#thetpot

[my-cabbages-gorl]

Captured

zukaang doodle series

Inspired by one of the best zukaang fics ever written- Dancing on Tiptoes by @thetpot (find on Ao3 you won’t regret it)

[woodlaflababab]

Hii hello! I love your Zukaang blog a lot!!

I was just wondering if you’ve read that Zukaang fic where Aang had avoided going back to the Fire Nation for a year and everyone was gossiping as to why and they finally get together? I tried looking for it but I couldn’t find it and I’m worried it’s deleted and I don’t think I downloaded it either 😭😭 Im like frantic trying to look for it and I’m like hoping and praying you know about it

Hello!

Funnily enough, I'm not the one who recognized this fic, it was @atnak16 in the zukaang discord server after you sent this ask to someone else. I'm just saying that because I want to extend an invite to you. We're always welcoming new discord members if you're ever looking for another fic.

Anyway, atnak suggested it may be "after the flame, a pause" by TheTPot, Let us know if they were right!

[god-of-dust]

WIP last lines tag game

thank you for the tag @limonium-anemos 💕

rules: share 7 (or more) lines of a WIP you've been working on.

this is from a tomarrymort wip i started ages ago, where tom is a necromancer and harry is the master of death. i have no idea if i'll ever finish it because the plot didn't make much sense as it was, but!!! i reread it a few days ago and i actually liked it, so here it is:

“Ginny Weasley. My friend is coming, I can ask him to relay your message to Cho.”

Tom takes the proffered hand and shakes it. She's saving him from tedious bureaucracy, so she definitely deserve the last dregs of politeness Tom still carries after the interaction with the Welcome Witch. “Tom Riddle.”

Her eyebrows furrow for a moment, then her expression clears as if she's had a big revelation. “The Gaunt heir?”

“What?”

“Because if you are that Tom Riddle, and I don't think there are many others with that name, then my friend will want to meet you too. He's been looking for you for a while.”

“Why is an Auror looking for me?” Tom's made sure that any blatantly illegal act he's performed in England has been concealed to perfection; besides, his consulting work with the Unspeakables gives him a certain amount of room to play with, as long as he doesn't maim or murder anyone or try to overthrow the Ministry.

Well, he hasn't murdered in a long time, and as soon as the thought crosses his mind he tightens his Occlumency shields on instinct.

“You can ask him. He's right over there.”

But Tom doesn't need to look, doesn't need to be told who her friend is. Death has crossed the protection wards and it's reverberating through Tom's core, submerging him in still waves.

tagging: @the-cloud-whisperer, @richardcampbellganseytheiiird, @thetpot, and whoever wants to do this!

[praetorqueenreyna]

2022 AO3 Year-End Fic Review

Decided to make an AO3 fic roundup questionaire for 2022! Answer all the questions for yourself, then tag some friends!

1. What is your AO3 account?

I'm at LittleQueenTrashMouth on AO3!

2. How many words did you write total in 2022?

I wrote 45,199 words in 2022, for 5 different fandoms! It's fewer words than I wrote the past two years, but WAY more fandoms! I think 2020 and 2021 I exclusively wrote for ATLA.

3. How many fics did you publish in 2022? How many multichapters vs oneshots?

I published 15 fics in 2022! 4 of those are multi-chapter fics, the remaining 11 are oneshots.

4. What was your longest fic? Your shortest fic?

My longest fic for 2022 is my ongoing ACOTAR Tamlin/Lucien fic, lovely and lonely. It's currently at 13,345 words, and STILL GROWING! My shortest fic is modern swinger, a maizukaang fic that I've only written one chapter of (and probably won't write a ton more of I'M SORRY). It's at 791 words. My shortest complete fic is a maizula oneshot I wrote for Mai Week! It's ladies first, baby, I insist, and it's 1,226 words.

5. What was your most popular fic? Your least popular fic?

Most popular fic is my Cassie/Maddie fic, cupcakes, that is at 2,798 hits. My least popular fic is the Tamlin/Rhysand fic I just posted, chimera, which is at 65 hits. WHICH IS FAIR bc it's for a rarepair and it's only been up for a few days!

