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attackfish · 2 years ago

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Ozai, Azula, and Enmeshment: a Character Study

I have chosen to put this essay under a cut, because it got really really long. Also, below lies frank discussion of child abuse and its effects. Reader discretion is advised.

I love Zuko Alone. This episode is a masterclass in writing flashbacks and weaving them into the narrative. None of these flashbacks are flashy, or too on the nose, and we have a good reason for Zuko to be flashing back. He is alone and failing to handle the present, and getting drawn into his memories of the past. And each of the flashbacks is mundane, and realistic, and builds on the one before, and paints a subtle and tragic picture of a deeply abusive family.

The flashbacks never feel like an exposition dump, or like a cheat to let us know things we otherwise couldn't, and yet it's exactly there to give us an intimate picture of the Fire Nation Royal Family, and just how completely screwed up it was, and how this will contextualize both Zuko and Azula's actions throughout the rest of the show. Almost everything we know about the Fire Nation Royal Family, we learn right here. It's efficient, engaging storytelling, and it's done with tremendous subtlety.

As with all subtle storytelling, it relies on the audience to put the pieces together for themselves, which is both beautiful, and deeply frustrating. Deeply frustrating, because a story that requires an audience to put the pieces together for themselves is always going to have some members of that audience decide to ram the pieces together in the way they want to. I have seen some absolutely terrible takes on this episode, and I have talked about them at length. For this essay, I want to stay away from what I think this episode doesn't show, and talk about what it does, specifically what a specific scene, a favorite hobby horse for people writing terrible takes, the scene where Zuko and Azula receive gifts from Iroh, who is besieging Ba Sing Se, shows us.

The scene opens with Ursa and her children reading a letter from Iroh, He talks about the magnificence of Ba Sing Se, and talks about the possibility of burning it to the ground. We see a smoking hole in Ba Sing Se's outer wall, and Iroh's voiceover, reading the letter laughs. As the scene comes into focus on Ursa and the children, they are laughing too.

This scene is a gut punch, set as it is in an episode where Zuko wanders through a war torn Earth Kingdom, and because of how it contrasts with the Iroh we have met so far over the course of the series, an Iroh who would never laugh at burning a city to the ground.

After this, Ursa reads out the gifts Iroh has sent to his niece and nephew. Zuko gets a knife, which he likes, and Azula gets a doll, which she does not. After making a face, Azula says cheerfully:

"If Uncle doesn't make it back from war, then Dad will be next in line for Fire Lord, wouldn't he?"

After both her mother and brother express horror at this idea, she finishes with:

"I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than His Royal Tea-Loving Kookiness."

It's only after this exchange that she sets the doll on fire, an explicit rejection not only of her uncle's gift, but of her uncle himself.

I've talked before about how the doll and knife reinforce the picture this scene give of how Iroh used to view the Fire Nation imperial project: [Link], but looking at this scene, especially the gifts and Zuko and Azula's reactions, solely for what it tells us about Iroh, misses a lot of the substance of this scene.

Most obviously, this scene tells us about how Zuko and Azula see their uncle, Zuko affectionately, and Azula with scorn, something that will have profound effects on how they will respond to Iroh in the future, including how much or how little he can influence them: [Link]. But it also, more subtly, expresses volumes about Azula's relationship with her father. Because those are not Azula's own opinions that Azula is voicing here. Those are Ozai's.

How do we know those are Ozai's opinions? There are two ways. The first is that Azula has absolutely no reason to come up with this opinion on her own. Not only is this not the kind of opinion any child, no matter how clever or ruthless, would come up with on her own, but this scene starts by showing us Iroh at the height of his glory, the Dragon of the West, on the cusp of conquering Ba Sing Se. There is probably no one in the entire world, other than his jealous little brother, who sees Iroh as his royal tea-loving kookiness. Even Ozai's cronies probably have a very different take on Iroh than that of Ozai, recognizing him as powerful and dangerous. But Ozai, the disfavored younger son to his father's perfect Prince Iroh, has a lot of jealousy toward his brother, and a lot of resentment. He has a strong psychological incentive to be saying to himself, "Iroh isn't even that great anyway, he's just a kooky tea lover. It would be better for everyone if I were the heir."

Ozai as the source for Azula's view of her uncle is backed up when later in the episode, Ozai makes a similar, if less obviously nasty, argument to his father as to why he should be the heir to the throne in place of his older brother.

Just as a side note, Azulon's reaction to this argument does a fabulous job of implying years of abuse on Azulon's part toward Ozai, showing that he learned how to be an abusive father who plays favorites from his own father, and that he had been the unfavorite. This episode does so much heavy lifting with regards to characterizing the Fire Nation royal family.

But anyway, when Ozai makes this argument, it clues the audience in to where Azula got her opinions on Iroh, and tells us to expect to hear Ozai's words coming out of Azula's mouth. This is in fact actually a reenforcement of a moment in the first episode she is introduced, where she throws Ozai's opinion of Zuko in his face to hurt him after he has seen through her attempt to deceive him into becoming her captive. This allows the writers to characterize Ozai through Azula's words, without him needing to be onscreen.

But I want to talk about what this means for Azula, psychologically. Because along with the narrative utility of being able to use Azula to characterize Ozai, this scene speaks volumes about Azula's relationship with her father, and what he's doing to her.

And it occurs to me that this is an extremely long time for me to get to the point. I don't care. This is all necessary background information. It's important to know how we know something.

One of the things that we see in this episode very clearly is that he is sharing these things with Azula that he is not sharing with Ursa or Zuko. This indicates two things, one, he is not willy nilly saying these things to anyone, two, he specifically chose Azula as the person with whom he wants to share his thoughts and feelings. He specifically chose a small child as his confidant. Adults who choose children as confidants and intimate companions do so because for some reason, adults are unavailable for the purpose. Sometimes this is because social or societal or family forces make it so that the adults seeking a companion can't get an adult companion, but sometimes adults are unavailable for the purpose because they are unsuitable, because what the adult wants in a companion and confidant is someone under their control. Ozai picked Azula because she was his child, and he had control both over her, and over her perceptions of him. She wasn't coming to the table with baggage, context that might help her understand what he was telling her, and he could fill her head with his own ideas in peace.

In short, as a child, Azula lacked the kind of perspective that would help her understand that the confidences Ozai was sharing with her we're based in resentment and insecurity, and that what he wanted from her was to reflect his own self aggrandizing lies back at him, to be his mirror, to give him reinforcement and validation. The important thing to understand here is that Ozai doesn't even completely believe his own bullshit, consciously he does but unconsciously, he is deeply deeply insecure and afraid that he is worthless. So he desperately craves somebody to reinforce the worldview he created, in which he is actually better than everybody else, and his brother is stupid and weird, and his father is a demented old man, and it would be better if Ozai were the ruler anyway. As time went by, this worldview gained new facets, about Ursa being not good enough for him, about Zuko being worthless, about the place of the Firelord and their moral right to absolute power, But ultimately all of it is a castle of air, built out of the lies Ozai told himself to mask his own insecurity, all of which he relied on Azula to parrot back to him, so that they would feel more real, and he wouldn't have to face his fears.

Ozai chose Azula because of a complicated cocktail of his ability to identify with her, and her receptiveness to his self-aggrandizement. For one reason or another, Ozai deemed Zuko unsuitable for the role of mirror. Because of his insecurities and self-absorption, Ozai picked the child who best reflected what he wanted to see about himself, and then used her awe of him, and her childish trust to puff himself up.

Ozai did this with no regard to Azula's mental wellbeing, or even really her physical safety. People like Ozai are intuitively able to judge who they can use, and what they can use them for. While they might consciously believe their own self-aggrandizing lies, they understand, at least on an unconscious level, who they can share those lies with, who will respond positively to them, and who they need to guard against. But while this knowledge is unconscious and intuitive, it is still learned, and Azula as a young child has not learned any of it yet. We actually see her repeating her father's dangerous worldview in front of people who are most certainly not receptive to it. Fortunately for her, her mother and brother are not inclined to go tattling to her grandfather about her treasonous words, but this incident does an excellent job of highlighting just how little Azula understands of the context of her father's worldview, and what other people's reactions are likely to be. Ozai sharing it with her puts her in danger.

This isn't surprising, given that we are shown several times throughout the series that Ozai does not care about Azula any more than he cares about Zuko. He does after all send her to war at fourteen years old, and discards her as soon as she is no longer useful to him. But it's important to remember that even when he is seemingly very close to his daughter, letting her into his confidence, and giving her lots of positive attention as a child, all of this is because of how it benefits him, and if it hurts his daughter, so be it. He doesn't really care.

Nothing comes of this danger. Ozai takes power soon after, and Azula is a clever, observant child, who quickly develops the same kind of intuitive understanding of who she can use, and who she can tell what to. But it's important to remember that this danger did exist and Ozai didn't care.

This phenomenon, in which the natural process of a child's identity development is inhibited so that they can better serve the emotional needs of an adult, is unfortunately very common, including with parents and caretakers far less destructive, uncaring, and cruel than Ozai, and even with very loving and well-meaning parents. Because of this, it's a fairly well studied phenomenon, and in which we can describe some of the characteristics of children who have gone through it. It's also a phenomenon that has a name. Several, in fact.

It's also important to remember that though this danger passed, the harm Ozai was doing to his daughter did not. What Ozai was looking for in Azula was someone who would absorb and reflect back his own self-serving worldview, and to ensure she continues to do that, to hold his lies as true, he has to control her and sabotage any chances she has to start building her own separate identity. He needs, in other words, to erode the borders between herself and him.

When I first entered this fandom over a decade ago in my Livejournal days when I first talked over what I saw in Azula in comments and private conversations with friends, the favorite term for this phenomenon, or at least the one that had most thoroughly permeated a popular layperson's understanding of the phenomenon, was emotional or covert incest. The idea was that the parents involved were treating their children as surrogate spouses and the term seemed especially useful because many of the effects of parental incest seem to line up well with the effects of this kind of sabotaging of a child's identity. This is probably because an adult molesting a child is by definition using a child to fulfill their sexual and usually also psychological needs, so the process is going to necessitate the same kind of eroding of psychological boundaries of identity.

It's perhaps fitting that this is the picture of the phenomenon, and the language I had to talk about it, when I first started trying to tease out Azula's character, since at the time, it was common for particular fans of Azula to assert that Ozai must be molesting her, as a means of making her more sympathetic, and often, explicitly, as a way for Azula to outcompete Zuko in a suffering contest. I found this extremely annoying at the time, though in retrospect I like it better than what replaced it, (mostly accusations that Ursa, Iroh, Zuko, etc. abused Azula) because at least it credits the proper person with Azula's suffering, i.e. Ozai. I have always found it worth an eye-roll when people go looking for some hidden reason for why Azula, when, as I have been arguing since the first day I stepped into this fandom, what we see on screen of her relationship with Ozai and his treatment of her is more than enough to explain her behavior throughout the show, and her subsequent mental breakdown: [Link].

The terms emotional and covert incest, extremely loaded as they are, fell out of fashion, when a new theory of it was popularized in lay circles, in which it was supposed that these adults are particularly immature and looking for a parent in their own child, and this was dubbed parentification, a term that has since gained a second meaning, to when a child finds themselves in the role of parent to another child, usually a younger sibling.

Now there is a widening understanding that the adult may have many motives, and many emotional needs, that they are using a child to fulfill. The important part is that they are using a child to fill emotional needs that the child is not equipped to handle, and they are eroding the borders of identity between themselves and the child. This phenomenon is now generally called enmeshment.

Children who are enmeshed in a parent or caregiver reflect what that parent or caregiver wants out of them, but common behaviors to exhibit are unexpectedly adult mannerisms, and seeming maturity, often coupled with and utter lack of experience with people their own age, and the social skills needed to interact with their peers. This is because the adult using them doesn't want to be constantly reminded of the fact that they are a child, and because they are too busy looking after the emotional needs of the adult using them, to practice socializing with their peers. They also are frequently obsessive perfectionists, focused on meeting the standards of the adult living through them, and are often painfully anxious, secretly very insecure, and lack a self-awareness of their own emotions, because they're too busy managing the emotions of the adult they are enmeshed with.

I don't know about you but that sounds a lot like Azula to me. Her adult mannerisms throughout the show mask her terrible social awkwardness with her peers and outside of a command structure until the episode "The Beach". She is introduced to us by asserting that: "almost [perfect] isn't good enough," and her deeply held insecurity, that she is unable to acknowledge to herself, is what leads to her mental breakdown.

The process of enmeshment in this case is shown mostly through implication, through the way Azula talks about her father, and the way Zuko talks about them both. This is to be expected, because Ozai just does not have all that much screen time, much less with Azula. But again, "Zuko Alone" gives us a scene in which Ozai performs some of the process for us. In the family audience with Firelord Azulon, Azula performs some impressive firebending before her grandfather. Ozai tells his father that she is a true prodigy, just like her grandfather.

The explicit implication that both Azulon in the story, and the audience are supposed to pick up on, is that to Ozai, Azula is a prodigy because of him, that her talent showcases his greatness. This ties her identity to his, and tells her that everything she is, is because of Ozai. And it shows she gets praise and affirmation when she does something useful to her father, something that makes him feel good. And this praise is structured in such a way that Ozai is also praising himself.

This ties Azula's identity to Ozai's. She is worthy because Ozai is worthy. She is special because Ozai is special. It's also, in the simplest terms, praise, and praise feels good. And Ozai makes himself a reliable supply of praise for Azula... so long as she keeps performing, keeps identifying herself with her father, and keeps making him feel good by proxy. This keeps her coming back for more, and deepens that identification further. This becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.

The best thing an abuser or abusive system can do to maintain control over a victim, is to become simultaneously the source of their anxiety and pain, and their source of reassurance and comfort. You see this with individual abusers, as well as in larger groups, such as high control groups (also known as cults) and hate groups. By feeding Azula a steady diet of self-serving praise and affirmation, Ozai makes himself her source for reassurance, and by expecting Azula to manage his emotions, and feed him affirmation and confirmation of his worldview, he makes himself the source of her anxiety. So when he makes her anxious, she works all the harder to please him and manage his own anxieties, so that he will give her the praise and reassurance she so desperately needs.

