attackfish | Birthday AU Commentfic Meme!

It’s my birth month, and to celebrate, I’m hosting a commentfic meme! I’m in the mood to write some AU fics, so that’s the theme of the meme. I’m open to both Avatar: the Last Airbender and Harry Potter requests, and I’m also taking requests in any of my existing AUs (Except Children of Mars), including the ones I established im my last commentfic meme, as well as new ones. Comment with up to five requests, and I’ll guarantee you at least one commentfic. I’ll probably answer with more, knowing me.

weirdlet ,

beboots , and

floranna get seven requests and a guarantee of two fics, because

beboots and

floranna are the best betas ever, and

weirdlet has a truly bizarre AU I inflicted on her rattling around in her head. Also, anyone who wants me to write anything from my AU of Sun Child needs to ask

weirdlet and

floranna , because it’s theirs.

*Closed and Finished*

Given that this meme has spawned a fair few universes, sorting the fics by requester would be clunky, so instead, I'm sorting them by universe this time.

One Shot Universes:

Another Wacky Day: Sokka3PO and KataraD2 (Star Wars/A:tLA fusion) requested by

avocado_love
Oh Come On, Of Course Zuko’s a HufflePuff (Harry Potter/A:tLA crossover) requested by

avocado_love
Zuko muses on his fellow ruler, his sister, and the big universal questions of morality NOTE-not actually AU, requested by

beboots
Dwarf!Toph (D&D fusion, sort of) requested by

weirdlet
Don’t even ask- I don’t even- What is wrong with you, woman? (Kyoshi Warrior Ozai) NOTE- Not AU, just crack, requested by

weirdlet
Suki's a Firebender requested by

clockwerkchaos
Toph is the one who finds Aang requested by

panaili
Ozai doesn’t allow the Dragon of the West to join Zuko in exile: Parts One, Two, and Three requested by

lavanyasix

Mirrorverse (The Avatar is an evil spirit):

Meetings requested by

clockwerkchaos
Aang's Little Crush requested by

gamiel
In This Verse, Azula Totes Rescues Puppies requested by

avocado_love

Lightning Strike (from this commentfic on a previous meme):

Sneaking out of Bed requested by

lavanyasix
Zuko and Kuei, chillin’ together requested by

beboots

AU of Ice Flows Through:

Mai, taking Azula's plan down from the inside: Parts One, Two, Three, and Four requested by

beboots

Quiet Shadowed Places verse (from this shortfic):

Zuko Finds Out He’s Blind requested by

floranna
Zuko Can’t Get Any Respect requested by

beboots
Fire Bending Masters requested by Hillary (anonymous user)
Agni Kai During Sozin’s Comet requested by Hillary
Toph and Zuko bonding NOTE- crack, and absolutely not universe canon, requested by

beboots

Iroh Dies in S2 (from these three commentfics in a previous meme):

Crossroads of Destiny Parts One, Two Three, Four, and Five requested by

beboots
The Throne Room requested by

beboots
Royalty Lessons requested by

beboots

Fail!Incubus Zuko:

Attempted Seduction *warning for sexual coercion and slavery* requested by

weirdlet
Courting Mai requested by

gamiel

Life Spirit:

Toph Bei Fong requested by

clockwerkchaos
Winter When He Goes requested by

weirdlet
Zuko and Iroh requested by

clockwerkchaos
Sokka and Katara requested by

clockwerkchaos

Koizilla Destroys the Fire Nation (from this commentfic from a previous meme):

Song requested by

clockwerkchaos

Modern Day:

Toph and Aang Meet requested by

panaili
Sleepover requested by

panaili

AU of Sun Child:

NOTE- Sun Child belongs to

weirdlet and an index of fics in that verse can be found here. This AU of the Sun Child AU began in these two commentfics from a previous meme *Warning for heavily implied Rape by Coercion and Sexually Abusive Dialogue*

Zhao and Zura's Child is Born requested by

floranna

Zuko Hurt His Leg on the Run and it Won’t Heal (from this commentfic on a previous meme):

Teo and Zuko Bonding Parts One and Two requested by Hillary
Assistive Technology is a Beautiful Thing requested by Hillary

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com

Zuko saw things. They drifted past him through the pain before he could grab onto them. Time passed like melted stone. Time didn’t exist, not for him.

