I've been thinking about the two-headed snake from the beginning of the show, and the Law of Chekhov's Gun is telling me that it's going to be coming back and causing problems sooner or later. Thought/theories?
The soul switching spell is definitely one of the most interesting plot and thematic elements the show has introduced and it looms over most of the fandom's thoughts regularly, I think. So let's go over it:
Plot
Obviously the biggest question here is "did Viren use the soul fang serpent to successfully switch Harrow's soul with Pip?", which people have speculated for years with about the same information (s1-s2) until s5 recently kicked things up a notch in terms of like having something new to turn over. @kradogsrats has a great meta here in regards to what exactly we can glean from 5x02 and how it may re-contextualize what we already 'know'. I highly recommend giving it a read.
That said, two things are true to me regarding the "is Harrow in Pip" theory:
Something happened in that room
Harrow is not going to come back
With these in mind, it's important to note that we know that TDP develops its seasons in batches simultaneously. The team didn't go from s1 to s2 to s3, but instead developed all three around the same time. Obviously production and some stuff was going around in order, but the only decisions that have been noted as changing was 1) Callum and Rayla were decided upon being a couple when storyboarding 2x04 as it wasn't originally in the cards and 2) Ezran going back to Katolis at the end of S2 was a surprise.
I make note of this because season two is absolutely the last point in show where you could angle things so that a Harrow who survived in Pip could come back and it wouldn't be Fucking Weird, basically. This is for two reasons:
1) We spend a good chunk of the season worrying about what the boys will do when they find out and actively mourning Harrow, with only one episode (2x07) not touching on it at all. That is a lot of time to spend on a character death you're going to ultimately undo. Conversely, we get less episodes dedicated to Rayla's relationship with her parents (1x05, 3x03, 3x08) in the first arc because it is widely implied that she's going to get them back; no point seeing her heavily mourn them when that's going to get reneged.
2) Harrow coming back wouldn't have much of a plot or character standpoint on the bulk of the trio — Callum largely received his dad/family related closure back in S2 and it'd let Runaan off the hook, so his and Rayla's relationship would be easier, not harder — but it'd nuke Ezran from both an emotional and a plot standpoint. His main arc is intrinsic to being royalty of a prince-turned-king, pushing him to make more decisions and figure out how to manage the difficult road to peace.
If Harrow comes back, he'd either stay on as an advisor (but that'd still kinda take weight off Ezran's shoulders that's currently there and arguably should be) or step away, leaving his young son to shoulder it alone. The first lessens Ezran's emotional poignancy within the theme(s)/show, and the second makes Harrow like, a bad father in ways he absolutely never was in life.
As pointed out in Krads' meta, Viren is likewise surprised when he sees Harrow alive and well in his 5x02 dream, and we get this exchange:
While we could read Harrow's initial "Surprised to see me" (because if the show points something out in dialogue, they really want you to Know) as "surprised to see me [out of the bird]" the show itself quickly does away with that reading. Viren is surprised that Harrow's survived, period. That doesn't bode well for "Viren is 110% sure that he, himself, put Harrow 100% into that damn bird". But like I said, something had to have happened, and Viren's behaviour with Pip is real fucking weird otherwise if he didn't at least try for something.
[ Side note: I also think it's worth noting what, exactly, is happening in the initial stages of Viren's dream with Harrow. This is decidedly not real Harrow, but the Harrow Viren wished for: someone who would not only forgive him, but embrace his dark magic use (aka him) rather than reject it. Not only is Harrow here alive because of Viren, but this Harrow loves Viren for what he did, and accepts Viren's act of devotion not only as one of family, but reciprocates it: "You're not just a servant. You're my family. You're a brother."
