glass_icarus | drabblefest!

glass_icarus

Friend's going-away party last night + dim sum today with

magnetic_pole,

midnitemaraud_r,

onehundredmoons, and

kellychambliss (which was a most excellent way to celebrate Harry Potter's birthday, now that I think of it! ;D) = tiiiiired omg. Off to nap and/or mainline some more A:TLA S3, probably- toss me some drabble prompts so I can get back into the swing of writing? &hearts Any fandom is okay, though Avatar and HP are preferred for this round!

eta:
- flip [A:TLA, Ty Lee & Azula], for

wingstodust
- attack of the not!pornstache [HP, MWPP, "five o'clock shadow"], for

ruffwriter
- that unnoticed, & that necessary [HP, Cho Chang], for

gehayi
- truth, lies, & cabbages [A:TLA, Aang, Katara, cabbage merchant], for

whymzycal
- hearthfire [A:TLA, Iroh, "lessons in preparing tea"], for

magnetic_pole &

crossedwires

Crossposts: http://glass-icarus.livejournal.com/232153.html

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

wingstodust

I've love some Ty Lee/Azula fic, but maybe on the fluffy side? (Um, I realize that Azula makes fluff rather hard, so you can scratch the fluff if you'd like.) Pretty please with a cherry on top~

Have fun at the party! =D

From:

whymzycal

Woo, dim sum with friends -- how fun! :D

A:TLA S3 prompts? \o/ How about something to do with the Ember Island Players, however tangentially?

From:

wingstodust

*HEADDESK* I misread and I thought you were GOING to the party, lol. Er I hope you have a nice nap then, lol or have fun watch S3 of Avatar. =D

From:

magnetic_pole

That was fun today!

I just finished Book I: Water (?) this evening. How about either:

a) something about Uncle Iroh's past (we don't know much about him, do we?) or
b) what happens when Gran Gran sees Master Pakku again (no schmaltz please)?

M.

From:

glass_icarus

Ty Lee's practicing her handstands after school when Azula comes in, scowling.

"Show me how to do that."

"What?"

Azula rolls her eyes. "Uncle Iroh's home, which means that Zuzu gets to go off and practice swordfighting while I get to sit here and play with dolls. I don't want to play with dolls!"

Ty Lee shifts her weight experimentally. "So... don't play with them? I mean, you're the princess, after all."

"Yeah, but he's still my uncle. Anyway, that's not the point! The point is, he thinks that because I'm a girl, I should stay at home and play with dolls, even though I'm a better fighter than Zuko. It's annoying!"

"Well, you do learn things really quickly. Maybe General Iroh spends more time with Zuko because he takes so much longer."

"Didn't you hear me? Dolls, Ty Lee. He keeps giving me dolls."

"You're a firebender. You could always use them for... target practice?"

"Not with my mother around. I burned one of them last time and she made me apologize. I hate apologies even more than I hate dolls."

Ty Lee giggles. "Well, if you don't want them, I'm sure one of my sisters would be honored to receive a gift from the princess."

"Well, yes, that's true- but aren't your sisters older than you are?"

"That's okay! One of them's pregnant."

Azula sighs. "Very well. I'll have a maid deliver them to your family tomorrow. Even if it would be more satisfying to burn them."

"Thanks, Azula!" Ty Lee flips to her feet. "Is there anything I can do in return?"

Azula blows her hair out of her eyes. "Yes. Do that again."

Obediently, Ty Lee puts her palms to the ground and kicks upward, smiling as Azula's face turns right side up in her sight.

Edited Date: 2010-08-01 04:03 am (UTC)

From:

glass_icarus

It was! :D And ooh, that's... hm. Kind of a tough prompt! Any (other) characters in particular that you'd like to see, or should I pick at random?

Edited Date: 2010-08-01 05:44 pm (UTC)

From:

glass_icarus

It was! :)

Irohhhhhhhhhhhh. &hearts I will think about a way to do this without spoiling you!

From:

whymzycal

Writer's choice! :D

From:

midnitemarauder

Iroh!!! ♥ ♥ We learn more about him, so keep watching. Maybe she should hold off on posting that one until you're further into Book II! (I totally second writing anything about him!)

Yesterday really was fun! ♥ And you know, even though I just met both of you (and L) in person for the first time - last week and yesterday - it didn't feel like it, because I've known you both for a couple of years already. And Kelly's a sweetheart!

We'll talk soon about plans for when A's coming!

From:

crossedwires

I love this a lot! ♥ (using dolls as target practice! so awesome, even if Ursa doesn't agree.)

From:

littlebutfierce

I will think about a way to do this without spoiling you!

YAY THEN I CAN READ IT TOO. (We've only just started book 2, but yes, I love Iroh!)

I know even if it was a spoily drabble I could come back & read it later but it is exciting to think a drabble may soon exist that I could read now!

