#zuko smiling into the camera

[peak-zuko-tournament]

Round One

[firelilysky]

Zukka week day one: Ba Sing Se or Jasmine Dragon | Fake Dating

Sokka invents a camera to capture the lazy days, the memories of when Zuko was funny and charming and good. It also doesn’t hurt to have undeniable proof that Zuko can be those things when the rest of them inevitably discover where he’s been slipping off to most afternoons. And if he looks at the photos often when he’s alone, committing the smiles on their faces to his memory, that’s his own business.

[the-badger-mole]

Rumor Has It...

Being in the public eye was...grating. Katara thought that growing up in a small village, where everyone knew everyone's business would have inured her to the self-consciousness of having everyone talking about her and her business, but it didn't take long for her to learn that there was a difference between people who knew and loved her talking about her and strangers who were just hungry for gossip doing it. It was even worse when she was dating a man (and she used the term very loosely in her less charitable moods) who understood discretion even less than he understood his girlfriend's boundaries.

She had quickly learned to hate the cameras that were so popular in the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. It made it harder for her to ignore what Aang was doing. Not that he was cheating on her. Of course he would never do that to his Forever Girl. But to see pictures of him with his fans hanging on his arm, gazing up adoringly at him, smiling proudly at the cameras when the reporters caught them coming out of some Air Nomad symposium or other. When Katara told him how much she hated the pictures, Aang would just shrug and say, "Well, it's not like I'm kissing them or anything!"

It was always somehow Katara's insecurities and mistrust that was the issue, and not him entertaining these young women who were plainly throwing themselves at him. When Katara asked him to set boundaries with them, he would scoff and blame her repressive upbringing in the barbaric Southern Water Tribe. The Air Nomads were more evolved about friendships between men and women. As if he would know, Katara fumed to herself silently. He was 12 when his education came to an abrupt end, and he had spent his entire life to that point in a sexually segregated monastery. When she told him how much the rumors bothered her, he regarded her with pity. If she was with him, he told her, to take her place on his arm, there wouldn't be any need for her to worry about the girls who'd taken her place. A slap in the face.

Katara did her best to ignore the rumors, even after they grew teeth. Even after they developed venom potent enough to kill. Because Aang wouldn't do that. Not sweet, innocent, literally couldn't harm the most evil man on the planet Aang. When he told her to take her place on his arm, he hadn't meant to imply that she should give up on her own ambitions to travel the world as the Avatar's Girlfriend. He knew how important it was for her to be home to prevent the Northern Tribe immigrants from getting too much of their own way. How important it was for her to reintroduce Southern style waterbending. So when the newspapers- which were always a week old by the time they made their way to the Southern Watertribe- began to report on growing rumors that the Avatar was known to have spent long nights sharing his culture with this woman or that, Katara clung to what she knew of him. The pictures didn't matter. There were any number of reasons for Aang to be emerging from his hotel with women who weren't her touching him knowingly. The pitying looks from the people who'd known and loved her her entire life and the insinuating whispers from the newcomers from the Northern Tribe didn't either. She wasn't stupid. Aang could be trusted...right?

Hakoda knew his daughter needed a distraction. The school was getting to the point that her constant presence wasn't needed, and he knew Katara could use a new challenge. He conferred with Sokka, who reached out to their friends, and a solution was reached. A diplomatic visit to the Fire Nation. Sokka and Suki would accompany her. The fact that it would take place during the summer court recess was not worth discussing. Zuko would be happy to host. Aang would be invited, too. His aversion to visiting the Southern Water Tribe had long been a sour point between him and Katara, but he could have no issues meeting his girlfriend on neutral ground, where he wouldn't accidentally come into contact with animal byproduct. He still hadn't given Katara a direct answer by the time she disembarked in Caldera. The paper was timely there. The day after she arrived, Katara read about the opening of an Air Nomad museum in the nascent Republic City. The woman on his arm in that paper was a petite, doll like creature with pouting lips and wide eyes that may have been grey or hazel. It was impossible to tell in the black and white photo.

"I had a trip planned to Ember Island," Zuko said over breakfast. It was just the two of them. Sokka and Suki were still in their room, and Iroh had plans with Piando and Jeong Jeong. Katara set the crumpled paper aside and smirked at him.

"And what bit of diplomacy are we expected to perform there?" she asked. Zuko coughed on the sip of tea he'd taken. He had at least the grace to look sheepish as he cleaned himself up.

"I guess I should have timed this better," he said. "I just wanted to show the world that the ties between the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe were as strong as ever, but maybe I should have waited to the end of summer, when we returned to court."

"I don't know," Katara said, trying and failing to hold back a smile. "It's been three months since you visited us down south, and eight since the last time you had us visit. People were probably starting to think we'd fallen out."

"Yes, well..." Zuko mumbled. His face was tinged pink. "I did have another reason to invite you."

"Oh?" Katara raised an eyebrow at him. "And that would be?"

"I need help," he said. "I have some initiatives I want to introduce to the Fire Nation. Costly ones, like universal healthcare and education reform."

"Sounds serious," Katara said. "How can I help you?"

"Your father has told me how many of your ideas he's used to build up the Southern Tribe. That you were able to make room in the budget, even where there was literally no money for it. I'd like you to help me do that here."

Katara sat stunned for a moment. The hopeful look on Zuko's face was almost too painful to look at.

"The Southern Tribe is much smaller than the Fire Nation," she reminded him. "I was able to get creative because a lot of people were willing to volunteer to get some of my projects off the ground."

"You'll be working with a bigger budget," Zuko promised. "And with a team. You can pick whoever you'd like. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to do everything. If you could only help me get one of my initiatives off the ground, I'd be in your debt forever."

There was a long beat. Katara sat impassively, thinking quietly. After a moment, she smiled.

"No," she said, "you wouldn't be. I'd be happy to help you." Relief bled the tension out of Zuko's shoulders and he grinned at her.

"You'll have to be here a while," he said. "A few months at least."

"It's a good thing I like my room," Katara shrugged.

"You have no idea how much help you're giving me," Zuko insisted. "Consider the palace your home. You can invite Aang or- What's wrong?" Zuko's voice was suddenly panicked when he saw how stricken Katara looked. Her face had gone ashen and she clutched the table, doubled over as if she'd just been delt a blow. Zuko hesitated only long enough to see the first tear fall down her cheek before he was at her side and holding her as she cried.

Katara managed to gather herself in a few minutes. Enough that she could sit up and pass Zuko that morning's paper. His face fell when he saw the photo of Aang and the caption named as Himari. She had both arms wound possessively around Aang's, and he leaned into her, grinning, as if they were sharing an especially hilarious private joke. the blurb beneath the picture was a short, but piercing, speculating about the young Avatar's current relationship status and wondering where the Avatar's Girlfriend had been the last year.

