#things were so different when lok came out
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The Legend Of Korra: *spent years fighting an uphill battle of misogynoir and queeephobia*
Korra and Asami: *kiss and announce they’re a couple before gay marriage was even legalized in the United States*
Fans: Korrasami is a bad and underdeveloped relationship. Why do people even like it?
#korrasami#when I see someone shitting on korrasami I FLOOR IT#things were so different when lok came out#I KNOW queerphobia still exists to this day#but you cannot compare today’s queerphobia to early 2010s queerphobia#(and once again misogynoir)#saying it’s bad is queerphobic#it’s ignoring the fact that bryke had to fight tooth and nail to get this to exist#it’s ignoring that this was a cultural reset in the western world#Korrasami is great
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DVD commentary from She'll Surprise You:
For once he accepted her offer. This was his first time smoking. It wasn’t pleasant. He found himself choking from the stench and the dry feeling in the back of his throat. Agni, he couldn’t understand why anyone liked this. Yasuko just laughed and retrieved her cigarette.
“You okay there, Mr.Lightning ?” she said, fighting to hold back laughter. She looked like a dog does after finding a turtle-duck to chase. Entirely too pleased with herself.
She was chewing on her nails as she spoke, another habit of hers he found absolutely disgusting. How Sayuri and the others tolerated her he never knew. She reeked of nicotine and sweat. She was all business, no pleasantries, no small talk, not an ounce of friendliness in sight.
Well, unless she was flirting with a client of course. Then there would be a whole show of sweetness put on. A spectacle of the saccharine. Agni, she made him want to gag.
She was cold. A ruthless, runty little thing. Eager to make a yuan however she could. Terribly jealous if the rumors were to be trusted.
She was never one to accept a nicety either. He’d made the mistake of trying to do her a favor once. She was beyond confused by his actions. As if all friendship was foreign to her. The Agni Kai’s were a family, why wouldn’t she just accept his care ? He was one of them after all. Instead of accepting his generosity she was all too eager to attempt to repay him…in ways he did not request.
Oh this was fun to write and I need to get off my ass and finish this story. I have this whole elaborate plot in my drafts if anyone’s still interested. Hope you liked it ! This fic I really wanted to look at class differences ? Not super deep as I’m not the most informed. Throughout LoK there’s this clash of lifestyles that’s never really handled. Season one it’s Asami vs the brothers. Season two Bolin’s movie star life compared to his old one. Seasons three and four Suyin’s lifestyle vs the austere conditions across the Earth Kingdom. 👀
I wanted to make Zolt’s gritty world slam into Lin’s. They both have more things in common than not though…
( adult themes ahead)
So it’s a mix of things going on in this passage. Usually I write as ideas and moods come. On a Friday or Sunday I will carve out and edit a chapter to the best of my abilities in a span of an hour or so and then a week or two later when the mood comes again I will write more and maybe the next chapter too and I’ll reread it with fresh eyes, text it to my friends for feedback etc. I don’t just sit and write on a schedule.
Let’s get into the characterization going on…
In general I like female characters with a temper. Korra, Katara, Margaret ( Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Azula, Rarity (MLP) , America ( the selection ) . So why not give Yasuko one as well ?
I loved your idea of Yasuko not being the soft tragic Disney mother. Again also enjoyed the thought of her being in a seedy environment and gang affiliated.
I also thought well what if she was still a non bender and still at least partially earth kingdom ? That would completely change her experience. What if she was disgruntled with the discrimination against non-benders ? Then folks it came to me that could generate so much tension between her and Zolt because even if they’re both at the bottom of society he’s better off than her. It gives her a reason to be a cold bitch. So even though she’s not the protagonist this is setting up room for me to write more about her. I wanted to establish her life as a mixed woman, without any bending.
As a mixed woman she’s rejected by both other EK people ( gets called a colonizer) and by other Fire Nationals ( she can’t actually be a member of Kai’s since she’s only half but Zolt doesn’t know that) . She doesn’t have the option of joining them or working at the power plant etc. She’s an impoverished immigrant whose dreams have been crushed . She went from the rural Fire Nation to the big city. From bright engineering student to prostitution when her money ran out.
“ Well, unless she was flirting with a client of course,” in reference to her line of work.
“Instead of accepting his generosity she was all too eager to attempt to repay him…in ways he did not request,” so one time Yasuko offered him a bj and he clutched his pearls like a grandmother seeing her granddaughter in a crop top ….😭. He was so scandalized, a hand on his heart like she had punched him with her words. “Yasuko, you don’t have to do that…,”
4. I envision Yasuko as southern Belle-like in her charms but also a villainess… or at least appearing to be a villain. Like how Asami wears originally written as a villain and is coded as an antagonist with the red and black clothing and sharp features.
5. Appearance is very important to me it communicates a lot. Yasuko’s bone thin, and dressed in dark clothing since the stains would show less. She’s frightening. She’s desperate to survive and that’s made her harsh. Her appearance reflects that.
6. Scent. Very important to me. Really helps with characterization and setting. Creates a mood in a way visuals and dialogue just can’t. Scent is the strongest trigger of memory. It’s an almost animalistic sense.
Really though this scene says more about Zolt than it does about her. He’s observant and caring but also judgmental. He’s making assumptions about Yasuko. It’s also hypocritical of him to frown on her being a prostitute while he himself is a gang member…
He’s also generous when he’s trying to play nice by taking that damn cigarette. That generosity makes him vulnerable. He falls right into her little game when he chokes on that thing… hmm.
Plot Shenanigans
She definitely knows more than she’s letting on and she’s pissed about it. Yasuko is jealous of Zolt… so she takes pleasure in watching him cough while trying the cigarette.
“Agni, she made him want to gag,” Zolt hates insincerity which is going to make his love life exceedingly difficult in a few chapters…
“She reeked of nicotine and sweat,” - He’s absolutely disgusted by her. They’re very reluctant allies. My little frenemies. Also like let women be gross on occasion. Wanted something less than pristine.
Enter my mind
I wanted to contrast her fierceness with just how sad she was. “She was chewing on her nails as she spoke,”-poor thing is an anxious wreck
saccharine- have you ever had a dessert that was too sweet and gagged ? Or tasted something synthetic like cough syrup ? That feeling exactly.
Conclusion
I just love Yasuko so much. I will have to get started on resuming that story soon. I have so much more Yasuko back story if anyone wants it.
💗 I love bitchy prostitute Yasuko. 💗
Here’s a snippet of a bit further on in the story.
“Zoltan hated seeing women cry. Now seeing her cry he feels a unique kind of pain. A twinge in his chest he hasn’t felt since his mother died.
Her pretty green eyes are glassy with unshed tears, and the ones she has shed have left tracks down her face and a puffiness in her cheeks. With her face all red like that she looks like one of those imported porcelain dolls.
Her mascara has run down her face. Making a rough picture. A beautiful face like that should never be covered in makeup ruined by tears.
“Miss Beifong if you don’t mind my intrusion a man should ruin your lipstick, not your mascara”
If anyone wants to read it it’s posted on Ao3 you have to be signed in to Ao3 as it’s only available to registered users. My username is the same there as it is here.
Who’s the title referring to ? mmm you pick….
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For my first request, based on LOK, can you write a oneshot featuring Mako and a male reader in an Aladdin AU please? I imagine Mako as a street rat who ends up attracting the attention of the reader who's a prince with his antics. So when he's arrested, the reader orders him to be brought to his palace so he can get to know him better. what do you think?
ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀʀᴀʙɪᴀɴ ɴɪɢʜᴛ
Pairing: Peasant!Mako x Prince!Black!Reader
Genre: Fic
Synopsis: In which a prince tired of hiding away in his castle takes his life into his own hands, and meets a troublesome peasant along the way who’s presence isn’t as bad as his appearance.
Warnings: mentions of violence
A/N: I hope you don’t mind, the original plotline you gave me I found a little hard to write. However, i wanted to still keep it in the realm of Aladdin, so I decided to write the scene where jasmine and aladdin meet in the street market. I hope this suits your fancy
Perhaps you had taken on more than you could handle with this little rendezvous of yours.
However, could anyone blame you if they knew who you were? Covered in peasant garbs to blend into the crowd, you simply followed the flow of the people to avoid bringing attention to yourself. It wouldn't be long before the entire city was on alert for their prince, missing without a trace in the middle of the night. It would be best to keep low and be quiet for now.
It was a shame really, that even after escaping your so-called home, you still had to remain quiet and demure. You were expected to hold a silent presence next to your father - an obedient and filial son who didn’t question anything, and obeyed his father’s every command.
And originally, you were okay with that. It was all you ever knew, after all. Until the day you were told that you were to marry a noblewoman of another province of the country.
How could your father simply force you to be with someone who you had no knowledge of, and had never even met before? Despite your please with him, your wishes fell on deaf ears. And so, to take back what little freedom you had left, you decided to sneak out for the night and enjoy the city you would be ruling one day - the city that you had never once stepped foot onto, until tonight.
It was different from what you thought you would see. You were always told tales of lush street markets, beautiful women, and children dancing in the streets. However, the reality was quite the opposite. Poverty was what the majority of the city was ridden with. The street markets from the stories you fell in love with as a child were a breeding ground for bribes and brokery. Any children you could see were homeless, starved, begging for a piece of bread to hold them over til the next morning. Your heart was sick with disbelief and guilt.
One child in particular had caught your attention after what seemed like hours of following the crowd. There was very little life left in her eyes, and she was too frail and small to reach the stand for a piece of bread. The merchant in charge of said stand was too busy talking to someone else to notice the poor thing. Your heart sank deep into your stomach, and without much thinking, your feet moved on your own to aid the helpless girl.
From the time that your hand went for the bread, to when you handed the bread to the child, to when she struggled to run away from the unfamiliar aid, the merchant of the stand noticed your figure, and started bellowing about your ignorance and how he would make you pay. Despite your pleads and attempts to reason, the merchant reached for your arm with one hand, the other holding a short machete. Through his yells of ‘teaching you a lesson’, you braced yourself for the indescribable pain of the cold metal splitting into your warm, tan flesh.
The blow never came, however. In the space that would have been your stub, lay a new hand - calloused, but gentle and firm.
“You’ll have to excuse him, sir, he doesn’t know any better.” The new stranger's voice echoed, smooth like honey on a warm day. It made you open your eyes to see the situation before you - a tall, raven haired man in peasants clothes, bargaining with the merchant. Although you could only see the back of his head, you could tell from the merchant's face that the negotiation wasn’t going well.
The next thing you know, you’re running with this new stranger, his hand still clasped onto your arm tightly. Through the mass of bodies, several alleyways and eventually landing on a rooftop, you were able to lose the merchant in his angered frenzy.
You never thought you’d find yourself indebted to a peasant, and yet here you are, standing in front of this oddly attractive stranger, tongue tied in what you want to say to express your gratitude.
“Thank you-”
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
You were taken aback by his question. The straight forwardness was something you weren’t used to, and quite frankly, how do you answer such a question without giving away your identity?
“It would be smart of you to not do that again. You’re lucky I was there to save you, otherwise, that merchant probably would have taken more than your hand.”
Unconsciously, your untouched hand went to sooth the area in question on your other arm. The light bruising that was starting to form would be a reminder that the streets of your city were not, in fact, lush and vibrant as you had been led to believe.
“So, are you gonna tell me why you’re out of the palace, prince?”
Your jaw dropped slightly, confused as to how the stranger was able to see through your disguise. “H-How did you-?”
“If you’re going to sneak out, next time don’t wear jewelry that’s only worm by the royal family.” Says the raven haired man, gesturing to the necklace that was peeking from behind your head wrap. IN a swift motion, your hand went to hide the necklace, as if you hadn’t just been caught in your lie. With your cover blown, there was nothing left but to come clean.
“You’re right. I am the prince. For certain reasons…I’ve come out tonight to experience what life is really like in the city.”
