer tyrant Ozai was once a sweet, cute little baby, and didn’t just spring forth as a fully formed Red-Hot Hitler. Azula is a person groomed by an unrepentantly evil father to be the Fire Nation ubermensch, the ideal tool for the conquest of the rest of the world. She was never allowed to have a normal childhood, as evident by her awkward behavior and social ineptitude when she’s actually allowed to cut loose and be around people her own age in a relaxed setting. Everything that she is—a liar, a manipulator, an attempted murderer, an egomaniac—are all the result of Ozai’s upbringing, being entrenched in the propaganda of her nation, and a lack of authority figures with a moral compass in her life. She didn’t have an Iroh to guide her, all she had was Ozai. In this sense, Azula is as much a victim as she is a victimizer.

But she is a victimizer. She is still consciously making bad decisions, she is still doing evil and sometimes appearing to enjoy it. There’s no reason to believe she couldn’t turn things around if given a helping hand like her brother was (though there would need to be a lot more effort due to her being in Ozai’s company unimpeded for way longer than Zuko), but she’s not some innocent little bean who’s being persecuted by others. Azula is still a villain, and viewing her as just a mere victim is a disservice to the character just as much as painting her as an inhuman monster. She is a very nuanced character, but she never gets the sort of POV work Zuko does to fully flesh out what’s on her mind and let us see the world through her eyes so the work done for her is more subtle, at least until her final breakdown. At that point, the show is literally beating you over the head with the fact she is an incredibly tragic character whose entire existence is pitiful and broken, and who lives as a mirror to Zuko, showing him a dark path he could have walked down if he didn’t receive love, support, and compassion.

Ultimately, Iroh wasn’t wrong when he said “She’s crazy and she needs to go down,” but I take it with emphasis on and. Azula is, in fact, crazy. She is incredibly mentally disturbed, her mind warped and molded by her father to the point she breaks if she starts to lose control even a tiny bit. And, as an antagonistic force working against the heroes, she does indeed need to go down. I’m sure he wasn’t too happy with his near-death experience, but you will not convince me that the sweet old Iroh, who himself changed and redeemed himself after being a fucking war criminal who nearly conquered Ba Sing Se, could not see the nuance in the Azula situation and genuinely saw his niece as some beast to be slaughtered.

But that’s enough with the ranting, let’s get to the actual final thoughts and score for Azula. She is one of the most engaging and magnificent villains in animation, a real firebrand (heh) whose numerous schemes are gripping to watch, building her up as someone you want to see finally get defeated only for the writers to pull the rug out from under you and remind you just what Azula really is. Avatar had no shortage of brilliant and subversive writing, but I think Azula’s ultimate arc is an unsung masterpiece among it. The character is so mired in discourse these days it’s easy to forget it, but she genuinely is a grand character.

For her score, I’m gonna say she gets a 9/10. She’s easily the best villain on the show, far outshining her rather generic father, the deliciously hammy but ultimately rather shallow Zhao, and the scheming but relatively minor Long Feng (to say nothing of the numerous minor villains that range in quality from wastes of time like Combustion Man to genuinely amazing and horrifying like Hama). I think the only thing holding her back from a perfect score is that sometimes it feels like things fall into place a little too perfectly for her, and she doesn’t face setbacks too much until the very end, but considering the immensely powerful culmination it’s nothing that ruins her. Azula is a character just as rich and deep as anyone else from the show, and I really wish more people looked at her with nuance.

I also wish the fucking comics didn’t exist. Maybe I’m asking for too much.

[sir-gertrude]

The night the prince is born, all the candles in the palace go out.

It is the dead of winter, a new moon. A bad sign for a fire bender, worse for a royal.

An omen, servants whisper, a sign.

Elaborate halls of fine and flammable tapestries echo with the cries of a princess, tended to and soothed by the nation's best physicians. Servants carry buckets of water and fresh linens into the bedchamber where the princess lies, taking blood-stained cloth out with them.

Outside of the fray, a prince paces back and forth. To an outsider's view he could look like a new father worried for his wife and firstborn. He is not, instead anxious about what his father may think of the omens surrounding the baby's birth. His concern is nothing new. Princes have been weary of their father's reactions for generations, Ozai is not the first nor will he be the last.

His brother's son was born in the heat of summer, like his father before him. It is another thing Iroh has beaten Ozai at, and Ozai loathes his brother all the more for it.

❁

A mighty general and a boy who will never be called such are in the elder's office, enjoying a cup of jasmine tea.

The younger prince squirms in his seat. He doesn't quite understand why he’s barred from seeing his aunt and has asked for the fourth- fifth time when the baby will be here. His father chuckles, eyes crinkling as he tells him to be patient.

Lu Ten has never concerned himself with his father's reaction, as his father hadn't before him. Perhaps it comes with being born in the sun.

❁

In his chambers, a once prince, once general, now firelord sits at his desk and goes through the same reports from his war council as he has done every night since the start of his reign. He sighs, rubbing his temple, and takes a moment to examine his own thoughts.

His daughter-in-law’s labor has lasted since the early hours of the morning, hardly ever a good sign. Iroh’s late wife had died during Lu Ten’s birth and Iroh refused to remarry. Should Ursa pass on as well, or be otherwise unable to bear children, the union of Roku and Sozin’s bloodlines would end before it even had a chance to begin.

That aside, the conditions surrounding his grandchild’s birth are hardly auspicious. Azulon is not a superstitious man, but to be born at a time so far from Agni’s light is enough to make any hopeful relative uneasy.