"This...this is just-" Zuko scrambled for anything comforting to say. Katara turned her mournful eyes on him and shook her head.

"This is just the latest," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "He doesn't care if I see him."

"Katara-" Zuko's hand slipped into hers and he squeezed it tightly. Katara took in a deep, shuddering breath.

"It's okay," she lied. "I think I've known we were over for a while. I just wish he'd be a man about it and tell me to my face."

Zuko was silent for a long moment. It took all of Iroh's lessons in self control to keep his anger from spewing out like erupting lava. He ran his thumb over Katara's knuckles distractedly.

"What do you say we get Toph and crash at the summer house?" he suggested. "No newspapers, no work. Just us being lazy on the beach and pretending the rest of the world doesn't exist?"

Katara smiled weakly at him.

"I'd like that."

[pshbites]

LOVE ON AiR: 16. YAP CENTRAL EP.136: did social media ruin relationships?

WARNiNGS » profanity, mentions of d wording, sexual jokes, crying, ynhoon teasing, yn never being safe

wc: 3.1k

episode desc - enjoy your stay today in yap central! as we’ve done the whole cycle, todays episode is a deeper one! we open up with a positive impact we’ve seen on each other. then we go right in with how our presence on social media has affected our relationships. following that up we keep the theme of the deeper episode and go over the influence social media has on us and how we view ourselves. we end the episode off by saying one thing we’ve noticed about one another as we’ve grown and how we think it affects the friendship. the episode ends off on a bittersweet note but we hope you enjoyed your stay today in yap central!

*the 6 of you are seated in your assigned seats. jungwon adjusts the soundboard and riki tests the mic out, then giving him a thumbs up. sunoo sets his mic up a little closer to pick up his audio and looks to the camera, setting his phone down*

sunoo: it’s been so long since we sat in here

giselle: i know like two weeks right?

yn: i think almost three *you say, adjusting your outfit as well as your seating position. riki scoots over so you have more room.*

jungwon: i mean it counts as like a summer break since we didn’t really take one.

kat: good point. you know guys do you guys remember those um fuck what were they called

riki: it would help if you gave a description

kat: shut up im thinking

*the rest of you stare at kat in silence until jungwon breaks the silence to laugh, the rest of you following suit*

jungwon: im sorry it’s just what could it be that has you thinking that long

giselle: she’s using everything in that little brain come on now!

*giselles comment makes the rest of you laugh even harder, kat laughing as well*

kat: i can’t even think of it nevermind

yn: it’s okay babe you’ll find it later.

riki: i have to say these costumes are amazing actually. might be my favorite theme

giselle: you know riki you’ve been hating a lot less recently.

jungwon: i was gonna say that too, he’s a bit nicer

riki: what can i say, finally holding my deal for the new year’s resolution

yn: watch now that we said this he’s gonna be doing some fucked up shit by the time the episode comes out

*a text box pops up on the screen saying “he in fact did do some fucked up shit during the editing process of the episode - jungwon” then disappears after a couple seconds.*

riki: you have no faith in me

yn: simply stating the facts

jungwon: you guys ready for me to sign in?

kat: go for it man *she nods at jungwon who smiles back. jungwon adjusts himself and looks to the camera*

jungwon: beep beep! you’ve arrived in yap central i am your host today, jungwon or aang. starting from my far left we have.

kat: toph

riki: zuko

yn: katara!

giselle: azula

sunoo: appa!! *he shows off his fuzzy appa bucket hat, earning a smile from all of you*

yn: sunoo i love you please don’t die

*sunoo looks at you in horror as the others burst out laughing*

jungwon: anyways.. *nervous laugh* the cycle is complete so today is a deep episode!

giselle: oh my god last time i literally bawled on my way home

kat: won you always pick the most brutal questions

sunoo: i cannot believe you asked us if the younger versions of ourselves would like the us now. like that is so ugh

riki: look at the way he’s smiling i think it’s something torturing again

*jungwon grins evilly at everyone making the rest of you groan in both discomfort and agony.*

jungwon: starting with my first question! what is a positive impact you have noticed on each of us. let’s start with sunoo. you guys don’t have to go one at a time just build it up.

sunoo: okay well.. lay it on me. *he looks to the rest of you, nervously, then shocked at who speaks up first*

riki: you laugh a lot more

*giselles eyes widened as riki spoke, the rest of you sharing the same reaction. everyone stayed quiet so riki could talk.*

riki: like when we were in highschool you always seemed to be bothered, or like you just never really were happy. and i think when we started doing this and you started tiktok you’ve been a lot happier

yn: i was honestly gonna say the same thing. you seem happier when we go out sunoo, like you want to be there.

sunoo: i feel a lot happier, honestly it sounds stupid but doing this with you guys does make me really happy.

kat: i agree. i mean i really wouldn’t trade it for anything.

giselle: awww look at us having our moment!

*both you and sunoo giggle at giselles comment, jungwon nodding to giselle, signaling she’s next*

kat: giselle, you don’t really care what people have to say about you anymore.

jungwon: ahhhh i was gonna say that

kat: like you seem so much more confident now than you did before.

giselle: when though? because i feel like i just started feeling like this overnight.

yn: if i were to pinpoint a time frame id say when you broke up with [BLEEP]

sunoo: no i COMPLETELY agree, like there’s a brightness to you now.

giselle: aw thank you guys *she pouted then smiled*

jungwon: guys please be nice to me.

riki: you’ve always been a natural born leader. i just think you’ve always been positive.

yn: i agree but there’s like a glow to him now

kat: oh my god are you pregnant?

*everyone looks at kat then bursts out laughing. some of you stop but jungwon and giselle can’t stop laughing.*

sunoo: oh my god it has something to do with who gave you that bracelet

jungwon: sunoo seriously *his cheeks turn pink, hand now covering the friendship bracelet*

giselle: oooo who made it for you?

jungwon: it was a mutual swap

yn: mutual swap.. or she gave you that wap?