What this does is put Azula on the emotional equivalent of a roller coaster. The highs of not only relief, but elation, when she successfully pleases her father are followed inevitably by the lows of anxiety and dread of having to do it again. But this is complicated further by the fact that because Ozai has tied Azula's identity to his so thoroughly, she can't ever admit to herself that she's afraid. If she acknowledges her fear, that means she has to face the danger she's in, face the fact that she might fail, that she isn't necessarily a perfect reflection of her father's glory, that she might not always be worthy in his eyes. She can't face that fact, both because being her father's perfect worthy daughter is entirely foundational to any sense of identity she has, and because her father has shown her through his treatment of Zuko what happens to children of his who aren't worthy. She is terrified, and can't ever admit it, especially not her herself.

It's impossible to overstate just how afraid Azula is, just how insecure she feels, because it's this fear and insecurity, which she cannot admit to herself that leads ultimately to her breakdown and psychotic episode in the finale.

So how does Azula cope with this? With the constant strain of it all? How does she hold back that fear that she can't possibly face? She spreads the pain. She finds herself two victims, who she can coerce into helping her maintain a sense of control.

People who abuse others don't do it because they are bad evil abusers. They abuse other people because it gets them something, often something psychological, often something the abuser desperately needs, and sees no other way to get it. This means that many abusers have incredibly sympathetic motivations. They are trying to assuage a terrible pain, or cope with a terrible fear. But none of that negates the damage they are doing to their victims, and that pain and fear doesn't give them the right to use somebody else to manage that fear and pain for them. Azula's own pain and fear arises out of her father's use of her to manage his own pain and fear, and in doing so, he "gifts" her both that pain and fear, and a means of managing it, by finding victims of her own.

We see this process play out in the first and second episode of Book Two. After Azula fails to capture her brother and uncle, she seeks out and establishes frankly brutal control over her two childhood victims, Mai and Ty Lee. As we will see later in Book Three, failing against Zuko hits very close to the core of Azula's hidden insecurities, so when Zuko and Iroh escape her, she looks for a way to reassure herself she is perfectly in control.

There is some complication to the abusive system Ozai has taught Azula to function within and to perpetuate herself. Ozai has more than one kind of victim. Azula is useful to him, because, as described above, she reflects his self-serving worldview back at him, while his other victims, his wife, brother, and son, serve a different purpose. They function as blame sinks, people whose perceived incompetence or malice serves as a justification when something goes wrong. This is how Iroh becomes his Royal Tea-Loving Kookiness, for example.

This doesn't of course hold up if you think about it from more than a second, but it doesn't have to. That's the point. The only person Ozai has to convince is himself. And of course, Azula, but for Azula, he imparts his views to her beginning when she is far too young to question them, and by the time she is old enough to have that kind of cognitive ability, they are already too deeply embedded in the way she views the world for her to even think they need to be considered.

Ozai would have first developed his use of blame sinks as a way to deal with his father's constant favoring of Iroh. He didn't deserve to be treated the way he was being treated by his father, he was as good as Iroh. No he was better than Iroh. He was the better prince, the worthy prince, worthy of being Firelord. But if he was superior, why did he keep failing? Why indeed? It was because of his brother. His brother was lucky, and he doesn't deserve that luck, and he's holding Ozai down, and it's his fault no one can see Ozai's innate superiority. It's all Iroh's fault.

Iroh is Ozai's first blame sink, and the one he patterns all his future blame sinks onto. This accounts for some of his more obviously stupid choices, as I argue here: [Link]. However, it also means we can use Ozai's treatment of Iroh, and one of his future blame sinks, Zuko, to draw some conclusions about how he treats the third of the blame sinks, Ursa. With both Zuko and Iroh, we hear Azula repeating her father's scornful pronouncements about them: His Royal Tea-Loving Kookiness, for example, or in this quote from Book Two, episode one, "The Avatar State:

"You know, Father blames Uncle for the loss of the North Pole, and he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar. Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"

From this we can surmise that Ozai would speak similarly about Ursa. But for Ozai, Ursa is merely his unwanted former wife, while for Azula, Ursa is her mother. This leads to one of Ozai's most profound incidental cruelties with regards to his daughter.

When Azula was young, and Ursa was still around, Ozai's dismissal of his wife as unimportant and unworthy, served not only the psychological function all of Ozai's blame sinks did, but also helped separate Azula from her mother, thereby making it easier for Ozai to be the only shaper of his daughter's mind. However, after he banished Ursa, Ozai is hardly likely to let up on his scorn and denigration of Ursa. Perversely, the fact that she was responsible for putting him on the throne, would have made him even more vociferous in his resentment of her. For someone like Ozai, the fact that he owed his position to someone he considered so unworthy, and who shared the same opinion about him, would have been intolerable to think about, and so his resentment would grow, and with it, his attempts to verbally cut her down to size in front of his daughter.

Her daughter as well of course. The castigations of Ursa must have poured out of him and into their daughter's ears. She didn't understand his vision. She couldn't comprehend their greatness. She valued worthless things, like kindness and compassion, and worthless people like Zuko. She thought they were monsters. She was pathetic and unworthy of them.

Even if Ozai never used the words "we" or "us" with regards to how Ursa viewed him, Azula, so enmeshed in her father, and so completely identifying with him, would have heard them anyway. And so, without her mother there to contradict such an idea, it took root so deep into Azula, that it became simply a fact of the universe to her, that: "[her] own mother thought [she] was a monster."

Ozai doubtless didn't notice the pain he had caused his daughter, or that she had internalized this belief so thoroughly, but he also doubtless wouldn't have cared.

But if Ozai's choice of one of his blame sinks damaged Azula because she had an entirely different relationship to her, it was the choice of another of Ozai's blame sinks that would ultimately spell Azula's downfall: her brother. There are many and complex reasons for profound effects of this choice on Azula's psyche, and its contribution toward her eventual breakdown, much of which I discuss at length in my three pillars theory of Azula essay: [Link]. In brief, Ozai's use of Zuko in this way would have shown Azula that this was a role open to a child of Ozai's, which she might potentially fall into, that it was the price of failure in her father's eyes. This was a prospect that as discussed above, terrified Azula, and which she was far too scared of to even admit the prospect, or her fear of it, as a possibility.

The other reason for the fateful consequences for Azula or Zuko's status as blame sink, is that unlike her uncle or her mother, Azula could have power over her brother. Indeed, with Ozai's approval, Azula was able to wield considerable power over Zuko, to bully and belittle him, much as their father did: [Link]. Azula's tendency to parrot her father's views is on full display here, in her relationship with her brother. And because Ozai holds Azula up as perfect and worthy, in contrast to unworthy imperfect Zuko, Azula is none-too-subtly encouraged to use Zuko as her own blame sink. And boy does she need one, with the intense psychological pressure she is under to be perfect, both in her father's eyes and in her own. Having someone around on whom both she and her father can blame any and all imperfections, is really really useful to her. And if Ozai learned growing up that having his blame sink far away made it much easier to make up a version of them that was useful to him: [Link], Azula learned that having her and her father's mutual blame sink around, meant it was a lot easier to remind herself and her father how worthy she was in contrast to Zuko. So ultimately, if Ozai keeps banishing his blame sinks, Azula wants to keep hers close at hand.

After failing first to capture her brother, and then on several occasions, to capture the Avatar, something for which, by Azula's own admission, Ozai considers Zuko a "miserable failure", Azula needs not only her "friends", Mai and Ty Lee, and the affirmations and sense of control they give her, but also Zuko, to soak up their father's displeasure and her own insecurity. And to get him home, she lies to Ozai.

When Ozai finds out about this lie, he discards her. I think we can say it's not Azula's misjudgement or failure that causes Ozai to cast her aside, but the fact that she lied to him. She has become a threat.

And here is the last sting in the tail of Ozai's relationship with his daughter. This moment was inevitable from the beginning. Ozai was always going to throw Azula away. He cultivated a relationship with her initially, because as a young child, she didn't have the experience and context to see through the self-serving lies he told himself, and she could, through her belief of them, reinforce his fragile self image. But no matter how much damage he did to Azula's ability to build an independent identity for herself, she was still a separate person, and she was always going to grow up. And when she did so, she was always going to move from perfect little mirror of Ozai's greatness, to threat. And whatever individual event was going to be the catalyst, this change was always going to happen before Azula was ready for it, because Ozai was always going to discard her at the first stirrings of independence. And for Azula, thoroughly enmeshed in her father, this rejection by him was always going to shatter the foundations of her whole world.

#azula #ozai #uncle iroh #zuko #atla ursa #avatar the last airbender #posts i created #azula needs her own warning #noodle lord ozai #mother bear ursa #i ship iroh/tea #zuko is a dweeby little turtleduck #mai doesn't hate you #circus freak is a compliment

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zuko-always-lies · 2 years ago

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The Universe Really Doesn’t Like People Who Are Nice to Zuko...

Or at the very least being “kind to Zuko” is an action which tends to blow up in people’s faces and lead to significant negative consquences.

[To be clear, this list isn’t entirely serious, and I am not blaming Zuko for the negative consequences other people suffer after they’re kind to him. He’s a traumatized and abused kid trying to navigate some very bad situations with little guidance, and half the time what happens to others isn’t his fault at all].

1. Ursa gets banished as a result of saving Zuko’s life.

2. Iroh spends years traveling with Zuko in order to support him. In return, Zuko often behaves very disrespectfully toward him(to be fair to Zuko, often times Iroh is acting like an idiot and deserves it).

3. Zuko’s crew loyally serves him for years, yet Zuko generally treats them like dirt (aside from a brief moment in “The Storm”).

4. The Fire Sages ally with Zuko and aid him in his attempt to capture Aang, and they all end up being imprisoned for treason. Arguably, Zhao imprisoned them/was able to justify imprisoning them since they failed to apprehend the banished prince when he returned to the Fire Nation(admittedly, this was a bit of a strench).

5. Aang saves Zuko’s life in “The Blue Spirit” and tells him that he wishes that he could be friends with him, and Zuko responds by trying to burn off his face.

6. On the other hand, the Gaang saving Zuko’s life in “The Siege of the North Part II” has no severe consequences, at least until the end of Book 2.

7. Song and her mother are very kind to Zuko (and Iroh), and they get their ostrich horse stolen for it.

8. However, the family in “Zuko Alone” suffers no negative consequences directly from their kindness toward Zuko, although their life does keep getting worse while he’s around...

9. Obviously, at the end of Book 2 Zuko repays Iroh’s kindness by betraying him and rejecting him in favor of Azula and Ozai, leading directly to Iroh’s imprisonment in Book 2.

10. Katara is very kind to Zuko in the catacombs, and of course the result is that he sides with Azula, leading to Aang’s “death.”

11. More specifically, she shows him the spirit water because she kindly offers to heal his scar, and this leads directly to Zuko sending Combustion Man after the Gaang.

12. Azula makes a sincere, if flawed, attempt to reconcile with her brother, and it leads directly to her downfall, including through Zuko (probably inadvertently) throwing her under the bus in his conversation with Ozai.

13. Ty Lee tries to kindly and supportively connect with Zuko in “The Beach,” and as a result Zuko mocks her, calls her a circus freak, and makes her cry, showing zero remorse for it.

14. Ruon Jian and Chan (reluctantly) invite Zuko (and Azula) to their party, and as result Zuko breaks Chan’s grandmother’s vase, not to mention their house ends up getting burned down and their party ruined.

15. Although Mai is flawed, she is very supportive of Zuko in Book 3. In return, she gets poorly treated by him at Ember Island. When she gives him a second chance, he ends up breaking up with her via letter!

16. When Toph goes off behind the Gaang’s back to meet Zuko and try to find a way to get him into the Gaang, he ends up accidently burning her feet, leading to the famous “why am I so bad at being good” line.

17. Mai saves Zuko’s life and helps him escape, and she gets imprisoned for it.

Obviously, there are other instances where characters are nice to Zuko and don’t suffer any serious consequences as a result. Still, the pattern suggests that generally being kind to him is a poor bet, unless you want to suffer.

#Zuko #Zuko meta #zuko critical #not really #not entirely serious #bit of a shitpost

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anonymousfoz · 10 months ago

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Explaining Earth, Stars and Moon

So if you haven't seen. I'm cancelling this wip so I'm just going to spill how it ends and the prophecy and what the title means.

So the prophecy which u can find in I believe the most recent version isn't fully complete and the characters were suppose to find this out.

It's that the Earth (Neptune and Mars/Sapphire) and the Stars (Brother Bear / James) turn against the current Moon (Mother Moon/Midnight) and A new moon emerges (Sister Wolf / Adelita)

I wrote so many different versions of this ending to where I can't put any particular one.

The ending scene takes place on the farm of James, where everything kinda started for him. Midnight is too busy fighting Mars and Adeltia goes to help but doesn't effect much. Neptune is trying to get the cattle away and fending off the controlled cattle from entering the fight. James is trying to find out his whole part in the prophecy. Adeltia exits the fight and Neptune enters only to get hurt.

Depending on the version Adelita runs back in or pushes james out the way of a falling star. Either way James gets hit by a star and gets chosen as Ursa, speaker of the stars and goes to kick midnight's ass. No matter which ending Neptune gets hurt and Mars is tending to her inside a rock structure.

Adelita is either in a star or outside but finally figures out her purpose to take over for midnight and with that realization she either gains new powers in the star after dying (Bc it's hot) or goes back to the fight.

Either way the four defeat midnight and she's banished to the underworld to be watched after by her brother and Neptune gets healed by Father Sun.

Then the story cuts to the gang back in Mexico at Adeltia's mom house. James and Mars are out on the shore and Neptune is riding a horse.

