#volunteer au

[the-badger-mole]

The Volunteer Part 5

With Ty Lee and Haru there to help, sorting through the clothes was short work. To fill the rest of the time, they amused themselves with tossing teasing jabs at Zuko as they counted down to the end of their shift.

"Knock it off!" Zuko said, tossing a pair of balled up socks at Haru's head. "It's just dinner with a friend."

"There's a thin line between friend and friendlier," Haru snickered.

"You still have a few minutes, Zuko," Ty Lee pointed to the clock on the wall. "Don't you want to run a comb through your hair or something?" Zuko scowled at Ty Lee and reached up to touch his hair self-consciously. Ty Lee exchanged an annoyingly knowing look with Haru before guiding him out of the room.

"We should go," she stage whispered to Haru. "Zuko doesn't want us to know he cares about how he looks for Katara." Zuko found another pair of socks and threw them at Ty Lee. She only laughed harder when they hit her back, as she ushered Haru away. Zuko was still scowling after they were gone. He sniffed indignantly and picked up the socks he'd thrown, tossing them back into the pile of clothes to be washed. Then he went to the bathroom to straighten out his hair. He wore the Hama's Haven tee-shirt with an old, worn and paint spattered pair of jeans with his scuffiest sneakers. Not a great look, admittedly, but since this wasn't a date, it was fine, he thought. He made one final pass over his hair before he hurried out to meet Katara.

She was waiting in front of the building. Zuko skidded to a halt when he saw her. She had taken her hair down from it's usual braid, letting it fall all the way down her back in tumultuous waves. She also wore the light blue volunteer tee-shirt, but tucked into her jeans in a way that accentuated her soft curves. The dying light of twilight cast her in an ethereal glow, making her eyes seem to almost gleam when they landed on him. Zuko's mouth went dry, and he swallowed hard, trying to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. It wasn't fair for her to look this good after hours of working.

"You ready to go?" Katara asked, smiling up at him.

This was not a date.

"Yeah," Zuko managed to say. He led Katara to his car and opened her door for her.

"So gallant," she giggled. Zuko's face burned with embarrassment. He took a deep breath as he walked around to the driver's side and climbed in.

This was not a date.

Zuko was worried he'd have nothing to say for himself, but Katara started the conversation off and intentionally or not, never let it slow down. They spend the drive over talking about their day at the shelter. She asked about his new assignment, and apologized for it not being more exciting. Apologized that the work he was doing as punishment for a crime wasn't more engaging.

"I put you and Ty Lee down for the field trip next week," she told him. "I don't know if you'll find it interesting, but it sure won't be boring."

"When you say it like that it makes me think I should be nervous," Zuko chuckled. He chanced a look over at her and found her grinning wickedly.

"Maybe a little," she said. "But don't worry. The kids don't bite...often."

The noodle shop was a little hole-in-the-wall that Zuko had never heard of. It looked appropriately casual for two friends to have dinner after work. Still, Zuko hurried to Katara's door to open it for her, and he was pleased to see a faint blush on her bronzy cheeks.

"A girl could get used to that," she said. Zuko shrugged sheepishly and shut her door behind her.

"My uncle drilled it into me," he told her. "It's a hard habit to break. It's why I don't usually give rides in my car."

"Well, thanks for making an exception," Katara laughed.

They were seated immediately, and given menus. Katara set hers aside and took a drink from her water glass. Zuko must have looked confused because she winked conspiratorially.

"This is one of my favorite places in town," she said. "I could recite the menu in my sleep." Zuko hurried to make his own choice, and after the waiter had taken their orders, he scrambled for something half-way interesting to say.

"How long have you been volunteering at the shelter?" Zuko asked.

"Years," Katara told him. "My grandmother is one of the founders. It was actually named after a friend of my grandmother's."

"It was?"

"Yeah," Katara sighed and shook her head. "She never got to see it, though. Hama, that is. My grandma knew Hama before she moved here and married my grandfather. Gran-Gran said that she and Hama stayed in touch for a little while, but then...life happened. They reconnected a few years before Hama died, and life had been tough on her. I'll spare you the gory details, but...Hama could've used a place like the shelter. When my grandmother found her again, she was sick and homeless. Gran-Gran brought her here to live with her. After she died, Gran-Gran decided to honor her memory and started the shelter. My mom was a social worker, and she helped Gran-Gran get the shelter off the ground. My brother and I started out playing with the kids there.

