#especially the fortuneteller | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hana-no-seiiki · 1 year

Note

HELLO??? WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS MASTERPIECE??? especially the last line holy shit im scared yet excited at the same time 😬😬

YANDERE! AQUAMARINE HOSHINO x REINCARNATED! READER x YANDERE! RUBY

Guess I gotta do a full fic about it huh. Here we go. Link to previous part in the ask!

tw/cw: yandere themes, gaslight tactics courtesy of aqua, girlkeep tactics courtesy of ruby, girlboss [y/n]. mentions of suicide. reader is gn but gets described as beautiful.

is this really a yandere fic when both the twins are canonically insane tho-

IT WAS SAID THAT DURING THE NIGHT OF YOUR BIRTH THE SUN WAS AT ITS HIGHEST POINT AND FULLEST BLOOM.

Its rays buried humanity under a blanket of heat and devastation. Fortunetellers would wax on and on of the disasters you would soon bring upon the world.

That was your experience in your first life.

Many could only wish of being born to a worldwide pop-star, but to you it was a reality. You resented those that vied for your place. How could they romanticize such a life when every single day was torture for you. Some predicted you to be world-class singer before your first cry. People knew you before you could even speak to them. Everyone already idolized you, expected you to do great things before you’d even learn the alphabet.

The pressure had already been insurmountable the moment you took your first breath.

Your second life was terrifying to say the least. It didn’t matter that way you died before, just the thought of experiencing the same motions again frightened you to your bones.

And so you pretended. A shining star to a dim moon that barely reflected any light. Ever so meticulously making sure none knew of your so called genius. The last thing you wanted was to be labeled a prodigy even with the more lax nature of your new family.

But art will always call to you, a sunflower drawn to its source of energy.

You kept everything as lowkey as you could, reconnected with contacts you knew would keep their mouth shut, and even kept your identity away from prying eyes.

To the world you were just this masked musician that was oddly reminiscent of their previous luminescence.

You were satisfied with that life. Fame wasn’t something you agonized about or wished for. But now that veil had been taken away, it’s as if everything was crashing down yet again. Emails, messages and articles about your success as a young star was beginning to show its true weight. Stress began accumulating further and further as you had distanced yourself from your family and threw yourself to work as a distraction.

On one such ‘productive’ night, you were met with a face you didn’t expect.

“Aqua-niisama! Nice seeing you here. Thought you would be staying at that director’s place for the night—“

“Why didn’t you tell me? Didn’t you promise to tell me everything? Don’t you trust me?”

Aquamarine had this knack of being utterly terrifying without meaning to. He had the talent to frighten at a glance. His beautiful sea-like eyes turn dull, murky. Capturing all the light, and drowning you in the same pressure your old family would throw you under repeatedly.

With his arms caging you between his form and the wall, you knew there was no escaping this. So in spite of the crippling anxiety, you gulp it do

“I wasn’t confident enough with my skills. Your mom is the Ai Hoshino and Ruby is so talented I—“

He lowered his face, nestled it right beside yours. You could swear he was breathing in your scent. “You looked anything but ‘not confident’ up on the stage.”

“Liar.” His hands then moved from the wall to encircle themselves around your body; his face to your the top of your head and nose between your hair. Yet even in this tight embrace you still felt chills down your spine. “I scare you don’t I? You were worried that I would stop you like I did with her.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a terrible brother.”

“No, I understand you. You just wanted to keep her safe and I—“

“Not for that.” He pushed himself away for a couple of moments, and for that short amount of time you were ashamed to say that you felt utterly relieved until— “This.”

— he kissed you.

You’ve seen Aqua kiss Akane before. Both on and out of camera. You respected their relationship despite knowing of how unhealthy it truly is. They’d eventually break up and things would go smoothly you thought.

Pfft, as if. You knew shit would hit the fan. You were just too much of a coward to get in his way. Akane could suffer for all you care, she chose to date your psychopath of an adoptive brother anyways.

But you didn’t expect him to fall for you.

He never seem interested. Despite your mother telling you time and time again that Aqua cared deeply about you, you just couldn’t see it.

He was the deep, dark ocean. You were at the highest point of the sky, sailing across the cosmic sea. There was no way you two could meet eye to eye much less love normally.

You did the only thing your body could muster at the moment and slapped him.

“You’re right. You are a horrid brother.”

As you ran away, sobbing, Aqua couldn’t help but feel aroused.

Oh, how charming you looked with tears streaking down your cheeks.

It felt like hours when you first started crying nonstop. You never cried in your original life. You had no time or energy to. You never expected that your second, mundane life would be the one that shattered you.

And shattered you it did. You felt sorry for the future you who had to wash off all the tears and snot on your pillows and bedsheets, but it had to be done. You knew if you didn’t let it all out that day it’d happen sooner or later at a more inconvenient time.

Aqua only entered once to leave a tissue box and water bottle before he left. The sounds of typing outside of your room never ceased however, indicating he never actually went too far.

Ruby arrived far earlier than you expected as well. Her schedule that day should have had her busy til midnight but you had the feeling Aqua told her what he’d done.

“Ruby-nee—“

“Ssshhh…” Ruby silenced you with a kiss to the forehead.

“Why would he do that— he - he has a girlfriend.” You stuttered and hiccuped throughout your speech, still crying as hard as you did back then.

“Do you really think he loves her?”

“No.”

“But that isn’t what you’re worried about isn’t it?”

Ruby brought you up to her shoulder, massaging your back in a circular motion. “Trust me, nothing will change. He loves you very much. We both love you. I’m just sorry we didn’t make you feel comfortable enough to share your passion with us. You’re amazing [Y/N] in every shape, way or form. You don’t have to be the brightest to the world, you have no obligation to.”

“To us you’re already perfect.”

You never knew she had the capability to be this comforting in a mature sort of way. She always radiated a loud vibration; refreshing most of the time, though it did get tiring.

Never have you been afforded this kind of consolation. It was always you against the world. Being reminded that there are other stars in the sky beside you gave you a strange sense of solace. An odd variety of relief borne out of being insignificant in the sky.

“This incident just means he loves you in a different way alright?”

“But what about Aka-neesama?”

“I’ll talk to him about it.”

“You should thank me. I left them all vulnerable for you.” Aqua spoke, his right hand quickly moved across his laptop’s keyboard and his left held a can of Monster.

“You felt it too didn’t you?” Ruby exhaled. It took a while to get you to lull you into sleep; a necessary step to have the conversation she was partaking in.

“Yeah. . . I did.” Aqua took a sip from his drink, his starry eyes laser focused on the recording of your performance. He had set up several fan accounts and gotten footage from all sorts of angles. He couldn’t wait for your next stage. May it be from sheer excitement or the caffeine in his blood, but the man was absolutely shaking all over over in anticipation. “We have a second chance, don’t mess things up.”

“I should be saying that to you. Break up with Akane by next week. And be careful with how forward you are with your feelings.”

“Already done.” Aqua held up his phone without breaking moving his head at all, in his phone were a few texts between him and a panicking Akane. “and no promises”

Ruby sighed one last time that night, leaning her head back to your bedroom door. “. . . You were right.”

“Hm?”

Both of her eye’s stars hard turn tar black, a blush covered her cheeks.

“[Y/N] does look enticing when they cry.”

#more sadist yun era posts because yes #oshi no ko #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere imagine #yandere aquamarine #yandere ruby #yandere oshi no ko #yandere oshi no ko x reader #yandere fic #yandere x you #yandere oshi no ko reader insert #reader insert #aquamarine x reader #ruby x reader #yandere aquamarine x reader #yandere ruby x reader #aquamarine hoshino #ruby hoshino

824 notes · View notes

astrojulia · 1 year

Text

Tarot Cards as Professions

Navigation: Masterlist✦Ask Rules✦Feedback Tips

Askbox✦Sources✦Paid Readings

Major Arcanas:

The Fool: Work with abroad, connections with imports, language teacher, multinationals, entrepreneur, intern, college student, art major.

The Magician: Entrepreneur, job that needs skill with the hands (acupuncture, hairdresser, artisan), actor, salesperson, influencer.

The High Priestess: Education, especially children, nutrition, psychology, cook, housewife, food engineering, toy factory, fortuneteller, spiritual advisor, librarian.

The Empress: Management, business administration, foreign trade, secretariat, translation, decoration, stay-at-home mom, model, cook, farmer.

The Emperor: Business administration, work related to areas of technological innovation, the military or sportsmen, CEO, tycoon.

The Hierophant: Philanthropic areas, ONGs, religious work, social work, diplomacy, and a degree, journalism, writer, editor, priest, spiritual guru, politician.

The Lovers: Sales area in any sector, tourism, theater, advertising, the arts in general, porn star, stripper, masseuse.

The Chariot: Activities related to transport, cars, the latest technology, chauffeur, mechanic, athlete.

Strength: Aesthetics, physical education and various body therapies, medicine, zoologist.

The Hermit: Teacher, writer, doctor, antique dealer, restorer, librarian, gardener.

Wheel of Fortune: Financial market, exchange offices, casinos, lottery houses, stock exchanges, and areas related to public relations, hospitality, game show host.

Justice: Public jobs, won through competitions, politics, police, with government positions, in the diplomatic area, law, insurance company worker.

The Hanged Man: Nurse, auditor, inspector, porter, secretariat, general assistants, yoga instructor, prison guard, philanthropist.

Death: Doctor, farmer, geologist, business administrator, gardener, accountant, assassin, death row executioner, surgeon.

Temperance: Working with liquids in general or with what is transported in liquid form such as alcoholic beverages, medicines, juices. chemist, chef, food critic, regional or even international traffic.

The Devil: Does not limit the individual to a professional wing, so he can also go to extremes for the desire he has, such as landlord, drug lord, sex trafficker.

The Tower: Social assistance, humanitarian aid, medicine, firefighter, police officer, construction worker.

The Star: Music, painting, sculpture, poetry, cinema, makeup artist, dressmaker, beautician, agent, promoter, sound artist, astronomer, harpist, dealer, meteorologist.

The Moon: Oceanographers, sailors, fishermen, owners of bars and restaurants or nightclubs, artists in general, medium, hypnotist, psychiatrist.

The Sun: Motivational speaker, entertainer, comedian, social relationships, work with the public, artist in general, member of society.

Judgment: Work done at home, connection with the law, lawyer, judge, work with disabled or people excluded from society, social assistance, board member, executive producer, director.

The World: Pharmacist, massage therapist, scientist, teacher, community leader, religious leader or priest, fashion designer, makeup artist, interior decorator.

Wands:

Creative industries such as advertising, marketing, and graphic design.

Entrepreneurship and starting your own business.

Athletics, sports coaching, or physical training.

Outdoor jobs like park ranger or tour guide.

Event planning or organizing.

Firefighters or rescue workers.

Ace of Wands: Entrepreneur, startup founder, motivational speaker, fitness coach, personal trainer.

Two of Wands: Business strategist, project manager, travel agent, international consultant, import/export specialist.

Three of Wands: Sales representative, marketing manager, e-commerce entrepreneur, market researcher, international trade coordinator.

Four of Wands: Event planner, wedding coordinator, party organizer, festival manager, hospitality industry professional.