*the others start laughing again, jungwon as well. riki daps you up*

riki: that was a bar

jungwon: i’m not admitting anything.. on camera.

everyone: OOOOOOOO

jungwon: next! go flame yn!!

yn: not fair, we weren’t even done with you

jungwon: don’t care, you’re not as closed off as you used to be

riki: oh my god yeah, when we were kids you were so shy

yn: really? i feel like im still in my little shell

kat: no i get what they mean. i mean even when i met you, you were really shy.

yn: thank you?

riki: i think jungwon means it in the way that you’re more open to meeting others now. like you enjoy being a people person

yn: ahhh, i see now. i guess the podcast really helped with that. like seeing people say how they enjoy my little bits and just things like that. it sounds conceited but it almost made me feel like people actually valued me? you know.

giselle: i get it, it doesn’t sound conceited babe

yn: okay i don’t like this much attention

giselle: this sounds weird to say but riki has gotten nicer atleast to us

kat: yeah i see

riki: die

sunoo: glad to know you haven’t changed..

jungwon: guess someone doesn’t wanna open up today

riki: oh would you look at that! it’s kats turn!!

yn: i think kats tells us a lot more now. like before you never really told us anything about yourself.

kat: i just have trust issues, it was nothing personal.

giselle: it’s true it took her so long to open up to me

riki: i honestly think the podcast brought out the best in us. surprisingly enough

jungwon: i see what you mean. maybe another way to put it is that we realized how much closer the camera brought us

giselle: or this friendship is just a ploy for jungwon to make more money off of us

*everyone laughs*

sunoo: we’re such coworkers

yn: heard it here first!! giselle hates her friends

giselle: can you stop with that *laughs*

yn: oh i’ll drag it through the mud

giselle: then i’ll drag yn[BLEEP] through the mud

*everyone laughs even harder now, you side eyeing giselle.*

sunoo: she kinda got you there

yn: let’s move on?

jungwon: speaking of relationships. *you glare jungwon down as he chuckles a little, looking at his phone once more.* how do you guys think social media affected your relationships and how do you think social media just influences how you view yourself. you can answer it in any order.

sunoo: i feel like having a presence on social media just makes having a relationship so much harder.

giselle: it kinda does, like people just expect for you to lay out your entire lives on social media.

jungwon: i think it depends on what kind of person you’re with, it’s almost like that person has to be up to your fans standards you know.

yn: i think there’s some people who can be normal about it but at the same time you have to be okay with everyone knowing everything about you.

kat: yeah but then it just shows that people online think that we don’t deserve privacy. it’s fucked up like they’re borderline stalking us you know?

*riki glanced at you as kat spoke, noticing how you stiffened at the word stalking*

riki: a lot of people aren’t okay online, it’s weird. like being so obsessed with someone to the point of finding out their personal information

giselle: if that ever happened to any of us i really don’t know what i would do.

jungwon: i think i honestly would try to sue you know. you have to be a certain level of fucked to do something like that.

yn: yeah, i agree it’s so weird.

kat: i kinda don’t wanna sound like a pick me

riki: just say it, you won’t sound like one.

kat: it’s so much harder being a girl with a social media presence.

sunoo: the fact that you had to hesitate to even say that says everything

jungwon: i really don’t get it either, like i’ve seen both women and men do the same things online and sometimes the guy is worse than the girl and yet it’s always the girl getting attacked and harassed.

giselle: i think it’s because people just view girls as easy targets almost. like a girl could do something completely normal and the internet would spin it to make her a villain

yn: it’s disgusting really, no one really ever really wants to side with a girl.

jungwon: do the comments still get you guys? i mean i know it was really bad in the beginning

kat: actually no i remember when it got bad. it got bad that episode where [BLEEP]

*jungwon and giselle glance at each other then start laughing*

giselle: remind me to edit that out.

yn: honestly no, the comments don’t bother as much anymore. after a while i realized that they’re just saying this because they have nothing else to talk about so i just stopped looking.

kat: i agree, it gets better when you just stop reading the comments all together.

riki: god please take periods away from women and give it all to me.

*you and kat give riki a look then burst out laughing, sunoo jungwon and giselle following that.*

sunoo: can’t stay serious for a second

riki: i would never joke about women in pain

*jungwon and kat keep laughing as riki goes on, unable to take him seriously*

yn: going back to the original question i just think it’s hard, like seeing people overstep a boundary or intrude on your life and just be okay with it

sunoo: and people just say oh well you asked for this um? no i didn’t actually i just wanted post skincare videos

*jungwon snorts, causing a chain reaction for everyone else to laugh*

kat: im glad we haven’t cried in this episode yet.

giselle: oh my god don’t jinx it he still has two more questions

jungwon: you might cry at this next one *kat sends a look to jungwon and he gives her an evil smile* my next question is what changes have we seen in one another as we’ve grown up together. it can be good or bad.

riki: jungwons lost it this is so similar to the first question

yn: i feel like he means overall

jungwon: thank you! atleast someon listens to me

yn: *you look around shocked and confused* oh my god.. did you guys hear that? was that a ghost?

*jungwon stares at you as everyone else laughs at your joke*

sunoo: so are we gonna go around in a circle?

jungwon: no how about.. the person sitting across from you. like riki sits across from giselle so they can say it about each other

kat: wait i wanna start

sunoo: this is too much pressure

kat: *she stares at sunoo and smiles warmly* sunoo i admire your love for us. like i don’t know you always support all of us no matter what and i feel like as we’ve grown closer you just have so much love to give

giselle: that’s so adorable

riki: sunoo i love your videos please don’t die

sunoo: STOP WITH THAT JOKE *he turns to look at kat* thank you kat i love you. i have to say sometimes i feel like you don’t tell us everything but it’s okay, just because we’re your friends doesn’t mean we have to know everything about you. i just want you to know that we’ll always listen no matter what.

*kat stares at sunoo as he smiles at her, then looks down when she feels tears welling up in her eyes. riki looks at giselle and jungwon panicked as they pass him the box of tissues.*

yn: aw babe *you frown looking at her as she lifts her head up to see tears streaming down her cheeks*

sunoo: wait i didn’t mean to make you cry

kat: it’s okay i jinxed myself

*everyone laughs slightly, still worried about her. sunoo moves his mic and gets up to hug kat. they stay like that for a few seconds until he lets go, patting her head. he says something but the mic can’t pick it up then walks back to his seat.*

kat: it’s not that i don’t want there was just a time where i felt like no one really care you know?

jungwon: you’re not obligated to tell us everything, but we care more than you think even if we have weird ways of showing it. *he glares at riki who only throws his hands up*

*the rest of you laugh at riki’s reaction and even kat lets out a chuckle after wiping her tears*

kat: to the viewers watching.. this never happened i am mysterious and batman doesn’t cry

giselle: nurse.. she’s out again

riki: okay giselle! lay it on me! *claps his hands together*

giselle: you use being mean as a cover up you actually care a lot about what people think but you use being rude or mean as a shield.

*sunoo gasps, the rest of you stare in silence because giselle is 100% right*

riki: okay cut the cameras

jungwon: i mean she’s not wrong

riki: if you wanted me to cry it’s not gonna happen

giselle: i know

riki: i hate you guys

sunoo: yeah sure you do

riki: well, since you want a taste of your own medicine *riki clears his throat* you shouldn’t get into another relationship, atleast until you evaluate how you act during them.

giselle: excuse me?

jungwon: weird ass time to admit your feelings

riki: you’re a weirdo that’s not how i meant it

yn: well then how did you mean it

kat: i’m curious

riki: every time i've seen you get into a relationship you just stop acting like yourself. you’re less confident and it’s almost as if you change yourself to please the guy you’re with. I just don’t like seeing any of my friends like that.

