#The Great Eggspedition

[royaltealovingkookiness]

I got another surprise art gift from an amazing artist who drew this comic based on a scene I wrote in The Great Eggspedition of Azula teaching Zuko how to bend lightning. And I’m so grateful, because this is exactly how I imagined the scene. 

[narbarecker]

I have to make a separate post because... hHHhhHhhhH I have so many things to say about this chapter, and the fic series as a whole

the way the writing feels exactly like an AtLA episode

the way the dialogue is delivered with so much natural sense

Sokka the sister-whisperer

Sokka seeing Azula glancing at the window and waving at her

Azula feeling a twisted pain as she sees the scar that her lightning inflicted on Zuko

Iroh reaching out to Azula in a game of pai sho

This brilliantly shows how Azula has much further depths to descend into, which Aaron Ehasz tweeted about.

It works better than the way the comics portrayed her descending into further madness, which showed very little angle towards a redemption path for Azula.

Here, she is actually given chances to redeem herself without having to hurt her character in the way the comics depicted her.

My general impressions about the fic series so far:

I really love how this fic chose how to handle Azula without letting her lose her characteristic dignity. She keeps her composed princess attitude while fighting back from being vulnerable. I think the idea that she’s been confined in a solitary island that let her regain her stability was a very healthy choice.

I’m generally pleased with the appreciation for Sokka’s character. It’s always heartwarming to see him interact with Zuko. It’s just so adorable every goddamn time they interact.

I’ve always enjoyed how every character has a role that’s never wasted. They appear when they need to. I really enjoyed Chit Sang’s cameo, and especially when the Sun Warriors were brought up again.

I’m not familiar with script length, but every chapter of this fanfic series has ALWAYS felt like a complete AtLA episode, and it’s so brilliant. It also keeps intact the humor style that matches AtLA’s comedy.

It has the same sense of world building too, like the hybrid animals and place names. IT EVEN HAS IROH’S PROVERBS AND RIDDLES WITH THE PERFECT STYLE. I’m starting to think this author is involved with the creative team of AtLA...

I’m just... so touched by the care that goes into the writing of this fic series. 

[bimshwel]

a commission drawing; relaxingdragon1 shelled out good money for this scene in which Theo and Klusek are on an eggspedition to find great riches. Theo looks out for fowl traps determined to ensure the yolk isn't on them. Presumably they have eluded omelette so far but the slightest deviled device may send both ovum scrambling for safety.

[zuko-always-lies]

I think it’s “The Great Eggspedition” by BrusselsSprout

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17707841/chapters/41773775

Sorry all my ATLA thoughts are about Azula even when she’s not even around 😔

[vacationsoup]

New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/things-to-do-in-norfolk-this-easter/

Things to do in Norfolk this Easter

There are so many fun things happening across Norfolk this Easter with the Norfolk Broads and Norfolk Coast offering an exciting variation of day trips.

Here are my top tips of places to go if you are staying with us in one of our Eco Barns in Winterton-on-sea or visiting the nearby Norfolk Broads. If you are local and have something to add, please let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

As always I’d recommend anyone coming to the area, to get on the water.

Hire an electric day boat from Martham Ferry boat yard, go on a

Norfolk Broads

Kayak tour with Norfolk Outdoor Adventures (adults only, you get 10% off if you are staying with us) or if you don’t want to be a skipper for the day go on the wonderful Ross' Wildlife Boat Trips. These one hour boat rides leave from Horsey Staithe every day at 0945 hrs; 1100 hrs; 1215 hrs; 1400 hrs; 1515 hrs, seven days a week. My guests always rave about these dog and child friendly tours (one went on 3 over the course of a week!).

Fingers crossed this beautiful spring weather will continue into the Easter break and long walks can be enjoyed along the beach. We’ve got the gorgeous stretch of

Winterton over the dunes, and a short walk to Horsey where you’ll find one of just a handful of grey seal colony’s in the UK. The pup season has ended now, but the adults are just as much fun to observe.