(Ozai turned his back and walked away from the arena, and it took hours for anyone to summon the courage to lift his son, to hurt even to scream, up from the floor and carry him back into the palace.)

Sometimes, Zuko thought his mother was there, but then other times, he thought his mother was there instead. He heard his father’s voice, cold and dismissive, and he heard Uncle’s voice, angry and loud, but that couldn’t be right. Uncle was never angry anymore.

(Iroh closed the door to his chambers and watched the somber little procession winding its way down the hall. “What is going on?” He grabbed his nephew’s hand. “He’s not...” He felt the pulse and closed his eyes, the sick wave of terror spilling away for just a moment. There were so many things to still be terrified of for Zuko’s sake.

“Firelord’s orders,” one of the doctors mumbled. “He’s not allowed to stay in the palace.”

Iroh’s eyes widened, and then narrowed into slits. He opened the door behind him. “Take him into my room. I’ll talk to Ozai.”

He snuck his nephew into the war meeting. He could sneak him into the palace.)

But he saw things. He knew he did. Even when his eyes were closed.

(The Firelord’s guards smashed the doors open so hard they slammed against the walls. Ozai pinched his lips together hard enough to force away all of the blood. “You have no right, Iroh-”

Iroh leapt to his feet. “I have no right?” he snapped, and grabbed his brother’s arm. The guards moved to stop them, but Iroh just looked at them and they backed away.

“You aren’t the first in line for the throne anymore, Iroh,” Ozai snarled, trying to jerk his arm away, but Iroh’s hands just gripped tighter.

“This is your son,” Iroh whispered.)

He kept his eyes closed as much as he could, because every time they opened, he saw the creatures that had poked and cut at them, and tried to take them away from him. He could hear them in his dreams, and his eyes hurt, even through the strange haze over his body. Whenever he tried to reach them, to cover them, someone pushed his hands away. Uncle’s voice accompanied the hands that pulled his ams down and tucked them back under the stifling blankets. But it should’t be Uncle. Why would it be Uncle? Uncle was a ghost. Since he had come home from Ba Sing Se. He kept to himself and almost never spoke, and Zuko didn’t...

His eyes hurt so much.

Uncle never wanted anything to do with Zuko’s father. He shouldn’t be there.

(The doctors held held Zuko down. The smell rising from the wound filled the room. They held his eyelids open. His eyes weren’t eyes anymore. The heat had boiled and burst them. Pus oozed out. The knife slipped into their socket and cut them away. The doctor’s fingers swept them out.

The glass eyes rolled around on the table and watched until the doctor with the knife put them inside the sockets.)

The floor moved under Zuko’s body, tilting from side to side, rocking him back to sleep each time he floated up above the sticky, numbing fog. Sometimes, he heard whimpers, and screams, but he couldn’t tell whose they were, and it didn’t really seem important.

(They carried him up the gangway and into the belly of the tiny ship and laid him on the futon before he even woke up. Iroh followed. As soon as they left, he ran his fingers through what was left of his nephew’s hair.)

Zuko saw things. He knew he did.

~*~

Zuko sat up on the futon and pushed away the cup his uncle offered.

“It’s just tea.” Uncle told him, and curled his nephew’s fingers around it.

Zuko touched his closed eyelids with his other hand. “I don’t want it.”

Iroh picked up the new, thin reed cane from off the floor and curled his nephew’s hands around that too.

From:

beboots.livejournal.com

Daaamn... ;_; I love protective!Iroh and this Zuko being all confused about his uncle's presence... I honestly do think that Ozai lost ALL respect in Iroh's eyes when he hurt his son, in canon and in this fic.

Thanks for writing! :)

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com

Iroh's really glad Ozai banished Zuko, because otherwise, he'd be kidnapping him.

From: (Anonymous)

OMG what an amazing job. I got a little sick to my stomach reading that. I can imagine that stinky wound smell. Yeech. How horrible that he was just left there - no one came to help him until Iroh did - and made sure he diddnt die of septic shock later. My heart goes out to him and rejoices at how wonderful Iroh is. H

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com

Iroh is this close to taking Zuko and hiding him in a cave somewhere. And i would sooooo help him...