6. What fic didn’t perform as well as you thought it would?

I would say my maiko Palm Springs AU born lost, which I also wrote for Mai Week. IDK like not to toot my own horn, but I am very proud of this fic and how I managed to incorporate the complexity of the movie Palm Springs into a oneshot that still feels real to Maiko. It was fun having all the different ships, all the cheating, and all the existentialist nihilism that an endless time loop scenario creates. And it's at 317 hits lmao.

7. What fic performed way better than you thought it would?

My first Sandman fic, in the gutter, which focuses on Calliope's recovery after she was imprisoned. esp after spending so long in ATLA fandom, where readership and comments are really low, it got so much love! Somebody even made a podfic for it (LISTEN HERE it's amazing I love this person's voice!) which was like. SO meaningful and sweet!! SANDMAN FANDOM YOU THE REAL ONE ILY!!!!

8. What was your favorite fic you wrote from 2022?

ACK this is hard, I honestly like all my fics! I'll say rebel, rebel, my Mai/Toph oneshot! I loved writing Toph as a butch masc lesbian, which is WHO SHE WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO BE!!! And the arranged marriage trope was SO fun to write for!

9. What was your favorite fic that somebody else wrote in 2022?

I mean. Everything that @lady-tortilla-chip writes is my favorite. But I'll say Do I Keep You Up At Night? is my fave fic of her's, just because the Maizula in it is SO FUCKING GOOD! IT IS EVERYTHING TO ME! PLEASE READ THIS FIC!

10. Tag your friends to have them do this year-end fic review as well!

OKIE I TAG PPL! Also if you see this and want to do it, you totally should!

@lady-tortilla-chip @thinkingisadangerouspastime @drowning-in-cacophony @thetpot @queercontrarian @isterofimias @mossytrashcan @northern-star-polaris

[god-of-dust]

#oof #and then by the time you're old enough to realize the gap in reality that your consumption of english lit has created #you go back only to realize that your reading skills in your native language have weakened so much (via @thetpot)

“The fall of a language is set in motion when [bilinguals] begin to take more seriously what they read in English. It is set in motion when, for example, they turn to English-language media to learn about critical international events and use the media of their own country only to find out the results of home sports games or follow home celebrity gossip. It's set in motion when bilinguals hurry to order a heavyweight English-language book attracting media attention before it comes out in translation, while neglecting fine books written in their own language. (Watching American or British television dramas rather than their own is not unconnected to this process.) Finally, because they have gradually become accustomed to making light of what is written in their own language, bilinguals start taking their own country’s literature less seriously than literature written in English—especially the classics of English literature, which are evolving into the universal canon. A vicious cycle then begins. The more palpable this trend becomes, the more non-English writers would feel that writing in their own language will not reach the readers they are aiming for. [...] Through the process of negative selection, writers who continue writing in their own language would be those whose books do not deserve to be called texts. This cycle, once it began, could only gain in force. Not only bilinguals but true readers of literature—not mere consumers of books—would eventually cease to expect their own language to bear the intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic burdens it once did.”

—Minae Mizumura,The Fall of Language in the Age of English, tr. Julia Winters Carpenter & Mari Yoshihara

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

if you're into it :) i wish you would write a fic where... aang and zuko's feelings for each other come to a head.

The first time they kissed, it was an accident. The second, a mistake. The third, a bad decision.

And now they were kissing again, the moon beating down like the fire roaring through Aang’s blood. His hands were in Zuko’s hair and Zuko’s hands were on his waist and they were moving fast, too fast –

Zuko was the first to pull away, though Aang swore he could still feel the heat of his friend’s lips on his. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

Aang took a moment to catch his breath before slipping his hand into Zuko’s. “I think we’re past that point.”

Zuko shook his head, weakly pulling his hand away. “No. No, we can’t.”

Aang could barely keep his disbelief from seeping into his voice. “Why? Every time we’re alone, Zuko, we end up –”

“And we shouldn’t!” Zuko ran his shaking hands through his hair. “We can’t – We can’t ruin what we have.”

Aang bit his bottom lip. “But what can we possibly have if we aren’t honest with each other?” He cupped Zuko’s face with his hand, not missing how his friend leaned ever so slightly into his touch. “Shouldn’t we stop pretending nothing has changed?”

Zuko’s gaze was fixated on Aang’s lips. Finally, he whispered, “It’s easier to pretend.”

