fic: hidden & open
Nov. 2nd, 2008 10:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: hidden & open
Fandom: A:TLA
Day/Theme: November second | hidden and open subcultures
Character/Pairing: fire trio, slight Azula/Ty Lee if you squint
Rating: PG
Summary: Azula knew a great many things, but makeup wasn’t one of them
A/N: late season two spoilers. Shortfic. In essence, characterization practice.
“We’re going to hide in plain sight.”
After they locked up every last one of the Kiyoshi warriors, Azula had stared at them quietly for a long time. She half-smiled, a knowing smirk.
“My what an interesting outfit,” she said, fingering the green cotton with a closed, thoughtful look. “Such friends of the Avatar.
Realization came over Azula’s face in slow, wave. It wasn’t a burst of fire, but the slowburning ember that devoured the tinder steadily.
She turned from the unconscious prisoners and back to her girls.
“Strip them,” she commanded.
“What? Azula? You want us to take off their clothes?” Ty Lee said.
“We’re going to pay the king a visit, as his welcome friends the Kiyoshi warriors.”
As wolves in lambskins to infiltrate the herd.
*
Mai lay back and rested after Ty Lee had finished. Mai knew a great deal about appearances and makeup, about keeping every single hair in place. She could’ve applied it with her eyes closed and still gotten the same flawless result.
Mai knew how to keep her composure, how to sit still for hours. That always made her so easy to work on. Mai could apply her own makeup, but that didn’t stop Ty Lee from helping. She’d sneak brighter colors in with all that drab hues.
Ty Lee was used to makeup and frilly dresses, this wasn’t the usual pink rouge made from crushed rocks that came from the eastern quarries and looked like dawn spread out. It was far thicker and felt so much heavier on her face, almost as heavy as wearing a mask.
When she finished her own makeup, she turned to see how her leader looked with metamorphoses of warpaint. The result was far from the controlled swashes of lines that were drawn over her own and Mai’s face.
Azula knew a great many things, but makeup wasn’t one of them, let alone the complicated warrior’s face paint. The first sheen of white paint over her face had been simple, but the ensuing swashes of red and black looked like the application of a toddler playing in her mother’s lipstick.
The thing was, Azula had her own natural beauty. Rouge didn’t befit her high, proud cheekbones and her lashes were dark and long and never needed the benefit of mascara. Azula prided herself on her prowess, so most royal balls and events she dressed as if ready for the battlefield.
Ty Lee thought such times were for enjoying the food, the ambiance, the adoring gaze of boys. Azula saw them as a prime chance to win influence, and while she enjoyed the attention, later on she’d mock the other nobles, each sentence a cold, scathing whip.
It was painful to watch Azula fail at anything. Ty Lee cringed as the bowl of makeup went sailing out and smashed against the wall, resins of chalky white substance falling like desert rain.
“Azula,” she said in her sweetest, most placating voice, “Let me try.”
Azula narrowed her eyes. “Are you implying that I can’t even apply my own makeup?”
Ty Lee gulped and gave her most innocent look. “But Azula, you’ve always been better at fighting than girly stuff. I can make you pretty! Er prettier.”
For a moment, it was as if Ty Lee stared down a tiger that would devour her. She grinned wide and hopeful, and for good luck, crossed all her fingers and even attempted to cross her toes (she would’ve crossed her eyes, but that would’ve likely irritated Azula and thus not been very lucky)
Then, just as fast as it began, the storm passed and Azula calmed.
“Well, you always were adept at superficial things. Go ahead.”
Her smile was daring, almost a challenge in itself.
“I’m so glad, Azula! You should let me play with your hair before the next gathering.”
Azula gave a non-committal hnn as Ty Lee stirred the leftovers of her own makeup in its deep forest green holding bowl.
First came the lipstick. Ty Lee hummed as she pressed the small, soft-bristled brush over those full, soft lips. She knew it must tickle, but Azula gave no sign of being affected, her expression didn’t change in the slightest. Even Mai had complained mid-way, causing her to have to reapply another layer. Azula, on the other hand sat completely still.
She knew it must tickle, but Azula gave no sign of being affected, her expression didn’t change in the slightest. Even Mai had complained mid-way, causing her to have to reapply another layer. Azula, on the other hand sat completely still
“Now you have to close your eyesss,” Ty Lee said.
For a moment, she thought Azula would refuse, but she did it just as told and allowed Ty Lee this one gift, for such a brief second, she would let down her guard.