The candles on Azulon’s desk flicker, and the shadows shift to accommodate. Light-dark-light shifts over the page Azulon has in front of him, a report of crop failure in one of the outer islands of the archipelago. The old man sighs again, and puts it to the side.

Bad omens indeed.

❁

With a final cry, the palace falls into silence for the first time that day. The light disappears shortly after.

Back in the princess's chambers, attendants scramble to relight the candles, and nurses exchange looks in the dark. The baby has not cried. The princess does not notice, she is looking at the newborn that has just gotten passed to a nurse to be cleaned.

The baby is small, as a baby should be, and silent, as a baby shouldn't.

When the nursemaid hands the infant to his mother's waiting arms, wide eyes paler than Ursa's look back at her.

They hold no Spark.

Perhaps the light of the prince was robbed along with the palace’s.

Ursa knows what this means, the servants do too. A nursemaid who has worked at the palace since before Fire Lord Azulon's hair turned gray remembers a girl with a similar muted stare disappearing before her second birthday.

Neither Iroh nor Ozai know of their older sister. Non-bending children are not added to the Agni-Blessed family tree.

The boy still hasn't cried.

The servants hurry out of the room when the High Sage, the Fire Lord, and the second – the overlooked, the lesser – prince come through the door.

The occupants of the room bow. Ursa bends over her newborn, her respectful posture a shield to her as much as it is to her son. The child. She should call him the child. It will be easier, knowing what comes next.

"My Lady", the Sage, the woman who blessed Lu Ten, and Ozai, and Iroh, steps towards the princess and holds out her arms.

Slowly, numbly, Ursa hands the child over.

She feels like his executioner. She holds this title before Mother.

High Sage Zanli holds the boy, and the boy stares back with pale-too-pale eyes. She sees the same thing Ursa had, and her expression turns grim. Ozai and Azulon look on, equally impassive.

Zanli searches for some sign—not frantically, she doesn't have enough hope to be frantic—of fire in the boy.

His eyes do not look away from the Sage's.

Finally, "The boy is not a firebender." The Sage says, when she couldn't find what wasn't there.

Ozai looks down, in fury, in shame. Azulon glances at his son, before turning back to Zanli, expression pinched.

“We will send the boy back to Agni at first light.”

Ursa crumples despite her best efforts.

High Sage Zanli hands the boy, the nonbender, back to the princess who’s too soft for palace life, and nods with something like sympathy in her eyes.

The three leave the room, leaving Ursa and a boy who wouldn't be remembered as prince behind.

Ursa sits there for a long time, staring at the child in her arms who will soon be ash on the wind. She turns to the window and stares out at the dark night.

Ursa does not want her son to die.

The princess cradles her son to her chest and whispers prayers to any power that might listen.

Ursa comes from the outskirts of the outskirts of the archipelago, colonies of colonies won in Sozin’s reign. Agni is not the only Spirit they worship there. The people there remember the shadows cast in wake of Her fire, they remember that light cannot exist without its opposite.

Somewhere in the deep and dark, the muddled and murky, things often overlooked in the face of Agni's glory are called to attention.

Few remember that the Shadows are just as much children of Agni as the dragons, but it is no surprise, really. Man often overlooks that which does not serve him. This suits the Shadows just fine, They prefer quieter spaces, and They are meant to follow anyway.

Ursa does not notice the shadows stretching higher behind the candles in the room. Her newborn stares at their dancing—And that's what they're doing isn't it? Dancing.—shapes on the walls.

The hall outside grows…dimmer? The guards cannot explain the way the light seems to wane the closer one goes toward Princess Ursa's chamber. They cannot explain how all the shadows seem to point to the wide doors.

After hours of Ursa standing vigil, Agni pokes Her head from beyond the horizon.

Light creeps across the floor and across the bed and over the boy in his mother's arms. He starts to whimper, then whine, then wail for the first time since his birth.

Whispers of folktales speak of how Shadows cannot take form without Agni's help.

His eyes, when they open again, are deeper now. Darker, richer. Gold with a touch of something more.

The candles flicker, then grow.

Ursa does not notice how the shadows cast in the wake of the candles grow just as much.

It's no longer night, and the Shadows need more help to stretch, to see.

When a fire sage enters the room to collect the child, he finds a cooing baby reaching towards the brightest light in the room and a mother smiling down at her son.

"It seems Agni has blessed him after all," she says, keeping her eyes fixed on the baby, "She just wanted to meet him first."

The sage, younger than Zanli and less experienced, stammers before promising to find the High Sage to bless the boy. Had he been more jaded, more realistic, he would know that "Agni just had to see them first" is not often accepted as a reason why a child does not have a Spark from the beginning.

At noon, when Agni is at her highest point—when the shadows have receded to their smallest—Prince Zuko is held before a cheering crowd and blessed as a son of Agni. His eyes glint with something High Sage Zanli knows is not a Spark, not a true one.

She stays quiet. She is world-worn, yes, but if she could save a child she would do so.

"How fortunate that he turned out to be a bender. Agni shines upon us" The Fire Lord says to his second son.

"Yes. Fortunate,” Ozai responds, more detached than he would be if the boy had just come out right in the first place.

He will try again, he vows, and next time he won't be stuck with a sorry excuse of a bender.

Prince Zuko does not look away from the dancing ink at the crowd's feet, silent once more.

[inneedofsupervision]

Prince Soma's Remedy for Boredom

This is a Kuroshitsuji / Black Butler Tickle Fanfic

Summary: Ciel is exhausted after a tiring mission and just want to spend his evening quietly but a certain Indian prince and his boredom just wouldn't let him do as he pleased. Will Ciel get the chance to relax? Probably not.

Lee! Ciel / Ler! Soma

Masterlist (Theres more of this)

"Play with me."