Hands down, BeWILDerwood is one of our favourite attractions in the area if you’re visiting with kids. Aimed at those between 3-12, the whole family will be climbing through the trees in search of twiggles and boggles in no time. Even the unimpressed teenager won’t resist the epic slides. Easter is packed with special events, including Cedric’s Bunny Burrow Eggspedition, Boggle bunny ear crafts and bouncing bunny face painting. Most, if not all, of the park is outdoors so be sure to check the weather in advance and while tickets are reasonably priced, they’re cheaper still if you book online.

A sunny day over at How Hill, is a day well spent. Come here to play the best game of hide and seek in the house gardens before finding the perfect picnic spot and soaking up those far reaching views of the Broads. You can also walk around the secret water gardens or visit the tiny Toad Hole Cottage Museum and see how the Marshmen used to live.

The nature reserve is a wonderful walk and the Electric Eel boat ride down the river Ant is a nice little outing too. Until May there is no tea shop on site but the neighbouring village of Ludham has a lovely tea room if you’re in need of refreshment.

View form the house at How Hill on the Norfolk Broads

You may have heard of Happisburgh in the news as the village with the houses falling into the sea. Aside from the eroding cliffs, you’ll find Happisburgh light house which will be open to the public on 21/22 April 2019. This 85 ft tall, iconic red and white stripped tower is the only independently run lighthouse in the UK and well worth a visit. There are 112 steps to the top and unfortunately, children under 1m won’t be permitted for safety reasons. There’s a wonderful play park a stone’s throw from the lighthouse though, plenty of parking and the popular Burgers at the Beach will be back as of Easter weekend too!

You could also combine your visit to Happisburgh with a circular walk along the beach to Cart Gap and enjoy lunch at the Small Sticks café or back in Happisburgh at the Seaside Tea Rooms, which are just outside the car park. Closer to home the church tower at Winterton is open too on Saturday the 20th of April which offers stunning views on a clear day.

Fairhaven water garden is a lovely destination for families who want a day outside. During the Easter break they are hosting a scavenger hunt, where instead of hunting for things, kids will be asked to hunt for experiences such as ‘Put on a blindfold and play ‘hug a tree’ and ‘hide an egg from predators (your family!)’. On April 19th there will be an egg hunt from 11 am and boat trips are also available on a daily basis.

For a day on the coast why not check out Rockpool Rummaging or Fascinating Fossils at West Runton which is happening on the 16/17 April 2019 from 10am. You can find out more details and other nature based activities from Wildlife Norfolk Wildlife Trust. A great option for lunch in the vicinity is Rocky Bottoms which serves up a delightful seafood menu with views out to the sea. Also run by the wonderful wildlife trust, there’s an Easter Egg venture trail at Hickling Broads on the 19th and 20th of April starting at 10am.

The National Trust’s Sheringham Park is another fab national park to explore,

@Sheringham Park Cadburys Easter Egg Hunt

brimming with wildlife and plenty of wide open space for the little ones to burn off some energy. From April 6th they’ll be offering an Easter Egg trail for £2.50 a child too.

If you have young kids in tow try Wroxham Barns. The junior farm allows kids to feed animals (including baby lambs from Easter), cuddle guinea pigs and has a decent soft play inside. This is also a nice place to head if you have adults in your group as the café and local shops make for a pleasant afternoon out.

Also in Wroxham, Hoverton Hall Gardens are offering an Easter Treasure Hunt from April 19th to 22nd from 10:30am. These are lovely gardens to walk around.

Slightly further from our barns, but still worth a visit, is the Dinosaur Adventure Park. They have a ROARR-some Egg-cellent Easter Event as well as the re-opening of Predator High Ropes and Dippy's Splash Zone and also a brand new attraction Dippy-ville opening.

Finally, I’d highly recommend checking out the latest show at Great Yarmouth’s amazing permanent circus. Pirates, which is suitable for children is showing until the 28th April and features fire eaters, aerialists and acrobats.

If for some reason, the weather decides not to play ball you can find more inspiration over on my wet weather blog.

