#reminded me of you. and pianjeong

[theolddivorcedzukka]

@narrativelysignificantturtleduck

do you think old man yaoi can blossom even on a battlefield

Yes. More than anywhere else

[army-of-mai-lovers]

ATLA Fic Recs :))))))

Ok no one asked for this but I’m doing it anyway. In honor of me reaching 100 kudos on a fic for the first time, I’m doing fic recs! 

1. Spirits Help Us, There’s Two of Them by hopepunk on ao3 (not sure if they have a tumblr) ngl if I had to pick a favorite zukka oneshot at gunpoint this is probably the one I’d pick. Sokka and Zuko being weird together is just so amazingly satisfying and I love it so so much. I can barely understand what they’re talking about most of the fic but also somehow I can?? It’s weird. I love being let into their little world like this. 

2. The Family You Choose by TunaFishChris on ao3 (again, not sure if they have a tumblr) While I do love a good romantic soulmate au, let’s be honest, platonic found family ones are a million times better. I legit think about this fic all the time. Platonic gaang bonding? check. The gaang finds out about Zuko’s scar? check. A BACKSTORY FOR SUKI OUTSIDE OF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH SOKKA???? CHECK. CHECK. ALL THE WAY CHECK. I also just really love how the author develops the soulmate stuff? It’s really original (as far as I know anyway) and just really compelling. I could literally go on forever about this fic I’m OBSESSED with it. 

3. spark from a flame: courtyard rights and other tales by @pianjeong this would be a woefully incomplete list if it did not include a killer rarepair fic and this one is the literal best. I’m not going to lie, of the three rarepairs I ship (bakoda, yueki, jetko-kinda, and pianjeong), pianjeong was the one that took the longest for me to really fully ship. I liked it fine, but I didn’t really *see* it until I read this fic. It’s so soft??? Like so soft???? Jeong Jeong is also a shy icon we stan for life. The writing in this is so so pretty, and ugh the chemistry,,,,, the tension,,,,, also Jeong Jeong knowing everybody’s names and being super polite to everyone? I love him. Piandao not being impressed by someone’s celebrity? I love him. this is truly beautiful, top-tier content. 

4. paint it red, they’ll cover it up anyway by @bluberry-spicehead this fic is the reason I ship jetko-kinda. the whole kindergarten au is simply top-tier, but the jetko angle--really exploring the dynamics of it and dedicating time to watching both of them grow better--is really amazing. Plus the first chapter was from Smellerbee’s perspective and like any self-respecting ATLA Jet not-quite-apologist-but-I-do-believe-he-deserved-better I ADORE SMELLERBEE. The writing style is also super interesting and dynamic and I really just love it a lot. 

5. where we go for each other, we go together by @herglowinggirl the way I SOBBED reading this fic. the way I felt ALL THE EMOTIONS. Oh my goodness. Rangi is such a good character????? Kyoshi is such a good character???? Them???? Parenting???? You know how when you watched Lady Bird it reminded you so precisely of your exact relationship with your mother even though you’re not a cishet white girl living in Sacramento? This is that. I’m never going to be the Avatar’s Firebending master/lover/co-parent to a little girl we found on the streets but I felt this fic so deep inside my soul. It was BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN and deserves ALL THE KUDOS. 

edit: I just read the most INCREDIBLE Azula redemption arc fic and I’ve decided to add it to the list, it’s called where the stars do not take sides by WitchofEndor on ao3 (couldn’t find a tumblr). I’m not going to lie, it’s really hard for me to get into multichap fics (ironic considering I write mostly multichap), but the first chapter was so incredibly written I was like all right I have to read the second chapter and I ended up reading like eighty percent of it in one sitting and the only reason I didn’t read 100% of it in one sitting is because it was 3 am and I had class the next day. This is the first canonverse fic that I’ve read that shows Azula’s whole redemption arc (and honestly it’s only the second fic I’ve read, modern, canon-compliant, or canon-divergent, that gives Azula a redemption arc period) and it’s done so remarkably well. Seeing Azula and Zuko’s bond grow throughout was just so beautiful (the way Zuko said he didn’t want to be anywhere without Azula? I’m crying. CRYING.) Azula was just so so so well-written in this I believed every second of it (and I have HIGH STANDARDS for fics with Azula). Also obsessed with the idea that Zuko didn’t want the throne so they plan to give it to Azula, a fourteen year-old girl like wow iconic. There’s also a zukka subplot in this that’s incredibly sweet and UGH they both need to learn how to communicate my goodness.  

[hermitduck]

B, O and P for the ask game?