"No."

"But I am bored"

"We already played chess for a few hours and the answer is still no. And now go, you're disturbing me."

"You're no fun Ciel."

The young earl took a deep breath, trying to control the boiling anger that took place in him.

He, Sebastian and his other servant's had just arrived in London, after finishing a mission which the Queen of England had personally laid in the hand of her loyal Watchdog and the young earl didn't want to admit it but he was really exhausted. They had headed to the London Residence of the Phantomhives and Ciel had already planned to spend the evening in peace, maybe snacking something sweet and go to sleep early but the second he had put a step into his mansion his plans got thrown over the table, because a certain prince had to follow every of his steps and demanded attention all the time. Soma had somehow managed it to get the younger boy into playing chess with him but after dinner he just wanted to be left alone and relax.

"Cieeel" whined Soma while robbing closer to the boy.

"We played chess for two hours, what does he still want from me?" thought the young earl lightly angered, while turning a page in the hard-covered book that easily contained over five-hundred pages and looked way too big for his thin arms to hold up. He hoped that Soma would be bored soon when he got ignored but it seemed that the prince had a lot of patience and it annoyed the earl to no end.

"Let's play cards"

"For the last time – No."

Ciel turned around so he was laying with his back to the taller teen, who was now sitting on the other side of the large four-poster-bed and tried to concentrate on his book.

"Cieeeel" whined the prince while pouting at the rejection but the younger teen just went on with ignoring him.

"It's not nice to ignore your guest Ciel. I'm a prince, it's a punishable act to ignore a prince."

Still, no reaction from the boy.

Soma couldn't believe how stubborn Ciel could be. He just wanted to spend time with him and do something fun but Ciel had to act like a spoilsport all the time. It wasn't fair that, when he had the chance to see the young earl, the other simply ignored him like he wasn't even there.

Soma thought a few minutes what he could do or say to get the boy's attention when he suddenly got an idea. It had always worked on him when he was younger and upset or not in the mood for playing but when Agni did it to him it always had cheered him up and get him to play with his favorite servant and the prince was sure that it just had to also work on the normally so stoic child in front of him.

"Hey Ciel. I want to ask you something." said the prince while watching the younger's back.

"Hmm", came the muffled response and the rustling from another page which was turned could be heard.

"Say... are you ticklish?"

Soma watched with amusement how Ciels body stiffed at the question. It seems that he had guessed right.

"No, I'm not", answered the earl slowly and tried to appear calm and collected while his mind worked overtime. If Soma would find out, that he in fact was very ticklish than he could forget his peaceful evening.

"Are you sure?", asked the grinning prince, already knowing by Ciels earlier reaction that the younger boy was clearly lying.

"Yes, I am sure and if you would excuse me now, I want to read this book."

"Nah, I think I will just test my theory." Soma while grinning mischievously and then pounced on the younger boy.

"Wait, what? What do you think you're doi-AH! G-get off!." The young earl couldn't do anything when a large body fell on top of him and pressed him into the soft mattress.

Before he could register what was happening, warm hands had already found their way to his sides and started kneading them.

Ciels lips started twitching upwards and he slapped his hand over his mouth as fast as he could, trying to block the giggles that were threatened to spill from his lips. Soma grin grew wider when he saw how the younger boy tried to contain his laughter, which he had trouble holding in, now even more motivated to make the normally so stoic earl laugh.

"Oh come on Ciel. I want to hear your laughter and not you try to hold it in." said Soma, while working his way upwards in direction of the boys ribs. Ciels trashing increased the higher the tickling hands wandered and he had struggles not to lose his composure and break down into a pile of laughter in giggles right here, which didn't remained hidden to the prince eyes.

"What's wrong Ciel? Does this tickle?", teased Soma, sure that Ciel will be more than pissed for that comment later, but that fact didn't really bothered him right now. The young earl could barely hold his arms up anymore, face getting redder with every moment and he squirmed retorted. Soma suddenly dug his hands into the young boys armpits who completely lost it at that point.

"Ahahaha S-sohohmaha", squeaked the boy when his arms shot down, in order to protect the sensitive spot under them but it was already too late. The prince grinned wickedly and wiggled his fingers furiously under the earls arms which let him squeak again and trash wildly, all the while laughing his head of.

"So you actually can laugh." said the prince with faked surprise in his voice. "Ohof c-couhuhrse, I cahahan laugh, yohohu idiohohot."

"It isn't nice to call your friends, idiots.", fake-scolded Soma.

"Wehehe aren't friehends." pressed Ciel out between his laughing fit.

"You sure have a bad mouth, Ciel. I think I have to punish you for being so mean to me." With that the purple haired teen clawed at the boys belly and vibrated his hands over it. The laughter turned into bright giggles and Soma couldn't believe his eyes, let alone his ears.

The earl of Phantomhive honest to god giggled and it sounded like one of the cutest things that the twenty sixth prince of Bengal had ever heard.

Soma was now even more motivated to make the young earl produce more of those angelic sounds and planned to find ever ticklish spot on the younger boys body, just to hear more of these cute laughter and giggles.

"So it seems like your upper body is definitely ticklish but what's with the rest?" While he was saying that, the dark skinned teen turned around to squeeze Ciels thighs and the spot right above his knee but he hadn't expect that the boy would buck so violently at that, still laughing and trashing and Soma who got caught by surprise fell over and down from the large bed.

Ciel took a few deep breaths trying to calm down a bit and then used the chance and quickly crawled over the bed, jumped down to the ground and sprinted to the door. Soma who had recovered rather fast, stood up and looked around, searching for his prey, just to see how the door fell back in its lock. He grinned and also start running, not wanting this game to end so soon.

