Have at you! Welcome to Happyfest 2010!
HAPPYFEST IV
Yup, this is it, folks, the complete list of prompts for this year's Happyfest. The main difference this year is that we're open for art works as well as fic. Otherwise, the rules remain the same, the first of which is:
READ THE RULES BEFORE WRITING!
(there are notes about spoilers that I NEED you to read)
( The rest are under here )
Yup, this is it, folks, the complete list of prompts for this year's Happyfest. The main difference this year is that we're open for art works as well as fic. Otherwise, the rules remain the same, the first of which is:
READ THE RULES BEFORE WRITING!
(there are notes about spoilers that I NEED you to read)
( The rest are under here )
"I don't think I can do this, Uncle," he was saying as Toph skated lightly into earshot.
"Do what?"
"Everything. Being Fire Lord. I don't think I'm good at it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm not, and I’m terrified I’m going to screw up horribly and start another war or something."
Iroh laughed softly. His body said fond concern. "I think you are doing fine. My brother set a rather low standard, after all. You can only improve on his reign."
Zuko's body tensed even more. Anger, it said. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? That's the problem, Uncle. I come from a long line of bloodthirsty dictators. The only one who escaped that fate is you, and you abdicated the throne to run a tea shop."
"I do like tea ..."
"That isn't the point!"
"The point is that you're afraid you'll take after your family, right?" Toph said, sliding in to lean on his chair. She was getting a little taller, to her secret relief, but still had to stand on tiptoe to fold her arms over the chair's upright back.
"Here to mock my pain?" Zuko asked darkly.
Just for that, she punched him, though not too hard. Iroh's body language said stifled amusement, as loudly as Zuko was now radiating annoyance.
"No, I'm here to point out that I'm living proof you don't have to be anything like the people you're related to. And you don't have to like them, either. I mean, I love my family, but I really can't stand them, and they think I'm weird."
"Unless your family are fanatic megalomaniacs, I don't really think our situations compare."
"Youve never met my family, have you?" Toph said. "They stuffed me into a dress. I was supposed to speak only when spoken to, eat neatly, and pay polite attention to my earthbending tutor teaching me things that I learned from the badgermoles when I was four. And you'd know all of this if you'd paid any attention on our life-changing field trip which wasn't."
Zuko pushed his chair back, almost shoving her off her feet, and stood. "Look, if you want to compare crappy childhoods, I think that mine --"
Toph casually bent part of the floor over his feet and shins, freezing him in place.
"Hey!"
"Do put my floor back when you're done, if you wouldn't mind," Iroh said mildly.
"Sure will," Toph told him with a smile, and turned back to Zuko. "Listen, you can wallow if you want to -- you're pretty good at it -- but if you really think that family wins out in the end, why don't you stop worrying about the Fire Lords and look to your other family for inspiration, okay?"
"My other ..." Zuko left off struggling against his bonds. "Wait a minute, how did you know about Roku? I haven't told anyone that!"
"Roku? What's that got to do with -- Never mind." Toph pinched the bridge of her nose; she wasn't a patient person to begin with, and trying to deal with Zuko in these moods always gave her a headache. She wasn't sure why she bothered, really. "I'm talking about us, you total dink. Iroh, of course. Aang. Katara. Sokka. Me. Everybody. If family was just the people you're born to, I would've been totally screwed a long time ago."
She bent the floor back neatly, with a quick gesture, and then punched Zuko again. Harder. Because he deserved it for making her say all of that out loud.
"Ow!" he said faintly, rubbing his arm.
"You're pretty good at giving advice yourself, you know," Iroh told her. She could hear the smile in his voice, and feel it all over his body. "You'll have me out of a job soon."
"Nah. I've never been able to make a decent cup of tea." And she slipped away, back into the courtyard, to the feeling of Iroh's amusement pride love and Zuko's astonishment warmth embarrassment tingling-happy-all-over.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
ahaha oh Toph ♥ this was adorable. I love how you described the way Toph was able to feel their body language. :3
Reply
Reply
Ahaha, that's very Iroh! Really great look at Toph, and the last paragraph is pretty much the most adorable thing ever :D
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment