#And There Was Only One Braincell

[muffinlance]

Kidnapped Zuko? Rescued by Gaang who dont know who he is and he has to hide his identity.

Okay, so. There’s already a teenager down in Commander Muttonchop’s brig. This fact is so far past concerning it’s wrapped around to let’s-not-think-too-hard-about-this hilarity, and Sokka finds himself grinning, and offering the guy a good ol’ fashioned Water Tribe wrist shake through the bars. They’re neighbors, after all.

“Hello, Fellow Prisoner. What are you in for?”

“I, uh,” says Fellow Prisoner, who is clearly undersocialized from his time in here. He’s looking a little grimy around the edges of his all-black outfit, and the bruises on him have had time to get newer, fresher bruises on top, which is just. That is all kinds of reassuring. Oh, and the giant fiery facial scar. Also reassuring. Though at least that one’s a few years old. So… inflicted when he was, what, Aang’s age?

So reassured, is feeling Sokka, for the Fire Nation’s upcoming hospitality.  

“Uh,” repeats Fellow Prisoner, who is uncoiling a little in the direction of Sokka’s offered hand. As if Sokka was trying to coax him out, and hadn’t just sort of forgotten he was holding it there while his thoughts were doing their downward spiral. But hey, one man’s desperate attempts to keep his cool were another man’s offer of friendship. Fellow Prisoner grasped his wrist and shook it, in both the most technically correct and least experienced Water Tribe wrist clasp Sokka has ever experienced. 

“Zhao thinks I was stealing military correspondence,” the guy says.

“Were you stealing military correspondence?” asks Sokka.

“Only his,” scowls Fellow Prisoner, to whom Sokka takes an immediate liking. “...What did you do? To get arrested. But not killed. He doesn’t usually…”

So, so reassured.

“Oh, you know,” Sokka says, continuing to shake wrists, because it is becoming clear that Fellow Prisoner has no idea how long this is supposed to last and Sokka isn't going to be the one to stop him. “The usual. Found the Avatar. Became traveling companions. Got captured doing something definitely heroic that did not in anyway involve excessive screaming of an unmanly pitch.”

“...The Avatar?” says Fellow Prisoner, who clearly knows how to focus on the important points.

“I’m bait,” says Sokka.

“For the Avatar.”

To be fair, Sokka is still a little stuck on that point, too. It’s been a few weeks, but he still wakes up too-hot in the night and wondering why the stars above him aren’t quite right.

“Yep,” he confirms.

Fellow Prisoner’s face does a thing. A sort of processing, processing, processing thing that involves progressively more scowling. “The Avatar left you? I knew the old man must be a coward.”

“So,” Sokka says, “about that.”

Fellow Prisoner drinks up Sokka’s story like a man who’s spent three years in a desert searching for water. 

- - -

(It’s been two and half years.)

- - - 

Their escape involves a significantly higher swords-to-escapees ratio than Sokka had anticipated, which is distractingly epic. 

Also, the last-minute bison save is both the stupidest thing his little sister could have possibly done and very welcome, which means that Sokka is going to catch his breath and let some of his adrenaline fade before channeling his inner Gran-Gran for a lecture. 

Fellow Prisoner sheaths both his swords. And kind of stares, rather than sitting down, so Sokka pulls him over before the bison turbulence (read: catapult dodging) can do the job. This does nothing to interrupt the staring. 

“Hi,” says Aang, looking back from Appa’s head. “I’m Aang! What’s your name?”

“...Li?”

Under the sunlight, Fellow Prisoner’s eyes glint gold. He is… very Fire Nation-y looking, now that there is enough light to see him. And he is warmer against Sokka’s side than anyone not feverish should be, even in the ridiculous heat these northerners call ‘winter’.

“Are you a firebender?” asks Aang, like that question hasn’t spent decades earning its status as an insult.

“Uh,” says Li.

“Great!” says Aang, who has already figured out Li-speak. “I need a teacher!”

On the deck below them, Zhao has gone from shouting to laughing. 

Sokka continues to be reassured.

#Zuko: I will definitely not ruin this for myself #also Zuko: *immediately gets declared a traitor to his nation AND burns bridges with the Gaang* #Sokka: oh my god he's literally a hot idiot #And There Was Only One Braincell #this doesn't have to be Zukka but boy did I want to use that tag #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #Zuko #Fellow Prisoner Li #ficlet

[improvapocalyps]

You have 90 minutes to complete. (original poem: r.a.)

