April Catch-All

[itstillhurt]

Who: Azula and You
Which: Open Log (+ Various Interactive Dreams)
Where: Multiple locations
What: Azula is up to things and most of them are probably bad ideas.
Warnings: Inevitable themes of all the stuff Azula's backstory has going on- child abuse, warfare, genocide, et cetera.

(Prompts will go below. The open prompts are, well, open, but if you'd like a closed prompt feel free to request one below, hit up my plotting post, or otherwise get in touch!)

Comments

CLOSED PROMPTS

[itstillhurt]

(Will be posted here)

Journal Network - Closed to Unnamed/Nanashi (@zomboii)

[itstillhurt]

[She's nearly got the hang of this dream control stuff. She's able to not only conjure locations from her memory, but modify the parameters. There were some... awkward results in the experiments, but they were worth it. She's even managed to find a convenient workaround for all the nightmares- using her nightmare energy to power the dream can also be used to prevent the dreams from becoming nightmares, which was a problem before.

Finally, she's ready for some more advanced tests, and to do that, she'll need a test subject. Fortunately, she has just the right subject in mind in mind.

She'll also need a suitable venue. The city would be too unpleasant, too many bad memories- the last thing she needs is a pathway for a nightmare of Leshy to interrupt them. No, it'd have to be home. Not the palace, though- too much fire. Hm.

Well, why not? This was a crowning triumph, where better? Yes, she thinks she knows just the place. Now she just needs to contact him.]

Nanashi. I need a favor.

[zomboii]

[ Just the right test subject, reporting in!! Unnamed sees the message and is...well, surprised. No one's really sent him messages via the journal on account of his historically having-been-learning-to-read, so to have one now? Feels Big. Important! Unnamed can't read it fast enough, and when he's done that?? He can't reply fast enough either. ]

Hi Azula! I have favor. How do I help?

[itstillhurt]

[A prompt response. Good.]

Do you know how to dreamwalk with the lanterns?

[Or, wait, he'd called them-]

The dream lights.

Interactive Dream - Closed to Zuko (@rediscovering)

[itstillhurt]

[A comet burns brightly in the sky, bathing a grandiose stone plaza in orange light. It’s a space fit to house massive crowds, with a stairway leading up to a temple, but it’s empty except for one figure on the stairs. Her hair isn’t the tightly styled bun most people in Songerein would see, but sloppy and loose, practically falling out of the uneven tie she’s put it in, and her bangs hang unevenly chopped above her eyes. It gives her a distinctly unbalanced look.

She's been here before.

She frowns around herself in confusion. Which version is this? She's lived this memory a thousand times, a hundred different variations,

But this was the first time she distinctly and immediately recognized that it was a dream. All the other times, the horror and pain felt so real- so painfully, viscerally real-

No matter. She's endured them all, she can endure this one.]

[rediscovering]

[ Zuko's been here before, too — but somehow not quite. He'd been dreaming of the same place, and though he can't explain it, there's something off about it. He finds himself flying over the coronation plaza, clinging to a saddle-less Appa — alone. So he, too, is aware this is a dream, not a memory, nor the present moment... Distinctly a dream, more lucid than his usual dreams, and an immediately unnerving one. When he lands by the far end of the plaza, his gaze wanders over the scene, catching glimpse of the comet overhead in the reflection pools. It's almost pretty. In that breath of a moment, behind him, Appa vanishes, the massive bison simply melting away into the dreamscape, the way dreams do. Likewise, there's no one else here — no Katara, no Fire Sages, no coronation ceremony, no one in sight. The coronation temple, deserted. Zuko, alone.

But, no. He's not alone. As he approaches the temple, a figure comes into sight on the steps. Ah. Yes, there she is. Of course.

He's thought about Azula quite a lot since their last meeting — has daily wracked his brain about her, really — but this is familiar. This is how he last saw her. It's this that leads him to assume that this is merely his own nightmare. It doesn't occur to him that he and Azula may even bump into each other in their dreams, here... Why should he assume this is Azula herself, in her own dreamscape, and not an Azula of his own creation? His mind loves to haunt him with dreams just like this on a normal day, anyway. Strange, distorted, symbolic scenes to claw at his tender spots. Azula features prominently in so many of his dreams. And in the month he's been in Reverein, indeed, he's dreamt of this place before — and dreamt of Azula here before, too. Just like this. The same Azula he'll be waking up to at home — but for the Azula he'll be waking up to in Reverein first.

He stops at the base of the steps, shoulders squared, gaze steely, staring up at her boldly. Almost expectantly. But makes no move. Not just yet. No words come to him, feeling strangely restrained, but even his silence is challenging. ]

[itstillhurt]

[Hm. That answered the first question, then. Zuko was in this one.

Unfortunately, that only led to several others. Would he defeat her outright? Would he kill her this time? That had only happened once. Would he scar her? Turn the lightning back on her? Would everything transpire exactly as it had? Those dreams were the cruelest, somehow, the worst option.