Our Eco Barn is currently booked up over Easter Weekend, but our smaller one bed Hay Barn has a little availability. If you fancy coming to visit, Click here to get in touch and book your stay.

[royaltealovingkookiness]

The showrunner confirmed that Ozaï was the strongest firebender from ATLA, yet you stated that Azula would have inherited her prodigious skills as a bender from her mother (in your fiction/HC). What is a gifted firebender to you ?

First, I wouldn’t bet that Ozai was stronger than Iroh. And I think Azula was set to surpass Ozai. 

Obviously my fic is my story-idea. I found it interesting to explore what kind of bender Ursa would have been (she’s Roku’s granddaughter after all). The idea is actually based on the energy reading we saw in LoK that there may have been more spiritual forms of firebending - used for healing, art and other things Sozin would have gotten rid of in his war efforts. 

In that verse, Ursa is descended from a line of powerful women benders (the female counterparts of the fire sages) who could create multi-coloured fire. 

Just like in waterbending there is healing and fighting forms, I think probably all the elements had specialized techniques like that, more useful in peacetime. I don’t think that a fighting waterbender is necessarily more “gifted” than a talented waterbending healers. 

In wartime though, fighting skills get valued over peacetime skills, but it doesn’t make it more talented, the same way an MMA fighter champion is not more gifted than an elite ballet dancer, and maybe not even stronger, it’s just their strength is understood differently. 

[juniperhillpatient]

I hope it’s cool if I add a rec I thought of when I saw this post - this is one of my all time fave atla fanfics: The Great Eggspedition (there’s a part 2 which is also excellent but OP hasn’t updated that in a while) 

Do you know any fics where Zuko takes care of the dragon egg or meets Druk in any way?

make the world safe and sound by silveryink (aka how Zuko said ‘fuck off’ to his advisors by getting a cool dragon) 

no one knows anything but us by quidhitch (zukka post-canon getting together after years of mutual pining fic, Druk is there) 

Keep Moving Forward To Stay Alive by Haicrescendo (pokemon AU, Druk is a charmander) 

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Actually no, I think overall your work is pretty good. I actually enjoyed reading your work which I should have probably said as well. So my fault there. it's just that I don't like the direction you're taking your story in or the message you are putting out, is all. Like I said it would just be good for Zuko to be able to do something that Azula can't. Azula already has blue fire and lightning, two things Zuko can't do. So let Zuko have dragonfire.

Well, that’s generally a good idea, yes. 

If you actually read the story, you’d know that Zuko does in fact have lightning now, while Azula is at a pretty low point.  And as it turns out, having lightning is not all that it’s cracked up to be. 

In my vision of the story (and you are free to dislike that, of course), it simply doesn’t matter who is the better bender. That’s Ozai’s metric - and measuring the Fire Siblings on this basis would give continued validity to his toxic influence. Being a great bender didn’t make Ozai a good Fire Lord. Conversely, Zuko doesn’t need to be the best bender to be a great Fire Lord, which he is. 

And Zuko does have a lot of things Azula doesn’t - he knows how to give and accept love unconditionally, he knows how to fail and come out stronger every time, he has friends who’d walk through blue fire and lightning for him and vica versa, he has perspective on what are the truly important things in life, he has a vision of a better world based on all the understanding he gained of other nations and he has a loving father (in Iroh). And yeah, he has a super-cute dragon too. 

(and maybe, just maybe he’ll eventually have the sister he deserves too).

[royaltealovingkookiness]

So basically Azula's redemption arc would be all about how better than Zuko she is? That in the end it might as well have been her who is Fire Lord because she would do a better job? That it will be her who will learn and master the old ways of firebending and not Zuko? That it will be her who will gain the love and inspiration of the people and not Zuko? Can't Zuko be better at Azula at anything? I guess not.

Well, I never had a pet troll before. 

I guess you are also the one leaving these very eloquent anon comments on AO3:

Haha, I’ve never been called an Azula stan before...