“Is the palace life not enough for you?”
“It’s too much, to be exact.”
“Never heard royalty say something like that.” And as much as you wanted to retort to such an accusation, the calmer spirit on your shoulder advised you on the opposite. There was a period of silence, before you spoke once again.
“I have little time left,” you began, “and while I may be royalty, I’ve never once been granted the luxury of being myself. That is why I've taken the risk to sneak out tonight - because I’m not sure if tomorrow is guaranteed to be my own.”
There was another period of silence, where the stranger who was once facing you head on, turned to face the setting sun on the horizon. You took a step forward to him, testing the waters for your next words.
“You’ve saved me tonight, and for that I am eternally grateful. If i am not too much of a burden, would you allow me to accompany you for the rest of the evening?”
The stranger looked at you, deep in thought. His face showed conflict, and for a moment, you believed he would tell you no. That you were not his responsibility, and that he had every right to turn you back to your palace, and let you waste away in a home you’ve never felt as home. And yet, all he did, was turn his head back to the sunset.
“Does the prince have a name to go by?”
Slightly taken aback, you said “[Y/N].”
“Mako.” The stranger replied. “There’s nothing special out here. But if you can keep up, maybe you’ll see something worth your while.”
If you enjoyed, please leave a like, comment, and reblog for others to see! And don’t be shy to send in a request!
#black reader#black tumblr#legend of korra#avatar the legend of korra#lok#atla#lok x reader#lok x black!reader#lok mako#mako x reader
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Hello there! Idk have you ever talk about this or not, but I just found out a translation of an interview with Kubo called 'Bleach Jet' from local Bleach fanbase. One of the question said 'are the captains married? Since the only confirmed married one is Byakuya and he's actually younger than other captains'. Then Kubo answered 'well, tbh I never thought about it. But when I think it over, it would be sad if somebody as old as Yamajii is not married. So let's assume that they could be married, but it's just not necessary to be included in the story so I never write about it'. You know, I was so excited when I read it lok. In your opinion, which captains are apparently married? I only could imagine Ukitake since he's a perfect husband/daddy material (well I also want to know who's that lucky woman). But the others, seems kinda impossible lol. I'll be happy if you responded to my question. Thanks!
OH MAN. I’m interested in this in a couple of ways. The first way I am interested in this question is that neither of us had ever once wondered this. It did not even occur to us to wonder this, LOL. Too busy fixating on WHEELS, apparently.
Because of this, it feels like a magic trick, where the source material has asked you to look in a particular direction at a particular thing and sleight of hand (spouses) might occur before your eyes without you ever seeing it. I truly just took for granted that everyone would be single unless explicitly noted otherwise--Byakuya continues to be married to Hisana in his heart as the only married captain, until eventually Rukia joins him.
But it’s exciting to me that there could already be secret spouses who never came up simply because the narrative was never pointed in their direction. I’ve experienced this with people IRL before, and I think there’s plenty of precedent for this in Bleach itself, given that there are a fair number of shinigami with relatives whom we know to be alive and well and never meet.
For instance, Yoruichi’s brother seems really young, which suggests that their married parents might…? still be alive?? Unless they died tragically in the decades immediately preceding TBTP when Yuushirou was a baby, which I guess is equally possible and probably further justifies Soi Fon’s distaste for Urahara/her being high-strung about the kind of company Yoruichi keeps/depends on. Maybe the Shihouin Parents died when all of Soi Fon’s brothers did. 😬 (Speaking of family members it never occurred to me would have existed until we were told they existed…)
As for our currently or were-recently serving Gotei officers: In my mind, Yamamoto and Sasakibe were together. Not romantically—in a different universe, maybe, but in theirs the fact that Yamamoto is Captain Commander and Sasakibe is his VC precludes all else. Because this relationship exists, it forecloses all notion of other romantic partners, even as they themselves are not romantic partners.
I’ve always imagined Kyouraku and Ukitake having a different but kinda similar thing going on, though I’d be more willing to imagine that Ukitake also has a spouse out there somewhere than Yamamoto having one, re: your suggestion in the original ask. It makes me think about all of Ukitake’s siblings. I assume they’re all well into adulthood at this point but… how much do they know? About how Ukitake died? How much were they depending on his care (financially, family leadership-wise, family mediation-wise, etc.)? :(
One other person I could imagine having a spouse is Rose. Specifically, I could imagine him having had a spouse, past tense—pre-exile. If he were Seireitei-born to some middling noble house. Imagine with me a wife, and a noble marriage put together on the expectation that the line should continue by the birthing of children. It was arranged; they’re well-matched and get on quite famously. They have similar interests and pedigrees and if their marriage is not driven by fiery all-consuming PASSION, well, many marriages aren’t and they always have music to turn to if they’re in need of that kind of enchantment. When Rose was sentenced to death/exiled, his marriage was annulled and his wife was re-married to a different Outoribashi or related clan. I don’t think Rose would have wanted otherwise—it’s been 100 years now, and she and her new husband are quite happy; heirs were produced, etc.—but it’s still sad. The Vizard exile had more consequences than many in the Gotei will ever know, and more still that will never be written.
—
The second way I am interested in this question is that I actually really enjoy Soul Society as a place where social roles—specifically as they relate to romance, marriage, and children, in any case—are a lot less circumscribed than they are often understood to be in the mainstream of the Living World. If the prototypical narrative in the Living World is, say, "by age 20 you will be married to a spouse of the opposite sex and children will follow thereafter," that doesn’t seem like the case within the Gotei, at least from what we see, and I love thinking through potential factors.
Some baseline examples:
A billionty of the people in Soul Society weren’t born in the first place, and instead arrived.
Shinigami lifespans differ from humans and life milestones may not function in the same way (even as it seems like shinigami spend a LOT of time in what are optimal child-bearing years for us).
Shinigami biology also differs from ours, potentially in ways that matter--who knows what fertility is like for them.
It seems like shinigami are dying just like, all the time, which I can imagine genuinely altering baseline assumptions around what interpersonal relationships are like and what they mean.
I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity here for a lot of different types of relationships being much more normalized and understood alongside the marriage/children route. (And, additionally, the marriage/children route being more naturally understood as itself quite individual and rife with complexities that the boilerplate version of the Living World’s Notion of Marriage tends to leave out.) So that’s all very exciting to me.
What is the prototypical sexuality in Soul Society? Idk, all of them? What is the prototypical formal relationship arrangement? Idk, all of them? With probably more heterosexual coupling (or at least heterosexual-reading coupling), and more monogamy/marriage in noble circles, proportionally-speaking. I mean, I don’t think people getting married and having kids would be exceedingly rare, in the sense that Renji and Rukia probably weren’t making scandalous tabloid splash pages (though maybe on slow news days Hisagi has threatened this—idk I’ve never read WDKALY); but it feels like it would be one option among many, rather than the norm to which all other potentials are compared. I’m very enamored by the idea that D. All of the Above is Soul Society’s default in this one regard.
They might live under ridiculous authoritarian hierarchical military whatnot, but AT LEAST LOVE IS FREE.
#Q: which captains are married?#B3: clearly the place to start here is soi fon's dead brothers also rose has an exwife do shinigami get pensions what about their bereaved#i hope people are sending these in expecting that this is what will happen#thank you for the ask! i am now married to rose's ex-wife#shinigamiology#bleach headcanons#asks#no brain just bleach
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fic ideas I had for things but never finished or started properly (also a lot of these I came up with with other people):
b7
fake dating au
accidentally got married au
mutual pining whoops we're sleeping together anyway
ace attorney au
seven as the one in shattered instead of chakotay au with maquis!b'elanna in janeways spot
future fic from naomi point of view about her gay aunts
dragon age au with warden!b'elanna and morrigan!seven
kes stays and is sick of them flirting and locks them in a closet au
the coffee shop au I never finished which became a whole world anyway
help desk support b'elanna dealing with ext 709 on the phone every day
hades game au
stuck on the holodeck and have to act the parts out to get out
utena au
xena au
troisha
expanding on the au I had where alternate reality tasha ended up in prime timeline instead of going to the past
xena au
roommates at starfleet au which I think I may have also done? so like...a different better one
tasha didn’t die but ended up in some limbo form and deanna keeps seeing her as a ghost
kiradax (either dax)
reverse au with ezri as the dax host before jadzia and jadzia in season seven
mass effect au with asari!jadzia and human!kira
dragon age au with hawke!jadzia and mage!kira
au where kira stays on ds9 at the end of season six and is able to get to jadzia in time to save her but jadzia has to leave for trill for healing for a while and they write each other
chlodine
time loop au where they're looking for atlantis and whoops its got a funky artifact that has nadine looping
au where they meet much much sooner
office au where nadine is night security and chloe works late and keeps forgetting her badge and breaking in
wilenko
the au where one of them gets the beacon instead of shep
winter soldier cerberus au where they show up instead of sheps clone in ME3 or take kai lengs place in ME3
tim hortons vs starbucks au in niagra falls listen I'm canadian
stargate au
grissom academy instructor kaidan but ash on the normandy still
pacific rim au
star wars au with clone soldier ash and jedi kaidan
vetryder
never went to andromeda au and ryders dig site needs supplies and she finds vetra
the typical au where sara isn't the pathfinder but calls dibs when she wakes up and meets vetra anyway
were dating pre andromeda but vetra thought ryder died when the hyperion didn't show up
misc star trek
seven/ezri where seven ends up on ds9 by the borg attacking the defiant and them getting seven from it look it wasn't fully fleshed out
divided we fall rewrite (ezri/lenara)
on an away mission together leading to fake dating (joann/keyla)
the kes stays on voyager, tom leaves au with kes, harry, b’elanna, and seven shenanigans (gen)
ezri and harry bffs serving on captain geordi's ship (gen)
misc
ichiban time loop au (yakuza, gen)
au where korra doesn't fully get her memory back in season two but thinks her and asami are dating (lok, korrasami)
seong-hui keeps texting saeko and this leads to a relationship (yakuza, seong-hui/saeko)
tifa finds aerith at shinra hq where she’s been locked up for a while (ffvii, aerith/tifa)
tifa dead all along based on the latest trailer and technically a ghost but aerith drags her back to living anyway (ffvii, aerith/tifa)
rei begs susato to dress up again to get out of dating other guys (ace attorney, susahao)
franmaya star trek au with romulan/vulcan fran and trill maya (ace attorney, franmaya)
#please talk to me about any of these they've been on my mind now#I just figured it was more fun to get them down as I got stuck on most of them for writing#uhhh what's a good tag for this#beej's aus
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What Happened to Mako? (My Legend of Korra story)
I realized the other day that the Legend of Korra has been over for nearly a decade. Although many believe it is the inferior of the two Avatar shows, I have watched the entire series at least five times (maybe six). The biggest reason: Mako. Here was this handsome, cool, Firebender. I was a stan almost instantly.
After the series ended, I was disappointed with his outcome. I thought for sure he should be with Korra. So, I did what any good fan would do when they are displeased--I started writing my own version of events. The more common nomenclature: fanfiction.
It started as a Makorra story, but it wasn't NSFW or anything of that nature as many fan stories tend to rise. I wanted something that stayed true to the nature of the original cartoon. Something that could be shared with any audience similar to what "The Legend of Genji" was doing. Also, after reading the graphic novels, I wanted to further explore the ramifications of having humans and spirits living so close together. Thus, the question became, "What if Mako got cursed?" With his position as a detective, it could happen. It would also put him opposite of Tokuga. So, I wrote several thousand, thousand, words and, as things tend to do, eventually the story drifted out of my purview. It was fun while it lasted...but the seeds had been sown.