Aang shrugged. “Maybe it is now.” He drops his hand. “But not for much longer. You know that.”

Zuko didn’t respond. Instead, he closed his eyes, leaning to press his forehead against Aang’s.

The fifth time they kiss, it is with passion, and with the knowledge that there is no going back.

[shifuaang]

if you're still doing the brutally honest takes on ships 👀

maizula and zukaang?

Thanks for the ask, lovely!

Maizula is such a spicy ship, I love it! While I haven't explored it much, I think their dynamic is extremely interesting. And I will admit that it's surprising to me that a large swath of the fandom ships Tyzula when Maizula is right there and is (in my opinion) the superior wlw ship within the group of dangerous ladies simply because there is so much to work with. You can write Mai and Azula being a thing before she got together with Zuko... which just adds so many layers to their interactions, Mai choosing Zuko over Azula, etc. And Mai being one of the only people who isn't afraid of Azula - who rebelled against her in smaller ways all throughout their time together - that's such a compelling relationship to explore over someone who idolized her like Ty Lee. I really should look into more Maizula fics and art because they are a fascinating pair.

As for Zukaang, it is such an S-tier ATLA ship! The shippers are actually the best people in the fandom and really seem to be the ones who understand Zuko and Aang as individual characters the most. I'm not super invested in Zukaang personally, but I completely understand it. It makes sense narratively and thematically, and their story and relationship within the show is one of my favorites. Zukaang honestly deserves more love and should be the most popular mlm ship in the fandom!!!

[azulaang-chakras]

happy ffwf! what fic of yours could you never have pictured writing? why? and how did you come to the point of writing it?

Hey, Tpot.

The closest answer I can give is "Confronting the Enemy" (x)

This feeling is mostly in retrospect. I'm surprised nowadays that I ever even bothered to write a fic for the sequel trilogy.

The reason I wanted to write it in the first place is ultimately from dissatisfaction. I disliked how vague the sequels were (among many things) with Kylo Ren's fall to the dark side and how his mind worked, I hated how the fandom treated Loan Tran and Rose Tico, and I was starting have problems with the trilogy as a whole. TLJ remains the strongest of the three, but given its competition that's not saying much.

The fic is, "What if Kylo accepted Rey's offer in TLJ?" My answer was to let Rose give him a piece of her mind. This interested me because Kylo would see her as 'less' than the others. Not a leader, not a fighter, not a Jedi, just an ordinary technician. Who the fuck is she to barge into my cell and tell me off? But Rose stands her ground and earns a sliver of respect from the former wannabe Sith.

I don't regret writing the fic, despite how unpopular it is. I'm just surprised in retrospect that I spent as much time on a source material I came to dislike more and more as time went on.

[middleofnowhere92]

For the ask game, could you do Zuko X Aang please? :3

Yaaas, Zukaang! Also, I’m working on your other ask. I’m just a procrastinator. 

General:

Rate the Ship -   Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? Either a few years or forever. They both get on each other’s nerves, so they would have to put in work. 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? It look them forever to figure out they were in love. 

How was their first kiss? Passionate. Cause they finally figure out that they like each other. 

Wedding:

Who proposed? Aang, Zuko has commitment issues. 

Who is the best man/men? Sokka, Toph and Azula. 

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? Katara, Ty Lee and Mai

Who did the most planning? Aang

Who stressed the most? Both!

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? Zhao and Koh the Face Stealer. Oh and Ozai. #duh

NSFW Below

Sex:

Who is on top? They switch!

Who is the one to instigate things? Aang is such a flirt. 

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? They could go awhile! Aang has high energy and Zuko is disciplined enough to hold off. 

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? I don’t think they sit there and count, but it naturally works out. 

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? 0

How many children will they adopt? 3-4

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? Both!

Who is the stricter parent? This is a tie. I could see both of them, being a little lax. Zuko would probably struggle with how strict he wants to be since his dad was King Trash Panda. 

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? N/A. They would just show them how to do it safely. “Oh, you’re jumping off the top of the slide? Bend your knees on impact mate!”

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? Aang

Who is the more loved parent? Aang, but Zuko would grow on the kids when they’re adults. 