Ciel was running down the corridor in direction main hall as fast as his short and skinny legs could carry him, noticing how his breath speed up rather fast. This was one of the time where the young earl coursed his weak body and how fast he could run out of breath.

He took the stairs and sprinted them down, carefully watching his step, so he wouldn't fell and made his way in the direction of the kitchens. When he had walked around the corner and stood in the corridor which led him to the kitchen, the pantry and also to the bedrooms which were used by the servant's he asked himself why he had out of all things run there.

He headed down the corridor, not running anymore, in order to give his body the chance to clam down a bit and stopped when he suddenly heard voices.

They came from the open door which belonged to one of the two kitchens and Ciel knew that he couldn't walk past it without anyone in the kitchen noticing him. So he just head to the door and looked in.

Mey-Rin and Finnian were sitting at a table, talking to Bard who also sit there but on the other side and he seemed to polish some kind of handgun. Agni and Sebastian stood at the sink and washed the crockery, the taller man washing it and the raven head drying it and put it to the right cupboards. The newest member of the Phantomhive servants, the ex-contortionist and former circus performer Snake stood a bit aside and whispered to one of his snakes which had made them-self comfortable on the boys shoulders.

Finnian was the first who noticed the presence of their master.

"Young Master what are you doing here?"

Now every one in the room stopped in the middle of what they were doing and looked visible surprised, at the boy who stood in the door, body bend forward with his hands on his knees, panting hard.

"Young Master, why are you so out of breath? Did you run?", asked Sebastian curious, noticing the lightly reddened cheeks and the fast panting of his master.

Ciel couldn't resent his servants and Agni that they wondered what was going on. When he had made his way down here he had seen himself in one of the mirrors that stood in the main hall and he had to admit that he looked a bit funny. His normally so perfect fitting clothes were creased, not to mention that he didn't even wore any shoes, - he didn't have the time to get them on, due his sudden escape -, his hair was tousled, his cheeks colored in a light shade of red and his breath was still rapid which could lead to the conclusion that he in fact has had rushed all the way down here.

Ciel opened his mouth in order to answer but then closed it promptly again, the faint shade of red on his cheeks deepening when a blush spread over his features as realized that he couldn't answer this simple question without embarrassing himself. He really didn't want to tell his servants and the Indian butler that he was running away from a certain stupid prince because he threatened to tickle him.

He wouldn't tell anybody about this.

Never.

It was just too embarrassing.

Sebastian raised and eyebrow, at his masters strange behavior but decided to stay silent about it.

"Cieeeeel. Where are yooou? You know I gonna get you."

The young earls eye grew wide when he hears the voice of his persecutor echoing trough the corridor. He was close on his heals. Ciel searched furiously for an escape route in his head when he heard the voice once again calling for him.

"Cieeeel"

Ciel cursed under his breath. Somas voice sounded now even closer than before.

Sebastian again raised an eyebrow, but this time at his masters swearing,- as a demon he had a devilish good hearing-, and shook his head at the boys antics. It didn't befit a person which carried such high grades in the London society to use such words and even more if it comes from a child. Agni also seemed to have caught it, because right after the words had leaved the boys lips, he let a tea cup slip trough his from water and soap slippery hands. He was shocked that such an innocent looking child knew such vulgar words and if Sebastian and his good reflexes hadn't been there, then the expensive tea cup would have shattered into a thousand little pieces.

"Found you!"

The earls head shot up like a deer's who saw a predator as he heard these dangerous words and his eyes searched furiously for the source of the voice, which let shivers run down his spine and made his heart beat faster in fear.

And then he found it.

There, on the other end of the corridor stood Prince Soma Asman Kadar and grinned at him and Ciel knew from the look in his eyes that he couldn't escape.

But Ciel wasn't someone who gave up so easily. The moment where Soma started to move, he turned around and run for his life. He could hear the prince laugh behind him and the sounds of faster becoming steps echoed trough the corridor.

Ciel could feel his heart beat like crazy in his chest and the blood roaring in his ears as he sprinted down the hall.

The steps behind him got closer and closer.

Ciel had managed to nearly sprint around the corner when he suddenly felt how strong arms wrapping around his waist and he was hoisted up from the ground.

"Caught you!" laughed Soma happily and turned the boy around in his hold so he could heave him over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?! Let me down!" yelled the captured boy and struggled in the prince strong hold.

"Well, I still haven't found all your ticklish spots yet, little Ciel." answered the prince, his smile clearly visible in his voice. Soma carried the earl back to the room where he and Ciel had been earlier,- when he had walked with Ciel thrown over his shoulder, past the open kitchen door, the looks he had got were more than funny, - and threw the still struggling boy on the bed. Before Ciel could crawl away, hands gripped his ankles and he got pulled back. Soma grinned at the squirming teen and put his feet in a headlock. Then he started to tease the boy.

"I bet you are ticklish on your feet Ciel. What would you say? Does this tickle?" While he said that, he slowly dragged a single finger along the boys sole.

Ciel squeaked and quickly put his hands over his mouth, his foot twitching in Somas hold and his whole body flinched when the prince repeated the whole process another time.

"Ah Ciel, I thought we had the hole "put-hand-over-your-mouth-story" already behind us." whined the older boy with faked complain in his voice.

"Yohuhu are s-suhuch a duhuhmbahass!" yelled Ciel angrily but the anger in his voice got drowned by the giggles that followed when Soma lightly scratched with his short fingernails over the boys socked soles.