And Viren, for his part, is giving the reasonings behind Harrow's refusal ("I was frightened" / "They were coming to kill you") on both ends, without actually addressing the dark magic elephant sized rift in the room, still citing that it was about circumstance rather than principle or perspective. Moving on. ]
Remember how I said S2 was the last possible point things could've been shifted to accommodate a "Harrow comes back in full" plotline (most likely)? Yeah, well the other side of that is that S2 is the last time the show could've accommodated a retcon of "Viren didn't do anything to Harrow, actually, at all" the way that fans have often implied, and it's largely because of this otherwise very unnecessary scene all the way in 2x09 (in which other changes, like Ezran turning to go home, and Rayllum's romantic route, had been more than well decided):
This to me is the singular biggest sign that something did happen, and it's something we will uncover in the future, because otherwise, there is literally No Reason to not have Pip in Katolis upon Ezran's return. If the writing team truly intended to fully nullify Viren and 'retcon' the Harrow-bird situation, keeping Pip in Katolis and having him interact visibly and non-life alteringly with Ezran was the way to do it. But Pip has been MIA since 2x09 and has not interacted with anyone other than Viren since 1x04, and so it remains a Mystery that, likewise, the 5x02 Harrow dream went to completely unnecessary stakes to remind you of Pip's existence in the first place.
Moreover, you simply do not have a main character who can Talk to Animals (a power that outside his connection with Zym has not been incredibly plot relevant in ways that couldn't otherwise be achieved since like... 1x08-1x09 itself) and then Remove an animal he could talk to unless you decidedly Do Not (or cannot) have that conversation happen yet.
Which reaffirms what I said earlier: we can be 100% sure that something happened, and we can be at least 95% sure that Harrow is not being fully brought back in order to not lose narrative weight to Viren and Runaan's responsibility in his death and in Ezran's series' long arc.
So what did happen?
One possible answer (that I've posited, of course there are many) is that Harrow's soul got split in two.
We've seen people be separated from what would let them 'go on' before (Sarai's last breath yelling no as her spear sinks into Avizandum's chest; the Moonshadow assassin troupe in TTM). This would allow for a part of Harrow to exist in his own body (since there's a hot second between the spell being over and when Runaan's binding falls, though that might just be linked to bodies > souls, but the Lotus flowers are clearly linked to souls, so...?) and for part to exist in Pip. Pip could offer a solace and goodbye, that part of Harrow ultimately needs to be freed (literally) and left to be at peace, which could be effective and tie in both Ezran and Callum's emotional needs about their father.
Of course, this is all speculation. Harrow could be brought back as an advisor after everything, helping but not telling Ezran how to rule because the new generation should pave the way; something else could've been put into Pip entirely that we just don't have the Star or Deep magic context for.
Thematically and symbolically though, I think a lot of the actual concept of "switch souls with somebody else" > actual Pip-Harrow plot line has been brought back somewhat in full already, so let's talk about it.
Theme / Symbolism
The switching spell is, textually, a warped collision of Callum and Claudia's brains, and we see it repeatedly echo throughout both their arcs from S1-S5:
Some of this is quick-paced and obvious, such as when Callum literally switches places later just this episode and says he's Ezran, preparing to die in Ezran's place. (This is one of the reasons Callum, Claudia, and Viren circle each other so closely in the series; not only are they our three primary mages; Viren and Harrow's rift happens indirectly on Viren's end, after all, because of Callum and Claudia's collision here.)
Some of this is more of a slowburn — Claudia, collapsing on the floor and clearly having done a number on herself to spare her brother; Rayla with Callum's scarf to make Sol Regem chase her instead; Callum, taking Finnegrin's deal that was originally to set himself free in hopes he'll let Rayla go — or taken onto the shoulders of other characters (Ezran and Viren's literal king exchange in 3x04) simply because the idea of Exchange is so intrinsic to the series and to dark magic use in particular. Sometimes transactional, sometimes selfless, occasionally necessary in the eye of the beholder.
However, in a more literal sense, it sets up the series' long association of dark magic with snakes, and all that comes with it (poison, losing your soul, knowledge, chains, etc):
When Callum does dark magic, he's crushing a snake's rattle tail, a literal warning sign. Claudia for the entire first arc has a literal (snake) chain on her wrist that she uses for dark magic. The fact that the series routinely uses Christian symbolism for its villains (Aaravos eating an apple, Viren dying and being resurrected, sacrificing your "only beloved son" etc etc) only heightens this more negative association.
