Outliving The Ruins, 4/? (2015-12-08)

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(three)

Of all the elements, water bending is the most common. Which makes living on the Isle of the Lost a frustrating thing.

Being an island, by definition, means that it is surrounded by water–the shores all around it, a river that cuts through it, and rain that falls from above. But the people of the Isle can’t leave the magical barrier, and it is a very small radius indeed.

Their parents had the entire ocean at their control or, barring that, an entire kingdom filled with moisture-retaining plant life. In contrast, trapped on the Isle, they have nothing.

On the rocky beach, Jemma wishes for an endless blue horizon. From the shallow waves, Uri yearns for the briny depths of the sea. And in a jungle made of concrete, Querida dreams of roses as red as blood.

—

(two)

Lady Tremaine is not a bender, and neither are her two daughters. But her first husband had been one, an earth bender. He had used his skills in his mining business and it had been a satisfactory, if not profitable, marriage.

She learned the second time.

She married a rich man who could provide for her and her daughters; give her emeralds greener than her eyes. As green as her first husband’s eyes had been.

The green eyes which meant power.

No, Lady Tremaine is not a bender, but if she had been…

It would have been easy. A locked door cannot open if the key has been crushed into a useless lump of metal. A shoe made of glass–merely melted and molded sand–cannot fit one foot if it has been resized for another. Gems and gold would have come easily to her fingertips, and she wouldn’t have had to remarry at all.

But Lady Tremaine is not a bender, and neither are her two daughters.

Her eldest and youngest grandchildren, on the other hand, the only boy and the youngest girl–Anthony and Dreda–she sees the way stone trembles under his feet, how metal warps beneath her hands.

And she knows that the Tremaine family will prosper.

—

(one)

Fire bending is rare. As cliché as it might sound, this is because fire benders are either bright enough to control the flames or get burned by them instead.

And even if she’s no dragon’s daughter, Frederique Facilier is plenty bright, thank you very much.

But she knows she can’t really compete with Mal, even disregarding the whole Avatar thing (hey, secrets are the family trade). Freddi’s fire is smaller, warm instead of hot, and maybe for a voodoo witch doctor that would be fine. But her father’s friends from the other side can’t break through the barrier and reach them–meaning the Faciliers are as magic-less as any lowly minion.

So all Freddi has is her fire bending (and her devastating good looks and sharp wit and excellent fashion sense).

But if she had to tell the truth (though she would never out loud), Freddi is only a candle to Mal’s sun.

~

A/N: Some other bending villain kids on the Isle:

Water benders represent! Jemma Hook and Uri, son of Ursula, I’ve previously introduced in A Tale of Two Kingdoms–a pirate and a sea witch’s son, of course they would be water benders. And then Querida, my “Princess of Hearts,” would almost have to be a blood bender… or at the very least, a plant bender.

Earth bending Tremaines from the horrifying idea that Lady Tremaine would have completely won if she had been a bender. The mice can’t steal the key and free Cinderella if it’s not a key anymore. And it would have been so easy to smash the second glass slipper (if she couldn’t manipulate the glass itself, that is). Dreda Tremaine is also from A Tale of Two Kingdoms as my headcanon Tremaine granddaughter–apparently there are multiple granddaughters in the book, but only Anthony the grandson is named, so I just chose a Dr- name. I’m rather fond of her.

Then Freddi Facilier is from the Wicked World animated short series. Why is she a fire bender? Well… because I needed one and she seemed like a good choice. Also, superficially, her red outfit.

So, basically, we have my Predecessors (The Prequel) gang, my OC Tremaine granddaughter Dreda, and Freddi from the animated shorts which I consider “beta canon” (as opposed to the movie which is “alpha canon”). 😀

Gambling Away The Past 1/? (2015-12-07)

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A/N1: … I said I wasn’t going to do it, but here we are so clearly I am a big liar face. For you, anon, and your prompt here.

~

Shikako falls.

Or flies. Or stumbles. Or she is pushed and pulled and squeezed and stretched all at the same time for an eternity that only lasts a second.

The point is, Shikako is dragged somewhere–somewhen–and the first thing she sees when she comes to are several Iwa nin attacking some kids. So of course she’s going to do something about it.

When she comes back up for clarity after the flurry of battle she almost chokes on air, “S-sensei?”

“State your name and registration number,” a Kakashi Hatake shorter than her says, voice flat and both of his dark eyes staring her down.

“Hey, don’t be like that, bastard! She totally helped us out!” an unmasked and unscarred Obito Uchiha shouts.

By his side, a living, breathing Rin Nohara adds, “She’s wearing a Konoha flak jacket, Kakashi-kun. And that’s the Nara clan symbol.”