In participation of the MCYT Recursive Exchange 2024 hosted by @mcytrecursive!

Inspired by know that all my love will be your breath (i will save you when your lights go out)

[text under cut]

1. Have you ever been in love? (Please circle your answer.) a. It's me and him b. Our hearts beat in sync c. Our lives intertwined

2. Do you understand what you’ve done? (Please circle your answer.) a. I couldn't do anything b. I lost my balance c. I doomed us both

3. It's been god knows how long since you felt phantom hands on your neck and there is no one in sight. If you were soul-bound to him and both of you died at the same time then why are you still waiting in the void? Please answer clearly, in full sentences. (Not a correct answer：I just wanted to see him one more time).

4. Define two (2)： Fate | The feeling of his forehead against yours Curse | The moment you realise he isn't linked to you anymore

5. True or False： i. It was your fault. ii. You wish you had met him under different circumstances. iii. You can’t regret a single moment that you had him. iv. You would do it all over again if you could. v. It ended long before either of you said anything.

thumbnails:

sketch cover thing for imgur link:

#team ranchers #team rancher #rancher duo #jimmy solidarity #tangotek #trafficshipping #mcyt recursive exchange #events #fic fanart #my art #“canary has butterfly-shaped wings it cant do a dramatic spread like that” watch me. (draws dramatic wings) (sorry) #“you have 90 minutes” have been rattling in my brain for so long ever since i suddenly remembering a web weave using it (yes the beeduo one #very glad i can release it (using it in art) from its confines (my mind) #hm i suppose the title would be more in theme if its abt limited life ranchers #← havnt watched limlife yet #but! happy with what i come up with. lil bit proud even #had so much trouble with the panelling and layers in p2 cause it looks too busy (explodes) #also punching the floor bc i only noticed the “yes-no” pair(?) in the original poem when im already half-done w/ the comic #me when making silly comic makes you do poem analysis #i dont even go there ← does not have enough poetic braincells

[littlefoxwithbighat]

Grian: OK mumbo for the love of god be really careful resist the impulsive thoughts do NOT get on that strider. Do not do it. You cannot control it and you will get stranded and possibly drown when you dismount. I want you to be safe so do NOT get on the str-

Mumbo: *who got on the strider as soon as he realised it was a possible option* Grian this is your fault.

#secret life #secret life spoilers #trafficblr #life smp #life series #grian #mumbo jumbo #mumbo my beloved what ???? #Rare occassion where not only did Gri have the shared braincell he had borrowed Mumbos usual one as well #absolutely no thought great job lmao #also poor Grian he tried so hard to save him he was kept going over his inventory to make sure theres nothing else he would have done #Grian allies curse strikes again!

[beanghostprincess]

if they hadn't called out zoro on being unable to sit on the baratie's couch bc of his swords i'm like a 99% sure he would've just kept trying to sit next to luffy for the whole damn scene

#you know when sims just walk against a wall when they're bugged #well zoro's the same trying to sit next to luffy #he only has one braincell and it's just luffy and wanting to be next to him and sitting next to him and talking to him and luffy and luf- #he's so dumb in the most homosexual way #one piece #zolu #opla #one piece live action #roronoa zoro #monkey d luffy

[all-lee24]

101 days till DLC 🫶

#elden ring #I’ve diagnosed Messmer with stupid ass disease (it’s terminal) #Malenia is also dumb but she has an excuse #basically what I’m saying is Miquella is the only one with a braincell but he’s an old man and out of touch

[clouvu]

Acorn x Wobin thoughts on the brain rn

#honkai star rail #acheron #robin #acherobin #RAIDEN MEI EXPY X BIRD ASSOCIATED WOMAN NAME A BETTER COMBO #im gonna laugh (cry) SO hard if these two dont even interact with eachother in the main quest #my real villain arc begins fr this time #probably #maybe #please i just need one popular pairing to be obsessed with that isnt COMPLETELY fueled from personal delusion im on my hands n knees beggin #these two are my only hope because my god am i perpetually starved of content of pairings my one braincell decided to latch onto #anyways these r kinda ass but im posting anyways bc they're the only things i can churn out that look pretty decent enough LMAO

[eilidh-eternal]

need simon “mean dom” riley to flick my forehead and tell me ‘bad girl’ for some trivial offense like leaving a light on

this is also just normal price behavior btw, that man is soooo condescending

#I swear I would actually write something if these two weren’t playing tug of war with my one and only braincell #simon riley x reader #john price x reader

[batsyheere]

I keep imagining this one scene- usually its Jason or Tim or Damian, or all the Batboys or the Batfam sitting there with cultists or the league trying to summon the ghost king- but put it as just Dick who is a little surprised that he passed the requirement of having died so he can be used to summon this eldritch being that rules the dead.