Adelita questions her mom if she knew. Her mom talks about meeting Father Sun when he was assisting their family when Adelita was young. He told her about her future and asked if she wanted Adelita to have a different path in life. Her mom disagreed and said if it was the path destined for Adelita, she would do everything in her power to make sure Adelita followed it. Even saying goodbye to her daughter. She didn't know Adelita got kidnapped right away but it wasn't supposed to happen according to Father Sun.

It's why she's been supportive and not asked many questions, she already knew. And with that the series would had ended with Adelita taking on the role as the moon and giving Neptune control over her wolf pack. She also blesses James and Mars relationship and raises the moon for the first time before heading off to be in the sky with Father Sun to learn the ropes of her new position.

#the earth stars and moon

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loiseau-lyre · 2 years ago

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Let's see... What I particularly like about Dominion:

WARNING : there will be spoilers for those who haven’t read all updated chapters yet :

● The palette of emotions you give to each character. Nobody is completely good or evil, no matter what their personal beliefs are.

● The subtle, allusive writing that allows you to approach very dark themes, even the worst ones, without ever falling into voyeurism. Your ability to do this is something I deeply admire and envy! Even the sexual intercourse between Zuko and Azula is written delicately, with tact and a vocabulary very different from what we usually read in descriptions of such acts.

● The way you write Azula: an extremely moving mix of strength, cunning, and vulnerability. This is probably the most human Azula I have ever seen in a fanfiction. What's even more impressive is that this vulnerability is not forced and adds a touch of realism to the character, without making her a fragile little thing that could quickly become annoying.

● The complete lack of scruples you show regarding the fate of innocent animals: poor little creatures that did nothing wrong and are the first collateral victims of Dominion. How many other authors have killed Momo in cold blood without losing half their readership immediately? I would never dare! What audacity! And I'm not even talking about the komodo-rhino turned into sausages, the ostrich-horse dying from exhaustion in the mountains, and other beasts with tragic fate that not everyone knows about yet!

● I love the twisted relationship between Zuko and Azula, this mixture of love and hate, this codependent bond that transcends mere physical proximity. Their connection is on a spiritual level.

● This gives me the opportunity to make a subtle transition to another aspect of your story that I love: the role you give to the spirit world and, more generally, the spiritual aspect of the Avatar universe. It's daring from all points of view, and you handle it extremely well.

● Azula's gradual and indestructible attachment to her baby. It's probably the most moving element of Dominion, along with her relationship with Ursa.

● Ursa: julietwhisky already said it, but in this story, Ursa is particularly well-written. She's a very nuanced, interesting character, and I disagree with many comments that describe her as a bad mother. Beneath a very traditional exterior (in her view of women's roles in society) lies a woman willing to do anything to defend the interests of those she loves. Her relationship with Azula is fascinating, and I never tire of rereading their journey, the details that help their relationship improving, day by day: the baby’s kicking, the letters, Azula making her mother laugh, their hand holding and more ;)! Without a doubt, one of my favorite passages, as you know!

● Ty Lee: adorable, loyal, never giving up! If there's one thing I hope to see in Dominion, it's more scenes where they're together and we get to witness the true depth of their friendship.

Now, let's talk about what I'm expecting/I imagine/I hope for the future:

● We know each other well enough now, and you've seen enough of my contributions to this fandom, for me to stop lying and admit that I am a true zucest shipper. And your interest in my stories proves that you like this pair more than you want to admit too, yes, yes! So, I deeply hope for more non-brotherly interactions, even if I doubt that's on the agenda. At the very least, I would like to see Azula's feelings for her brother become clearer. Zuko's feelings leave less room for doubt.

● I do want to see Ozai die in indescribable circumstances, even though I also enjoy seeing a horrible character survive. Why? Because in real life, assholes always get away with it. That's just how the world works. And I don't think you're the kind of author who's too shy to take this kind of direction. But Ozai is already pretty injured at this point in Dominion. What I truly hope is that Azula will realize the harm he did to her, manage to sever the link that connects her to him, without guilt, and give up this totally crazy plan to leave with him and her baby (As if Ozai would want her and the baby she had with her incompetent brother!) But I think Azula has already started this process, even if she's not ready to admit it!

● I want to see Ursa discover what Ozai has done to their daughter and do everything it takes to keep this fucking asshole out of their lives. I think she will be the one to end Ozai's life or at least sever the link between him and their daughter.

● I desperately want to know the reaction of ALL THE CHARACTERS when they find out what happened between the fire siblings and where the baby come from.

● I believe in a reunion between Zuko and Azula at the time of the baby's birth, and I think it would be the most moving, adorable, and heartbreaking scene in the world because let's be honest, you're not just going to give us a fluffy scene with the happy parents gushing about their wonderful baby and reconciling immediately. That would make no sense, even if the emotion following a birth can make us lose our minds for a few hours/days (before the baby blues shows its face !)

● I also anticipate the reunion between Mai and Azula. I think that once facing her rival, Mai will be struggling with very conflicting emotions. I don't think she'll be ready to kill a pregnant woman like Azula in cold blood. But I also believe that the sight of Azula's baby (whether still in her womb or not at that time) could trigger terrible anger. Mai is quite unpredictable here, and I think that until she finds her own baby, we can't expect anything good from her.

I'll stop here because I want to save some thoughts for my reviews. And the good news is that writing this paper makes me want to get back to it!

Courage, Aurelia, whatever you're going through, and I hope this note will cheer you up a bit!

Thanks @wiseabsol for your initiative !

Dominion Fans, I Need Your Help

So Aurelia le has been having a terrible week. I would like to cheer her up by making a thread that celebrates what we love about Dominion. Could you all respond with a few sentences on what you've enjoyed about the fic and what you're looking forward to in future chapters? I'll start:

I really enjoy how much detail we get into the unseen parts of Azula's backstory and how that has impacted her psyche. I especially love the division between how she views herself (as a monster) and what her actions say (definitely not a monster).

I love Ursa's patriarchy brain and Azula challenging that. It's fascinating!

I love how Dominion looks at canon and other Azula redemption fics and goes, "Nice try, but let's dig a little deeper." Particularly in how it scrutinizes Zuko, Iroh, and Ursa.

I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone in the cast reacts to meeting Ursa after all of this time. I'm especially looking forward to seeing how Ursa and Iroh interact, and how Ursa is going to react to what Ozai did.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how everyone reacts when Zuko's secret comes out, because that's bound to be a wild disaster.

What is going to happen when Azula and Mai meet again? I have no idea, but I hope it's a shouting match where they word-vomit all of the poisonous thoughts that have been eating them up where their relationship is concerned. I want to see if reconciliation is possible.

What about you all? Thoughts?

#Dominion by Aurelia le #zucest fanfic #favourite fanfic

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leebird-simmer · 3 years ago

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Russian Fairy Tales Test Prep: Pagan Deities

The best known roster of pagan deities is that of the six whose statues Prince Vladimir erected upon assuming sole rule of Kiev. According to the Primary Chronicle for the year 980, he “placed idols on a hill, outside the palace yard, a wooden Perun with a silver head and a golden mustache, and Khors and Dazhbog and Stribog and Simargl and Mokosh.” Missing from this list is Volos/Veles, the god of cattle (skotnii bog) and commerce, whose veneration in ancient Rus’ is widely attested, and by whose name (along with that of Perun) ancient Russians ratified oaths.

A. Perun/Bog

1. equivalent to: Lithuanian Perkunas, Latvian Perkons, Albanian Perendi, Roman Jupiter, Greek Zeus, Hittite Teshub, Norse Thor/Donar, Celtic Taranis. 2. primary sources: Nestor’s Chronicle, mid-6th century Procopius, 10th-century Varangian treaties 3. primary story: a creation myth, in which he battles Veles, the Slavic god of the underworld, for the protection of his wife (Mokosh, goddess of summer) and the freedom of atmospheric water, as well as for the control of the universe. 4. dvoeverie: After Christianization in the 11th century CE, Perun's cult became associated with St. Elias (Elijah), also known as the Holy Prophet Ilie (or Ilija Muromets or Ilja Gromovik), who is said to have ridden madly with a chariot of fire across the sky, and punished his enemies with lightning bolts.

In Slavic mythology: Perun was the supreme god of the pre-Christian Slavic pantheon, although there is evidence that he supplanted Svarog (the god of the sun) as the leader at some point in history. Perun was a pagan warrior of heaven and patron protector of warriors. As the liberator of atmospheric water (through his creation tale battle with the dragon Veles), he was worshipped as a god of agriculture, and bulls and a few humans were sacrificed to him. In 988, the leader of the Kievan Rus' Vladimir I pulled down Perun's statue near Kyiv (Ukraine) and it was cast into the waters of the Dneiper River. As recently as 1950, people would cast gold coins in the Dneiper to honor Perun.

Appearance & Reputation: Perun is portrayed as a vigorous, red-bearded man with an imposing stature, with silver hair and a golden mustache. He carries a hammer, a war ax, and/or a bow with which he shoots bolts of lightning. He is associated with oxen and represented by a sacred tree—a mighty oak. He is sometimes illustrated as riding through the sky in a chariot drawn by a goat. In illustrations of his primary myth, he is sometimes pictured as an eagle sitting in the top branches of the tree, with his enemy and battle rival Veles the dragon curled around its roots.

Perun is associated with Thursday—the Slavic word for Thursday "Perendan" means "Perun's Day"—and his festival date was June 21.

Reports: The earliest reference to Perun is in the works of the Byzantine scholar Procopius (500–565 CE), who noted that the Slavs worshipped the "Maker of Lightning" as the lord over everything and the god to whom cattle and other victims were sacrificed.

Perun appears in several surviving Varangian (Rus) treaties beginning in 907 CE. In 945, a treaty between the Rus' leader Prince Igor (consort of Princess Olga) and the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII included a reference to Igor's men (the unbaptized ones) laying down their weapons, shields, and gold ornaments and taking an oath at a statue of Perun—the baptized ones worshipped at the nearby church of St. Elias. The Chronicle of Novgorod (compiled 1016–1471) reports that when the Perun shrine in that city was attacked, there was a serious uprising of the people, all suggesting that the myth had some long-term substance.

B. Kors/Xors/Chors

- most frequently mentioned Slavic god, after Perun - dvoeverie: appears in the apocryphal work Sermon and Apocalypse of the Holy Apostles, which mentions Perun and Khors as old men; Khors is said to live in Cyprus. Khors also appears in the apocryphal text Conversation of the Three Saints, a text which combines Slavic + Christian + Bogomil traditions. In it, he is referred to as “an angel of thunder” and it is said that he is Jewish. - his functions are uncertain and there are multiple interpretations of his name.

1. Sun God hypothesis: associated with Dazhbog; in The Tale of Igor’s Campaign, Prince Vseslav, who “came to Tmutarakani before the cocks" and "Khors ran his way", traveled from west to east and thus reached the castle before the cocks crowed, and in this way "overtook" the Sun; his name means “rays.”

2. Moon God hypothesis: Prince Vseslav was called “wolf” and his journey takes place at night when the sun is absent from the sky; his name does mean “rays” but they’re the moon’s rays and not the sun’s rays.

3. Fertility God/Vegetation hypothesis: link between Thracian & early Slavic cultures indicates Kors is more of a Dionysus-type figure, who dies and is risen; like Dionysus, Dazhbog (who Kors is often linked to) has a double nature (Eastern Slavs assign him solar qualities, while Southern Slavs assign him chthonic qualities).

C. Dazhbog

1. equivalent to: Khors (Russian/Iranian), Mithra (Persian), Helios (Greek), Lucifer (Christian) 2. primary sources: John Malalas, The Song of Igor’s Campaign 3. family: Son of Svarog, brother of fire god Svarozhich, husband of Mesyats (the moon), father of the Zoryi and Zvezdy 4. primary myth: He resided in the east, in a land of everlasting summer and plenty, in a palace made of gold. The morning and evening auroras, known collectively as Zorya, were his daughters. In the morning, Zorya opened the palace gates to allow Dazbog to leave the palace and begin his daily journey across the sky; in the evening, Zorya closed the gates after the sun returned in the evening. 5. dvoeverie: There was a belief that each winter he would enter people's homes and gift gold to those who had been good. That belief passed into Christianity, especially in Serbia, and this visitor was called Položajnik. During Christianisation, his cult was exchanged with the cult of Saint Sava, while Dažbog became lame Daba - the most powerful demon in Hell. Reasons why he was demonized are various, possibly because his cult was the strongest in Serbia or because he was considered also as the god of Nav, the Slavic underworld and world of the dead.

In Slavic mythology: Dazbog was the Slavic sun god, a role that is common to many Indo-European people, and there is ample evidence that there was a sun cult in the pre-Christian tribes of central Europe. His name means "day god" or "giving god," to different scholars—"Bog" is generally accepted to mean "god," but Daz means either "day" or "giving."

His totem animal was a wolf, therefore wolves were sacred animals and killing them was considered a great sin. Wolves were considered to be messengers of Dazhbog, while he himself could shift into a white wolf.

According to one myth, Svarog became tired of reigning over the universe and passed on his power to his sons, Dazhbog and Svarogich.

Appearance & Reputation: Dazbog is said to ride across the sky in a golden chariot drawn by fire-breathing horses who are white, gold, silver, or diamonds. In some tales, the horses are beautiful and white with golden wings, and sunlight comes from the solar fire shield Dazbog always carries with him. At night, Dazbog wanders the sky from east to west, crossing the great ocean with a boat pulled by geese, wild ducks, and swans.

In some tales, Dazbog starts out in the morning as a young, strong man but by the evening he is a red-faced, bloated elderly gentleman; he is reborn every morning. He represents fertility, male power, and in "The Song of Igor's Campaign" he is mentioned as the grandfather of the Slavs.

4. Stribog

Very little is known about him, although he was clearly very important to early Slavic peoples. In the epic ”Slovo o polku Igorove “ it is said that the winds, the grandsons of Stribog, blow from the sea. This leads to conclusion that Stribog is imagined as an old person, since he has grandsons. The grandsons were the winds from all directions.