*all of you stare in silence at giselle, the air feeling heavy as she pushes her mic away and mumbles something to jungwon then ups and leaves.*

yn: um. is she okay?

jungwon: she needs a second

riki: was it something i said?

jungwon: it’ll be okay, she just said she needs a second.

sunoo: she’ll be okay guys, let’s move on yeah?

yn: okay well.. jungwon i think you bottle a lot of things up, intentional or not.

jungwon: *he sighs, crossing his arms* it’s not intentional i just think you guys have too many worries on your own plates to worry about mine.

kat: even if we have a lot going on that’ll never stop us from wanting to know what’s going on won

jungwon: i know i guess it’s just hard? to admit i need help?

sunoo: there’s never anything wrong with that

jungwon: thanks guys

riki: yeah yeah

jungwon: okay yn, im glad you like yourself more

kat: um

riki: wow!

sunoo: that is certainly a statement

yn: excuse me??

jungwon: no i worded that terribly

*the 5 of you burst out laughing at jungwons poor word choice. within this time giselle walks back in, closing the door slightly. the mics can’t pick it up but riki mouths “im sorry” to her. causing her to shake her head and smile. “it’s good” she mouths back making him smile back.*

jungwon: what i mean to say is that you’re more confident now. not just about yourself but your videos too. i’m glad to see this change in you

yn: thank you won, it means a lot

jungwon: of course

giselle: well this was certainly an episode

yn: one of us always ends up crying

sunoo: that sadist probably likes it too

jungwon: woah? the term isn’t sadist

*the rest of you laugh*

sunoo: let’s have a group hug! everyone up on your feet

*sunoo stands up, kat and giselle following suit. you and jungwon stand up and riki groans, then reluctantly stands up. the 6 of you huddle around one another and go for a group hug. the mics can’t pick up your voices but the recording has slight shuffling and giggles from you 6. after a couple seconds you pull apart and sit back down in your respective seats.*

giselle: i love you guys

kat: me too

sunoo: me three

jungwon: me four

yn: me five

*everyone looks at riki who only rolls his eyes*

riki: me six..

jungwon: well guys hope you enjoyed your stay in yap central we hope you didn’t cry too much. i have been your host jungwon and please make sure to check out our links in this description and like, share, subscribe, and comment! till next time!!

previous masterlist next

AUTHORS NOTE » lol UMMMMMMM sorry guys i didnt realize how long it had been without an update WE ARE SO BACK THO

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[petricorah]

winter wip ❤️❄️

[ID: a stylized digital drawing of Zuko, from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He is shown from the chest up. He is surrounded by snow and holly and is smiling at the camera. /End ID.]

[m3nt4llyr4v3d]

Could you imagine if, instead of treating Azula’s spiral and eventual downfall as a tragedy, the AtLA writers instead believed she somehow abused her father, said she was evil from birth, said she wasn’t abused and groomed into the position she was in, completely ignored the effects of war and how that affects a child, called fans of Azula Republicans, and compared her to a terrible politician when her father is the more obvious comparison that their intentionally ignoring?

And could you imagine that in her last appearance, Ozai turned straight into the camera, told the audience how awful Azula was, stepped down from being Firelord, and Azula was carted off to jail while her father faced no punishment? And every single character around them had no problem with this, including Zuko, who’s just sitting there and smiling with no dialogue?

Obviously an extreme comparison inspired by eris luna’s post about how AtLA handles Azula’s character, but it will always be strange just how spiteful the writing of Miraculous is towards Chloe and no one else, it’s honestly hard to watch

[rightwheretheyleftme]

LOK has an extremely weird attitude towards abuse victims

Just off the top of my head:

- Korra ended the series believing that she needed to be chained up, poisoned, beaten, and asphyxiated in order to learn compassion. This is the message that the show ends on.

- Zhu Li marries the man who verbally abused and humiliated her for years, and we know that he will continue to do so because in his marriage vows he requested that she keeps washing his feet.

- Asami forgives her father and even declares that she loves him. Mind you, this man tried to murder her in cold blood

- The Korra-Zaheer confrontation was very weird. The “camera” frames Zaheer above Korra, which is a technique that denotes power over someone. Zaheer is also the one in charge during the scene, he guides Korra into the spirit world and heals her spiritual block. Why would the creators write a scene where the abuser is framed as powerful and gets to heal the woman that he abused as a child? Why, why, why?

- Mako and Asami become Varrick’s buddies even though he manipulated them, robbed Asami, and incriminated Mako in a way that would’ve resulted in him being in prison for life

- Lin forgives her mother even though Toph spent the entire episode being downright verbally abusive to her

- Bolin sexually assaults a woman and rejoices about it. Then, his victim seemingly forgives and kisses him for being a hero

- The Eska-Bolin storyline is a mockery of male domestic abuse victims

- Kya and Bumi were neglected by their father, but the episode ends with them smiling at a family picture and declaring that they were a happy family after all! (Except for the neglect, I guess)

Every single abuse victim either forgives or forgets, sometimes both. Compare this to Katara humiliating Yon Rha, Zuko’s “It was wrong and it was cruel”, and Aang beating the shit out of Ozai. It seems that in between the making of ATLA and TLOK, the showrunners decided that abuse isn’t a big deal, actually!

Edit: Here is a whole think piece about this issue

[zuko-always-lies]

"The Blue Spirit"

Shinu: I can do whatever I want with their talents. They're my archers, and what I say goes. Zhao turns to face the colonel, frustrated and angry. Zhao: But my search for the Avatar is- Shinu: [Cutting Zhao off mid-sentence while getting close to him and scoffing angrily.] Is nothing but a vanity project! We're fighting a real war here, and I need every man I've got, Commander.

Shinu: [Furiously.] That's final! I don't wanna hear another word about it! Zhao fumes. In the background, the cry of a messenger hawk is heard. Camera shifts to an above view and follows a messenger hawk as it reaches Colonel Shinu. Shinu opens the container on the hawk's back and reads the message inside with a puzzled expression. Zhao: [Intrigued.] News from Fire Lord Ozai? Shinu hands Zhao the message with irritation. Zhao takes the message, rudely brushing past the Colonel as he reads the news. Zhao smiles smugly. Zhao: [Pleased.] It appears I've been promoted to Admiral. My request ... is now an order.

Messenger: [To Zuko.] The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance. All information regarding the Avatar [Rolls up poster and places it behind his back.] must be reported directly to Admiral Zhao. Iroh: Zhao has been promoted? Well, good for him! [As Iroh makes a move in his Pai Sho game, another player slaps his hand against his own forehead as if he lost.]