"That's incredible," Zuko said. "I've been here long, but I can see how much of an impact the shelter has had. You've got to be proud of how much good your family's done."

"It's not just us," Katara said. "We've had so many volunteers and supporters helping us- helping my grandmother- make Hama's Haven happen. But, you know that. Your uncle's been one of our biggest doners since it opened."

"What?" Zuko sat up.

"Didn't you know?" Katara frowned at that. "I thought you were close. I thought you knew that was why Iroh asked the judge to assign you guys here." Zuko shook his head.

"I...I haven't spoken to my uncle in a while," he admitted. "We were close, and I know he did a lot of work with community outreach, but I never knew the specifics."

"Oh..."Katara bit her lip and looked away awkwardly. "I've met your uncle. He's a nice guy."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed with a mirthless chuckle. "He's great."

"He's really proud of you, you know." Zuko flinched at that. He was certain that Iroh was proud of him. Once.

"I miss him," Zuko admitted. Then to his surprise, Katara reached across the table and squeezed his hands.

"Talk to him," she said. "I don't know what happened, but if you talk to him about it, I'm sure you can work it out." Dumbstruck, all Zuko could do was nod. Fortunately, he was spared having to say a word by the arrival of their food.

This was not a date!

Thankfully the subject changed once the meal had arrived. Zuko learned about Katara's family (like him, she had lost her mother young. Unlike him, she had a wonderful support system in her father and brother); her plans for college (she wanted to continue her grandmother and mother's work in community outreach and social justice); what she liked to do in her free time (she keeps incredibly busy between after school activities and the center, but she was an avid ice skater, hiker and had started taking scuba lessons). Zuko found her fascinating. She was nothing like the stuck up brown noser he and his sister had been certain she was.

She asked about Zuko, too, but aside from school and a couple of extracurriculars, he had little to say about himself. He didn't want to talk about his family, and he was grateful when Katara didn't pry. He was in such a good mood that he offered to cover their meal when the bill came.

"Alright," Katara relented after all her protests had been shot down. "But this means that dessert is on me."

"Dessert?" Zuko repeated.

"There's an ice cream shop around the corner that makes the most amazing flavors," Katara told him. "Things you'd never have even thought of. It's my favorite place in the city." Zuko raised his brow and smirked at her.

"I thought this was your favorite place in the city."

"It's my favorite noodle spot," Katara said, rolling her eyes. "I'm allowed to have more than one favorite spots."

"That's not how favoritism works," Zuko chuckled.

"You have your definition, I have mine," Katara shrugged. She slid out of her seat and tugged at Zuko's arm. "Come on!"

The ice cream shop was a bit further away than Katara had let on. It was nearly half a mile from where Zuko had left his car, but the night was nice. After they'd gotten their ice cream (paid for by Katara at her insistence), they walked back slowly. The ice cream was as good as Katara had promised. Zuko had gotten a cone of spicy mango and chocolate, and Katara had gotten sweet corn and cheesecake, a combination she swore was delicious.

"Here," she said, holding her up towards Zuko. "Try it." Zuko hesitated, but gingerly scraped his spoon down the side. To his surprise, Katara was right.

"Wow!" he said.

"Don't ever doubt me."

"Never again," Zuko swore. When Katara held up her cup again, he took another scoop, before offering her a taste of his.

"Mmm!" Katara said, nodding her head. "I don't usually like spicy, but this is just the right amount of heat."

They sat on a bench halfway back to Zuko's car to finish their treats. Zuko surprised himself by telling a few jokes that actually made Katara laugh. He liked her laugh. He never thought that a laugh could be attractive, but Katara's was. It was a bit wild, like someone who's never been given a reason to be self-conscious about her laugh. Who was used to laughing long and loud. When she laughed hard enough, she snorted, which was Zuko's favorite.

Finally, they finished their ice cream and headed back to Zuko's car. It was late, and Hakoda would expect her home soon. They weren't hurried, though. They took long enough that Zuko had time to work up the nerve to ask something he was certain would ruin the night.

"Was this a date?"