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Aang

Who cried the most at graduation? Zuko

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? Zuko. Aang has a strong moral compass and would probably be like, ya’ll little assholes deserve it. Unless it was undeserved than Papa Aang would go grab em. 

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? Aang

Who is the most picky in their food choice? Aang

Who does the grocery shopping? Aang

How often do they bake desserts? once or twice a week

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? 50/50

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? Zuko does big gestures to make up for the fact that he’s not super affectionate. 

Who is more likely to suggest going out? Aang

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? Both. #himbos. 

Chores:

Who cleans the room? Both. 

Who is really against chores? Aang. Zuko does it on autopilot. 

Who cleans up after the pets? Aang. 

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? Aang. 

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? Zuko

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? Aang

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? Both! Especially together..wink wink

Who takes the dog out for a walk? Aang

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? Aang decorates for all holidays. 

What are their goals for the relationship? To not annoy the shit out of each other and be happy. 

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? Aang

Who plays the most pranks? Aang. Poor Zuko

Send me a ship for the this

[foxy-knowledgeseeker]

happy ffwf! do you prefer writing oneshots or longfics? what are the best and worst parts about writing oneshots as opposed to writing longfics?

Happy ffwf!

I don't have many fics published right now, so it's hard to say what I actually prefer. I have more oneshots posted just because they are easier to get done than longfics, but I am definitely having more fun planning and writing multichapters. So I guess I prefer longfics in the end!

The best part about oneshots is that you can get them done so quickly! The worst part (for me at least) is coming up with something that looks like a plot in so little space!

The best part about writing longfics is that you can take your time fleshing out ideas. The worst part is how long it takes to finish them! Sometimes I just wish I could *poof*

my multichapter into existence!

[all-inmoderation]

chapter 8 of after the flame, a pause is up!

Zuko’s voice cut through the roar of Aang’s thoughts. “I should have invited you to my meetings these past two days,” he said haltingly. “I broke with tradition and I shouldn’t have. Things are… different now.”

“Your people think I’m an Earth Kingdom agent?” Aang said with a humorless laugh.

“Some probably do.”

Aang searched for the joke in Zuko’s delivery and didn’t find it. “If we’re talking about breaking with tradition, I sort of broke it first by not visiting for a year.”

Zuko’s smile came easier as he said, “There is no tradition of the Avatar visiting the Fire Nation in anyone’s living memory. Tradition is what we’ve made it in the past ten years. Maybe the Avatar just takes a year off every ten years. There’s a new tradition.”

Aang laughed. “That’s generous.”

“I have a meeting with Zhang Wei tomorrow. You should join us,” Zuko said.

The question rose unbidden to Aang’s tongue. “Are you doing this because Ursa asked you to?”

Alarm spread over Zuko’s face before a flush of embarrassment rose to join it. “Has she been talking to you too?”

“No, I just… heard some things.”

“Suki,” Zuko said matter-of-factly and didn’t wait for confirmation before pushing on. “No, it’s not just because of my mother. It’s the right thing to do. I was angry, maybe I still am, but…” He sighed and glanced up at Aang, as if for help.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” Aang said.

[6doodlaang14]

Feelings are hard :(

[god-of-dust]

last line tag

You know the drill: post a sneak peak from a WIP (favorite/last line/almost abandoned, dealer’s choice lol)

thank you for the tag, @thetpot! ♥ this one is from the tomarry wip i’m currently working on, called ask politely:

Harry’s met his fair share of criminals, most of them immersed in the vilest and Darkest magic they could get their hands on. Even from this brief interaction, his gut is positively screaming that Tom Riddle is indeed someone who deals in blood and venom and death. People are afraid of him, and they very well should.

Harry is not afraid. He is intrigued.

Scratch that, he thinks, as his eyes trace the angles of Riddle’s elegant, gorgeous face, the delicate wave of hair falling over his forehead, the barest hint of a smile on his lips—blink and you’ll miss it. I’m way too interested.

[zukaangweek]

Zukaang Week 2022: Rules, Prompts, and FAQ

Thank you everyone for your prompt suggestions! The prompts have been chosen for Zukaang Week 2022, which will run July 4-July 8. Every day will have two prompts for you to choose from.

This post is intended to serve as a masterpost for the entire event. It will include the dates, prompts, rules, a FAQ, and some helpful resources! Make sure to click the read more to get ALL the information!