Five of Wands: Conflict resolution specialist, mediator, lawyer, debate coach, competitive sports coach.

Six of Wands: Public relations manager, spokesperson, social media influencer, motivational speaker, winning athlete.

Seven of Wands: Defense attorney, human rights activist, political campaigner, advocate, civil liberties lawyer.

Eight of Wands: Courier, delivery driver, airline pilot, travel blogger, expedition guide.

Nine of Wands: Security guard, bodyguard, soldier, endurance athlete, self-defense instructor.

Ten of Wands: Overworked entrepreneur, project manager, event organizer, professional organizer, heavy equipment operator.

Page of Wands: Assistant in a creative field, aspiring artist, intern in a startup, social media coordinator, apprentice.

Knight of Wands: Travel journalist, adventure tour guide, professional athlete, race car driver, stunt performer.

Queen of Wands: CEO, business owner, charismatic leader, life coach, influential speaker.

King of Wands: Executive manager, entrepreneur, leadership coach, consultant, director of a creative agency.

Cups:

Counseling, therapy, or social work.

Hospitality industry, including restaurant management and bartending.

Wedding planner or event coordinator.

Artistic fields like poetry, writing, or acting.

Healing professions such as nursing or holistic therapy.

Psychologist or counselor specializing in emotions and relationships.

Ace of Cups: Therapist, counselor, social worker, holistic healer, emotional support specialist.

Two of Cups: Marriage counselor, matchmaker, relationship coach, wedding planner, love psychic.

Three of Cups: Event organizer, party planner, celebratory event coordinator, community organizer.

Four of Cups: Meditation teacher, mindfulness coach, spiritual counselor, psychologist, therapist.

Five of Cups: Grief counselor, trauma therapist, hospice worker, emotional healing practitioner, bereavement support.

Six of Cups: Child psychologist, teacher, daycare worker, children's book author, pediatric nurse.

Seven of Cups: Creative writer, fantasy novelist, imaginative artist, dream analyst, visionary.

Eight of Cups: Travel blogger, adventure seeker, spiritual pilgrim, explorer, wanderlust photographer.

Nine of Cups: Life coach, happiness consultant, gratitude coach, self-help author, wellness retreat organizer.

Ten of Cups: Family therapist, marriage and family counselor, foster care advocate, wedding planner, family mediator.

Page of Cups: Creative writer, artist in training, intuitive healer, aspiring therapist, dream interpreter.

Knight of Cups: Actor, romantic poet, musician, art therapist, love and relationship coach.

Queen of Cups: Psychic reader, intuitive healer, counselor, compassionate caregiver, therapist.

King of Cups: Therapist, counselor, intuitive mentor, emotional intelligence trainer, psychologist.

Swords:

Legal professions like lawyers, judges, or law enforcement officers.

Journalists, reporters, or investigators.

IT specialists, computer programmers, or hackers.

Teachers or professors specializing in critical thinking or philosophy.

Military or defense-related careers.

Strategic planners or analysts.

Ace of Swords: Lawyer, judge, legal consultant, investigative journalist, strategic planner.

Two of Swords: Mediator, conflict resolution specialist, negotiator, diplomat, relationship counselor.

Three of Swords: Divorce lawyer, grief counselor, trauma therapist, emotional healer, heart surgeon.

Four of Swords: Rest and relaxation specialist, meditation teacher, spiritual retreat organizer, yoga instructor.

Five of Swords: Military strategist, competitive sports coach, lawyer specializing in litigation, debate coach.

Six of Swords: Travel agent, relocation consultant, therapist specializing in transitions, boat captain.

Seven of Swords: Private investigator, spy, intelligence analyst, cybersecurity expert, undercover agent.

Eight of Swords: Social justice lawyer, human rights advocate, disability rights activist, therapist specializing in limiting beliefs.

Nine of Swords: Insomnia specialist, anxiety therapist, nightmare counselor, sleep coach, mental health counselor.

Ten of Swords: Surgeon, coroner, forensic scientist, mortician, grief counselor.

Page of Swords: Researcher, journalist, fact-checker, apprentice in a legal field, investigative reporter.

Knight of Swords: Military officer, police officer, attorney, competitive fencer, conflict resolution specialist.

Queen of Swords: Judge, lawyer, critic, journalist, literary agent.

King of Swords: Judge, attorney, CEO, strategist, military general.

Pentacles:

Financial advisors or investment bankers.

Real estate agents or property developers.

Agriculture, farming, or gardening.

Architects, builders, or construction workers.

Conservationists or environmentalists.

Accountants or bookkeepers.

Ace of Pentacles: Financial advisor, investment banker, wealth manager, entrepreneur, luxury goods retailer.

Two of Pentacles: Financial analyst, accountant, bookkeeper, event planner, stock trader.

Three of Pentacles: Architect, contractor, project manager, teamwork facilitator, craftsman.

Four of Pentacles: Wealth manager, investor, financial planner, asset protection specialist, treasurer.

Five of Pentacles: Social worker, philanthropist, charity organizer, financial counselor, volunteer.

Six of Pentacles: Philanthropist, humanitarian worker, non-profit manager, social worker, charitable fundraiser.

Seven of Pentacles: Gardener, farmer, agricultural consultant, sustainability expert, botanist.

Eight of Pentacles: Craftsperson, artisan, apprentice, skilled tradesperson, technical trainer.

Nine of Pentacles: Luxury brand manager, independent business owner, successful entrepreneur, vineyard owner, art collector.

Ten of Pentacles: Real estate developer, property investor, family business owner, generational wealth manager, financial advisor.

Page of Pentacles: Intern, student, apprentice in a practical field, aspiring entrepreneur, entry-level employee.

Knight of Pentacles: Accountant, financial planner, farmer, skilled tradesperson, meticulous worker.

Queen of Pentacles: CEO, business owner, property developer, hospitality industry entrepreneur, financial advisor.

King of Pentacles: CEO, business mogul, successful investor, high-level executive, financial consultant.

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

#tarot #tarot tips #tarot meanings #divination #cards #witch #witchcraft #witchblr #astroblr #career #astrojulia #all about tarot #tarot witch #major arcana #minor arcana #tarot and career

838 notes · View notes

flowersadida · 6 months

Text

Aang's problem is that he doesn't live in the world of the hundred years' war. His conflicts aren't related to war, they are more local. Basic example: he needs to defeat the Fire Lord to stop the war. As if it depends on the actions of one dude, and hasn't been the usual routine of the whole world for a hundred fucking years.

All the villages that Aang visits in his episodes in Book 1 are as far from the given realities as possible: “The Great Divide”, “The FortuneTeller”, “The Winter Solstice (two parts)”. All problems are local, and most importantly, there's no war there.

All people there live as if it hasn't yet overtaken them and everything is fine. Yes, there's many episodes showing the problems of war, but they're focused on Sokka, Katara and Zuko.

Especially Zuko, because he's the one who faces the consequences of his people's ambitions, where the world is dying of exhaustion. Aang never faces this exhaustion; rather, he observes from the sidelines in the episodes of his friends (unless other characters point out the consequences of the war themselves, like in "The Storm" or "The Avatar State". But he never interacts with war victims on his own initiative). The only time he took part in military operations was at the North Pole, where he destroyed ships. But that's all, otherwise it's as abstract as possible. Even during the invasion in Book 3 he doesn't participate in the battle and only has to defeat one dude, meh

And since he's the main character of the story, there's the most such abstract episodes, at least in Book 1. This creates the feeling that the war lasts not a hundred years, but about five.

Indeed, if the war had just begun, many things would make sense. Why, among the many victims of war, is only one person blaming the avatar for his disappearance? Because the war has just begun and people haven't yet lost hope. Why do many cities on the border with the FN still have comfortable living conditions? Because the war has just begun, the enemies haven't yet had time to destroy their settlements. Why does ending the war depend specifically on defeating the Fire Lord, and not on careful, painstaking work on mentality and diplomacy? Because the war was the initiative of only one person and didn't have time to influence the minds of generations. That is, if you change Ozai to Sozin, the avatar's mission for the entire series will become logical.

But here's why Aang is bad as the main character: it only works when the world adapts to his actions, mentality and conflicts. He needs to save the weak and defenseless Katara in order to at least somehow invest himself in their relationship and give her something as a partner. Katara needs to expose herself to fire and forget that she's a waterbender to provoke Aang's guilt. The world has to create a lot of deus ex machina for Aang to actually reach the end and defeat the Fire Lord (the avatar state itself, Katara's spiritual water, lion-turtle). He has to pretend the world isn't in agony in order for his shallow mission to take down one dude to have any weight.

Moreover, the further the other characters are from Aang, the more alive they become.

Why is Zuko's arc so good? Because it exists separately from Aang and reveals the character on his terms. Why are episodes centered on Katara and Sokka good? Because they throw Aang into the background and reveal the realities of the world as they are.

That's why I don't believe in him, no matter what conflicts he has. After all, no matter what he feels, it all exists separately from the world in which he lives. And for him to start working as a character, he has to adjust the environment to suit himself, which creates a feeling of theatricality and decorativeness

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla critical #anti aang #aang critical #critical meta

194 notes · View notes

survivalove · 7 months

Text

Katara the selfcare queen

Every canon instance or mention (that i can rmr) of Katara indulging in selfcare in the middle of a war because I find it quite amusing yet fascinating.

I may or may not have made a post like this before but I wanted to expand on it.

1. Skincare routine

In 1x14, The Fortuneteller, Katara reveals she has a special seaweed lotion that she carries with her for soft skin. (Avatar Extras also made a point of saying that it smells…?) She even offers to get Aunt Wu some, as if she has extra. So my question is, who is this plug that she gets her steady supply of seaweed lotion from? 😭

Real-life: Seaweed has been used in skincare for thousands of years, first recorded in ancient Chile. Nowadays, seaweed extract is pretty common in skincare products especially from emerging brands in Nunavik and Iqaluit, Canada.

My headcanon: This is probably a recipe Katara picked up from the older women of her tribe, so she just plucks some seaweed whenever the gaang stops by a body of water. And she definitely makes it in cute glass jars and shares it with her fellow healers in the Republic City Hospital ✨selfcare queen✨

2. Spa Day

I just find this funny because when and how did she even find this spa? How long has she been going by herself? Look how comfortable she is like dhjfjcd she’s definitely a regular and they all know her.

Real-life: Saunas are pretty modern, starting up in Finland around 1112. (In canon, I think a firebender and a waterbender run a sauna in Republic City so hey.) Mudbaths on the other hand have been around for centuries and people have been doing it at any naturally occurring hot spring they can found. I don’t even have to tell you about massages so

My headcanon: Katara always knows where the spas and selfcare places are wherever they go. I definitely think she scooped up some stuff at the perfume abbey in season 1 (because she’s a kleptomaniac). I also headcanon she would have a spa setup in the back of Republic City Hospital because selfcare is healthcare too. Also, Aang gives her massages at home and he’s surprisingly good at it, but, Katara sucks at massages and Aang never lets her do it to him after that one time 💀

3. Yoga

In 3x11, Nightmares & Daydreams, Katara teaches Aang yoga to de-stress in a hot spring. My thing is, when did she learn about yoga and how often does she do it? We needed the Katara yoga mini shorts special. The kids would’ve loved it.