From: (Anonymous)

Me too- I felt like crying. Just think Zuko cant cry now- no relief. Im so heartbroken for him. He had this kind demeanor and was just completely betrayed by one who was supposed to if not protect him- at least to educate him. and He just is thrown away and left in a heap like garbage. Ive never understood how anyone can brutalize a child. It really affects me. I'm ready to cry as I read this. . . Ahm you outdid yourslf, Fish. (H- "sniffle" Iroh-"need a tissue?")

No one says to themselves-this is Ursa's beloved boy-how can I help. Thats how I see people "this is somebody's sister, or mother or daughter or son. Somebody loves this person most in the world. Once upon a time this old cranky man was sombody's beloved baby and he was cherished- how can I do less" that is what i say to myself at work-when I get irritated with my patients. It works really well and keeps the human element fresh. H.

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com

I rescue dogs, and one of my dogs is really nervous and clingy, because he was abused as a puppy, and every time I tell somebody, they all react with this appalled look and ask me how anybody could hit a puppy. Iroh's feeling the same way. He lost his son. The wound's still fresh. He just doesn't see how anybody could do that to their own child. Well, of Ozai doesn't want him...

From:

weirdlet.livejournal.com

It's one thing to know that such-and-such is Zuko's origin story- and it's another to really let yourself comprehend it fully. You've got an especially wrenching turn of phrase, and it takes the worn 'know this already' pattern and really runs fresh- grief, disgust, all that there fun stuff, through the channels again.

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com

Thank you, I think? I always feel so awkward writing this sort of thing, because it really is something everybody already knows, and I feel like it's not going to be interesting.

I got some perverse pleasure at hinting at the truly awful lack of sterilization in Avatarverse medicine too.

From:

beboots.livejournal.com

"Iroh's really glad Ozai banished Zuko, because otherwise, he'd be kidnapping him." Oh man... uh... I still have a few request slots left, right? Could I have a ficlet that utlizes this concept? Like, Iroh is starting to see the dangers, both physical and psychological, of Ozai's relationship to his son, and before that fateful Agni Kai ends up kidnapping Zuko for his own good (and possibly over Zuko's protests). Only later would Zuko actually forgive Iroh.

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com

ha! A request from you I'm not going to fill! Victory is mine!

Iroh would kidnap Azula too, and then all hell would break loose.

From:

beboots.livejournal.com

Curses!

And oh yeah, the former heir to the throne kidnapping the two heir aparents? CHAOS. A significant portion of which would be instigated by Azula.

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com

She wouldn't like not being the favorite anymore. Zuko's equal is just not good enough.

The Earth Kingdom would get a huge break while the whole Fire Nation army tried to hunt down the traitor, and the poor, sweet heirs, and Zuko loves his daddy, so Azula convinces him to pull most of the shit... Heheh. Iroh would have his hands sooo full.

From:

beboots.livejournal.com

There would be like, Ember Island Players plays made with scenes like THIS: http://3info2u.com/Image/Princes_in_the_Tower_Painting.jpg , where Iroh would steal upon the two helpless children in the night and it would be full of drama and woe.

I can definitely see some unscrupulous non-Fire Nation types trying to get to the heirs FIRST for ransoming purposes. Also, Zhao would be looking, for the glory, if he has to put invasion plans on hold ANYWAY...

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com

Sadly, Shakespeare doesn't write in the Fire Nation, or he could have made a good story out of this...

Oh yes. It's so bad, Iroh knows he has to flee the country. Now where would he flee too? I wonder.

From:

beboots.livejournal.com

He would go to BA SING SE, clearly. It's defensible against the Fire Nation at least, right? ;)

Re: Quiet Shadowed Places: Zuko finds out he’s blind

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com - Date: 2010-10-16 03:43 am (UTC) - Expand

Re: Quiet Shadowed Places: Zuko finds out he’s blind

From:

beboots.livejournal.com - Date: 2010-10-16 02:53 pm (UTC) - Expand

Re: Quiet Shadowed Places: Zuko finds out he’s blind

From:

attackfish.livejournal.com - Date: 2010-10-16 03:17 pm (UTC) - Expand

From:

floranna.livejournal.com

Imph.

I love fics which deal with the exact time Zuko was banished. It's always just so heart-breaking.

The fact that he thinks he sees things is a bit creepy, but I love this. Mmm. I love your writing.