I find this kind of interesting for two reasons. First, it reminds us that there were different opinions in the FN military over how much the hunt for the Avatar mattered. Second, it seems like Ozai was one of those FN leaders who placed prime importance on dealing with the Avatar.

[pigtailedgirl]

Due South's The Deal and Frank Zuko. How to do character antagonist to focus on character.

Say hello!

The opener gives us insider knowledge unknown to us! We already see him as he blowhards and threatens to rule. No shame mobbing it up in a church. It seems sets up another Due South odd interesting villain.

Then hello again my old not friend. What the first inkling of his connection with Ray does, and this first exchange, is show and tell that this is the worst of the everyday evils. The kind that lurks in your life; through doors with smiles, and is forever waiting in your space.

I love how this immediately sets up the it's personal dynamic. He's trying to play with Ray, Ray's not having it but has to go along, story of life, and Fraser is here to butt in forcefully. (BTW , look at Zuko's displeased face at Fraser included!)

And then I wanna highlight something that isn't just shadows and lower camera res season 1. I posted before about the different framing of the seasons. Banger example upcoming.

All the times they do cut to reaction shot, a great many in DS. All the times we have highlighted Fraser's reactionary watching of others in a multiple person scene, a lot of watching Ray.

Like so

Instead, there is this.

Fraser off-side and blurred. By choice 100%.

This is very smart blocking and using the camera to tell character focus and frame.

What you think should be a brief focus shot of Fraser's reaction, what you expect, of watching their back and forth or a clear POV of his read... isn't. It keeps he's doing it, and it matters he's there and between and watching BUT pointedly the POV shown to the audience is it's not about him and what he thinks or feels on it all. Despite even Ray addressing him he's not included. We aren't supposed to be reacting WITH him so the camera obscures him in just the right way.

This is two back and forth, alone, and all the emotion stays focused there til it boils over and he finally comes into frame to interrupt.

But again not the center. He's between and aside and not hero framed or lighted.

Telling us from jump something is different this episode.

Perfection.

[highfantasy-soul]

Things I LOVED in NATLA Episode 6 - Masks

Opening with Zuko pre-scar getting ready for the war council - you really didn't have to gut-punch me like that, show

Starting the camera from behind his head so we don't know yet and having Iroh's monologue starting up - really really great stuff

Dallas Liu did such a great job acting as a 3-years younger Zuko here! The way he holds himself, the tone of his voice THE WAY HE FREELY SMILES!!!!! Immediately lets you know this is younger Zuko before the most traumatic shit of his life

Damn that transition from young Zuko to him on the shiiipp!!

Zhao is so slimy and is so good at making you hate him

Love Zuko's desperate plea to his crew that they stand by him and then Jee's outburst at the way Zuko treats them

We see both sides (and even more by the end of the episode)

Love the added layers to the 'villains' of the story

"We can solve the world's problems without hurting anyone!?" "We can try"

Such a great back and forth there - already showing where Aang's ideas are at and how he's a pacifist at heart

But he still mentions painful consequences if they fail - consequences those of us who know the animated version know all too well how close that is to Roku

The Mother of Faces! Great deepening of lore and reinforcing the themes of identity and masks for the episode

Though I miss Roku wrecking shop at the temple, seeing the fire sages all taken out by Nyla's paralysis was dooooopppee!!!

June is so cool and so very, very competent. Love her to death

Zuko's resigned 'no' as Aang begs him to let him go save his friends :(

Yet another instance showing that although Zuko's put a mask on to show the world since his banishment, Aang is the one who can see through it because he truly believes the best in people - even enemies

Baby Zuko in the war council not paying attention

Just trying his best but clearly not taking it as seriously as he should - giving plans of attack they'd already discarded

He just wants the approval of his father

Love the added depth from Ozai here

He WANTED Zuko to come up with a good plan, he's DISAPPOINTED he didn't.

This Ozai hasn't written Zuko off from the start, he's 'giving him chances' to be the son Ozai wants him to be - and is failing

Let's be clear here, it's not ok that Ozai is doing this and this doesn't mean Zuko brought his abuse on himself, it means that in Ozai's mind, he can justify it and 'gave chances' - see the cycle of abuse

Zuko's core shining through as, even though he doesn't have a good plan himself, he KNOWS what the other general suggested is wrong

You don't have to be an expert on world affairs or battle plans to know WRONG when you see it - it's basic humanity and anyone who tries to tell you you shouldn't have a say because you're not an expert can eat shit

AAAHHHHH Zhao throwing it back in Zuko's face that defying one of Ozai's generals (admirals), Zuko is defying his own father

AARRRUUGGGHHHHHHHAHAAAAAHHHHAAAA

Zuko strategizing immediately!!

Iroh trying to talk sense into him!!

Everything from this point on is almost directly pulled from the animated series and I think the show knew EXACTLY when to do a 1-1 translation to live-action

Zhao's little smarmy speech to Aang, Aang then blowing him into the door XD

Zhao's absolutely pitch-perfect middle manager 'Our numbers have been great this quarter, here's your pizza party!' energy that's waaayyyy too into this

He's so obsessed with the appearance of power and the rush of shouting accomplishments to uproarious applause, he doesn't care about anything else

Spit in my mouth, that pan over to The Blue Spirit hanging out in the tree and the little head tilt as he hears the wagon rolling underneath - uuuuuuhhhhh that was…good. Yeah, that was good. Ahem, I'm fine, totally normal over here, carry on.

NiNjA sTuFf!!

The whole unseen hallway fight *chefs kiss*

"Who are you?" Head tilt "Right, talk later, run now" while the Blue Spirit is already all the way down the hallway XD

Their heads popping up above the crates to scope out the courtyard XD too cute

"Now is that 'loyal' or 'faithful', sir?" 😭

Zhao's panicked scream after just having been so confident 🙃

SIIIICCKKK sword flourish!

ALL the choreography at the top of the battlement was fantastic - I could see the CGI doubles in a few places, but really, it was so good I didn’t care

Just two cuties stilt-walking across a courtyard full of enemies, nothing to see here

I LOVE how The Blue Spirit holds himself so differently than Zuko does. The mask hiding his features really does let him take on a persona that he can really settle into

The way he holds a stance ready to fight is completely different than Zuko does when he's firebending and I think it was such a good touch to make sure their fighting styles were nothing alike (even barring the difference in weapon)

It's sooo interesting that in this version, you can see through the eye-holes of the mask - looking closely, you can see Zuko's fear and insecurity, even his shallow breaths as he's terrified his plan won't work. It's something you have to look closely for, but it's very very good.