We also get mentions from the Book 2 novelization that the true sight serum Viren uses to try to see the mirror is 1) inherited from Kpp'Ar, which never bodes well and 2) made from the venom of eyeless vipers under moonless nights by the Oracles of Ophidia, just to double down on the "snake shit obscures your sight with dark magic and madness" angle.
But at the end of the day, thus far, snakes are just a symbol.
The more interesting way the soul-switching spell has come full circle though, already, through the possession plotline. Case in point:
Aaravos sets up his pawns to suffer and take the fall for him in the past (Ziard) and present (Claudia). He's hidden within Viren's body before (3x07 siege of Lux Aurea). He takes this to be a more literal, threatening embodiment through his possession of Callum. His soul and will overtakes Callum's body. Callum asks to die so Aaravos can't use him; in this lens, Callum will be dying for not just Aaravos' mistakes, but Aaravos' choices. Aaravos will 'hide' inside Callum's body and enact his will through it, and it'll lead to bloodshed either of Callum or of Rayla (or both) inevitably while Aaravos, in S6, will presumably get off scot free. (To be clear, Callum's not going to die, but this is the idea/risk of the concept and one of the reasons why it's so terrible.)
Which makes sense, honestly. The soul switch spell is the first real dark magic spell we get to see the context for, as Ziard's 1x01 spell takes time (3x01) as well as the moral reservations against. It just makes sense that Aaravos, the 'originator' of dark magic for lack of a better understanding, would then take said spell to its natural conclusion in which case even the consent of the vessel isn't just violated, but completely terminated and disregarded. Because, y'know — dark magic is awful, and it always has been.
Like, I personally don't consider myself a "Zionist" in the modern sense. I have several disputes with the secular Herzli-esque Zionist movement (both political and theological), but I certainly wouldn't consider myself an anti-Zionist. I have a lot of respect for much of what the Tzionim have accomplished for the sake of Jews, and for Israel, even if we might disagree over correct methods and motivations.
And I definitely associate myself with the traditional Zion-loving Jewish beliefs (what you called the "Zionist nature of Judaism"). Of course I do. These are core tenants of Judaism that have been around since the days of Avraham, and they're so central that I don't really understand how any Jew couldn't believe them. Wherever in the world we might reside, the piece of land now known as Israel has always been Home.
אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני
Hi, lovely to meet you! ^u^
I wanna reinforce your last paragraph SO MUCH. Judaism is so fundamentally tied to the Land of Israel, to Jews loving it, to sanctifying our bond with this place, and I have always felt exactly that: when I'm abroad, I'm never quite at peace, not until I'm back on Israel's soil, and have that sense of I'm home. And it always makes me so happy whenever I hear from non-Israeli Jews, that they feel something similar when they come to visit Israel. It's what I believe all native people feel when they get to experience standing on their ancestral land, whether they live there or not. It's something that allows us to feel connected, not just to the earth beneath our feet, but also to our ancestors who lived here, and to generations upon generations of our people who yearned to return here.
As for the modern political movement that is Zionism, maybe I'll just mention my personal story. I was born in Communist Romania, at a time when the financial situation was incredibly dire, food was rationed, and generally speaking, the regime had control over everything. Its power over the citizens was limitless, and quite a few people who were a part of this regime, were antisemitic. They used that limitless power to persecute Jews, even as Communism supposedly vowed all its citizens would be treated equally. Some of what was done to my family was actually described by my great uncle, Norman Manea, in his memoir, The Hooligan's Return. My life was in danger at one point. At the time, no citizen of a communist country could leave for a western one, which Israel was. Jews could be jailed for simply expressing the desire to leave for Israel (officially recognized here as "prisoners of Zion"). But in Romania, there was a unique agreement achieved thanks to the chief rabbi of Romanian Jews at the time, Rabbi Rosen (who my grandfather and his brother worked with, so he was also the rabbi who married my parents). Israel paid Communist Romania for every Jew allowed to make aliyah. IDK how much Israel had to pay for my parents, for my grandparents, and for baby me, but I know Romania demanded a higher price for people with higher education, which all of the adults in my family had. Most importantly, being brought to Israel, and getting here proper medical and nutritional care after the regime's antisemitic abuse, saved my life. I celebrate my aliyah day every year as my second birthday, because I got a second chance at life on that day.
