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avalonmods ([personal profile] avalonmods) wrote in [community profile] avalaughs2021-02-28 11:49 pm
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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 5

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨



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A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival
    KERPLUNK, SPLASH!

    Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's slightly chilled waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, but seems to be focusing on coordinating a band of chia manatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Chia manatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plantlife growing on its back. While some are fully green, others sport small flower blossoms that haven't yet grown in or various types of mushrooms.

    If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. Those with animal magic may get their info from the manatees, though may notice that they're really overly friendly and have zero concept of personal boundaries. Everyone may notice they have no concept of personal space, as they will happily run right into someone's belly for a snoot squishing. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly.

    *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players.


B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot
    Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones and a pair of earbuds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go.

    These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, [community profile] avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk.


C ⦿ The Red Spring
    The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies.

    If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out!

    The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there.



The Isle of Avalon is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming Spring Equinox (though some of the more posh citizens will insist it's the Vernal Equinox, tut tut). Unlike the very specific rituals of the Winter Solstice that require much preparation, the Spring is welcomed throughout the month through a variety of small rituals to help the world along as it renews itself, growing new plants and allowing nature to make new life.

A ⦿ The Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies
    Throughout February, the Frost Fairies were running amok and keeping things chilly, even awarding those who gave them treats last month. These fairies create ice crystals on contact and can be spotted by the beautiful ice crystal patterns that form in their trail. They cause frost bite if you physically touch them, so capture isn't recommended. They seem to be sticking around a little too long this month, as they're normally supposed to leave at the end of February. No one seems alarmed, as it seems that this happens from time to time. It's easy enough to deal with-- and so, people throughout town are being asked to perform a ritual called the Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies. It's perfectly safe, and lets these invisible little creatures be sent on their way until the next winter.

    The first step: create bait. Fill a planter with dusty miller and silver sage, with a night-blooming flower at the center. The silvery-white leaves pique the curiosity of the Frost Fairies because they look snowy, yet when they see the flower bloom, they know it cannot be. The plants won't be damaged at all in the ritual, so you'll get a moon garden out of it, which can be incidentally draw adorable little moon rabbit kits in to play inside your home while the moon is out. They're friendly, though they do tend to enjoy pack-sized snuggles-- you may find yourself stuck with no fewer than 15 rabbits attempting to climb on you for attention and need someone's help to pull them off. You may need to get them under control before you continue with the ritual.

    Once you've assembled your miniature moon garden, you'll need to find a stranger to perform the ritual. You need to bring a new energy into your home in order to let the Frost Fairies know that it's time to meet something new. Take hands with the new person and dance in circles around the miniature moon garden. The plants will start to glow and the Frost Fairies will become visible-- short, fat, all-white penguin with flamingo-length legs and icicle crowns. They will immediately challenge you and your summoning partner to a duel! Though, you can pick what kind of challenge it is as their culture dictates. They're pretty overconfident, just remember not to pick something that involves touching them unless you want to end up needing a healer.


B ⦿ The Language of Flowers
    Once the Frost Fairies are properly banished, flowers are starting to crop up all around Camelot, the Broceliande, the fields in between, and those who come back to the White Cliffs after arrival will even find the Cliff Beast in a pleasant mood from all the lovely little flowers hanging off of his clifftop. (No one's quite sure how a cliff seems happy, but that's the sense everyone gets.) Wherever you may be, there are flowers starting to crop up. Normally, this would be when people would start gathering decorations to cover the buildings and make flower altars, but a lot of the wild flowers normally accessible... well... It looks like a brood of dragons hatched a little early and, upon seeing all the flowers start to crop up, decided that these flowers are the treasures that they want to hoard. The baby dragons didn't fly too far down from their mountain, but once one of them flew past the Lands of Rot and found the fields of flowers, it got its siblings. Now there are a handful of baby dragons claiming different areas as their hoard and making it impossible to get around without being attacked by an admittedly cute fire-breathing menace. No one wants the baby dragons slain, but the baby dragons need to be brought back to their mother's cave in the Ash Mountains. The safest way is through the half-dead area between the Dusklight Woods and the Lands of Rot.