Fast-forward to San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) 2022. Avatar studios announce two new graphic novels. One to feature Azula, and the other--Mako; both to be released in the summer of 2023. I was ecstatic. After so many years we were finally going to get more LoK content and, more specifically, Mako content. That's when I decided to revisit my own story. Maybe it would have some similarities to what was to come. I rewrote the entire thing to be more canon. No longer was it Makorra. Korra could be there, but this was going to be his adventure. What started as a few chapters, evolved into what is currently around two-hundred thousand words of what happened to Mako after Korra.
When SDCC 2023 came around, I waited with baited breath for news of the aforementioned graphic novels. Azula's story was being pushed back to fall (fine), there was going to be a new story featuring Iroh and June (who asked for that?)--and that was it. No mention of the Mako graphic novel. Not even if it was officially canceled. It was simply non-existent. I was disappointed to say the least.
Alas, at least I had my own nonsense.
Then, a thought slowly began to build. I could share my nonsense. There are still fans out there who want to see more of Mako. Maybe I could find someone that might appreciate what I've done. No sense putting in all this work and keeping it to myself. I was hesitant of course. I've never shared any of my stories before. I'm hardly a wordsmith though I pretend to be one on the internet. After several months of waffling, I decided "what difference would it make?" I could keep it to myself where no one else would read it, or I could share it and maybe find someone else who might enjoy it. There was very little risk short of the wrath of the internet. Keyboard warriors are never shy about sharing their displeasure of things they don't like.
I guess, at this point in my life, I'm too old to care. (Don't ask my age!)
So, if you've made it this far, let me add my shameless plug. If any of this sounds interesting to you, you can find my story here.
Please enjoy, and here's to hoping we get something official.
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Reading ATLA: The Promise pp159-End
I do get why Zuko might think he’s bothering Iroh by asking for help. That’s also sadly realistic for an abused kid. The problem is that it feels like artificially prolonging the conflict to NOT get Iroh involved. Which is also the reason Aang and Katara got sidetracked when they originally were headed towards Iroh in Ba Sing Se. It also makes sense that Zuko would want to protect the families living in Yu Dao, although if Zuko didn’t feel so isolated he also wouldn’t be projecting his own issues like this. This comic is definitely setting up for Zuko wanting to find his mom, although I have my own issues with how that is portrayed as well.
Okay, this time I actually think Katara is being reductive and I agree with Aang. Not on the “nations should be separate” thing, but I get where he’s coming from. There’s a difference between equality and sameness. I don’t think he’s right that interracial relationships are always oppressive, but I do get why he feels that way after seeing the “fan club.” But then that also applies to his relationship with Katara. When you’re in a relationship, you have to decide what parts of yourself you’re willing to share with someone else.
And he already should have been collecting and preserving what was left of Air Nomad culture! This shouldn’t be something that just came up now that Aang has a fan club. And preserving his culture shouldn’t mean Aang has to live like a hermit, either. In my headcanon, Zuko and Aang work together to find and save what is left of Air Nomad culture, just as Zuko isn’t left to rule the FN by himself. I think what has annoyed me so much about this comic is that it doesn’t have the same found family dynamic between the gaang that is a big motif in ATLA. They barely seem like they like each other. No matter how many times Katara and Aang call each other “sweetie.”
Katara and Zuko having literally the same thought about family. #zutara
Given the amount of times Toph makes earth slides in this comic, can I assume that Bumi/Toph friendship is canon?
Toph in ATLA: Considering his messed up family and how he was raised, [Zuko] could have turned out a lot worse. I think you’re all letting your hurt feelings get in the way.
Toph in this comic: No time for talk! He’s turning evil and screwy in the head!
So then there’s a big battle and Aang almost goes into the Avatar state and almost kills Zuko again, and Katara has to snap him out of it again.
That’s not selfish at all, Katara, it’s common sense. The thing that bothers me about this is knowing how things turn out with their future in LoK, it seems like maybe they should have broken up here, if Aang really doesn’t trust her that much.
Also, again, Katara’s like “it’s fine if you have to kill Zuko, you just have to be calm about it.” Like Katara didn’t risk her entire life to save Zuko’s life in the series.
Also, again, not be zutara on main, but Katara and Zuko want the same things, while Aang and Katara don’t.
So Aang goes off to have a spirit conversation with Roku right in the middle of the battle apparently. Roku tells Aang that he has to kill Zuko, because the Avatar must put the world above himself, his family, and his own nation. But by that logic, Aang also shouldn’t be prioritizing his own culture, right? To be fair, Roku isn’t even following his own advice, and is projecting his own issues with Sozin onto Zuko.
There’s some more fighting, and then Aang bursts onto the scene in the Avatar State, and it looks like he’s about to fulfill his promise, except I already know he severs his connection with Roku instead because I’ve been spoiled. Not that I would have believed Aang would have done it anyway, and therein lies the problem with this conflict.
Zuko starts to tell Aang it’s not what it looks like, but then he says it doesn’t matter because his father would have done the same thing, and takes off his helmet. Then he trips and falls through a huge crack in the ground.
It seems like Zuko was going to say “I don’t want to die” when he called out for Aang. Which is as important for Zuko to realize as it for Aang to realize he won’t kill Zuko.
“You mean this whole comic was a stupid, manufactured conflict that could have been solved very easily if any of the characters would have just talked to each other???” *passes out from the stupid*
“I don’t know how to contemplate the world without first thinking of the people I care about.” I kind of feel like this part of the whole “being the Avatar vs being a person” conflict that should have been addressed better in the series proper. Aang shouldn’t have to choose between some spiritual vision of the world and actual people. It was always a false choice.
It’s not surprising that Zuko is actually able to sleep when he’s in Iroh’s house, since being with Iroh is a place of safety. It’s not just the pressures of the palace or agonizing over his decisions, it’s being away from Ozai.
Other people have pointed out the flaws in Zuko and Aang’s conversation at the end here. Aang says that he’s a flawed Avatar because he didn’t blindly kill his friend, when like, that’s not what the moral of the story should be. Zuko also says that he shouldn’t have asked Aang to kill him as an “escape hatch” as if the problem is that Zuko was being irresponsible and not that he needs to actually believe in himself. I also feel like it’s hard to blame Zuko for that specifically when nobody else seems to believe in him, either, and is ready to believe he’s turning into his dad at a moment’s notice.
Zuko saying he wants to go find his mother because it will “connect him to a part of his past that isn’t so murky and confusing” also is not what the answer should be, because it was never Roku’s bloodline that made Zuko know right from wrong. I want Zuko to find his mom but not because he’s a little boy who needs her to tell him what to do. I might read the Search even though I’ve already been spoiled for that as well, and I’m equally annoyed by it, but I’m mostly reading these for fanfic research purposes and I’m not above taking the parts I like and leaving the rest.
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Finding Spiritual Awakening in a World of Slumber and Illusion -- Kal Niranjan Desired to Have His Own Creation to Rule Over, Satsang Discourse by Baba Ram Singh
THERE WAS A TIME when none of this Creation was there. This And, Pind, Brahmand was not there. These physical, astral, causal planes were not there. There was God Almighty alone, and all the souls were with God Almighty. And they were all very happy being there.
Then, God Almighty decided to have different planes, different worlds created. And, from God Almighty, He took out Sound Currents. These were powers that would be ruling each of these worlds. And then, God Almighty came down from Anaami, Alakh, and in Sat Lok, He resided there then.
These Sound Currents, which came out of God Almighty, They formed these three planes, and then They sat as Sat Purush in Sach Khand. And then, God Almighty again took out some more Sound Currents, and further planes were created. So, sixteen such Sound Currents, these emanated from God Almighty. And then, God Almighty instructed Them to go and create different planes. And, that way, each of these powers, each of these Sound Currents, one by one, They set these sixteen planes. And that is how there are sixteen planes in us.
When all these planes were created, Niranjan was the creator of the last, final plane. He was unhappy with that creation. He wanted to create more. So, he prayed to God Almighty, and he meditated about God Almighty. And, God Almighty, being the father of Kal Niranjan, granted him the wish. He asked it from God Almighty. He wanted to have his own creation. He was unhappy with the creation that was present at that time.
So, God Almighty granted him that wish. He was His son. And He said, “Okay. You can do further creations.” And the things required for making those creations, he asked God Almighty where he would get that. And God Almighty instructed him to take it from Kurma, his elder brother. So, then Kal Niranjan took these things from Maha Kal, who is the ruler of Maha Sunn, and he made these creations below.
Thereafter, Kal Niranjan created these three planes below. But then, he still remained unhappy in this creation. And, standing on one foot, he meditated for seventy Mahayugas. Each Mahayuga would be like four yugas that we have. He wanted souls in these creations, and God Almighty gave him a few souls.
Then, God Almighty told him, “You will not be able to use these souls, or use them properly in your creation.” So, he took out one more power, which was Maya, from Himself. And God Almighty said, “You create with the help of Maya.”
So, thereafter, both Kal Niranjan and Maya took those souls and came back to their plane. And there, Kal Niranjan instructed Maya on how that creation was going to happen.
He told Maya, “Once all this is created, the secret of my presence will not be known to anybody.” And then, he went and sat for meditation in Sweth Sunya. And he's meditating there even now.
So, thereafter, Maya came down to Jhanjari Dweep, and there, she first created three powers; that is Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. Then, thereafter, with these three powers of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh, and Maya, the four of them, created 8.4 million life forms using five elements.
So, these souls were put into each of these life forms. And Maya contributed the five elements to these life forms, and Kal Niranjan sat within these life forms in the form of the mind.
Thereafter, Maya put the greed, attachment, anger, lust, and ego and got all these souls entangled in all of these outwardly pursuits. The souls, which were put into these life forms, got entangled in all of these outwardly things that Maya had created. And, as a result, they forgot about God Almighty.
Therefore, Mahatmas come and They awaken the soul, and remind the soul, “This world that you are living in is not your world. What you are thinking and identifying yourself with is not yours. You belong to God Almighty, and you belong to that world, and you have to go back there.” So, They tell us that you are an element of God Almighty. You are the son of God Almighty, and you should prepare to go back to God Almighty.
Saints, in their Satsangs, always try to awaken the souls and remind them of this. And They come to help the soul, to take it back to God Almighty.
So, therefore, even we should make our efforts. And, every day, we should do our Bhajan Simran. And, by doing that, we are also helping the cause of the Masters.
So, it is morning time and the mind is quiet. We should make the most of this time and close our eyes and sit for meditation.
-- Baba Ram Singh, Satsang Discourse, Meditation Talk, Morning, January 2nd, 2017 – Niranjan, Unhappy With God Almighty’s Creation, Asks For His Own
#meditation#spirituality#spiritual practice#sant mat#radhasoami#satsang#maya#illusion#demiurge#gnosticism#mysticism#story of creation#gnostic universe#liberation#spiritual awakening
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im typing this while im in the middle of a fortnite match but
I was on Reddit earlier (terrible, I know) and there were two hot posts regarding;
"What's up with those drones that turn you into a bunch of pixels when you die?"
&
"What are those weird arm things on most skins from Chapter 1 to 2?"
And I thought I'd share the answer with you guys as well! [The two people seated in the audience clap awkwardly.]
(Mainly so I have another excuse to talk about Fortnite lore, and most of this information is referenced/copied from u/All_Skulls_On and the Fortnite Wiki + my private lore doc so I don't have to directly rewrite it ^^)
The drones and arm gear have to do with the original Fortnite story - which was centered around Save the World before they branched to create a Battle Royale.
The premise in STW is that you are a Commander, safe at Homebase, sitting in a control room while hooked up to a Vindertech interface. The little robots; Ray, Lok, Pop, and Kevin are all Vindertech "robot friends" and "assistants". You're sent to assist/control a hero - who is a real person - that is stationed out in the real world fighting the husks/storm. (Apart from when you are required to do a Storm Shield defense, I believe. That's you directly engaging in the mission.)
