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southslates · 4 years ago

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a rant about the saturation of zvkka fandom

as a tyzula shipper i get really surprised by how the most popular lgbt/wlw atla ship before the renaissance fell off when it started; to the point where tyzula fandom still exists but it’s much smaller and constantly made fun of for being abusive

and i think this is in part because of purity culture, where there can’t be nuance in anything and therefore tyzula is abusive and we can’t ship it! but i also think that as @army-of-mai-lovers outlined in this amazing post ty lee and azula aren’t love interests for any of the boys in the show, especially sokka and zuko, so content for them doesn’t need to exist because they simply don’t need to be sidelined. most tyzula content that exists is tyzula centric; not maiko or sukka or kataang or zutara centric, but tyzula centric. it explores ty lee and azula as characters because their chemistry is seen

you can see that most of the popular wlw atla ships in the renaissance are at least partly characterized by their relationship w zvkka, and clearly i have a lot of problems with that fandom, least of them all being the times i’ve been called a homophobe for disliking it. and one really large issue i have with zvkka fandom in general is its saturation of atla content to the point that it’s sidelined into a different au, that so many shippers see zvkka in atla when it just . . . isn’t there. it wasn’t the most popular ship before the renaissance because for fourteen years there just wasn’t . . . anything there. and i don’t know why it’s gotten popular, likely the help of some big name blogs (including the one that came up with homophobic katara) and the fact that fandom has started to really tend towards mlm ships more and more, and honestly good for zvkkas, the ship is cute, but uh

essentially just that even though zvkka has been the largest atla ship with the renaissance, it is not the most popular atla ship and it likely never will be because of that lack of longevity. there’s a lot of issues with misogyny and migratory mlm ships in fandom and i really, really see it here. zvkka fandom =/ atla fandom, atla has always and should always be more than about ships. of course i stick to mainly zutara/tyzula corners of fandom, which are super far removed from zvkka fandom in general for obvious reasons, but it’s almost sad to be entrenched in twitter and general tumblr fandom where people who’ve joined with the renaissance characterize zvkka as such a large feature of atla when atla as a fandom has always been surprisingly great with its characterization of women (atla specifically, ignoring lok etc). i’d never thought that the subtle misogyny would increase in the year 2020? and obviously as a zutara shipper i know that our fandom has had its issues with mai before, i am the last person to deny that, but i think that we are growing past it and trying to be better

one thing that i really hate seeing here is the idea that zvkka shippers “solved the ship war” by making zvkka larger than the kataang/zutara ship war. and i ship both zutara and kataang and one reason i absolutely hate this take is because i am in love with the fact that for fifteen years, whatever side you were on, atla discourse was about katara, what the brown woman in the show deserved. you can’t solve a ship war by shoe-horning her into kataang because that’s easy for your ship, because you’re just throwing away her agency and the entire point of the ship war. i actually pity a lot of people who mainly ship kataang because kataang; a ship between an asian monk and brown woman, which is canonically good representation, which is canon, is being pushed aside and made a sideship for a completely fanon mlm ship

maybe there’s a fetishization aspect in there? like i hate to make broad claims but the amount of zvkka nsfw for one, and then all the incredibly racist tropes i’ve seen there; the infantilization and feminization of zuko and the way sokka is supposed to be a big strong man or something just reeks of racism, especially when written by white people. it just strikes me as mischaracterization and the input of certain characters into boxes, because people don’t want to ship sokka and zuko, they want to ship mlm insert one and two. and i hate this because their dynamic is super interesting, canonically! i’d love to see how sokka with a plan and on-his-feet zuko work together :)

i mean fetishization is kind of prominent in internalized misogyny presenting itself as wanting two men to have sex to exclude women from the narrative, and in the post i mentioned above the op’s point was that atla fandom’s misogyny presents as unique because they don’t hate women, they just treat them like they’re really one-dimensional, and at the end of the day everything must come back to the dynamic between two guys who were intended to be cishet (i headcanon zuko as bi but i’m not stupid, this show is from 2005, it is what it is)

anyway i don’t know where i’m going with this! but i absolutely love atla wlw and i wish that the female characters could be analyzed further in depth than they are, and i’m still at a total loss to why fandom-- made by women, for women, and often queer women-- is willing to maintain so much misogyny in the guise of upholding queer rep in fanon ships with gay men.

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thoughtsofanexcitedspacechild · 4 years ago

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Kataang: An In Depth Analysis

Hello again! I apologise for the inactivity. It’s been a busy month as far as school goes for me, so let’s just say I’m a lot busier solving chem equations and working on stuff for AP art. Don’t get me wrong though! These analysis and essay format posts are my favorite and I wish I could do them more often! Seriously, it’s the only thing that keeps me wanting to write! I’ve also decided that I’m going to make these little intro paragraphs separate to the actual essay, because while I’m at this, why not kill two birds with one stone and practice writing essays for my actual AP Lang. class? I mean I’m obviously not gonna turn them in or show them to my teacher, (unless this gets 1000 notes or more, in which case I’ll show this to her ;)) but this is a good way for me to work on formatting a thesis and developing arguments, all while doing and talking about something I love! Speaking of which, let’s dive right on into today’s topic; the much debated, and thoroughly analyzed ship: Kataang. (Buckle your seatbelts hotmen, because this is gonna be one hell of a sky bison ride) I got inspired by a creator on Tik Tok that I follow, Amanda Castrillo, to write this. Her username is @theamanda2d and I highly recommend you go check her out and give her a follow. A lot of the arguments in this are my own, but I also sourced a lot of information and arguments for Kataang from her series “a case for Kataang”, which I highly recommend you go watch. I’ll insert her quotes directly so you know exactly where her points are coming from as well as mention where I elaborated on a point she made but didn’t directly quote her. I’ll also be sourcing a lot of information from the show and including exact episodes and scenes that support my case. So without further ado, here is my *unofficial* case for Kataang.

In our lives, there’s usually one point at which most of us make a choice. That choice is to love someone. Yes, you heard me right. You make the choice to love someone. Of course, the feeling that most people know as love, but is really just sexual or romantic desires, tends to be confused with real love. Authentic love that comes from the choice to love someone. This kind of love persists through even through the darkest times. This kind of love truly does burn brightest in the dark.

It stems from a strong base of mutual understanding and friendship first, and doesn’t rely on a spark of passion to keep burning although it can fuel the flame that already burns strongly. There are many great examples of this kind of love, both in our own world and daily lives, but also in literature. One of the greatest examples of this, is the relationship explored between the fictional characters Aang and Katara from Avatar: the Last Airbender. (Oh, what? You don’t think Avatar is a legitimate form of literature? Pity, you must not have read my previous posts or even watched the show at all, because it IS.)

From the time I first watched the show, I was rooting for them to end up together. Right off the bat, Aang and Katara have this instant connection. Within the first episode, they already become friends, and not only that, they act as if they’ve been friends for years, almost like they were meant to meet each other. Aang finally getting together with Katara just feels right, but there’s more to their relationship than the feelings that Katara and Aang both experience and the feelings that we the audience feel seeing them together. Throughout the series we see them both make the choice to love each other, not only as lovers, but as friends too. Their relationship thrives, and we’re able to see them both grow as people and better themselves because of each other.

Firstly I want to address the counterargument that many people bring up and that is that Kataang, in and of itself, is one sided. Fans (often Zutara shippers. More in depth analysis on why this ship DOESN’T work out realistically to come) will argue that Kataang is forced and one sided, and that Katara doesn’t share Aang’s feelings. Although I can see where this is coming from from a first time viewer’s perspective, this argument can be extinguished by looking deeper at Katara’s actions and intentions towards Aang. We see them bond as friends very early on in the series, but the earliest hint at a romantic relationship actually shows up in season one episode four, when they go to Kiyoshi Island. Katara acts snarky and jealous when Aang gathers quite a fan club of little girls.

Nevertheless, when this fan club fails to stick around for Aang’s encounter with the unagi, Katara’s the one that’s there making sure he’s okay. (S1, Episode 4, The Warriors of Kiyoshi) This is ultimately foreshadowing for their relationship as a whole. Although his role as Avatar lands him many friends, and in this case fans, the only person that truly stays with him the whole time is Katara. She’s the one who shows up and has his best interests at heart. Most of her intentions are in fact platonic in this episode, but the hint of romance comes out when we see that Katara doesn’t like the idea of Aang with another girl.

After half way through season one, specifically the Fortune Teller episode, we do see that Katara does in fact have feelings for Aang, albeit complex ones. In this episode we see her pester Aunt Wu for information about her future husband and she’s informed that he’s a very powerful bender. She doesn’t consider Aang until Sokka mentions that it freaks him out how powerful of a bender Aang is while Aang protects and saves the village from it’s demise by an erupting volcano. Her hopes were set high on a muscley, extremely strong looking bender, and I’d like to imagine that before her realization, Katara was probably picturing someone more like Haru or even post redemption Zuko as her future husband. For the first time, that image is replaced by Aang, and she doesn’t mind it. (S1, Episode 14, The Fortune Teller) We see these new found feelings develop further in the Secret Tunnel episode, when Katara is finally forced to confront the romantic feelings that she’s pushed down while trying to sort them out. At this moment, Katara finally acknowledges her romantic feelings and attraction to Aang. (S2, Episode 2, The Cave of Two Lovers) The creators intentionally showed us the story of the two lovers for a reason. “Avatar is a very smart show,” says Amada Castrillo, Avatar fanatic and creator of the Tik Tok and youtube series “A Case for Kataang,” “and we’re never told or shown anything for no reason...A war was keeping them apart maybe not physically, but romantically.”

Later in the series during the season finale of season two we see her absolutely distraught when Aang nearly dies and she does everything in her power to save him. We see her almost break. Only when he wakes up does she feel better, and start to be happier again. She doesn’t care about anything else but making him feel better, and even when he does wake up, she still focuses mainly on healing him. Here we see Katara make the choice to love Aang both in sickness and in health. (S2, Episode 18, The Guru/The Crossroads of Destiny and S3, Episode 1, The Awakening) She of course would have done this for any member of team avatar, but the way in which she treats Aang when he’s nearly taken away from her points to the extreme love and affection that she carries for him every day. This happens multiple other times throughout the series, with many of the occurrences being in book three. When Zuko joins the Gaang, she flat out tells Zuko that if he were to hurt Aang, (not Sokka, not her, not Toph, but Aang specifically) she would personally see to his demise. (S3, Episode 11, The Western Air Temple, 23:30) (Some Points taken from, but not directly quoted from Amanda Castrillo’s “A case For Kataang Part Nine: Text and Subtext”) This is why the assumption that Kataang is one sided can be proven wrong.

Two other arguments stem from the previous argument, one being that Aang is a simp, and/or that Katara is a trophy. First of all, the later argument is easily disproved by the fact that Katara is not a prize to be won. “Katara is, and was never a prize for Aang,” says Castrillo, “And to say that she was, grossly mischaracterizes and undermines her as a character.” (Amanda Castrillo, (@theamanda2d) “A Case for Kataang: Chapter 2, Katara the trophy) Katara is shown multiple times throughout the series being able to speak up and defend herself without Aang’s, or anyone else’s help.

Aang, although viewed as a simp, is not. Yes he respects Katara, and all other women for that matter, but he doesn’t fawn over her. He allows her to defend and take care of herself. The definition of the word “simp” is the abbreviated term “simpleton”, meaning “a silly or foolish person.” Although Aang is silly at some points, he’s also not foolish. He’s a smart and capable individual that many fans fail to recognise as legitimate because of his innocence and softness. So no. Aang isn’t a simp that bases his entire self worth on his status with Katara.

Another point that must be acknowledged is the fact that Aang and Katara are actually complementary characters. Although many people would bring up the argument that Air and Water aren’t opposite elements, the type of bender they are doesn’t necessarily tend to point to the exact type of person they are. The creators aren’t dumb, and the characters in this franchise are so well developed, that there are many sub personalities in each type of bending, and all of them can be analyzed further than the type of element they bend. Judging a character solely by the element they can bend is like judging a person on the color of their skin or a book by it’s cover, and when diving deep into each of their personalities, we can see that their personalities are actually complementary. Katara is high strung and anxious while Aang is usually calm and collected. Aang is very good at regulating his emotions while Katara is not. This aspect extends further than their personalities as well. Katara grew up in a very family oriented and close family while Aang only had one parental figure in the form of Gyatzo and occasionally a few friends. Katara is also more grounded and a home body while if he could, Aang would probably continue to explore whatever corner of the earth that he could. (Some points taken, but not directly quoted from Amanda Castrillo (@theamanda2d), “A Case for Kataang: Chapter 10, Balance”)

Another thing that I found is that when looking at color theory, Aang’s signature orange toward the end of the series and Katara’s signature blue are actually complementary colors. I’d like to think that as Katara develops and explores her feelings for Aang, Aang’s color palette changes slightly. It goes from being red and yellow in the beginning when Katara didn’t know she had feelings quite yet, to eventually shifting to orange when we see her feelings start to fully become clear. I thought this was a super interesting detail and despite it being a bit far of a stretch, I think it must have been planned. If you consider the time when we see Katara start to develop feelings, it’s about the same time that Aang’s outfit choice shifts to orange. Of course, this piece of evidence is mostly based on my personal observation and knowledge of color theory, but it’s a detail that I personally found super compelling.