    The dragons will attack anyone who comes into their area but seem to be friendly toward anyone wearing a flower crown, as they seem to accept them as a part of their hoard if the flowers send the right message. Use the language of flowers to communicate with the dragons and try to get them to follow you by wearing a flower crown that matches one you offer to the dragon. A flower crown that says sympathy and sadness might not be as effective as something that says virtue and bravery. Just be careful not to woo them the wrong impression with something that says eternal love and devotion, or you might have a different kind of dragon problem... Regardless, since the dragons are guarding the flowers you need to make the crowns out of, you'll need to find a way to get past their attacks to gather flowers to begin with to find the flowers you want to make your crown with. Flower crowns need at least two types of flowers to communicate with the dragons, so it's recommended you work together with others to try to gather as many flowers as you can to find the flowers you need.

    Thankfully, since dragons are sacred, most of the Dusklight Woods creatures will leave you alone, so it's best to hug that side of the mixed path. You and whoever you're working with only have to worry about fighting alongside the baby dragons to fight off the Land of Rot creatures that hang around the edge: Skeleton warriors that can only be scattered but not killed, Fogueria (a lion made of fire that likes to play with its food in sadistic ways), and rattlesnakes. Once you're at the foot of the Ash Mountains, the baby dragons will fly back up to their cave on their own. With the baby dragons returned to their nest, you can head home, and the townsfolk can start decorating for the Spring Equinox.


C ⦿ Spiritual Cleansing
    The frost is gone, the flowers are free, and rabbits are running around town like they own the place. All of the physical and symbolic spring equinox preparations are made, now it's time to look within. As the season of renewal and rebirth, a huge part of that is personal reflection and growth. As such, outdoor meditation and yoga flash parties are all the rage right now. Get caught it one and you and anyone around you will be stuck in a barrier until you complete at least 5 yoga poses and hold them for 30 seconds each. Some of them are a little challenging.. thankfully, no one is going to stop you from getting help holding them from someone else who's stuck with you.

    A plague of smoothie hockers has also cropped up around town, which means portable carts offering different magical smoothies is going around selling their fruity and flowery spring flavors for a refreshing boost of your spirit. No, really boost it. The magical effects are in small text underneath the flavors, so they may be easy to miss.
    • Hibiscus-Berry: Vanity Spirit (person may become temporarily obsessed with appearance, finding cute clothes, getting their hair and nails done, needing to be their ideal of attractive)
    • Strawberry-Rose: Romantic Spirit (flirtiness, desire to be romantic with someone)
    • Jasmine-Peach: Friendship Spirit (go out of your way to make new friends, make grand friendship gestures to people you've already befriended or have known for five minutes and want to befriend)
    • Lavender-Mulberry: Distrusting Spirit (paranoid, may start fights because they think someone is out to get them)
    • Butterfly Pea-Lemon Tea: Meditative Spirit (fall asleep easily, peaceful/relaxed about alarming things, sudden penchant for Big Thoughts about the universe)
    • Dandelion-Apple-Banana: Surivival Spirit (sudden desire to do everything yourself, whether that's hunting/gathering food, getting really into DIY projects like making your own soap or building your own chicken hutch because you're going to get your own eggs, or really wanting to live outside for a while)
    The effects only last for an hour or two, so it's unlikely any real damage can be done (hopefully) but it'll certainly give you a new outlook on life!



Spring is in the air, the Equinox is coming, and prep is underway. But all work and no play can get a little boring, right? Avalonians have come together and set up a few activities for Adventurers. While all of these activities can be completed and enjoyed without using magic, participants will be encouraged do to so, don’t worry if it goes a little haywire. There are magical force fields around the play zones to contain any mishaps.

A ⦿ Keep it Rollin' Rollin'
    The first area set up for fun and games is a barrel rolling contest. Participants are split into pairs to compete against each other to see who can roll their partner inside the barrel down the hill and across the finish line the fastest. Springtime is when geysers start bursting around the bottom of the hill though, so you'll have to watch out for those and any boulders to make sure your barrel doesn't burst before you reach the bottom!