From:

glass_icarus

&hearts!! Thank you. :> Hahaha, Azula is totes the type to think up horrifying deaths for unwanted dolls.

From:

gehayi

I'd like a story about Cho Chang and/or Su Li, as we never see much about Cho that isn't related to Harry playing Quidditch or to Harry's love life, and we never seen anything about Su Li at all.

From:

glass_icarus

Yes! Fandom meetups are awesome like that sometimes. :D &hearts

(... non-spoilery Iroh is surprisingly difficult, hmm. Oh well, guess I'll just have to rewatch S1 again for ideas! WHAT A HARDSHIP.)

From:

crossedwires

Iroh, lessons in preparing tea (post-series? bonus if it includes Toph?)

From:

wingstodust

Squeeeeee!!! I'm so happy. Oh Ty Lee. Oh Azula. <3

From:

glass_icarus

Lunar New Year falls on the day of a Hufflepuff-Gryffindor Quidditch match, which is unfortunate, because while Cho's been dating Cedric for some time now, she refuses to forgo her New Year's red. She's used to having her holidays overlooked, though, so when Cedric gives her a puzzled look over breakfast (red hair ribbons and underwear- not that he can see the latter- the best she can do given the dictates of school uniforms) she simply smiles and says nothing.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't understand, she tells herself. This doesn't belong to him, neither the secret rush of joy and firecrackers, nor the mini-banquet and hongbao her mother sends from home. (Well, technically Dumbledore gives her a hongbao too- filled with sesame candy instead of money- but that's not the same thing, even if she hasn't the heart to tell him his gestures are misplaced.) It's not the same anyway- it can't ever be, when she's at school on her own, cast adrift from the warmth of family and community- and she'd rather keep her celebrations private than suffer through awkward explanations.

So she says nothing. Smiles. Kisses Cedric before the match, cheers Hufflepuff even as she assesses Harry's flying, nods at Parvati across the pitch. Afterward, she leaves Cedric to his teammates and climbs to the top of the Astronomy Tower, where she sets up a tiny altar for her deceased ama with Dumbledore's candy and a stick of incense. It doesn't feel like enough, but she knows- she hopes- the sentiment is appreciated somewhere beyond the stars.

Then she goes back to the Ravenclaw common room, where Padma and Parvati and Su Li are waiting for her.

"Gong xi fa cai," says Su, smiling. "No Cedric?"

"Happy new year, Cho," says Padma. "Hope you don't mind that we're adopting a Gryffindor this year- apparently Lav can spare Parvati for a night after all."

"Hey!" Parvati says. "I'm just happy that we can celebrate together; holidays are terrible when you're alone."

"Which means," Padma says severely, "no ducking out on us for Holi this year, or there will be consequences."

Cho has to laugh. "I'll keep that in mind. Gong xi fa cai! And no, no Cedric; this is just for us."

Su drags her into a one-armed hug. "Great. Let's eat! My mum sent us persimmons this year."

Cho unwraps her mother's basket, smiling. It's not quite family, this, but friendship and understanding go a very long way.

Edited Date: 2010-08-01 07:53 pm (UTC)

From:

gehayi

Oh, that's lovely. I love that--the girls making a family of friends and Cho's red hair ribbons and red underwear and Dumbledore trying but getting it completely wrong. Thank you for writing this.

From:

glass_icarus

Heee, I'm glad you liked this, bb!

From:

glass_icarus

Thank you! And also, thanks for giving me the kick in the pants to write Cho- I kept meaning to, but never quite got around to it.

From:

glass_icarus

(Placeholder comment to say that I am smashing your request together with

magnetic_pole's! BRB, PLOTTING IROH'S AWESOME. ;D)

eta; here!

Edited Date: 2010-08-07 04:02 am (UTC)

From:

magnetic_pole

It really was so much fun! Can't wait to do it again. (Damned dissertation, or we'd be at the beach one weekend, with nothing to do but swim and talk.)

I'm having so much fun watching Avatar. It's got the same light touch and big issues as HP--a nice combination. M.

From:

glass_icarus

Pu-On Tin's sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage.

They're out buying ingredients for hotpot when Aang sees them: the most beautiful cabbages he could have imagined, sitting in the most dilapidated-looking cart he's ever laid eyes on.

"Hey, Katara!" he shouts. "Take a look at these!"

The man rummaging behind the cart stands up abruptly. "Avatar Aang, is that you?"

Aang claps a hand to his forehead guiltily. "Oh, shoot. Did my hat slip? I'm sorry, please don't tell anyone, Toph's going to kill me if I'm late again-"

"No, no, we've met before. Or rather, I suppose, I've met you; you've merely met my cart. On multiple occasions."

"Huh?" Aang blinks, confused.

"Aang? What's going on?" Katara stops in front of the cabbage cart. "I'm sorry, but you look really familiar. Do we know you?"

"Actually, this man says-"

"- my name is Tai, actually-"

"- okay, Tai, says we have met somewhere before. Multiple places. Except we've only met his cart."