Kataang also works because of the extremely well executed communication and dialogue that happens between them. There are multiple different examples throughout the series and as their character’s develop, we’re able to see a beautifully efficient and respectful form of communication between them. We see Aang clearly express his feelings of anxiety to Katara, and in return, Katara is able to help him and offer advice on what he’s feeling. Katara also is able to confide in Aang in return and oftentimes he’s the one that she’s most comfortable being vulnerable in front of. We see her almost mother Aang alongside Sokka in the first season, but her relationship with him changes and shifts to one where both her and Aang feel comfortable and contribute and receive equal care from each other.

One issue in particular also comes to mind when talking about this ship, and that is the issue of boundaries. Counter arguments against Kataang often bring up one scene in particular, specifically in the Ember island players episode about halfway through when Katara confronts Aang on the balcony. (S3, episode 15, the Ember Island Players) Episode Aang is understandably upset with the way that he and specifically he and Katara’s relationship is portrayed in the play. He obviously has feelings for her and at that point we know that Katara also has feelings from a few episodes prior when they kiss before the invasion. That kiss was mutual, and she kissed him back, meaning that from that point on, both of their feelings towards each other are very clear. The night of the play on the balcony, Aang does cross a boundary that had been established. The kiss before the invasion made sense, and Katara didn’t do anything to stop him from doing it, and Aang had her consent in this case. Aang’s kiss on the balcony was a mistake, and in this case it was uncalled for, but many people misread Katara’s feelings of confusion. When Katara mentions being confused, she’s not saying she’s confused about her feelings for Aang. Since season one, we’ve seen her show multiple forms of affection towards Aang, and not only that, she was usually the one initiating the many hugs, cheek kisses, etc.

She’s not confused about how she feels about Aang. She’s confused about the timing and if it’s a good idea or not. (Some points taken from, but not directly quoted from, Amanda Castrillo (@theamanda2d) “A Case for Kataang Part 7: The Camelephant in the room)

Regarding the consent for the kiss, yes. That was Aang’s mistake. He’s human, and he did mess up there. But his intentions weren’t meant to harm anyone. He, like so many of us watching at home, read Katara’s confusion to be about him, and wanted to see what she really felt. Afterwards, he knows he messed up, and feels bad about it. “...[Aang’s] very self aware. He knows how he feels about Katara, and he’s said it multiple times...Aang is human. He f***s up. He says the wrong thing. He makes mistakes. And he was just as confused as Katara at this moment.” (Amanda Castrillo, (@theamanda2d) “A Case for Kataang Part Seven: The Camelephant in the room)

Lasty, I want to acknowledge the visual and audio parallels portrayed in the show and how they can effectively work towards supporting Kataang. If you observe the angles at which characters are shown as well as the framing, it visually sets up and can represent how two characters feel about one another. First let’s consider the framing of a scene from the very first episode after Katara breaks Aang out from the ice. Aang is lying down and katara is directly positioned above him. When he wakes up from being trapped in an iceberg for 100 years, her face is the first that he sees.

This positioning and framing is shown multiple more times throughout the series, establishing their strong connection. So is this one:

(For a better visual reference please see Amanda Castrillo’s video “A Case for Kataang Part Four: Parallels) “Its built up and set up for us time and time again. Their interactions aren’t framed like that for no reason. Scene framing matters.” (Amanda Castrillo, “A case for Kataang Part Four: Parallels.”

There’s also the fact of the score and what specific music points to what character or what mood the creators were trying to enforce with the music. Avatar’s score is genius and every song and note was hand crafted to set the tone for each scene and help explain what’s happening. (This is one of the many reasons Avatar would translate well to be a musical or even a ballet. Post/informal rant on this later to come.) There are many great examples, like how Azula is represented by a clash of chords, (To quote my previous post: “I love how Azula is just represented by a pair of clashing chords and when you hear it you know that she’s about to f*** s*** up.”) or that Aang has a lively flute melody that plays when he gets really happy/excited, but perhaps the best example of the use of music in the franchise is the use of the “Avatar’s Love Theme.” It’s my personal favorite song from the show, and it’s used extremely effectively and efficiently throughout the show to provide a very specific and recognisable feeling: romantic love. When you hear it play, Aang is ALWAYS with Katara. Go back and listen to the times where it plays, and it’s always when he and Katara share a special moment together. We only hear part of the melody for the majority of the series, but in the final episode, right towards the end when Aang and Katara are left alone on the balcony looking above the city by themselves, we hear it play again, and this time, we hear all of it. The kiss between them also happens right at the crescendo and peak of the music, emphasizing and establishing that Aang and Katara are officially canon. The music plays a huge part in this story, and all musical elements as well as visual point to Aang and Katara being a team, and not just that, but a romantic couple.

In conclusion, Aang and Katara are a couple that was meant to happen. Throughout the series, their love is shown through their undeniable chemistry, complementary characters and personality, and the visual and musical elements set up for us within the show. Aang and Katara love eachother very much, and although their feelings were often being confused by looming threats to their lives or tainted by the war they were both fighting, in the end they’re able to fully and completely allow themselves to love each other. Despite their romantic love, they are ultimately friends before they are lovers, and don’t rely on a spark of passion to be able to keep their love for one another burning. They love each other wholly and in so many different ways, and that my friends, is why Kataang works and will always work.

#avatar: tla #kataang #katara #aang #atla

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theotherace · 4 years ago

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Okay, I really do wanna write a multi-chapter story involving the Kummi/Taang theory and Koh. I am terrible at sticking with things and with plotting, but if I do actually get around to writing it, here are some of the things I’m sure about. Have fun with my brain dump:

Toph and Aang are dating. They've been a couple for anything between a few months and a year, and have travelled together for years before that. Toph spent some time with her parents after the war, Aang stayed with Guru Pathik, but sometime in their late teens, Aang started moving again, and a bit later, Toph joined him. The rest of the Gaang join them sometimes, but very rarely; they’ve got other commitments.

They’re in their early twenties.

Aang dreams of Ummi. The dreams start a while before him and Toph get together, but they’re spread out and sporadic; he starts having them more frequently when they get together, and they get more lively, too.

He is partly aware of Ummi’s fate and Koh’s part in it, but he hasn’t thought about the Face Stealer in a rather long time; he’s been cleaning up the mess left by the Hundred Year War, he has no time to wrack his brain over any spirits who aren’t currently causing mischief or destruction.

Koh is the hero of his own story. He doesn’t inflict pain to inflict pain, and I think that’s important. He stole Ummi not because he wanted to fuck with Kuruk, but because he wanted to teach him a lesson, and I’m pretty sure he legitimately thought this was the best way to do it. I’m not sure how the general face stealing thing fits into this, but I’ll figure something out. He’s still the villain in everybody else’s story, though.

I’m not yet sure about what the rest of the Gaang is up to, or even about any ships other than Taang (obviously) and Sukka (because they’re pure and I love them). Usually, I just stick with Zutara and be done with it, but maybe I won’t this time. Not everybody has to be paired up, right? And there is much salt in my heart because I can count the multi-chap Taang stories that don’t also involve Zutara on like ... one hand. I think I’ll just have them be single. But I’m open to suggestions on this part.

The story will probably take place ... all over the place. Aang feels haunted, Toph doesn’t know what the fuck is up with him, but if he thinks he can meditate it out in the Foggy Swamp, fine, that’s were they’re going. The closer they get to the North Pole, though (without at first noticing that’s were they’re going), the more she can understand what’s going on with him, insofar that that she starts dreaming weird shit as well, starts feeling what’s he’s feeling. It took her longer than him because he’s much more in tune with everything spiritual. Neither of them know what the hell is going on, though.

Now, where does Koh come in? Do they have to fight him? Does he try to “steal” Toph, too? Is he luring them to the North Pole? Is he even really a player or do they just think he’s the one calling for them, but in reality, it’s that part of their soul that was once Ummi and was once Kuruk and yearns for closure?

I don’t know yet.

I already said that Koh doesn’t fuck with people just to fuck with them, so he’d need a reason to start doing what he’s doing. Maybe he waited for the war to be over and everything it left behind to settle a bit before he decided to punish Aang for his long absence. Time must be a funny thing for spirits; maybe he hasn’t entirely realized that ten years have passed since he met Aang.

Really not sure.

But those are the basics.

#Avatar: The Last Airbender #Aang #Toph #Taang #Kummi/Taang Theory #Koh The Face Stealer

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fyrapartnersearch · 5 years ago

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Why can't I hold all these cool stories?

CURRENT CRAVINGS: Please see this GDoc, because I have some plots I’d like to try! I’m primarily interested in original plots and characters; setting them in original worlds or fandom worlds is fine. I am not interested in playing canons other than as side characters/world filler as of right now.

DISCORD: KYLO REN AT CHILI’S#8808

PERSONAL PREFERENCES

I’m over eighteen, and would prefer my partners are, too. This doesn’t mean I’m interested in NSFW-heavy plots; I do not write smut. It just means I’m more comfortable writing and interacting with other adults.

I consider myself to be lit-adv. I tend to enjoy partners in the lit+ category, but as long as you’re an enthusiastic and engaging partner, I don’t care about perfect grammar. I would rather write with someone just as involved and excited as I am, than I would with someone who isn't very engaging but knows exactly what to do with obscure punctuation.

I’m not interested in playing only one type of character or playing against only one type of character. I typically don’t enjoy writing with people who are only interested in playing one type of relationship dynamic or one kind of character (such as only m/f, playing the female, or m/m, playing the “bottom”). I have no problem with these dynamics or characters at all, nor do I have an issue playing against them. I just prefer more variety, compromise, and opportunity.

OOC chatter is really important to me. I can’t write with someone that I don’t feel like I can get to know. I’m looking for friends, not a faceless reply robot. I won’t communicate over any medium but Discord. I've tried Kik, Hangouts, etc.; they just don't stick for me. If you would prefer first contact be through email, you can shoot me a quick message and your handle to [email protected].

I’m fine with threading in a GDoc or a server, but I will not thread over DMs. It’s difficult to have OOC chatter and the thread over the top of each other.

If you're looking for a partner that writes a reply a day without fail, that's not me. I prefer that we don't have "posting schedules” or set posting times, because I find that it turns writing into a chore. It's great if you reply immediately, and it's totally okay if you need a week to figure something out! You’re absolutely free to poke me. I’m not always the most mindful. However, I’m not going to reply every day. Three to four times a week is my frequency.

PLOT PREFERENCES

I’m interested in both fandom and original settings, and I’m down for playing both canon characters and OCs. I don’t necessarily prefer one or the other.

I definitely prefer canon doubling from my partners in fandom plots; I mesh better with people who do a little give-and-take when it comes to that. If you only play one canon character or only play OCs against canons and won’t play canons, I don’t think we’ll work.

I can play as many characters as needed, whether it's just one or it's six. Whatever our story calls for, I can manage that. In fact, I would love to play multiple “main” pairings so we can both get what we want, versus a single main pairing (unless it’s a pairing/dynamic we both like equally well). I find more than one facet to a plot really interesting, and multiple characters helps flesh out a story’s dimensions.

I’m absolutely interested in joining groups, so please don’t be shy about asking me to participate in plots with more than two players. So long as they don’t involve me writing sexual NSFW, we’re Gucci; everyone else writing NSFW isn’t a deal breaker for me.

Multiple threads and plots at the same time are no issue for me. In fact, I love the idea that we click so well that we just can't stop coming up with good ideas! So definitely don't be afraid to pitch something new to me, whether it's because you want to switch gears (and drop a thread for another), or want to do everything at once.

Romance is a must for me! I prefer slow and agonizing journeys to get there, but my attention is best held by romantic chemistry between characters.

I can provide writing samples upon request, though I never require them from my partner. Additionally, I have some plots written out if you're interested in that sort of thing. Otherwise, we can brainstorm together!