Real life: Yoga originating from ancient India is practised in a variety of forms in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. The poses they do are the Upward Salute and the Wide Legged Forward Bend.

My headcanon: I imagine Katara must have read about this at the Air Nomad Section of the Spirit Library, given the cultural heritage. Knowing her she found a yoga scroll and swiped it (can you say klepto?). This is another selfcare thing she does with Aang because it’s his culture! They do it every Saturday until he starts complaining about his old bones 😅

4. Hair care

Katara also wears a special cap on her head when doing yoga which I assume is to protect her hair from the steam 🤔 I just found it very interesting since we hardly see her hair covered. Then I also realized Katara is the only character shown actually combing her hair and styling it like 4 times: from the bun-braid, to the formal earth kingdom look, to her fire nation look and finally the bun with her hair out.

Real life: I typed so many things and I finally found something similar called a chinoiserie satin skull cap? (sorry pic limit). It’s similar in design and even has a tassel like Katara’s. Focusing on her hairstyles, the signature “hair loopies” are actually based on a traditional Inuit style known as qilliqti and her earth kingdom look is based on a traditional Manchurian style called liangbatou.

My headcanon: Like Katara’s mysterious seaweed lotion recipe, she probably makes several haircare products for herself, and has a major hair routine. So, it would make sense she wears protective caps from time to time. I also think both Hama and Katara are tied to the myth of Senna, the Inuit sea goddess, through the comb Katara uses which I headcanon is the identical comb Hama had in her home (again klepto).

If there’s any more selfcare moments I left out, please feel free to share or reply with your own Katara ✨selfcare queen✨ headcanons!

#atla #katara #self care #self care queen #skincare #spa #yoga #haircare #culturalexploration #my headcanons #kataang #anti zutara

190 notes · View notes

tanadrin · 2 years

Text

(Note: this is all totally non-rigorous free association)

Famously, the King James Version of the Bible translates Exodus 22:18 as "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." This is one of those translations, though, that has suffered for passing through multiple different cultural lenses over the textual history of Exodus. Alternate modern translations say things like "put to death any woman who does evil magic," "*wizards* thou shalt not suffer to live," or even "whoever has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death."

In the Septuagint, the underlying word is translated φάρμακος; despite the connotation of the English word, a masculine noun; the word is associated with magical arts in general, but is *especially* associated with poison. It's from φάρμακον, a word which can mean either "poison" or "drug," and is the origin of "pharmacy." Greek had a rich vocabulary for the supernatural: an older and more general word seems to be γοητεία, "charm, jugglery, sorcery," from γόης, "sorcerer, wizard, juggler, cheat." That it includes in its semantic field the concept of sleight-of-hand shows that mundane deception is countenanced as a possible explanation for claims of magical power, which no doubt contributes to the dim social reception of magic, but also shows a neat symmetry with the modern concept of the stage magician, whom we publicly acknowledge as really being just a particular kind of illusionist and entertainer. Another Greek word for magic is, well, μάγος, the source of the English word, ultimately a borrowing from Old Persian maguš. A maguš was simply a priest of Mazda in the old Zoroastrian religion; the word is of uncertain etymology, but its connotations in Greek arise from crediting a Greek mythical version of Zoroaster with the invention of magic and astrology, showing us that perhaps orientalism of one sort or another has long been part of European traditions of the occult. There is also θαυματουργία, "wonder-working, doing miracles, wizardry."

But the Septuagint word choice is an odd one; as I understand it, the actual underlying lexical item is מְכַשֵּׁפָה/mekhashefah, the feminine form of מְכַשֵּׁף/mekhashef. The root of this word seems to be כשף/KH-SH-F, which has been glossed various ways. One gloss I find particularly interesting is "cut." Kenneth Kitchen links this etymology to the cutting of herbs; thus, a mekhashef is a kind of herbalist, and the context, as with pharmakos, is the fear of poisons--the feminine form might also make sense here, as it seems plausible that just as in our modern society, poisoning was a more reliable tool for killing for women than for men, for whom the possibility of physically overpowering their enemies was less likely.

But I think it's interesting to note other ways in which magic is about division and breaking. Though in modern fantasy a "warlock" is either just a generic wicked sorcerer, or a summoner of demons, the word comes from Old English wǣrloga ("promise-deceiver"), a deceiver, a breaker of oaths. A warlock is thus someone who dissolves social ties, or even betrays their baptismal vows by making an unholy vow, an un-promise, to Satan himself. The English "witch" comes from the Old English wiċċa or wiċċe (masculine and feminine forms respectively), from Proto-Germanic *wikkô, "sorcerer, necromancer," from the verb *wikkōną, "to practice sorcery." One likely derivation of *wikkōną is the Proto-Indo-European stem *weyk-, "to separate, to divide, to choose." This may be a reference to cleromancy, the casting of lots; many ancient words for magic link together fortunetelling of various kinds (the second element in words like "necromancy" and "cleromancy" is ancient Greek μᾰντείᾱ, "divination, prophecy, fortune-telling), but here again the concept of separation appears in a way that is difficult to ignore.

The Romans, like the Greeks, looked east for their wisdom, and were also obsessed with divination in particular, so their words for magic are often borrowed from Greek, or concern forms of fortune-telling in particular: haruspicina, the inspection of entrails; the genius or numen, language of spiritual presence and will (the latter not dissimilar to the mana of Polynesia); auspicium, the interpretation of omens, especially the flights of birds. Perhaps other kinds of magic invoked skepticism: Pliny argues that, except possibly in the making of potions (the Romans, no less than the Greeks and the Hebrews, knew that the right herbs could kill!), most claims of magic were simply lies--though there was little harm in apotropaic wards to set the mind at ease. Apuleius granted the existence of spirits and demons, and both Augustus and Constantine worried enough about magic to try to suppress its practice.

In Sanskrit, magic was apparently sometimes called इन्द्रजाल/indrajala, "Indra's net," a metaphor for emptiness, a word that foregrounds the idea of fraud and illusion. Similarly, the word माया/maya means "magic," but also "illusion," being in that way akin to the English notion of glamour found in fairy-stories. There is also possibly semantic overlap with German Zauber, whose meaning is "magic," but which is etymologically connected to Old English tēafor, "to paint [a picture]," and Icelandic töfrar, "enchantment." (Icelandic also has galdur, "sorcery," but also "[conjuring] trick.") Chinese offers the root 魔/mo2, which according to Wiktionary is from Sanskrit मार/mara, "death, pestilence;" in Chinese it takes on theurgic qualities: "devil, demon, magic, the unnatural, crazy," depending on the context it's found in: 魔羅, a kind of Buddhist demon; 魔術, "magic," as in an illusion imitating the supernatural; 瘋魔, "to be insane, to be fascinated by, to be enchanted by," a concept of obsessive madness shared in other cultures, including our own.

A full cross-cultural, historical comparison of words pertaining to magic is far beyond my capabilities, of course; but exploring current in the vocabulary and historical development of words around magic is interesting so far as it peels back the thick systematizing, empirical layer within our culture and helps us glimpse how these ideas functioned in the past. Nowadays, magic is often prototypically the magic of high fantasy: it is systematic, little more than a flashy kind of science, even if it is one accessed through mental discipline rather than mechanical instruments. Magic is patterned, stable, fundamentally knowable, because we are so thoroughly grounded in systems of knowledge that understand the whole world as patterned and knowable that we cannot imagine anything else. We redefine magic in ways that simplify it down to nothing: to be little more than abstract spiritual practice, moral therapeutic deism with countercultural window-dressing, or to mean nothing more than simply acting on the world. But is that really in keeping with the spirit of the thing, as it is has been imagined for most of history?

Magic is about many things. It is about division: discrimination, separation, cutting. Cutting the body of the sacrifice, to prod at its bloody insides; cutting breath from a living victim; cutting off the sacred from the unholy, and vice-versa. It is about speaking, chanting, singing, the form and the performance of words. It is about writing (itself a word which means to cut or carve into something). It is about deception: lies in pursuit of status or money, lies to avoid culpability for murder, lies about secret knowledge. It is about feeling oneself inhabiting a world filled with intentional beings, beings with a will and nature unknown and perhaps unknowable to you. Spirits of the dead, of the air, and of the wild world; the genius loci, the demon, the hungry ghost. It of a world when the night could claim real darkness, when the stars were forever an inscrutable mystery, and when the terrifying unknown could intrude into your life at a moment's notice. Even modern occultism feels like a nonsensical imitation of the past, with emphasis on benign enlightenment or spiritual growth, when ancient magic was rife with murder, curses, treachery, and simple human greed. The huckster fortune-teller, who cynically defrauds their customrs, is closer to the spirit of magic than the observant neo-pagan.

We are mostly too sure of ourselves, and too confident in our ability to understand even that which is at first horrifying and inexplicable, to really replicate the feeling of that kind of magic. A world in which that kind of magic is possible is a world in which the last few centuries of philosophy and epistemology and science are shown to be so profoundly wrong that we are left with nothing but naive superstition and fear. Or else, it is a world where all these basic forms of inquiry that we take for granted simply do not work--because if they did work, we would be back in our own comforting, familiar world, a world of rationalism and enlightenment, albeit perhaps with a few of the phenomenological incidentals changed. I wonder if it is really possibly anymore for us to tell stories in the mode of that older world. With the exception of certain kinds of horror, I don't really know of anything that comes close.

560 notes · View notes

bestygogirl · 5 months

Text

BEST YGO GIRL: ROUND 5, ALL GROUPS

Group C Finals!

please use this as an opportunity to say why you like a character, not why you don't.

Propaganda under the cut!

Anzu Mazaki

the original It Girl, very underrated anzu masaki is stubborn. she’s all about friendship and she believes in you soooo much. she’s the type to give you a lecture while picking you up because she’ll never leave you stranded but you should take better care of yourself. she has dreams of being a dancer and takes that risk in moving to whole different COUNTRY to follow her dreams. vote for anzu!!! This is ANZU. Yugioh's most dedicated friendship philosopher!!! The one who knew the power of friendship before anyone else did!! Always backing up her guy friends even when (especially when) they're up their own asses about card games!! Not the mom friend bc she's reckless and nuts in her own special way!! The girl Yami confided in when he couldn't even confide in Yuugi... who sees through everyone's bullshit into their true feelings.... who said "learning how to love yourself is a game we play our whole lives"..... She is THEE GIRL. Literally iconic. Foundational to the whole damn text!! She didn't haul ass after a bunch of goofy card game geeks supporting them through 343 chapters and suffer through endless early 2000s Anzu-bashing fic to NOT win this tournament!!