    To make things a little more interesting, the planners had a bit of mischief with the barrels... As barrels reach a quarter of a way down the hill, the outside will burst into flames. Surprise! While they are enchanted so that the flames aren't actually hot, participants are not aware of this. Sorry, the guys running this game aren’t that big on explaining; after all, it’s just rolling a fire barrel down the hill; what’s so complicated? Fire makes it look like it's going faster and is way more exciting to watch!


B ⦿ Hop Skip and a Jump
    Everyone loves hopscotch, right? Well, whether you do or don’t, that next zone is all about the hop, the skip, and the jump. Two hopscotch boards about the size of a basketball court each are laid out side by side for participants. The object again, to see who can complete the task that fastest. If you reach a spot with a magic symbol, you have to cast a spell at your opponent or you can't proceed. This is combat hopscotch!

    Of course, once more, the folks running the show forgot to mention one tiny thing, a quarter of the way into the board, random spots will drop away as you go, leaving holes in the ground! Yikes, better take that leap! Don’t worry, if you miss, the bottom of the hole is filled with marshmallow fluff in bright pink, yellow, and pastel purple. (Kind of reminds you of something, huh...?) Down in the hole are rungs and footholds to get yourself back out, but boy, will that put you behind the other guy if they didn’t fall. Well, guess victory will have to be a little sweeter than you planned!


C ⦿ Gettin' Brewy With It
    Now, this activity probably seems a little safer. Welcome to the “Brew” tent. Participants will be given ingredients, space, and set up in pairs to brew up a tasty drink! A variety of ingredients are available and with it, participants will be taught the Recipe: Brewery. This spell can be used to accelerate brewing and distilling processes for alcoholic drinks. Of course, if someone who is too young to drink according to their world's rules, any alcohol in the drink will evaporate, so it's really only a spell that's useful for adults... but everyone can participate in making drinks.

    You can pick any ingredients you want, but all participants are instructed that a sprinkle of that magic at just the right time will make it perfect. When asked what the right time is, all they will be told is they’ll know when. Some may get it right, depending on instinct. Others might sprinkle too much and cause the drink to burst all over them and their partner, and their workstation or have some other silly side effect, like make them hiccup uncontrollably or catch a case of the giggles. Or maybe they cast for too long or too short a time and the drink turns sour, turns to ash, grows wings on the cup, and flies away. Brewery magic can be fickle, so there's lots that can go wrong.. but get it right, and you can have one heck of a drink to enjoy!




MOD NOTES:
• All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post.
• If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities.
• If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt.
• The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly.
• Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.
bloodandlife: (serious business)

[personal profile] bloodandlife 2021-03-24 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[It is strange to see Thanatos not just walking, but picking his way carefully along the trail. Zagreus somewhat regrets letting him take the lead, because as it turns out, when Thanatos walks instead of floating, he's awfully slow. (At least, by comparison to what Zag's used to.) But at least the leisurely pace gives him a chance to look around and process things.]

None at all? What about your scythe? Wait. Are we...are we mortal here?

[He looks down at his own feet again. Not burning, but he's certainly not dead. (Currently. Yet.)]

What kind of magic does it gift? And what's the point of all this, anyway? What does this place want from us?
avatar_state: (friendly)

[personal profile] avatar_state 2021-03-24 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
She senses some of that, but figuring out complex emotions in other people is very much a growth market for her.

"It's just..." she tries, not backpedaling but perhaps sidepedaling, "you're a historic figure." She searches for a comparison. "Oh! Like, think about how famous figures you knew got remembered. The lessons people drew from them, the way they would talk about them."

She pauses, deciding against telling him what else she knows - namely, that in the plays, the actors all want to play Zuko, more than Aang - the challenge of portraying his conflicts and complexities is considered a benchmark of skill.
inevitablerest: (056)

[personal profile] inevitablerest 2021-03-24 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's aware of the pace he's setting. Getting used to this hasn't been easy, and having to walk everywhere is by and large one of the smaller things that he had to deal with. He can feel Zagreus hovering behind him but there is a good reason he decided to place him between himself and his familiar.]

My scythe is here. Just not with me at the moment. [Thanatos declines to say that this is because right now he can't wield it well enough for it to be worth carrying.]

The magic varies from person to person. You'll learn more about it soon enough.