I don’t know how you managed to draw these conclusions from the fics I’ve written, but you know if you hate my work so much, there is this wonderful button on the top left corner of your screen that takes you right back to the menu, where I’m sure you can find something that clicks better with your vision. 

Have a great Sunday!

[royaltealovingkookiness]

The Great Eggspedition Update - Chapter 5 - The Gaang to the rescue! Also sometimes great wisdom can be found in the most unexpected places.

AO3

FF.Net.

Excerpt:

“This is ridiculous. I’m not going to sing,” Azula crossed her arms.

Zuko ignored her protest and leaned back to the egg, his fingertips caressing the shell with golden flames as he hummed on a low, smoky voice the stirring melody that sounded ancient and magical. Azula closed her eyes, her face frozen in a memory, both painful and sweet. She bit her lips as she came to a decision. She knelt back next to Zuko, her fingers spread around the egg, mirroring her brother’s movement and joined in the song. She had a surprisingly beautiful voice; bright like a shimmering flame.

The rhythm changed, the mournful tune weaving into a more upbeat melody as the bird in the song spread her wings. The flames encasing the egg danced to the vibrations of the tune; orange and blue flames not fighting but melding together, flickering in the colours of the rainbow - greens, pinks, purples and violets.

Aang tapped the beat as the music soared when the phoenix took flight. The voices of Zuko and Azula blended into a twirling harmony that conjured up images of rebirth and victory. The music stopped abruptly, leaving behind only echoes in the stunned silence.

[take-my-eeveelution]

theabsentear replied to your post:  just popping by to thank you for your AtLA...               

   Oh man, hit me with any fic recs you have - I’ve already checked out a bunch of the stuff you’ve reblogged. Gaang related stuff is my particular catnip - ended up staying up till past 1:00am last night reading the soulmate AU ‘The Family You Choose’ which was an A+ fic but a C- life choice    

I feel you, I feel you.

Anything by MuffinLance is inherently awesome but I must draw particular attention to the work of pure art that is Little Zuko v the World . What would happen if you aged down Zuko to 12, Mai to 11, Azula and Ty Le to 10 and have him find Aang just a month into his banishment? A sheer delight of a fic, that’s what.

Mismatched by Kimberly T  One of the most original Papa!Zuko fic. Early in book one, Zuko adopts (or rather, is adopted by) a war orphan. This shapes quite a lot going on from there.

The Ones Who Walk Away by attackfish This is a beautiful little Aang-Zuko-Iroh one shot - but not in the way you may think.

Once A Man, Twice A Child by Themanofmanyhats Older Zuko develops dementia. Because life isn’t fair and sometimes you just need your heart ripped out. Speaking of which...

Towards the Sun by MuffinLance. A heartrending canon divergence where Zuko failed to escape his father in the middle of book 3. He’s still the FireLord, but the Gaang despise him for his Ba Sing Se choice.

Fractures by evie4life Somewhat similar in concept to the above fic, but much different as well. Thirteen year old Zuko realised his destiny was to help the Avatar once his father burned and banished him, and told him so similar to sixteen year old Zuko in canon. He’s imprisoned for three years, only to be shoveled onto the throne after the comet. The Gaang isnt there and they haven’t met (yet).

Lessons in tea making by aloneintherain. A hilarious book one role reversal fic where the Gaang are chasing Zuko to make him Aang’s Sifu Hotman and Zuko is running from their enthusiastic friendship-kidnapping.

The Great Eggspedition by BrusselsSprout. Excellent Gaang interaction and Azula exploration all in one!

I’ll add some more as I can locate them, I’m stuck on mobile for now.

just popping by to thank you for your AtLA reblogs. I’m in that weird limbo space between fandom interests where everything is dissatisfying so life is completely boring and there is no point to anything, but you are reminding me of all these things I love and I’m probably due a re-watch. So thank you for being a constant source of inspiration and joy!!

Thanks! If you want any fic recs, let me know!