FANDOMS

I’m very much a fandom player. I’m always down for AUs, or inserting our own characters into the plots of fandoms! This is in no way a complete list; never be afraid to ask if I’m into something! I’ve probably forgotten a hundred things I love.

Most of my fandoms will have favorite canon characters listed with them, both who I like playing and playing against; you’re always welcome to ask about others not listed.* There’s a good chance I’m pretty good with them!

*I will play OCs in every fandom, but I might not play canons in every fandom.

ALWAYS

The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Nathaniel, Kitty Jones, and Bartimaeus), DC (any Titan, Jinx, Arthur Curry, Steve Trevor, Circe, and Diana Prince), Elder Scrolls (player canons and/or OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Fallout: New Vegas and 4 (Arcade Gannon, Paladin Danse, R.J. MacCready, Arthur Maxson, Veronica Santangelo, Cait, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, and player canons), Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Ramsay Bolton, and Willas Tyrell), His Dark Materials (OCs preferred), Hunger Games (OCs preferred), Inception (Arthur, and Eames, but OCs preferred), Marvel (Peter Parker, Scott Lang, Bucky Barnes, Miles Morales, Loki Laufeyson, Thor Odinson, Gwen Stacy, Jean Grey, Ororo Munroe, Kitty Pryde, and Megan Gwynn), Miraculous Ladybug (Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste), The Mortal Instruments (Simon Lewis, Raphael Santiago, and Alec Lightwood), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez), Star Trek (Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy, S'chn T'gai Spock, and Pavel Chekov), Star Wars (Obi Wan Kenobi, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel, Mara Jade Skywalker, Rey Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Sintas Vel, and Ahsoka Tano), The Walking Dead (Glenn Rhee, and Negan), Warriors (Firestar, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, and Hawkfrost)

SOMETIMES

Boku no Hero Academia (Bakugo Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Shinsou Hitoshi, Kaminari Denki, Kirishima Eijiro, Todoroki Shoto, and Uraraka Ochaco), Bungou Stray Dogs (OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Digimon (OCs preferred), Dragon Age (Fenris, Cullen Rutherford, Cassandra Pentaghast, and Dorian Pavus), Final Fantasy VII (Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Reno, and Sephiroth), Harry Potter (Narcissa Malfoy, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Regulus Black, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood; play my favorite ship with me, and I'll do whatever you want, literally.), Mystic Messenger (Choi Saeyoung, Han Jumin, Kang Jaehee, and Choi Saeran), Naruto (Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Gaara, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke), Ouran High School Host Club (Ootori Kyouya, Hitachiin Hikaru, and Hitachiin Kaoru), Pokémon (Red, Blue, N, Guzma, and player canons)

NOT SURE, BUT WILLING TO EXPLORE

Avatar: the Last Airbender (particularly Zutara), Eragon, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiznaiver, The Legend of Zelda, Soul Eater, Steven Universe, Tokyo Ghoul, Twilight, Yuri!!! on Ice

GENRES

For the most part, I’ll genuinely play most any genre! Of course, everyone says that, but then they shoot down all your suggestions because everyone has stuff they don’t like doing. I’ll try to make this as brief as I can, and know that if something isn’t listed, but you’re pretty sure (based on everything else) that I’m into it, then definitely let me know what you’re thinking!

SETTINGS

A/B/O (I will not play only alphas for only omegas, nor will I play overly trope-y, non-con, “boys love”/"yaoi" plots.), Age of Sail, alien worlds/alien invasions, celebrity, fairytales and mythology (including “inspired by” retellings), fantasy (including medieval, urban, and high fantasy), alt-historical and modern royalty, mutants/gifted, organized crime, science fiction (especially including aliens), some historical (excluding medieval, colonial, and the Roaring Twenties/Great Depression), supernatural, Victorian (especially the London ton), post-apocalyptic

PAIRING DYNAMICS

arranged marriage (I’m always down for slinging our characters together, whether or not they want to. It’s always a bonus if their families hate each other.), enemies to lovers (I love conflict of any sort, especially romantic!), human x not-human (The not-human must be sentient.), bad guy x good guy, intellectual x emotional, captive x captured (especially when the captured is willful, annoying, and full of fight), step-siblings (I don’t play step-parents x step-kids, so please don’t ask!), status/power imbalances (such as characters being from different socioeconomic strata or different ranks/positions in an organization), celebrity x bodyguard (I’m okay with the celebrity being the son/daughter/offspring of someone famous!), famous x not famous, rivals of any sort, unwilling traveling companions, unwilling soulmates

If any of this interests you, please feel free to reach out to me however! I'm really looking forward to hearing from you!

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #semipara #oneline #long term #messenger #marvel rp #harry potter rp #marauders rp #mcu rp #dc rp #submission

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royaltealovingkookiness · 5 years ago

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Here I am with some Ba Sing Se fluff for the Day 4 prompt: Mentor. (fun fact, I started to write this for Zutara month, back in December - well, it’s finally done) @zutaraweek Read on AO3 or below.

“So that’s the house where we had this dingy little apartment on the second floor. And this landmark here is Pao’s teashop,” Zuko pointed at a small building with green lanterns.

Katara tried to imagine him walking these streets, shaggy hair sticking in every direction, white apron tied to his waist. The mental image was alluring. She wanted to know everything.

“Can we go inside?”

Zuko shook his head. “If a nice Upper Ring girl wants to go slumming in the Lower Ring, you might as well do it properly. Shu Long Noodles is the place.”

“Really?” Katara grimaced. A noodle shop did not sound nearly as exciting as Zuko’s old place of employment.

Noting her skepticism, Zuko raised his eyebrow. “Who is the local here, you or me?”

It was funny to think of one of the most powerful people in the world as local to one of the worst slums, but strangely, it was true. Sharing the life of the poor working class was an experience that shaped him into the man he became; someone caring and compassionate.

Katara followed Zuko through the labyrinth of old, shabby buildings until they came to a storefront that looked like it hadn’t been painted in years.

“Don’t let appearances deceive you,” Zuko smirked and after some haggling with the owner he secured them a table in the back patio which was surprisingly pleasant, lit with warm lanterns. The menu was short, but the noodles were rather delicious.

“Not bad,” Katara admitted slurping on the long delicious strings of pasta.

“Uncle swore by this place.” In Zuko’s eyes, Iroh was the unquestionable the culinary expert. “I even took my first date here.”

Katara couldn’t hold back a surprised squeal. “You? Date?”

“What? Is it that inconceivable that I would have a date?” Zuko pouted playfully, but Katara saw the shadow of real hurt in his eyes as his hand darted to his scar involuntarily. Katara cursed herself.. Of course, that’s not what she meant, but also, inevitably, that’s how he took it. She was on the edge of ruining the exciting undercover expedition she managed to talk Zuko into as a welcome change of pace from the peace conference.

“Tell me about her,” she tried to redirect his thoughts.

“She was really cute.” There was a fond smile on his lips. “I was so nervous - umm, trying to remember all of my Uncle’s advice?”

Imagining awkward, grumpy Zuko trying to entertain a date based on instructions made Katara giggle. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah.” Zuko scoffed. “You know how I said Uncle taught me everything? With that I mean everything. Even things I’ve never ever wanted to know about,” he added in a low voice to make it very clear what kind of things he meant.

Katara almost choked on her noodles imaging Iroh giving Zuko what Gran-Gran called the bee-talk. “It must have been bad.”

“Mortifying. He insisted on making my hair too. I looked like a monkey. Then told me nice girls wanted to hear fun stories about how great you are. And that winking helps,” he laughed in embarrassment.

So?” Katara nudged him.

“So I told her that I travelled with a circus and juggled,” Zuko grimaced like there was more to the story.

“How did that work out?”

“Not well. I broke the soy-sauce jug on my head when she asked me for a demonstration,” Zuko admitted, scrunching his nose.

Katara now was laughing so hard that the entire restaurant was watching them.

Zuko scowled at her. “You are making a scene.”

“You have to tell me more.” She took a long sip from her cup.

“Well, there is nothing else to tell. She took me to this fountain. The end.” He put down his napkin and asked for the bill.

“Zuko,” Katara watched him with a calculating smile.

“Let me guess, now you want to see the fountain,” he sighed.

Lightheaded from the rice-wine, Katara giggled.

“Yeah, you promised me all the landmarks. What’s more exciting than first-date fountain?”

They walked through more narrow alleyways with owl-cats prowling, looking for rats and laundry hung across balconies. They stopped at an unremarkable dark square.

“That’s it?” Katara asked trying to mask her disappointment. It didn’t look like anything really.

“Well, it’s pretty when it’s lit up. Actually, when I came here with Jin, it was like this. And she was so disappointed that I lit it for her,” Zuko explained.

“So you outed yourself as a firebender?” Katara asked incredulously. It was incredibly dangerous and stupid. But also a little bit romantic. Actually more romantic than she ever imagined him to be.

“I made her close her eyes,” Zuko glared. “Anyways, I felt like an incompetent, babbling idiot the whole night. There was finally something I knew I could do right...”

“I bet she was impressed,” Katara looked at him fondly.

“She tried to kiss me…” he said quietly, kicking a pebble with his foot.

“And?”

“What do you think? I freaked out and gave her a voucher,” Zuko blurted out.

That sounded pretty terrible even for someone as hopelessly awkward as Zuko. “A voucher?” she giggled.

“For tea,” clarified Zuko needlessly. “Uncle said it was a good back-up plan - give her a reason to come back. Something about dipping your stick in the river twice?”

She frowned. “Eww. I’m pretty sure that’s not how it goes.”

“Possibly.” Zuko conceded. “He gave me detailed advice about wooing ladies. Like very detailed advice,” he repeated with a pointed look. “I think I started to dig a mental hole and bury myself when he got to…”

Katara’s covered her ears with her hands and squealed. “Stop! I don’t want to hear it.”

As fond as she was of Iroh, she really didn’t want to hear the old man’s advice right now.

“You see? My point. So now you know how I felt,” Zuko laughed nervously.

Awkward silence descended on them. Katara kept nervously tugging her hair behind her ears. Zuko stood stiff and unsure of what to do. It felt like intruding on a different date at a different time. Wait? Who said anything about a date? They were not on a date, they were just two friends exploring. But Katara also found she felt a bit jealous of this girl who got to see Zuko like that - just a regular, sweet boy, not carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, trying to make his date happy with silly stories and romantic gestures. She desperately wanted to get to know that boy. Or maybe she already knew him.

“So will you light it for me?” Katara asked a bit breathlessly.

Zuko looked at her amused, but nodded. “Stand back.”

He took a deep breath and with impossibly fast movements he sent tiny sparks aimed at the lampions hanging around the stone structure. The flames dancing on the water transformed the place. It was magical.

“Wow. I didn’t know you could do that,” she noted.

“It’s a specific skill-set that’s pretty much only useful here,” Zuko shrugged. “I think Uncle had me train it for so long, because it was something relatively harmless.”

“It’s pretty,” Katara waved at the fountain. “Like water and fire harmony.” It sounded awfully corny, but then again her date was not the king of smooth. Not a date. Or maybe it was. Or could be.

“Zuko,” she said in a husky voice, stepping closer to him.

“Yeah,” he replied breathlessly, staring at her lips.

“If I kiss you, you won’t freak out and give me a voucher, will you?” Katara murmured, lightly touching her hand to his cheek, her thumb caressing the edge of his scar. She could feel his pulse quicken, mimicking the drumming inside her chest.

“Luckily, for you, I’m fresh out of vouchers…” Zuko rasped. “I might even kiss you back,” he added shyly.

Watching him, she lifted her face, touching her lips to his lightly. He closed his eyes, his face almost reverent as he drank in her kiss. She pulled back a little. He dived back in, this time really tasting her. Katara lost herself in the sensation of his lips, tongue and hands.

They jumped apart breathlessly, at the sound of someone clearing their throat reproachfully.

“The youth these days; they have no sense of propriety,” an old lady grumbled loudly; her remark clearly aimed at Zuko and Katara.

“But look, my dear, the fountain is lit. Isn’t it a wonderful sight?” he husband hooked his arm in hers and patted her hand, giving them a playful wink. Old school.

Zuko grabbed Katara’s wrist. “Come, I haven’t showed you my favourite place yet.”

“Where is it?”

Zuko pointed towards the rooftops. “Best view in Lower Ring. And quiet.”

#atla #atla fanfic #zutara fanfic #brusselssprout writes #Zutara Week 2019 #prompt: mentor #zuko #katara #iroh #eew uncle #date night

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rp-dreamland · 5 years ago

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Why can't I hold all these cool stories?