Eagle was the animal consecrated to Stribog. Plants consecrated to Stribog were hawthorn and oak. When pledges were made, Stribog was often warrantor. Festivities in Stribog’s honor were organized in the summer as well as in the winter. They were probably organized in the summer in order to invocate winds and rain, while in the winter they were organized in order to appease him. In the period of Christianization Stribog’s characteristics were overtaken by St. Bartholomew and Stevan vetroviti (windy).

5. Simargl/Semargl

- may be equivalent to Simurgh in Persian mythology, who is portrayed similarly (winged lion and/or dog). He can also take human form. - God of physical fire (as opposed to celestial fire; that’s Svarog) - He is said to be the husband of Kupalnica (or Kupalnitsa), goddess of night, from whom he got two children: Kupalo and Kostroma.

Zorya, solar goddesses who are servants or daughters of the deity Dazhbog, keep Simargl chained to the star Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor. Should he break free and destroy this constellation, it will cause the world to end.

Why would he be worshipped in Rus’, you ask? A couple of possible answers: a. Eastern Slavs borrowed Simargl from Sarmatian-Alanian people and worshiped him. b. Eastern Slavs never worshiped Simargl. Just at that time, a significant number of Kiev residents were of Khazar and Sarmatian-Alanian origin. Vladimir included their deity in the pantheon to get their support.

6. Volos/Veles (also Vlas, Weles Vlasii, St. Blaise, or Blasius)

1. equivalent to: Velinas (Baltic), Varuna (Vedic), Hermes (Greek), Odin (Norse) 2. primary sources: The Tale of Igor’s Campaign, old Russian chronicles 3. primary myth: a creation myth, in which Veles abducts Mokosh (the Goddess of Summer and consort of Perun, God of Thunder). Perun and his enemy battle for the universe under a huge oak, Perun's holy tree, similar to both Greek and Norse (Yggdrasil) mythologies. The battle is won by Perun, and afterward, the waters of the world are set free and flowing. 4. dvoeverie: Velia remains a feast of the dead in old Lithuanian, celebrating the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead, with Veles operating as a role of guiding souls to the underworld. The battle between Perun (Ilija Muromets or St. Elias) and Veles (Selevkiy) is found in many different forms, but in later stories, instead of gods, they are complementary figures separated from one another by a furrow plowed by Christ, who converts them. Veles is also likely represented by St. Vlasii, depicted in Russian iconography as surrounded by sheep, cows, and goats.

In Slavic mythology: A second creation myth associated with Veles is the formation of the boundary between the underworld and the human world, a result of a treaty forged between Veles and a shepherd/magician.

In the treaty, the unnamed shepherd pledges to sacrifice his best cow to Veles and keep many prohibitions. Then he divides the human world from the wild underworld led by Veles, which is either a furrow plowed by Veles himself or a groove across the road carved by the shepherd with a knife which the evil powers cannot cross.

Veles is associated with a wide variety of powers and protectors: he is associated with poetry and wisdom, the lord of the waters (oceans, seas, ships, and whirlpools). He is both the hunter and protector of cattle and the lord of the underworld, a reflection of the Indo-European concept of the netherworld as a pasture. He is also related to an ancient Slavic cult of the deceased soul; the ancient Lithuanian term "welis" means "dead" and "welci" means "dead souls."

Appearance & Reputation: Veles is generally portrayed as a bald human man, sometimes with bull horns on his head. In the epic creation battle between Velos and Perun, however, Veles is a serpent or dragon lying in a nest of black wool or on a black fleece beneath the World Tree; some scholars have suggested he was a shape-shifter. In addition to domestic horses, cows, goats, and sheep, Veles is associated with wolves, reptiles, and black birds (ravens and crows).

Reports: The earliest reference to Veles is in the Rus-Byzantine Treaty of 971, in which the signers must swear by Veles' name. Violators of the treaty are warned of a menacing punishment: they will be killed by their own weapons and become "yellow as gold," which some scholars have interpreted as "cursed with a disease." If so, that would imply a connection to the Vedic god Varuna, also a cattle god who could send diseases to punish miscreants.

7. Mokosh

1. loosely comparable to: Gaia, Hera (Greek), Juno (Roman), Astarte (Semitic) 2. epithets: Goddess Who Spins Wool, Mother Moist Earth, Flax Woman 3. primary sources: Nestor Chronicle (a.k.a. Primary Chronicle), Christian-recorded Slavic tales 4. dvoeverie: With the coming of Christianity into the Slavic countries in the 11th century CE, Mokosh was converted to a saint, St. Paraskeva Pyanitsa (or possibly the Virgin Mary), who is sometimes defined as the personification of the day of Christ's crucifixion, and others a Christian martyr. Described as tall and thin with loose hair, St. Paraskeva Pyanitsa is known as "l'nianisa" (flax woman), connecting her to spinning. She is the patroness of merchants and traders and marriage, and she defends her followers from a range of diseases.

In Slavic mythology: The origins of Mokosh as mother earth may date to pre-Indo-European times (Cuceteni or Tripolye culture, 6th–5th millennia BCE) when a near-global woman-centered religion is thought to have been in place. Some scholars suggest she may be a version of Finno-Ugric sun goddess Jumala.

Mokosh, sometimes transliterated as Mokoš and meaning "Friday," is Moist Mother Earth and thus the most important (or sometimes only) goddess in the religion. As a creator, she is said to have been discovered sleeping in a cave by a flowering spring by the spring god Jarilo, with whom she created the fruits of the earth. She is also the protector of spinning, tending sheep, and wool, patron of merchants and fishermen, who protects cattle from plague and people from drought, disease, drowning, and unclean spirits.

Although the Great Goddess has a variety of consorts, both human and animal, in her role as a primary Slavic goddess, Mokosh is the moist earth goddess and is set against (and married to) Perun as the dry sky god. Some Slavic peasants felt it was wrong to spit on the earth or beat it. During the Spring, practitioners considered the earth pregnant: before March 25 ("Lady Day"), they would neither construct a building or a fence, drive a stake into the ground or sow seed. When peasant women gathered herbs they first lay prone and prayed to Mother Earth to bless any medicinal herbs.

Appearance & Reputation: Surviving images of Mokosh are rare—although there were stone monuments to her beginning at least as long ago as the 7th century. A wooden cult figure in a wooded area in the Czech Republic is said to be a figure of her. Historical references say she had a large head and long arms, a reference to her connection with spiders and spinning. Symbols associated with her include spindles and cloth, the rhombus (a nearly global reference to women's genitals for at least 20,000 years), and the Sacred Tree or Pillar.There are many goddesses in the various Indo-European pantheons who reference spiders and spinning. Historian Mary Kilbourne Matossian has pointed out that the Latin word for tissue "textere" means "to weave," and in several derivative languages such as Old French, "tissue" means "something woven." The act of spinning, suggests Matossian, is to create body tissue. The umbilical cord is the thread of life, transmitting moisture from the mother to the infant, twisted and coiled like the thread around a spindle. The final cloth of life is represented by the shroud or "winding sheet," wrapped around a corpse in a spiral, as thread loops around a spindle.

Our brief survey of agrarian holidays indicates that the peasant’s central concern is fertility and that special rites in the cemetery and/or rites involving a symbolic death & resurrection are a major component in these celebrations.

Belief in the absolute sanctity of “Mother Damp Earth” (Mat’syra zemlia) has been central to folk belief throughout the centuries. In remote areas, old people observed a ritual of asking the earth’s forgiveness prior to death into the 20th century. A number of scholars have maintained that peasants transferred attributes of earth worship to their particular veneration of Mary as “Mother of God.”

Fedotov: “At every step in studying Russian popular religion, one meets the constant longing for a great divine female power, be it embodied in the image of Mary or someone else. Is it too daring to hypothesize, on the basis of this religious propensity, the scattered elements of the cult of a Great Goddess who once...reigned upon the immense Russian plains?”

#Russian fairy tales #study blog #my notes #Slavic deities #slavic mythology #Russian paganism #russian folk belief

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jonkner · 3 years ago

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Design and Mythology motifs in the Personas of Persona 2

PART 3 - ETERNAL PUNISHMENT’S INITIAL PERSONAS

Moving along to the EP cast’s personas, please note I won’t be covering Tatsuya and Maya’s again as they’ve already been analyzed in the previous two parts.

Again, this is just my take on the personas and most things have not been confirmed by Atlus.

Callisto - Ulala’s Initial Persona

Callisto was a follower of Artemis, and sometimes was stated as being her best friend or possibly even lovers. After being assaulted by Zeus she was subsequently banished from Artemis’ followers for breaking her vow of virginity. After giving birth with the aid of her midwife Maia, the jealous Hera turned her into a bear in an act of revenge. After nearly being shot and killed by Artemis during a hunt, Zeus put her and her son into the sky as stars. They are modernly known as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Ulala’s Callisto take the form of a woman in a torn trench coat with spiked gloves and boots, who is bound tightly in a long rope that ends in a whip (resembling the form of bondage known as shibari). Her face is shattered, with a single high heel piercing through where the mouth would be. Her colour scheme is Ulala’s inverted, with red/pink being the primary colour and green being the accents.

Callisto’s design is very clearly inspired by BDSM practices, and reflects Ulala’s unsuccessful and miserable love life. Similar to how Zeus wronged Callisto, Ulala was scammed by a conman who lied about wanting to marry her.

She represents Ulala’s fragile friendship with Maya at the start of the game, and her low self esteem regarding her appeal as a young woman.

Helios - Katsuya’s Initial Persona

In Greek mythology, Helios is the Titan of the Sun and is the one that drives the chariot of the sun. He is the son of the Titan Hyperion. He was initially worshipped as the very sun itself before Apollo rose into popularity and took over the role instead. Helios is seen as both a personification of the Sun and the fundamental creative power behind it and as a result is often worshiped as a god of life and creation. Homer described Helios as a god "who gives joy to mortals".

Katsuya’s Helios takes little inspiration from the Helios of myth, and moreso it’s wielder. This Helios takes the form of a cat-like humanoid in a cravat and suit, and vaguely resembles a butler. A reference to Katsuya’s adoration of cats, as in game he expresses dismay at the fact he’s allergic to them and Helios’ form taunts him, but also possibly Katsuya’s more uptight personality.

Helios’ ties to creation could have also inspired Katsuya’s hobby of baking.

While not being a figure that would typically represent the Justice Arcana, Helios was likely chosen to represent Katsuya and his inferiority complex regarding his little brother Tatsuya who he perceives as better than him (similar to how Apollo eventually overshadowed Helios).

Odysseus - Baofu’s Initial Persona

Odysseus, also known as Ulysses, is a legendary Greek hero and fictional king of Ithaca who descended from the line of Hermes. He was a general in the Trojan War, being key in the city's fall. Odysseus is renowned for his guile resourcefulness, and is hence known by the epithet Odysseus the Cunning. He is most famous for the ten eventful years he took to return home after the ten-year Trojan War and his famous Trojan Horse trick.

Baofu’s Odysseus takes the form similar to that of a Rōnin, or a wandering masterless samurai.

The word rōnin literally means "wave man". It is an idiomatic expression for "vagrant" or "wandering man", someone who finds the way without belonging to one place. The term originated in the Nara and Heian periods, when it referred to a serf who had fled or deserted his master's land. In medieval times, the Ronin were depicted as the shadows of samurai, master-less and less honorable. It then came to be used for a samurai who had no master (hence the term "wave man" illustrating one who is socially adrift).

He wears glasses and has a smug grin similar to that of Baofu, and has headgear similar to a scuba mask, reflecting Odysseus’ time adrift at sea.

He helps represent Baofu’s cunning and intelligence, as well as his initially noble and heroic intentions and aspirations. His design helps to reflect Baofu’s vigilantism, and the public’s perception of him as nothing more than an honorless criminal.

Aizen Myouou - Nanjo’s Initial Persona

Otherwise known as Rāgarāja, Aizen Myouou is one of many Wisdom kings in Buddhism. He is still venerated as a patron of landlords, prostitutes, the LGBT community, and petitioned by devotees for a peaceful home and abundant fortune in business. Aizen Myouou represents the state at which harnessed sexual excitement or agitation, which are otherwise decried as defilements, are seen as equal to enlightenment and passionate love can become compassion for all living things.

Nanjo’s Aizen Myouou takes the form of an effeminate man in a cropped bodysuit that reveals his hips. He wears long gloves and thigh high boots to further accentuate his figure, and a long veil covers his lower face.

As a patron of businessmen, its clear why he was chosen to represent Nanjo and his goal to become “the number 1 man in Japan” through his business practices. But, it is likely his enlightened compassion for life also represents Nanjo’s true and genuine care for the wellbeing of others, especially his loved ones.

He could also reflect on Nanjo’s complete disinterest in women, though that’s purely speculation.

Nike - Eriko’s Initial Persona

In ancient Greek civilization, Nike was a goddess who personified victory. She also represented strength, speed and war. She was often depicted as a winged goddess.

Eriko’s Nike takes the form of an armless woman in stylish armor and jet wings, reminiscent of an airplane. This is in reference to her father, who is a commercial pilot.

As Nike was never the center of many myths there isn’t much story comparison to be made to Eriko, but her attributes absolutely reflect on her wielder's skill and attitude toward fighting demons.

#persona 2

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razorblade180 · 4 years ago

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OC test: Survive pt1

Each character has been split off from one another by hard light fields to form a circular ring divided evenly; with a safe zone in the very center. They can all see and hear each other, but that’s it. All characters will face grimm at the same time. The type of grimm is dependent on what will give that individual trouble. Once a character defeats their grimm, it is their choice to what zone they want to go to next to help. The test is over when a winner in every zone has been decided.

Aero:Anybody getting Saw vibes from this, or at least something sinister?

Kovu:It did say “a winner” meaning the grimm might own us.

Summer:Remember the good old days where a test was make breakfast? I do...

Veronica:Just don’t fuck up and you’ll be fine. I’m ready for everything!

Sienna:Aren’t you technically a civilian?

Veronica:Pfft, I can still kick butt. I’m a Xiao Long!