And that little nick on Aang's neck from the swords! Zuko really was holding them tight to him

Zuko slapping Aang's hand away XD it's hilarious in how honest of a teenage reaction that is

So much of what Zuko does is exactly what teens do when they're trying to be badass and edgy, but to us olds, it comes off so try-hard and petulant - it's a mask of confidence and badassery that's so easy to see through

"Can I ask you a question? It might be a little personal - goat hair or rabbit?"

I legit almost cried at that - it's just SO AANG to talk about mundane things with the 'enemy' to try to find common ground. Humanize each other so they can find a way to resolve the issue without threats or violence.

Ugh just, ugh - Aang telling Zuko that the work he did in the notebook was really good and helped him a lot

Zuko has finally heard he did a good job - something he did was worthy of praise. It was unique and impactful and Zuko should be proud of it. And it's his enemy telling him that - a genuine complement, not gloating or digging at him, but genuinely telling him that he did a good job

Zuko breaking and opening up to Aang!!!! Them bonding!!!!

Zuko's little smile at Aang's joke about snoring while meditating!!!

Love this expanded conversation between them - really humanizing each other and seeing the cracks in Zuko's façade, his mask that he thinks he needs to strengthen to be what he's "expected" to be - and how he reacts with anger when people try to lift that mask.

The Agni Kai - just….wow, yeah, it was a lot

Again, I love how they expand these scenes to really delve into character more rather than a quick, frankly a bit surface level, bullet point of character these scenes in the animated show had.

I have a whole essay about the Agni Kai in my analysis of the episode, but cliff notes:

All of Ozai's lines are dripping with depth and nuance to why he's doing this and a deeper meaning to this lesson than just throwing Zuko away as a nuisance

Ozai really wants Zuko to do well, to prove himself

And Zuko tries - he tries insisting that they don’t need to fight, that he does respect Ozai and the military, then he tries to please his father by fighting

The choreography is brutal and stunning

The fight builds, flows, and ends with Zuko showing compassion, unwilling to really strike his own father

And I've again, written an essay on it, but I do like seeing the conflict on Ozai's face as he brands Zuko

He's not any less horrific of a father, but he is more REAL - which makes it all the more terrifying and heartbreaking that we can see people like that in the world, he's not just a character relegated to a cartoon - his type of abuse is very real and present in our everyday lives

Aang talking about Kuzon :'(

"He's hurt" "He'll recover" "But he'll never heal"

WHAT and exchange.

"Sometimes the weak can become stronger. Sometimes, you just have to give them the chance"

Aaahhhhh!! There's Zuko's character thesis right there: he's always had to fight for his abilities, it's never come easy for him - but what 'strength' is will change and grow with Zuko through the story!

Jesus, Daniel Dae Kim's voice is just sooooo goood as the fire lord. It's not fair. Seriously.

Mark Hamill is legendary - there's no doubt about that, but damn if Daniel Dae Kim doesn't do just as good of a job, putting his own, very resonantly deep take on it.

And the 41st reveal!!!!!

I think this was a genius addition by the live-action team

Bringing it all around full circle where everything is connected.

Iroh cupping Zuko's face and him pushing him away, back to the 'petulant' (what he thinks is strong) mask D':

"There actually are a few of us who care about…about such things"

Cue the waterworks

"Our prince has returned"

Again, waterworks

No, it's not 'home' in the Fire Nation, but it IS the home that Zuko and the crew have made over the past 3 years

Enter the trope of home being where you least expect it and all that

"They must have missed you at music night" DX

Coming in again with the fire ending monologue )':

No Gyatzo waiting for Aang DX

Zuko seeing his unscarred, happy face in the mirror DX

"What's hard is knowing that sometimes, the mask is who we really are"

There were a lot of big emotions in this episode - I needed some time to recover

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

[ekwolfwriter-blog]

WIP Zutara Challenge: Reality TV AU

Hello Hello, so another stretch but I find this one to be fun for me, given that I have been holding on a moment to talk about this WIP for a LONG time.

So context: I had a dream once where Zuko is on a live stream and is encouraging an artist on a stream and the people watching to "draw Katara" to life so to speak. And it got me thinking about what if Zutara came to the real world. It is still long in process, but the basic is Katara and Zuko are in our world and getting to experience life outside of the show. Thanks to some spirit shenanigans, they come to fall in love.

But in light of this prompt, I am going to share some interactions that I have written that they could have with their artist friend that some how brought them into our world. (She hosts them because she happened to be drawing them). (Also Also, name of the artist is not set in stone yet so if I ever make this, that is why).

Kate is in the TV room as she is doodling something and watching the big box that she had told Katara and Zuko as the TV. She had been mostly focused on drawing as she had the TV on with some reality TV on. Forgetting a moment that she now had extra roommates, Kate was startled as Katara came around the corner and was staring at the TV before speaking.

"What are those people doing?" Katara asked.

Kate jumped a moment as she looked up and then took a deep breath. "Oh Katara you scared me," she said as she brought her tablet back to her lap, thankful it was not damaged. She looked up at the TV and then shrugged. "Just some old rerun of a reality TV show. It is not a big deal."

"Reality TV? So it is not like 'fiction' like you mentioned before where the story is made up?" Katara asked as she sat down.

Katara shrugs again. "Technically... It honestly is all fiction. Especially reality TV. TV is mostly for entertainment honestly."

"How so?" Katara looks more confused.

"Well," Kate grabs the remote and manages to pull up an episode of 'Real House Wives' and brings up a episode. "So, these people you see on the screen, while they are actual people, a lot of what they do an say is scripted. Kinda like a play, but instead of seeing it on a stage, it is all on the TV and 'in depth', but it is not really real. Because there is no way they look like 'off camera' or... out of view."

"So... then is everything made a show?" Katara asked.

"Well.... yes and no, some people just go about their day, and some are rich enough to act like 'this is what I do every day.' In the end, it is just more like fun to see people act in a way."

Katara nodded a little as she had to think about it. She wondered how much of her world could have been considered reality TV base on that from the creators of this world matching her story. And seeing some of her personal mistakes.

"But it not like that for you guys, or it is not seen like that. I hope this helps." Kate tried to assure Katara but it only added to Katara's dread in a way.

Later that night as Zuko was sleeping on the futon again, to allow Katara to sleep, Katara was tossing and turning on the bed as she could not get the reality TV out of her head. Zuko seemed to notice her tossing and turning as he turned to his side to be closer to her. "Hey, are you okay?"

Katara sighed as she looked to him. She turned around to be closer to face him as she shook her head. "Just... a lot to think about. And Kate said something about what that TV was showing. And it just has me worried."

"You mean that 'Reality TV' thing?" Katara was about to ask before he answered. "I was meditating, but I could still hear a bit of it."

Katara chuckled. "Right, these walls are thin," she mentioned as she sighed. "But yeah. And just... worried that maybe our lives were all a lie. And that I am nothing more than just a piece of fiction to these people."