The brush strokes had to be especially gentle over the eyelid. Ty Lee used her fingertips in light caresses to smudge the lines of green and black just right. Azula’s lids were fragile and soft under her touch, the only time she had ever thought those words in conjunction with Azula. She set aside the brushes and spread the dust under her fingers like a potter with clay. The harshness was softened and yet somehow, it seemed she was more fierce, like the cold marble statues of warrior goddesses with their bows drawn
When Azula opened her eyes she was an entirely new person. The white paint was elegant on Azula, like a layer of snow over trees; she wore it better than the entire troupe of warriors could ever have dreamed of.
“There, done! Now you look like a real Kiyoshi warrior.”
“Real enough to fool the king,” Azula said. “He won’t even know what hit him.”
And when Azula said those words, with such assured force Ty Lee knew that she could make the entire unconquerable kingdom fall and bow before her.
Fandom: A:TLA
Day/Theme: November second | hidden and open subcultures
Character/Pairing: fire trio, slight Azula/Ty Lee if you squint
Rating: PG
Summary: Azula knew a great many things, but makeup wasn’t one of them
A/N: late season two spoilers. Shortfic. In essence, characterization practice.
“We’re going to hide in plain sight.”
After they locked up every last one of the Kiyoshi warriors, Azula had stared at them quietly for a long time. She half-smiled, a knowing smirk.
“My what an interesting outfit,” she said, fingering the green cotton with a closed, thoughtful look. “Such friends of the Avatar.
Realization came over Azula’s face in slow, wave. It wasn’t a burst of fire, but the slowburning ember that devoured the tinder steadily.
She turned from the unconscious prisoners and back to her girls.
“Strip them,” she commanded.
“What? Azula? You want us to take off their clothes?” Ty Lee said.
“We’re going to pay the king a visit, as his welcome friends the Kiyoshi warriors.”
As wolves in lambskins to infiltrate the herd.
*
Mai lay back and rested after Ty Lee had finished. Mai knew a great deal about appearances and makeup, about keeping every single hair in place. She could’ve applied it with her eyes closed and still gotten the same flawless result.
Mai knew how to keep her composure, how to sit still for hours. That always made her so easy to work on. Mai could apply her own makeup, but that didn’t stop Ty Lee from helping. She’d sneak brighter colors in with all that drab hues.
Ty Lee was used to makeup and frilly dresses, this wasn’t the usual pink rouge made from crushed rocks that came from the eastern quarries and looked like dawn spread out. It was far thicker and felt so much heavier on her face, almost as heavy as wearing a mask.
When she finished her own makeup, she turned to see how her leader looked with metamorphoses of warpaint. The result was far from the controlled swashes of lines that were drawn over her own and Mai’s face.
Azula knew a great many things, but makeup wasn’t one of them, let alone the complicated warrior’s face paint. The first sheen of white paint over her face had been simple, but the ensuing swashes of red and black looked like the application of a toddler playing in her mother’s lipstick.
The thing was, Azula had her own natural beauty. Rouge didn’t befit her high, proud cheekbones and her lashes were dark and long and never needed the benefit of mascara. Azula prided herself on her prowess, so most royal balls and events she dressed as if ready for the battlefield.
Ty Lee thought such times were for enjoying the food, the ambiance, the adoring gaze of boys. Azula saw them as a prime chance to win influence, and while she enjoyed the attention, later on she’d mock the other nobles, each sentence a cold, scathing whip.
It was painful to watch Azula fail at anything. Ty Lee cringed as the bowl of makeup went sailing out and smashed against the wall, resins of chalky white substance falling like desert rain.
“Azula,” she said in her sweetest, most placating voice, “Let me try.”
Azula narrowed her eyes. “Are you implying that I can’t even apply my own makeup?”
Ty Lee gulped and gave her most innocent look. “But Azula, you’ve always been better at fighting than girly stuff. I can make you pretty! Er prettier.”
For a moment, it was as if Ty Lee stared down a tiger that would devour her. She grinned wide and hopeful, and for good luck, crossed all her fingers and even attempted to cross her toes (she would’ve crossed her eyes, but that would’ve likely irritated Azula and thus not been very lucky)
Then, just as fast as it began, the storm passed and Azula calmed.
“Well, you always were adept at superficial things. Go ahead.”
Her smile was daring, almost a challenge in itself.
“I’m so glad, Azula! You should let me play with your hair before the next gathering.”
Azula gave a non-committal hnn as Ty Lee stirred the leftovers of her own makeup in its deep forest green holding bowl.
First came the lipstick. Ty Lee hummed as she pressed the small, soft-bristled brush over those full, soft lips. She knew it must tickle, but Azula gave no sign of being affected, her expression didn’t change in the slightest. Even Mai had complained mid-way, causing her to have to reapply another layer. Azula, on the other hand sat completely still.
She knew it must tickle, but Azula gave no sign of being affected, her expression didn’t change in the slightest. Even Mai had complained mid-way, causing her to have to reapply another layer. Azula, on the other hand sat completely still
“Now you have to close your eyesss,” Ty Lee said.