Jacquelyn:I think the test is beginning.

Yujin stretches out her wrists and grabs her sword. It was soon after that ten pools of grimm opened up with Ursa Majors clawing out, fully armored and foaming at the mouth. One final pool had a King TaijituYujin wasn’t expected anything less, yet she was still upset. “I am sick and tired of these stupid things! Why all at once!?”

“Because it’s called survival...” Tenzen said, witnessing dozens of baby deathstalkers marching towards his as hives of lancers swarmed above. “Guess I’m playing exterminator...” he syched himself up, before a Beringel came stampeding in. It beat on it’s chests and let out a roar. “And....fighting baby King Kong...”

Jael hadn’t wasted any time making headway on her test. She knew herself pretty well and what she could handle. That still did not entirely prepare herself to fend of eight fully grown manticore in aerial combat. “So this is a manticore? Yeah, about what I expect .” She said , dodging their fireballs. “Air or land, they seem pretty dangerous. Guess I got no real advantage, yet.”

Sparrow was on the ball. Military training served him well. Armed only with an Atlesian pistol and a fishing rod, he controlled the battle ground. His mother had taught him long ago what his limits were and how to make up for them. A single Sphinx flew down to swipe at him. The young man back stepped and shot a high powered round at its foot. The beast roared before trying to fly.

“Oh no you don’t!” He casted the line right in the Sphinx’s mouth and yanked back down on the injure foot. “You’re gonna move the way I want you to!” Another round hit its front paw, making the creatures spin around, using its snake tail. Sparrow had already dropped the line and cought the second beast. He didn’t hesitate to press his gun right to its eye and blow up the head of the...tail. “Whoo! Still got it!”

While several of the kids quickly understood their enemies, others were left a little perplexed. Sienna was one of these people. “Uhhh I know Remnant is a big place, but since when do grimm look like roaches?” She stuttered.

The question got many to take a glance. Yep, roaches, but not the small kind. These roaches looked on par with the size of house cats. The black insects with bone white wings scattered around the floor. Several stood on two legs while grinding their human-like teeth together that made a shrill noise Sienna found personally irritating. The only Kovu alone seemed to grasp that situation.

“Don’t run! Walk in big circle! They’ll be huddled up that way!” He shouted. Sienna followed his instructions without question. The heard of roaches began following her on two legs while the others reached outward.

“Ohhh don’t like that!” Sienna looked at Kovu with a look that said, “what I’m the actual hell” very apparently. “Kovu-”

“They’re called Feasters. Do not let them swarm you and do not run! They will get on all of their legs and be much faster. Also don’t jump! They fly; just whack them with your chain.”

Sienna did just that. “I hate this I hate this I hate this, they’re so many! And that stupid noise!!!! Agh, my ears!” She winced. A second of stopping prompted the infestation to lunge at her like a wave. Sienna quickly tumbled backwards and kept walking. The last thing she wanted was for those things to take a bite of her. All things considered though, this was manageable. The benefit of no semblance she supposed. “How we looking everyone?”

“Peachy!” Veronica yelled, rider kicking a Tar Maw, a voracious gator like grimm that had a bond white back with black carvings. It’s red eyes glared and the tar black underside dripped like a leaky faucet. The sixteen foot beast opened its gaping mouth, hurling up grimm fluid before diving into it and through the ground subsequently; as it the dirt itself has become as flowing as water. Veronica phased through the ground to try and hit it from underneath but was shocked to see the beast diving down for her. Along with two more smaller but equally dangerous Tar Maws. Quickly, Veronica shot upward through the ground and into the air to barely avoid the the creatures that burst through the ground almost as forceful as her.

“As if one wasn’t enough.” Veronica snarled. Her body rolled forward midair to deliver a swift axe kick to one of the grimm’s hid, knocking it into the others. “I think Summer and I finally agree on something! I miss breakfast tests!”

“Glad you see it my way...” Summer groaned, watching a Arma Gigas rise. She looked over to her brother’s section to see the same exact expression of annoyance. Of course he had one as well. Nick looked at her as if she could do anything about it. “I know, it sucks.”

“Royally.” He added. Nick armed himself with Mort Froide and placed 15 upright ice glyphs around it in a diamond formation. His next move was summoning a gigas blade in his left hand before running towards the emerging knight that has yet to form from the shins down. With limited options it swung its blade which Nick proceeded to jump onto an continuing his charge towards its face. “I’ve killed one before. I can do it again!” Nick jumps at the face to slash it but is knocked back by a headbutt. Fully formed, the gigas bends its knees to prepare a jumping slash. However, blades of ice rockets out of the glyphs, wedging themselves between the knees and ankle armor space to stall movement long enough for Nick to recover. He runs his head and grunts, “Gah, okay. This one has a bet more heft. Noted...”

Valerie watched her two closest friends head off to fight their grueling challenge. “Always setting the pace.” She faced forward towards a fresh Nucklevee, free of any armor but still big enough to be a problem. “What, is this some kind of generational test? Too bad dad isn’t here. He’d love this!” Valerie leaped forward, twirling her battle axe before smashing it into the ground to break up the floor. “Can’t let move easily.” She leaped again.

The Nucklevee shot it’s arms out into the crushed floor and then upwards, it’s hands full of rocks. They flew up and over Valerie before crushing the rubble. A cloud of dirt and debris rain down and struck her back, throwing her balance off. Both arms came plummeting downwards to wrap her up and slammed them into the earth.

“It’s thinking!? But it’s new!” Valerie struggled trying to break free of the elastic grasp. “Huh?” She looked up to see the horse mouth exhale a plume of black smoke along the floor and headed right to her. “That’s not good...” through pure strength and will, Valerie got to her feet and started pulling with all her might. The arms wiggled and where dragged up from the ground but would not break. The fog crawled closer and closer until the edges of it began stinging her skin on her ankles like fire. “Gah! Aw screw it!” She yelled, taking a deep breath and releasing the tension of her struggling. Her entire body slingshotted forward through the smoke and to the best, striking it with a double kick to the skeleton like face. It’s arms finally loosened enough for her to escape. She went to sever an arm until the beast turned around and struck her with it’s massive hind hooves. Val tumbled back and onto her legs. A strange numbness and pain resided in her ankles. Moving felt...odd. Valerie looked up to see the fog continue to spread and the beast beginning to charge. “Tsk..” Maybe it was best her father wasn’t here after all?.

In a other section, a much better circumstance was taking place for Lucas. The man effortlessly weaved around the onslaught of razor sharp feathers, bouncing some back to clip the Nevermore wings that sent them. It helped, but only a little considering he was dealing with an entire flock. Multiple enemies that used a wind ranging attack with multiple projectiles. Quite the headache for one who sees the future. So he did what he always did, not even try.

“One thing at a time Lucas. This moment, right now.” He said to himself as more feathers rained. He transformed his blade into a whip and began flailing it to deflect only what he could see and hear coming his way. The moment he found an opening he would swimg the whip around the bird’s neck and yank it down for him to cleave it. A simple strategy, effective. However, it was time consuming. Not a problem for him specifically, but his mind could only think about the people around him. He hadn’t been paying close attention to all of them, but the screaming grimm he could hear outside his zone let him know they weren’t all getting lucky in this test. “EVERYONE OKAY!?”

“NO!” Aero cried as he crashed to the ground, his wings covered in webs. The flexed it off the best he could while avoiding Soul Suckers, enormous spider grimm that had a real bad habit of draining aura and turning people into soulless husks that were robbed of will. Seven of the bastards shot dense web at him in an attempt to do just that. Aero spread his wings and slammed them towards the ground, rocketing himself upward with one powerful flap. “I AM NOT EQUIPPED FOR THESE!”

“They have spider grimm!?” Lucas said with concern. “That’s just sadistic...”

“You’re telling me!?” Aero looked over to Mona’s section, who was dealing with a single Goliath. Her spry nature allowed her to maneuver around its legs, quickly attacking. Unfortunately she was up against a Goliath. Simple daggers might as well be paper cuts. “You hanging in there Mona!?” He asked before having to dodge more webs.

“Worry about yourself Bird Boy!” She yelled sprinting. Mona went into a one armed hand spring onto its trunk and rolled onto its back, sliding down it with her dagger running through it shallowly before hitting armored bone; killing her momentum and hurting her shoulders. “Shit!” She winced. She yanked her blade out and jumped off as the Goliath’s trunk tried grabbing her. “Uuuggh this big bitch might as well be made of clay!” She pulled out her second dagger and took one giant lunge that sent her flying like a bullet. Mona began spinning like a sideways buzz saw as she went by the grimm’s left and right leg, making an average size gash. Not enough to cripple it but enough to piss it off.

The thief couldn’t stop her speed correctly and ended up tumbling along the ground and barely missing a tree. Her head buzzed loudly and her vision blurred enough to not realize the two ton monster charging until it was severely feet away. “Oh f-” she tried blocking. The tusks were aimed right for her blades but suddenly, her entire body was shot up in the air and away from the attack. “Aaah! What the heck!?”

“Stop screaming!”

Mona was spun around to see Eliza hovering with the power of wind. “How the- you finished!?”

“Yeah I had those gross centipedes and a couple annoying alphas with majors as well.” Eliza said. She causally pointed behind her to a zone charred beyond belief. “My semblance was useless so I had to go all out from the start. Guess you’re in a similar situation? Let’s waste this thing.”

“Hmm you’re lucky I like the way you look. I’ll take you up on that, not that needed help.”

“Whatever you say. Maybe I should’ve checked in with Kovu!” She looked his way. “But considering with Carmine said I’m sure his challenge-”

“oPeN UuuP...” gurgled a cold, torn voice. One that reached all ears, freezing grimm and human alike. It came from Kovu’s section. There the young man sat pinned and shaken up. Nothing but the dust barrier against his back and his own bubble-like barrier in front of it, constructed from his golden aura. The thing gnawing it, a very big and very aggressive Hound. It’s teeth grated against the aura, barely cracking it but cracking it nonetheless. “oPeN UuuP...”

Kovu’s face dripped sweat. His arms were completely stiff from trying to maintain his gaurd. “Guys, I don’t want to sound needy, but...” he grunted.

Several of his friends began working harder on their matches. Yujin and Veronica in particular had a fire lit inside them to make sure Kovu would be okay.

“Hang on Kovu!” Yujin yelled. “Just give me a bet of time and-”

“I thought you wanted to be a huntsman?” Carmine interjected, gaining Kovu’s attention. “I thought you wanted to try and catch up to me, but you’re asking for help this quickly? Not only that, but now you’ve caused others to worry more about you which could make them rush and make a mistake that’ll be disastrous. Hmm, I thought better of you than that.” She said bluntly.

He said nothing. Veronica on the other hand. “Hey!” She had a few words. “Isn’t that your cousin!? You of all people should be-”

“Worried?” Carmine finished. “I’m not saying I’m not, but I’m more worried about the thing behind me, I’m case none of you payed attention.” Carmine looked over her shoulder to the massive grimm pool that all but filled the entire area and continued to flow.

Of course nobody else noticed. It wasn’t big enough to caste a shadow over them all until this moment. Once again eyes looked to see the danger but it was their ears that heard it before anything else. A deafening roar that shook the ground like a disaster. Carmine fully turned around to look at her opponent. It was cruel. Downright evil to the letter. What could she have possibly done to earn-

“Leviathan!?” Tenzen yelled.

“I know right? It’s ridiculous.” Carmine said, a bead of sweat running down her head. “I rather switch with Jacquelyn.”

“Hehe, is that a fact?” She laughed nervously, witnessing the creation of a fully realized dragon staring her down as the shook off excess fluid. Yet another huge thing that nobody but Carmine was aware of apparently because they were once again floored. Not necessarily at the beasts even though they were scary, but because that was two people’s test!”

Yujin looked briefly at Carmine in awe. “You can take down Leviathan!?”

“What? Hell no! Are you crazy!?” Carmine said, unapologetically. “That thing is a kingdom killer! Look it’s flattering that you all seem to think I’m super badass but you do know I’m one person right?”

“Well when you say it like that I sound stupid. Didn’t Ruby beat one of those?” Yujin said, dodging.

“My mother flashed her eyes while a giant robot sucker punched it with a drill. Her eyes didn’t even do much but make it stuck for three seconds. Nobody just beats a Leviathan!” Carmine brandished her sword to face it. Her eyes looked back towards to see her cousin still struggling. “....Did you all know Kovu has never beaten me in a fight? He’s always been a pretty average fighter. That being said, I could never knock him out or keep him down for long. He’s resilient as hell. Almost like surviving is his special talent.”

“Carmine...” Kovu uttered.

“Surviving doesn’t mean winning. I’m definitely not about to win this and I doubt Jacquelyn over there is coming up with a grand slam plan to solo a dragon. Buying time though, I can do that all day.” The leviathan shot out a breath of immense flames. Carmine dove out of the way immediately. “Do not make me do this all day. I’m tired. Twenty minutes at best. More than enough time for anyone to lend a hand and then some, right?” Without another word, she got to work.

Carmine was an odd ball. If she had said anything like that to a stranger, it may have come off as rambling. But those around her in this test, they got the girl’s message. Kovu most of all, while Jacquelyn understood from the start given her enemy. Twenty minutes. Nobody was to aid her for that long or to worry. Carmine had temporarily removed herself the equation. One less thing for other’s to worry about.

“Twenty one.” Kovu said. “I got this mutt right where I want him for twenty one minutes.” Sure he was being optimistic, but this barrier bursting wasn’t game over right away. Like Carmine said, he was resilient.

Jacquelyn couldn’t help but smile. Part of it was the touching pep talk. The other was nervousness because no way was she about to put herself before kids. “Ah what the hell. I’m the winter maiden. A badass one at that. Thirty.” Her eyes glowed.

“Of course they want to out do me” Carmine chuckled. Alright everyone, nothing fancy! Those who know they can win, will. All others, do this test, survive!

Finally the stage was set. Everyone was on track. “Right!!!”