Katara's footsteps faltered, then slowed. She kept her gaze studiously on her feet. Her jaw rolled from side to side, as if she were weighing her next words carefully on her tongue, working out how to let them out in a way that wouldn't kill their nascent friendship. Zuko felt the blood rush to his face, and he started to back track. There had to be a way to take his words back and return to the easy camaraderie they'd found that evening. Katara beat him to the punch, though.

"If I said yes," she said slowly, "would you be okay with that?" Zuko froze mid-step. Katara stopped and looked back at him. The expression on her face was mix of nervousness, shyness and frankness. There was no amusement. No sparkle in her eye to mark what she'd just said as a joke. Zuko managed to wrestle control of his tongue.

"Yeah," he said. "I'd be okay with that." Katara considered him for a moment. Then she smiled at him, and slipped her hand into his. It fit so well, as if it was always meant for him to hold.

"The weather is getting nice," she observed, leaning into him. "We'll be able to start turning the garden soon. Maybe we can put you on that."

"That sounds nice," Zuko murmured. His heart thudded in his chest. He thought that his answer would've been the same even if she'd suggested he clean out the dumpsters behind the building with a toothbrush.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

[theprofessionalpromptmaker]

Person A is an ancient forest/animal god that runs a wildlife rescue in their modern day life, with most of their staff being enchanted animal spirits that they gave human forms to after their natural deaths as normal animals. Person B is the new volunteer who is perfectly human and is worried that the wildlife rescue they’re helping at is secretly a cult with how much reverence the other employees treat Person A with.  

[fairsweetlonging]

truth serum / system reveal au where shen qingqiu gets hit with an uncloaking spell that reveals the system in the reflection of his eyes every time it pops up.

during one of his missions, in the treasure hoard of some dragon-like creature, he finds a golden, oval shaped hand mirror, its gaudy style more victorian based than anything (airplane you hack!), that doesn't seem to do anything when he looks into it. but when he does, it reveals the system's screen in his eyes.

he doesn't notice this, of course, because he can't see it, and the system, surprisingly, stays quiet.

the peak lords think he's cursed.

maybe mu qingfang is the first to notice, during the mandatory post mission check-up, when shen qingqiu is scrolling through his most recently accumulated points and mu qingfang can see the strange vividly-blue lines reflected in his pupils. it's gone when shen qingqiu blinks, like it was nothing but a trick of the light.

it comes out when yue qingyuan is visiting and, just as he's done laying out the plans for a new mission, shen qingqiu's eyes glaze over and a bright blue box takes over the whole of his iris. shen qingqiu goes quiet; the thing in his eyes moves, shifts, pulses for a second, like static worms crawling all over his pupils. then he blinks, and it's gone, and shen qingqiu accepts the mission that yue qingyuan was almost sure he would decline.

maybe there is an intervention, when the peak lords corner shen qingqiu at qian cao peak and try to figure out what's wrong, subjecting him to all kinds of treatments and curse-finding spells that turn up empty, they can't find anything.

of course, the silencing threat is still very much up and running. at first shen qingqiu was kind of confused by the whole ordeal, but when the peak lords start describing a "strange blue box", he realizes, with sickening suddenty, that they're describing the system. and he can't say anything.

this only makes everything worse, because their fellow peak lord now keeps evading every question and acts like he doesn't understand. liu qingge points right at his face and asks, "that blue box, what is it?" and shen qingqiu laughs nervously and starts talking about how bright the weather is and surely it's the sky and nothing to worry about!

even worse, during the intervention the system thought it was a good idea to start talking to him, so now even the peak lords who hadn't seen it and who might have been persuaded by light tricks and reflections, get a first row view that no, that definitely isn't a trick of the light.

they try to do the whole thing of "are you in danger, blink twice" but shen qingqiu can't even do that because it's still a direct admittance!

maybe eventually he starts saying vague confirmations that don't actually confirm anything, like "this master hears what you're saying", or maybe he goes with a classic "this master can neither confirm nor deny that." but the system starts warning him for that too and eventually he stops saying anything, which worries the others more.

luckily mu qingfang catches on that every time they ask a direct question about the box or shen qingqiu says anything vaguely confirming, it appears. it doesn't appear when they ask about curses or demons, so it must not see that as a threat.