For a moment, she thought Azula would refuse, but she did it just as told and allowed Ty Lee this one gift, for such a brief second, she would let down her guard.
The brush strokes had to be especially gentle over the eyelid. Ty Lee used her fingertips in light caresses to smudge the lines of green and black just right. Azula’s lids were fragile and soft under her touch, the only time she had ever thought those words in conjunction with Azula. She set aside the brushes and spread the dust under her fingers like a potter with clay. The harshness was softened and yet somehow, it seemed she was more fierce, like the cold marble statues of warrior goddesses with their bows drawn
When Azula opened her eyes she was an entirely new person. The white paint was elegant on Azula, like a layer of snow over trees; she wore it better than the entire troupe of warriors could ever have dreamed of.
“There, done! Now you look like a real Kiyoshi warrior.”
“Real enough to fool the king,” Azula said. “He won’t even know what hit him.”
And when Azula said those words, with such assured force Ty Lee knew that she could make the entire unconquerable kingdom fall and bow before her.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-12-02 12:55 am (UTC)Stumbled across this looking through your other stuff, and honestly, I love all of it that's for fandoms I recognize, but... Azula/Ty Lee is that one ship my RL friends told me to never talk about again because they didn't see it and I was weirding them out and (insert spastic flailing here)!
Ty Lee is adorable and Azula is... Azula. This would be enjoyable even if I didn't feel vindicated by its very existence. But I do, so this is all the coherence you are getting out of me.
no subject
Date: 2008-12-02 02:18 pm (UTC)Azula/Ty Lee is my OTP for the series, actually. I honestly think it's the only pairing with Azula that I can see being written in an even slightly functional way. The very fact that she apologized to Ty Lee and admitted a weakness shows to me that there's some kind of bond of friendship there, despite Azula's ah, dysfunctions.
I tend to disagree with the whole "Ty Lee hates/only fears Azula" crowd because it seems too OOC an idea for sweet Ty Lee. Also, the hug at the end of the circus episode? There'd be no reason for her to hug Azula like that if her motive was purely fear. Azula isn't exactly the GIMME A HUG type so she's not going to care if Ty Lee gave a token of her affection or not.
My take on boiling rock is that it was an intervention. Ty Lee prevented her closest friends from killing each other-- Obviously she'd be pissed at Azula for you know almost killing Mai but overall I don't think she hates Azula, even post-boiling rock. I just can't see Ty Lee holding onto her anger -- she's too sweet, flighty etc. She'd probably forget within the week and want to be zomg best friends again.
I think she does have some fear of Azula, but some admiration as well. Because that's the thing -- with Azula you're kind of creeped out and fascinated at the same time. She's so brilliant and talented and yet so psychotic and prone to snapping that there's always this sort of cycle of fear+admiration and Ty Lee is hardly immune to it -- but I really doubt that constitutes their entire relationship.
Have you read /102870.html"> Get Well Soon (http://seriousfic.livejournal.com) by
Azula/Ty Lee has a pretty decent sized fandom,
no subject
Date: 2008-12-03 12:15 am (UTC)I pretty much agree with everything you said on the subject! I very rarely ship f/f at all, and I wasn't shipping anything in Avatar, and then somewhere around the beach episode I just went "...oh, hey." I think it's telling that when Azula's trying to act more like a normal teenager and less like military prowess from a can for once, she actually succeeds to an extent when she's talking to Ty Lee and goes all weird and wooden with most everyone else. Sure, part of that is that they've known each other a long time, but if that was really all, I think Azula would have kept being The Boss and only changed her behavior with regards to everyone else. Instead we have her... asking for advice?! Yeah, just try to argue there isn't anything there, Internet.
Ty Lee hating or just fearing Azula makes exactly no sense to me. Ty Lee hating anyone makes no sense to me, because guh she's such a sweetie (and I see the Boiling Rock the same way you do). I'm not seeing much fear there, either. Some, yeah, I'll buy that - it's natural to be awed and intimidated by Azula's mad skills and simultaneous boatloads of crazy - but for Ty Lee it seems like her outbursts would be more of an occasion to stand back and look alarmed and go "oh, wow" and wait for her to cool off. And somehow end up admiring her even more.
I dunno, I thought I had a bunch of Profound Thoughts about this pairing but it seems to be boiling down to so much "omgsquee." o_o;
Thanks for the recs! I haven't actually delved into Avatar fandom much yet due to assurances that it was full of crazy, but now that I think about it, the person who told me that was a Zuko/Katara booster so I'm going to go ahead and question her objectivity now.
no subject
Date: 2008-12-03 12:16 am (UTC)