Zuko nodded as he smiled at her. "Well, you want to know something that the show never got right about you?"

Katara looked at him softly as she was curious. "What did they not get right?"

Zuko smiled as he reached for her hand and took is softly, feeling a bit bold for some reasons. "They don't know the true power you hold in your eyes and how you truly fight. They try to show you as just a little flower, when I know you are like the ocean, powerful and should be respected."

Katara was thankful it was dark in the room so Zuko could not see her blushing, but she knew he probably felt it from how much her heart was racing. She smiled more as she squeezed his hand. "Thank you Zuko."

"You're welcome, Katara," he said as he smiled more.

Hope you all enjoyed!

[ellakomskaikru]

My thoughts on Azula’s reaction during Ozai and Zuko’s Agni Kai

It’s arguably the most traumatic moment of Zuko’s life. He was not expecting to have to fight Ozai and Ozai tried to force him to fight him. When Zuko refused, Ozai burned him. Thankfully, we were not shown the exact moment that Zuko was burned, but we still heard his blood curdling scream while the camera focused on another character, Azula.

Azula was shown to be smirking when Zuko was burned. However, some things need to be understood. Azula was raised in an environment that encouraged violence and therefore she would have felt that Zuko being burned for refusing to fight was correct. It is not right whatsoever, but it is what she was taught.

———————————————————————

I also do believe that seeing Zuko get burned traumatized Azula as well, and her smirking could have been her way of coping. She saw what happens if you fall out of their father’s favor. I don’t for a second believe that she wasn’t traumatized herself by what happened to her brother. Therefore, her smirk could be her attempting to mask some of her real emotions.

She knows her father expects her to revel in Zuko’s punishment, so that’s what she does. We also see later that Azula is very much afraid of Ozai, and I do believe that her brother’s Agni Kai with her father had much to do with her feeling that way. She saw how her father hurt her brother when he displeased him. He could very easily do the same to her if she displeased him.

I just wanted to offer a new perspective on why I think Azula reacted the way she did during that Agni Kai. Yes, she smiled when Zuko was burned because she thought he deserved it, but she was also very likely traumatized by the incident which may have also contributed to her reaction.

[ollieinoue]

The Quad sometime early November [ @mari-zuko ]

Ollie sat down on a bench next to Mari, staring at her very intently until she looked over at him, and gave her a smile. "Hi," he said, a little overly sheepish. A little too demure. The way he got when he was about to ask a favor of someone. "I was wondering if you weren't too busy… if we could talk about something. It's kinda important. And like actually important. Not the sort of important where I'm about to ask you to break me into your art classrooms so I can steal some clay because I really want to squish my fingers into it -- like it's actually important." Though he would really like some clay to squish his fingers into, they could address that later. He glanced around, deciding the quad was bustling enough that nobody would be able to really over hear or notice them at the moment. Much better than meeting in some silent secret area. "Do you know anything about the school's security cameras? Like… anything at all?"

[peak-zuko-tournament]

The bracket has been made!!

Round one will be posted Friday at noon EST. All polls will be a week long because I simply don't have the free time to do 24 hour ones.

Here are the match-ups for round one:

Ember Island Players Zuko vs Zuko who's scar is (not) on the wrong side

Old Zuko vs Fandom Zuko*

Zuko smiling into the camera vs "that's rough buddy"

Firelord Zuko vs Zuko talking to a frog

Pigtail Zuko vs Lego Zuko

Zuko alone vs "why am I so bad at being good"

Young Zuko vs Boomerang Zuko

Zuko crying at lightning vs Zuko escaping an inescapable prison

"I'm never happy" vs Zuko's first appearance

Nightmare Aang Zuko vs small background Zuko

Live Action Zuko vs Zuko from the novel based on the live action movie

Zuko right before Azula comes back vs Gaang Zuko

Zuko saving his crewmate vs Slick Zuko

Zuko with his hair flowing in the wind vs flowerpot Zuko

"hello, Zuko here" vs The Blue Spirit

"you're a talented kid" vs comic Zuko

*fandom Zuko is basically any Zuko the fandom has created. I initially had this competitor split up, and entered multiple fandom Zukos from various fanworks, but I realized they would probably just be crushed by canon Zukos, so I've combined them all into one. I will link some of the fanfics submitted. TLDR: this Zuko is pretty much up to your imagination -- pick whatever your favorite fandom Zuko is and vote accordingly.

Submit propaganda! it can be in asks, reblogs, or under the tag "peak zuko propaganda"

[zukosasukelovebot]

You asked for some prompts, and so I shall send you a nsfw one and a sfw one depending on what you’re comfortable with:

Sfw: “smile, you’re on camera.”

Nsfw: stalled patrol

I wasn't sure what exactly you meant by stalled patrol but I'm all down for nsfw . But for now I'll do smile you're on camera

Zuko was dreaming. A sea as far as the eye could see. It was a deep rich blue and the sun was slowly setting. On a dingy raft he laid down on. He was content where there was water, dispite being a firebender. The gentle lap of water soothed him. He wasn't sure where but he had learned to trust it, connect with it.

He suddenly felt a subconscious tug. His body was waking up. He snuggled into the sheets more. That was the most relaxing sleep he had in months how dare it slip so quickly from him.

His face scrunched up when it disappeared completely.

"Smile, you're on camera," someone's voice said.

It took him a moment realise it was Sokka.

"What?" He grumbled.

"Im filming some home videos. Smile for me," he said happily.

Zuko huffed and turned his face away. "No. You're annoying."

Sokka gasped in false hurt. "Zukoooo. Come on. One smile."

There was silence before Zuko reluctantly turned his head, opened his eyed and smiled the biggest, fakes smile yet.

Sokka looked disgusted. "Never do that again."

Zuko snorted. "Thats what I thought."

Sokka rolled his eyes and angled the camera so he could kiss his cheek, earning a real smile from Zuko and a blush for extra measure.

"I hate you," Zuko said into the camera.

"I love you too."

[reinaazarolla]

Task 005: The Hart of the Matter

The Hart of the Matter, Reina had heard of the show but she had never seen an entire episode. The extent of her exposure to the show were the clips that would randomly, and rarely, appear on her Tik Tok and even then she would scrolled past them 99% of the time. She had no intention of participating in the interviews that would be conducted and yet here she was, letting someone fuss around her to get the mic attached. She went to take a sip of her coffee but it was quickly taken away.

"You'll smudge your makeup." The woman said and set down the coffee cup on a nearby table. "Two minutes till places." She said checking her watch and then quickly leaving to wherever she was needed next.

The mic was attached and working, her hair - down in loose curls -and makeup - light and natural - was looked over once more and then she was led to the stage. There were bright lights, murmurs from the audience, and a hustle and bustle from the crew - the environment felt chaotic.