And when he's bound, placed in front of a Lazarus pit and everyone is still trying to reach him, the being is summoned- and Danny just lurches through the pit hacking and spitting and cursing because this ectoplasm is nasty, what have you people been doing to it?

And the cultists are expecting Pariah Dark. They demand he takes them to the real ghost king. And Dick just has to watch this being with snow white hair and glowing green eyes start to float up and take this sheen of other to him as he goes "yeah no".

And Dick is maybe a little drugged, and has a concussion, but he feels he has an excuse for what comes out of his mouth.

"Nightwing, come in. What's going on?"

"B, I think I found your next kid. I'm gonna marry him. Even if he climbed out of a Lazarus pit and looks a little spooky."

"-what?!"

#danny phantom #dp x dc #batman #fic ideas #dick grayson #danny fenton #the funny part of this is that i just imagine clockwork in the background watching this and going #ah yes this is going to be funny #danny has no clue and is just concerned about the gotham vigilante they tried to sacrifice #the bat clan just shows up to see a clingy dick grayson wrapped around a glowing being who looks a little panicked #danny is on the phone with his own team just asking how to handle this #tucker and sam: get some danny #danny: get some? ice? meds? what? #valerie in the back: another one falls for his charms and he is unaware how is life fair #jazz with the other three braincells of the group since danny has only the one rn: alright the first step is to check for confusion

[yangjeongin]

HYUNJIN x ESQUIRE KOREA

#stray kids #createskz #bystay #staysource #dancerachasource #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin #*mary #*edit #only reason i edited these was 1. i saw carlys text post. 2. i spent 5 hours helping my niece do her homework #and i needed to do something that required less than 2 braincells before going to sleep. #my one and only chill activity of my only free day in the week :) live love laugh or whatever i guess. gnight #*hits #*hyunjin #*mary:hyunjin

[dunnowho180125]

I absolutely love (Zukka or not) fanfics in which Zuko has very dubious talents like lockpicking or pickpocketing or shady bargaining and being generally good with boats and where he doesn’t always live the lavish lifestyle of a prince and where Sokka is the one who can put shit together in nature and who can actually hunt and know what to eat and whatnot and is super good at geography and-

#atla zuko #atla zukka #atla sokka #sokka #zuko #prince zuko #zukka #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #Zuko would know how to pick locks because Blue Spirit #Sokka and Zuko share 3 braincells with one whos only utility is insulting each other #Also Zuko cusses like a sailor #Sokka was vERY SURPRISED that the noble prince could be this vulgar #Zuko would break them out of jail then accidentally eat a poisonous berry and Sokka would be like: #hOW CAN U BE THIS SMART BUT THIS DUMB??!

[kitocrystal]

I'm tired.

#kitos art #fanart #dc #jason todd #red hood #tim drake #robin #people forget that jason and tim never had any positive connections until much later AFTER tim became robin #at the start tim didn't give that much of a frick for jason's robin #while jason would ofc only know of tim's existence after his resurrection #people thinking jason is tim's favorite makes my chest ache with pain #because they removed a special connection that tim had with dick #some fanon stuff are good #but this one #i dont agree with #and continue to deny it exists #this fanon sucks #tags were edited mere minutes after this was posted #bc i wrote it on half a braincell #jason was never tim's favorite #fight me on that bc i will die on this hill

[beccel]

Deleted scene from Passion...

#miraculous ladybug #GabeNath #well kind of... if you squint #gabriel agreste #mlb gabriel #mlb nathalie #nathalie sancoeur #adrien agreste #mlb Adrien #sorry Marinette but I doubt Adrien would want a girlfriend after seeing this... #Nathalie is the only one with braincells in this household #mlb mayura #mlb hawk moth

[natelia-aldelliz]

Ghost : Ok, why do you baby Gaz so much, you do know he's a grown man, right?

Price : Oh come on, first off I don't baby him, second, jealousy doesn't suit you, third, he's the youngest of us, it's only normal that I watch over him a bit more, he's basically a baby, he just turned 27 last week!

