#atlaocweek

[twicetheamountofstars]

you KNOW it's annoying when a show based largely on hindu cultures arguably has no characters from that background that aren't caricatures...

@atlaocweek

meet my oc, rohini for day 1- bending

{{click for better quality}}

[old-and-new-friends]

@atlaocweek Day 3: Heritage and Love

(Warnings: passive mention of drinking)

Heritage - Wishing for a Light- Lady Faiza (ft. Baby Lu Ten)

Faiza carried her baby around the palace with her. She knew most had expected her to hand the child over to a servant but Faiza couldn't being herself to do so.

Lu Ten was her greatest treasure and she wanted him to know her.

Faiza paused as a group of Generals passed in the hall, though none of them were her husband, who was off somewhere in the Earth Kingdom.

Her gaze dropped down to Lu Ten's sleeping face and she collapsed on a garden bench as her knees gave way.

One day the sweet and warm baby boy in her arms would be among those men waging war and Faiza ached at the idea.

While Iroh was a good friend in the years they'd been married, Faiza some times wished Lu Ten was only hers. That the boy had been born and raised on her home island of Kaen.

Though long ravaged by mining, the island had been run by her family for generations dating back even before the time of Kyoshi and it would have been a wonderful place to raise a child.

Faiza swore in that moment she could smell wildflowers blooming. They would smell so intensely, they hid the smell of coal burning that had coated the island since the war.

Faiza had not known the island as anything other than the mining capitol of the Fire Nation but the stories from her grandfather had always filled her with childhood wonder.

The island was once home to a spiritual phenomenon of the Midnight Flame but since the war, reports of the oddly knowledgeable lights, that led people through the darkness of the their hearts, had all but disappeared.

Thinking on the island of her grandparents' youth made her heart burn, knowing it was something she'd never see herself. Knowing it was something she could never share outside of stories.

Lu Ten shifted in his sleep and Faiza shushed him as he fussed slightly.

When he grew old enough, she'd share the story of their island, if only to give Lu Ten something more then war to hold onto and if deep in her heart she hoped for a guiding light to free her and her baby from this city, it would never be known.

Love - His Greatest Regret - Sami (ft. Iroh II)

There were sometimes moments where Sami fooled himself into thinking he could win back Iroh's affections.

Late nights drinking with shared friends where they were both relaxed enough their guards dropped and Iroh leaned on Sami with teary eyed laughter. Bright sunny mornings where they both bent over a map and made plans for a voyage, their hands hovering close.

Moments like now where he and Iroh sat in a corner of the ship's leisure room, Maiza having gone to bed, leaving the two to play Pai Sho late into the night.

Sami was horrid but Iroh never seemed to mind.

As the night grew later and the room slowly became their own, Sami felt that feeling rise up in him.

He leaned forward to move his piece randomly on the board.

Iroh raised a brow. Sami looked up at him through his lashes and smiled cheekily.

It was a mistake.

Sami could see the second Iroh's guard, the guard Sami had made him build so long ago, slammed into place.

Iroh moved a tile that had been sitting in place for the last seven moves. "I do believe that's game," Iroh said. "I think its best I get some sleep now. Goodnight Commander Sami."

Sami nodded, even as his mind wandered on why Iroh had stalled the game for so long.

"Goodnight General," Sami replied, allowing his ex-boyfriend his escape.

When Iroh was gone Sami buried his head in his hands.

He only had himself to blame. He had once held that beautiful heart in his hands, willingly given and with all the brilliance of his teenage stupidity, he'd crushed it.

Sami still loved Iroh and Iroh had once loved him but none of it mattered anymore.

[julyzaa]

Day 4: meeting the gaang

OC: Fire Lady Misao (the Scandalous Fire Lady M)

---

Misao had been nearly twenty-seven when she first met the Avatar. Her grandmother, the hundred- and fourteen-year-old Dowager Duchess of Shuhon, had seen the boy once and had lived to see the Avatar return.

The spirits had a sense of humor, instead of adults the world had been saved by teenagers.

Avatar Aang at the tender age of twelve had defeated M's now former husband, something the young woman had been about to fail to do.

The water tribe siblings reminded her of that water tribe servant ---more like slave--- her parents had stolen from under Azulon's nose a long time ago. Where these her children?

And the little blind girl? The Beifongs were known for the tight grip on their only child ---or so Ruyi, now Queen Zeitan, had told her---, how did she manage to leave with the Avatar and his retinue?

She had many questions that she would probe her stepson for tomorrow at breakfast, but for now Fire Lady Misao had to wait until Zuko introduced her to them.

“Guys this is my stepmother, Fire Lady Misao.” Zuko said, a tad insecure going by the slight shakiness in his voice when he said the word stepmother.