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ao3feed-zukka · 4 years ago

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Azula Alone

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2GNvet8

by xXInsert_Name_HereXx

She had been riding for spirits only knew how long. Her legs were growing sore and she could feel the ostrich horse beneath her growing tired as well. She pulled the reins and guided herself and her steed into small clearing. She made quick work of setting up camp and settled down by her small fire. She ate her rations for day and the looked up at the sky. When did everything go so wrong? She took a quick drink from her flask, cringing as the burning liquid slid down her throat. She knew where she was heading and sighed, "Didn’t think I’d ever be heading back there." She looked over at the ostrich horse, who just ignored her in favor the grass around them. She sighed as she looked down at her hands quietly sang to herself, "It’s a long long way to Ba Sing Se..."

Words: 1039, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Original Work

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Azula (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Ursa (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar), Kyoshi Warriors (Avatar), The Gaang (Avatar), The White Lotus (Avatar)

Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Zuko/Sokka (Avatar), Katara/Aang (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Suki, Iroh & Ursa (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Azula (Avatar), The Gaang & Ty Lee (Avatar), The Gaang & Mai, The Gaang & Kyoshi Warriors (Avatar), The Gaang & Iroh, The Gaang & Ursa (Avatar)

Additional Tags: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Azula (Avatar)-centric, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Ty Lee gives her that hug, Protective Azula (Avatar), Sane Azula (Avatar), Angst, Fluff, Possible smut, ITS A BIG MAYBE, Past Abuse, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal thought and tendencies, Toph & Sokka & Azula cause chaos, Toph finally gets her field trip, Katara and Suki stop bullying Azula she’s trying her best, Azula gets cool daggers and then swords, Brother/Sister bonding, Zuko and Azula’s are also pure chaos, Ursa: What do you have? Azula (with her daggers): A KNIFE! Katara: nO, MAI I MADE BISCUTS, Customer Service helps redeem the Fire Siblings, AZULA IS ON X GAMES MODE, Slow Burn, Azula gets therapy, Probably more tags later

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2GNvet8

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #zukka #avatar: the last airbender #atla #zuko #sokka

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secretlyatargaryen · 4 years ago

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Tyrion and Zuko: Never Forget Who You Are

This is part three of a meta comparing these two characters. Read part one here and part two here.

One of the defining moments for both of these characters is when they are talking to a younger character that they relate to who is on the opposite side as them, but who will later become a friend.

Tyrion to Jon:

"Fourteen, and you're taller than I will ever be. [...] I will never make a swordsman. Had I been born a peasant, they might have left me out to die, or sold me to some slaver's grotesquerie. Alas, I was born a Lannister of Casterly Rock, and the grotesqueries are all the poorer. Things are expected of me. [...] I must do my part for the honor of my House, wouldn't you agree? Yet how? [...] I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind … “

and Zuko to Aang:

You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky; he says I was lucky to be born. I need don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight, and that's made me strong. That's made me who I am.

Even at this early stage in these characters’ stories, where they are still very much indoctrinated into their family’s BS, both of them recognize this inner conflict between who they are and who their families want them to be. And both of them draw inner strength from things that set them apart from the ideology that they’ve been indoctrinated into.

Both are forced to adopt new identities as refugees, and it’s here that they are forced to rely on the things that were not valued by their families. Zuko relies more on his sword-fighting abilities than his bending, and Tyrion reclaims things about himself that his father hated, such as his tumbling, and takes on the role as dwarf jester to survive. It’s because of these characters’ ability to develop an inner strength independent from their families that they are able to do this, even though they had previously been taught to devalue those parts of themselves.

They both draw on that inner strength that comes from the things that set them apart.

Ursa: Remember this, Zuko. No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are.

Zuko remembering his mother’s words when he is a refugee can be compared to Tyrion’s words to Jon when he is empathizing over the latter over them both being “bastards.”

"Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you."

I think we can say that Zuko’s mother’s words are part of where he gets that inner strength that he mentions above (”That’s made me who I am”), and Zuko’s love for his mother was something that was treated like a weakness. Both Tyrion and Zuko have to struggle with this concept of owning who you are and making your weakness your strength. And although Tyrion imparts this advice onto Jon, he struggles just as much as Zuko does with owning it.

Both characters also go through journeys that involve a great loss of privilege and being forced to experience life from the perspective of those who are most oppressed. Both characters use false identities while in exile, as fugitives from both their own families and people who hate their families. Both also are forced to adopt identities that they had previously disdained are forced to let go of their classism. But as I said in part one, the narrative here is not a straight line, and both characters experience at times growth in compassion and times where they take advantage of others. One example of this for Zuko is his interactions with Song, who invites him to eat with her family and empathizes with him over his burn scar, which forces Zuko to relate to someone who can relate to him on a similar level. Yet he also ends up stealing her ostritch horse. This is similar to Tyrion’s interaction with Penny, who he can relate to because she is also a dwarf, and who represents the first time he is confronted with someone who can truly empathize with his disability, but who he also sometimes treats with disdain and cruelty. Although it should be noted that in both cases these characters cannot totally relate to each other. Penny and Tyrion experience their dwarfism in different ways and while Penny lacks Tyrion's class privilege, she comes from a loving home where she was taught not to be ashamed of her body, and she tries to kiss Tyrion on the assumption that they have a connection because of their shared disability, but it doesn't work. Similarly, Song tries to force a connection with Zuko on the assumption that she understands him because of his scar, however she does not know the story of how Zuko got that scar and has the privilege of hiding her scars that Zuko does not because his scar is literally on his face.

Jin and Penny also have similarities as Jin is someone who is attracted to Zuko who he is kind to but ultimately rejects romantically because of his own insecurities and his preoccupation with his current goals, and Tyrion does the same with Penny.

Both characters meet people throughout their journeys who make assumptions about them based on their appearance. Both also experience hatred from people for the crimes of their families, even while they themselves are forced to go into hiding from their families.

Katara: You’re the Fire Lord’s son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood.

and Tyrion in ADWD:

"—I know who the dwarf is, and what he is." Her black eyes turned to Tyrion, hard as stone. "Kinslayer, kingslayer, murderer, turncloak. Lannister."

What I think is particularly interesting about these two scenes is that both of them are prisoners, at low points in their narrative, when this dialogue happens. And both are actually empathizing with the people who are responding to them with hatred. Zuko trying to connect with Katara through the loss of his mother, and Tyrion understanding what the Widow of the Waterfront actually wants to hear and being on his way to join Daenerys.

Both characters also experience their inner conflict through an anger at the world. This is shown in Zuko’s “lucky to be born” speech about himself vs his sister and in the episode “Bitter Work,” in which he seeks out his own lightning after Iroh refuses to use lightning against him.

Zuko: You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well, I can take it, and now I can give it back! Come on, strike me! You've never held back before!

Tyrion also has moments where he rails against the world and at the gods because of the cruelty he’s faced in his life.

And when I die, please let them bury with me a crossbow, so I can thank the Father Above for his gifts the same way I thanked the father below.

This is also a nice connection between the two scenes where both characters confront their fathers (discussed in more depth below), as Tyrion uses a crossbow on his father and Zuko is able to redirect his father’s lightning.

There's a lot of discussion in fandom about what makes a good redemption arc, and the thing is that I think most of these discussions overlook something that is key in both Zuko and Tyrion's narrative, and that is how hard it actually is to do the right thing when you're constantly told that everything you do is wrong, and how hard it is to distinguish between the things you need to apologize for and the things that aren't your responsibility or things you never should have been blamed for. And because they are traumatized characters - both with significant physical disfigurements - both Tyrion and Zuko have times when they assume that people are judging them for the wrong reasons.

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.

Obviously there’s a lot of discussion of Zuko’s redemption arc and what makes it work and in contrast, Tyrion’s narrative isn’t finished, and is currently left in a pretty dark place, but one thing I love about both of these stories is the acknowledgement of how hard it is to trust other people when you’ve been hurt, and how hard it is to trust even your own perceptions and judgments. And to be honest, I think that much of discussion of Zuko’s heroism overlooks that because everything turned out alright in the end, even though I wouldn’t even say that he’s fully recovered from his trauma by the end of the story. Even when he’s fully become one of the “good guys” he has times when he’s angry, insecure, overly apologetic or self-righteous, and negatively impacts his relationships with others. The reason why this story works is not so much because of its ability to give the character redemption, but because of the acknowledgement that redemption, or recovery, is hard.

Both also have scenes where they remain loyal to their families but experience conflict with their family’s worldview after being exposed to the wider world and empathizing with others who have been hurt by their families.

It is high summer for House Lannister, so why am I so bloody cold?

And again, although these narratives are different because these points happen at different times in the narrative, both characters have instances where they are responsible in some way for an imprisoned character who they empathize with (Iroh for Zuko and Sansa for Tyrion) which causes them to question the rightness of their family.

Zuko: I have everything I always wanted, but it's not at all how I thought it would be.

And both have parts of their stories where they are welcomed back into the fold of their family only to be nearly killed. Tyrion in ACOK during his tenure as hand of the king in which he appears to be on top but is brutally reminded of how conditional the power and acceptance he has is when he loses it again after the Battle of the Blackwater and the slow ebbing away of agency he experiences throughout ASOS which ends in him being falsely imprisoned and nearly executed for regicide; Zuko early in his story when his sister almost successfully tricks him into walking into being imprisoned with the promise of going back home, and later when he is accepted back home but with the truth of Aang’s survival hanging over his head, and his confrontation with Ozai in which Ozai tries to kill him with lightning.

And of course any comparison of Tyrion and Zuko would be incomplete without comparing their respective scenes of facing down their fathers and primary abusers. These two scenes have different narrative impacts because of the ways they are different and because they appear at different times in the characters’ arcs, but they also have some striking similarities. Both Tyrion and Zuko confront their abusers in scenes that suggests that they’ve finally reached the breaking point where they are no longer able to overlook the intolerable situation they are in.

Both Ozai and Tywin use gaslighting to control their children and we see that a lot in Tyrion’s conversations with Tywin in which Tywin dismisses or belittles the things that Tyrion says even when Tyrion is right, and Ozai severely punishes Zuko for speaking out against him. Both Tyrion and Zuko have scenes of standing up to their fathers and speaking their minds.

Tyrion in ASOS to Tywin:

“Will you punish me if I refuse, father?”

Zuko to Ozai in “The Day of Black Sun, Pt 2″:

Zuko: I'm not taking orders from you anymore. I am going to speak my mind, and you are going to listen.

Tyrion in ASOS to Tywin:

“Perhaps I don't choose to go to the Wall, Father. It's bloody cold up there, and I believe I've had enough coldness from you. So just tell me something, and I'll be on my way. One simple question, you owe me that much."

"I owe you nothing."

"You've given me less than that, all my life, but you'll give me this.”

Zuko in “The Day of Black Sun, Pt 2″ to Ozai:

Zuko: For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor I wanted, but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me, a thirteen-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?

Ozai: It was to teach you respect!

Zuko: It was cruel! And it was wrong.

Ozai: Then you have learned nothing!

Zuko: No, I've learned everything! And I’ve had to learn it on my own.

Both characters also confront their abusers with their abuse of an important female character whose love and whose disappearance had a huge impact on their life. Tyrion asking Tywin what happened to Tysha can be seen as a parallel to Zuko’s final scene with Ozai where he demands to know where his mother is.

And just as this question is left open in the main series of ATLA (yes, I know about the comics, but I kind of like the ambiguity for thematic purposes), I don’t think Tyrion is ever going to find out what happened to Tysha.

One main difference in the two characters confronting their fathers is that Tyrion kills his father and Zuko doesn’t, and in addition to this being a result of a difference in tone and medium between the two stories, Zuko also is spared from having to make that choice because of his belief that it is Aang’s destiny to defeat Ozai. Tyrion suffers a mental breakdown after killing his father while Zuko is able to integrate himself successfully into a new social group (eventually). Tyrion starts to do this in ADWD but again, that story is not finished yet so it is hard to say how it will be resolved.

Both characters also frequently act like the victims of abuse that they are in their interpersonal relationships, and tend to expect that people will invalidate their feelings or be outright hostile to them. As I said above, this is also because of their experiences with people reacting to their physical differences, which both play a big role in their trauma.

Finally, both characters have a spiritual connection to dragons and this plays a big role in their journeys towards self-discovery.

Aang: All this time, I thought firebending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is ... it's energy, and life.

Zuko and Aang discover the true meaning of fire from the firebending masters, the dragons themselves, legendary creatures who were thought to be dead. It’s also very thematically interesting that the dragons were thought to be wiped out by the Fire Nation, and Zuko, the prince of the Fire Nation, learns that fire doesn’t have to mean anger and pain, but that it also represents life and rebirth.

Dragons also have similar meaning for Tyrion, a meaning that increases the closer he gets to Daenerys and makes his way towards helping her cause of fighting for freedom and life. Tyrion and Dany’s connection to the dragons links them as marginalized characters and people for whom dragons represent fighting back against oppression.

“Even a stunted, twisted, ugly little boy can look down over the world when he's seated on a dragon's back."

And thus, in both narratives, we see fire representing the potential for destruction and the desire for power, and we see disempowered and marginalized characters who seek to obtain this power but also have potential to hurt others because of the ways they have been hurt, but then the narrative flips that meaning on its head, showing that it’s possible to recover from trauma, that a person doesn’t have to be defined by anger and pain. And ultimately, that’s what’s compelling about these sorts of characters, regardless of how our struggles are similar or different than the characters we watch or read about or whether we get to see them fail or succeed.

#tyrion lannister #zuko #valyrianscrolls #asoiaf meta #avatar the last airbender #atla meta

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daughterofsarenrae · 5 years ago

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I ran out of text but I wanted to say I'd love to hear about your character(s) too!!