Prompt List

(prompt list also in image ID)

Rules

All works must focus on the romantic relationship between Zuko and Aang. Other ships are welcome, as long as Zukaang is front and center.

There are 2 prompts for each day. You can choose one or both of them to inspire your work. If none of the prompts speak to you, feel free to create your own Zukaang content. The prompts are meant to promote creativity, not restrict it!

NSFW/Mature content is allowed, as long as you tag everything appropriately. So on tumblr, that means following their guidelines for NSFW images. On AO3, that means giving your fic the appropriate rating and tags.

Any kind of creative content is allowed! Fanfiction, fanart, edits, playlists, headcanons, moodboards, ANYTHING!

(click under the readmore for FAQ and resources)

FAQ

How do I participate in Zukaang Week?

Create your content and post it on tumblr. If you post on AO3, make sure to share the link on tumblr. Also make sure to add it to the Zukaang Week AO3 collection, which will be posted about later. Tag this blog in the main body of your post (@zukaangweek). In the tags, tag “zukaang week."

If we don’t reblog your post within 24 hours, feel free to send us a message with the link! I’m sure we all know how unreliable the tumblr tagging system is, we would never intentionally not reblog someone’s post!

If I’m not a creator, how can I support Zukaang Week?

The best way to support content creators leading up to and during Zukaang Week is to let them know you support them! Reblog and comment on their work, send zukaang content into this blog for us to post, etc. We’ll be reblogging zukaang content from now up until the week itself. Supporting that work now will encourage creators for the event week itself.

Who is in charge of Zukaang Week?

This blog and the event are being run by @thetpot, @lady-tortilla-chip, @praetorqueenreyna, and @aucatgirl.

I have a question that isn’t here!

Feel free to send us asks, we’d love to hear from you all! They can be questions, headcanons, ideas, or anything else! If you have a question you’d like us to answer privately, be sure to let us know in the ask. Otherwise, all other asks will be published on our blog.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

heyy! for the fic writer ask game, i'd love to see your response to 2, 9 and 14 if you're feeling up to it :)

2. has a comment someone left on a fic of yours ever made you cry?

absolutely. i am a very soft-hearted person when it comes to people complimenting my fics T.T genuinely every comment on broken pieces still belong had me in tears or close to it because i poured a Lot into that fic and it meant so much to receive positive feedback, especially because so many of those comments were from my friends! god im gonna start crying just thinking about it T.T also, numerous comments on There's a Fine, Fine Line had me very emotional. so many people told me how they'd been searching for a flash-centric story like what i wrote; how much they appreciated my portrayal of his character, his interests, and his family life; and probably best of all were the comments where people were just incredibly excited that i headcanoned him as dyslexic and included that headcanon in the fic (be it because they were dyslexic, knew people who had dyslexia, etc.). like, every time i go reread the comments on either of those stories i just get Overwhelmed with feelings

also, special shoutout to literally every comment @drowning-in-cacophony has ever left on any of my fics. half the time her comments are more beautiful and articulate than my fic itself! love you queen 💛

9. the "you got kudos" e-mail is usually much appreciated, but is there a fic you wish you didn’t get these e-mails for? if so, which one and why?

probably my ml fic solely because those kudos remind me that i did not and likely will not finish it lmaooo sorry ml fandom

14. what trope would you refuse to write even if you were paid to do it?

i answered this already here, but another trope i can't write is anything ns.fw. at best i can write vague implications. or, as @foxy-knowledgeseeker put it, "a little spicy but like... covertly." nothing more hardcore than that lmfao

[shifuaang]

happy ffwf (pretend it's still friday)! when and how did you start writing creatively? and how do you think your style has developed over time? 😊

Happy FFWF, friend! (It's fine because I only have time to answer these after Friday anyway.)

I started writing creatively when I was a wee lass, probably all the way back when I was 7 or 8 years old. I have always loved storytelling; I think the first story I wrote was about a girl and her magical cat. 😂

I think my style has developed as I've matured just because I've been willing to explore more subject matters and do more research. Mostly I'm proud of the way my dialogue has developed. I used to write in a more generalized fashion that didn't tap into what distinguished the characters from one another. I feel like now I am good at getting into character and finding idiosyncrasies that make sense for each person.