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Remember the time Azula wanted to genocide "but it was my idea to brun everything to the ground" I don't think Azula is capable of changing even if she did her sins are unforgivable...I don't understand why you would want to give redemption in The Great Eggspedition

If the creators of ATLA gave this middle-aged guy, who waged a real war with many lives lost, who wanted to burn Ba Sing Se to the ground a redemption arc, then I think it is not a stretch to give a redemption arc to a 16-year old girl who still has so much potential to grow and change. 

If we can’t conceive the notion that a child who grew up in an abusive household, under the control of her toxic father, with no positive adult in her life since early childhood, who never experienced unconditional love like a child should and who was indoctrinated her whole life with the violent and racist doctrine she was born to represent can change for the better under the right circumstances, then what is even the point?

But if this idea upsets you, then you are very welcome to skip my fic.

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Hi, I love your fic the great eggspedition so far your writing is solid and you do a have a decent grasp on the characters. I was wondering if um you hope to continue this story and I am interested on what you have stored for it.

Thanks a lot!

I've been struggling to find time and energy to write and have many WIPs and projects.

I'd really love to return to that series eventually. The 2nd book, which is unfinished is meant to cover Zuko & Aang finding the lost airbenders tying into the story of Kuzon and the White Lotus.

I was also thinking of a third book, that would deal with what happened to Ursa (differently than the comics) and would focus on her relationship with Azula, while Zuko & Katara would be searching for them, which would give them a roadtrip around a post-war Fire Nation and deepening their friendship.

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Hello! Where can I find your book 4 fic? I've heard so much about it and I'd love to read it.

Ohmygosh! Really?

The series is here. 

I have 3 parts planned:

 The first part - this is about Zuko finding Druk, and focuses a lot on Zuko and Azula’s relationship is finished.

The second is a WIP (god, I haven’t updated in ages, but I’m like unable to write much in this year of absolute hell), focusing on Zuko and Aang, the lost airbenders, as well as Kuzon’s backstory. 

The third is only outlined, and I plan to give an alternative explanation about Ursa’s disappearance and would focus on Azula. 

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Me again, could you see Azula being redempted without Zuko if there were too much bitterness between them. Considering Azula's relationship with Zuko's potential suitor (Katara, Maï or even Suki) it wouldn't be surprising at all. I know you love these two together as a duo, that's why I ask. How could you envision their life if they never reached each other (contrary to the Great eggspedition) but Azula still accepting Zuko as the new Fire Lord ?

I think it’s feasible to give Azula a redemption route that’s separate from Zuko - she could have an “Azula Alone” type of journey where she confronts the meaning of power and love. I don’t know how she could get herself on that path though without some help from Zuko, considering that she’s held at a mental hospital. She’d also have to let go some bitterness and pride to accept Zuko’s rule, which is hard to do without creating a positive dynamics between them. 

I suppose it’s possible that she’d escape, and that would lead to a journey of self-discovery that would open her eyes to the harm Ozai was doing and the good Zuko’s rule is bringing? 

[royaltealovingkookiness]

this is kinda random but how'd you think sokka and azula would get along? they're both pretty good strategists and need to have a perfect plan, both have stubborn-impulsive siblings, and sokka's probably smartmouthed-genius enough for azula to not immediately incinerate him on the spot

I never really thought much about Azula and Sokka, but then a funny thing happened. As I was writing The Great Eggspedition which was planned to be originally a Zuko - Sokka brotp story, Azula kind of pushed herself into the story and her chemistry  with Sokka honestly taken me by surprise (in my story it’s platonic, but I could definitely see the where the Sokkla shippers were coming from). I ended up re-writing my entire outline. 

I think forging a closer relationship with Sokka could be one of the best things that could ever happen to post-war Azula. Interacting with him in that context could give her new perspectives on a lot of things.  And while Sokka has a lot of reason to hate Azula (almost killing Katara, and imprisoning Suki are just two),  I think if it meant a lot to Zuko, Sokka would make an effort. And getting to know her would make him want to help her, because Sokka just has the biggest heart and he would also appreciate her.