DISCORD: KYLO REN AT CHILI’S#8808

TIMEZONE: CST

PERSONAL PREFERENCES

I consider myself to be lit-adv. I tend to enjoy partners in the lit+ category, but as long as you’re an enthusiastic and engaging partner, I don’t care about perfect grammar. I would rather write with someone just as involved and excited as I am, than I would with someone who isn’t very engaging but knows exactly what to do with obscure punctuation.

OOC chatter is really important to me. I can’t write with someone that I don’t feel like I can get to know. I’m looking for friends, not a faceless reply robot. I won’t communicate over any medium but Discord. I’ve tried Kik, Hangouts, etc.; they just don’t stick for me. If you would prefer first contact be through email, you can shoot me a quick message and your handle to [email protected].

I’m fine with threading in a GDoc or a server, but I will not thread over DMs. It’s difficult to have OOC chatter and the thread over the top of each other.

If you’re looking for a partner that writes a reply a day without fail, that’s not me. I prefer that we don’t have “posting schedules” or set posting times, because I find that it turns writing into a chore. It’s great if you reply immediately, and it’s totally okay if you need a week to figure something out! You’re absolutely free to poke me. I’m not always the most mindful. However, I’m not going to reply every day. Three to four times a week is my frequency.

PLOT PREFERENCES

I’m interested in both fandom and original settings, and I’m down for playing both canon characters and OCs. I don’t necessarily prefer one or the other.

I can play as many characters as needed, whether it’s just one or it’s six. Whatever our story calls for, I can manage that. In fact, I would love to play multiple “main” pairings so we can both get what we want, versus a single main pairing (unless it’s a pairing/dynamic we both like equally well). I find more than one facet to a plot really interesting, and multiple characters helps flesh out a story’s dimensions.

Multiple threads and plots at the same time are no issue for me. In fact, I love the idea that we click so well that we just can’t stop coming up with good ideas! So definitely don’t be afraid to pitch something new to me, whether it’s because you want to switch gears (and drop a thread for another), or want to do everything at once.

Romance is a must for me! I prefer slow and agonizing journeys to get there, but my attention is best held by romantic chemistry between characters.

I can provide writing samples upon request, though I never require them from my partner. Additionally, I have some plots written out if you’re interested in that sort of thing. Otherwise, we can brainstorm together!

FANDOMS

*I will play OCs in every fandom, but I might not play canons in every fandom.

ALWAYS

SOMETIMES

Boku no Hero Academia (Bakugo Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Shinsou Hitoshi, Kaminari Denki, Kirishima Eijiro, Todoroki Shoto, and Uraraka Ochaco), Bungou Stray Dogs (OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Digimon (OCs preferred), Dragon Age (Fenris, Cullen Rutherford, Cassandra Pentaghast, and Dorian Pavus), Final Fantasy VII (Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Reno, and Sephiroth), Harry Potter (Narcissa Malfoy, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Regulus Black, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood; play my favorite ship with me, and I’ll do whatever you want, literally.), Mystic Messenger (Choi Saeyoung, Han Jumin, Kang Jaehee, and Choi Saeran), Naruto (Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Gaara, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke), Ouran High School Host Club (Ootori Kyouya, Hitachiin Hikaru, and Hitachiin Kaoru), Pokémon (Red, Blue, N, Guzma, and player canons)

NOT SURE, BUT WILLING TO EXPLORE

Avatar: the Last Airbender (particularly Zutara), Eragon, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiznaiver, The Legend of Zelda, Soul Eater, Steven Universe, Tokyo Ghoul, Twilight, Yuri!!! on Ice

GENRES

SETTINGS

A/B/O (I will not play only alphas for only omegas, nor will I play overly trope-y, non-con, “boys love”/"yaoi” plots.), Age of Sail, alien worlds/alien invasions, celebrity, fairytales and mythology (including “inspired by” retellings), fantasy (including medieval, urban, and high fantasy), alt-historical and modern royalty, mutants/gifted, organized crime, science fiction (especially including aliens), some historical (excluding medieval, colonial, and the Roaring Twenties/Great Depression), Southern gothic, supernatural, Victorian (especially the London ton), post-apocalyptic

PAIRING DYNAMICS

If any of this interests you, please feel free to reach out to me however! I’m really looking forward to hearing from you!

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audreyii-fic · 6 years ago

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Zutara, “Sparrowkeet”, and Babies At The Border

Katara almost dies bringing their child into the world.

Everything is fine right up until it isn’t. The baby gets stuck, blood soaks the bed, and the mother’s healthy birthing screams vanish into frightening silence. The Fire doctor and the Water healer -- who have been bickering about best practices since the second month -- shove Zuko out of the room and go to work as one.

The Fire Lord can do nothing but wait.

***

So.

Once upon a time, a younger, slightly-less-cranky Audrey watched Avatar: the Last Airbender (thanks again, @likeadove) then wrote a season three AU called Sparrowkeet wherein Zuko and Katara wound up significantly more, er, together than they did in the show. Because Zutara.

(If you like my stuff but don’t know A:tLA, you... well, if you read then you won’t know what the hell is going on, not gonna lie, but it’s got deeply problematic smut and brutal angst, and let’s face it, that’s what you’re all here for anyway. You know it’s true.)

Anyway, that was seven years ago. Seven very, very long years.

So, why write an epilogue now?

Because -- I don’t know if you read the news, but if you don’t, it’s probably time to start -- some really not great stuff has happened in that seven years.

And in response, fandoms are going to try to help by doing what they do best: creating.

***

Hours later (it can’t be minutes, it can’t be, surely it is hours) the doctor emerges with a weakly squirming bundle. “A son, Lord Zuko,” he says. “A prince for the Fire Nation.”

Zuko doesn’t care. “Lady Katara?”

“My lord, it is too soon to know--”

“Then get back in there!”

As his father’s roar echoes through the halls, the newborn prince breaks into lusty wails.

And Zuko--

--for a flash, for a terrible moment, Zuko hates it. He hates that bundle. He regrets the seed from which it grew. He loathes the energy it stole from his wife in order to emerge, energy she should be using to save herself--

The doctor reads only part of his lord’s expression. “Steady your fears,” he says compassionately. “He should yet thrive despite being half-Water.”

Zuko blinks. “What do you mean, despite?”

“We must of course temper our expectations, but the child seems to have been blessed with good Fire fortune. Ten minutes ago-- well, he was lucky to be born at all.”

He was lucky to be born.

The terrible moment passes, forgotten, erased, never to return.

“Give me my half-Water son,” the Fire Lord demands. “Then, once you have finished healing your Fire Lady, leave this palace and never return.”

***

Babies at the Border is a fanfiction and fanart compilation put together to raise money for charity. As of this posting, 112 -- one hundred and twelve! -- authors and artists are contributing their works to the anthology. (For regular updates on new additions, as well as which fandoms are being represented, follow @BatB_2018 on Twitter.)

Here’s how it works:

First, donate $10 to any of the following five organizations.

ACLU - fighting attacks through the legal system.

Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) - protecting unaccompanied children who enter the US immigration system alone to ensure that no child appears in court without an attorney.

Human Rights First - helping refugees obtain asylum in the U.S.

Innovation Law Lab - working in immigrant detention centers and hostile judicial districts; keeping the definitive list of kids being held.

The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights - promoting the best interests of unaccompanied immigrant children.

(You’re probably noticing a theme here, right? We’ll get to that in a moment.)

Second, once you’ve done your research, picked your charity, and sent your $10, you email a copy of your receipt to [email protected].

Then, on October 10th, you receive what is bound to be one staggeringly massive PDF file (seriously, one hundred and twelve authors) full of more fic and fanart than you can shake a stick at.

Included in that PDF will be a copy of the epilogue previewed in this post. It will also include a banner drawn by the generous and truly incomparable @beanaroony. The story itself is clocking in at around 8,000 words, and (appropriately enough) begins seven years after the end of Sparrowkeet.

***

Katara does not wake for a week. Her husband never leaves her side.

A matronly woman arrives within an hour of the birth, introduces herself as the wet nurse, and opens her arms. Zuko sends her to the kitchens with an order to bring him bottles and warm rice milk.

A Water Tribe elder presents a half-dozen thick seal skin swaddles. Zuko tosses them aside and binds the baby only in a light silk wrap, warmed not by blankets but by the embers beneath his father’s skin.

A Fire Sage delivers the royal cradle, carved with fearsome images of dragons, painted with traditional blessings of Agni. Zuko ignores it and lays his yawning son against his wife’s side, keeping a hand against the tiny back to hold him in place.

And when Katara finally opens her eyes, it is to see the Great Fire Lord Zuko, Peacebringer, Friend of Nations, The Honored and Restored, asleep in an armchair with a dark-skinned, black-haired infant tucked in the crook of his arm. Both are drooling.

***

This compilation is happening because things are -- not to put too fine a point on it -- deeply, deeply fucked up in the United States right now.

Thousands of refugee families were split apart at the southern border with no warning, no explanation, and no plan for what came next. In spite of multiple court orders, hundreds of children have not been reunited with their parents. Those who have been are facing a lifetime of trauma with few resources to assist them. Meanwhile, children -- toddlers -- are being forced to serve as their own legal counsel in their own deportation proceedings.

Deeply fucked up doesn’t really cover that.

The five charities BatB is asking you to contribute to all exist to help people -- particularly child refugees -- find legal protection from a government that turns against them more and more every day. These kids need assistance. This is how they can get it. God knows it isn’t coming from anywhere else.

Look, I’m not going to sit here and say shit like “It’s only ten dollars!” Because it’s not. I’ve counted pennies, I’ve gone to bed hungry, I’ve lived without internet or working appliances because the money just isn’t fucking there. Ten dollars is gas that can get you to work. Ten dollars is a week’s worth of groceries. Ten dollars is a lot of money.

But you know the good part of that? Ten dollars is part of a bus ticket that can take a father in Texas to where the government stashed his son in Michigan. Ten dollars is printer ink for the paralegal who’s slept eight hours in three days because each case needs briefs in triplicate. Ten dollars is ten dollar-store toys for ten preschoolers who are waiting in a courtroom to face the adults who don’t speak their language that are deciding their entire futures. Ten dollars is a lot of money.

The embargo on the compilation fics only lasts through December. The Sparrowkeet epilogue will be posted for free on both FFn and AO3 on the first of January. If $10 is too much for you -- and God knows it can be -- I promise, you’re not getting locked out. Fanfic isn’t just for those with disposable income. Fanfic for all. That’s what makes it great.

But if you can -- if you can scrape together $1.25 a week between now and October 10th -- I hope you’ll help out one of those charities. Not just because you’re gonna get a hundred stories out of it. I hope you’ll do it because it’s a chance to make the world just a little less fucked up. Just a little.

A little counts for a lot.

***

He is named Kazumi, which means Beautiful Harmony.

***

I’m looking forward to this fic. I’m looking forward to that insanely huge PDF that’s probably going to take like three hours to download. I’m looking forward to sending out the charity receipt and knowing (even as, yes, I’m eating peanut butter out of the jar because that’s just how paychecks fall sometimes) that there’s a father in Texas getting on a bus to Michigan to see his son.

To be continued on October 10th!

#zutara #sparrowkeet series #babies at the border #charity #current events

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firelxdykatara · 6 years ago

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Day 2: Hidden Identities

So this is a day late, but hopefully not a dollar short! (lol kill me my jokes suck) ANYWAY, this is for Day 2 of @thirtydaysofzutara and was heavily inspired by @artcraawl‘s amazing Zutara Mulan AU pictures. Some of it is directly from the movie, some is embellished, anyway I hope it’s a fun read, as I certainly had fun writing it!

---

“I don’t know if I can do this, Tui.”

Katara gave one more half-hearted tug, but her father’s sword remained stubbornly embedded in the tree’s trunk. With a sigh, she flopped to the ground, thumping her fists against the hard-packed soil in frustration. Her companion, a silver dragon-lizard with impossibly black eyes, scurried up the tree and perched on the flat of the blade, tugging gently, but to no avail. “It’ll come out! You just have- to be- persistent!”

With a final tug, the lizard slipped from the blade and fell to the ground. Katara pushed herself up on her elbows with a groan. “I’ve been persistent! It’s not working! I haven’t even been able to get that stupid arrow out of the pole.”

“No one else has, either,” Tui pointed out, curling her tail over her shoulder and rubbing a spot of dirt from her scales.

“That’s not the point.” Katara sat up and pushed herself to her feet. “They belong here. They don’t have to prove anything.”

“Neither do you, as far as they know.”

“Sure, and what happens when they find-”

“Who are you talking to, Tak?”