A part of Shikako appreciates the support–even if they aren’t from the one person in this situation that she knows and trusts–but the large majority of her is freaking the fuck out.

Shikako falls and knocks an entire timeline off track.

~

A/N2: Maybe I’ll come back to this…? I dunno, it’s got a title so…

Untitled drabble (2015-12-06)

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“One day, you will find yourself lost and terribly alone,” she says, tone flat and empty.

The man kneeling before her looks his fill, eyes going dry from his staring. His hands shake, he presses them against his legs to still them.

“On that day, you will call for me, and I will come,” she continues, and though her voice stays the same, her leather jacket creaks from the motion of her fists in her pockets, “And we will renegotiate then,” she finishes, before turning and walking away.

The man does not call out after her, does not beg her to stop and explain, does not say anything.

He stays kneeling, even an hour after she’s already gone.

It will be fifteen years the next time he sees her, and she has not aged at all.

—

“Go away, Az” she says, one irritation away from justified manslaughter. Normally, she is an epitome of calm, but right now she feels like a disgusting stereotype of a hot-tempered redheaded woman.

“I need a favor,” Az says, completely ignoring her words and sidling his way around her and into her office.

“I don’t owe you anything,” she responds, and already she has lost by engaging with him. Well, at least he’s not touching anything.

He looks and smells like he crawled out of a bar–alcohol and cigarettes and human sweat, maybe even some piss–so keeping his hands to himself is the least he can do.

“I need you to look after your niece for a while,” he says, unapologetic, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“I don’t have any siblings.”

“And yet,” he shoots back with a smile, “your daughter has a cousin.”

“Hell, which of you assholes had a kid and what happened to the poor sucker who was the mother?” She asks, shock and curiosity overcoming her annoyance.

Az grins wider, “Me, of course. And old age happened to her–you know how humans are,” he says with a nearly careless shrug, but she spots the way his smile trembles at the edges. 

“They barely last a century.”

~

A/N: … 🙂

Untitled Miraculous Ladybug drabble (2015-12-05)

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Marinette is one of the youngest Ladybugs you’ve ever chosen.

It’s worrying.

With your older Ladybugs, you could trust them–they had experience to fall back on, they had lived full lives. You don’t have that with Marinette.

It’s not that you doubt her capabilities, but being Ladybug isn’t safe.

You’ve had Ladybugs die on you before.

It’s not that their lives are somehow worth less than Marinette’s–no, each one of your Ladybugs is precious to you–but you feel less guilty if they’ve lived before you choose them. Before you get them killed.

You hope Marinette won’t follow in their footsteps.

—

You are bad luck, plain and simple. Your existence has always been one of misfortune. Danger and death are common enough side effects.

For the most part, you choose Black Cats who know that going in. The ones who don’t mind a little risk–the ones who maybe even want it.

Not suicidal, no, can’t do anything with a suicidal holder. Basic self preservation is necessary to wield that much power without imploding. But a certain recklessness helps.

A certain thrill-seeking tendency that makes a normal human choose to be a bearer of bad luck.

Adrien is… different.

If you were the kind of kwami to feel guilt, you might over your chosen holder this time, but at the same time, well. Maybe you wouldn’t.

Adrien was imprisoned–in a house, by his father’s expectations, by loneliness–and maybe you took advantage of that. But he is noble, optimistic, adventurous–a hero in one form or another. And maybe you took advantage of that, too, but maybe you’re just helping each other.

It’s a dangerous world out there, after all.

~

A/N: Some drabbles from the kwami’s point of view. Maybe I should give this series a name? I DUNNO, I just wonder what it’s like to be an immortal spirit that bestows magical dangerous powers on people. And why they would choose teenagers for this go around…

edit: now on ao3 as part of the series Spots and Bells (and Unnamed Tales) here!

Outliving The Ruins, 3 (part two)/? (2015-12-04)

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Audrey knows all about playing the political game–she is a princess after all.

One of many, in fact, in a kingdom cobbled together like a patchwork quilt. She’s a princess but unless she can secure a marriage–the right marriage–she’ll never be queen.

So of course she knows about power.

But being royalty–having impeccable breeding, substantial wealth, perfect etiquette, even flawless good looks–means nothing when someone can pull the ground out from under you. Or burn you to ashes in seconds, turn your blood against you, steal the air from your lungs.

Not that knives will do anything either. But it makes her feel better; not safer, necessarily, but as if she has a fighting chance. Even if it is near impossible.

She doesn’t actually think it’ll do anything. A few inches of metal against a bender? There’s courage and then there’s stupidity.

You can’t be a princess of Audrey’s caliber if you’re stupid.

—

In a way, Xiao Lon–Lonnie, as she’s called here–is as much a soldier of China as her parents are. It’s nothing so obvious as wearing armor and wielding a sword. No, it’s a little more subtle than that.