Of course, Zuko was in Reverein now, which meant-

...no, no, that is the worst option, one that doesn't even bear considering. She tries to keep her tone flippant, but somehow the... instability of that day seems to swell up in her again, put her off-balance.]

I see you decided to show up.

I. Who let the mouse have the dumb magic hat anyway? (Action)

[itstillhurt]

[Azula, fortunately, does not have seasonal allergies or anything like that. She's actually quite enjoying the increased warmth- the winter was awful for her, let's not mince words.

However, the unsightly plant detritus everywhere is rather annoying, and she keeps getting it on herself, which is worse. She's actually quite relieved when she notes that the cleaning products have been automated to combat the tide of yellowish-green and white that's blanketing the village.

At first.

As the days go on, she's beginning to find them... annoying. It's not her stuff they're damaging, normally, but they're still breaking things, getting in people's way, and generally making themselves a nuisance. It's not until a leaf blows into her face- only to be aggressively swept and mopped off- that she decides she's had enough, and promptly breaks both tools into pieces with a series quick, efficient strikes.

From that point on, it's open warfare. Every time she sees a cleaning supply or utensil moving on its own, she will destroy it. She's fairly precise and focused in her tactics, so collateral damage should be minimized, but-

Well. No promises.]

[your_best_friend]

[How does Azula feel about moving plantlife? There's a buttercup that turns as you're chasing a knife, staring at the strange event going on.]

...Huh.

[itstillhurt]

[Brooms and mops, at least, were easy to see coming. The sponges and cleaning cloths were, admittedly, harder to see coming.

When a knife started cutting weeds, though, that threw her for a loop. They're not even cleaning tools. Well, apparently this one is, and the irritating thing is so small and quick that it takes her several tries to nab it.

She hears Flowey's voice behind her just as she finally snatches the wayward knife. She turns, fully anticipating using it against the moving, talking plant that she sees- But no, wait. A plant. Not the same thing. Also none of the other animated objects talked.

... So what in the world was it?]

... Is there a problem?

[The knife tugs impotently against her hands, but can't manage to wriggle free.]

[your_best_friend]

I mean. This is the first time I've ever seen a human chase a knife like that and I don't think it's a monster! Why don't you just go ahead and release it so you can chase it some more.

The thought of more chasing is entertaining.

finally slides in here forever late after changing my mind on how to tag you like a thousand times

[morsecodes]

[Leo grew up in Texas, so he knows pollen. He knows pollen very well. Living in the south was always miserable during pollen season, so this? While it's annoying, it's nothing he hasn't dealt with before.

If only he had water powers like Percy.

All the same, he does find it nice to see magical cleaning supplies around town. It's helpful to keep the pollen at bay, but it's also cool as hell, and he really wants to capture something to force it to help him keep his workshop clean.

He misses his siblings and camp, which became his family, but also because they helped him keep his life together and keep Bucker 9 clean. Living alone in his own workshop here has led to a lot of messes. His work was messy, and he just straight up kept forgetting to clean it.

So here he was, stalking one of the magical mops, ready to pounce when---

BAM. Fire!! The poor mop never stood a chance. It was sad, really.

Leo frowned, spinning around to find the source of the flames, only to spot Azula.]

Yooo, what are you doing???

NO WORRIES.

[itstillhurt]

[She hadn't really been paying attention to him in her zeal to eliminate the irritating mop. Now, though, she looks him up and down with a skeptical raised eyebrow.]

Pest control. What were you doing?

<3

[morsecodes]

Pest control. Dude, have you not thought about the possibilities??

[No one ever thinks about the possibilities he does! And why they scoff at it, or tell him he's crazy! They just didn't see the world the way he did. Their loss, really.]

II. Inception horn, bwaaaaaaaaaam (Interactive Dream)

[itstillhurt]

[Azula's been experimenting with dreamscapes, and it's been... mixed.

On the one hand, she certainly has the mental discipline to use lucid dreaming techniques. On the other, well. Everything she's doing is laced with nightmare energy, and it means once the dreams get unstable- and they do, a lot- they tend in a Particular Direction.

This is, of course, meant to be a solo event, but in Reverein, it's probably inevitable that one of these experimental dreams might yank somebody in by accident. Maybe you.

She's not sorry, but she's not happy about it.]

((OOC: Dreamscapes will by default be either Reverein spaces or places from her own canon. Dream events can range from the mundane to the nightmarish or even to the comedic and bizarre. If you have any specific requests, preferences, or ideas, feel free to suggest them, I'm very open- or I can just come up with dreamscape shifts at random.))

We have to dig deeper...!

[whatsamada]

[Ken wasn't even sure how he ended up here. All he knew, he was curious about the dreamscape and was wondering what he would see. However, nothing seemed to jump out at the moment. Instead, he kept on wandering around hoping to just find something.

He didn't have to wait for long as he ended up finding someone familiar...]

Azula-san....?