The hero has a Vindertech module equipped to their right forearm, and since most of the skins in the first chapter came from STW, most of the early outfits have this piece of gear. The module combined with your assistance is what allows for the interface to facilitate building, storing of materials, ammo, weapons, etcetera.
The idea was originally translated to Battle Royale, making the Island's at-first little lore at first seem like a giant war game where Commanders would all battle against each other for training and recreation. The hero, which is you, would be transported to the island by the bot, and then retrieved when defeated or when the game is over.
That was the original lore/premise of the game before what they built upon was scrapped and altered for the Zero Point and the Island that was controlled by the Imagined Order - and anyway, the two game modes were split into two different realities. (BR being Reality Zero, STW residing in a different one.)
In the Save The World reality, Vindertech's original goal was to prevent The Storm from ever happening, but the goal ultimately failed. Leading the little robot, Ray, to take leadership and forming Homebase to rescue Survivors from the Storm. And then Vindertech created the Storm Shield and ATLAS to fight against it the best they could.
But now, the drones are used to transport the Looper in and out of the loop so they can continuously fight, with the arm gear likely to be used just as before; an interface to facilitate building, the storing of materials, ammo, weapons, and so on. And still in STW, the drones are used to "respawn" and pull out your hero in case of emergencies.
RIP the remnants of STW lore in BR, I suppose. 😭
Bonus Fun Fact: V-BUCKS is short for Vindertech-Bucks.
#fortnite#fortnite vindertech#fortnite save the world#fortnite battle royale#fortnite original story#fortnite imagined order#fortnite lore#fortnite theory
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Okay so Ariel being black and how that relates to me, Legend of Korra, and my dog…
lots of cursing, please be mindful of that <3
Sorry this is gonna be long as shit, but I’m insanely worked about this, and I know the people I’m writing about will most definitely ignore it or just be mad, but I don’t really care. This is a vent post.
also here’s my dog for reference ofc. wonderful powder sugar donut foot lookin ass <3 be mean to him and i’ll annihilate you
Okay this was just on my mind earlier. As most everyone has heard by now, the new trailer for the live action The Little Mermaid dropped, and some people were angry because Ariel “doesn’t look the same” *cough* she’s Halle Bailey *cough* these people are just racist *cough*
Look, so, I really dislike the live action remakes that Disney seems to be busting their asses making, but I don’t care enough to actually be mad about it. Disney is a Really Shit Company. We Already Know That. HOWEVER!!!! That’s not the fucking point and I want people to stop using that as a distraction from the issue! And whatever, like, these kids get to enjoy these movies!!! That’s cool!
And these kids: THESE KIDS DO NOT CARE THAT ARIEL IS BLACK. THESE KIDS ARE EXCITED THAT ARIEL IS BLACK. It absolutely DOES NOT take away from the experience of the film WHATSOEVER!
Who’s mad? Well… White adults ofc!
So, now that I’ve got that out of my system (FOR THE TIME BEING) I’m gonna explain my experience.
I had this thought when I came across the drawing someone make of Korra from LoK and Naga. I know some people have their reservations about the show, but please spare me, because as I’m about to explain, this show means the absolute world to me.
So I watched LoK when it had already finished. Probably my freshman year of HS, so I was like 14 (2015- a year after it ended). I had already watched ATLA growing up. I decided to watch Korra when I heard about Korrasami. (this is important.)
Guys, when I say that I related to Korra, I mean in every way possible. And in a way that kinda sucks, because everyone seemed to HATE HER. However, after finishing the show, it’s like I grew with her as well. I somehow managed to not binge it so it took some time, and relate to her arc even more as I Continue to grow.
Korra is hotheaded, impulsive, egotistical but also extremely self conscious, emotional, empathetic, ambitious, funny, caring, and a total fucking idiot at the start of season 1. Makes sense- she’s literally a teenager. I Cannot Express This Enough.
Now, by the end of the show: She’s maternal, she’s thoughtful, self conscious but working on it, learning how to communicate her emotions, still ambitious but learns to ask for help, still funny, still caring, brave, and mature.
Now, of course I’m not the avatar, but we all have trauma, amirite? This show was so cathartic for me to watch. From start to finish, it was an outlet for me and continues to be- a place to just let go of all of those big feelings little me couldn’t deal with as a kid. This show taught me so much about myself.
Physically, I have a lot in common with her, too. Both close with father figures in our lives, both young women with brown skin, and the perfect cherry on top: we both have a big fluffy white dog.
This sounds really stupid, but people… imagine me;
Angry, erratic, emotional, exhausted, brown skinned, queer but didn’t know it, close with my dad (specifically a dad with lighter skin, too), wanting to have control and take care of the things I loved: and I’m sitting there on my bedroom floor, on my laptop, hugging my big fluffy dog and bawling my eyes out as Korra gets dragged to the ground by herself in that one scene in the swamp, and eventually getting to watch her walking into the portal with Asami.
I have never, ever felt more seen in my life, and I don’t know that I ever will feel that again.
Representation is so insanely important. Obviously, mine is a little on the nose, but just skin tone, queer relationships and identities, complicated families… People with different experiences need to see themselves, and people who can’t relate at all need to see it too. I remember my boyfriend and I talked about representation after watching ATLA, and he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever actually watched a show where not a single person was white.” followed up with “I never had to look for myself in media. I was always there.” My boyfriend is a straight white male.
I’ve been on so many rants to this guy about how much these things matter, and he already knows but he listens to me anyways. Korra was life-changing for me. Life-saving.
So excuse me if I’m emotional as I slam my fist on the goddamn table and scream at these angry mf white ADULTS,
This takes ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FROM YOU!
AREIL CAN BE BLACK! IT DOESNT EFFECT THE STORY!
Shit, the Ariel in our high school play was a POC!
Don’t you dare make me list Every Single God Damn character that was written as a POC and adapted to be WHITE ON FILM!
Would it KILL YOU to just Let The Little Black Girls HAVE THIS!
Being in a place of privilege doesn’t mean you don’t experience things like trauma, or inconvenience, or struggle. It means you don’t experience those things BECAUSE OF YOUR RACE. YOUR SEXUALITY. YOUR CREED. YOUR GENDER. YOUR BORN-INTO WEALTH.
Giving people the recognition they need doesn’t take Anything from you.
So please. Please just let them have this. If it really makes you mad, you need to seriously evaluate “why?” because “she’s not the same” is a shit excuse when her appearance has nothing to do with the story.
Fuck
#the little mermaid#halle bailey#lok#legend of korra#korra#ariel#asami#tenzin#vent#rant#racism#homophobia#idk i’m just mad#people probably aren’t even gonna read this i just#ugh
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Bad situations with good intentions.
The silence in the room was beyond deafening, but for one person, they were aimlessly looking around spending their minutes in silence thinking about nothing. This almost dazed appearance made the other occupant of the room worried and he approached the dazed member and waved a hand, getting their attention.
“Are… you okay?”
Her brow rose. “I’m just peachy. You know, aside from the whole kidnapping thing.”
“Look, is it really kidnapping when you came to me?”
“Pretty much, because you were going to do it one way or another, I just sped up the process.”
“Which could be seen as you wanting to be here.”
“I don’t want to be here, but better me just show up to you then you do something illegal.”
“I would never do anything illegal to you, Cassie.”
“Right.” She looked off. “What is this room anyways? Why do you just have this bedroom in this place.”
“Because this is my home.”
Her gaze shot back to him. “What? No way is this huge place a house. I thought it was some kind of event center.”
“N-no, this is a home. The family home of Armando.”
“Wow, I really didn’t think that. You’re family must be beyond rich.”
“We are. We come from a family that’s owned many businesses for centuries now. I’m sure that’s the only reason you even know me.”
Her head shook. “While Lok Armando is a name I would find in a research paper, I know you because we went to school together.”
Lok’s eyes went a bit wide. “You… actually remember that?”
“Duh. Not to be rude, but you were always staring at me. Some of my friends thought you had a crush on me. Look how right they were.”
“I do not have a crush on you. I happen to be enamored with you.”
“While I can appreciate the difference, it means the same thing. At the end of the day you wanted me to be your girlfriend and I can safely say I never assumed you would go to this extent just to get it.”
“I didn’t mean to do something so drastic, but that fool you were with made it impossible for me to know you personally.”
“How? You could have just approached me as an old classmate and maybe we could have gotten to know each other.”
“Trust me, if it was that easy I would have done it. No, that red-head would prevent anyone they didn’t know from becoming your friend. If they couldn’t find ever bit of information attached to someone, they would run them away from you.”
“Seriously? I guess that explains why I had no friends.”
“Oh no, that was just because people found you intimidating.”
Her brow rose. “And you know that because?”
“Because I used to listen to people who would make fun of you. Most of their comments were juvenile like about your appearance, but some of them were insightful. One of which being that most people found you difficult to approach.”
Cassie let out a sigh. “Then why would you think any different.”
“Because I knew you weren't like that. I told you, when we had to peer review each other’s work, I would pray I got yours—or really ask the person who did for yours—and I enjoyed learning about you in small snippets.”
“You really are weird, you know.”
“I can understand why you would say that, but think of it like this: I’m not weird, I’m dedicated.”
Cassie found herself laughing. “You sound like a crazy person trying to justify why they’re not crazy. Look, you’re not all that bad so can’t you just admit you’re a little off?”
“No, because I’m not. I just have resources to combat the seemingly impossible task of being by your side.”
“I don’t wanna burst your bubble, but you do know I don’t exactly like you right now.”
“I know, trust me. I don’t think anyone would in your situation, but there is a such thing known as Stockholm syndrome.”
“Oh my God, are you serious right now?”
“Very much. While I didn’t exactly kidnap you in a way that would allow for such thing to occur, once the helicopter arrives and we’re taken to my estate elsewhere, you’ll soon realize you can’t get away from me. Besides, I do intend to let you live whatever life you want to, just in the confines of my vicinity.”
“And you think now I’m going to fall for that?”
“I told you, it is possible.”
“You’re insane.” Cassie shook her head. “I don’t really wanna be with anyone. Life is kind of annoying right now and having some other person sounds like an even bigger headache.”
“Oh? I can provide you assurance. You won’t ever be penniless in your life with me.”
“Okay, but I mean just in general. I… guess I don’t like myself very much so how could I like anyone right now?”
“You don’t like yourself?”
“Pretty much. Maybe that’s a byproduct of how my family “protected” me until now, but I really don’t understand much about myself or those around me.”
“Perhaps that’s true. You weren’t exactly allowed to develop any normal relationships with most people…”
“Yeah and the few I did always ended for one reason or another.” She sighed. “Honestly, I think I’m just doomed to be alone forever. Even as a forced bride, I’ll never really be a good partner to you.”
“Besides that being as far from the truth as possible. I want to help you a bit.”
“Huh?”
“Well, I intend on you being in my life for good. So, if you don’t feel good about yourself, how about I give you that?”
Confused as she was, she said, “how can you do that?”
“Well, like I said. We’re leaving to one of my estates in a new place. With that, you can start a new life, be a new person and learn about the various things you’ve always wanted to. The only restriction will be yourself.”
Cassie said nothing after he finished. Her eyes drifted off and it seemed she was deep in thought for a moment. Lok allowed her to think and before long, she spoke up.
“You still sound super crazy, but…” She shook her head. “I would really like something like that. This life of mines is pretty much over. Ruined by the idea that any harm to me shall never happen.”
“So you see the benefit I can bring you.”
“I’m not saying that, I’m saying I want what you suggested. Now how I’m going to get that has several solutions.”
“You were always so quick to turn down people’s help. I can give you exactly what you’re looking for and yet, you decline me?”
“Pretty much. I like to do things on my own and if you think I want someone’s help, then maybe you don’t know me as well as you thought.” She had a smirk on her face.
Lok felt his own smile peak at hers and he moved to sit down beside her. “I guess you got me there. Then, in this time we have together, would you allow me to learn more about you?”