And at the end of the day, that's what informs my personal view of Zionism, this personal experience. It leads me to feel that if Zionism saved even one Jewish person, it's the right thing to support it. And Zionism actually saved so many more than that, Jews and non-Jews. It still is! We don't talk about it enough, but when Assad regime in Syria butchered its citizens during the Civil War there, Israel got the last of the Syrian Jews out. When the war between Ukraine and Russia broke out, Israel helped to get out Jews from the war zones in Ukraine, as well as Israeli non-Jews (and even a few Arab friends, including from enemy countries, of Israeli Arabs, who the latter asked for Israel to save), as well as the families of Ukrainian Righteous Among the Nations (non-Jews who risked themselves to save Jewish people during the Holocaust). And when the Houthis, the Yemenite terrorist group funded by Iran, endangered Jews in Yemen, Israel got them out.
No political movement is without fault, obviously. But I think all of the above makes Zionism worthy of support. At least mine.
You said, "These are core tenants of Judaism that have been around since the days of Avraham, and they're so central that I don't really understand how any Jew couldn't believe them."
I agree so much! To remove the many Zionist elements of Judaism, right down to its holy language being Hebrew, which is tied to Israel, is to distort it so much, that it's no longer Judaism.
Whenever I come across an anti-Zionist Jew, I try to keep in mind the following things:
They might be pretending to be Jewish. I've seen more than one anti-Zionist online, claiming they can't be antisemitic, because they're Jewish themselves. Beyond the fact that as a statement, that's NOT true (someone can be gay with internalized homophobia, a woman with internalized misogyny, and in the same way, a Jew who has internalized an antisemitic narrative), it turned out in some cases, it was also factually untrue, as the person was eventually exposed as lying about being Jewish.
This phenomenon has also made it into the news at least twice relatively recently, once when high profile anti-Zionist "Jews" from Germany were exposed as non-Jews.
Another is connected to the Twitter account of "Jewish Voice for Peace," an organization that, despite its title, doesn't actually require its members to be Jewish, but uses its title to present itself as a Jewish organization.
A member who operates the Twitter account of JVP accidentally tweeted from his personal account, and so ended up exposing himself as a Muslim tweeting, "As Jews..."
2. Those who actually are anti-Zionist Jews often turn out to be very disconnected from their Jewish identity, except in order to use it to lend their anti-Zionist statements "more weight." (as if a gay man's homophobia should be listened to more, or be more acceptable, just because it's not homophobia coming from a straight person) A really funny example is Ariel Gold, who keeps trying to flaunt her "Judaism" as meaningful to her identity, but in doing so, keeps accidentally exposing how ignorant she is regarding some really basic Jewish concepts. Like that time she was in Iran, and gushed over a picture she took of a menorah... except she didn't know that a menorah wouldn't have 19 branches. She was just gushing over a random, Iranian candelabra.
3. And then to some anti-Zionist Jews, their Jewish identity does matter, but... the sad thing is, they're either very ignorant over what it entails (so they buy into the antisemitic anti-Zionist narrative without knowing better), or they just don't feel they personally need Israel, so they have no issue being anti-Zionists, to be "good Jews." In this context, I always think about this documentary I saw called "Gay Republicans," where they interviewed an openly gay man, living with his boyfriend, who didn't wanna be a dad himself, so he had no issue insisting that gay people shouldn't be allowed to become parents. I guess some fellow straight republicans would say he's a "good gay."
There's probably more to be said about this, but I think this kind of covers a big part of the people I've come across online. But here's the thing: I believe in the value of Jewish solidarity, I know how many Holocaust survivors talked about how that's what saved them back then, and I am gonna stand by that value, and care so much about the safety and well being of groups 2 and 3, even if they don't give a shit about mine.