"You're so mean to me all the time Ciel." fake whined the prince and then let his fingers scribble furiously all over the boys feet. Ciels giggled turned into bright loud laughter and he twisted and turned in Soma hold like a fish on land.

"AHAHA S-Soma! Nohoho not thehehre!" screamed the earl trough the wave of laughter that spilled from his mouth. He had quit with trying to hold it in and was now freely laughing, giggling and shrieking in mirth when Soma found a more sensitive spot after another. When the young earl squealed as the prince tickled right under his toes, Soma also started to laugh. It was just too funny and adorable to see the young earl like this.

When Ciels voice started to get hoarse from all the laughing, the prince stopped with his tickling. He knew that Ciel had lit under asthma when he was younger and he couldn't take too much because of his weak lungs and Soma didn't want to risk that something happened to the boy because he was to ruthless with him.

Ciel panted hard after the attack had suddenly stopped and he rolled on his back so he could look at the prince who sat on the edge of the bed.

"I hope you had your fun." deadpan the younger boy and focused his eyes on the ceiling while he tried to get his breath under control.

"I had lots of fun!" said Soma happily and Ciel looked back at him with a dumbfounded expression on his face, not believing how someone could be such an idiot who didn't even understand when someone was being sarcastic.

The boy sighed and rolled his eyes, when suddenly a yawn escaped his mouth.

"When did I even got this tired?" he asked himself inwardly and soon felt how his eyelids started to get heavier. Before he knew what was happening his eyes had already closed and he had fallen asleep.

Soma turned around to look at the boy when he saw that Ciel was deep asleep. Soma smiled at the relaxed expression on the boys face. He looked more like a child when he was asleep. The prince carefully hoisted the now silent earl in his arms, tugged at the blanket and laid the child back on the bed. Then he carefully covered him so his little friend wouldn't get cold and smiled at the sleeping silhouette in front of him.

When he looked at Ciels sleeping face, he noticed that he also was pretty tired. "Ciel won't mind it too much if I sleep here right?" he asked himself and just slipped under the covers himself. It only needed a few moments till the Indian prince also fell into a deep slumber, snuggled close to the smaller body which laid beside him.

Sebastian knocked gently on the door to the room where his master would spend the night.

"Young master?" he asked. When he didn't get an answer he waited a few moments and then opened the door quietly. As he entered the room, he was more than a bit surprised at what he found there. On his masters bed were laying two bodies, the larger one on his side, facing a smaller one who laid on his back. The taller person had an arm thrown over the smaller body and pressed it closer to its chest.

Sebastian lit a candelabra, - as a demon he could see in the dark but it was a habit which he had got, after starting to work for the Young Master, - and looked a bit closer at the two bodies.

There on the masters bed were laying prince Soma and the Young Master himself, cuddling while they were both deep asleep. To say that the demon of a butler was surprised at that sight was an understatement.

After Sebastian had won his composure back he bowed one time in the direction of the bed, his hand seeded over the place where his heart should be and he whispered;

"Good night Young master, good night prince Soma."

Then he turned around and walked, without making any noise back to the door. "I can't wait for the next morning." thought the demon with a devious smile plastered on his fave as he walked out of the bed-chamber and quietly closed the door behind himself.

[serpentinearchitect17]

I figured it was time to do another rewatch of ATLA, and I’m so glad I did! Going through all the episodes re-ignited my love for the series and sparked my interest in writing again. Zutara always has, and always will, hold all of my heart. They have me in a chokehold like no other. But, can we take a moment to appreciate Zuko and Jet’s little moment of friendship? We were ROBBED of more scenes of the two of them 😭

Anyway, I went back to one of my unfinished fanfics on my computer. It’s a Zutara adaptation based on the Netflix show, Dash & Lily (with Zuko taking the role of Dash and Katara taking the role of Lily). Maybe I’ll continue it someday. I’d like to, since I think it has the potential to be a cute and fun story to write. Let me know if this is something you’d like to read in the future.

There’s one scene that I partially completed. It’s between Zuko, who’s a grad student at Ba Sing Se University, and Jet, his best friend and roommate, who’s a bartender in a restaurant. It’s a modern AU fic with no bending.

I thought I’d share the scene here, just for fun. Otherwise, it’ll keep gathering dust 😅 Enjoy this platonic Jetko banter!

*****

Pushing open the set of double doors to the restaurant, Zuko shivered from the sudden blast of warm air. As soon he stepped inside, he stamped his feet against the mat, dislodging any remnants of the snow and ice from his boots.

Looking up from the ground, he found the place practically empty, except for a few stray customers who were either finishing up their dinners or were lingering, chatting with their dining partners. Considering that it was about an hour until closing on a Tuesday, he wasn’t surprised to see the slow pace of the restaurant. Still, a blend of spices – cardamom, coriander, and curry, if he had to guess – wafted around him, signaling that the kitchen hadn’t stopped making dishes for the night. He breathed in deeply, hoping the comforting aroma would center him as he made his way towards the bar.

From his vantage point, there was only one person in that area – the lone figure in a black t-shirt behind the bar. Thank Agni it was just him tonight. Zuko shuddered at the thought of having to share the space with other patrons when he was in such an awful mood.

Inching closer, Zuko could hear Jet whistling a jaunty tune, as he hung glasses on the rack above his head. Once Jet’s eyes landed on the bedraggled grad student, he flashed a bright grin. 

Before Zuko could open his mouth to greet the bartender, Jet raised an eyebrow and drawled, “You look like you could use a drink.”

Sighing, Zuko nodded. “More like five,” he muttered, slumping into one of the large bar stools.