[While not quite winded, by the time they reach the top it's evidently taken something out of Thanatos and he pauses both to allow Zagreus past him and to take a moment to gather himself.]

Over there. You can ask your questions and retrieve any belongings. [He waits for a moment, expectantly, then he adds;]

... I will wait here.
rediscovering: (grief)

eheheh /theatrical bow

[personal profile] rediscovering 2021-03-24 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"I know... I mean— I know I am no matter what. I know it's coming. I'm Fire Lord. But— it hasn't happened for me yet. I'm still the traitorous prince until then... when I go home, I mean. But— I haven't been home in over half a year. It's just— strange to hear it. Hard to let it sink in. Right now, here, in this place, in that other place, I'm just... Zuko. ...Just Zuko."

Talk about portraying his conflicts and complexities. His voice is tentative, speaking slowly, eyes still fixed on the water in his lap, seeing without seeing. It is the only chance he's ever had for a normal life. And the only chance he ever will have. He'll never be "just Zuko" at home and never was before, either.
Edited 2021-03-25 00:09 (UTC)
bloodandlife: (serious business)

gonna handwave the familiar for now til I decide on one...

[personal profile] bloodandlife 2021-03-25 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
[Zagreus isn't sure whether Thanatos read his hesitation in his face or just decided to preempt the question, but either way, he nods.]

See you in a few minutes, then.

[It takes...more than a few minutes, because Zagreus has a lot of questions. A decent number of them aren't even about anything specific to this world--this Archimedes fellow speaks as though Zag should already know all kinds of things, like what a 'horse' is and why it only has one head.

By the time he gets back to Thanatos, he's significantly more armed than he was when he left, carrying the Stygian Blade and with Coronacht slung over his shoulder. He's also got his lyre slung over his other shoulder, which is a bit inconveniently large for carrying like this, but what other choice does he have?

He sets it down carefully.]


All right. I've heard enough for now. It's...a lot to take in. I suspect I'll still have questions once we get to the city, but--wait. You are coming to the city with me, aren't you?
inevitablerest: (006)

fair!

[personal profile] inevitablerest 2021-03-25 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
[And Thanatos waits just as he said he would. By the time Zagreus returns he's seated cross-legged in the grass with two of his familiar's heads in his lap while the other watches the birds swooping down towards the ocean surface. It solves the issue of not having enough hands for petting at least.

He gives the lyre a look (since when did Zagreus own a lyre?) and then moves his attention upwards.
]

You seem overly worried I'm just going to leave you without notice. [Guilty conscience? Ah, there he goes being bitter again. He lightly scratches behind one of the dogs ears.] Yes, I'm coming with you. They won't leave for a while so you might as well get comfortable.
apshot: (173)

[personal profile] apshot 2021-03-25 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Quick to come over and knock him over you mean! Because down goes Bakugou and the dragons are now climbing all over him. ]

Hey! Hey hey hey! Knock it off!
bloodandlife: (what's wrong?)

[personal profile] bloodandlife 2021-03-25 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
[Zagreus had folded up the blanket to carry under one arm; now, it serves as something to sit on, as he spreads it out on the ground nearby. He lies back to sprawl on it and look up at the sky. Waiting is...not his favorite thing, but at least Thanatos is here and there's a dog. He turns his head toward them.]

It's not like that, Than. I'm just...used to you being so busy. You rarely have the time to sit and chat like this, always having to go and attend to your responsibilities.

[He reaches out a hand and runs it through the green stuff on the ground. What's it called, again? Right, grass.]

I always thought grass would be softer than this.
inevitablerest: (039)

[personal profile] inevitablerest 2021-03-25 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
You know my job is important.

[If he isn't there, people don't die. But something he learned very quickly here is that without needing to attend to those at the end of their mortal lives he suddenly has a great deal of free time. Time in which he can simply... do what he wants to do.

It's been hard to find ways to fill the hours. Thanatos shakes his head, though it isn't entirely clear what the gesture is aimed at.
]

It's softer further inland. The salt in the air here makes it like this. [He closes his eyes, turns his face slightly upwards towards the bright sky and sighs.] There are trees, too. And flowers. Birds. I suppose I do have the time to show you, don't I.
apshot: (214)

[personal profile] apshot 2021-03-25 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ Now hold on just a minute. A second ago they had been snipping at each other and now what? It's all good? Bakugou's being offered a meal in a sense? Or just to go out and eat one at any rate.