Gaz : Damn, don't remind me, I feel old. But also like, maybe it's because he's the youngest sibling, but I do feel older than Soap most days, to be honest.

Price : Well yeah, you two are very close in age, but Soap's actually gonna turn 29 later this year, right Soap?

Soap :

Price : ... Soap?

Soap : Yep, sorry, yeah, wasn't paying attention, sure, I'm gonna be uh... 28? Wait no, that was last year, 29 right, ahah...

Ghost :

Gaz :

Price :

Soap : *avoids eye contact*

Price : How old are you son?

Soap : 29?

Gaz : Aren't you supposed to be 28...?

Soap : Ahah, yeah, that's what I meant, I'm 28, I'm gonna be 29... right?

Ghost : You're lying aren't you. You look like you're lying. Price, he's lying.

Price : What's your birth year?

Soap :

Price : ....

Soap, visibly counting on his fingers : 1994 !

Ghost, staring at Price with his look(tm) :

Gaz : Wait, you don't know your birth year by heart?

Ghost : No, he just doesn't remember the lie he said.

Soap : Come on, LT, what do you mean, a lie, I'm just your average 29 years old man, born in 1994, what do you want me to say?

Ghost : Johnny, you'd be born in 1993 if you were 29, I mean, if you didn't also lie about your birthday.

Soap :

Price, having had enough of today already : Okay, how old are you really. What's your real birth year.

Soap : ..... 1996 ?

Gaz : I'M NOT THE FUCKING BABY ANYMORE THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE !!!

Ghost, concerned : You're 26 ?? But your file said you've been in active duty for 10 years !

Soap : Yep 😁👍

Ghost :

Soap : Funny story, I was actually 15 when i enrolled, cause it was before my birthday, but yeah.

Ghost :

Soap : Don't look at Price like that, he knew all about me ~allegedly~ kidnapping a military officer and still wanted me, he's not gonna push me out because my joints are gonna hurt two years later than he originally thought.

Gaz : Wait, no, back up, you did what to a military officer?

Soap : Oh, I never told you? Yeah, he was really pissing me off, you know how it is-

Price : I'm going back to bed.

#cod mw2 #simon ghost riley #captain john price #kyle gaz garrick #john soap mactavish #ghostsoap #soapghost #i have this problem around 6 am where i think i'm hilarious when i'm actually just delirious #anyway i had this bit into my head for a while; thought i'd share #price is their dad i don't make the rules #he also hates his children (that's not true he loves them tho he does prefer farah by far) #(she's the only one that can get a turn with the 141 braincells and only bc she already has her own)

[beanghostprincess]

zoro's brain: luffy, swords, kuina, booze, sleep, luffy, swords, kuina, booze, sleep, luffy, swords, kuina, booze, sleep, where the fuck am i at? luffy, swords, kuina, booze, sleep, luffy, swords, kuina, booze, i swear this is the right direction, sleep, luffy, swords, kuina, booze, sleep, luffy, swords, kuina, booze, stupid crew they got lost again without me, sleep, luffy, swords, kuina, booze, sleep, luffy, swords, kuina, booze, sl-

#this is his only braincell #zoro does not think zoro just exists #when i first started watching op i thought he was smart bc he seemed quiet #he isn't #and i love him for that #one piece #zolu #roronoa zoro #opla #monkey d luffy

[justaz]

lancelot and leon share the braincell. they occasionally give it to the others and let them take turns using it. elyan gets it most often, merlin gets it second often. percival gets it here and there but doesn’t know what to do with it so leon and lancelot only give it to him on slow days and when they’re bored and wanna have fun. arthur only gets it when merlin isn’t around bc if merlin is around then his mere presence is enough to cancel it out. gwaine refuses to take it.

#mordred packed his own braincell #its just always focused on emrys. emrys is tempted to steal it and eat it. mordred thinks thats awesome. #shared custody of the braincell #idiots of the round table #knights of the round table #merlin emrys #arthur pendragon #sir lancelot #sir leon #leon the long suffering #sir percival #sir elyan #sir gwaine #sir mordred #gwen has two (2) braincells. morgana has half of one and it only works on even days. #bbc merlin #merthur #theyre all so goddamn stupid

[mymycorrhizae]

Tankhun really caring about Pete

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #tankhun theerapanyakul #tankhun #kpedit #pete #kinnporscheedit #once again tankhun only one with braincells