Katara froze. Tui scampered into the bushes with an alarmed squeak, and the moment stretched uncomfortably, as the woman tried desperately to convince herself that voice belonged to someone—anyone—else. It didn’t work; she was pretty sure she could feel his amber gaze burning holes into her back.

He had the disconcerting ability to make her feel like he could see right through her façade—through the warrior she was trying to be, to the scared, homesick girl beneath.

Time sped up again, and Katara turned to look at Zuko, who was standing behind her with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

“Uh…” she began, before realizing her voice was pitched too high, coughing to cover it up. “No one! I’m just, talking to… myself…” She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand (mostly to hide the fact that she kept reaching for a lock of hair that just wasn’t there anymore). Her eyes slid to her sword, still sunk into the tree trunk, about the same time Zuko’s did. Disapproval radiated from his lithe form in waves, and Katara had to fight back the nervous laughter that kept threatening to bubble up.

“Oh, this is… I was just training…” she said, grabbing the hilt tightly in both hands. It still refused to move, and she braced herself with one foot on the trunk. Finally, with an almighty yank, the sword came free, and the momentum sent her careening off-balance.

Zuko ducked just in time—the blade passed a hair’s breadth over his head.

“Oops,” Katara muttered, giving a weak chuckle as she clumsily shoved her sword back into its sheath. “Cut it a little close there-” Spirits, Katara, stop talking.

The captain looked less than impressed as he straightened back up, looking at her with some emotion in his eyes that she couldn’t quite describe. Then he sighed, shaking his head. “Pack up.”

Something churned unpleasantly in the pit of her stomach. “What?”

“Go home. You’re through here, Tak. I’ve tried my best, but you just aren’t suited for war—not in my company. And if you’re the best that Chief Hakoda could send in his own stead-” He broke off, squaring his shoulders. “You’d be more of a danger to your own comrades than the Fire Nation soldiers. And I won’t have good men, even you, needlessly killed because they weren’t ready.”

Katara watched as he walked away, trying very hard to keep from noticing the way his muscles had tensed (probably from anger) beneath the thin padding of his training vest. “He’s right. I know he is. But…”

Tui poked her head out of the bushes. “But you want to prove him wrong.”

A wry grimace twisted at her mouth. “I was too willful and stubborn to make a good wife, remember? It must be good for something.”

“So what are you going to do?”

The sun had set, the last of its amber glow receding from the skyline just as the full moon began to peek through the clouds. “I don’t know…” Katara murmured, gazing up at the sky—she traced the moonbeams with her eyes, until she caught one that illuminated the arrow still stuck at the top of that tall, wooden beam.

She could have had it down weeks ago, if she’d wanted to risk waterbending—but it was supposed to be a physical exercise. For all that she was at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the company (not that anyone but Sokka realized it), the last thing she wanted to do was prove herself by cheating. But there had to be some way to get to that arrow. And maybe, if she got it down herself…

Hours later, the only thing preventing her from screaming in frustration was the fact that Zuko’s tent was only ten feet away. “Come on,” she grunted, taking another running jump at the pole—and, as before, she made it a few feet before falling to the ground in an ungainly heap.

She might have had a better chance at getting higher, if not to the top, if it weren’t for the weights at her wrists. Katara picked herself up for the thousandth time, dropping the weights and dusting herself off. (It was a good thing her family didn’t seem to have the ‘quitter’ gene, or she might have contemplated just leaving, like she’d been told.) She couldn’t help the nagging feeling that there was something about this exercise that was missing, that she just didn’t understand. She picked up the weights again, holding them in front of her, inspecting the etchings in the gold. It was an ancient form of Earth Kingdom script, and she could only make out a few letters.

Somehow, she doubted anyone had carved a cheat sheet onto these things a thousand years ago, anyway.

But as the weights swayed gently on their leather ties, something occurred to her—it was so simple she could almost kick herself for not thinking of it sooner. It was so obvious. It wasn’t just about having to struggle against the weight. It was about discipline and strength—using them to her advantage.

Squaring her shoulders, Katara faced the pole again—this time, when she jumped, she swung the weights, tangling the leather ties together, and she began to climb.

Halfway up, she almost wanted to let go, forget the whole thing. Her arms were screaming in protest, and she kept slipping even as she gained inches in height—sweat was streaming down her face in small rivers, and she could feel her tunic sticking to her back. The cotton binding around her breasts was beginning to itch something fierce. But she had already gotten too far to quit, and so she kept going—gaining inches and losing centimeters, until she could see the top of the pole. She could almost reach out and grab that arrow.

The sun began to peek over the horizon once more, and Katara gasped for breath, her muscles screaming in agony as she grabbed the top of the pole and finally pulled herself up. It was a deceptively wide beam of wood, in fact, and easy enough to perch on was she grabbed the arrow in one tender hand and pulled it free.

It was only when the cheering began that she realized she’d drawn a crowd.

A tired grin crossed her face, and she subtley bent some of her sweat, coating the arrow-head with a thin layer of ice. Just as Zuko’s tent flap opened, she threw the arrow down—it landed with impressive accuracy, thudding into the ground at his feet as he stepped out. He looked up at her, and while it was difficult to tell from how far away she was, Katara almost thought he looked proud.

---

“I’m sorry. About your uncle.” Katara winced inwardly—she kept forgetting to pitch her voice low enough, but Zuko didn’t seem to notice. He was staring at the fire; if he’d heard a word she said, he didn’t indicate it. Which was almost a relief—she wasn’t sure she’d be able to get into a conversation about lost loved ones and not accidentally blow her own cover.

Sokka had been helping as much as he dared, once he’d realized her plan, but there was only so much he could do to keep her from ruining everything with her ‘stupid girly habits’.

Apparently, talking about feelings qualified.

Either way, Zuko clearly wasn’t in the mood for company. Katara turned to go—if she hadn’t already become so tuned to the tenor of his voice, for reasons she couldn’t even begin to explain, she might have missed it entirely when he said, “Thank you, Tak.”

She stopped, glancing back at him—he was giving her at least an attempt at a smile, and it suddenly struck her how very young he looked. Especially for a captain.

He really couldn’t have been more than a couple years older than she was, and it was hard enough for her to manage to keep her own life straight—she couldn’t imagine what it was like trying to lead an entire company.

She opened her mouth to say something else—she wasn’t quite sure what, but since when had thinking ever stopped her from blurting out what was on her mind?—when she heard the screech of a bird of prey high in the sky above them. It sounded familiar, almost… almost like…

She was six years old, and the snow had turned grey from falling ash. Buildings burned, people were screaming and running away, bursts of fire from soldiers in the streets kept illuminating the overcast sky, and Katara couldn’t find her parents.

“Mama!” she shouted, tears streaking through the soot stains on her face, running towards her house. Everything was chaos, but she still knew home. Somewhere, high in the sky, a fire hawk screamed—the little girl could see it circling over her family’s hut, an omen she couldn’t quite comprehend.

When she opened the door, the smell of charred flesh nearly knocked her off her feet. It was-

“The Fire Nation!” Katara heard herself shouting, those last images from her memory still superimposed over her vision, the smell sticking to her all these years later. She wanted to gag, but there was no time. “They’re here! They-“

An arrow whistled through the air and into Zuko’s shoulder as he stood, knocking him flat.

“Zuko!” Katara rushed to his side as more arrows floated into view just over the snowy hilltop—he waved her off, pulling the arrow free with a grunt and clambering to his feet.

“Everyone, get out of their range! Grab the cannons!”

It was pure chaos, after that. Zuko’s company scattered—they grabbed armloads of cannons and their weapons and ran, forcing the Fire Nation soldiers to abandon their high ground advantage if they wanted to do any real damage. Out of range of the arrows was also out of range of their firebenders, and it took everything Katara had not to panic and freeze.

“Sokka!” The relief nearly knocked her over, but she held her ground, grabbing for her brother’s hand and yanking him out of the way of another arrow barrage. “Where’s Zuko? Is he-”

“He’s fine! We need to set up these canons, Tak. Now!”

Their answering barrage sent shockwaves rippling through the ground—when they were down to the last cannon, Zuko appeared behind them. “Hold- we don’t know who’s left. If…”

He trailed off. The smoke cleared, and revealed the bulk of the Fire Nation army still intact on the hillside.

Ozai was at the army’s head. Katara could feel his smug smirk from here.

“Sokka, take that last canon. Hit Ozai, if it’s the last thing you do!” Zuko commanded. “Men- prepare for a fight!”

Katara’s hand went to her sword hilt, but something was still bothering her. Taking out Ozai wouldn’t decimate the Fire Nations forces—they’d keep coming, they’d kill everyone. How many more villages would suffer the way Omashu had? The way her tribe had? The way-

She caught sight of the snow-covered mountain just behind them. They weren’t going to have time to retreat back through the mountain passes to safety, but maybe, if she could only just… She reached, but nothing. Practicing her bending in secret had only gotten her so far, and that snow was too far off. But…

“Give me that!” She pushed Sokka aside and grabbed the cannon. It would work. It had to.

---

Katara was beginning to lose feeling in her arms. She hadn’t realized Ozai’s blade had cut that deep, but now Koda’s saddle was soaked in her blood, and she had barely been able to muster the strength to grab Zuko and pull him to safety.

The avalanche had stilled, snow wiping the last traces of the Fire Nation army away, and Katara finally slid from her horse’s back, stumbling to her knees. Zuko had regained consciousness, and he rushed to her side. “Tak! Are you alright?”

She gripped his arm and pulled herself upright, nodding weakly. “I’m fine, is everyone else-”

“We made it, Tak,” Toph said, affectionately thumping her shoulder. “Thanks to you. That was brilliant.”

The others chimed in, and Katara smiled, for just a moment. And then she collapsed.

When she opened her eyes, she recognized the colors of the medical tent above her cot. For a moment, Katara was dazed, confused—how had she gotten here? Where were Zuko, Sokka and the others? How-

Her clothing had been removed. The breast binding wraps were visible, overlapping the bandages around her abdomen. The doctor was looking at her, perhaps to be sure she was truly awake, but when she opened her mouth to speak, he turned away and left the tent.

Katara sat up quickly, wincing at the tight feeling of the wound in her stomach, wanting to protest—but then Zuko stepped inside, and the words died in her throat.

It was then that she realized her hair was loose—the thick, dark brown waves that just brushed against her shoulders were much more visibly feminine now that she no longer wore them in her father’s hairstyle, and the breast wraps had only been effective at hiding her figure when covered by padding and armour. Now, she felt her cheeks burn as Zuko’s eyes followed her figure, and realized the truth of what the doctor had obviously told him.

“So it’s true,” came Long Feng’s voice as he entered the tent behind Zuko. Where the latter’s gaze was completely unreadable, Long Feng didn’t bother to disguise his disgust. He surged forward, grabbing Katara by the arm and dragging her out of the tent, throwing her into the snow with just her blanket for cover. She fell to her knees before the rest of the company, tears of humiliation freezing to her lashes before they even had a chance to fall.

“A woman,” Long Feng hissed. “A despicable traitor to our great kingdom!”

Toph and Aang stared in shock. Sokka started forward, but Katara shook her head. It was too late for her, but she would not let her brother take the fall, too. “My name is Katara. I only came here to save my father-”

“More lies!” Long Feng insisted, turning to glare at her as Zuko approached. “Devious snake!”

“I never meant for it to go this far!” Her eyes met Zuko’s, and she pleaded with him silently. Please understand. “You have to believe me! I only wanted-”

“Silence!” Long Feng shouted.

Sokka ran forward. “Wait! You can’t do this—she’s my sister!”

“Sokka, no!”

But the damage was done. “You knew about her deception?” Long Feng was practically quivering with rage. “Stand aside, boy, or you will share in this traitor’s fate!”

“Sokka, please-”

He refused to budge. Katara could still see Zuko, staring at the both of them now, sword in hand. He took a step forward, and several gasps ran through the company—Toph and Aang looked ready to rush to their defense, but Long Feng threw his arm out and stopped them. “You know the law!”

For just a moment, Katara met Zuko’s eyes, and thought she saw something flickering in their depths. Something other than anger or disgust. Something warm.

Then it was gone, and Zuko threw his sword to the ground. “A life for a life,” he said, staring down at her. “My debt to you is ended.” Finally, as if only now realizing he was there, Zuko looked at Sokka. “Take her home. Don’t bother coming back.”

He turned on his heel—Long Feng made a noise, as if he were about to protest, but Zuko turned on him with a glower that could’ve melted steel. The advisor finally cowed into silence, he turned to the rest of his men and motioned for them to move out.

---

“You trusted Tak. Why is Katara any different?”