for a little extra angst: maybe the peak lords keep pressuring him for answers, and at some point shen qingqiu gets fed up and snaps out something like, "why don't you understand that i'm not allowed to answer that!" the system counts this as a direct admittance, threatening it's existence. so it punishes. shen qingqiu has a qi deviation so bad it lasts two weeks and takes two people every day to cleanse his meridians. the system doesn't appear in that time. it doesn't appear for a long while after that, either. the peak lords stop asking, mainly because shen qingqiu will instantly leave the room if they do. they don't stop searching for a cure, though.

shang qinghua returns from a business trip and catches on the second someone mentions a blue box and forced silencing.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lan Wangji Goes To Lotus Pier AU: Part 2: Indocktrination

(Part 1, Part 3)

[weaselmcdiesel]

havent posted art in a hot minute, take a sketchy katnep i made to stave off art block 🙏

commission me

[littlecrittereli]

Hey there! I read both Reprogrammed and Decoded and was blown away. Unfortunately (sorta), my odd little brain had one little question that was burning from the end of Reprogrammed till the end of the story: what about the Wild Kratts Kids? How did they react to Chris's disappearance/return? I know if I were 8 and my teacher (i guess thats an okay metaphor? maybe?) randomly disappeared for 3 months and came back 10 pounds lighter with dozens of new scars and white hair in their early twenties, I'd be a little torn up/curious. How would Chris feel about showing up on screen in front of a bunch of kids in his state? Would he...wear a...hat...or something...? I don't know, just thoughts lol

They never told the public that Chris was missing (Didn't wanna scare the kids or give the Villains the knowledge that they were vulnerable)

And being out in the most rural parts of the world, it's not uncommon for them to go months without any sort of public appearance. For now, Martin is handling any sort of press alone until Chris is ready to be back in the public eye.

But of course they still run into a wild kratts kid every once and a while.

He's still working on his alibi.....

[tadc-harlequin-au]

Round 2 - VAs needed! (again)

It's that time again! With success of the intro animatic (and scrapped storyboards), I figured it's time to shine some spotlight to the rest of the cast and look for VAs for them! Unfortunately Boss!Z doesn't have a voice, because Figures don't talk. they just build stuff.

I've also already found a voice for The Patriarch, so :)

Things to keep in mind if you wanna audition:

There are only 1-2 lines for each.

There's an angry screaming line from everyone except Jax.

I also don't have a sound editing app to make the voices sound more robotic, so I may need help from a volunteer sound designer/musician too :')

Lines you can use for auditioning:

"Intruders WILL be apprehended!" (Ragatha)

"Going AWOL, coward?" (Kingr)

"You're a fake! Fake, fake, FAKE!" (Gangle)

"That's hilarious. You should be a jester or something." (Jax)

A google drive link is preferred for the demo reels! Remember, I can't access my discord, so don't send me reels there because I'll never see them lol, just send them to me here on my dms!

[starry-bi-sky]

DPXDC Idea: Mother of Monsters Dan(yal)

Specifically Fem!Dan because I made this in mind with my Fem Danyal Au bUT. The best part about Dan is that I get to play dress up with her, and Fem Dark Dany is gonna go by Layal (pronounced lae-el) because it means "the nights" and it sounds similar to Danyal, and I think she'd choose that name to mock Dany. ANYWAYS

Mother of Monsters Danyal. She may be evil but she's an Al Ghul at her core (even with vlad's soul merged with hers - however, considering that Layal looks and sounds like Dany, she considers that soul to be the more dominant one.) and loves animals. And she might be heartless, but she adores the monsters of the infinite realms.

Mother of Monsters Layal who hates everyone but utterly dotes and adores on every manner of beast she comes across. Stealing the eggs and infant young beasts of the Infinite Realms to raise as her own because she wanted them. Her own island full of monsters, a monstrous menagerie of her own. She steals most often from poachers or exotic pet keepers and other menageries -- the full grown beasties can keep their young.

And with every monster she raises, she can shapeshift their features onto herself, allowing her to change her shape from humanish to any matter of monster or hybrid creature. She calls herself their mother, and them her children. Her precious little babies, capable of incredible mass destruction and mayhem.