!! ok!! I’ll pick the ones I’m playing rn as opposed to the uhhhhhhh.... definitely less than 20 others

Nihility (& Sil!) She’s a tiefling ranger with antlers instead of horns! Sil (short for Siluareneth) is her giant weasel companion who has NO self preservation instincts and loves to stress Nihi and I out. Nihility is an archaeologist and she has no people skills. Nihility isn’t actually her name; her greed and recklessness led to the death of several people while exploring some ruins and so the group she studied under took her name away (like erased it from all of her research). She has to achieve something that will counteract those deaths & contribute to the knowledge of the world before she will regain the right to her name. I play her in tomb of annihilation which is very stressful... she’s actually my second character in this campaign (rip Citrine!!) but I love her v much. Also she’s terrified of children bc one of the people who died in the ruins was a child, so now she’s afraid to let herself be near them bc she worries she’s gonna fuck something up and lead to them dying too... which is fun bc one of our PC’s is a child :)) rip Nihi

Mykitas they’re evil as fuck!! super fun to play even though i had to betray 2 of my best friends last session. They’re an alseid, which is like a centaur except instead of human+horse they’re elf+deer. They’re a circle of spores druid, so picture an albino alseid with tons of fungus growing across their antlers. Their whole thing is decay as the beginning of the life cycle, getting rid of the old to make room for the new. They have a twin brother named Miasma and a dwarf who idolizes them both named Orion and their goal is to kill Artemis and take her place as the deity of the moon and the hunt!! We’re in the middle of the final battle (this was supposed to be a 2-shot but we’re gonna have our 5th session in the next week or two lol) and Mykitas has turned on the other PCs who want to save Artemis so we’ll see who wins!! (SPOILER ALERT it’s probably them because listen. I’ve done the math. Mykitas’ average roll (without modifiers) across 4 sessions totaling at least 14 hours of play is an 8.4. I’ve rolled more nat 1′s than I have rolled above a 10. Mykitas is a GARBAGE ROLLER and they can’t do ANYTHING right r i p). They’re super ambitious and don’t really give a fuck about consequences. The end justifies the means is 100% their motto

Alula I play her in a pathfinder game (hopefully, it’s starting to look like it might fall through?) she’s a sylph oracle but more importantly, she’s a glass merchant! Her parents blow glass and make pretty things and she’s just trying to share that with everyone :) She’s super sweet and happy and I love her. Also, she’s haunted... but I’m sure that’s fine, right??

Professor Ursa (& unnamed bat familiar) Another tiefling!! She’s a divination wizard. She’s also a professor of magical astronomy. She has a bat familiar who hangs around from her horns. It’s unclear bc we haven’t played yet but I’m trying to convince my friends to have their characters attend the same school and be her students. She’s super smart and has high charisma but has NO wisdom. Imagine Ms Frizzle but fantasy & obsessed with stars. I’m playing her in a oneshot...but maybe more in the future bc I really like her

#thanks for the ask!#captain-holly #i didn't get into my monster of the week characters bc this post was long enough already... but i have Many of Them too #and tons more dnd characters #but I dm so i dont get to use them often unless I make them npcs :')#oc: nihility #oc: mykitas #oc: alula #oc: ursa #bel speaks

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firenationskydominion · 7 years ago

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Ch 10: The Psychoanalysis of Ozai

The smell of licorice was in the air. Ozai knew the tea, Emperor’s Dream. How fitting. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He was lying face down on a wooden Balinesian massage table and the hands of two pretty Spanish girls were trying to loosen his back. He hated New Age music, but he tried to ignore it as well as he could. When he opened his eyes he saw a bowl with Firelilies. He was content. He almost felt like a Firelord again. It was so warm and damp he almost fell asleep. He thought about the moment when they had arrived on the island. In the middle of the night their pod had descended into the bay and had landed on water.

A athletic young man with blond hair and a broad smile had picked them up with a boat. His name was Jorge and he and his lover Javi were Myas go-to-guys for everything. Driving, housekeeping, tickets to the clubs and more exotic wishes. They had taken the superfast speedboat to the tiny private beach and walked up a narrow path through a ravine. Finally, they saw the house on top of the hill. Music was coming from the pool deck. Mya had asked Javi about the music and he told her that Klaus the Hippie Hermit was having a nude midnight swim. Mya burst out in laughter.

M: A great welcome for you, my love! A naked hermit in the pool to welcome us! Hermits bring good luck, I only hope he showered before skinny dipping...

O: Who is this hermit?

M: Oh, he lives in our pirate cave. He’s a mindbender.

Ozai was deeply confused. They entered the house. He saw the terrace, the pool deck with the infinity pool and his room! The room was exactly like in the simulation and yet there were subtle differences. There was no robotic sphere. They went out and were greeted by an old naked man with long grey dreadlocks in which he had knotted pink, yellow and blue beads. He was tanned and his skin looked like meat jerky. He had pale blue eyes.

M: Hallo Klaus! Was geht ab? How are you?

Mya hugged the old man and Ozai could not help but stare at his dangling private parts.

K: Getting old, but a midnight swim gets my juices flowing again. And who is this handsome man you bring here. He’s a bit tense, ey? I used to be as handsome as him in younger years. Don’t look at me like that, son! We in Germany call this FKK, free body culture. Doing everything naked, even work and gardening.

Ozai was surprised, taken aback and amused at the same time.

O: I like your attitude. You are a real hermit?

K: Not quite, in summer I am here, I live in Myas cave. In Winter I am in Düsseldorf and work as a psychoanalyst. I am specialized in treating narcissistic personality disorders, people with inflated egos and a tendency to use violence.

O: ... oh, ok.

K: Mya calls me a mindbender. I hope to see you at one of the Vedic chants or for a tantric healing therapy. Ozai, yes? You are a great looking man! You should get naked! The gay boys will freak out and the girls will chase you.

O: Tantric... that’s sex, isn’t it?

K: Sensual, not just sexual. Feeling yourself is the first step to feeling others. So, now I have to get the mats, we’ll start the chant soon. Tschüssi und bis gleich!

Klaus ran off and Ozai watched his tanned wrinkly body disappear in the house.

Ozai was in the shower when he looked out of the window and saw a group of beautiful girls in Bikinis walk towards the pool deck. They had feathers in their hair and flower wreaths on their head. Mya greeted them. She wore the same attire. Mya came to fetch him and they went up to the roof. The Milky Way stretched out over them. Klaus was sitting on the floor in the lotus position.

K: Before we start with our vedic chant I want to thank Mya for her hospitality today and I’d like to introduce Ozai. Ozai, please tell us something about yourself!

O: Ehm... I am Ozai... I... bend fire, I used to be the ... Firelord, and I am Myas husband...

Everyone was shocked and silent. Then they all jumped up, ran to Ozai and hugged him and Mya like crazy, they also took off all clothes including ours. The smell of incense and body oil was in the air.

Klaus bid us all to sit and started his chant. We girls all joined in. Ozai looked amused. Then we girls joined each other to in pairs to make love. Ozai seemed a bit overwhelmed. Seeing six girls and Mya pleasure herself blew his mind and he watched in amazement. Everything became brighter. Ozai saw a halo around Klauses head. It was the sun rising directly behind Klauses back. We had honoured our goddess Tanit, and she had received us well on the island.

Eventually, when the sun was up, all the girls ran to their cars, they’d have to catch up on sleep before their shifts started in the clubs mid-afternoon.

Ozais massage was over and the memories of the orgy on top of the roof had lifted his spirits. He got dressed in white linen, came out of the massage pagoda, and stepped out into the orange orchard. A long swimming pool ran through the orchard lined by ponds full of water lilies, Lotuses and singing frogs. It was paradise. He picked a ripe orange and started to peel it. Mya had driven him here, somewhere inland. The place was beautiful. He got comfy on a daybed and wondered why Mya had brought him here.

The day after arrival Mya had informed him that he still in therapy and that he would do a week long test with Klaus. He had argued with her, but she convinced him in the end. So a few hours after breakfast Ozai grudgingly descended the stone steps to the ravine and joined Klaus in his cave. The cave was filled with carpets, cushions and a bed. Mya had told him that the test would take seven days in which he‘d be living with Klaus. Surprisingly Klaus was wearing floating white cotton clothes that day and looked like an old sage. He offered Ozai a Maté tea from a pumpkin bowl with a metal straw. He felt a bit silly sipping the tea in a cave, but he was awake and present instantly.

O: So this is where you live...

K: Yes, it was used by smugglers and pirates as a hiding spot. We found old muscets and daggers stashed in here, but no treasure. And then came the hippies.

O: Mya told me about them. And the herb they smoked.

K: I have some. If you‘re nice, I‘ll share it with you.

Klaus had told him to make himself comfortable on the carpets and cushions and to close his eyes.

O: So what is this test about?

K: Ozai. The test is about Ozai and Ozai alone.

O: Then I hope to pass with flying colors!

K: We will see. Let‘s start. I will ask a question, you will answer. Ok?

O: Sounds good.

K: Be honest with me, I’ll feel your lies like punches.

O: ... very well then.

K: Fine. Tell me about yourself. Who are you?

O: I am Ozai, Firelord of the Fire Kingdom, driven into exile by my son Zuko and my brother Iroh. I lost the battle against the Avatar. I reconciled with my brother, but my son hates me.

K: How many children do you have?

O: A daughter and a son.

K: Which one was first born?

O: My son.

K: And yet you named your daughter first.

O: She is like me, energetic, goal driven, she sees the big picture and is mature enough to make hard decisions.

K: You love her?

O: .... yes, I do. I failed her, but I love her.

K: How did you fail her?

O: She and her mother, my former wife, did not get along well. I should have intervened earlier.

K: Tell me about your former wife...

O: What is there to tell. Marriage arranged to honor tradition, families and she seemed nice. I loved her, or so I thought. But she left me for another man.

K: Painful to lose someone like that.

O: ....

K: Tell me about your mother.

O: ...

K: Too painful? Let‘s do a break.

Ozai and Klaus drank more tea. Then Klaus handed him a bong shaped like a dragon.

K: Smoke this, it will liberate your heart.

O: If so, tread carefully on what you see.

He inhaled. Ozai was used to Fire Nation smoke rituals, but not used to smoking weed. He coughed hard.

O: I am feeling as light as a feather!

K: Lie down again, let me hold your hand and then we try again.

O: Very well.

K: Your mother...?

O: She was from a noble family and totally immersed in her job as first lady. She never really took care of me. I was actually raised by a maid and nurse called Elua. Elua stayed by my side all my life. I was not allowed to acknowledge her, but I think she loved me like a spoilt son.

One day they told me my mother had died. I hadn‘t seen her for weeks before that. Elua took care of me. When Ursa left, she cooked me her home made broth. Poor people‘s food, but I was touched by it.

K: Where is Elua now?

O: She is spying for me in the palace. I took good care of her, she has nice quarters and is looked after for life.

K: Do you miss her?

O: She is a servant, I am not supposed to fraternise with her.

K: If she was here, would you treat her like a mother?

O: She is a traditionalist, a true royalist, she‘d be terrified. But I would love to just give her a hug.

K: So Ursa was the only person you could embrace?

O: She and my children when they were small.

K: And then they all deserted you.

O: Not my daughter.

K: Did you hug her?

O: No...

K: Why not?

O: We are not such emotional people...

K: Your Ex-wife?

O: Don‘t get me started. All theatrical outbursts...

K: Classic mismatch. And Mya?

O: She is cold blooded and yet very physical. She touched my hand when we first talked, she‘ll come and hug me for no reason, when she thinks I might need one. She is loving, but she is commander and quite a war horse in battle. I love her, but sometimes... I fear her. It‘s a new experience for me to be with such a strong woman. And I trust her, even if I were a fool to do so.

K: Do you like it?

O: I love it. I feel truly loved and cared for. For the first time in my life. I see that she loves me in many little gestures. Sometimes she watches my sleep, or she checks in on me.

They had talked about the nature of love, about different perspectives and Ozai became aware for the first time how different perceptions of the same situation could be to different people. They ate stale bread and fruit, he slept on the floor. He missed Mya badly, knowing that she was so close and yet chose to ignore him, saddened him even more. He had expected her to drop by to check in on him, but she didn’t come. Yet every day a small bird came and brought him a tiny note of love from her.

The next day Klaus gave him a neoprene suit and told him they‘d shift through the bay for plastic trash. The bay was shallow, but the water was cool in early May. They found fish, an octopus and even a stingray. At the end they had several bags full of trash. Ozai was shocked. Was this the price of development? After a week with Klaus doing odd jobs all over Ibiza and extensive psychoanalysis sessions in the cave Ozai was very introspective. He walked up to the house alone. Mya was waiting for him.

We kissed and hugged.

O: You didn‘t check up on me...

M: No, you‘re a big boy and some battles you must fight alone. I met up with Klaus before the sessions and I watched you from afar without interfering. And I sent my tweetybird. Are you disappointed that I put my trust in you to pass Klauses test?

O: If you put it like this... and I loved your kinky little notes.

We retreated to our bedroom where we caught up on all the missed pleasures of that lonely celibatory week.

I saw in his eyes that something had changed. He had progressed yet he was vulnerable in this state. And I had bad news for him. To easen the arrival of the message I took him to a special place inland to relax.

#Ozai #Firelord Ozai #ATLA #fire lord zuko #Ursa

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collecting-stories · 7 years ago

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Caregiver - Arthur Shelby

Hey, I requested the Arthur sobriety one and I have to say I love it!!! Could you do one where Arthur has to take care of his girlfriend? Maybe she gets injured in some way and has to take pretty hardcore pain meds for it and she gets loopy and high and he looks after her (sweet and caring and worried arthur!!) Ta

Caregiver - Arthur Shelby

The weight of the chair shifted, the one crooked leg on the frame hitting the ground briefly and then righting itself, as Arthur stood up. He had taken the chair from the kitchen and carried it up the stairs, positioning himself right beside your bedroom door. Tommy had called a private doctor to come by the house and look after you. His claim that a hospital would be too much for you was true. You had suffered a rather terrifying fall from a horse earlier in the afternoon and John, who had been with you at the time, had rushed you home. It was only after he'd gotten home that they had chosen to break the news to Arthur.

"You didn't fucking think it was a good idea to tell me she'd gotten injured?" Arthur had shouted, fist banging against the table.