Take care, and feel free to write me again, if you feel like chatting some more on this. Chag Sameach and Am Yisrael Chai! xoxox
(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)
This ended up being longer than I wanted it to be, and I have also not edited it, so many apologies for that—
I do hope you enjoy it, though :D
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Toko Intimacy Prompts #6: Character B lets Character A rest their head on their chest; lets them listen to their heartbeat.
In the quiet of his chambers, Zuko’s restless thoughts dance like flickering flames, casting shadows of uncertainty across the walls. The weight of his responsibilities presses heavily on his chest, suffocating his attempts to find solace in sleep, a feeling he’s come to know all too well. Tossing and turning, he can’t stop thinking about what he’s done, what he’s supposed to do, and what’s to come.
The soft rustling of silken sheets echoes the turmoil within him; the room feels like a prison trapping him in a web of self-doubt.
With a frustrated sigh, Zuko sits up, raking a hand through his disheveled hair. Moonlight spills through the window, casting a gentle glow into the room. The heaviness in his heart seems unbearable, a palpable ache that refuses to dissipate. He needs clarity, a way to quell the storm raging in his mind.
Pushing the covers aside, Zuko swings his legs over the edge of the bed to pad across the cold floor, seeking solace beyond his chambers. It’s as if the chill is seeping into his very soul, freezing his racing thoughts for a brief respite. He needs air, space, a chance to break free from the suffocating cycle.
With a frustrated exhale, Zuko finally abandons the futile pursuit of sleep. The palace is a labyrinth of shadows, and he navigates it like a man adrift until he stumbles upon the moonlit tranquility of the palace gardens. The moment he steps out into the cool air, he feels himself relax some.
There, beneath the soft silver glow of the moon, he’s both surprised and unsurprised when he finds Toph there, seated against the large tree across the turtleduck pond, her hands plucking blades of grass absently. He knows that she sticks around the gardens whenever she’s visiting, but he didn’t think that she’d be up and about so late.
“Can’t sleep either, huh?” Toph’s voice is direct when she speaks without so much as turning her head in his direction, unburdened by pity or judgment.
He only shakes his head and takes a seat on the ground across from her.
Nodding, she asks, “What’s up, Firepants?”
Zuko doesn’t even know where to start answering this question. Sure, he knows what’s going on with him and what’s got him restless, but actually admitting that he feels burdened by the pressures of his responsibilities recently after nearly six years of taking the title of fire lord feels immensely pathetic to him. Not only this, but the stress comes from political tensions coming to a head after a long while of trying to settle them peacefully. The fact that he can’t seem to figure things out on his own without becoming a sack of anxiety and stress is ridiculous and it pisses him off. Still, he knows that Toph wouldn’t judge him nor forsake him for feeling this way. So he lets it out in one breath.
It’s always been too easy to talk to Toph about anything. It should freak him out, but it doesn’t; it comforts him.
By the time he’s finished explaining, he feels like he’s gone in circles, as if nothing he said even made sense. He has the sudden desire to ask Toph to bend a hole big enough to bury him.
Instead, he asks, his voice carrying a raw edge, betraying the stress he’s been bottling up “You ever feel like you’re drowning in it all?”
Toph’s fingers idly trace patterns in the earth. “Yeah, more often than you'd think. Figures that ruling an entire nation isn’t all fancy robes and feasts.”
Zuko’s lips quirk into a half-smile, appreciating her candidness. “I have to make decisions that affect the whole nation. I’m trying to change things, but the pressure... It’s relentless.”
“Change takes time. And you can’t control everything. You’re only human despite your natural inclination to forget that when you’re bending over backward the way you are; the way you always have.”
A rueful chuckle escaped Zuko in response.
“You’re not alone in this,” Toph speaks again, her tone serious. “You’ve got friends, advisors, and people who believe in what you’re doing. Including me. You’ve always got me.”