From little griffins the size of kittens, to stymphalian vulture chicks, and leviathan young hatching from eggs the size of her pinkie, to creatures native of the ghost zone that didn't even have names in the living realm. There really wasn't a limit to what or who she would take in and she didn't limit herself to any form of mythology. If they were beasts and they were unwanted, she wanted them. And as such, amassed her own mini army of "children" willing to listen to her any command.

Earth doesn't know what hit it when she attacks them.

There are many monstrous forms she could take on, the first one I've thought of is a combination of various serpentine/reptilian features. The body of a naga -- her lower half long and serpentine, her upper still human -- with spiked fins connecting from the bottom of her arms to her sides, ever seen Sinbad where Eris goes "you might have seen my likeness on the temple walls" and her arms do that fin thingy? Same concept. Her hands are webbed and taloned, perfect for slicing through the skin of the living, and her teeth are needle-sharp and shark like. Her hair can either be spiny and feathery-like like the spines of a lionfish, or frilled like a frilled-neck lizard. It's perfect for dealing and doting on her reptilian and amphibian-inclined darlings.

I'm more of a fan of aus where Dan is a sibling of Danny's rather than their kid, so Layal's redemption(..?? probation?) proceeds with her legally becoming Danyal's "twin" sister, who had been lost to the foster system before the Fentons adopted Dany, and was only recently reunited with her. The two of them look so alike that the lie is easy to take root and spread.

Layal is very indignant to the fact that she's now ten years in the past and has to restart her menagerie all over again. Do you know how much blood and sweat went into raising those children? How dare you separate them from their mummy. Although she'll admit she does miss their juvenile years, so she won't mind (too much) needing to raising them again. Dany is helping her retrieve all of them though, dammit.

long story short: epic the musical's "Scylla" has a CHOKEHOLD on me and this is the result of it

Unlike her Dan counterpart, Layal's voice is dancing and sirenic. It's purposely alluring and motherly, in order to lure people into a false sense of security until she feeds them to her "children." Echidna doesn't have shit on her. She almost seems friendly and reasonable, until you get too close and realize it was all an act and she drops it to metaphorically swallow you whole. She's like an anglerfish that way. She and Dany both sound like Scylla from Epic.

[ryssbelle]

N2 au Brucey babe!! He really doesnt change much tbh, it's mostly just an outfit change plus his gropes about his brother would be a bit different in that they're extended to all of them and not just JD, theyre just mostly centered around JD.

Cuz from his side he knew all of his brothers were alive at least Floyd, JD, and Branch. He just couldn't leave Vacay island, at first due to fear, and then he started a family there (first kid was accidental).

He'd heard rumors about JD and the others due to JD traveling all over the place and hed sent put the postcard as a way of extending an olive branch and then nobody showed up :/

Also Bruce's outfit change is purely for me I hate drawing his canon vest lmao

[boxfullaturtles]

He's here to steal uranium and blow your house up. And he's all out of uranium...

i am nothing if not a sucker for a mad scientist with a stunning flair for the dramatics and destruction

and @dragonpastels Evil/Cracked Conscious Donnie is just *chef's kiss* i adore him, what a king, what a glorious creature <3

[the-badger-mole]

The Volunteer: Part 4

As the weeks drew on, Azula's attitude towards her mandated service hours didn't change. Mai, at the very least, managed to resign herself to the point of simply choosing to power through. She still complained, but kept it to before or after their shifts. Zuko, for his part, had begun driving himself. If Azula and her friends had bothered to ask why, he had been ready to say that he planned to go to the library after his shift to work on one project or another. None of them asked, though Zuko still made a point to not get home until a few hours after Azula.

Volunteering at Hama's Haven was becoming a bright spot in Zuko's week. Where his classmates had always held him apart, afraid of him and his family's reputation, the workers and volunteers at the Haven had embraced him. He had in-jokes with Due, and Kuyan gave him advice for his college applications. After the painting was done, Zuko was assigned to sorting through donations, where he was teamed with Haru and Ty Lee. He watched bemusedly as they flirted and got to know each other. It was a side of Ty Lee he hadn't seen before. Not that she hadn't been flirty- she had been an accomplished flirt since kindergarten- but it was much more affectionate with Haru. Zuko could tell she really liked him, and without Azula or Mai around to judge her, Ty Lee was a lot more confident about her feelings.