Isis Ishtar

gorgeous, very caring sister, strong duelist, and the only woman to ever make Seto Kaiba squirm

anyways. not only as mentioned above is she the first woman to make kaiba squirm, but she was by all means going to beat him if not for the millennium rod's millennium interference. yami marik admits that she's a strong duelist with a strategy that's been working for literal years-- and given that she's not like, a professional duelist, thats pretty impressive

she also recently got some really cool meta bumps and let me point out that an "ishizu deck" now includes obelisk the tormentor-- which we knew she had prior to giving it to kaiba, but i think it only solidifies my opinion that she very much could wield an Egyptian God Card, an exclusive little club for top tier duelists

as a character she presents herself with an amazing amount of poise and grace, shes compassionate and kind and stays with mai and serenity even though she only just met them. shes struggling through living the past 5 years of her life drowning in guilt for her family's tragedy just because she wanted to make her little brother happy and shadi is a fucking liar. shes foretold her own death and marches towards it grimly but with so much love in her heart. and even then shes 20 years old and holds an important position in the egyptian government that typically requires a doctorate degree AND has been dealing with mariks off-and-on bullshit entirely by her lonesome. she also likes to flex her fortunetelling a little which is awesome i think she should do that more that scene where she tells the guy exactly how the stele is being transported was so everything

speaking of shes got such an attitude. "is it your destiny to waste my time?" iconic. never seen before will never be seen again. watch the duel between her va and joeys its so fucking funny

shes excult. shes doesnt flinch in the face of god nor death. seto kaiba and yami marik respect her. shes so sad and so sweet and battle city couldnt have happened without her.

also her parallels with kaiba are what motivate kaiba to give yugi the card he needed to beat marik.

kaiba, in duelist kingdom, was ready to jump off a ledge if yugi didnt let him through to face pegasus while trying to save mokuba out of sheer desperation to save his little brother. he KNOWS what that dedication feels like and the iron kind of will you need to have to make that kind of gamble. isis is being so fucking legit with what shes saying and he respects that and her judgement enough to change his mind and not only watch the duel, but give yugi a card that eventually helps him win, even if he has no real confidence in the odds. but theres a CHANCE, which is the same thing he taught her when he beat her in a duel. the layers its her faith that moves him to act. which is so crazy

anyway vote isis shes my best friend forever and a real rep for all the 20 year olds who honest to god did not sign up for this bullshit

#best ygo girl poll #round 5 #yugioh duel monsters #isis ishtar #ishizu ishtar #anzu mazaki #tea gardner

65 notes · View notes

the-badger-mole · 1 year

Text

To Tell the Truth...

Sokka was against it from the beginning. As soon as they spotted the stall, Sokka tried to steer his friends away from it. Especially his sister. Specifically his sister.

"Come on," Katara insisted. "What harm could it do?"

"It's a waste of money!" Sokka threw his hands up in frustration. "It's going to be Aunt Wu all over again."

"Aunt Wu didn't charge," Katara said. "She was also right. And besides, this isn't that expensive. Especially not since Mr. Moneybags here gave us access to the coffers." Katara grinned at Zuko and nudged him in the ribs. He'd shown them where his father had kept a supply of money in his office at the Ember Island beach palace. A combination of spite and an eagerness to make his new friends happy led him to be very generous with it's use.

"We might need to save that for later," Sokka groaned. "And you say I'm impulsive."

"It's a copper piece for each fortune," Suki pointed out. "That wouldn't even dent our grocery budget."

"Well count me out," Sokka folded his arms and glare at the ground. "The last time I went to one of these crackpots, she said that I was going to be the cause of my own misery."

"And that was wrong because...?" Katara smirked at Sokka. He just glared back at her.

"I'm not going," he repeated.

"Fine," Katara shrugged. "So you can wait for the rest of us."

"I think I'll pass, too," Zuko said eyeing the dilapidated stall dubiously. "Someone needs to be outside in case this place collapses."

"Fine, spoilsport," Katara scoffed. "So that leaves me, Suki, Toph and Aang."

"Wrong, Sweetness," Toph said. "I'm just fine living in the present, thank you."

"I'm in!" Aang chirped. "I had fun the last time." Sokka snorted and rolled his eyes, but that seemed to be the end of his protests.

Aang went first rushing forward to hand the fortuneteller- an elderly man with yellowing eyes- his payment. He motioned Aang into the back of the stall wordlessly. The reading took less than five minutes, and when Aang reemerged, he looked uncharacteristically subdued.

"What happened?" Sokka asked. "What that guy say." Aang's eyes went wide for a moment and shot a sideways glance at Katara.

"Well, he...er...he said..." Aang stammered. "I mean, it was bunch of nonsense, anyway. I think you were right Sokka. That guy's a quack. Maybe we should just go."

"No way!" Suki said emphatically. "Who cares if he's not the real deal. It's all in good fun."

"Waste of money and time," Sokka grumbled. Suki and Katara exchanged looks and rolled their eyes. Suki took her turn next. She paid and followed the fortunteller into the back room.

"What did he tell you?" Katara asked Aang. "Was it really so bad?" Aang looked at her and his face went bright red.

"It's not that important," he said. "It's just...he...he said that... I need to grow up?" His friends blinked in surprise.

"That's all?" Toph snorted. "Of course you need to grow up. You're 12."

"Yep," Aang chuckled nervously. "Like I said...a quack." Toph raised her brow at him.

"What else did he say?" she asked. Aang swallowed hard and looked around at his friends nervously. His eyes landed on Katara and he immediately looked downward. He was spared from answering by the reappearance of Suki.

Where Aang had been troubled by his reading, Suki looked positively delighted. She didn't wait for her friends to ask.

"He said that I am going to be an international name," she told them. "That I'm about to have a very big success soon, and it will catapult me into fame."

"I didn't know that was something you were interested in," Sokka said. "But I'm not surprised."

"Don't you get it?" Suki asked. "What...big event do we have coming up very soon that we want to succeed in?"

"You know that guy is just trying to tell you what you want to hear, right?" Sokka rolled his eyes again. "He just said something vague and positive so you'd fill in the blanks with whatever you want it to mean."

"He didn't do that with Aang," Suki pointed out. "And even if he's not the real deal, isn't it nice to hear that we're going to have a win? Especially after that play?"

"Yeah," Sokka scoffed. "Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to hear some whack job predicting fame and fortune."

"He didn't say fortune," Suki said, shrugging.

Katara went last. She paid the fortuneteller and followed him into the backroom. It was as dark and stuffy as she anticipated, but the furnishings were much nicer than she expected. There were red and gold silk hangings all around the small space, making it feel even closer. A brass lamp hung overhead, the fire burning inside of it cast intricate, flickering shadows all around. The incense was just a touch too strong for such a small space, and it almost immediately made Katara dizzy. She sat at the low table on the surprisingly plush cushions while the fortuneteller settled in on the other side. The flickering lights made his already aged face look even more ancient. His eyes, dark and unnervingly still, fixed on her. His face remained expressionless, which unsettled Katara further.

"Um...d-do I ask you a question or-"

"You can," the fortuneteller said.

"Alright," Katara said. "Um...I guess...I want to know if me and my family will be okay."

"That's a broad question." The fortuneteller's mouth hardly seemed to move as he spoke. It was a trick of the dim light, Katara decided firmly.

"It's the one I want answered," Katara said. The man's face didn't change, but suddenly he seemed amused.

"I suppose that's not completely a lie," he said. Katara was taken aback at that. She didn't have time to respond. "Your family will be fine for the most part. There will be a lot of things to mend and rebuild in your near future, but the ones closest to you will be there to help."

Katara breathed a sigh of relief, even as her brother's assertions of fraud echoed in her mind. It was comforting to hear from the fortuneteller, regardless. She thought that was the end. She started to stand up when the fortuneteller's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"What are you-"

"I have one more word of caution and a gift for you," the fortuneteller said. "First, the caution. You are very dishonest, Katara."

"How did you know my name?" she demanded. The fortuneteller went on as if he hadn't heard her.

"You use dishonesty to protect the people around you. You lie to yourself, too, and it will only lead to future heartbreak for you and those who rely on you. And now, a gift. Until the sun rises again, it is yours."

"What?" Katara stared at him. "What gift? What are you talking about? How did you know my name?" The fortuneteller sat placidly at the table. He was no longer holding Katara's arm. It hardly seemed like he'd moved at all. A shudder ran down Katara's spine, and she rushed from the stall. Her friends were immediately concerned.

'What happened in there?" Sokka demanded.

"I got my fortune read," Katara said, taking a shaky breath in.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked. Katara nodded.

"I'm fine," she assured her friends. "It was just...very stuffy in there. His incense was too strong."

"Let's get out of here," Sokka said. "We should head home."

When they got back onto the palace grounds, Aang seemed to have bounced back from whatever funk he'd been in. He turned to Katara with a hopeful smile.

"Hey, Katara, do you want to walk down to the beach with me?" he asked. Katara smiled back at him.

"No," she said. She balked in surprise along with her friends.

"A-are you busy?" Aang asked. Katara started to nod uncertainly.

"I'm not busy," she said. "I just don't want to go for a walk with you." Aang was stunned by Katara's bluntness, but Katara was too distracted to notice. The words she'd spoken were her own, but they were her thoughts, and not what she'd meant to say. Her friends looked at her in surprise. She was never that blunt. Not with Aang, anyway.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked.

"I am," Katara nodded uncertainly. "I just don't feel like walking with Aang."

"What did I do?" Aang asked. He sounded hurt, and his eyes were wide with shock.

"The last time we were alone, you kissed me," Katara said. Around her she heard her friends gasp. "I didn't like it. I'm afraid you're going to try to kiss me again." Why had she said that? Katara's hands flew to her mouth. Her friends had all rounded on Aang, and suddenly they erupted into loud demands and questions. Sokka bore down on him furiously, his voice rising above the others.

"You did what to my sister?" Katara slipped away in the confusion, fleeing for the shelter of the palace. She ran to the kitchen and sat against the door. She hadn't meant to say that. She hadn't planned to tell anyone what happened with Aang on the balcony. Why had it just come out like that? Part of her wanted to go back and calm everyone down, but she was afraid of what else she might say.

(Aang deserved the wrath he was facing).

Katara jumped up, shaking her head of that last thought. What Aang did to her was wrong, but he didn't deserve to face Sokka's wrath. She leaned against the counter in the middle of the room and took several deep breaths. He didn't deserve that...did he?

"Katara?" She spun around and found her friends standing in the doorway. Aang wasn't with them, unsurprisingly, but Katara felt a sting nonetheless.

"Sokka sent Aang to his room," Toph said.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked.

"No," Katara said honestly. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I didn't mean to say that. I wasn't going to say anything about what happened at the play. It just...came out."

"Good!" Sokka exclaimed. "You should have told me when it happened! I'd have kicked his butt right there!"

"I'm surprised you didn't do it," Toph said.

"I-I couldn't," Katara gripped the counter behind her. The words felt like vomit rising in her throat. She tried to hold them down, but they came spewing out. "I wanted to protect him. I didn't want him to kiss me, but I thought I still had to protect him." What was happening?

"That's not your job," Suki said.

"It is though!" Katara tried clenching her teeth, but they wouldn't stay shut. "He's the Avatar. He's supposed to end the war. I need to make sure he gets there."

"Woah..." Sokka took a step back. "Is that what you've thought this whole time?"

"Yes!" Katara was frantic. "I can't stop saying what I'm thinking! Why can't I stop?" Her distress finally registered with her friends. They froze, uncertain what to be most concerned about at the moment.