The admission—or confirmation of something he’s always really known—makes his body warm up in contrast with the cool breeze the evening is offering. He doesn’t know what to say to this, so he keeps quiet and watches her close her eyes against the light gust of wind blowing in their direction.
“I can feel you staring.”
He blinks, bringing himself out of his daze and blushing at being caught doing something he was barely conscious of. “Sorry,” he mutters.
Breathing out a laugh, Toph gently pokes her elbow into his ribs. “You’re still freaking out, aren’t you?”
“I’m not freaking out,” he lies quietly, still feeling a bit abashed. But it’s true—he’s still thinking about everything he has to do and about how he’s supposed to do it and how it’ll affect everyone and—
“Come here,” her voice interrupts his rambling thoughts.
His head snaps over to look at her again, and once he does, she gestures him over with a nod of her head. Still confused, he asks, “Why?”
“Do you have to question everything?”
Zuko frowns at her and does what he’s told, scooching to sit right beside her, his left side pressed against her right. She, who is propped against the tree trunk, opens her arms out to him and motions him over yet again. His frown deepens in question.
Even despite the fact that she can’t see his expression, he assumes that she interprets his silence as confusion when she explains, “The sound of people’s heartbeats. It calms me down. Especially if they’re someone I… value. I figure it’d do the same for you.”
He can immediately tell how difficult it was for her to get that out, to even share this small piece of her with him. It also takes him no time to realize that he has noticed how relaxed Toph becomes when resting on the chest of someone she cares for. He’s been her pillow many times before, but he’s never quite realized what it did for her. The thought alone makes his cheeks warm.
Wordlessly and before she can take back her offer, he readjusts himself so that he’s able to rest his head against her chest. Her arms quickly circle him, warming him to his core. The steady thump of her heart fills his ears right away and he feels himself slowly slacken against her, whatever tension he was feeling, melting away in an instant.
Their closeness, their unspoken understanding, holds a warmth that Zuko hadn’t expected. Amidst the quiet of the night, he finds solace in the simple act of feeling her heartbeat, a reminder that he isn’t alone in his struggles.
When he lets his eyes flutter shut, he feels her fingers pull away his headpiece and his hair tie, then she soothingly scratches his scalp with a gentleness he didn’t know she had in her. He should’ve known, though.
“You know,” she says barely audibly, almost as if she’s trying to not disturb the moment they’re in, “you can take a break.”
Zuko shakes his head against her chest. “I can’t.”
“You can. You just don’t want to.”
“I do want to. I just—I can’t.”
“That’s such bullshit, and you know it,” she tells him firmly, her nails no longer scratching at his scalp. Her tone stuns him slightly. He knows that she’s the kind to worry about people, but to hear her so outwardly doing so is new to him. “You just think you can’t take a step back without everything imploding. And if it does implode, it’ll be on you to fix.”
For a second, he absolutely hates how right she is, how she can read him without barely even trying, ironically enough for her. But then, he says, “I can’t even think of leaving things alone for a day. It’ll be a disaster by the time I return.”
“Iroh wouldn’t let that happen.”
“And I wouldn’t let Iroh get his hands dirty with all this crap.”
“But,” she says, “he wouldn’t like to know that you’re overworking yourself, especially when the person whose boobs you’re laying on is giving you a temporary out.”
Zuko tenses and makes to sit up, but Toph’s arms hold him in place. And in all honesty, he’s too comfortable to want to actually get up in the first place, even in spite of his chagrin, so he relents quickly.
She snorts. “In all seriousness, you should take a few days to yourself. I’ll even join you.”
A beat of silence, then he shifts in her arms to look up at her. “Really?”
“Mhm. I’ll be ready when you are, Hot Toddy.”
Despite rolling his eyes at the nickname, he finds himself smiling and more relaxed than he’s been in a while. The idea of having some time away from everything that’s been plaguing him, excited him. While a voice in the back of his mind is telling him it’s a bad idea, he tries to ignore it if only for a little while longer. He wants to take some time off.
And the idea of Toph tagging along isn’t turning him off of the idea.
For now, though, he’s fine listening to her heartbeat, and he somehow, at some point, drifts into the best sleep he’s had since he can remember.