Tai shakes his head indignantly. "Somehow, Avatar, you followed me like a plague. Everywhere I went in the Earth Kingdom, you were certain to appear! You were death to two whole crops of my cabbages!"

"We... were?"

"In Omashu, I saw you careening down toward me in a runaway mail cart just before it destroyed my cart, and then King Bumi's pet thing proceeded to eat half of my cabbages! So I had my cart repaired and restocked my cabbages and went to Kyoshi Island, and you were there again! But the Fire Nation army arrived and pursued you through the town, and exploded my cart in the process."

Aang makes a formal bow. "Um... I'm sorry?" he tries.

"I certainly hope so!" sniffs Tai. "Because after that I didn't have enough money to hire a repairman, so I had to put the cart back together myself. The loading docks on Kyoshi Island were completely destroyed! It was three whole weeks before I could get more cabbages, and all of the ones I had were either charcoal or singed crispy. By the time I was finally set up, the Fire Nation army was on the move again! I had to make my way here to Ba Sing Se as a refugee, taking half of my remaining stock with me- and then that horrible woman at customs wouldn't let me take them in! She said there was danger of infestation by cabbage slugs!"

Katara blinks. "Why? They don't look diseased to me."

"Exactly! But nobody would listen to me, oh, no. We couldn't possibly have effective pesticides outside of Ba Sing Se, could we? Never mind that when I got into the city, the local cabbages weren't nearly as healthy; I was only allowed to bring my cart. The cabbages she fed to the animals. I had to have the rest of my stock imported, and I ended up paying three separate taxes on it!"

Aang executes a deeper bow. "I'm really sorry for your losses."

"Hmph!" says Tai. "That wasn't even the greatest of them. After I'd finally set up shop here, all the animals escaped from the zoo and demolished all of my cabbages! I had to wait out the rest of the year before my family's new harvest arrived."

"Wait," Katara says, turning. "That's- oh, Aang, tell me you didn't-"

"I'm really, really sorry?" Aang says, grinning nervously from the general vicinity of his shins.

Katara smacks her forehead. "I should have known that herding was involved when you said you 'built the animals a new facility!'"

"I humbly apologize for your loss, Merchant Tai, and I accept responsibility," says Aang, sweating a little. "Um... is there any way I can repay you?"

"Oh, you already have, Avatar. I'm earning royalties." Tai grins. "However, I wouldn't object if you wanted to buy some of my cabbages."

"Actually, that's what we came here looking for!" Katara selects three heads and tosses them to Aang, handing over the requisite coins. "Come on, Aang. We're going to be late, and you know what that means."

"Oh, no," Aang groans. "Toph."

"Thanks for the cabbages! It was, um, nice to finally meet you," Katara shouts as they break into a run.

It isn't until they return to the Jasmine Dragon, exhausted and out of breath, that they realize what royalties Tai was actually referring to.

Edited Date: 2010-08-04 06:12 am (UTC)

From:

whymzycal

Bwahahahahaha! THIS IS COMPLETELY GENIUS!!!

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

From:

glass_icarus

Hee, I'm glad you liked this! &hearts (I am rather sympathetic to the cabbage merchant, in retrospect. Poor man!)

From:

crossedwires

HEE. THIS IS SO AWESOME.

I'm earning royalties.

♥ ♥

From:

glass_icarus

Heeee, so glad you liked this! &hearts I couldn't have cabbage guy not get his own back, right? ;D

From:

wingstodust

So much awesome here. hehehe, earning royalties. ♥

From:

glass_icarus

Hahaha, thank you! :>

From:

glass_icarus

"Ouch!" Iroh says, shaking his hand.

Setting down her ladle, Chiyo folds her arms across her ample belly. "What did I tell you? For this tea, the first brew-"

"- is to wash the leaves only," Iroh mumbles around his throbbing knuckles.

"Yes. Now rinse out the pot and do it again, properly. And wash your hands!"

Iroh chuckles ruefully as he dumps out the teapot. "You're even more difficult to please than Jeong Jeong."

Chiyo snorts. "If he'd ever brewed his own tea, his students would have a much better grasp of the importance of attention. Besides, if you didn't like it, you shouldn't have married me- no, not that tin! Smell the leaves, don't just goggle at them."

"But they smell exactly the same!"

"For someone who enjoys drinking tea so much, you certainly don't understand how to appreciate it." Chiyo sighs. "Go outside and wait while the water cools. Pour it in too hot and it-"

"- scalds the leaves?"

"Well." Chiyo's mouth curls up at the corner, just a tiny bit. "It's going to be a long road for you, but maybe you won't be completely useless at this by the time I'm done."

She whacks him with the ladle again when he tries to sneak a kiss, but it doesn't sting as much as it could have. When Iroh finally does walk out the door, he has a goofy grin on his face, and the water is stone cold.