Usually he shoots that shit down pretty fast. ]


Only if there's something spicy enough. Usually cook my own shit.

[ For him and Deku actually. No need to say that out loud though. ]
avatar_state: (content)

[personal profile] avatar_state 2021-03-25 01:27 am (UTC)(link)
"It was for me, too," she replies. "It was for Aang."

"It's just...weird to get used to. The idea that you're going to do something important, that there's this great destiny and stuff."

But she smiled.

"I'll be honest, though - I'm pretty sure you were never just Zuko. I don't think anybody is 'just' anything."
apshot: (20)

[personal profile] apshot 2021-03-25 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
The hell do you think I need assistance for?

[ HE'S GOT THIS! TOTALLY HAS THIS...

But he doesn't this time. He really doesn't. ]
bloodandlife: (hey there)

[personal profile] bloodandlife 2021-03-25 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
Of course I know that. I would never hold it against you. I only meant...that it's nice, don't you think? To be able to spend a little more time together, talk a bit more? It's been a long time since we had that.

[Zagreus runs his hand idly through the grass, listening. Trees--he knows those, he thinks, from his mother's garden. And he's imported some flowers into the House before, partially to give Nyx something nice to look at and partially just to annoy his father. That third thing, he's not sure about. But he smiles.]

I suppose you do. I'd like that. Er...but what are birds, exactly?
rediscovering: (withering sigh)

[personal profile] rediscovering 2021-03-25 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
"No... I never was. I understand you but— it's different... being royalty. It's lonelier."

Wrapped up in the glamor surrounding the lives of princes and princesses, it's something commoners don't assume — a word that has unfortunately re-entered his vocabulary, having kept the company of the children of modern aristocracy all this time, along with his sister who was still far more invested in their prestige than he was. But it was still something so ever-present and relevant even when he kept it a secret — maybe especially now that he's kept it a secret. It changes one's social skills, needing to be perfect at all times, seldom leaving the palace, not being allowed to interact with anyone "beneath" yourself — which was... everyone... It's no wonder Azula and Zuko ended up so maladaptive, their parents' abuse aside. They were never allowed to adapt. It was dishonorable to adapt. Now he's had to make peace with that two galaxies away on his own with a gaggle of other teenage boys who've never lifted a finger to cook or clean in their lives. But at least none of them ever had any friends until very recently either... Birds of a maladaptive feather flock together, so it seems.
rediscovering: (desperation)

omg this is 22 years late i'm so sorry, back in the saddle!!! o9

[personal profile] rediscovering 2021-03-25 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
"Uncle, how can I do that if I'm not even there — what if we never return?! This is my second time in another world! Nothing makes sense! Things were hard before, but at least they made sense! Now— Now I don't know what to think, even less than before...!"

He turns his hand over to grasp his uncle's after a moment, holding it tightly as his thoughts began to swirl, emotion in his voice. It was an unusually affectionate and open act for the prince, to willingly hold his uncle's hand casually, for comfort, one that perhaps the Zuko Iroh had last seen would not do so readily. But after half a year on a planet where you had to touch to survive... he's at least opened up somewhat, it seems. No doubt, though, it's also due to an extra need for comfort, with such heavy, vast thoughts and questions plaguing him. These are questions Iroh could easily worry for himself, as a new arrival, and even after so long, Zuko clearly had not found his own answers, either.
Edited 2021-03-25 02:17 (UTC)
avatar_state: (pleasant)

[personal profile] avatar_state 2021-03-25 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Kept aside from the world, told there's a certain way to behave? That there is an inevitable end you must always work towards?"

She put on a theatrical face.

"Nope, no idea what that's like." But she smiled, opening one eye to look at him.