"Katara," Suki ventured first. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No," Katara shook her head. "I just can't stop myself from saying whatever's in my head."

"What do you mean?" Toph asked. "Like you can't lie?" Katara shook her head. Her entire body was quaking now.

"I don't know what's happening to me," she said. Her friends watched her quietly for a moment.

"Did that fortuneteller guy do something to you?" Zuko asked. Katara looked up sharply and gasped.

"The gift," she said.

"What?" Sokka leaned forward. "What gift?" Katara told her friends exactly what had happened during her reading. The fortunetellers positive prediction. How unsettled she'd felt in the claustrophobic room. How he'd reached out to grab her before she left and spoke about how she was being dishonest.

"Then he told me he was giving me a gift," she concluded. "He said I'd have it until sunrise. Did-do you think he...had something to do with this?"

"No!" Sokka said firmly. "No way! It's one thing to say that guy can predict the future, but a truth spell?"

"Well, how else do you explain it?" Katara asked. "It's either he did something, or I'm losing my mind!" Sokka stared at her for a long while, mouth opening and closing uselessly.

"We don't know that anything's actually wrong with you," Suki said. "You spilled the beans about Aang kissing you without your permission. It's clearly been bothering you. Maybe him asking you to be alone with him again set you off."

"There's one way to test that theory," Toph pointed out. Katara leaned forward eagerly.

"What is it?"

"Tell us the truth, Katara," Toph's mouth turned into a wicked grin. "What do you really think about Zuko?"

For a moment nothing happened. For a split second Katara started to relax. Then she felt the words rising into her throat again. The thoughts that she intended to keep to herself prickling the back of her tongue, threatening to gag her if she didn't let them out. She tried to trap them with her teeth, but then she glanced at Zuko, with that adorably confused look on her face, and she knew she was going to lose this fight.

But at least now she knew what was going on. She'd find a way to make Toph pay later.

#atla #zutara #zutara month #day 27 #truth serum/spell #anti aang #anti kataang #got this in under the wire #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

298 notes · View notes

zvtara-was-never-canon · 17 days

Note

So, you have Twitter Zutarians claiming that Aang isn't a "real friend" to Katara because he had a crush on her and was only intent on having a romantic relationship with her. They proceed to claim that if Aang was rejected by Katara, he would likely abandon their friendship because "guys just can't be friends with girls, especially ones whose affections have been rejected".

"Aang would not want to be friends anymore if Katara rejected him" Cut to him still wanting to be friends when he believes Katara will never love him back in both The Fortuneteller and after the Ember Island fiasco. Cut to him being VERY chill with Katara bonding with Haru, and having an obvious crush on Jet.

It's almost like friendship and romantic feelings can, and should, coexist in a healthy relationship. It's almost like Aang loves Katara BOTH as his best friend in the whole world and the person he's interested in dating.

Once again: zutarians are watching a completely different show.

Also about that super reductive "guys just can't be friends with girls, especially ones whose affections have been rejected" line - they do realize that by making it about ALL guys, instead of just the creepy, entitled ones, they are basically saying that they think Zuko would be exactly the same, right? Especially since he also demonstrated a tendency to lash out when jealous (or when literally anything happens because surprise surprise, being abused and taught that violence is normal fucks you up)?

#anti zutara #pro kataang #pro aang

27 notes · View notes

deusvervewrites · 2 months

Note

Saiyan AU: So, what would you say the various “enhanced” members of the class are capable of at the start of the school year?

Let's see... First of all I can say they're all superhuman in terms of physical ability to save time.

Midoriya is a half-Saiyan with all that implies (including advanced senses), plus about a decade or so of martial arts and Ki training. He has access to his Ozaru form and control of it, and he's skilled at reshaping his Ki in various ways.

Ashido is a biodroid with multiple Quirks, meaning she has shapeshifting (and an extremely pliable body), regeneration, the potential to learn Ki (like all people but especially notable here) and can turn people into pastries/candy that she can eat to absorb them and gain their strength. Plus combat training from fighting Noumu.

Todoroki, like his siblings, is a cyborg who never runs out of stamina, can absorb energy (including Ki), and is especially durable. This also means that he does not suffer the downsides of his Quirk because his augmentations deal with the excess cold/heat. All that plus his intensive training.

Asui is a mutant Namekian. In addition to the enhanced hearing, regeneration, and body stretching, she'd also inherit King Piccolo's Ki control and flight powers. Also she might be telepathic, that's neat.

Hagakure learned from the Crane School for assassination, giving her better Quirk control, in addition to their signature techniques, like the Dodon Ray, Solar Flare, and the Crane School specific flight technique. She also has martial arts training based around pressure points and instant kills.

Ojiro is-- Ojiro?? Ha ha you fools! I figured out what to do with Ojiro weeks ago but nobody asked since then so it never came up! Ojiro learned magic from Fortuneteller Baba! That gives him telekinesis and telepathy, and the ability to magically produce whatever he wants. Plus shapeshifting, and probably some other neat tricks

#asks #saiyan au

25 notes · View notes

comradekatara · 8 months

Note

hmm… what’s your least significant opinion about the most significant character, and what’s your most significant opinion about the least significant character (perhaps your only opinion of them)

for this you also have to choose a most and least significant character. have fun

my least significant opinion about aang is that he really loves lychees. idk why but ever since i first randomly said it i really do believe that with all my heart. i think he’d use his influence as avatar to repopularize lychees after the war. in that same vein, i think katara ultimately grows to like papaya because aang, seeing her buying a papaya that day in makapu, assumes that she likes papaya (even though, as we all know, she hates papaya) but she’s too embarrassed to admit that she ate a papaya despite hating papaya specifically because aunt wu told her to, so every time aang gets her a papaya she dutifully eats it, until she starts to like papaya purely due to its association with aang.

as for my most significant opinion about those twins we see in “the fortuneteller,” one of whom is an earthbender and one of whom isn’t, i do think that the excitement with which the nonbender claims that he is one is unrealistic. i mean, imagine having a twin who is identical to you in every way except they’re also possessed with this incredible telekinetic ability to manipulate earth? i know that in atla we’re expected to buy that nonbenders are happy with their lot, but i do think that if i was a nonbender in atla i would be envious of benders my entire life (jeong jeong is an outlier adn must not be counted), especially if said bender was my sibling!!! these kids have exactly one line each (“im an earthbender” and “im not” respectively), but as you can see, this conundrum has haunted me since childhood.

#homoclothes #asks #aang #katara #aang&katara #they’re equally significant imo #also the fortuneteller is my favorite insignificant episode lol #just because katara is so cute in it

55 notes · View notes

bonefall · 1 year

Note

do your cats have any sort of fun little fortune-telling methods? not proper divination, more like how humans have magic 8 balls or those folded paper fortune tellers

Generally, these are frowned upon! You have to keep these relatively harmless fortunetelling methods on the downlow, else you might get a lecture about how StarClan does not approve of "misinterpretation of their will." It's like witchcraft.

But kittens especially love silly little rituals just as much as they love blasphemy so, here's a couple popular ones. Adults sometimes do these too, but quietly!

DANDELION RUNNING

Find a big dandelion puffball, one with the seeds dry and loose. Pluck it from the ground, hold it in your teeth, and RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! At the end, observe the seeds that still cling to the puff.

That's how many kittens you will have someday. Apprentices who are mutually crushing like to do this together to see if their number matches up.

PUFFBALL SMACKING

This one is mostly a ShadowClan tradition because they are the most morbid. You find a juuuust barely ripe puffball, gather around, and you give it a slap. Gentle! Every slap you get is a lucky moon you will have.

But if you hit it and it pops, that means BAD luck for every slap you got in.

So obviously the apprentices like to gather around and take slap-turns, and saddle the unlucky popper with all the bad luck of the session.

SEEDMATCH

This is the closest thing to a card reading or those little fold-up stars they have. It's about seeds, obviously.

First, you get a bowl of some kind. That can be a big leaf, or clay, or maybe even a turtle shell if you've caught an invasive slider or terrapin. Toss in 12 pairs of seeds (called "pods" in Clanmew) for a total of 24, the same amount of whiskers on a cat's face.

The seeds are mixed until randomized. Then the the Speaker and the Spoken both close their eyes and pluck 6 seeds. The Spoken places their seeds down, one at a time, in a row. The Speaker checks the seeds they plucked, and either declares no matches, or places down the match.

The 12 seeds are traditional. Each pair is the same species, and has a meaning;

Poppy = Rest, physical injury, sleep

Apple = Risk and reward

Plum core (the endocarp within the pit) = Death or redemption (ShadowClan INSISTS these must come from damsons specifically)

Dandelion = Freedom, change, metamorphosis

Fennel = Health, wellness, illness

Flax = Breakthroughs, ingenuity, interruptions

Gorse = Effort, perseverance, the threat of hard work being undone

Bull Thistle = Ambition, opportunity, seizing the moment (prra-ness)

Borage = Love, fertility, sacrifice

Field Rose = Protection, defense, guarding, driving loved ones away

Bluebell = Gains and losses

Coltsfoot (though some house rules require a speaker to provide their own personal species of seed) = Eccentricity, trust in yourself and others, releasing inhibition

There are of course, three possible outcomes when the Spoken places their seed:

NO MATCH: a good sign, positivity of the symbolism.

MATCH: a bad sign, negativity of the symbolism.

SPOKEN PICKED TWO OF THE SAME SEED: a warning, a call to be careful because fate is still unwritten.

From the order of how the seeds were placed down, a narrative forms, much like a book. The Speaker tells a story about it, trusting their heart to place the right words in their mouth.

This practice is kept alive by Clerics, but persists as a game in private and at Aftergatherings.

#Clan culture #Divination

127 notes · View notes

empressofthesunwriter · 19 days

Text

Yin and Yang: Book 1.14

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Book 1.14: The Fortuneteller

Water.

Earth.

Fire.

Air.

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony.

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished.

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua.

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone.

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

***

Sokka was surrounded by turtleducks.

Let him rephrase this.

Too trusting, bright-eyed turtleducks surrounded him.

Ever since the Mask-Guy, he refused to call him Blue like the others, Katara and the youngest followed the masked man around, well, like turtleducks!

They asked him questions, interacted with him and tried to make him feel a part of the group.

Sokka was going to go insane.

How could his sister and his friends be so chummy with someone who didn’t show his face and only answered with nods or a shake of his head?!

His instincts told him behind the blue mask was the enemy, but whenever he tried to talk to Katara or Hua or Aang they just waved it away.

At least they found out something about the vigilante.

Not enough that Sokka could pinpoint who could be under the mask, however, it painted a picture of a young man, who didn’t think things really through, who leapt before he jumped and was moody as hell!

Vigilant tried to be friendly, yet you could see how he struggled.

Sometimes it seemed he was ready to explode.

Especially when Sokka himself asked him questions.

Other than the turtleducks, Sokka had asked him uncomfortable things like if he was Fire Nation.

Sadly he didn’t get an answer because Katara screeched how he could even think that their new friend was Fire Nation if he had saved Hua and Aang from them!

That had been a bummer.

However, when he asked Vigilanten if his socks smelled and held them under his nose, the other man's reaction had been priceless.