--
Thanks again for sending this over!
If you made it this far, please don't hesitate to send me a prompt (or more!) and a ship from this list or any, and I'll write ya a lil something <3
“I’m starting to think,” Toph says as the door silently opens behind her, pinging a bit of wrought metal from the window pane off into the corner of the room, “That I’m not cut out for this.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” Zuko says as he pads toward her, Toph following his progress by his heartbeat, his steps always strangely light against her earthsense for someone so solid.
“Everyone else would,” Toph says, folding her arms when Zuko makes one of his little neutral noises. “Don’t even try to tell me you think that went well.”
“…I mean.”
“You’re nowhere near a good enough liar for that, Your Fireliness,” Toph warns, the fact that she'd normally be curious enough to want to see him try anyway somehow only serving to make the twist in her gut more sour.
“But it wasn’t a total disaster,” Zuko says, leaning against the window sill next to her. “For example,” he continues, ignoring her snort. “Nothing is on fire—”
“Yeah, that would be you, not me.”
“—and there’s no risk of an international incident—”
“Again, you, not me.”
“—just brutal personal embarrassment—”
“Wow. Thanks.”
“—and King Kuei even complimented your negotiation strategy—”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“—and your mom and dad both watched you leave the room.”
Toph sighs, thunking her head against the stone wall, focusing on the comforting reverberation back at her. “Not helping, Zuko.”
“It’s better than them not watching,” he says, giving her a little nudge, that particular pain old enough for him to sound wry over. “Trust me. Especially with the way you blew that door off its hinges."
Toph scrunches up her face, kicking the wall a bit harder this time, feeling all the ways she could make it crack. “They just keep trying to—” she cuts off, yanking another chunk of metal out of the windowpane in frustration instead, squeezing it hard enough to feel the way it heats and protests before forcing herself to loosen her grip
“I know,” Zuko says quietly, and she knows he does. “But its not your fault if they’re too blind to notice how awesome you are,” he adds, firm, and Toph snorts.
“Was calling Lord Dumb-Shit back there—”
“Dum Shi is a rather unfortunate family name,” Zuko muses.
“—an idiot too stupid to realize a good deal if it crawled up his ass and died there—”
“Evocative,” Zuko comments.
“—really an example of my being awesome? When we’re supposed to be securing a trade deal?”
“I mean.” The familiar rustle of Zuko scratching at the base of his topknot. “I thought it was pretty great.”
Toph snorts.
“And hey,” he says, grabbing her hand where its balled into a fist against the crook of her elbows, fingers strong and gentle as he rubs across her knuckles. “I'll tell you have someone close to me once said when I was down and doubting myself.”
“What?” she asks, trying not to sigh. She’s really not in the mood right now for one of Uncle’s—
“That 'you're dating the greatest earthbender in the world' and 'to fucking act like it, Hotman.'”
Toph blinks.
“And to fuck ‘em,” Zuko adds, thoughtful and giving a little tug on her hand that she’s too startled not to follow into the welcome firebender heat of his body, “And to fuck shit up.”
“When in doubt, fuck their shit up,” Toph corrects, rote.
“Which, again, is rea;;y supposed to rhyme—”
“Yeah, yeah, shove it,” Toph says, finally breaking into a grin as she leans into him, something delighted and amused sparkling through the lingering twist of upset in her stomach. “Got some recent talents to tell me about, Zuko?" she teases, embracing the opportunity to grab the thread of her usual brashness that he's offering. "Since I’m dating the greatest earthbender in the world, apparently? Should we let Aang formally now he’s got some Avatar competition?”
“I mean." Zuko shrugs, a rustle of layers. "If you want to draft up a proclamation about how well I rocked your—”
Toph is cackling before he even finishes, belly-deep and loud and oh, does it feel good to do after a day of trying to be right instead of just being her, laughing again when Zuko’s heart does that particular double-hitch beat that he only ever does for her, feeling buoyed up again as she strides ahead of him back to the Beifong negotiating table, ready, to quote Zuko quoting the greatest earthbender in the world, to fuck this shit up like only she knows best.