Amongst her and her cousins, she is the only one that isn’t genetically related–because, unlike her cousins, she’s not one of the Emperor’s grandchildren. Well, in spirit maybe. The Emperor has always been more fond of her parents than her Uncles.

She’s also the oldest, which is why she’s even attending Auradon Prep.

Lonnie is the vanguard.

It’s idealistic, a school full of the social elite: the royalty, the nobility, the wealthy. Even those from other lands, like her, those slated to take over other kingdoms, unlike her.

It’s naive.

Trying to foster good political ties early when the rulers and movers and shakers are teenagers–how do they stop that from backfiring horribly? As if schoolyard grudges can’t just as easily turn into future wars.

On top of that, there is Auradon’s continued issues against bending. While none of Lonnie’s cousins have shown any signs of bending so far, well, Uncle Yao does call himself “King of the Rock” for a reason.

Lonnie’s not going to let any of her cousins come here with this toxic cultural stigma against benders, even if they do all end up being chi blockers like her.

She’s not scared of bending, she’s scared of what these spoiled teenagers with no limits can do. But she’s Xiao Lon, she’s a dragon; she’s a guardian.

~

A/N: Continuing with the “power” theme from this previous drabble. Sorry Audrey’s was so short–what I wanted to say overlapped with what I already put in the previous post, since Audrey and Doug are both Auradon born and bred. I probably should have put Audrey’s section with Doug’s and have Lonnie’s stand alone… Well, if I ever repost this on a different site (probably ao3) I’ll do that instead.

I head-canon that Lonnie’s real name is Xiao Lon (aka Little Dragon (aka she’s named after Mushu)) and she goes by “Lonnie” because it is a westernized way of making Lon into something cutesy, effectively also making it Little Dragon.

Uh, also Lonnie’s “cousins” are the (likely) future kids of the three soldiers Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po and their respective princess from the Mulan II sequel Ting-Ting, Mei, and Su.

Outliving The Ruins, 3 (part one)/? (2015-12-03)

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Power comes in many forms–physical strength, political influence, wealth–but none are so obviously powerful as bending. Bending elements turns an individual into a force of nature, turns a person into a god.

Or a monster.

—

There has never been a dwarf bender.

Dwarves, fairies, and humans all look alike; in a strict scientific sense, they are even all part of the same species. But there is a difference between the races. Each one is a distinct subspecies, and although it’s not the technical cause for separation, Doug is pretty sure it has to do with bending.

Fairies are always benders–or they were, there aren’t many fairies anymore. At least not in Auradon–but before, before bending had become such a stigma, the fairies were seen as conduits for the world. Magical, and from that wise and powerful.

And then Maleficent happened.

With benders turned into pariahs and fairies so few in number, now is when dwarves can succeed. Wealth and ingenuity replacing mystical abilities–and dwarves can insinuate themselves into politics where fairies once held power.

Well, that’s what the elders say.

Doug just wants to play music.

~

A/N:… I was planning on doing a Lonnie section and an Audrey section but I guess I’ll do that next time?

Also, Doug’s section was weirdly impersonal. Like… I had no idea there were going to be political machinations in this series, especially not from the dwarves, but I guess there is…

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Something Like A Phenomenon (a Mal fanmix)

  1. Coiling by Beth Patterson
  2. Destroy Everything You Touch by Unwoman
  3. Terrible Things by April Smith and the Great Picture Things
  4. Blinding by Florence + The Machine
  5. Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Lorde
  6. Bones by Ms Mr
  7. Once Upon A Dream by Lana Del Rey
  8. Fear and Loathing by Marina & The Diamonds
  9. Yellow Flicker Beat by Lily Lane, Orion Carloto & The Johnsons
  10. Dark Doo Wop by Ms Mr
  11. Twilight Galaxy by Metric
  12. What You Waiting For? by Marina & The Diamonds
  13. The Book of Right-On by Sarah Jarosz
  14. And Run by He Is We
  15. Femme Fatale by Sky Ferreira
  16. Phenomena by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  17. (bonus track) New Girl In Town by Cast of Hairspray

Find it here!
(The link sends you to a mediafire folder, only the zip file is necessary for the entire mix)

~

A/N: The cover art, yet again, was what I spent the most time on. I mean, it was kind of fun, but still. SO MUCH TIME.

Also, I apparently I think Mal is way more internally conflicted than Evie… Like, while Evie’s fanmix was all “I’m a little naive but I learn from my mistakes and now I’m my true inner badass.” Mal’s is more “I have to be evil but I hate feeling like this, it’s terrible, I just want to be myself. Which is still badass, just not evil.”