He seemed to gasp for air and was ready to murder him.

Ha, take that mask-dude!

It was so worth it, even if Katara hit him over the head with the ladle.

Anyway, Sokka was the only one who mistrusted the vigilante and he would prove this to his young and dumb turtleducks.

The other man would not see what was coming for him!

***

Zuko had many regrets in his life, but playing friends with the Avatar and Daimon and their friends might be his biggest.

The water tribe boy, Sokka he learned, was clearly into him, asked him all kinds of exposing questions, if he wasn’t careful and let him smell his rotten socks.

For a second he had wanted to light on fire the water peasant, yet he could restrain himself.

He had a mission to accomplish.

A mission that seemed annoying beyond belief and he had been with them for only a night and day!

The Avatar, Aang was his name, asked him all kinds of random questions, like if he liked vegetables, if he ate meat if he would try the vegetarian lifestyle, where he got his mask and then he just babbled a lot of things to Zuko that made his head twirl.

Aang told him stories from his life at the air temples and…well it painted a picture that Zuko didn’t like.

He learned from his tutors how the Air Nomads had been a crazy cult, with blood rituals and all that, who had a large army, ready to attack the Fire Nation. That’s why his great-grandfather had attacked them first, to save their nation.

Nonetheless, the way Aang talked about his culture made the air nomads out of spiritual people, who respected humans and nature and liked to prank each other.

The banished prince just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Why would his nation say, air nomads were a crazy warmonger cult, when the last airbender was so bubbly and friendly and told him about the many pranks he played with his friends and mentor?

No, it made not at last sense.

And Zuko didn’t like this.

Even more so when the Daimon, her name was Hua, remembered Aang's stories or was part of it.

Two people from 100 years ago against all the history he learned.

What was the truth?

Was it even important if his only goal was to get Aang and Hua to the Fire Nation to restore his honour?

No! Screamed a loud part of him, however a smaller voice, one he had tried to ignore his whole life, begged him to think and listen.

He decides for now to ignore and humour Aang.

Hua was nice company and had healed his shoulder. She didn’t talk much about the past, only when Aang brought it up, but talked about banal things and his shoulder.

She had been shocked when HE had to explain to her, with a lot of nods and shakes and gestures, that legends said female Daimons had the ability to cure wounds and sickness with water.

Since then, she regularly every two hours gave him a healing session.

Neither of them knew how it worked, Hua was making it up on the go, nonetheless, his shoulder felt each time better.

If this would go on for a few more days, he would be ready to take Aang and Hua with him.

And then there was the water tribe girl, Katara.

She was so thankful that he brought Hua and Aang back to her, her words, and she would cook him something special.

After the soup from last night, she made a delicious stew with komodo-chicken, and he nearly wanted to cry.

She was an amazing cook.

Also, he noted how Katara clearly was the clue, the mother, who held these people and their three animals together.

Sokka might say he was the leader, but Zuko saw with his own eyes, how Katara took care of anyone.

She cooked, she cleaned, she was a shoulder to cry on and she was the strict parent who remembered the others of their chorus.

Well, besides Hua.

Hua helped Katara without her input and remember her chorus, the two males needed to get set fire under their butts.

Aang mostly wanted to be a dumb kid, while Sokka wanted to prove his manliness.

It was so stupid in Zuko's eyes.

On his ship, male or female anybody had their chorus and did them diligently.

No one slacked around.

If Katara and Hua didn’t give Sokka and Aang sometimes a metaphorical kick in the butt, they wouldn’t move.

If Katara was the mother, Hua was the big sister.

He would never admit it out loud, but seeing Katara, Hua and Aang together train in their elements had been…really beautiful.

First, they had worked all three on water, then Aang and Hua on air then earth and now the Daimon showed the Avatar the first steps in firebending.

A voice inside Zuko, who sounded like Uncle Iroh, burned to give them tips.

They only had a scroll and what Hua learned from practice and error, they needed someone to tell them their stances were all wrong, however, he couldn’t for a lot of reasons.

Manly, he couldn’t give away he was a firebender, also helping train the Avatar and Daimon in their elements was surely treason and Zuko wanted to go back home, not end up on the Boiling Rock!

So he was a silent observer.

Sometimes Jaiyi, the kyuubi and Momo, the lemur, came up to him for pets or to beg for food.

Strangely it made him remember how he had fed the turtleducks with his mother.

So he couldn’t resist giving them something.

For that, he earned an amused smile from Katara, which made him note, how she was actually a pretty girl.

Then he kicked himself mentally thinking his enemy was pretty.

The blood loss he had experienced and Aang's nonsense stories made him think weird things.

Yes, this was it.

Whatever, they had finished currently breakfast, some Water Tribe dish, salted fish and rice with vegetables, which the prince still was surprised he enjoyed as Katara suddenly stood up and pointed at the lake they had camped.

“Look!”

It’s a fish, a se tu, who leaps into the air, facing the group in mid-jump before landing in the water again.

Somehow this pisses off Sokka.

“He is taunting us! You are so going to be dinner!”

He grabs his fishing pole from his tent set up nearby and attempts to cast the pole into the water unsuccessfully.

“Hey, where's the fishing line?”, wonders Sokka.

“Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka.”, tells him Aang sheepish, holding up an intricately woven necklace decorated with a red flower.

“Why would you think that?”, asked Hua with crossed arms. “With what are we going to catch fish now? With our minds?!”

“Ha, good one Hua!”

“I’m not joking Aang.”

Stupified the Avatar blinks at her, while Zuko fights off the urge to facepalm and Sokka bemoans how his fishing line was all tangled.

“Not tangled. Woven!”, the Avatar explains, if it would make the whole situation better. “I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one …”

He pauses in mid-sentence and displays the necklace, holding it between his hands as he flashes a toothy grin.

As if they had agreed on it Zuko and Hua side-eye each other, as Jaiyi yips in deadpan.

Of course.

It was because of Katara.

Zuko had needed exactly only three hours with them to note how the Avatar crushed on the (beautiful) waterbender.

From all the stories and legends he read about Avatar and Daimon, it surprised him how Aang and Hua weren’t all over each other.

They have been soulmates since the beginning of time.

Of course, he read about Avatar Kyoshi and Daimon Tian Kuo, who had just stayed friends, but they had been one of the expectations of the universal rule.

How the Avatar and Daimon were half of the same soul and drawn to each other.

Why this here was not the case astonished him.

Katara approaches Aang, taking the necklace and thanking him.

Sarcastically Sokka tells the Avatar: “Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewellery-making business.”

“I don't see why I can't do both.”, he grins, as Sokka starts to fight the fish, and turns to Hua. “I have something for you too.”

Not only Hua was surprised, but the whole world stopped for a second, beside Katara who was like finally.

“Oh, what do you have?”, mumbled Hua with a cute blush.

Smiling Aang takes her hand and pulls out a little bracelet made out of pink flowers.

“That’s for you, I know how much you like pink and cherry blossoms are pretty.”

“Thanks, Aang, that’s super nice of you.”

The two smile at each other and ah, there was the legendary wordless connection Avatars and Daimons shared.

Aang might have a big crush on Katara, but he was at least attracted to Hua.

And she seemed attracted to him too.

And Katara.

Zuko had noted that she was bisexual at least. She stared quite often at Katara's breasts. (And no! It didn’t mean he had stared too, he had manners!)

Huh, it was kind of funny how the two soulmates who ever soulmated had a crush on the same person.

Only one was keeping her feelings for herself, while the other really thought a fourteen-year-old would like a twelve-year-old.

Smiling Hua puts her bracelet on and shows it to Blue.

He gives her a tiny nod, which she interprets as it’s pretty.

Then Katara calls out: “So, how do I look?”

All beside Sokka, who still fights the fish, turn to her.

Aang and Hua have the most reaction, both blush up a storm, looking at Katara in one of awe and amazement.

Even Zuko has to gulp quietly.

It seems like all around the waterbender was coloured with shades of pink and purple, sparkles of light glistening every now and then.

She was smiling sweetly, blushing slightly with one hand behind her back and the other touching her necklace in a pose.

“You mean, all of you or just your neck?”, stutters Aang nervous. “I mean, because both look great!”

Hua just nods rapidly.

Finally, Sokka catches the fish and can’t help to tease Aang for his stupid little crush.

Yes, even he noticed it.

“Smoochie, smoochie, someone's in love!”

He makes kissing noises before the se tu breaks free from his grasp, slapping Sokka in the face with its tail and disappearing under the water.

Poor Aang stutters more as Katara goes for the kill. She can’t make Aang think that she has feelings for him. His crush on her needed to die yesterday and he should fall in love with Hua, how it was supposed to be.

Also, they are super cute together!

“Stop teasing him, Sokka. Aang's just a good friend. A sweet, little guy! Just like Momo.”

The lemur has landed on Aang's shoulder and Katara pets him.

Disappointed Aang thanks her.

Sokka emerges empty-handed from the lake, soaking wet and cross.

Momo suddenly flies off Aang's shoulder upon hearing a loud noise in the distance.

He leaps onto a rock followed by Aang, who observes the scene. He points to the source of the commotion.

“Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!”

They all start running.

They find a way to calm man who dodges the swipes of the platypus bear like nothing.

“Well, hello there!”, the calm man greets them friendly. “Nice day, isn't it?”

“Make noise! He'll run off!”, advises Aang.

“No, play dead! He'll lose interest!”, yells Sokka.

The bear swings its claws only to miss striking the man once again.

“Whoa, close one!”, laughs the calm man bemused.

“Run downhill!”, begins Katara.

“Then climb a tree!”, adds Hua.

“No, punch him in the bill!”, shouted Sokka.

“And then run in zig-zags!”, finished Aang.

“No need, it's going to be fine!”

Having enough of this stupid idiot our masked prince gets his swords out and makes a loud screeching noise with them.

All have to hold their ears, so terrible it was.

Luckily the platypus bear didn’t like it either lays a large, spotted egg and escapes the scene, swimming down the river.

“Next time a warning!”, mutters Sokka to Mask-Boy, before he picks happy up the egg and then turns to the calm man: “Lucky for you, we came along.”

The calm man just well calmly responds: “Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey.”

“Aunt who?”, asks Aang.

“No, Aunt Wu.”, corrects the calm ma. “ She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future.”

Katara looks off to the side as she ponders this.

“Wow, it must be. That explains why you were so calm!”

“But the fortuneteller was wrong!”, reminds Sokka. “You didn't have a safe journey; you were almost killed!

Hua nods in agreement and Zuko quietly in his head agrees too.

The calm man would have been platypus bear lunch if it weren’t for him.

“But I wasn't! All right, have a good one!”, he bids them farewell and begins to walk away only to turn back again. “Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travellers to give them this.”

He hands Aang a wrapped parcel containing a long, thin object and leaves mysteriously.

Sokka, Hua and Zuko behind his mask eye the man suspiciously.

This was too much cryptic nonsense for their ears.

“Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes.”, suggests Katara excitedly. Seems like one like this cryptic nonsense. “It could be fun.”

“Oh, come on. Fortune telling is nonsense!”, said Sokka loud and clear.