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

I’ve never considered several ships before (mainly I’m thinking of atla cuz its literally the only thing in mind unfortunately —) but ones I’ve never considered was either Bakodanook, azuki, tyzuko, and Teoaang. I also never considered Pianjeong, (before Poly Lotus ™️), Bumi/Kuzon, and Maitara :3

O - Choose a song at random, which ship or character does it remind you of

Can I cheat and do two for each thing?,,,

Verbatim by Mother Mother — Pakku and/or lowkey Iroh since the song kinda gives off that queer vibe and despite how straight these two can act to everyone, they’re queer to me <3

Oh Klahoma by Jack Stauber - Of course I said this before but anyways—Poly Lotus but Piandao-centric. How he always tends to the others to comfort that eventually he himself never thought to gain that comfort, constantly yet lowkey worrying for the others.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

- Ponyo aus. Specifically a Ponyo! Luca au where Alberto is Ponyo and Luca is Sosuke.

- ATLA! RWBY: I had a lot of thoughts about this one though I wanna think about it later when the next season of RWBY comes out

- A canon divergence where the White Lotus is more proactive, Zuko was saved by his uncle who got burnt in the process, the OWL leads armies to kick out fire nation ass out of towns, Jeong Jeong and Zuko go on vigilante-esque adventures, a whole lot of “making up for your war shit” and some drama ensues, and a bunch of gay tired old men caring for their 1 scared yet bratty son

- Swap! ATLA (in which adults take the kids place besides Aang still being the avatar) and Iroh takes Zuko’s place with a cruel twist to it. >:3

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

👀!

so i wanted to share some pianjeong because that’s what we’ve talked about, but honestly all my pianjeong wips are in really rough-draft stages right now and i am not ready to share them

so here’s some of a bakoda fic i’m working on, where the two of them get married because ~earth kingdom bureaucracy~:

“So whatcha think, Bato?” A playful grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he dropped to his knees and slung an arm around Bato’s shoulder. “Will you make me the happiest man in the world?” He batted his eyelashes, and for a moment, Bato was reminded of a younger man, wooing the girl from the village over. He could see how she fell for the crinkles around those bright blue eyes, the curve of his lips and the fondness in his gaze. Thoughts Bato had not allowed himself to have for years bubbled to the surface, and he frantically tried to squash them down.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said, through the new lump in his throat. “I’ll be fine.”

The grin dropped off Hakoda’s face, and his hand squeezed Bato’s shoulder. “Bato…” he said softly. “War is dangerous. You could be separated from us, and if you’re lost…” The words seemed to catch in his throat, and he looked down. “You deserve more than being some nameless soldier,” he said, his voice raspy.

Bato exhaled, and the silence hovered in the air like a moment of respect for the topic at hand. They both knew death was a possibility. It was a knowledge that hung unspoken over their entire ship, over the two of them in particular, for it had an intimate familiarity for them. But rarely did they ever push this close to it, really grapple with the reality. Bato wouldn’t know what to do with himself, if Hakoda was gone too. He would crack apart.

But Hakoda had thought about losing him, because he had to as a chief leading his men to war. He had to consider the possibility that he was leading his men to their deaths, that he might create another family with these men and then have to mourn again. He had to make the hard choices, weighing the war and his people’s lives in the balance. Bato did not envy him that.

And this – it might have seemed like a joke, and it might make Bato hope for something that would never come to be, but it was another calculated choice. The chief had weighed Bato’s life and the war effort, and come to a solution, albeit a creative one, that allowed for the best possible outcome on both fronts.

Bato sighed. “Do we know if the Earth Kingdom allows same-sex marriages?” he said.

“You’re saying yes?”

“If you’re sure about this, ‘Koda. It is legally binding.” 

“Absolutely,” Hakoda said. There was no trace of hesitation in his voice.

“Then, yes, I am. If it’s possible for us to get legally married in the Earth Kingdom by sunset, let’s do it.” 

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

not a dig on batman but this post has reminded me of another key difference: piandao does NOT have a no-killing rule. like i'm not even talking about the killed 100 soldiers part of his backstory (to me that sounds more like a rumor you'd start if you wanted to be left alone in your retirement than an actual fact) it's that his fighting style is so eminently practical. piandao doesn't do "honorable" combat he's like "yeah fucking kick dirt in your opponent's face if it'll help you win". like sure after leaving the military he doesn't kill anymore but that's because he's not in active combat not because of some personal code

you know who DOES have a personal code, though? jeong jeong. the atla artbook's translation of his wanted poster says he has "taken the most wretched path of pacifism". so basically pianjeong is atlaverse batman. piandao for the skilled non-super with a mansion & a butler & a tendency to adopt kids and jeong jeong for the moral code and broodiness.

did you think i was going somewhere serious with this. old man yaoi forever

apologies to any dc fans following me but every time i see the piandao batman comparison i'm just like yeah and piandao did all of that WITHOUT mommy and daddy's money so who's really the badass here