“You stole my victory.” “No! I did!” “… The soldier from the mountain!”

“She’s a woman, and from the water tribes! She’s not worth protecting!”

“I have heard all about you, Katara of the Water Tribes. You followed your brother off to war—stole your father’s armour and ran away from home. You impersonated a soldier, deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Earth Kingdom, and… you have saved us all.”

It was… surreal. That was the only way Katara could describe the feeling that overtook her, when she realized that not only was the Earth King bowing, but so was the entirety of Ba Sing Se. As far as the eye could see, citizens were stooping low, and it was all but impossible to believe they were honoring her.

Even Zuko was bowing—even her brother. She wanted to tell them all to stand up, that she really hadn’t done anything that extraordinary, but she didn’t want to risk losing the King’s good faith. The moment eventually passed, anyway, and Katara turned to find the Earth King smiling warmly at her.

“I would be honored if you would accept a seat on my council, Katara,” he said—Long Feng looked like he was about to faint.

“B- but sir, you can’t just- there are no positions open!”

“Alright. You can have his job.”

This time, he did faint. Katara had to smother a chuckle before taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “You honor me, your majesty, but… I think it’s time for me to go home.”

He nodded, as if he’d expected nothing less of her.

The Earth King gave her his medallion and Ozai’s sword, and when Katara finally turned to go, she very nearly ran right into Zuko. “Oh! Zuko, I-”

“Katara-” he began, at the same time. They both broke off; Katara bit her lip, waiting for him to continue. He cleared his throat. “I, uh- you fight good. Well! Proficiently, you- you’re an excellent soldier.”

Their eyes met, but Katara was the first to look away, this time. “Oh. Thank you, Zuko. For everything.” And then she left, finding Koda and pulling herself into his saddle to begin the long journey home.

“You don’t meet a girl like that every dynasty,” the Earth King declared—sounding very much like he was calling Zuko an idiot.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” From a distance, Katara could hear Grandma Kanna’s voice, “Would you like to stay forever?!” Zuko laughed. “Dinner would be great.”

#zutara #katara #zuko #zutara mulan au #zutara month #my writing #day 2

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teaandcrowns · 6 years ago

Note

I just saw your responses to all the anti-zutara posts in the past few days and wanted to thank you for sticking up, arguing and explaining your (our) viewpoint (even if futile in some cases ugh) because I was just sitting there facepalming so hard and was glad to see your comments; it's a shame how this is all going in circles.. but either way, I really appreciate it that you at least tried hah.

Hey thanks, Anon, I really appreciate you dropping this note. It's frustrating in that I was trying to argue things keeping within the context of the universe the show set up, which has different cultural contexts than our real world. Sure things are influenced, and you can definitely make parallels to nearly anything if you look at it under certain lights, but it just felt like any civil debate wasn't being heard and everything just devolved. Which was when I stepped away; there was no "winning" that.

And you know what? They're totally entitled to have such a negative opinion and interpretation of Zuko and the Fire Nation. Honestly, I'm not being facetious at all, people can take what they want away from things. But not only is it not the only interpretation one can have, it's also most definitely not the "correct" one---because no one thing is correct. That's the point of interpretation. (And "word of god" or creator intent isn't 100% either because people change what they meant and also different people will always take something different away, regardless of creator intent or word of god.) I draw the line, however, when they come across lines (if you will) to attack another fan, unprovoked, and try to drag them through the mud for no other reason than what they see disagrees with their "this is problematic" interpretation.

Something that I've been seeing, and that has been noted by others, in fandom on tumblr is the so-called "purity police". I mean, in that a piece of media or canon material must be perfect in every way or it cannot, under and circumstances, be enjoyed or liked. And what's more, people who do enjoy these imperfect things are just as bad, of not worse, than the media itself. And frankly, that's a bullshit and problematic way of viewing things.

No piece of media will be perfect. And that's okay. It's okay to like imperfect things, it's okay to find enjoyment out of problematic things---so long as the viewer/reader/etc understands that it's fiction. Fiction is a place to push boundaries and explore otherwise Not Good™️ concepts, so long as everyone can be adults and know that what's in fiction stays in fiction. That's half the point of fanfiction, fanart, etc---transformative works. And if you don't like it? Block. Ignore. Close the tab and move on. You don't have to consume someone else's fan creation. You don't have to harrass people for having an idea that was literally hurting no one. If you're worried this person might be part of a hate group and intentionally posting things to make others fear and feel unsafe, and that others are rallying to that hate rhetoric and that person, then there are more serious steps to be taken, of course of course.

That's not usually the case, though, especially in the majority of fandom that includes transformative works that I've seen, and I've been in various fandoms over various platforms for the last 18 years. The problem that's been breeding on tumblr (which is by no means the first or only place for it to happen, also), is doxxing people and calling people out for indulging in and enjoying points of view and interpretations of canon materials that someone disagrees with. For the majority of the time, everyone is a rational adult or young adult, exploring fantasies or ideas or concepts that fall both in and outside the norm, and that's fine.

There's no reason for harassment, insults, mud-slinging, etc except for attention and some misguided attempt at policing purity.

#thanks for asking sorry i went on a bit of a rant #like i will defend people's right to make fanart and fanfiction and enjoy it #even if it's problematic #but there is a line and most rational people know and understand where it is

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lady-of-bath · 8 years ago

Text

The Parallels of Zutara and Kallura

Ever since the second season of Voltron: Legendary Defender has come out, Kallura—Keith x Allura—has caused... quite the controversy, to say the least. Some have embraced the pairing, while others have rejected it. Nonetheless, there seems to be a consensus that the pair mirrors another from Avatar: The Last Airbender: Zuko x Katara, otherwise known as Zutara. The question is to what degree, and is the mirroring profound or shallow?

In this meta, I’ll explore the parallels between ATLA’s Zutara and VLD’s Kallura.

Note that while I ship these pairs, I will be looking at their relationships in an objective manner. How one decides to interpret these relationships, whether it be romantic or platonic, is up to that person. This meta isn’t meant to cause shipping discourse or convince anyone to ship anything. It’s only meant to evaluate the similarities between Zutara and Kallura.

Also note, spoilers for both shows will be discussed under the cut.

Before exploring Zutara and Kallura’s parallels in relationship, I want to examine their parallels in individual characterization.

I’ll start with S1.

In S1, Katara and Allura are cutesy, bossy, girly girls who have high expectations of their newly discovered, or soon to be revealed, messiahs—

Katara | S1 E1: I told you! He's the real thing, Gran Gran! I finally found a bender to teach me [...] He's special. I can tell. I sense he's filled with much wisdom.

Allura | S1 E4: (Proudly) Look at them—the new Paladins of Voltron. The fate of the universe is on their shoulders.

—despite those messiahs being incompetent and immature:

Aang: Sthee? Now my tongue ith thuck to my sthaff.

Keith: (Drinks and spits out Nunvill) Hunk: (Turns and sticks Arusian food into his eyes) Ah, my eyes!

Zuko and Keith, on the other hand, are impulsive hotheads who come off insensitive—

Iroh | S1 E12: There is a storm coming. A big one [...] Consider the safety of the crew. Zuko: The safety of the crew doesn't matter! Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual's safety.

Keith | S1 E11: Maybe we shouldn't go on this mission at all. Think about it. We'll be delivering the universe's only hope to the universe's biggest enemy.

—and selfish—

Lieutenant Jee: Looks like your uncle was right about the storm [...]. Zuko: Lieutenant, you'd better learn some respect or I will teach it to you. Lieutenant Jee: What do you know about respect? The way you talk to everyone around here, from your hard working crew to your esteemed uncle, shows you know nothing about respect. You don't care about anyone but yourself!

Hunk: Keith, that's cold, even for you. What if it was one of us? What if it was me? You wouldn't leave me, would you? Would you? Keith: I'm not saying I like the idea. I'm just thinking like a paladin. Lance: No, you're thinking of yourself because you're too scared to do what's right!

—despite being loyal, at the expense of their goals:

Zuko: (Rescues the helmsman, who’s about to fall off the rigging. Later sees Aang) The Avatar! Lieutenant Jee: What do you want to do, sir? Zuko: Let him go. We need to get this ship to safety.

Keith: You guys get the Princess without me. Lance: What? We've got to stick together! What are you doing? Keith: Whatever I can (intercepts Zarkon and the Black Lion).

In S1, it’s known Katara and Allura lost a parent—a special parent—to colonizers. Katara lost her mother, Allura her father. Both are partly bossy because of this; they have a huge role to fill. They, in the words of Allura, “must portray strength” for the sake of their new families and their worlds.

The girls are still young despite their depicted strength:

Near the start/beginning of S2, both girls are shown an apparition of her dead parent. This apparition is a false beacon of hope that the parent is still alive, despite everything. That the parent can still be relied on, despite everything. In the end of their respected episodes, both girls realize the apparitions are illusions. Memories. Not the real things.

Both become more assertive after this. They have to.

This tragedy is shared by Zuko and Keith, as revealed in S2. Both boys lost the same parent as his respected girl: Zuko his mother, Keith his father.

While it can be argued Allura’s mother may be dead—and if not, that lack of death further parallels Allura to Katara in the fact they have an absent parent—or Keith’s father alive—which would further parallel Keith to Zuko, since both think his special parent dead—the parent parallel between Katara and Zuko, Allura and Keith, can’t. This internal parallel is one of the things that likens Kallura to Zutara, in terms of backstory.

Katara and Zuko lost their mothers in a similar fashion:

Katara | S3 E16: Mom! Kya: (To Yon Rha) Just let her go and I'll give you the information you want. Yon Rha: You heard your Mother, get out of here! Katara: Mom, I'm scared. Kya: Go find your Dad, sweetie. I'll handle this.

Zuko | S2 E7: (Sleepily) Mom? Ursa: Zuko, please, my love, listen to me. Everything I've done, I've done to protect you. Remember this [...] No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are.

Both of their mothers had reassured them everything would be okay, though the mothers had planned to depart for their sakes. One mother died, while the other is thought dead. Both deaths are associated with the Fire Nation.

Like Katara and Zuko, Allura and Keith parallel to each other when seeing their special parents for the last time:

Alfor | S1 E9: You don't have to fight, Allura. You don't have to make this sacrifice. Allura: Goodbye, Father.

Keith | S2 E8: You gotta to tell me, Dad. I have to know. Where did the knife come from? What does it mean? Keith’s Dad: Your mother is almost here. She will tell you everything. Keith: (Explosion outside) I-I can’t wait around anymore. I have to go. Keith’s Dad: If you go out that door, you’ll never find out who you are. Keith: Goodbye, Dad.

In “Crystal Venom” and “The Blade of Marmora,” Allura and Keith see their fathers as some kind of projection. In these episodes, Allura and Keith wish to revisit their roots. Both give this up for the greater good, causing their fathers’ projections to burst outward when destroyed/left behind—in quite a similar fashion, actually. Here’s a gif set comparing the two by @neptune47.

Unlike Katara and Zuko, Allura and Keith willingly depart from their special parents. Like Katara and Zuko, Allura and Keith’s parents’ deaths are associated with a colonial power—or is at least indicated as so, in Keith’s case.

Speaking of Keith, both he and Zuko face the memory of a special parent when trying to figure out who he is:

I can do a whole meta on the parallels between VLD’s “Blade of Marmora” and ATLA’s “Zuko Alone.” In fact, I’m probably going to because they are—uncoincidentally—two of my favorite episodes from both shows.

Both episodes feature a knife that is important to the boys. Both boys had retrieved the knife from a father figure—while it’s implied Keith’s belonged to his mother, Keith seems to associate it with his father and thus imply he remembers getting it from him—and see it as a memento. A memento of origins, of past.

A memento to keep fighting:

Ursa | S2 E7: (Reads Iroh’s letter) Until then, enjoy these gifts. For Zuko, a pearl dagger from the general who surrendered when we broke through the outer wall [of Ba Sing Se]. Note the inscription and the superior craftsmanship. Zuko: (Reads the inscription) Never give up without a fight.

Hologram Shiro | S2 E8: Kolivan told me you lasted longer than anyone else ever has in those battles. You don’t have to keep this up. Keith: What are you talking about? Hologram Shiro: Just give them the knife and get outta here. Keith: I can’t give it to them, Shiro.

While I don’t want to dwell on the similarities for the sake of a future meta, I will say this: The knives signify strength and introspection for the boys. The knives allow the boys to accept who they are, even if a little bit. Even if they are shunned for it.

After these two episodes, Zuko and Keith become more empathetic of their families or at least try to be. They’re a little calmer and kinder, more willing to communicate. It’s one of the reasons they become more attuned to and, in turn, affected by Katara and Allura’s disgust in the last few episodes of S2 of both shows.