Commission for @ljf613 ‘s fic A better version of our best.
It’s been a while since I drew anything for the httyd movies, I missed the film characters. Here’s the link to the fic, it’s an alternate universe where Hiccup’s son unknowingly mirrors his father’s life and it has the great rare-pair of Gustav marrying Adelaide and becoming Snotlout’s family.
Angst #14 - Toko, Bliss #15 - Mai & Toph (platonic), General #48 - YueLa, and #27 - Songru, please?
Hi hi! Been a hot second since I've written for any ship besides Kantoph, so hopefully these aren't too bad lol. Thanks for sending these in, and I hope you enjoy :D
Toph & Mai - #15 - "Thank you for staying with me"
YueLa - #48 - "I won't hurt you"
Songru - #27 - "Let me walk you home"
......
Toko - #14 - “Can you shut up for once in your life?”
He paced. He paced and paced around his room, around the palace, and around the courtyard for what felt like an eternity.
But it was all Zuko could do to pass the time. Because in less than an hour, his best friend was going to leave the Fire Nation, and he had to tell her something before she left.
Spirits, if telling her wasn’t going to kill him, she would, after he told her what had been on his mind this entire trip.
To make matters worse, Zuko was quite the rambling mess around her the past few weeks. It was as if someone flipped a switch in him, and he couldn’t stop talking when he spent time with her. Everything that crossed his mind suddenly turned into a conversation topic whenever they spent time together. And Toph wasn’t someone that enjoyed chit chat, so he really buried himself into a deep, dark hole filled with useless conversation starters about Fire Nation policy and badgerfrogs and garden ponds—
What was he doing? Spirits, Zuko was spiraling, and he needed to get over this stupid fear and just tell her how he felt, even if it ruined everything.
As fast as he could, Zuko exited the courtyard and made his way toward Toph’s guest chambers. When he arrived at her door, he knocked without a second thought. No longer would he think of the ‘what ifs’. He was just going to tell her how he felt.
The door swung open, and he saw her mischievous grin. “Well, if it isn’t Firelord Hotpants—”
“Toph, I need to tell you something,” he interrupted. Momentum was on his side, but around Toph, he feared that he’d lose the courage.
“Okay—”
“I need to tell you something, and you’ll probably hate me, but I have to say it.” Zuko walked past her and into the room, and as he spoke, he began to pace again.
“I’ve been going crazy the whole time you’ve been here, all because I was scared of what you might say, and I just have to let go of that stupid fear because you always say to face things head on.”
“Zuko—”
“And maybe you’ll hate me after I tell you, but I just have to tell you how I feel. I just want you to keep an open mind and try not to hate me, because you’re my best friend, Toph.”
“Zuko would you just—”
“You’re my best friend, Toph, and I hate the idea of messing up our friendship, but I have to tell you—”
“Zuko! Can you just shut up for once in your life??”
Zuko looked at her, surprised by her outburst.
Toph didn’t say anything; she let out a frustrated groan and grabbed the collar of his robes, pulling him toward her.
Her lips were soft against his, and her hands went to the back of his neck. The sparks that he felt around Toph this whole time ignited as they kissed. And when Zuko finally found his senses and wrapped his mind around what was happening, he pulled her close to him, until there was no space between them at all, and he held her there.
When they finally parted, Zuko couldn’t help but grin. He kissed Toph Beifong, and it was perhaps everything he imagined, and more.
“So,” he said, “does this mean you like me?”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?”
“It was more show than tell.”
“Do I need to show you again?”
“I could use a reminder.”
She laughed at that, and didn’t hesitate to turn her head up, waiting for his lips to find hers.
And Zuko didn’t waste another second.
......
Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D
I did also recently reblog a prompt list, so feel free to send in one request!
Aphantasia culture is trying to explain aphantasia to someone and having them respond with, "wait, you mean people can ACTUALLY see things in their head? REALLY?!?"
Good job, we found another one! Had that experience too, a couple of times.