Tommy only sat there, unaffected by his brother's outburst. John was standing by the china cabinet, trying not to look Arthur in the eyes. He was solely filled with guilt for not alerting his brother sooner.

"So that you could do what Arthur? Throw a tantrum while the doctor looks after her?" Tommy asked.

"I should be in there!" Arthur shouted.

"Maybe Tom's right, you need to let the doctor do his job." John finally spoke up. The suggestion from his younger brother seemed to relax the muscles in his back. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

Not wanting to feel completely helpless he ended up sitting in the hallway, waiting on the doctor to come out. His foot thumped against the floor repeatedly as his leg shook. All he wanted to do was go back downstairs and raid the cabinet by the sink for a drink. But he hadn't had a lick of alcohol in nearly three months and he wasn’t going to start now, he would have to battle through his nerves alone while he waited. When the doctor came out Arthur bolted from the chair, immediately asking how you were.

"I've given her some medication to ease the pain. Nothing too severe, though there may be a change in her mood. Tends to increase the good mood." The doctor stated. Arthur knew exactly what kind of pain medication the doctor was referring to.

You drank occasionally. Sitting around with his brothers and Ada you would have a drink or two but you had never partaken in drugs of any kind. You took no medicines from the doctors nor did you try anything recreationally. Arthur knew you must've been in awful pain if you had accepted the medication from him.

He left the chair in the hallway and walked into the room to see you laying in bed. At the sound of the door creaking you shifted, turning your attention to Arthur and smiling immediately.

"Arthur," You reached your hands out to him and he complied, taking a seat on the bed and leaning over to hug you.

"How are you feeling love?" He asked, "Tommy says you fell from the horse."

You weren't entirely sure what the doctor had given you but you were feeling better than okay. Honestly you felt a little like you were floating, if that was the right word for it. Your whole body felt light as a feather and any pain you'd previously had was gone.

"It was really high up," you replied, leaning over to peep over the edge of the bed, as if to demonstrate the height of the horse.

"Well it's a horse, now come on, stay in bed." Arthur took your upper arms, moving you back to lay comfortably on the bed.

"Will you lay with me?"

"Course." His jacket and hat were off quickly and he toed off his shoes before climbing into bed beside you. He laid on top of the covers, trying not to disturb you.

"Arthur, Arthur," You meant to whisper but it came out as more of a shout as you leaned over as close to him as you could and smacked his arm. "Arthur."

"I'm right here." He replied, placing an arm around you and settling you against him.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" You asked, fluttering your eyes at him. "Or that I think your moustache is incredibly silly looking."

"I'll let that one go," Arthur replied, "since, as I recall, you were quite fond of it the other day."

"Well it's incredibly ticklish." You demonstrated by trying to manoeuvre yourself in a way that would allow you to rub your cheek against his face. When that didn’t work you simply lifted your arm and brushed your fingers along the facial hair.

"How about I make you some tea?" He asked, taking your wrist in his hand and pulling your arm away from his face.

"How many freckles have you got on your face?" You asked, rolling onto your stomach and trying to scoot up again to inspect your boyfriend's face up close.

"I don't know love," Arthur replied, trying shuffle away from you. He knew that if he stayed there in bed with you that you would continue on. You needed to rest and you weren't getting any rest with him in bed.

"There must be a million." You concluded. You managed to fix yourself in a way that Arthur was trapped beneath you. Carefully, you held his cheeks in your hands and brought your face close to his, your nose touching his own. "This one looks like a constellation." You moved your face slightly, giving yourself the ability to kiss each little freckle that, in your drug addled mind, made up ursa major.

"I'm sure it does." He laughed lightly, kissing your chin.

You continued your show of affection, kissing down his cheek to his chin, tracing an imaginary line down his neck to the collar of his shirt where his freckles disappeared. "You have so many..." Your hands snuck their way up to his shirt, fingers beginning to unbutton each button, from collar to navel.

"Darling," Arthur made a grab for your hands, holding them securely before you could even get down further than his chest. "why don't we get some rest?"

"I'm not tired." You replied. "I just want to count all your freckles. They're lovely. Like little kisses all over your skin."

"Well you can count them tomorrow once you've rested." Arthur promised. He shifted again, this time able to move you so that he could get out of bed. "Let me get you a cup of tea."

"Alright, then you'll lay with me?" You asked, reaching out a hand for him.

"Of course love." He promised, holding your hand.

Arthur love...his freckles are adorable.

#peaky blinders imagine #arthur shelby imagine #collecting stories imagine

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diamond-song42 · 7 years ago

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Pone Reviews 37: Applebuck Season Welcome back my friends to the Pone that never ends! I'm going back to Season 1 for an episode about a background pony. It is an episode that helped set some of the foundation for an Apple horse. It gave a grey Pegasus her first lines. It set a standard for what it can mean to be a hard worker. That's right, it's "Applebuck Season!" Let's dive right in! We start with a moral. "Don't try to do everything yourself and accept your friends' help when they offer it." Aw, that's sweet. The writers don't want you to overwork yourself. For an early episode, the lesson certainly spans both younger and older generations. Guys, I get it. Work can be tough. Whether it's applied to your job, your home, or even your family, it's important to not push yourself too much. Season 7's "A Health of Information" gives a variant of this lesson. More importantly, however, you should be willing to ask for and accept help. Applejack, like many of us, has her own way of doing things. She isn't too willing to accept help due to her pride. And reasonably so: The Apples are the most (if only) apple farmers in Equestria and Applebuck Season is their most important time of year. But it's a lot of work and one pony can't handle it all on her own. See what can happen when you overwork yourself and don't accept help? You can injure yourself or your flying friends and poison a whole town. Don't be like Applejack. Accept your friends' generous offers. They didn't offer assistance to undermine you; they did it because they love you. Plot-wise? "Friendship is Magic" gave us a base for our Mane 6's character traits. This episode expanded on Applejack's base. Traits that have stuck with her throughout the show. She's a hard worker. And I mean a REALLY hard worker. She's stubborn and doesn't budge on her views. You could consider it part of her character's "core." And just what are some episodes where these traits have been revisited and especially stressed? "Family Appreciation Day." "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000." "Leap of Faith." "PPOV." Most (if not all) of the season openers and closers. This episode planted the roots of who we know to be Applejack today. But that's not all: It also plants some roots about the Apple family as a whole. "Friendship is Magic" and "The Ticket Master" didn't do much to establish the Apple family's importance. But this episode implies that the Apple family *really* does business with apple products, not just hosting family reunions or setting up small booths at parties. Applebuck Season is their business season. No wonder it's important to AJ! She wants to keep her farm afloat. So this episode establishes great bases for both the Element of Honesty bearer and her farm. Here's some more things I appreciated about this episode: *Big Mac is a great big brother. That's what a big brother should be. *Winona! Such a good puppo helping Applejack herd cows. Wonder if the writers are fans of the Judds? *mmmMuffins *The size of that farm never ceases to amaze me. *I bet Sweet Apple Acres apple juice tastes amazing. The ponies look so cute drinking it. And here's some things I didn't: *Say it with me, everypony: HORSES CANNOT VOMIT. Those poisoned ponies should be dead. Also, how are we still trusting Applejack and Pinkie Pie after this incident? *Applejack is the best friend a pony could have? You don't know that. You've known her for four episodes! *For a show that stresses Big Mac doesn't have a lot to say, he sure had quite a bit to share here. *Oh come on. You can get all the apples off MULTIPLE trees just with magic? You don't need the non-unicorns at all! You don't even need Apple family members! *Wait, if Applejack got an award for diverting a stampede, why didn't Twilight get an award for stopping the Ursa Minor? Or for luring the Cerberus back to Tartarus? Or ALL THE MANE 6 for defeating the Bugbear? Seems a little unfair. Overall: A relatively good episode with the roots of character development and the ignorance of horse anatomy. Eeyup. 3.75 out of 5 rainbows 🌈🌈🌈% And there you have another Pone Reviews! Come back tomorrow for an episode featuring a zebra. A rhyming zebra. Tired so I have no rhymes myself. Diamond out!

#mlp:fim #mlp #my little pony #mlp: friendship is magic #applejack #apple #applebuck season #mlpseason1 #buy some apples #muffins #derpy #mmm muffins #big mcintosh #big mac #pone reviews

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caddy-crystal-queen · 7 years ago

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Wolf’s Heart

So I got a new story idea I wanted to show you guys. If you like it, I’ll continue it. It’s basically a fantasy AU where Ezra is captured by a werewolf and has to learn more about it in order to save the village he grows up in. It’ll swap character’s POV, but it’ll be in first person. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy! :D

Chapter 1. Ezra

Everyone who grew up in the village knew about the wolf. The village elders claimed the land was cursed, that a deal with a demon of sorts had been made. Once a month, the wolf would take a tribute, a sacrifice of sorts, and in exchange leave the villagers at peace. For years, it went that way. Some say the uneasy peace lasted centuries even. But after so many years, the wolf added another condition. Once every seven years, on the night of the Blood Moon, a human had to be offered to the wolf from a family of its choosing. It was usually at random and the wolf would only accept young children. The village lived in fear of the night before the blood moon, when a newborn or toddler was to be taken from the poor family.

Nobody to this day knows what happened to those kids. Most assume they’re eaten. The families with lost loved ones grieved, but like in all things, life went on. Besides the whole haunted by a wolf thing, the village itself was rather safe. The population wasn’t all that big and everyone knew everyone. We have festivals and fairs, and we celebrate special occasions. All in all, it was actually a nice place to live.

I was adopted when i was eight by Kanan and Hera Jarrus, who ran their own farm in the village. While we were relatively well off, we preferred to do all the work ourselves. Sometimes we got help from relatives who were just coming to visit, like uncle Zeb and Aunt Ahsoka. But visits from there were rare and far between. We liked keeping busy, despite the time consuming work. I loved the animals too. We had horses, a few cows, a small herd of goats, and even a couple pigs. My job was mostly cleaning out pens and feeding the animals. Every so often I’d also collect some eggs for Hera from the small flock of chickens we had. I sometimes even got to help Kanan with repairs on pens and some machinery. Those were the best times to me really.

But when I wasn’t working, I sometimes took walks around the village or spent time with my friend Sabine. She came from a family of hunters and they themselves had a personal vendetta against the Wolf. From what I heard, one of her mother’s closest friends was killed by the Wolf. It had marked her door the night before a Blood Moon, but she refused to give the baby to it. The village learned what happened when you didn’t obey the wolf. It killed the mother and stole the son by force, and the boy hadn’t been seen since. The woman and her child were Sabine’s godmother and god brother. Ever since, it was clan Wren’s mission to find and kill the beast.

Our door was marked last month, and everyone knew it. My family and I were shunned for the most part, but Clan Wren didn’t. Ursa Wren, Sabine’s mother, knew how close we were, and offered to help our family if we needed anything. So far though we were making it. I found Sabine training as usual after a hard day’s work with the animals.

“So...are you guys ready for tonight?” Sabine asked when she saw me and put her new silver blade away. “We’ll be alright. It’s just Wolf Night. The Blood Moon isn’t for another year” I remembered, “Kanan’s putting a goat to the post for tonight”.

In the center of the village were a pair of man made structures. The first was huge, sturdy wooden pole where animals were tied to once a month. The other was an altar like structure where kids and babies were left every seven years. In all the years I lived here, I never once saw grass grow in that area, not even in the best seasons.

“Hopefully that all stops tonight” Sabine gazed at the pole intensely, “No one should have to lose anything to that monster”. “Are you sure you guys are ready?” I asked, “I mean that thing’s probably ancient and seen all the traps in the books”. “We have actual silver this time. A cut from a blade or dagger should be more than enough. We may not even have to actually stab it or anything”. “Sometimes I wonder why it hunts us”. “Because it’s a cowardly monster”. “Well yeah I know that but have you ever wondered why it’s here, what it wants? Some actually say it can talk”. “Ezra, I hate to tell you this, but it doesn’t want to talk. If it did, I’m sure a better understanding could possibly be made but for us it’s a monster, a beast that needs slaying”. “But what if it actually did? I think it’d be kinda interesting to hear its side of things. I’m not saying I like what it does, I’m just curious I guess”. “Well you know what they say about curiosity...just don’t tell that to Chopper” Sabine joked and I cracked a smile, “But in all seriousness, this isn’t some dog that can be captured and tamed. It’s a giant wolf that feasts on the flesh of the innocent. It has to be stopped, and if not by us then who?”

I wanted to say something else but Hera called for me. “Ezra! It’s time to come in! Sun’s almost down”. “Alright, be there in a minute” I turned and hugged Sabine, “Just be safe okay? Try not to get killed”. “I’ll be fine” she hugged me back. “I’ve been training for this for years. I promise I’ll bring the village back its head”.

I believed it but I still worried for Sabine. I watched from my room as Kanan tied a goat to the pole. Tonight I hoped to see the Wolf, alive or dead. The sun went down and a haunted eerie silence fell over the village. The silence was only broken as a single lonely howl sounded from the forest of coniferous trees somewhere in the distance. I sighed and worry made my stomach turn. It wasn’t that I didn’t have faith in Sabine or her training. I just couldn’t bear the thought of my friend dying by the creature’s fangs. When I was sure Kanan and Hera were asleep, I grabbed the hunting knife Kanan gave me for my birthday and carefully climbed out the window. I heard a harsh meow and turned to see Chopper staring at me on the front porch. Chopper was our resident mouse catcher, an orange tabby who wandered freely around the farm, and he seemed to be berating me.

“What? You expect me let Sabine get killed? If things get to be too bad, I’ll run straight inside okay? I promise”.

Chopper meowed and blinked, unconvinced. I sighed and facepalmed.

“Whatever...” I took off with only the big full moon as my only light.

The goat was still secured to the pole when I hid behind the altar. All I could possibly do now is wait and see what happened...

#fanfic #star wars #Star wars fanfic #Star Wars AU #fantasy #werewolf #ezra bridger #sabine wren

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