So, the big question is, why am I bringing up these traits and paralleling them instead of pairs? Simple. Relationships aren’t just based on the connections made, but also on the individuals who make them—especially when those connections are rooted in the exploitation and development of certain traits. These traits actually determine when connections are made—or not—in certain circumstances.

For most of S1, Zuko and Katara don’t have a relationship. The same goes for Keith and Allura. Sure, S1 Zuko and Katara have more iconic interactions than S1 Keith and Allura. Sure, S1 Zuko and Katara have more individual development than S1 Keith and Allura—which is expected, because Keith and Allura aren’t the stars of S1. They’re also not on extreme ends of conflict.

Nonetheless, both pairs don’t have a mutually-grounded relationship in S1. Instead, they have a dynamic that parallels in how the boys regard the girls.

Zuko sees untrained Katara as a convenient way of tracking the Avatar, as a way of completing his mission. Katara is not a threat or an enemy, though she sees him as both. She’s a tagalong, someone insignificant. Insignificant to the point of not being named or even denied as a girlfriend.

For Keith, Allura is an ally—a recent acquaintance—who allows him and the others to form Voltron. He attempts to protect her from Klaizap in “Return of the Gladiator.” He notices she’s joining the paladins in “Collection and Extraction.” He probably appreciates the fact she saved Shiro in “The Black Paladin.” But when she comes at the risk of the bigger mission—protect the universe, via Voltron—she’s not worth the risk.

Both boys don’t recognize the girls on an mutual or emotional playing field in S1. The boys don’t reciprocate their regards. Instead the boys are focused on the bigger picture, on the bigger mission. This changes near/in S2, when both boys realize the girls are integral to the success of his mission.

In S1′s finale, Zuko recognizes Katara.

She is no longer a tagalong, but someone who can protect the Avatar; she’s a legitimate threat. She’s as good a bender as Zuko, if not better. And Zuko underestimates her, resulting in an icy entrapment. Because of this, he gets mad. He calls her “peasant.” She’s no longer unheeded or unnamed, but regarded in a mutual, antagonistic manner:

Zuko | S1 E20: Here for a rematch? Katara: Trust me, Zuko. It's not going to be much of a match.

For Keith and Allura, Keith recognizes Allura in “The Ark of Taujeer:”

Keith | S2 E6: So what happens if Zarkon does come after us? Allura: You said you could pilot us to safety, right? Keith: Sure, but... after that. Could we even go back to the group? And if we don’t, who will pilot the castle? Or create wormholes? Allura: Well, what about you? Without you, the team cannot form Voltron.

It can be considered strange that Keith suddenly sees Allura as an important part of the team, considering his disregard of her in S1. Yet, is it really?

When the paladins are being tracked in the episode prior “The Ark of Taujeer,” it is Allura who gets them out of danger. She wormholes them out three times. Three times. Within a short timespan, and despite being overexerted from their last adventure.

It’s also Allura who understands Keith’s need for confirmation on whether or not Zarkon’s tracking him. She respects his decision, and even empathizes with him—an empathy he wants to retain, when trying to convince her not all Galra are bad. A sentiment she’s unreceptive to, and he’s visibly and verbally upset by.

Keith not only recognizes Allura’s worth to the team at this point of VLD, but also values her opinion on the Galra in concern to himself. Unlike S1, he’s emotionally invested in her. He seeks her empathy.

Keith’s and Allura’s field trip is actually reminiscent of another field trip—specifically Zuko and Katara’s in “The Southern Raiders:”

Katara | S3 E16: I need to borrow Appa. Aang: Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko? Katara: Yes, it is. Aang: Oh. What's going on? Katara: We're going to find the man who took my mother from me.

Keith: Princess, what are you doing here? Allura: Oh, I might ask you the same thing! Keith: Nothing. Just walking... late at night... near the pods. Allura: In full paladin armor with a bag full of your belongings? Keith: I have to know if Zarkon is tracking me. This is the only way. Don’t try to stop me. Allura: I’m not going to stop you; I’m going to join you.

Both pairs go on a field trip to gain closure.

Zuko accompanies Katara because he empathizes with her desire for justice, due to a shared experience. He lost his mom—though he now knows she’s alive—and has yet to gain closure. He insists on the necessity of the trip, even if against (arguably) better advice:

Aang: Umm... and what exactly do you think this would accomplish? Zuko: She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice. Aang: I don't think so. I think it's about getting revenge. Katara: Fine! Maybe it is. Maybe that's what I need. Maybe that's what he deserves. [...] Now that I know he's out there, now that I know we could find him, I feel like I have no choice. Aang: Katara, you do have a choice. Forgiveness. Zuko: That's the same as doing nothing. Aang: No it's not. It's easy to do nothing. But it's hard to forgive. Katara: It's not just hard, it's impossible.

As I’ve mentioned before, Allura accompanies Keith on his field trip because she shares the same sense of blame for Zarkon’s ability to track the paladins. She joins Keith, despite (again, arguably) better advice:

Coran: Princess, Keith! Where are you? Allura: Exactly where we should be—faraway from the castle. Shiro: What! Why? Allura: We must know if we’re the ones Zarkon is tracking. Shiro: Splitting up the group makes us far more vulnerable. Come back to the castle immediately. Allura: Sorry, Shiro. I cannot do that.

Both pairs ignore the advice given to them, because they feel they must do something as opposed to nothing. Katara and Allura are motivated by family, while Zuko and Keith are motivated by racial link. Both pairs parallel in this aspect, as well as in the fact they concede to being wrong—to some degree—in the end of their respected episodes:

Zuko: You were right about what Katara needed. Violence wasn't the answer.

Allura: I’m so sorry for leaving. Keith: Me too. We thought we were doing the right thing. Allura: But clearly you were correct, Shiro. We are always stronger together.

Not without one of the members saving her or his counterpart from free-falling in open space at one point of the episodes, though:

(The Kallura scene actually reminds me of another Zutara scene:

Both Katara and Keith stretch their right hands out in a POV shot, urgently trying to reach their prone counterparts.)

The main difference between the two, in these two episodes, is the point of betrayal both are at in their relationships. Re: the betrayal both boys bring to their relationships near the end of S2.

Zuko betrays Katara in “The Crossroads of Destiny.”

Zuko and Katara make a connection in the crystal catacombs based on their mothers’ deaths. The connection is lost when Zuko chooses Azula over Team Avatar. While Zuko’s betrayal aligns with his personal interest to return home, and not because of personal malice, Katara takes the betrayal personally—even after Aang and the Gaang forgive Zuko in S3.

Her anger pertains from sharing such an intimate part of herself with Zuko. She let Zuko, of all people, see her vulnerable—see how easily empathetic she was to his loss, to the point of wanting to heal his scar and unconditionally trust him. All of which meant nothing to him, when siding with Azula. He betrayed Katara, and the sense of solidarity they shared over their mothers. In a way, he made a mockery of Kya’s memory. So when Katara sees him in S3, she sees the Fire Nation; she sees the person responsible for her mother’s death.

For Allura, all Galra—by default—are tied to her father’s death:

Allura | S2 E6: Any offer of help from the Galra is merely a prelude to a trap. I know all too well how quickly they turn.

They’re prone to betray, Keith being no acception.

Keith especially.

While yes, both him and Allura share a sense of solidarity when going on their field trip (solidarity for their fathers may be explored in future seasons), they aren’t on the same page on what that solidarity means. On what it entitles, thereafter.

Keith “betrays” Allura when revealing his true colors—his heritage. A heritage that resembles Zarkon’s, when considering Keith’s position in the group. Keith, who is a Galran paladin, ally, and friend much like Zarkon once was. Zarkon, who betrayed Allura and her family, destroying their entire race—their entire planet.

It’s worse if what Coran implicates in “The Ark of Tajueer” is true, about Alfor being the original Red Paladin. If Alfor was the original Red Paladin then Keith, who resembles Zarkon in circumstance and is the new Red Paladin, is a mockery of Alfor’s legacy.

Both girls detest the boys because of the past and what is considered a personal betrayal. Both boys feel dejected because of this, though they’re reassured that’s not the case:

Sokka | S3 E16: So what's on your mind? Zuko: Your sister. She hates me and I don't know why! But I do care what she thinks of me. Sokka: Nah, she doesn't hate you. Katara doesn't hate anyone. Except maybe some people in the Fire Nation. No, I mean, uh, not people who are good but used to be bad. I mean, bad people. Fire Nation people who are so bad, who have never been good and probably won't be ever!

Hunk | S2 E9: The Blade of Marmora... They’re real tight-lipped, aren’t they? I get that your society is secret but is everything a secret? Keith: Okay, look. It’s bad enough that Allura hates me now. Can you just lay off? Hunk: Allura doesn’t hate you. You just need to give her time to accept the fact that you’re Galra. The race that destroyed her entire planet and all of her people. (Blinks twice) Yeah, she may hate you.

Interestingly enough both boys don’t delegitimize the girls’ anger. They don’t tell the girls their behavior is “wrong” or “unwarranted.” Instead, the boys accept it and empathize.

This conflict is one of the biggest reasons a plethora of people associate Kallura with Zutara. That, and Kallura’s reconciliation scene. While associating Kallura’s reconciliation scene—the hug—to Zutara’s isn’t wrong, the association ignores the confrontations that precede these two scenes. The confrontations that are probably the biggest parallel between the two pairs:

Let me break this down accordingly:

Katara | S2 E20: (Pacing) Dai Li Agent: You've got company (pushes Zuko into the crystal catacombs). Katara: Zuko!

Allura | S2 E12: Pidge. May I have a moment with Keith, please? Pidge: (Looks back and forth, between the two) Sure thing. Have all the moments you like.

The girls are left alone with the boys during an antagonistic point of their relationships. Bonus, both pairs are left alone in an illuminated setting.

Katara: Why did they throw you in here? Oh, wait. Let me guess. It's a trap. So when Aang shows up to rescue me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches (shapes her hands into claws). Zuko: (Turns to look at her before turning back. Says nothing) Katara: You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood. Zuko: You don't know what you're talking about. Katara: I don't?! How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me, personally. The Fire Nation took my mother away from me. Zuko: I'm sorry (turns to Katara). That's something we have in common.

Keith: Is there something I can help you with? Allura: I... I just wanted to say... the Galra. They’ve done terrible things. Destroyed entire civilizations. (Pauses) They took my family.

The girls are quick to address the crimes committed by the boys’ races. The girls also address why they antagonize the boys, part of it being the boys’ bloodlines. To the girls, the boys are inherently evil. They are not individuals, but part of a colonizing force.

The girl’s antagonizations are also rooted in grief. The murder of family, and the reminder that those family members aren’t coming back, personalize their hatred. It makes them vulnerable when confronting the boys, something the girls don’t typically allow themselves to be when in the presence of their normal groups. The girls aren’t holding back, and the boys aren’t stopping them. Instead, the boys listen—empathize:

Katara: I'm sorry I yelled at you before. Zuko: It doesn't matter. Katara: It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face. Zuko: My face. I see (turns away and places a hand to his scar). Katara: No, no. That's not what I meant. Zuko: It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny. Even if I'll never be free of my mark.

Allura: But in time, I’ve grown to consider you and the paladins my family. So, when I learned you were Galra, I... I didn’t know what to think. I wanted to hate you. Keith: Allura, it’s—

The boys don’t judge the girls.

The boys say, “It’s okay”—or is going to in Keith’s case, based on the context of the conversation and the incomplete sentence—though their actions and expressions say otherwise. Both boys look away when the girls tell them they see them as the enemy. Zuko touches his scar after Katara mentions the fact; he says, “I see.” Keith’s eyes widen in recognition, then lower in resignation when Allura adds she “wanted to hate him.”

Again, the boys don’t judge the girls or pressure them into retracting what they said though they seem apologetic. The boys understand and accept what is given to them. They simply wish to move forward.

Unfortunately, Zuko betrays Katara after this. He destroys any sympathy she had for him in the catacombs and further antagonizes their relationship. Fortunately she’s ready to reconcile with him in the “The Southern Raiders,” after he proves to be a changed man—a person who does not spread “violence and hatred,” despite his bloodline. Something that parallels to Keith and Allura’s position, when Keith decides to go on a suicide mission.

This is when Zutara and Kallura’s reconciliation scenes parallel:

Katara | S3 E16: I wanted to do it. I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but I couldn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or if it's because I'm strong enough not to. Aang: You did the right thing. Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing. Katara: But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him. (Looks at Zuko) But I am ready to forgive you.