“You weren’t lying when you said your stepmother was not old!” whispered the twelve-year-old boy.

Misao chuckles sensibly even when the boy’s friends chastise him for his comment.

“You should meet my grandmother; she is only two years older than you.” Misao gestures to the ancient noblewoman seated near the royal dais.

[flerkenkiddingme]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

FINALLY finished my first piece for atla oc week!! i feel so tardy to the party but check it out if you're interested! it takes place in yangchen's era 👀

[old-and-new-friends]

@atlaocweek Day One

Bending: Under the Blood Moon - Tamia and Rozin

Tamia had once been a Master and she supposed the title still held though she had not practiced in more years than she had.

Hidden away in a country that stole her and those like her from their home, she never felt it safe. She had not used her bending since that night so long ago when her and Hama made their escape.

Bending had become something she feared and then her son presented her with a baby who's hair was nearly pitch black and eyes that shone a warm hazel, her grandson, Rozin.

Something within her shifted and though she had no way of knowing so young, in her heart she knew, one day the waterbending traditions of the Southern Tribe would be passed down to him.

It was the greatest bit of irony, as the boy grew up, for him to bend the element the nation they lived in had tried to destroy.

He was a natural, much like Tamia had been and took to his birthright with all the determination of a man of their tribe.

It haunted her, both before and after she taught him, it haunted her. That technique she swore to leave behind but fear drove her forward. If they took him, he would need it.

They cried together that night under the full moon but it would all be worth it, if it meant they could not take him.

One day she hoped he understood.

Cherished: A Moment in the Night - Jasmine, Jun and Luhan

Jasmine watched from the corner of the room as Jun's chest rose and fell. Cradled in his arms was Luhan. His soft baby hairs tangled in stubble from a long days work.

A soft snore broke the silence and Jun turned his head towards her.

Ki Ha had put out the lights minutes ago, unaware that Jasmine was still awake, but moonlight filtered through the window and illuminated Jun's face.

The light hit his scar making the skin shine white against his face. It had healed well from what it had been, that horrid mark slashed across his face.

A scar like that could be nasty and intimidating but on a man like Jun it was just another sign of his compassion. Jasmine couldn't recall why she had ever been scared of it.

Luhan wiggled slightly and Jun's grip tightened. His eyes opened to look down at the baby before Jasmine's shadow had his attention snapping to her.

"Jasmine, did you need something?" Jun asked. His voice was rough with sleep even as his hand gently cupped the back of Luhan's head.

"No," Jasmine said, moving to join Jun and Luhan on their seat. "I have everything I need in this house."

Jun smiled and opened his arm not wrapped around Luhan to her. Jasmine curled into his side and rested her own hand on Luhan's back.

She watched as Jun drifted back to sleep and smiled down at him. He wasn't Luhan's birth father, whom the child was named for, but she had no doubts he loved the boy all the same.

Jasmine pressed a kiss to both her boy's foreheads and rested her head on Jun's shoulder.

[old-and-new-friends]

@atlaocweek Day 5: Secrets and Home

Secrets - Hidden Plans - Tai (ft. Non-bender Iroh II)

Tai knew his boyfriend wasn't ready to know the secrets he kept.

He was still close to the benders in his family and hoped benders and non-benders could reach an equilibrium. Overly idealistic, Iroh tried to play by the rules, seemingly unaware that they were stacked against them.

Tai knew the truth, benders couldn't be trusted to care.

They were obsolete in the modern age and yet, like the relics who ruled the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, they didn't realize the world had moved past it's need for them.

Who needs a firebender when you have electricity, heaters, and engines.

Who needs a waterbender when you have pipelines, fountains and hoses.

Who needs an earthbender when you have cranes, drills and steel.

Innovation should have been the end of bender supremacy but they continued on, masquerading as important.

Amon would change things. The Equalist Movement would change things.

Tai planned to be at the head of it, but not alone. Iroh would join him. He had to.

Tai could see the fractures in Iroh's armour grow by the day as the council chipped slowly away at his faith.

Iroh would lead them into a brighter future, of that Tai was sure.

For now though, Tai kept the secret of his allegiance tucked close, even as it threatened to spill over with every kiss.

Home - Temporary Mother - Sirra

Sirra had seen kids come and go from orphanages since she first reached Republic City. She had been twenty-one when she got her first job at an orphanage near the mountains, almost outside the city.

The kids their were kind and respectful and new at her job, Sirra wasn't experienced enough to know it was out of fear. She was hired on to help with the child care, but mostly she was there to cook.

The kids were thin and boney and there wasn't much food to work with but Sirra was from the Northern Water Tribe and making filling food was her speciality. Under her care those kids had warm food in their bellies if nothing else.

In her time there only one child left adopted out. The rest left when they came of age.