The biggest boon, though, was spending time with the Imiq siblings. Before, Katara had existed on Zuko's periphery. An over achiever who he often found himself in academic competition with, but who'd never actually bothered to get to know. Now, though, he understood why she was so popular at school. She was witty, charming, and on occasion, hilarious. She cared about the people at the Haven, and unlike Zuko, she really had voluntarily given up her time to serve them. She treated them like extended family, and the long time residents and the staff all treated her like their own in return. The children all clambered for her attention, and she made sure to divide her time equally among them all. She had an easy, friendly smile with everyone. Even Zuko had become a lucky frequent recipient. It was strange to think of Katara and Sokka and all of their friends as his friends now, but Zuko was glad now that Sokka had insisted on him joining them for lunch that first week.

"Hey, Splotchy!" Zuko groaned, biting back a smile as Katara bounced up to him.

"What do I have to pay you to stop calling me that?" He asked. Katara smirked at him.

"I'll stop calling you that when you stop making that funny face you make," she said. "What are you doing after this?"

"Nothing in particular," Zuko shrugged. He was sorting through a bag of recently donated winter clothes, dividing the ones that could be washed on site and the ones that needed dry cleaning. It wasn't difficult work, but Hakoda had told him to take his time so he could fill out his full shift.

"Great," Katara said. "Do you want to go for noodles?"

"Noodles?" Zuko looked up in surprise.

"I've been craving them all week," she told him. "But Sokka's got a date with Suki, Toph's out of town, and Aang has a big project due. I don't want to go to the restaurant alone. Do you want to come?"

"I-er...just-" Zuko stammered. Katara's brow drew down a bit.

"Do you not like noodles?"

"I-um...yeah," Zuko said. "I love noodles. Noodles are great! Um...sure, I'll join you."

"Great!" Katara beamed at him and Zuko felt his heart lodge in his throat. "I'll see you in a couple of hours. Do you mind driving?"

"Sure. I'll- I'll see you later." Katara smiled at Zuko and waved as she left. A sweater hung forgotten in Zuko's hands as he watched her go.

"Ahem!" Zuko jumped, and spun around to find Ty Lee and Haru peeking from around the corner with twin smug smirks on their faces.

"What?" he grumbled, sourly, resuming his task. Ty Lee and Haru slid up beside him and picked up clothes from the pile.

"Is it just me, or did Zuko just get asked on a date?" Ty Lee asked Haru.

"Sound like it to me," Haru said. He grinned at Zuko and nudged him with his elbow. "And just look at him blush. That's adorable!"

"It's not a date," Zuko snapped. "She didn't have anyone else to go with her." Haru shrugged.

"Maybe she's just in a different mood tonight," he said. "It's not out of the question that she just doesn't want to eat alone, but I've known Katara for years and she has never had a problem doing things alone."

"If it's worth anything," Ty Lee added, "I think you two would be really sweet together."

"It's not a date," Zuko insisted. Ty Lee shrugged.

"Okay," she relented. "But, I don't think you should rule it out altogether."

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

[theprofessionalpromptmaker]

Person A is a werewolf who volunteers at a dog shelter to help train/walk/socialize the dogs, since they’re good with dogs. One of their fellow volunteers is a retired cop who trains police dogs and puts in a good word for Person A to work for the police, but there��s a lot of issues and civil rights disputes regarding the cops and supernatural beings, so Person A is pressured from various sides on what to do in the situation, but eventually agrees due to the pay and needing money to help their family/pay for their college or rent/etc. Person B is the police chief’s rebellious child who is an advocate against police brutality, and tries to argue with Person A whenever they see them, but the two eventually end forming an unlikely friendship when Person B is forced to court ordered volunteer service for vandalism related to their advocacy work, and ends up working at the same dog shelter as Person A.

[triple-starsss]

started working at a cafe not for work experience but to write accurate Blaze and Silver coworker drabbles.

[kiisaes]

bi panic (catholic school au)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

oh hey! i was reading a fic the other day where Wangji was once misspelled as Wangu. which leads me to: MDZS Pingu-style??? noot noot!

Do you think love can bloom on the sea ice?

[brofightiscancelled]

eitarou