Chuckling lowly, Jet pointed a finger at Zuko. “I’m cutting you off after two. As your roommate and best friend, I say this with all the care in the world –” He paused dramatically before bluntly announcing, “You’re a fucking nightmare when you’ve had too much to drink, especially when you’re in public. At least I could have some fun if you were a handsy drunk or a reckless one. But, no, you just have to be the rudest, meanest drunk I’ve met in my entire life.” He shook his head, his lips curling into a smirk. “I mean, you’re always rude, but alcohol makes it twenty times worse.”

Narrowing his eyes, Zuko snarled through his teeth, “Fuck you.”

Unperturbed by his friend’s mood, Jet simply winked. “Maybe later, gorgeous.”

Instantly flushing at his words, Zuko crossed his arms and growled, “Just fix me a fucking drink. I don’t care what it is, as long as it’s strong and makes me forget about the day I’ve had.”

Jet raised both hands in surrender. “Fine. Here’s the deal, though – you’re gonna drink the whole damn thing without threatening to maim or murder me.”

A loud groan escaped Zuko, but he relented with a wave of his hand. “Whatever. If I were sane right now, I’d punch you and tell you to fuck off. But, I’m not, so just go for it.”

Jet pumped a victory fist in the air before rubbing his hands together, almost maniacally. “Bro, you’re in for a treat.”

Making an impatient gesture, Zuko shot a sharp glare at Jet. “Hurry it up, will you?”

Turning his back, Jet got to work. He grabbed two bottles of liquor and a handful of other ingredients, purposely shielding his actions from Zuko’s view, which in and of itself was highly disturbing. Of course, Zuko trusted his friend not to drug or poison him, but at the same time, his level of concern steadily increased as he watched Jet throw item after item into a cocktail shaker.

A minute later, the drink was poured, and a glass slid across the bar. Zuko caught it easily with his right hand, thankful for his quick reflexes.

“Drink up, Z.”

“Cheers.” Zuko knocked back a good portion of the concoction, which apparently was a huge mistake. His face immediately screwed into a look of utter disgust, as he coughed out violently, “What the fuck did you just give me, Jet?!”

Doubling over with laughter, Jet slapped the bar counter. “That’s my ‘Get Zuko to talk’ drink! I just made it up on the spot! Isn’t it awesome?”

Shoving the offending drink away, Zuko wheezed, “That, right there, is the foulest thing I’ve ever tasted. And that includes all the horrible drinks and foods Azula has made me try over the years just to torture me!”

After righting himself and taking a breath, Jet turned to Zuko with a snort. “Oh, lighten up. It’s not that bad.”

“You’re not the one who tasted it, you jackass!” Zuko argued, finally settling down from his coughing fit. “Seriously, what did you put in there?”

Shrugging, Jet listed the ingredients as if he were talking about something as mundane as the weather. “A blend of Maotai and the Earth Kingdom’s strongest whiskey, crushed ginger, crushed lychee, a few sliced Thai chili peppers, freshly squeezed mandarin juice, and carbonated coconut water.”

[wishingforatypewriter]

What did the triads do during the final battle with Kuvira? Help? Take advantage? Fight amongs themselves?

Thank you so much for the ask!

I like to think that the triads would have been on their worst behavior.

At an organizational level:

The Agni Kais used the confusion and destruction of Kuvira's invasion to break their leader, Arson Queen Aiko, out of prison.

The Triple Threats and the Creeping Crystals, working in tandem, orchestrated three bank robberies and absolutely plundered the homes of some very wealthy Republic City residents.

The Triple Threats also took bets on the Korra vs Kuvira fight.

The Red Monsoons sent pickpockets to the train station to take valuables off people trying to evacuate.

Also:

Viper and Jargala had apocalypse sex all over President Raiko's mansion, which they then robbed.

When the Kuvira's weapon started wrecking buildings all over the city, they absconded to their bunker with the stolen goods—because of course Jargala has a bunker—and listened for updates on the radio.

[instantdepresso]

Valentine's Day is near so i'm throwing my kids at you

[heirscrchd]

echoes of the past

Send "Echoes of the past" for your muse to experience one of my muses memories in a vision/dream.

Clouds swarmed around Jet as he was taken within the fractured memories of the once-adored and revered Princess. A vision bestowed upon him just how much the war had affected those on the other side of the slaughter.

As the clouds parted the heat of this new place was unbearable. Standing within the court of the royal Fire Nation capital's palace stood Zuko, Katara, and Azula. The most noticeable thing that Jet could notice was how the faces of Zuko and Katara were warped. They didn't have any features one might expect as the trauma of the experience had corrupted and distorted this memory.

The second thing Jet would notice is a woman who looked far too similar to Azula if she was much older. Standing, looming behind Zuko and Katara as if some twisted puppet master. Yet her expression held one of sorrow looking towards the Princess. Screams and words were exchanged as fire blasted past Jet. The Agni Kai had begun, and while the words were a muffled unintelligable ringing sound the overwhelming emotion seemed to crack the very ground he stood on. Breaking apart, it seemed parts started to even go missing, falling to an empty void.

That very darkness teetered upon the edges of the courtyard as the battle continued. Clawing and scraping making a horrid sound that broke through the blasts of fire until all the light seemed to drain from the stadium. No longer was there the unknown puppeteer there, the strings that connected Katara and Zuko to her had vanished, all that was left were two people for Jet to see. Splitting through the space, a bolt of Lightning and a single target were visible through this distortion as Azula honed her attack to Katara; but it wouldn't land.

Instead out from the darkness that clouded her vision came Zuko, diving in front of the bolt and saving the waterbender. Another agonizing amount of pressure pushed down upon Jet as he was subjected to the very emotions that Azula felt. Each cackle from the girl brought forth another break in the memory. Another piece was stolen away as her mind tried desperately to hide it, conceal it, but it was a futile effort.