[itstillhurt]

[Hm. The coronation plaza. Sunlit, open, no need for fire. An attractive enough venue, very open for experimentation. This would do nicely.

She looks down the steps, and-

'You're not becoming Fire Lord today, Azula. I am.'
They both stare at her, pity in their eyes, pity more vicious than any rage or mockery could ever be, but even that barely registers. All she can do is pull against the chains and scream, scream until she has no more fire to give the world-

The sudden presence of another voice snaps her out of it, just as the bright, tropical sun overhead turns- almost instantly- into a deep, fiery, dusky red tone. Her eyes snap open, and she turns to see... Ken Amada.

Right. The dream. It's a dream. It's not the first time she's gotten lost in her dreamscape while she was experimenting, but it's the first time she's accidentally brought in an uninvited guest.]

... I assume you didn't come here on purpose.

[She glances around them with a scowl. Maybe not the coronation plaza.]

[whatsamada]

[As he looked at his surroundings, Ken didn't dare say anything at first. He was trying to absorb all the information that was thrown at him. Between suddenly seeing a plaza to trying to comprehend the words that there said?

All he knew, he already had a feeling he was seeing something that he shouldn't. Taking a step back, he took in a deep breath as he wondered what she should say next. Shaking his head, he felt anxiety rushing over him.]

No, I didn't.

[He said simply before immediately quieting down. Looking around the area once more, he swallowed his fear before looking at the man before them.]

...Mind if I ask who he is?

there is no war in ba sing se

[judicialassistant]

[ It is one of the few instances where Susato figures out that she is in a dream fairly quickly. The city in which she finds herself is a grand one, and impossibly large. She is clad in a royal green garb, and as she explores the Upper Ring, she can feel a slight tingling sensation on her face, like something has been painted or drawn on it; yet when she rubs, no markings appear on her hands.

Reverein is nothing like this. It is small by comparison, though at the very least, there is some familiarity as she passes by a tea shop.

......Not the shop itself, of course. She has never seen it. But it's nice to know that even in a different universe, people appreciate a good spot of tea. ]

Hm...

[ There's a curious, yet cautious kind of smile, though she doesn't walk in. Whose dream is this? ]

Not with THAT attitude

[itstillhurt]

[Ba Sing Se was an extensive place, and it's actually sort of handy that, in the dream, her mind recalls the details she would struggle to remember and lets her walk through the streets of the city.

The empty streets. Which, if she's being honest, is a tremendous improvement from the last time she was there. As such, when she spots somebody else in the dream, it stands out pretty quickly. Was that... a Kyoshi Warrior? Here? Why?

She frowns and tries to remove her from the dream, but- nope. Nothing doing. It didn't feel like she'd lost control of the dream, so why was...]

Looking for somebody?

[Bluffing? Perhaps a little. The reaction might at least help her figure it out.]

1/2 i still laugh

[judicialassistant]

[ The empty streets would be concerning if she didn't know she was in a dream, but she can only assume whoever the dreamer is simply did not mingle with the city folk much (assuming this isn't a place that was invented in the first place). It looks like the tea shop is empty as well, which she gets the sense is unusual, but she'll hear a woman's voice before she can investigate.

It stands out against the relative silence of the city, a voice both commanding and familiar. ]

Oh! ...Well, I suppose I didn't know who I was looking for, until now.

[judicialassistant]

[ She bites back the urge to apologise, though maybe she still would at some point. She can feel a negative energy coming off Azula in subtle waves, but it's not enough that she has any concern. Her polite demeanor simply hardens slightly. ]

Azula, isn't it? This must be your dream.

finally tagging azula here

[kikuichi]

[By the time he realised he's in a dreamscape, Norimune do what's only natural for him. Being a curious, nosy old man for his own sake. Because he wish to know, and because he likes being safe and intact too.

And so, Ichimonji Norimune walks around in his usual battle uniform, fancy yet with some militaristic design.]

Let's see, let's see, whatever shall we find around here~

[Who is the source of this dreamscape? What will their dreams inspire, from deep in their minds or otherwise? Will it be peaceful, strange or leans closer to unsettling?]

(OOC: Pretty open to anything, depending on how you want Azula's perceived by him.)

Eyyy, let's see what we can do (Also sorry for the delay)

[itstillhurt]

[Well, the palace garden had been as much of a test of her memory as everything- the level of detail she'd been able to conjure was impressive, and while she intended to do some experimenting, she'd actually sort of enjoyed just being able to relive the details. It was certainly nicer than her visits there during the masquerade, because now she was alone.

...or, well, she had been. This wasn't her useless brother, though.]

Sorry to disappoint you. The garden is pretty much it.

[kikuichi]

[It's quite a nice garden. Beautiful even, he could imagine himself enjoying some nice tea and viewing the flowers. But can he visit this place again, he wonder? Maybe if he asks the owner very nicely.

... And he finds the owner, how fortunate!]

Oh, I guess I can always find amusement another time. But since I found this garden, I'm not disappointed at all. I take it this is your creation?