Allura: But it’s not you. It’s me. My anger has blinded me for too long.

During their reconciliation, both girls admit they wanted to take their anger out on the boys but couldn’t.

While, yes, Katara is specifically talking about Yon Rha when making the statement above—“I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but couldn’t”—there’s the underlying implication she’s also talking about Zuko. “The Southern Raiders” isn’t just about whether or not Katara will forgive her mother’s murderer; “The Southern Raiders” is also about whether or not Katara will forgive Zuko:

Zuko: Okay, listen. I know this may seem out of no where, but I want you to tell me what happened to your mother. Sokka: What? Why would you want to know that? Zuko: Katara mentioned it before when we were imprisoned together in Ba Sing Se, and again just now when she was yelling at me. I think somehow... she's connected her anger about that to her anger at me.

The whole point of the episode is to know when to forgive and move on, and when not to forgive but still move on. Moving on has duality and is reflected in Katara’s statement, as well as her next line: “I'll never forgive him. But I am ready to forgive you [Zuko].”

Allura’s admittance of anger is also an acknowledgement of moving on. While her anger at Keith is directly stated in their reconciliation scene, her realization that the past does not define the present—or the individual—is the same as Katara’s.

Allura even reacts the same way Katara does after admitting she’s moved on. Both girls look at the boys, with slanted brows—Allura’s is a bit harder to see, so I tacked on the larger still for comparison—and half a smile. Both girls rush in for a hug—

—which both boys are taken aback by. Yet they return the hugs, the hugs of forgiveness:

While yes, Katara is giving forgiveness while Allura’s asking for it—

Allura: I’m so sorry I misjudged you. You’ve proven it’s not what’s in your blood. It’s who you are that counts. Please come back to us.

—the girls still reconcile in the same way. In that moment both boys are accepted by them and are unanimously welcomed to their groups.

So, are the parallels between Zutara and Kallura profound?

My final verdict is they’re absolutely profound.

How could they not be? Not only are the members of Zutara and Kallura alike in individual characterizations, motivations, and reactions, they’re also alike in how the plot dictates them via backstories, dynamics, conflicts, and resolutions. The literary devices used in their respected narratives are also similar, if not the same.

Visual technicalities also have an impact. The characters have similar designs and color schemes, which include red and blue. Keith may even get his “scar” soon, when his purple skin comes to light. Both pairs also have similar—if not the same—scene compositions, further accenting their shared dialogue.

There are also the add-ons of a romantic relationship. Again, I’m not going to impose how one should perceive either relationship in terms of intimacy. However, if the two pairs are perceived in an intimate sense, they both encompass biraciality, unity of two warring sides, and equality which transcends status despite one member being royal, the other a peasant.

All these things are what make the parallels between Zutara and Kallura profound. Both may have their own merits, and both may begin to differ as more seasons of VLD are released. But until then both are very similar.

#zutara #kallura #atla meta #vld meta #atla #vld #meta

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fyrapartnersearch · 5 years ago

Text

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read this! I've tried to be as to the point as possible.

I got a good response last time I posted, and I would love to collect some more partners since some cravings have been filled and others have popped up in their stead.

Right now, Star Wars and Marvel are where my head's at, but please note I play original settings and characters and love those just as much!

Email: [email protected] Discord: HOWFF#0069

PERSONAL PREFERENCES

I’m over eighteen, and would prefer my partners are, too. This doesn’t mean I’m interested in smut-centric or NSFW-heavy plots. It just means I’m more comfortable writing and interacting with other adults.

I consider myself to be lit-adv. I tend to enjoy partners in the lit+ category, but as long as you’re an enthusiastic and engaging partner, I don’t care about perfect grammar. I would rather write with someone just as involved and excited as I am, than I would with someone who isn't very original but knows exactly what to do with obscure punctuation.

I’m not interested in playing only one type of character, like only men (against only women). I don’t have any issue with playing these kinds of characters, and I really enjoy them! I just don’t enjoy writing with people who are only interested in playing one type of relationship dynamic. Basically, I’m not looking for only straight women or only subs or only omegas or only prisoners, etc. Let me play more than the counterpart to that!

OOC chatter is really important to me. I’m fine with threading in Discord, or over email, or in a GDoc, but I can’t write with someone that I don’t feel like I can get to know, and Discord is the best place concerning that for me. I’m looking for friends, not a faceless reply robot.

PLOT PREFERENCES

I’m interested in both fandom and original settings, and I’m down for playing both canon characters and OCs. I don’t necessarily prefer one or the other.

While I don't require canon doubling from my partners in fandom plots, I mesh better with people who do a little give-and-take when it comes to that. If you only play one canon character or only play OCs against canons, I don’t think we’ll work.

I can play as many characters as needed, whether it's just one or it's six. Whatever our story calls for, I can manage that. However, I don’t enjoy doubling for the sake of it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with sticking to a main pairing and then using rotating side characters in and out.

Romance is a must for me! I prefer slow and agonizing journeys to get there, but my attention is best held by romantic chemistry between characters.

FANDOMS

*I will play OCs in every fandom, but I might not play canons in every fandom.

ALWAYS

The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Nathaniel, Kitty Jones, and Bartimaeus), DC (Garfield Logan, Victor Stone, Jinx, Arthur Curry, Steve Trevor, Circe, and Diana Prince), Dragon Age (Fenris, Cullen Rutherford, Iron Bull, and Dorian Pavus), Elder Scrolls (player canons and/or OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Fallout: New Vegas and 4 (Arcade Gannon, Paladin Danse, R.J. MacCready, Arthur Maxon, Veronica Santangelo, Cait, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, and player canons), Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Ramsay Bolton, and Willas Tyrell), His Dark Materials (OCs preferred), Inception (Arthur, and Eames), Marvel (Peter Parker, Scott Lang, Bucky Barnes, Kitty Pryde, and Megan Gwynn), Miraculous Ladybug (Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste), The Mortal Instruments (Simon Lewis, Raphael Santiago, Magnus Bane, and Alec Lightwood), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez), Star Trek (Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy, S'chn T'gai Spock, and Pavel Chekov), Star Wars (Obi Wan Kenobi, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel, Mara Jade Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Sintas Vel, and Ahsoka Tano), The Walking Dead (Glenn Rhee and Negan), Warriors (Firestar, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, and Hawkfrost)

SOMETIMES

Boku no Hero Academia (Bakugo Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Shinsou Hitoshi, Kaminari Denki, Ojiro Mashirao, Kirishima Eijiro, Todoroki Shoto, and Uraraka Ochaco), Bungou Stray Dogs (OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Digimon (OCs preferred), Final Fantasy VII (Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Reno, and Sephiroth), Harry Potter (Narcissa Malfoy, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Regulus Black, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood; play my favorite ship with me, and I'll do whatever you want, literally.), Mystic Messenger (Choi Saeyoung, Han Jumin, Kang Jaehee, and Choi Saeran), Naruto (Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Gaara, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke), Ouran High School Host Club (Ootori Kyouya, Hitachiin Hikaru, and Hitachiin Kaoru), Pokémon (Red, Blue, N, Guzma, and player canons)

NOT SURE, BUT WILLING TO EXPLORE

Avatar: the Last Airbender (particularly Zutara), Court of the Dead, Eragon, Hazbin Hotel, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiznaiver, The Legend of Zelda, Mass Effect, Soul Eater, Steven Universe, Tokyo Ghoul, Twilight, Yuri!!! on Ice

GENRES

SETTINGS

A/B/O (I will not play only alphas for only omegas, nor will I play overly trope-y, boys love plots.), Age of Sail, celebrity, fairytales and mythology (including retellings), fantasy (including medieval, urban, and high fantasy), alt-history and modern royalty, mutants/gifted, organized crime, science fiction (especially including aliens), some historical (excluding medieval, colonial, and the Roaring Twenties/Great Depression), soulmates (excluding healthy, established relationships from the outset), supernatural, Victorian (especially the London ton), post-apocalyptic

PAIRING DYNAMICS

If any of this interests you, please feel free to reach out to me however! I'm really looking forward to hearing from you!

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #semipara #oneline #short term #long term #email #messenger #submission

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fyrapartnersearch · 5 years ago

Text

First of all, thanks for taking the time to read this! I’m in the market for some new partners (and friends.) In the interest of making sure I’m not wasting your time, I've tried to keep this as to-the-point as possible!

I'm most easily reached through Discord, but I have notifications on for my email, so feel free to use that if it's your preference for first contact.

Discord: HOWFF#0069 Email: [email protected]

PERSONAL PREFERENCES

I consider myself to be lit-adv. I tend to enjoy partners in the lit+ category, but as long as you’re an enthusiastic and engaging partner, I don’t care about perfect grammar. I would rather write with someone just as involved and excited as I am than I would with someone who isn't very original but knows exactly what to do with obscure punctuation.

OOC chatter is really important to me. To that end, Discord is non-negotiable for at least OOC. I’m fine with threading in Discord, or over email, or in a GDoc, but I can’t write with someone that I don’t feel like I can get to know, and Discord is the best place concerning that for me.

If you're looking for a partner that writes a reply a day without fail, that's not me. I prefer that we don't have "posting schedules," because I find that it turns writing into a chore. It's great if you reply immediately, and it's totally okay if you need a week to figure something out!

PLOT PREFERENCES

I’m interested in both fandom and original settings, and I’m down for playing both canon characters and OCs. While I don't require canon doubling from my partners, I mesh better with people who do a little give-and-take when it comes to that.

FANDOMS

I’m very much a fandom player. In fact, I tend to prefer fandom settings to completely original universes most of the time! I’m always down for AUs, or inserting our own characters into the plots of fandoms! This is in no way a complete list; never be afraid to ask if I’m into something! I’ve probably forgotten a hundred things I love.

* I will play OCs in every fandom, but I might not play canons in every fandom.

ALWAYS

The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Nathaniel, Kitty Jones, and Bartimaeus), DC (Garfield Logan, Victor Stone, Jinx, Arthur Curry, Steve Trevor, Circe, and Diana Prince), Dragon Age (Fenris, Cullen Rutherford, Iron Bull, and Dorian Pavus), Elder Scrolls (player canons and/or OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Fallout: New Vegas and 4 (Arcade Gannon, Paladin Danse, R.J. MacCready, Arthur Maxon, Veronica Santangelo, Cait, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, and player canons), Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Ramsay Bolton, and Willas Tyrell), Inception (Arthur and Eames), Marvel (Peter Parker, Scott Lang, Bucky Barnes, Kitty Pryde, and Megan Gwynn), Miraculous Ladybug (Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste), The Mortal Instruments (Simon Lewis, Raphael Santiago, Magnus Bane, and Alec Lightwood), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez), Star Trek (Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy, S'chn T'gai Spock, and Pavel Chekov), Star Wars (Obi Wan Kenobi, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Jagged Fel, Mara Jade Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Sintas Vel, and Ahsoka Tano), The Walking Dead (Glenn Rhee and Negan), Warriors (Firestar, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, and Hawkfrost)

SOMETIMES

Boku no Hero Academia (Bakugo Katsuki, Midoriya Izuku, Shinsou Hitoshi, Ojiro Mashirao, Kirishima Eijiro, Todoroki Shoto, and Uraraka Ochaco), Bungou Stray Dogs (OCs preferred, but feel free to ask about canons), Digimon (Adventure 01 and Adventure 02), Final Fantasy VII (Cloud Strife, Zack Fair, Reno, and Sephiroth), Harry Potter (Narcissa Malfoy, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, James Potter, Regulus Black, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and Luna Lovegood; play my favorite ship with me, and I'll do whatever you want, literally.), Mystic Messenger (Choi Saeyoung, Han Jumin, Kang Jaehee, and Choi Saeran), Naruto (Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Gaara, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke), Ouran High School Host Club (Ootori Kyouya, Hitachiin Hikaru, and Hitachiin Kaoru), Pokémon (Red, Blue, N, Guzma, and player canons)

NOT SURE, BUT WILLING TO EXPLORE

GENRES

SETTINGS

A/B/O (I will not play only alphas for only omegas.), Age of Sail, celebrity, fairytales and mythology (including retellings), fantasy (including medieval, urban, and high fantasy), alt-history and modern royalty, mutants/gifted, organized crime, science fiction (especially including aliens), some historical (excluding medieval, colonial, and the Roaring Twenties/Great Depression), soulmates (excluding healthy, established relationships from the outset), supernatural, Victorian (especially the London ton), post-apocalyptic

PAIRING DYNAMICS

If any of this interests you, please feel free to reach out to me however! I'm really looking forward to hearing from you!

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #semipara #oneline #long term #email #messenger #submission

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