With Katara stepping in to finish the fight, blurs of movement, it was hard to even tell what had happened as the next moment Jet would find himself standing in front of Azula breathing heavily and desperately trying to keep herself from shattering completely. Hatred, sorrow, pain, rage, grief, the pressure would completely break the memory and her as Jet would feel himself starting to free fall. Echoing sounds of Azula's cries and screams as he would see her desperately trying to not fall, grab purchase onto something. Her very body looked to be being torn apart from the inside out, all now projected to Jet himself.

Emotions swirling and forcing their way onto him as the damn broke. Tears flowed down Azula's face as she spat out blue flames desperate to rid herself of how painfully her blood boiled under the skin. She had failed. She lost. What she had feared had come to fruition and the last bit of love she ever had now was robbed from her once more. Still, all that remained was not hatred for Zuko or Katara, but for that unknown woman, the single entity that Azula seemed to blame. Unable to cope and understand she sobbed and screamed, flailing around in an attempt to break free and continue the fight. She couldn't lose, she couldn't let herself fail, she couldn't give the one man who had loved her reason to abandon her.

Azula couldn't understand, now she was truly alone.

No one was coming for her. No one was to rescue her. No one loved her enough to be here for her.

Left in this empty void she continued to cry for hours on end, until she laid still appearing near dead. A stillness she never thought could exist, and it made her sick. Disgusted to be in her own skin now, but far too tired to do anything.

So tired. So exhausted. The pressure finally snuffed out the flame.

All the years of perfection, wasted. All the years of training and teaching how to abandon her empathy, pointless. The praise for being perfect, the love shown for whenever she had done well. All that was left was the neglect she knew she would be given. The cold embrace of loneliness that she tried so hard to fight against. Now come to her in this moment to welcome her to it's empty hold.

There was nothing left.

The scabbard of a weapon they tried to make her out to be left for dead. Unloved and abandoned.

With that, Jet would be expelled from her memory. Dragged back to his own body and out of the vision leaving him with a lingering emptiness.

[tired-demonspawn]

netflix avatar episode 5-8!

(i binged the rest of it in one go)

funky lil thoughts on a funky lil show :)

fair warning i'm going to shit on it a lot for the majority of this post but dont be fooled into thinking i hated it, i just like to nitpick in long spanning paragraphs.

okay we are fully fully going into doing their own thing territory in episode 5 and somewhat episode 6, i tried and failed multiple times to guess which episodes are they going to do and it turned out they only took the base ideas from them and almost fully did their own thing. aside from the blue spirit bits

i actually think its nice, they were shaving the episode count to the point where they only mentioned some episodes, which i can just feel deep in my bones someone already getting mad about, but i think its fine that they did it this way. they make a little remix of it. :)

koh was creepy as shit man fr i hated the 2 jumpscares god almighty. it was awesome. i didnt like the weird cgi for his face, but i got used to it eventually. i think it was certainly a choice to have him appear in ep 5 instead of how they learn of the spirits. they changed his mechanics, apparently he can just???? steal faces??? whenever???? they make it a food thing instead of a "lmao i wanna impress my mom so imma steal the faces she makes"

also mother of faces mention! ...not smething i expected thats for sure. and the fog of lost souls too.

they make kuruk pick up his slack fr, did not expect that.

i love in episode 6 that zuko and aang are forced to interact, that they have to talk to each other and in a certain way influence each other, give both a lil bit to think about beyond "if we knew each other back then, do you think we could've been friends?"

i really dont like that zuko fights back in the agni kai, makes the shit ozai did i lil less impactfull, little less brutal in the audiences eyes i think. the execution style burn he got in the cartoon was more caroonishly evil, yes, but it also showed more of zuko's character yknow? he refused to fight out of principle, he was loyal, he was "the perfect fire nation citizen" and yet that wasnt good enough.

also we got robbed of "you will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher", which is kinda wild considering how many of the shows lines got put in verbatim. they felt so strongly about pippinpaddleopsikopolis the third that they used it somewhere else when they didnt use it in omashu. but this iconic line couldnt make it in?

I also dislike this version of him speaking out, this is the first time we are hearing of an agni kai, since zhao and zuko didn’t go at it. We don’t know what it is we haven’t been introduced to it, so it being invoked now means nothing to the audience.

And i don’t think the slight was big enough for ozai to justify a duel with a child. Like before he was supposed to be quiet and his outburst was a) disruptive b) immediate upon hearing the plan c) defended the soldiers themselves, “those soldiers love and defend our nation, how can you betray them” but now its about the honor of the officers which I don’t think has as big an impact. Plus I think its actually a less “egregious” position from ozai’s side yknow? In the first version he not only defended the lives of the soldiers but said the council was betraying them in doing what they were doing. Here he just said they deserve to die better than that. Sure cartoon ozai would’ve fucked him up for less, but this ozai? This ozai who invited him to the meeting? Who asked his opinion? Who actually acknowledges that him finding the avatar was impressive? No shot he invokes an agni kai over this.

was the bit about being impressed just for the sake of fucking with azula? yeah. but imma get to that later.

live action zuko and cartoon zukos are 2 different people, which while i respect, from the stance that the showmakers are doing their own thing, i also think caroon zuko was always good. he was always peaceful, always kind. its just he got that shit beaten outta him and he compensates by being angry. this zuko is less kind, more honour bound. which is ironic considering which one of the two was constantly talking about his honor. not that he isnt kind at all, but i think we got robbed of some of the character moments he had in the show.