“Shouldn’t that be saved for when we’re living together?”
“I guess you’re right. The best relationships need time to develop.”
“Exactly, nothing a few hours is going to replace.”
“You know, here I thought you wouldn’t be this calm under these circumstances. I had a few things prepared in case you were frazzled and panicked.”
“Like what?”
“Nothing bad, just some incense, a white noise machine, and a weighted blanket.”
“You really thought of everything.”
“As I always do.”
“Then, question—if you thought of all that, why couldn’t have you have thought of some other way to go about this? There had to be some way you could have convinced my dad to let us be friends.”
Lok sat in silence after her question. He didn’t fully know how to answer that and ended up opening and closing his mouth several times.
“I, uh… I’m unsure of how to answer that.”
“Well, let me help you. Instead of all this, you could have just approached my dad during his work hours and told him you were the one sending all those strange people after me. Then, you would explain why, because you wanted to get to know me after we met in middle school. My dad probably wouldn’t have been happy about you trying to date me, but knowing the kind of money and resources you have, it’d be better to let you be my friend then reject you and make this happen.”
“And you thought of this just now?”
“No, I thought of this when I decided to let you kidnap me. I was thinking about it and my dad might be the most anxious man ever about his daughter, but he’s not stupid. He would have seen that it was easier to let us be friends than try and keep you away from me.”
Lok pondered that. “Is that so…? I-I just didn’t assume that because of the hot-head.”
Cassie smiled. “Shugi, he has a name you know.”
“I’m sure he does, but I didn’t think people named brainless creatures.”
She stifled a laugh. “You know, it’s comments like that, that remind me you actually are a pretty normal person.”
“I don’t usually?”
“Of course not. Besides having all this money, the way you talk and act reminds me of a movie character. I don’t typically see you as just a normal guy who’s just a bit older than me.”
“Well, you can teach me. I’ll keep it in mind that insults are a way to appear as normal.”
“That’s not what I meant, but I guess it’s a start.”
Just as soon as she said that, a chime ran through the room. Lok’s phone was ringing and he quickly went to answer it.
“Yes?”
Cassie couldn't hear nearly anything—just the muffled sounds of a voice on the other end—but she still tried to pay attention.
“How did he even find this place?” Lok paused with a sigh. “Fine, keep an eye on him. I’ll be down to deal with it myself.” Lok hung up as he got to his feet and went to the door. “Cassie, please remain here. I’ll be back for you after I deal with something.”
“Should I be worried?” She tried to glean any information.
“No, you shouldn’t. However, if you get board, feel free to explore the room. Everything in here was bought in your interest.”
Cassie sighed. “Alright…”
Lok then made his way out of the room and Cassie heard the doors lock once they closed. She sighed and slouched forward.
“So much for this being the easy way out.”
#creative writing#writing#writing community#writing side of tumblr#writeblr#writers of tumblr#writeblur#women writers#original character#my writing#rich boy#normal girl#romance writer#romance writing#one sided love
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Perfect
Pairing: Loki x gn!afab!reader
Warnings: Explicit themes, dom/sub themes, smut, pwp, softdom!reader, sub!Loki, vv fluffy
Word Count: 795
Description: After saying something to George the day before, you fear you had offended him. But when you meet in the room of requirement you find out the truth.
A/N: Ahhh okay this one is super short but it came to me while I was making breakfast and I love soft!loki sm.
smut under cut!
You were different.
"That's a good boy," You praised. You squeezed his hand as you rode him slowly. His head was thrown back and all he could give in response were hungry moans. All he could think about was the mounting presser in his abdomen and you both reached your orgasm. You had similar things in mind.
You took care of him, not to mold him into a tool for you to use, but for his own good.
His eyes fluttered open and he took in every bit of you. Your body was so perfect to him. He loved you. He needed you, and in this moment, he felt like a part of you. His body shook and you got down to where your chests were touching. You released his hands and you held him. This embrace was nothing new from you but for him the time, the place. It was all too much.
"So perfect for me, Loki. God, you make me feel so good. 'Love you so much," His ears grew hot. He didn't think he was perfect. He felt so far from it. But if you told him he was, it was all he needed to know. He cherished being perfect for you, just for you. You made him feel like you were lucky to have him instead of the other way around. He couldn't remember a time before you when he felt like this, a time when he wasn't always trying to meet someone else's standard, a time when he was just good enough as himself.
But, why? What did you see in him? He would never know, but he didn't need to know. You kept rolling your hips against his with praises flying from your mouth. Loki gripped the sheets with such strength he thought he might rip them.
"Gonna come, Y/N! Can I cum?"
"Cum for me, love. Cum for me," and he did just that. You crashed your lips into his as he came so deep inside you. The sorcerer's powers meant that you didn't have to worry about the consequences of no barrier. But even if you did, you relished in the idea of bearing Loki's child. You rolled off of him and stayed by his side for a moment. Before you could catch your breath, your lover had his head between your thighs.
"My Y/N, you didn't cum?"
"No, but I-" you cut yourself off with a groans as Loki attacked your cunt. His tongue working marvelous tricks on your sensitive clit. His nimble fingers worked their way into your open hole. You put your hands in his raven locks and tangled your fingers in his sweaty hair. You were already so close, and loki could tell.
"Give me your cum, Y/N. I want you all over my face. I want to never be able to forget your scent," his tongue and fingers worked faster than ever. And soon enough, you popped. A scream ripped through you as you released all over Lok. He lapped all your juices. Never relenting until you pulled away from the overstimulation. He crawled back up to you, and you warmly took him in with a soft embrace.
"What did I do to deserve you?" You sighed. Your eyes had been calmly shut but they opened to the sound of sniffles. You opened them to see Loki buried deep in your neck. "My sweet, are you alright?" that seemed to make him want to answer less. He couldn't even tell you what was wrong. It just became all so much at some point.
"I don't deserve this," he whimpered.
"Hey," your tone became more stern as you took his face in your hands to make him face you. "You deserve all this and more," His eyes shut as he tried to bar the tears from coming out. "Loki, look at me," He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. Those very same tears he was trying to hold back came flooding, but he had given up trying to fight them.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm ruining the mood," You shook your head.
"You didn't ruin anything. I'm glad that you are letting all this out. I we want to be able to be open around me Loki. Do you want to talk about it?" he wasn't sure he did. Right now, he was tired. He wanted to tell you how he felt, but this didn't feel like the time.
"I think I just want to be near you right now," he sniffled. "Perhaps in the morning we can discuss this?" you smiled and nodded. He rested his head sleepy in the crook on your neck once again and you held him like this until you both fell
asleep.
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The Royal Ball
The Royal Ball
Loki laufeyson x Fem!reader
Summary: There is an Asgard ball being hosted in the palace, Y/N is yet to find a date to accompany her. She’s disappointed when a certain God doesn’t ask her, however, what happens when he sees someone else getting a little too close for comfort throughout the night?
Warnings: lil bit angsty, self doubt, JEALOUS LOKI, fluffy ending
Word Count: 3.3k
Message/ask if you’d like to be added to the taglist!
Requests are open loves <3
Y/F/N - Your Friend’s Name
It was a beautiful autumn’s day, crisp brown leaves were falling off of the large trees in the courtyard and scattering the cobbled ground. Loki and I had been wandering around for some time now, discussing everything from the books we’ve been reading to the dreams that have come to us in our sleep.
“And then this huge ghost thing was chasing me around the halls! and if that wasn’t weird enough, you popped up-”
“Ah, seeing me in your dreams are we, darling?” Loki chuckled, taking great pleasure at the fact that he had made an appearance in my subconscious, completely ignoring my distress at being chased by a supernatural being.
“Funny you should say that, right after seeing you, I woke up. The sight must’ve given me quite the scare.” I scoffed, a smile unable to stop itself from making its way onto my face, eyes meeting his, face etched with shock. With a hand to his chest, he spoke again in disbelief.
“You have truly offended me, love. I never knew you had this side to you.”
“What can I say? I’m a woman of many talents.” I winked, nudging his side slightly with my elbow.
“Really? Can you produce illusions?”
“No.”
“Look inside other people’s heads?”
“Well, no, but-”
“Turn yourself into a snake to scare your eight year old brother?”
“I still can’t believe you did that”
“My greatest achievement yet.” He smirked, the memory never failing to amuse him.
His stories always had me in awe of his capabilities, even if it was to give his brother a long-term fear, it was still an incredible talent. Whenever he tells me of his latest adventures or tricks, I always think of how well his title fits him. God of Mischief. Maybe that’s why I liked him much more than what a best friend should, not that I'd ever admit it. Not to him anyway.
We soon found ourselves standing next to one of the windows of the hallway, the crystal clear glass giving a beautiful view of the city of Asgard. From here, you could see the Queen’s gardens, full of flowers in all different colours and types, grass cut to perfection. You could see the families in the town, walking around the different buildings, children playing. It was lovely to watch, seeing everyone enjoy the seasonal weather and the light bounce off of the windows, it was ethereal.
“I never get tired of this.” I sighed, voice only slightly above a whisper
“Tired of what, love?”
“Just, this. This view, this kingdom, it’s incredible.” I looked up at Loki, trying to see if he was seeing the same beauty that I did. He was already looking at me when I met his eyes and upon seeing the way they sparkled, I assumed he did.
“Actually, speaking of the Kingdom, I have something to tell you. There’s-”
Abruptly stopping him from continuing his sentence, voices were heard from the other end of the hallway, though we couldn’t make out the words until they came closer. We gave each other a quick look of confusion before turning to see where the commotion was coming from, hearing the quick and heavy footsteps before being able to put names to the faces.
“Loki! Y/N!” A deep voice bellowed. Was that Thor making all of that noise?
Before I could process any more information, a blur of a pastel pink dress was in my face and hands were placed on my shoulders. I smiled down at the slightly out of breath figure using me as a support stand, it was Y/F/N.
“Wow, Y/F/N, you sound much different than when I spoke to you yesterday, did you drink something funny?” I chuckled, receiving a glare from my friend and a quiet laugh from the God beside me. Thor soon appeared next to Y/F/N, hands on his hips and head thrown back as he tried to compose himself.
“My God, Y/F/N, you run fast.” He pants.
“Care to tell us why you’re both running like madmen through the palace?” Loki speaks, one eyebrow raised in curiosity and what looked a little like concern.
“We..had to..tell you..there’s a ball..next week.” Y/F/N spoke, a bit more stable now, but still in between breaths.
I felt my eyes widen, a ball? I didn’t know Asgard held balls.
“Father is opening up the palace next week to neighbouring kingdoms, in hopes to be closer with them, open Asgard up to more trade opportunities, build relationships and whatnot.” Thor explained, emitting a loud sigh to come from Loki.
“I was just about to tell her, brother. Thank you for interrupting.” He rolled his eyes, half joking, half serious. I reached up and patted his shoulder gently, a small smile on my face.
“Maybe next time Lok” He nodded in response, I didn’t get a chance to comfort him much more before I was being pulled away by Y/F/N. With a small huff of surprise, I gave Loki a glance, silently apologising for our conversation being cut short, receiving a shake of his head in reply, affirming me to not worry about it.
“So.” she begins. “We need to find you a date and a dress. I’m thinking blue. I’m wearing purple so it’s probably best to avoid that one. Hmm. let’s see..oh! I know! we could- Y/N? You listening?” I snapped my head around, not missing the sly smile that was plastered all over my friend’s face.
“Y/F/N, don’t-”
“Loki! He has to be your date. You could wear green and match! If he’s even going to wear green, I'm sure I can get Thor to find out, I assume they’ll get ready together. And black accessories! I have so many ideas.” She clapped her hands, over-excited about the opportunity to plan this evening for us. Except for one minor detail.
“That sounds great, Y/F/N, it sounds wonderful, you’re just missing something.”