Which… I mean, is what I understood to be their character arcs in the movie anyway? But the song choices! Very surprising, Mal. The tempo is a lot slower than I would have thought and a lot of cello.

I admit that some of my song choices work better for an Avatar!Mal in particular than a canon!Mal in general but… uh… the fire theme still matches?

And finally, the last song is a little joke–because it’s accurate but also does not match at all with the rest of the mix, hence, a bonus track.

Word Prompts (M5): Mars

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The ritual requires sacrifice.

Something you give. Something you lose. Something which is taken away.

If your offering is not deemed sufficient, those may not end up being the same thing.

—

In Greek myth, two of the Olympians were deities of war–Athena and Ares. But where Athena was the goddess of wisdom, of courage and strategy in battle, Ares was violence and destruction and bloodlust.

Two sides of the same coin and yet, there is no planet named Minerva.

—

You remember a time when joy came easily to you. When laughter was just as common as tears, when you reached out because that is what people do when they are happy.

Now you withdraw. You are a hurt animal curled away and licking your wounds, paranoid at every sound and movement. You no longer remember what touch is without pain.

You don’t remember what the ritual gave you in exchange.

—

It is said that only the most devoted and pure-hearted will succeed, will ascend, will be blessed. Passion and vulnerability are woven together–purpose and weakness, both–a rope that will help you climb, or wrap around your throat and strangle you.

Falling is only for those who try.

Flying, too.

—

This is a story about boys who think they’re gods, and the girls who prove them wrong.

~

A/N: … ?

There were some phrases that have been running through my head lately that don’t really fit with any project I currently have going on but which I didn’t want to abandon entirely? So here’s this thing. Whatever it is.

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flyingisthewaytotravel:

jacksgreysays:

shards beneath our feet (an elemental Lost kids fanmix)

  1. I See Fire by Paola Bennet
  2. Jump Before We Fall by Michael Schulte
  3. Come Away To The Water (ft. Nicole) by Dasha Akelin
  4. Red Hands by Walk Off The Earth
  5. Breath Of Life by Florence + The Machine
  6. Invincible by OK Go
  7. Pumpin Blood by NONONO
  8. Radioactive (ft. Lindsey Stirling) by Pentatonix
  9. Bottom of the River by Delta Rae
  10. Earthquake by Hit The Lights
  11. Skyway by The Apples In Stereo
  12. Young Volcanoes by Fall Out Boy
  13. Team by Kina Grannis, Imaginary Future & Emi Grannis
  14. (bonus track) Once Upon A Dream by Lana Del Rey

Find it here!
(The link sends you to a mediafire folder, only the zip file is necessary for the entire mix)

–

A/N: A little late, but considering how late it was when I started…

ANYWAY! So this is for the still Untitled Descendants x AtLA fusion drabbles. I was looking for music to help me inspire some writing and instead stumbled into making a fanmix. Which, I mean, was also pretty fun. So hope y’all enjoy this (especially you, @theotpauthor! Thanks for all your support!)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhUUYEPCQQ_rJceAKh9ndaKub8CeF9qx_
^ YouTube playlist of the listed songs, because my iPad won’t let me download the folder and the songs I recognise look good.

Ooh, nice! Thanks! 🙂

So for those of you who also can’t download the mix, a convenient YouTube playlist.

(I just realized how well this mix would work for A Tale of Two Kingdoms, too)

EDIT: THE FUSION SERIES NOW HAS A TITLE, “OUTLIVING THE RUINS”

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shards beneath our feet (an elemental Lost kids fanmix)

  1. I See Fire by Paola Bennet
  2. Jump Before We Fall by Michael Schulte
  3. Come Away To The Water (ft. Nicole) by Dasha Akelin
  4. Red Hands by Walk Off The Earth
  5. Breath Of Life by Florence + The Machine
  6. Invincible by OK Go
  7. Pumpin Blood by NONONO
  8. Radioactive (ft. Lindsey Stirling) by Pentatonix
  9. Bottom of the River by Delta Rae
  10. Earthquake by Hit The Lights
  11. Skyway by The Apples In Stereo
  12. Young Volcanoes by Fall Out Boy
  13. Team by Kina Grannis, Imaginary Future & Emi Grannis
  14. (bonus track) Once Upon A Dream by Lana Del Rey

Find it here!
(The link sends you to a mediafire folder, only the zip file is necessary for the entire mix)

–

A/N: A little late, but considering how late it was when I started…

ANYWAY! So this is for the still Untitled Descendants x AtLA fusion drabbles. I was looking for music to help me inspire some writing and instead stumbled into making a fanmix. Which, I mean, was also pretty fun. So hope y’all enjoy this (especially you, @theotpauthor! Thanks for all your support!)

EDIT: NOW WITH TITLE “OUTLIVING THE RUINS”