"Ms. Azarolla," Dr. Hart flashed what she assumed was his signature charming smile as she rook the seat beside him. A smile that she could tell was completely fake.

Reina returned the smile. "Dr. Hart," she nodded after sitting down and smoothing out her top. She was wearing black skinny jeans with ankle boots and a nice pastel pink blouse with a dainty gold layered necklace, one chain have a small sun charm and the other having a crescent moon charm. She had a black leather jacket too but they told her she couldn't wear it.

The audience started to quiet down and from somewhere behind the cameras a woman - the one that had taken Reina's coffee away - counted down. The red lights on the cameras turned on and immediately Donovan Hart started the interview.

“It’s a tough year to be a student at Ogden College with the tragic passing of Penelope Klein. And of course, we can’t forget the ongoing missing persons case surrounding beloved student, Greer Morrison. I know that Dean Zuko insisted on free on-campus counseling set up for all students. Have you made use of it?”

If her father taught her one thing it was to keep her composure at all times. That all actions and words should be done with intent. With this being recorded and the show having the power to edit this however they want to, she knew she would need to be extra careful with her words. Yet seeing Dr. Hart there was something she sensed that she just did not like, she almost just wanted to make this interview difficult for him. It was an urge she'd have to try to fight, for now.

"I was unaware of the free on-campus counseling. I may just have to look into that and thank Dean Zuko for giving his students and staff this resource for free." There was a short pause, she thought that answer would suffice but then she opened her mouth again. "And I'll have to thank him for hosting such a prominent psychiatrist the next time I see him. I'm sure he intends these interviews to be cathartic for us." The brunette tilted her head to the side slightly and smiled. Sarcasm hid beneath her tone but she was sure the wise doctor would pick up on it.

It was no surprise to her that he simply moved on to the next question.

“There was that nasty storm that knocked out the power at the resort, I remember. That got a little dicey, huh? Parents and staff all congregated in the faculty chalet, but you kids were on the other side of the resort. We’ve been told that Penelope organized some things for people to complete to make it through that night together. Were you one of them? What did you get up to during the blackout?”

Ah, one of the reasons why she didn't want to do this interview. She wasn't there when Penelope met her untimely death. She only experienced it through other's re-telling of that night and even then she knew she didn't have the whole story. "I was not at the ski resort. I was studying abroad last semester. As one of the parents there, wouldn't you have known that I was not?" She raised a brow.

Dr. Hart cleared his throat and moved on to the next question.

“In the wake of tragedy, it can be hard to recall things in detail. The brain has its own ways of protecting itself in high-stress situations, and I know that the police have been a near-constant presence on campus this year. This is not that; I want you to feel safe and comfortable enough to share whatever you want about that night. Did you see anything? Hear anything?”

There was a flash of something in Dr. Hart's eyes, as if he knew he should have not asked the question as soon as he had said it.

"May I ask you a question Dr. Hart?" Reina crossed her right leg over her left and leaned on the side of the chair that was closer to him. She didn't really wait for him to answer before continuing. "What number interview am I?" A short pause but again not one long enough for him to answer.

"I know I was not the intended interviewee, I mean I'm pretty sure it was an intern that ambushed me when I was leaving Rumi Cafe asking if I had time to come do a quick interview." Reina had told this person she did not in fact have time. She was heading back to her dorm to study. Who's bright idea was it to host right before midterms. The intern was not taking no as an answer, they seemed desperate, how many people had they approached before Reina.

"It just seems like you're going through the motions, reading those cue cards of yours." She shrugged a shoulder. "And not really listening. Which, as a psychiatrist, if a patient feels like they aren't being listened to does that create a safe environment?" Reina sighed. Again, I was not at the ski resort. I was studying abroad last semester. I did not see anything and what I've heard about that trip are just bits and pieces. Nothing I'd want to repeat, I wouldn't want to relay the wrong information."

Dr. Hart cleared his throat again and flipped through his cards before finding a question that was not entirely related to ones experience at the ski resort.

“Now, if you’ll direct your attention to this screen here, I have something that— barring appropriate authorities— no one has seen until now.” A picture of Greer suddenly appears on screen, all eyes trained on this new piece of information. All eyes but Donovan’s which are locked onto the face of the person he’s interviewing, watching for any and every reaction. “This photo is shocking, I know. It was found in the faculty chalet the night of the blackout. Do you know anything about the day it was taken or who might have taken it?”

Reina looked at the photo, her mouth fell open slightly. Donovan's voice sounded muffled, she was no longer present in the interview. Many thoughts began to enter her mind but the loudest one was once again her father every action and word must be done with intent.

Her eyes glistened as they began to fill with tears threatening to fall. She shook her head and grabbed a tissue from the box of tissues that suddenly appeared on the table beside her. She fiddled with it in her hands, only having it ready for if, or when, the tears begin to fall. "It looks like it could have been taken while on vacation, or maybe on some sort of bus. I don't know." A tear fell and she wiped it away once it was about half way down her cheek.

"You said that was found in the faculty chalet? Why would it be there? Have you asked any of the staff or parents about this yet?"

This was not a two way interview, Dr. Hart simply moved on.

“Do you have any idea why this photo might have been left with faculty that night? Or, most pressing, what reason someone could have for vandalizing it in such a horrible way?”

"What do you mean left with faculty? How do you know it wasn't already in possession of the faculty?" Her eyes still glistened and she took a deep breath to fight back the tears. Reina knew there were bound to be some creeps in Greer's life, but they were harmless. At least she thought they were harmless.

Again Dr. Hart ignored her questions.

“Finally, it’s been discovered that Penelope, shortly before her untimely death, had mentioned to someone that she knew why Greer had left. Do you think that has anything to do with this photo? Do you know why she might have left? Even though being honest about it may seem scary, I promise you, it’s the right thing to do. It’s the only way we can protect you.”

"Oh come on Dr. Hart." Now Reina was getting angry. She balled up the tissue in her fist, tears no longer threatened to fall. "Who is going to protect me, and everyone else. If you have a plan on how you can guarantee our safety then I'm all ears. But aren't you are only here for the weekend to get the inside scoop and monetize on the suffering these students have gone through." She took a steady deep breath.

"To answer your questions. I do not know why she left. I would think the photo has something to do with it, but I can't say for sure. It's just, why would someone leave it where it could be so easily found?" She shook her head. "I have nothing more to say to you except instead of worrying about all of us and making promises you can't keep, why not focus on your son that is also a student here. Have you recorded his interview yet? I'm sure a father son interview would drive your ratings through the roof."

Dr. Hart gave a look to his crew. The cameras turned off, the audience began to murmur again and the crew started get ready for the next student. Reina was directed off the make shift stage. Her mic was removed and she was left to gather her things. She put her jacket on, grabbed her bag and grabbed her coffee that was now cold and left.