“Missing something? Oh, if you mean our hair then i’ve already-”
“No, not our hair. Loki hasn’t asked me, and I doubt he will.” I spoke, the second half coming out more as a whisper, my heart dropping a little at the thought. He’d never really expressed having those kinds of feelings for me and I'd always seen him be close with different girls around the palace, he’ll probably ask one of them.
“He might ask you, you never know what’s around the corner.”
“I guess so, we’ll have to wait and see.”
And that was the last we spoke of it before she went into full planner mode again, while I continued to ponder over all of the thoughts running through my head. I mean, he could ask me, right?
--------------------------
He didn’t.
After talking about it with Y/F/N, I had a glimmer of hope that maybe I was wrong, maybe I hadn’t noticed something that she had, that Loki would approach me and ask me to be his company for the evening.
I spent the next couple of days with him, hoping he would ask me, everytime a pause would appear in conversation, maybe he was finally going to do it. And everytime, a little bit of the hope I had, had fizzled out.
I’d even considered other reasons as to why he hadn’t asked, maybe the King didn’t want him and Thor to have dates so that they could mingle with members of the other kingdoms. Of course that theory had flown right out one of the Palace’s windows when Y/F/N told me that Thor was going to be her date. I was right then, he wasn’t wanting to go with me.
I guess I understood, I’m the best friend, we’d always been that. I think a part of me just thought that maybe he, like me, wanted something a little more. Clearly, I was mistaken.
Y/F/N and I had been getting ready for a while now, our hair was styled to perfection, our dresses were on and both of us were fully accessorized. We were looking at ourselves in the mirror, doing spins and curtseys and gushing over how good the other looked.
“You look amazing tonight, Y/N, really. Loki is missing out.”
“Thank you, and I'm sure his date is beautiful.” I spoke, fidgeting with the fabric of my dress, trying to avoid the subject and the twisting knot in my stomach at the thought of him with someone else all night. “You look incredible! You were right to pick purple, it’s definitely your colour.”
“Y/N’s right, you look gorgeous.” Thor declared, leaning against the doorway sporting a black suit and a dark purple tie, the perfect match with his date’s dress. I could feel my eyes light up when seeing how happy the simple, yet effective comment had made Y/F/N. Rushing over, she engulfed Thor in a hug before leaning up slightly and giving him a peck on the cheek.
“Ah and can’t forget, Y/N, you look stunning tonight.” He gestured to me, arm almost scanning me up and down.
“Stop, you’ll make me blush.” I laughed. “You both head off, I’ll catch up.”
“Are you sure? We don’t mind waiting?” Y/F/N questioned.
“Don’t be silly. You guys go on ahead, I'll meet you there.”
With a nod and a wave, they were off. They really did look like a perfect match tonight. I continued to look at myself in the mirror, fixing any stray hairs, flattening any kinks in my dress. Realistically, I was probably trying to prolong leaving for as long as I could. I was excited, but I was turning up on my own while everyone else had someone, it was a bit nerve-wracking. I still wanted to look my best though.
“Stop trying to convince yourself that you look good, you could literally blow an army of men away by looks alone.” A voice spoke, I spun to see who was speaking, the flash of green was enough to decipher who it was.
“You look lovely tonight, darling.” He grinned, the pet name had set off butterflies in my stomach.
“Thank you. As do you.”
“Well, I did put in an effort, nice to know it’s appreciated.” He joked, a breathy laugh left my lips, entertained by his words.
“Yes, well, I'm sure plenty of others will too.”
“The eyes will never leave me, I'm sure. Unless they’re on you, then I'd be surprised if I get even so much as a glimpse in my direction. Someone is a very lucky guy tonight, that’s for sure.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, confused by his statement.
“Well, they get to be beside you all evening, it’s a beautiful view.” He winked.
It could’ve been you, I thought. I knew he was joking, however that didn’t stop the fire in me from igniting.
“I could say the same for you, someone is a very lucky girl.”
“I’ll be sure to let her know if she ever thinks otherwise.” Joking, again.
So he had asked someone. Albeit disappointed, I'm happy he’s happy. Though I still wish I was the girl in question, I couldn't stop him if he was interested in someone else. That wasn’t fair.
Giving him a brief nod and a tight lipped smile, I picked up the front of my dress a little bit and made my way out of the room and downstairs to the ball. I could still enjoy myself, the night is young, I've got this.
------------------
“It was crazy! And let me tell you, my dad was so angry with me. He didn’t let me serve Turkey again after that year.” Charlie, a guy that I had met an hour or so ago, finished his story of the Christmas horror he had, allowing me to relax for the first time that evening. Up until now, it had felt like all I’d seen was either happy couples, or stares from across the room. Usually the second and usually Loki. The same Loki who had a girl’s arm linked with his and was looking at him like he held the world in his grasp.
I broke the gaze, finding it difficult to look at the pair for any longer, as I turned back to Charlie so he could have my attention again, a lazy smile was present as he took a sip of his wine.
“I don’t blame him, really, it sounds like you started a riot!” I exclaimed, sending us both into a full on belly laugh, thinking back to the story. This continued for another five or so minutes, laughter turning into a low chuckle, as if we were about to be told off for how loud we were being. Just as my hand had reached his arm to help hold me up, saving me from laughing myself into the ground, Loki and his date had made their way over.
“Enjoying ourselves, I hope?” He beamed, taking one look at me before giving his full attention to Charlie.
“Yes, yes we are, thank you. How about the two of you?”
“Ye-”
“It’s been fine, yeah, good. So, what’s your name then?” Loki interrupted, his date having no choice but to leave him to respond instead.
“I’m Charlie Fernsby.” He held his hand out, greeting Loki. A gesture that was very awkwardly not reciprocated as he let his hand fall back to his side before Loki spoke up again.
“Charlie..Charlie, now, isn’t that a girl’s name?”
“Loki!” I scolded, giving him an evil side glance, what was he doing?
“No, no it’s okay. Yeah, it can be used for girls too, but it's common for boys to have the name Charlie.” Polite as ever, he responded. A mischievous look made its way onto the God’s face. Oh no.
“So, I take it your parents wanted a girl?”
“I- I’m sorry?”
“I assume your parents wanted a girl, considering they’ve given you a girl’s name?” I rolled my eyes, this teasing was unnecessary.
“Charlie, let’s go and get a drink.” I tried to tug him away, only to be halted by another sentence leaving my best friend’s mouth.
“It was only a question, I'm sure he doesn’t mind answering, do you Carl?”
“Charlie.”
“That’s what I said.”
“You said-” I tried to interject, but he was quick to stop me
“I know what I said, Y/N, but I'm speaking to him. Let him answer the question.”
Loki’s date was long gone by now, she’d left to speak to another group of people, presumably another few couples, leaving us three to have this discussion, thing, whatever you would think to call it.
“I’m just saying, maybe they would’ve preferred a daughter, seeing as they’ve very obviously made that clear.” He beamed, expecting me to join in and agree with him, I don’t find this funny. At all.
“Can you excuse us, Charlie? Loki, A word.” I pointed to the door, giving him a look implying for him not to test me.
“I’m in trouble. Wish me luck Carlos.”
“Charlie.”
“I know, that’s what I said.”
I pushed him all the way out the door, into the hallway and round the corner so as not to disturb everyone else’s evening. When I’d made sure there was no one else around, I looked up at the Asgardian, my arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed, I wasn’t impressed anymore.
“So, are we out here for some hide or seek, or?”
“What the hell was that in there?!” I raised my voice slightly, his need to always make everything a joke wasn’t working this time. He had his night, his date, he didn’t need to come over and insult mine.
“What was what, darling? I was making conversation.”
“You were making fun of him.”
“No, I showed some concern about his parents choices, that’s all. Friendly advice if anything.” He looked a bit more frustrated with me now, as though he was stating the obvious and it was going over my head. I wasn’t having it this time.
“No, Loki. You weren’t and you know you weren’t. You had your date, she was fine, you were fine-”
“Well-”
“Let me finish. Everything was fine. Until you caught sight of me having a friendly conversation with another guy who wasn’t you. But guess what Lok, I’m allowed to do that! I’m an adult, I can speak with whoever I like!” My arms were all over the place now, my frustration was starting to show itself, it seems I had a bit pent up.
I saw his lips move, I heard something, but it was so quiet I couldn't make it out.
“Speak up, Loki. I can’t hear you.”
“I said, if you think he was just being friendly, you’re clearly out of your mind.”
Is he serious?
“Are you- Loki, you have no right to make a judgement on who and how and why I interact with other people. Not that it should matter to you anyway, you’ve spoken to other women before and I've never said a word or tried to stop you. Why does this matter so much?”
Silence.
“No, please, go on, tell me, enlighten me as to why this bothered you so much tonight, because trust me, I'm dying to know, truly.” I was shouting now, I just wanted answers for his behaviour, I didn’t think it would be this difficult.
His hands had made his way into his trouser pockets, eyes looking everywhere before settling on mine. He looked conflicted, I wanted to drop it when I saw his troubled gaze, but I couldn’t go back in there without an explanation.
“Ple-”
“I like you, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear, love? That I was so uncomfortable seeing some you get close with some guy that I had to embarrass him in front of you? Something I'm sure my father won’t be so impressed to hear, but there, you’ve got your confession.” His voice had gone much louder than mine, taking me by surprise, so much so that it took me a minute to process what he had said. He liked me?
He turned to leave, I assume because I hadn't said anything for a matter of minutes, but I gently grabbed his arm, tugging him back towards me. I looked up into his eyes again. I was so close that you could see the specs of different colours spotted in them, they were flawless. This view beats the Asgard view anyday.
“Why didn’t you mention this before?”
He shrugged, “I don’t know. Worried I guess. We’d never spoken of moving past friendship and I didn’t think you’d be interested.”
“I’m more than interested, Loki.” I grinned, my smile meeting my eyes, never leaving his.
“Not Chelsey?”
“For the love, it’s Ch-”
I couldn’t say his name, a certain pair of lips had stopped me from doing so. As they molded against mine, my hands went up to tangle themselves in his hair, his hands falling to my waist and pulling me closer, I didn’t even think that could be possible. We pulled away when we needed to catch a breath, foreheads falling against each other, smiles painted on both of our faces.
“I bet I'll be in your dreams again tonight.” He whispered.
“I bet I'll be in yours.”
“Always are, Darling. Always are.”
taglist: @horrorxweasley
#loki#Loki Laufeyson#Loki Laufeyson x Reader#loki x fem!reader#loki x reader#loki x y/n#loki odinson#loki odinson x reader#loki odinson x y/n#loki smut#loki x reader smut#loki fluff#loki angst#loki laufeyson smut#loki laufeyson x reader smut#loki laufeyson oneshot#loki laufeyson imagine#loki laufeyson x y/n#thor odinson#loki fanfiction#loki fan fiction
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Compiling a Character
Mind you, this isn't advice or anything. This is simply my experience when I was creating characters for my own fanfic.
I read somewhere that writers aren't "creating" a story, they are simply documenting what they see in their head.
That's how I work. I don't create an outline or anything (if I do, the story doesn't get written). I write whatever pops into my brain and flesh it out later. It makes my work a little...haphazard, but this is a hobby for me. I do try to improve my writing, but this will never be a career.
That being said, I want to go into my latest character: Seiko.
Seiko came about while I was writing a short side story about Mako meeting Shizuku's family (I have a pile of such things that will likely never see the light of day). I had decided early on that Shizuku would be the youngest of five children and the only girl. Something I realized after watchin LOK for the umpteenth time, was the same as Opal. Honestly, it was a coincidence. I ignored the fact and pressed on.
As I wrote, the brothers' personalities came to the fore. Bihn was the oldest and thus the responsible one. Liang was next and, in order to get out of Bihn's shadow, moved away from home as soon as he was able. Phoe was the youngest between Seiko and Shizuku and takes everything way too seriously. He also doesn't like Mako because of "what" he is. Then we have Seiko; the middle child. He always needs to be the center of attention, has to be the clown, and does his best to throw people off guard.