as much as i love the ending of ep 6 where the 41st salute him(love that they made his crew the 41st btw), i would've liked to actually see the scene from The Storm, where he gives up on the hunt for the avatar for the sake of his crew's safety. he has these moments on his own, in irohs presence, but i do think we needed to see the crew also have this.

but they add new character moments! like the recovering post agni kai, being told of his banishment. absolutely god-tier scene. and the little moment with iroh after zhao takes away aang. very nice scene, i actually like that he already has treason on the mind. episode 6 is by far my favourite. did i know it was gonna be my favourite even before starting this show because my favourite book 1 episode is the blue spirit? yeah. but i dont think that diminishes anything.

now. ozai. my mans. mr god-sculpted cheekbones. conceptually im fine with him fucking with everyone, but i am ashamed to admit that it took zhao spelling it out for the audience for me to get that thats what he was doing. i was 100% convinced he was sincere, that he had just wanted the best heir to the throne of the glorious fire nation or something. and while i am tempted to say that that is on my dumb ass for being stupid, i actually want to blame the show a little bit, because where do we see that he's not sincere? nowhere. he's not cruel to zuko, he seems to mean it when he speaks with azula about him finding the avatar, he gives no indication to the audience that what he says to him about the whole toughing up the spirit with banishment isnt sincere. he comes across as a deeply abusive father that however at the end of the day wants his children to be the best but goes about it in the most horrific ways.

maybe that's what they were going for? a master manipulator that plays his own twisted little game noone but himself is privy to, but on the surface it seems like he cares in his twisted little way? im trying very hard to look at this without the cartoon lense, but its so unbelievably hard.

for a show that usually spoonfeeds stuff like this throughout their runtime its wild that they would decide to go "here comes the airplane" this "late"

ah now i see where all of sokkas cartoony sexism fled, it went to pakku. that's so whack. his character wasnt that good to begin with but you further masacre him.

mans says himself water is the element of change, so i thought oh alright his eventual training of katara is gonna be that much nicer if he already has this down. i mean i was fine with them not doing the neclace thing, it was kinda cheesy in the show anyway, but i was expecting that turnaround due to the students. i wanted to see pakku go "mmm yes perhaps i could teach you a thing or two" after he sees his students enamored with her skill.

also what was yagodas turnaround? she was just as much into the tradition as pakku was, but suddenly she's on katara's side? all the other women are too? sure okay.

also katara didnt need to be entirely self taught, come the fuck on, she loses to pakku the same way but suddenly with no further training shes takin down zuko, shes a commander of them other waterbenders.

being entirely self taught is nice and all, but there are just certain things you dont figure out on your own. i speak from experience on this, yeah sure i can draw some guy on my own, but even a short 3 week course taught me so much more in terms of composition, perspective, camera shots, things you wouldnt even think about because they just don't come to mind as even being relevant. its that way for everything. there are just certain dots that can only be connected with the guide of someone else.

now i have to mention something that kinda bothered me by the end: in avatar: book 1 - water(although to be fair i dont think it was marketed as such) the avatar... doesnt learn waterbending. the only thing he did with water was the giant koi and well that doesnt really count does it, that was la being angry at zhao for killing tui. speaking of: i wanted to see la get the W, i wanted to see zhao taken by the glowy sea. i wanted to see zuko reach out to him, despite them being enemies.

also they take away irohs part in the restoring of balance which i think nicely foreshadowed him being a white lotus member. yeah yeah it was to make yue's sacrifice more her own choice but i really wanted him to be at least present.

onto more positive stuff i actually like a lot of the changes made to yue. makes her not just be that one random girl at the end of book one that got turned into the moon, it was yue, this actual person with dreams and motivations that sacrificed herself for the good of the world.

was the character that got added to her written kinda badly? yeah. but does that negate my point? i hope not.

i was kinda on the fence with the removal of the betrothal thingy and making hahn a decent guy, but eh... it grew on me. however it did raise a question... how old is everyone? cuz she called off the marriage at 16, but she was 16 in the show, it certainly isnt a fresh wound or hahn wouldn't've been that chill with it. im thinking 2 years, that seems about right, for the actors too. yeah i can believe aang is 14 and zuko 18, id buy that.

perhaps their canonical age is somewhere but i sure as hell dont know where.

but that train of thought did kinda answer the fact that sokka went ice dodging. i was super confused about that. but if everythings the same, just the timeline is shifted 2 years then yeah he would go ice dodging. ofc that opens the other can of worms of why didnt he go fight in the war with them if he underwent the fuckin uhhh maturity test? was it because he failed just that spectacularly? fuck if i know. i dont think the show knows either.

as a more overall thing i dont like aangs dialogue, its a more broad issue. He just doesnt seem like a kid yknow? Like even katara and sokka are more childish, they act like children who had to grow up too fast, but aang didnt have to grow up too fast, he should be forced to grow up within the span of the series. Not be the most downer adult one of them. Especially with that he said to bumi in episode 4 about solvin shit like a kid

but okay. that was mega negative goddamn.

for my closing thoughts id like to say that i really enjoyed the show. and look forward to season 2. i like the little remix of the mythos they've got goin on and i wanna see how they continue that into book 2 and hopefully book 3.

it tries to do something original, it is an adaptation after all. if you dont like it you can still watch the cartoon series, but this is a nice lil alternate version of it and i wont say that i dont like it. do i have my nitpics? sure. is the dialogue mediocre? hell yeah. but i want to see where it goes next. :)

very cool series, overall like a 7 outta 10? masks(ep 6) is the best episode, its prbly the only one id rewatch on my own without friends.

thanks for reading :)