“I’m with Sokka, it's just a scam.”, added Hua. “They tell you what you want to hear. If someone could really see into the future they would be powerful!”

Blue agreed with a simple nod.

Meanwhile, Aang quickly unwraps the mysterious parcel, which turns out to be a red umbrella. He opens it and holds it over his head.

“What do you know? An umbrella!”

At that moment, the sky darkens and it begins to rain. A low rumble of thunder can be heard. Katara bends an arched shield of water over her head to shelter herself from the weather. Hua copies her, shielding also Sokka and Blue.

“That proves it!”, tells them Katara, now under the umbrella.

“No, it doesn't! You can't really tell the future!”, argues back Sokka.

“If it wasn’t for Hua, you would be wet by now.”, sasses Katara back.

Suddenly Sokka loses his grip on the platypus egg as it flies through the air.

He attempts to catch it, however, it merely flies a few feet into the air and lands on his head, cracking and causing the egg to run down his face.

Thankful Hua cleans him with some of the rainwater before she shields them again.

Then a discussion breaks out between Team Avatar-Daimon if they should go into the fortuneteller town.

Zuko stays silent observers.

In the end, Sokka and Hua only agree because Katara reminds them they need more supplies since Blue is now with them.

Secretly Zuko was pleased.

Maybe he could manage to slip away from them for a few minutes, find a Hakwery and send messages to his uncle.

This was something Zuko wouldn’t admit also out loud, but he loved and cared for his uncle.

He knew Uncle Iroh must be already sick with worry over him.

He has been missing for a good two days.

Yeah, so better go into the crazy fortuneteller town and try to send him a message.

***

Annoyed Hua had to listen, on their way to the fortuneteller town Makapu, how Sokka and Katara squabbled over if the fortunetelling was real or not.

She was on Sokka's side, she didn’t believe in this mumbo-jumbo, so she said nothing and continued to shield herself Sokka and Blue from the water.

She was proud of herself for how she could do something like this now and walk.

Sokka then pretended to predict the future, saying how it was still going to rain, but, of course, it stopped then.

Aang told him how not anyone had this gift.

Whatever.

They were finally in Makapu and Blue put a hood over his head.

Katara and she had repaired the shirt she had cut open and added a hood at Blue's request since he was a wanted man by the Fire Nation.

You could never know if someone was a Fire Nation spy or just wanted the ransom which was surely on his head.

Before they could walk up to Aunt Wu's house, Blue tried to tell them something.

It took them some creative charade playing, however, they got how Blue hadn’t any interest in fortunetelling and would take a stroll around the town.

Katara was sad, she had wanted all her friends to have a reading, yet if Blue really didn’t want she would let him.

So they split up.

As they reached finally Aunt Wu’s house a strange man calmly welcomed them with: “Aunt Wu is expecting you.”

Together Sokka and Hua roll their eyes at Katara's excitement.

This was all for the show, didn’t she realise?

The quartet walks through the doorway, Sokka and Hua expressing their disgust.

They enter a room, with four pillows situated on the floor to the right of the room.

The strange man closes the front door.

A young girl walks into the room clad in a pink kimono and wearing her hair in braids that stick out from the sides of her head.

“My name is Meng and I'm Aunt Wu's assistant.”, introduced the girl and suddenly gasped.

She has a twinkle in her eyes Hua knows too well. Couriers she follows Meng's sight of the eye and lands on Aang.

What?!

Something inside her which sounds like a thousand voices start to hiss and growl.

“Well, hello there.”, formally purrs Meng in Aang's direction.

Only Aang disinterested hello, calms the hissing and snarling voices in Hua.

What was going on?!

The group sits down as Meng plays perfect host: “Can I get you some tea or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?”

“I'll try a curd puff.”, brightens Sokka up at getting food.

Meng holds up an index finger in a gesture, her eyes never leaving Aang, saying to Sokka just a moment.

The Daimon has the urge to bite off the finger of this girl, even more so, as Meng kneels down beside Aang and gets really close to him.

She clearly tries to hit on him with the whole our names rhyme things and Hua wants to kick her ass.

It doesn’t help how the thousand and thousand voices in her head snarl and hiss.

Mine!

Stay away from them!

That’s MY yang!

Bitch I will scratch your eyes out!

Was…was she jealous?

Since when was she jealous?!

When Aang had his little fanclub in Kyoshi she didn’t react this way nor was she angry that Aang crushed on Katara.

The way this Meng made come out the jealous girlfriend in her, was not normal!

Hua bet this was her past lives who had been together with their Avatar and now trowed a hissy fit.

Well, Hua would ignore them. Aang was her friend and nothing more.

Still, as Meng left them to get them the tea and food she was quite happy.

“I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense.”, grumbled Sokka.

“Try to keep an open mind, Sokka. There are things in this world that just can't be explained.”, lectured Katara. “Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight into your future?”

“It would be nice to have some bean curd puffs.”

“Ditto and some tea too.”, agrees Hua.

This earns her a strange look from Katara.

“Hua, are you alright?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s just something in your voice…”

The waterbender trails off as Meng with a tray walks towards Aang with a besotted look in her eyes.

Hua feels her and her past lives hackle rise.

Suddenly Meng trips; Aang attempts to help her recover, accidentally holding her hands in his in the process.

The two stare at each other for a moment; Meng blushes.

They two then hear a growl and turn to a Hua who looks like fury incarnated, with blazing orange eyes and a snarling face.

“Be more careful, girl!”, hiss a thousand voices from Hua's mouth.

Aang looks stupified at his other half, Sokka raises an eyebrow, and Meng looks ready to faint, as Katara puts her hands on the Daimon's shoulder to calm her down.

“Hua, it’s okay.”, she cooes at her best friend and gives her a big cheek kiss.

This gets Hua out of Daimon State.

Embarrassed how she had lost her nerves, Hua grips a mug of tea and gulps it down without looking anyone in the eye

Oh Spirits, what was going on with her?!

Did she really enter Daimon State because of some Floozy, who made pretty eyes at Aang?

Okay, she needed to get a hold of herself and tell her past lives to chill.

Aang would stay her friend and nothing more.

Her past lives whined at this.

Hua ignored them.

While she had her crisis, Meng left and Aunt Wu entered to welcome them and ask them who wanted to go first.

It’s Katara.

So the three stay in the waiting room, Hua drinking tea after another, while Sokka eats the puffs.

“Mm, not bad, not bad!”, states the water tribe boy.

He holds the bowl out to Aang and Hua.

The Avatar declines, while the Daimon puts some in her mouth, still not looking at anyone.

“So, what do you think they're talking about back there?”, wonders Aang.

“Boring stuff I'm sure.”, answers Sokka casually, biting into a puff. “ Love, who she's going to marry, how many babies she's going to have.”

Aang agrees nervous before he proclaims to go to the bathroom.

Finally, Hua looks up.

She knows Sokka would not ask her why she got into Daimon State since it was mambo-jumbo for him, so they could talk.

“This is all so stupid.”, she mumbles to Sokka. “I can’t believe how eager the others are for this nonsense. We should have gone with Blue.”

“Can’t agree more with you, besides the thing with Mask-Boy.”

“Sokka, do you still think he is some kind of spy?”

“My instincts don’t lie, Hua. Look, the guy refuses to take off his mask, who does this?”

“Maybe someone who got hurt badly by the Fire Nation and has a deformed face?!”

That’s when Aang struts back into the room like a happily peacock.

Okay…what happened now?

“Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom break.”, says Sokka, picking his teeth.

“Yeah ... when I was in there …”

Disgusted, both Sokka and Hua look away and hold up a hand to signal Aang to stop and yell how they don’t want to know.

Aunt Wu with Katara reenters the Room, asking for her next client.

Sokka stans up with a: “Okay, let's get this over with.”

“Your future is full of struggle and anguish. Most of it is self-inflicted.”, tells him Aunt Wu dryer than the desert.

“But you didn't read my palms or anything!”

“I don't need to. It's written all over your face.”

Sokka resumes picking his teeth in disgust; as Aunt Wu waves Hua over.

“What about you young lady?”

“Oh alright.”

So Hua follows Aunt Wu into her chamber.

The chamber is a fairly spacious, dimly lit room.

Four pillars support the ceiling and four cushions are situated in the centre of the room, surrounding a small fire.

Both sit down facing each other.

“What kind of method would you like to see your future…?”

“Hua, my name is Hua.”

“Ah, flower. A pretty name for a pretty girl. It’s said: The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”

This makes Hua blush pleased.

“Thank you. That’s nice to say to you.”

“No problem, dear.”

“I think, I would like the hand reading the classic one.”

Aunt Wu nods and Hua gives her hand.

The older woman stares at the lines in astonishment.

“I never saw such lines.”, she muttered, but Hua can still hear her. With a finger, she follows a big one. “Your destiny! This is incredible. You will be involved in a great battle, an awesome conflict between the forces of good and evil. A battle whose outcome will determine the fate of the whole world!”

Okay, this was disappointing.

“I’m the Daimon I already know that.”

Stupified Aunt Wu blinks at her.

“Is this all, then I will go.”

“No wait a second, here is something which will help you on your journey.”

Aunt Wu strokes over another line and explains: “This is the love line. You are destined to love a lot of people and carry them in your heart, but you will have someone who will carry you in your darkest times. Who will be your guiding light, your sun, your rock in stormy waters! This love is so potent, so eternal that it will save the world or doom it if you don’t find each other.”

Now Hua blinks.

“Okay, can you tell me more about this mysterious person?”

“You have known each other since the beginning of time, you loved each other in many, many lives. Your stubbornness and his deafness stop you both from being together and creating a love which will change the whole world.”

“Ah, I get it now!”, snaps Hua and takes her hand away. “Because I told you I’m the Daimon, of course, the Avatar is my destiny. I will tell you that I will create my own destiny and love someone because I LOVE them and not because we did it before!”

Dramatically Hua races out of the room, ignoring the calls of her friends and walks the street of Makapu.

She has a lot to think about.

***

Of course, Aang was worried for Hua, she must have gotten a bad prediction, but he needed to hear from Aunt Wu that he truly was destined to be with Katara like she had told the waterbender when he had listened in on them.

So he was disappointed when the bones just told her what he already knew.

“Yeah, yeah, I knew that already. But did it say anything about a girl?”

“A girl? You want to know about love?”

“Yes!”

Aunt Wu purses her lip, she can’t believe she got two times today the same destiny, as she looks at the bone fragments.

“Ah, there it is.”

She picks up a bone splitter.

“It says this crush, this obsession you currently have will doom the world.”

What?!

Aunt Wu tuts him.

Ups, he had yelled this out loud.

“The one your heart belongs to currently is not for you. If you choose her over your real love, something terrible will happen. You will lose a great power within you. You need to let go of your obsession and realize who your heart belongs really. If you do this, you will become even more powerful and create a love which will change the whole world.”

“But…but…”, stutters Aang totally confused. “Very powerful bender….”

The fortuneteller repeats his words before she understands.

“You listened in, in my reading with Miss Katara, didn’t you?! How dare you?! This was a private matter!”, she scolded him harshly.