These were traits on wanted to amplify as Seiko got older. Thus, in my "The Lost Avatar", he's all these things and more. Flamboyant, flirty, mischievous, and still likes to throw curve balls. He was essentially Ayame from Fruits Basket which was another coincidence. Even so, I enjoyed writing him.
So, that's just a little insight about how I write. Everyone has a different approach.
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in which I get progressively angrier at the various tropes of atla fandom misogyny
tbh I think it would serve all of us to have a larger conversation about the specific ways misogyny manifests in this fandom, because I’ve seen a lot of people who characterize themselves as feminists, many of whom are women themselves, discuss the female characters of atla/lok in misogynistic ways, and people don’t talk about it enough.
disclaimer before I start: I’m not a woman, I’m an afab nonbinary person who is semi-closeted and thus often read as a woman. I’m speaking to things that I’ve seen that have made me uncomfy, but if any women (esp women existing along other axes of oppression, e.g. trans women, women of color, disabled women, etc) want to add onto this post, please do!
“This female character is a total badass but I’m not even a little bit interested in exploring her as a human being.”
I’ve seen a lot of people say of various female characters in atla/lok, “I love her! She’s such a badass!” now, this statement on its own isn’t misogynistic, but it represents a pretty pervasive form of misogyny that I’ve seen leveled in large part toward the canon female love interests of one or both of the members of a popular gay ship (*cough* zukka *cough*) I’m going to use Suki as an example of this because I see it with her most often, but it can honestly be applied to nearly every female character in atla/lok. Basically, people will say that they stan Suki, but when it comes time to engage with her as an actual character, they refuse to do it. I’ve seen meta after meta about Zuko’s redemption arc, but I so rarely see people engage with Suki on any level beyond “look at this cool fight scene!” and yeah, I love a cool Suki fight scene as much as anybody else, but I’m also interested in meta and headcanons and fics about who she is as a person, when she isn’t an accessory to Sokka’s development or doing something cool. of course, the material for this kind of engagement with Suki is scant considering she doesn’t have a canon backstory (yet) (don’t let me down Faith Erin Hicks counting on you girl) but with the way I’ve seen people in this fandom expand upon canon to flesh out male characters, I know y’all have it in you to do more with Suki, and with all the female characters, than you currently do. frankly, the most engagement I’ve seen with Suki in mainstream fandom is justifying either zukki (which again, is characterizing her in relation to male characters, one of whom she barely interacts with in canon) or one of the Suki wlw pairings. which brings me to--
“I conveniently ship this female character whose canon love interest is one of the members of my favorite non-canon ship with another female character! gay rights!”
now, I will admit, two of my favorite atla ships are yueki and mailee, and so I totally understand being interested in these characters’ dynamics, even if, as is the case with yueki, they’ve never interacted canonically. however, it becomes a problem for me when these ships are always in the background of a zukka fic. at some point, it becomes obvious that you like this ship because it gets either Zuko or Sokka’s female love interests out of the way, not because you actually think the characters would mesh well together. It’s bad form to dislike a female character because she gets in the way of your gay ship, so instead, you find another girl to pair her off with and call it a day. to be clear, I’m not saying that everybody who ships either mailee or yueki (or tysuki or maisuki or yumai or whatever other wlw rarepair involving Zuko or Sokka’s canon love interests) is nefariously trying to sideline a female character while acting publicly as if she’s is one of their faves--far from it--but it is noteworthy to me how difficult it is to find content that centers wlw ships, while it’s incredibly easy to find content that centers zukka in which mailee and/or yueki plays a background role.
also, notice how little traction wlw Katara ships gain in this fandom. when’s the last time you saw yuetara on your dash? there’s no reason for wlw Katara ships to gain traction in a fandom that is so focused on Zuko and Sokka getting together, bc she doesn’t present an immediate obstacle to that goal (at least, not an obstacle that can be overcome by pairing her up with a woman). if you are primarily interested in Zuko and Sokka’s relationship, and your queer readings of other female characters are motivated by a desire to get them out of the way for zukka, then Katara’s canon m/f relationship isn’t a threat to you, and thus, there’s no reason to read her as potentially queer. Or even, really, to think about her at all.
“Katara’s here but she’s not actually going to do anything, because deep down, I’m not interested in her as a person.”
the show has an enormous amount of textual evidence to support the claim that Sokka and Katara are integral parts of each other’s lives. so, she typically makes some kind of appearance in zukka content. sometimes, her presence in the story is as an actual character with layers and nuance, someone whom Sokka cares about and who cares about Sokka in return, but also has her own life and goals outside of her brother (or other male characters, for that matter.) sometimes, however, she’s just there because halfway through writing the author remembered that Sokka actually has a sister who’s a huge part of the show they’re writing fanfiction for, and then they proceed to show her having a meetcute with Aang or helping Sokka through an emotional problem, without expressing wants or desires outside of those characters. I’m honestly really surprised that I haven’t seen more people calling out the fact that so much of Katara’s personality in fanon revolves around her connections to men? she’s Aang’s girlfriend, she’s Sokka’s sister, she’s Zuko’s bestie. never mind that in canon she spends an enormous amount of time fighting against (anachronistic, Westernized) sexism to establish herself as a person in her own right, outside of these connections. and that in canon she has such interesting complex relationships with other female characters (e.g. Toph, Kanna, Hama, Korra if you want to write lok content) or that there are a plethora of characters with whom she could have interesting relationships with in fanon (Mai, Suki, Ty Lee, Yue, Smellerbee, and if you want to write lok content, Kya II, Lin, Asami, Senna, etc). to me, the lack of fandom material exploring Katara’s relationships with other women or with herself speak to a profound indifference to Katara as a character. I’m not saying you have to like Katara or include her in everything you write, but I am asking you to consider why you don’t find her interesting outside of her relationships with men.
“I hate Katara because she talks about her mother dying too often.”
this is something I’ve seen addressed by people far more qualified than I to address it, but I want to mention it here in part because when I asked people which fandom tropes they wanted me to talk about, this came up often, but also because I find it really disgusting that this is a thing that needs to be addressed at all. Y’all see a little girl who watched her mother be killed by the forces of an imperialist nation and say that she talks about it too much??? That is a formational, foundational event in a child’s life. Of course she’s going to talk about it. I’ve seen people say that she doesn’t talk about it that often, or that she only talks about it to connect with other victims of fn imperialism e.g. Jet and Haru, but frankly, she could speak about it every episode for no plot-significant reason whatsoever and I would still be angry to see people say she talks about it too much. And before you even bring up the Sokka comparison, people deal with grief in different ways. Sokka repressed a lot of his grief/channeled it into being the “man” of his village because he knew that they would come for Katara next if he gave them the opportunity. he probably would talk about his mother more if a) he didn’t feel massive guilt at not being able to remember what she looked like, and b) he was allowed to be a child processing the loss of his mother instead of having to become a tiny adult when Hakoda had to leave to help fight the fn. And this gets into an intersection with fandom racism, in that white fans (esp white American fans) are incapable of relating to the structural trauma that both Sokka and Katara experience and thus can’t see the ways in which structural trauma colors every single aspect of both of their characters, leading them to flatten nuance and to have some really bad takes. And you know what, speaking of bad fandom takes--
“Shitting on Mai because she gets in the way of my favorite Zuko ship is actually totally okay because she’s ~abusive~”
y’all WHAT.
ok listen, I get not liking maiko. I didn’t like it when I first got into fandom, and later I realized that while bryke cannot write romance to save their lives, fans who like maiko sure can, so I changed my tune. but if you still don’t like it, that’s fine. no skin off my back.
what IS skin off my back is taking instances in which Mai had justified anger toward Zuko, and turning it into “Mai abused Zuko.” do you not realize how ridiculous you sound? this is another thing where I get so angry about it that I don’t know how useful my analysis is actually going to be, but I’ll do my best. numerous people have noted how analysis of Mai and Zuko’s breakup in “The Beach” or Mai being justifiably angry with him at Boiling Rock or her asking for FUCKING FRUIT in “Nightmares and Daydreams” that says that all of these events were her trying to gain control over him is....ahhh...lacking in reading comprehension, but I’d like to go a step further and talk about why y’all are so intent on taking down a girl who doesn’t show emotion in normative ways. obviously, there’s a “Zuko can do no wrong” aspect to Mai criticism (which is super weird considering how his whole arc is about how he can do lots of wrong and he has to atone for the wrong that he’s done--but that’s a separate post.) But I also see slandering Mai for not expressing her emotions normatively and not putting up with Zuko’s shit and slandering Katara for “talking about her mother too often” as two sides of the same coin. In both cases, a female character expresses emotions that make you, the viewer, uncomfortable, and so instead of attempting to understand where those emotions may have come from and why they might be manifesting the way they are, y’all just throw the whole character away. this is another instance of people in the fandom being fundamentally disinterested in engaging with the female characters of atla in a real way, except instead of shallowly “stanning” Mai, y’all hate her. so we get to this point where female characters are flattened into one of two things: perfect queens who can do no wrong, or bitches. and that’s not who they are. that’s not who anyone is. but while we as a fandom are pretty good at understanding b1 Zuko’s actions as layered and multifaceted even though he’s essentially an asshole then, few are willing to lend the same grace to any female character, least of all Mai.
and what’s funny is sometimes this trope will intersect with “I conveniently ship this female character whose canon love interest is one of the members of my favorite non-canon ship with another female character! gay rights!”, so you’ll have someone actively calling Mai toxic/problematic/abusive, and at the same time ship her with Ty Lee? make it make sense! but then again, maybe that’s happening because y’all are fundamentally disinterested in Ty Lee as a character too.
“I love Ty Lee so much that I’m going to treat her like an infantilized hypersexual airhead!”
there are so many things happening in y’alls characterization of Ty Lee that I struggled to synthesize it into one quippy section header. on one hand, you have the hypersexualization, and on the other hand, you have the infantilization, which just makes the hypersexualization that much worse.
(of course, sexualizing or hypersexualizing ANY atla character is really not the move, considering that these are child characters in a children’s show, but then again, that’s a separate post.)
now, I understand how, from a very, very surface reading of the text, you could come to the conclusion that Ty Lee is an uncomplicated bimbo. if you grew up on Western media the way I did, you’ll know that Ty Lee has a lot of the character traits we associate with bimbos: the form-fitting pink crop top, the general conventional attractiveness, the ditzy dialogue. but if you think about it for more than three seconds, you’ll understand that Ty Lee has spent her whole life walking a tightrope, trying to please Azula and the rest of the royal family while also staying true to herself. Ty Lee and Azula’s relationship is a really complex and interesting topic that I don’t really have time to explore at the moment given how long this post is, but I’d argue that Ty Lee’s constant, vocal adulation is at least partially a product of learning to survive at court at an early age. Like Mai, she has been forced to regulate her emotions as a member of fn nobility, but unlike Mai, she also has six sisters who look exactly like her, so she has a motivation to be more peppy and more affectionate to stand out.
fandom does not do the work to understand Ty Lee. as is a theme with this post, fandom is actively disinterested in investigating female characters beyond a very surface level reading of them. Thus, fandom takes Ty Lee’s surface level qualities--her love of the color pink, her revealing standard outfit, and the fact that once she found a boy attractive and also once a lot of boys found her attractive--and they stretch this into “Ty Lee is basically Karen Smith from Mean Girls.” thus, Ty Lee is painted as a bimbo, or more specifically, as not smart, uncritically adoring of Azula (did y’all forget all the non-zukka bits of Boiling Rock?), and attractive to the point of hypersexualization. I saw somebody make a post that was like “I wish mailee was more popular but I’m also glad it isn’t because otherwise people would write it as Mai having to put up with her dumb gf” and honestly I have to agree!! this is one instance in which I’m glad that fandom doesn’t discuss one of my favorite characters that often because I hate the fanon interpretation of Ty Lee, I think it’s rooted in misogyny (particularly misogyny against East Asian women, which often takes the form of fetishizing them and viewing them only through a Western white male gaze)
(side note: here at army-of-mai-lovers, we stan bimbos. bimbos are fucking awesome. I personally don’t read Ty Lee as a bimbo, but if that’s you, that’s fucking awesome. keep doing what you’re doing, queen <3 or king or monarch, it’s 2021, anyone can be a bimbo, bitches <3)
“Toph can and will destroy everyone here with her bare hands because she’s a meathead who likes to murder people and that’s it!”