"I know it's still different, but I think you can translate. I think Aang could, too, in the end. I think he understood the burden."
rediscovering: (i'm mr manager)

[personal profile] rediscovering 2021-03-25 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
The face actually gets a little huff of a laugh from him — because for Zuko one puff of air through his nose counts as a laugh, but it's quite the accomplishment for Korra, even if he only shows the edge of a smirk. There's something organic about her, comforting, comfortable — perhaps because they'd already been friends before...

"I wish he were here," he muses, but double-takes. "I-I mean— no offense. You're nice."

Sweet, awkward, baby prince... Not the Zuko she knew — but not quite a different Zuko, either.
avatar_state: (enthusiasm)

[personal profile] avatar_state 2021-03-25 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, no - there was something to him that was very much the Zuko she knew. A certain earnestness that strayed into awkwardness - she had to admit, she liked the consistency there. It spoke to who he was, at his core.

"None taken, Aang was...something. And he's been my guide in rough times. It's not just that he was my most recent life, but...we agree, on so much. Principles, I mean. Which makes the irony that airbending took me so long to master all the more prominent, I guess."
fullgauntlet: <user name=michrure> (Default)

[personal profile] fullgauntlet 2021-03-25 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
I really, really hope I haven't...

[He laughs too, sheepishly and because his luck would do that to him.]
rediscovering: (firelight)

[personal profile] rediscovering 2021-03-25 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
Earnest and awkward, that's him, for better or worse. But these days, much for the better.

"Mmn. ...I think about him a lot since being here. I wish I could ask him advice. I have air magic. But it came to me first before any other elements. I haven't produced any water magic, and the only time I managed to use fire magic was when I — well... I'm not proud of how I used it," he dodges his own remark, eyes straying to the left, away from her. Was when he retaliated against his best friend (who'd, to be fair, decked him twice by surprise amidst an endless rain of dynamite) with a furious, fiery kick knowing already that he was fully covered in explosives. His emotion got the better of his logic. His sadness turned into anger which turned into danger — as always... He's never not going to be ashamed of that, even if he's been told to forget about it. He can't.

"I haven't managed to use it any other time since then, though, because I was so furious — I was distraught, more like it... But I don't want my fire magic to be bent on rage ever again. Uncontrolled emotion and fire aren't a good match. Sokka's struggling with that, too... But I can't help him because I can't produce any flames. Just air..."
confectionerie: (99)

[personal profile] confectionerie 2021-03-25 05:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Thanks for not rubbing it in too much, Alisaie...that does explain why she's already wielding magic so fluidly, though. Ann was surprised what she was able to do already, and her spells weren't even half as strong as Alisaie's had been. ]

Ohhh, so this sort of thing is like second nature to you? Maybe I should've tried to push you back into that marshmallow pit...

[ It's the only way she might have won! She's kidding though. Mostly. Still grinning, she offers Alisaie a bow of her head. ]

By the way, I'm Ann.
uncle_iroh: (Zuko Hug)

No worries, welcome back.

[personal profile] uncle_iroh 2021-03-25 09:56 am (UTC)(link)
HE closed his fingers around those of his nephew.

"I do not have the answers to those questions, Zuko. But I suspect that we will find them together. But we will find them by going forward, not by forgetting that the road forward came from somewhere else. We will learn because of what we have already learned. Every step on the path shapes who we are, and who we shall be."
birdflipping: (002)

[personal profile] birdflipping 2021-03-25 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
What the hell? [He mutters under his breath as he hears that scraping noise. He hopes she's not doing some elaborate feng shui in there with the furniture... but then she opens up. Sort of.]

Nope, they're all taken. And I don't much wanna squeeze into a bed with someone I don't know, so can you let me stay here?
birdflipping: (201)

[personal profile] birdflipping 2021-03-25 01:41 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't mind being a guinea pig, but you're not inspiring a whole lot of confidence you know what you're doing.

Maybe there's someone here you can ask for advice before you start...? [He looks around. He's seen a few teachers, so maybe they can grab one who isn't otherwise occupied with new arrivals.]
vrepit_no: (proud of you)

[personal profile] vrepit_no 2021-03-25 02:08 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm not sure if these were grown naturally or magically, but they taste good," Shiro says cheerfully. Ice cubes chink against the glass, and shortly the musical sound of the drink being stirred rises. "Are you allergic to mint at all?"