It eventually closed, as the city swallowed the area in its expansion and the orphanage with it.

Sirra followed a few of the kids to a new orphanage near the police station. It was well sourced due to its proximity to the main roadways.

Twelve years into working there two boys came in, sweet as could be and extremely respectful. Sirra took one look at the mean faced older bother and the pouty little one with ears just a bit too big for his face and took them under her wing.

The orphanage closed shortly after and where those two boys ended up, Sirra didn't know.

Then one day she looked up at the pro-bending arena, situated across from the newest orphanage she worked at, and saw their faces. They were grown now, ten years older than when she'd known them but that hardened look and dopey smile weren't easily forgotten.

Her final job, and where she planned to retire eventually, was back at the orphanage near the police station, reopened and renovated, it was run by a no-nonsense woman named Tesh. At least, no-nonsense from adults.

It was there she once again met the older brother, Mako. He was a detective now and looking for a place to volunteer some extra time. Tesh didn't trust him but Sirra welcomed him back home like she would any of her other kids.

[old-and-new-friends]

@atlaocweek Day Two

Identity: When You Meet Her - Maiza (ft. Iroh II)

Maiza's heart was racing as she pushed into Iroh's quarters without knocking. Iroh's head shot up to look at her in question. There were deep bags under his eyes and Maiza was sure, despite sharing the same rank now, that Iroh was going to out strip her from the power of sleep deprivation.

"How'd you know you liked men?" Maiza blurted out.

"Huh?" Iroh asked, and Maiza only realized after she'd done so that maybe it wasn't a question to ask her ex-boyfriend, no matter how amicable their break up was.

"I met someone," Maiza said, trying to slow her breathing. "We've been spending time together the past week and I think she's been taking me on dates."

Iroh stared at her blankly for a moment before putting up his paperwork. "Okay, well, I knew because Sami kissed me out of the blue and I realized I liked him more than just as a friend. It didn't end well but it was my wake up call so to speak," Iroh said. "Are you sure these are dates and that you just don't want them to be dates? Cause if it's the second one, I think you have your answer."

Maiza paused and thought back to their last outing. They had gone to a cafe by the pier for lunch and talked for so long the sun had gone down on them. Mazia had been so overwhelmed at the thought she'd immediately raced here.

"I think I like women," Maiza whispered as moments, questions and doubts that she'd always brushed aside settled into place. "I'm a lesbian?"

"Um, hello?" Iroh asked, raising his hand.

Maiza blushed. "No offense Iroh but the reason I broke up with you is that you really weren't doing it for me and you're the only guy I even contemplated trying with," Maiza said.

Iroh's lips twitched before a laugh spilled past them. "Fair enough, Lieutenant," he said, pulling his paper work back out. "Go have fun with your girlfriend. I've got a bet with Sami to win."

"I think I will," Maiza said, smiling to herself. She wasn't sure what would come next but talking to Iroh had made her less afraid.

Animal Companion: A Slim Chance - Tu

Tu liked animals. He'd grown up around all kinds as a kid and knew the swamp creatures better than anyone.

Still, the swamp held dangers for even the people who lived there and even Tu could fall prey to a beast or two if he wasn't careful.

Today he hadn't been careful and fell from his tree perch, awakening something that wanted a bite out of him.

Tu kicked out harshly with his heal the way Tho had shown him. The catgator reared back in anger and Tu worried it was going to rip his leg off.

Instead the catgator backed off and peered up at him pitifully.

Tu ran while it was distracted but realized it wasn't following. He watched from the safety of the vines as the catgator made a low growling noise as it limped away.

Tu crept closer towards the injured animal, mindful of its low growl. He was able to see a burn mark on the creature's leg. Fire Nation troops probably wandered into the swamp and got more than they planned for.

He placed his hand on the wound, and the catgator settled as Tu healed it.

"There, now there's no need to be rude," Tu said. He nodded at the catgator before leaving.

He was back at the tribe before he realized he'd been followed.

"No," Tu said, turning back to see the catgator peering at him from the water. "Go on, get."

"What ya got there Tu?" Due asked.

"Catgator, I helped it and now it won't go away," Tu said.

"Compassion is a language all animals share, you can't go talking to him and expect him to not listen," Huu said.

"If you say so," Tu said, sitting down with them.

"You gonna name him?" Tho asked. "He's a tiny little fella for a catgator."

"I guess so," Tu said as the catgator pressed to his side. "His name's Slim, then."

"Welcome to the family, Slim," Tho and Due said.

"He was always a part of it," Huu corrected.

Tu shook his head. Huu may have raised him but sometimes Tu just didn't get the man.

[flerkenkiddingme]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

For OC Week Day 4: Relationships

i'm lowkey so fucking proud of this one