Toph is, and always has been, one of my favorite ATLA characters. My very first fic in fandom was about her, and she appears prominently in a lot of my other work as well. One thing that I am always struck by with Toph is how big a heart she has. She’s independent, yes, snarky, yes, but she cares about people--even the family that forced her to make herself smaller because they didn’t believe that their blind daughter could be powerful and strong. Her storyline is powerful and emotionally resonant, her bending is cool precisely because it’s based in a “wait and listen” approach instead of just smashing things indiscriminately, she’s great disabled rep, and overall one of the best characters in the show.
And in fandom, she gets flattened into “snarky murder child.”
So where does this come from? Well, as we all know, Toph was originally conceived of as a male character, and retained a lot of androgyny (or as the kids call it, Gender) when she was rewritten as a female character. There are a lot of cultural ideas about androgynous/butch women being violent, and people in fandom seem to connect that larger cultural narrative with some of Toph’s more violent moments in the show to create the meathead murder child trope, erasing her canon emotionality, softness, heart, and femininity in the process.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t write or characterize Toph as being violent or snarky at all ever, because yeah, Toph definitely did do Earth Rumbles a lot before joining the gaang, and yeah, Toph is definitely a sarcastic person who makes fun of her friends a lot. What I am saying is that people take these traits, sans the emotional logic, marry them to their conception of androgynous/butch women as violent/unemotional/uncaring, and thus create a caricature of Toph that is not at all up to snuff. When I see Toph as a side character in a fic (because yeah, Toph never gets to be a main character, because why would a fandom obsessed with one male character in particular ever make Toph a protagonist in her own right?) she’s making fun of people, killing people, pranking people, etc, etc. She’s never talking to people about her emotions, or palling around with her found family, or showing that she cares about her friends. Everything about her relationship with her parents, her disability, her relationship to Gender, and her love of her friends is shoved aside to focus on a version of Toph that is mean and uncaring because people have gotten it into their heads that androgynous/butch women are mean and uncaring.
again, we see a female character who does not emote normatively or in a way that makes you, the viewer, comfortable, and so you warp her character until she’s completely unrecognizable and flat. and for what?
Azula
no, I didn’t come up with a snappy name for this section, mainly because fanon interpretations of Azula and my own feelings toward the character are...complicated. I know there were some people who wanted me to write about Azula and the intersection of misogyny and ableism in fanon interpretations of her character, but I don’t think I can deliver on that because I personally am in a period of transition with how I see Azula. that is to say, while I still like her and believe that she can be redeemed, there is a lot of merit to disliking her. the whole point of this post is that the female characters of ATLA are complex people whom the fandom flattens into stereotypes that don’t hold up to scrutiny, or dislike for reasons that don’t make sense. Azula, however, is a different case. the rise of Azula defenders and Azula stans has led to this sentiment that Azula is a 14 y/o abuse victim who shouldn’t be held accountable for her actions. it seems to me that people are reacting to a long, horrible legacy of male ATLA fans armchair diagnosing Azula with various personality disorders (and suggesting that people with those personality disorders are inherently monstrous and unlovable which ahhhh....yikes) and then saying that those personality disorders make her unlovable, which is quite obviously bad. and hey, I get loving a character that everyone else hates and maybe getting so swept up in that love that you forget that your fave is complicated and has made some unsavory choices. it sucks that fanon takes these well-written, complex villains/antiheroes and turns them into monsters with no critical thought whatsoever. but the attitude among Azula stans that her redemption shouldn’t be hard, that her being a child excuses all of the bad things that she’s done, that she is owed redemption....all of that rubs me the wrong way. I might make another post about this in the future that discusses this in more depth, but as it stands now: while I understand that there is a legacy of misogynistic, ableist, unnuanced takes on Azula, the backlash to that does not take into account the people she hurt or the fact that in ATLA she does not make the choice to pursue redemption. and yes, Zuko had help in making that choice that Azula didn’t, and yes, Azula is a victim of abuse, but in a show about children who have gone through untold horrors and still work to better the lives of the people around them, that is not enough for me to uncritically stan her.
Conclusion
misogyny in this fandom runs rampant. while there are some tropes of fandom misogyny that are well-documented and have been debunked numerous times, there are other, subtler forms of misogyny that as far as I know have gone completely unchecked.
what I find so interesting about misogyny in atla fandom is that it’s clear that it’s perpetrated by people who are aware of fandom misogyny who are actively trying not to be misogynistic. when I first joined atla fandom last summer, memes about how zukka fandom was better than every other fandom because they didn’t hate the female characters who got in the way of their gay ship were extremely prevalent, and there was this sense that *this* fandom was going to model respectful, fun, feminist online fandom. not all of the topes I’ve outlined are exclusive to or even largely utilized in zukka fandom, but a lot of them are. I’ve been in and out of fandom since I was eleven years old, and most of the fandom spaces I’ve been in have been majority-female, and all of them have been incredibly misogynistic. and I always want to know why. why, in these communities created in large part by women, in large part for women, does misogyny run wild? what I realize now is that there’s never going to be a one-size fits all answer to that question. what’s true for 1D fandom on Wattpad in 2012 is absolutely not true for atla fandom on tumblr in 2021. the answers that I’ve cobbled together for previous fandoms don’t work here.
so, why is atla fandom like this? why did the dream of a feminist fandom almost entirely focused on the romantic relationship between two male characters fall apart? honestly, I think the notion that zukka fandom ever was this way was horrifically ignorant to begin with. from my very first moment in the fandom, I was seeing racism, widespread sexualization of minors, and yes, misogyny. these aspects of the fandom weren’t talked about as much as the crocverse or other, much more fun aspects. further, atla (specifically zukka) fandom misogyny often doesn’t look like the fandom misogyny we’ve become familiar with from like, Sherlock fandom or what have you. for the most part, people don’t actively hate Suki, they just “stan” without actually caring about her. they hate Mai because they believe in treating male victims of abuse equally. they’re not characterizing Toph poorly, they’re writing her as a “strong woman.” in short, people are misogynistic, and then invoke a shallow, incomplete interpretation of feminist theory to shield themselves from accusations of misogyny. it’s not unlike the way some people will invoke a shallow, incomplete interpretation of critical race theory to shield themselves from accusations of racism, or how they’ll talk about “freedom of speech” and “the suppression of women’s sexuality” to justify sexualizing minors. the performance of feminism and antiracism is what’s important, not the actual practice.
if you’ve made it this far, first off, hi, thanks so much for reading, I know this was a lot. second, I would seriously encourage you to be aware of these fandom tropes and to call them out when you see them. elevate the voices of fans who do the work of bringing the female characters of atla to life. invest in the wlw ships in this fandom. drop a kudos and a comment on a rangshi fic (please, drop a kudos and a comment on a rangshi fic). read some yuetara. let’s all be honest about where we are now, and try to do better in the future. I believe in us.
#fandom crit#longpost#like seriously long post strap in#misogyny#death tw#murder tw#abuse cw#sexualization of minors#ableism#racism#fandom racism#zukka crit#swearing tw#suki#yue#katara#ty lee#mai#toph#azula
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zutara fandom is such a fucking hypocrite. you all call a native woman who loves her husband, who lives happily with him a trophy wife and a breeding machine, simply because you don't like kataang, despite the fact that in the canon she is still a respected matriarch of the tribe, a healer and trained avatar and has outlawed blood bending. you came up with the trophy wife yourself, but blame it all on bryke. didnt you have a popular headcanon where she has 5 children, abandons her nation to live as the "water tribe ambassador" in the fire nation. yknow because erasing her culture sounds cool i guess
Literally what are you talking about?
Pointing out that Katara is treated, post-atla canon, as Aang’s trophy is not ‘calling a native woman who loves her husband a trophy wife’ because like, I’ve got a newsflash for you, Katara does not exist. And criticizing the way the white men who created her chose to destroy her character in post-canon materials and the sequel show is not the equivalent of being racist or misogynistic--it’s actually calling out the racism and misogyny inherent in her treatment by the show’s creators!
Secondly, I’ve written extensively before about how Katara’s ‘achievements’ post-canon actually aren’t. The show pays minor lipservice to what Katara accomplished, but doesn’t actually show that she did anything worthwhile with her life other than have the Avatar’s children. She ‘outlawed bloodbending’? Sure she did, that’s why she was present at the trial for the most infamous bloodbender in history, right alongside her husband, brother, and friend..... oh wait. She ‘is still a respected matriarch of her tribe’? Sure she is, that’s why she was able to talk sense into her people when they were on the brink of civil war, that’s why people listened when she raised her voice and told them to stop being idiots, that’s why... oh, wait, none of that happened because she stayed in the healing huts the whole time. Oh, but she was ‘a healer’--not just that, but one of the greatest healers who ever lived? Sure! That’s why she was able to heal Korra’s bloodbending related injuries- hm, no, but I’m sure that’s why she was able to heal everyone else when their injuries were revealed to have been caused by bloodbending- no, wait, but I’m POSITIVE it’s why she was able to heal Korra’s injuries when she was recovering from mercury poisoning- wait, she didn’t do that either!
It’s encapsulated pretty neatly by this paragraph:
[The problem is] that virtually none of these accomplishments matter in the context of LoK. Very little that Katara did during or after the war is so much as referenced, and even the things that are referenced matter very little. Katara never talks about her life except as it pertains to Aang, or her children. She doesn’t get to do anything during the series either, despite there being multiple things that–were it not for her entire personality being vacuumed out with almost surgical precision–she should have done if she were being kept true to character, or if she, like, cared about her family and people at all. (Things like, oh, attending her own granddaughter’s Air Master ceremony, or lifting finger one to save her family when they were in danger, or lifting finger one to step in when her people were getting thrown into a whole ass civil war...... ...)
@araeph‘s Consumed By Destiny series is also relevant here, because it goes into far greater detail about Katara’s utter lack of a character in LoK and the comics, especially as compared with her character in the original show.
As for my ‘popular headcanon’, I do indeed headcanon Zuko and Katara as having five children (though my conceptualization of their family will be different from others, everyone has their own hcs about the steam family and that’s so sexy of us), which should probably be the point where you realize that Katara having three kids with Aang is not what I have a problem with lmfao. But where the hell do you get ‘abandons her nation’ and ‘erasing her culture’ from ‘Water Tribe ambassador’???? Literally where????? The entire point of Katara being ambassador to the Fire Nation is to represent her culture in global matters of state. It’s so that she can be the voice for her people on the world stage, ensuring that their wants and needs are heard and fulfilled as the world moves forward and the nations grow together. It’s literally the complete opposite of ‘abandoning’ her nation, her people, or her culture, because everything about who they are and who she is will be everpresent in her life (and her husband’s life) because she’s thinking about them and acting for them in everything she does politically.
Just say that you hate people headcanoning Katara as having more agency in her own life and influencing global politics than canon allowed for her and go, honestly. Stop pretending you give a shit about Katara when you hold so much hatred for people envisioning something more for her than just being ‘the Avatar’s girl’ for the rest of her life.
#atla#katara#zutara#kataang salt#salt for ts#yall really come crawling outta the woodwork for this huh lmao#Anonymous
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