“But…but…”

“See, this is an obsession, not love! You are so fixed on the idea that Miss Katara is your love that you forget anything and don’t think any more about what’s right and what’s wrong! Young Avatar listen closely, you will doom yourself and more importantly, the world, if you still go this way. And now out!”

He doesn’t let him told be twice.

Aunt Wu was scary when angry.

And she was wrong about him and Katara.

He was a very powerful bender.

He was the one for Katara.

He ignored the thousand voices in him who called him a stupor idiot.

***

Zuko had been fortunet.

Makapu had a Hawkery, who even sent letters to Fire Nation Vessels. So this meant the little town was neutral.

Better for him.

He wrote quickly to his uncle about where he was and his plan and asked for time.

With this, he gave the man the scroll and the hawk was off to go to delivery.

Since he had nothing better to do he walked around town, waiting for the others to be done with their nonsense.

Zuko didn’t believe in fortunetellers, destiny may exist but if you fought hard enough you could change it.

He needed to believe this or he would never return home.

His feet carried him to the marketplace where he found Hua, sitting on some stairs of a random house, sulking.

Silently he joined her.

“Hey Blue.”, she greeted dull. “Had a nice walk?”

He nodded.

“I should have come with you, Aunt Wu was such a waste of time!”

He nodded again.

The Daimon gave him a little smile and then handed him a little notebook and coal pen.

“Here I bought this for you. So you can better communicate with us. Always playing charades must be getting annoying.”

This…Zuko didn’t know how to feel about this.

It was a really nice gesture, no doubt. Besides his uncle, no one thought about him to make him more comfortable.

And here was this little girl, the Daimon, who just used her money on him.

Something in his stomach felt unpleased.

She and the other thought he was their friend.

Not knowing they had a snake among them.

Suddenly…his plan seemed cruel to him.

But he shook it off.

Nothing was more important than to restore his honour.

“Ah there you guys are.”, they hear Katara call for them.

She and the rest of Team Avatar-Daimon joined them.

“Why did you run away Hua?”, asked Katara her best friend. “Was your prediction so bad?”

“It was stupid and I don’t want to talk about it.”

For that all gave her a look, so Hua searched for something to distract them.

“Oh look, people are gathering let’s check this out.”

And off she was.

The others just looked all at each other, wondering what was with Hua, before Sokka shrugged his shoulder and made a come-follow motion.

Nearly the whole town stands around a pagoda-like structure, staring at the sky.

“What's with the sky?”, wonders Katara.

The calm man they met before was there too and explained: “We are waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village.”

“That cloud kind of looks like a fluffy bunny.”, musses Aang, pointing at it.

“You better hope that's not a bunny! The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction.”

“Do you even hear yourself?”, groaned Sokka in disgust.

“Wow, even more mambo-jumbo.”, added Hua, while Blue nodded in agreement.

These three were so done with this whole town.

“The cloud reading will tell us if Mt. Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt.”, tells a village woman.

The calm man smiles. “We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves. But ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that.”

“I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy, old woman's superstition!”, shouted Sokka in disbelief and was shushed by Katara, since Aunt Wu was coming.

Aunt Wu and her guard appear ascending a stairwell. The crowd had formed an aisle to allow for the two figures to pass by.

Hua stands beside Katara and then Aang, while Sokka and Blue stand behind them.

Aang and Katara smile widely as Aunt Wu and the guard walk by them. Hua and the two older males, even the one who wears a mask, look unamused.

The crowd is clapping for the fortuneteller.

Suddenly Meng appears next to Aang. Hua sees this and feels her anger rise again.

What does the Floozy want?!

The girl in the pink Kimono points at the sky, asking Aang if he thinks this cloud looks like a flower, he shoves her away, which pleases Hua greatly, just to ask the same of Katara.

Katara shushes him to listen to Aunt Wu's cloud reading.

The Daimon only pays half attention, till Aunt Wu proclaims that the vulcano isn’t going to destroy the town this year.

The crowd celebrates, while the three skeptics just cross their arms and shake their heads.

What a load of ostrich-horse shit!

“Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you.”, hears Hua Aang's voice over the cheering crowd. She turns slightly and sees a blushing Aang and a clapping Katara. “I like you, but more than normal.”

Did he just confess?!

And in the middle of a crowd?!

Either he was brave or utterly stupid.

Utterly stupid decided Hua, since she saw for a second how Katara's eye twitched before she played the I-didn’t-hear-anything-card and gripped the Daimon by the hand to run off to follow the fortuneteller.

“Nice played, Katara.”, whispered Hua to her best friend.

Katara made a grimace.

“Spirits, I can’t believe he did that. Even after I compared him to Momo this morning. Why is he so fixed on me?”

“Who knows? Hey maybe you should tell him he is the son you always wanted, maybe that will help.”

“Well, it certainly can’t hurt to try.”

***

A while later Hua joined up with the boys because Katara wanted another reading from Aunt Wu and the Daimon wanted to stay far away from that place.

She finds an interesting scene before her.

Blue actually uses his notebook and shows what he wrote to Sokka.

After the water tribe boy read, he huffed.

“Okay, you may be not so stupid to believe this utter nonsense in this town, but I still got my eye on you, Mask-Dude!”

“Sokka, play nice.”, chest him Hua. “So what’s going on?”

Aang answers her. “Sokka wants to change the minds of the people here.”

This makes Hua blink before she tells in a deadpan: “They are a lost cause, Sokka. Ostrich-Horse learn to fly before they will change their mind.”

“Oh yeah, we will see. It’s time for science with Sokka!”

With that, he walks to his first victim.

The other three stay still, before Blue writes something and shows Aang and Hua.

>>Science with Sokka?<<

“Yeah, we don’t know either.”, tell them the youngest in chor.

Since they have nothing better to do, they follow Sokka around for a while, trying to change the minds of the people of Makapu.

It was going bad.

So bad, that Hua told them she would get herself a snack and Blue joined her.

She wasn’t that hungry, but seeing Sokka lose his mind was scary.

The Daimon bought a for her and Blue a peach, as Katara joined them.

“Hey Katara.”, greeted Hua.

“Hey, Hua, hey Blue.”

“Is this a papaya in your hand? Don’t you hate papayas?”

The waterbender signed loudly.

“Yes, but Aunt Wu said I have to eat one.”

Her best friend wants to answer, but both see how Blue is writing fast something.

He shows it to Katara.

>>You can’t do all that this lady tells you. If she told you, you were going to marry Aang would you do that?<<

Katara makes a face at this, while Hua nods in agreement.

“Katara this is all nonsense, I mean she told me I would end up with Aang and we all know this is not going to happen!”

“Aha! That’s why you ran out!”, pointed Katara in triumph at her.

“Yes, I choose my own destiny and this Daimon is fine without Avatar.”

“But why?”, whines Katara. “You and Aang are actually really cute together. We all know you cuddle to sleep.”

This makes Hua turn into a pepperoni.

“You know?!”

Blue answers.

>>You are not subtle when you drag your sleeping back beside him when you think we sleep.<<

Hua whines, before she turns to her best friend.

“So what did she tell you, that you believe her so much?”

“I’m going to marry a tall handsome powerful bender.”

For that Hua and Blue deadpan at her.

Now Katara was the one blushing.

“What?”

“Katara that’s exactly what we mean by Aunt Wu telling people what they want to hear.”, begins Hua. “Most girls want a tall handsome powerful bender. She would have probably said the same to me if I didn’t blab out that I’m the Daimon. Also, I bet with you if a lesbian goes to her, she will have trouble coming up with a cover story.”

Blue nodded in agreement, while Katara seemed pensive.

Well, if you said it like this…

More time to think she doesn’t have as Aang with Sokka on his glider lands beside them.

They tell them how the volcano was about to erupt and in that moment an explosion was heard and the volcano rumbles violently. Grey smoke is emitting from the peak of the mountain.

They have to warn the people.

Sadly no one wants to listen to them. The villagers to trusting in Aunt Wu's readings.

However, this gives Aang an idea. If they only listened to Aunt Wu, they would make them listen this way.

So he steals himself into Aunt Wu's house, searching for the cloud reading book, as he sees Meng in the reflection of a mirror.

“Oh, I didn't see you there.”, he says arkwark.

“You don't like me, do you?”, asked Meng sad, her braids drooping down.

“Of course I like you.”

“But not the way I like you.”

“Oh, I guess not.”

“It's okay. It's just really hard when you like someone, but they don't think of you that way.”

Aang casts a sad glance to the side, thinking of Katara. “I know what you mean.”

“She's beautiful, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“That Earth Nation girl. I can see why you like her so much. She's strong, she's a bender, she is the Daimon and her hair seems so manageable.”

…Uh what?!

Aang blushes so red, that you need a new name for it.

“What you think I’m in love with Hua?!”, he shouted shocked, gasping for air. “She is my friend nothing more.”

Meng deadpans at him.

“Your friend? Sure. That’s why she was ready to kill me.”

“That’s a bit extreme…”

“Her eyes glowed and she spoke with a thousand voices!”

“Yeah, this is a Daimon Avatar stuff our past lives want us probably to be together but I like Katara and Hua likes currently no one.”

The girl lets out a sound which clearly says that she doesn’t believe him.

“Here.”, she hands him the cloud reading book. “You searched for this, right?”

“How did you know?”

“I've kind of been stalking you…Heh …”

“Oh, thanks ... I guess.”

Okay, he needs to get out of here!

***

In the end, all went smoothly.

Aang, Hua and Katara on Appa’s back bend the clouds into the symbol of volcanic doom.

Sokka leads Aunt Wu there when it’s done and finally, the village moves.

The earthbender bends the earth away, while the non-benders shovel a big trench which leads to the river.

Hopefully, it would be enough.

However, it wasn’t.

The trench filled too quickly, and the people of Makapu ran away, while Team Avatar-Daimon stayed to watch.

Then when it’s ready to overflow Aang and Hua bend together in a kind of dance with air the overflowing lava away and cooling it down.

Katara, Sokka and Blue who were the last ones standing were astonished by the feast they created.

“Okay, now I get this whole Yin and Yang thing. These two just stopped a volcano without words.”, tells Sokka.

Katara and Blue nod in agreement.

So this was the power of the Avatar and Daimon.

Beautiful and otherwordly.

It made them all feel really humble.

The village was safe now and the people returned.

Aang handed the cloud reading book back to Aunt Wu. “By the way, we kind of borrowed your book.”

“So you messed with the clouds, did you?”, guessed Aunt Wu angry.

She takes her book back in anger while Katara and Hua look guilty and Sokka smiles and points at them, indicating that they had a part in the cloud manipulation, too.

“Very clever!”, laughs Aunt Wu.

“No offence, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune telling.”, called Sokka the villagers out.

The calm man just responded with: “But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed and it wasn't. She was right, after all.”

Anraged Sokka gets near the Calm man's face and through gritted teeth tells him he hates him.

Katara and Hua each grab a hand of Sokka leading him away, trying to calm him down, as Blue follows them with a shake of his head.

After Aang finish talking with Aunt Wu, he joins his friends on Appa.

Today Katara flow the bison and she said goodbye to the villagers for them and asked Meng to take care.

Never seeing the fake smile and wave from Meng stopped she muttered a: Floozy.

14 notes · View notes