I have officially completed my summer courses!! now I get to enjoy two weeks off before my next semester starts, the longest break I've had since the week and a half I had last december. I...might have a problem
living in a basement apartment sucks for a lot of reasons but it is nice that it's going to be 98 fucking degrees today and I can just hide out in my apartment about it
So I'm about to post the next chapter of The Avatar and the Fire Prince (which is going to be The Siege of the North, Part 2) and I thought it would be nice to post this as a little sneak peak for Book 3: Earth since that will be starting very soon :)
I'm planning on Book 3 starting in the late spring of 98 AG, and it will likely span until summer of 99 AG, one year before Sozin's Comet arrives. This is how I imagine Zuko and Aang look about halfway into the Book, so the former is 15, and the latter is 14.
I wasn't sure what to do with Zuko's hairstyle initially, because even by the start of this Book, it will have been a year and a half since he first cut off his ponytail. For reference, as of the end of Book 2: Water, he basically has his canon Book 3 hair (actually probably a bit longer). I ended up giving him a nice little half up-do (kinda Rangi-inspired, but more Earth Kingdom) for this Book since I think it's a pretty realistic style for what his hair length would be at this point.
For Aang, I wanted to give him a new outfit as well, and ended up just slapping the earthebending clothes he gets from Master Yu's academy but recoloring them orange lol. I really like how it turned out tbh!
I keep saying this in the notes of my most recent chapters, but I literally cannot overstate just how excited I am to get into Book 3: Earth lol. Book 2 is my absolute favorite Book in the original show (probably because that's when I started watching it), and there's so many fun plot points and twists that I have planned (including Zukaang developments, of course). I think a lot of y'all are going to enjoy it :)
Warnings: eventual smut (these chapters will only be posted let alone WRITTEN after he’s turned 19 and I don’t mean right away I ain’t like that), profanity, mentions of abuse, descriptive violence, protagonists hate each other, Jungwon is an absolute ass, both come from filthy rich families :)
Pairings: Jungwon x fem!bodied reader
Summary:
It’s the summer of 98 and you could name a thousand places you’d rather be. Unfortunately, it’s rather difficult to think about anything when your nemesis is perched lazily in the hammock beside you, spewing empty insults in your ear in effort to get a rise out of you. Meet Yang Jungwon.
Your nemesis.
Your competition.
Your Achilles Heel.
Or to put him simply; an arrogant twat.
Where a four week trip through Bora-Bora initially excited you, the realisation that Mr Yang, your fathers close friend and business partner, and his wife would be joining you for the trip was little more than disappointing. Especially when you discover their arrogant ass of a son will be accompanying them.
Set on humiliating you in front of both of your families, Jungwon sees this trip as a golden opportunity to do one thing……
To get even.
Turns out spreading a rather nasty rumour about him last Spring has come back to bite you in the ass……
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CHAPTER ONE:
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Cold air licks softly at my skin, tracing the outline of my collarbones with affection.
I sigh, finding solace in my surroundings as I hear faint laughter from the front of the yacht.
I suspect they’re discussing work.
My father and Mr Yang only ever spoke of three things. Work, money or marketing. I suppose being two of New York’s biggest attorneys, they can’t help but entertain such discussion.
My mother and I both knew from day one that my father prioritised his job over his family. And honestly, we didn’t mind, by the time I turned thirteen we were living in the most prestigious area of Manhattan. My father, a big time attorney. My mother, a former Miss Universe. The perfect family.
I sense a struggle beside me.
“What do you want, Jungwon?”
The boy beside me groans, feigning irritation as he tries to look over my hammock. “I want you to move your fatass head out of the way, our gorgeous neighbours are trying to greet us and you’re blocking the view.”
I flip him off, casting a glance over my shoulder to have a look for myself.
Oh, your neighbours were trying to greet you alright.
Four barely-clothed skanks wave from the deck of a smooth white Savarona, giggling and calling out for Jungwon in effort to show off their "natural" breasts. I roll my eyes and turn my gaze back to my book. “If by gorgeous you mean made entirely of plastic, then sure.”
Jungwon scoffs, sinking back into his hammock with a smug smile. “You’re just jealous that they know how to get a man’s attention and hold it for more than 5 seconds.”
Asshole.
Smiling at my silence, he tosses his keychain in the air, catching it swiftly before taking a swig of champagne from his glass.
“At least I didn’t beg my daddy to waste four grand on a pair of lopsided titties.” I can’t help but swallow a smile as Jungwon chokes on his drink, doubling over in laughter.
“Y/N!” My mother gasps, arm in arm with Mrs. Yang as they emerge from the corner.
“You would think she wouldn’t dare make such crude comments before a guest,” she remarks to Jungwon’s mother, who smiles gently and waves me off.
“It’s no bother,” she chuckles, “Y/N is just honest with her emotions. It’s…..refreshing.” She sends me a warm smile to which I quickly return.
It’s funny like that, I suppose.
She’s always on my side, just as my mother is always on Jungwon’s.
Much to her disappointment, Mrs Yang’s family consisted of only her husband and her four sons, with Jungwon’s younger brothers being six and eight years of age, while his older brother Heeseung had just become a sophomore at Yale last spring. But it was no secret that she had always longed for a daughter.
In many ways, I suppose I’m the closest thing she has to one.
Ever so sadly for my parents, however, their dreams of having a son were crushed the second the doctors made it clear that I would be their first and final child.
My father wanted a son most, of course. But unlike my mother, he gradually developed a soft spot for me when I became infatuated with law at the age of seven.
Much to my misfortune, my mother detested the idea of having a daughter. She knew any female offspring of hers would gradually grow to be her competition equal.
I suppose years of harsh pageantry had devoured any compassion she had left. Beauty can do that to a women.
Blinded by her obsessive perfectionism, my mother gradually taught herself that beauty was her only ticket to a better life.
And so, four months into her midterms, she came to one simple conclusion; eat or be eaten.
And so she ate.
Wealthy boys, smart boys, boys of power, boys of beauty. You name it.
She ate them all.
Although, unsurprisingly, she was simply never full. Insatiable as they called her.
A trail of broken hearts and hundred dollar bills meant little to her considering a rather delicious rumour had spread about the college new boy. It didn’t take long for word of his fortune to spread across the school and before he knew it, my father was being cornered in the lecture hall by my mother.
Some love story.
Although, to be fair, I highly doubt my mother knows anything about love.
But where she preached manipulation and the importance of social standing, Mrs Yang believed in her spiritual connection to god and his compassion for the less fortunate. Whether by means of charity or donation, offering up something of value to the poor was always sure to win over her respect.
And so that’s exactly what I did.
Spending my early adolescence chasing after her affection like a fool, I floundered money on charities as though nothing else mattered. I had to have her. The way she looked at her husband, the way she looked at her boys. I wanted her to look at me like that.
Like a mother.
A real one, at least.
But while my steadfast infatuation for Mrs Yang rose, so too did the hostility between her son and I.
I first met Jungwon at our first combined Christmas dinner.
He was being a little shit, as per usual. Skidding across his fathers marble floor as his brother chased him through the corridors. I don’t remember much other than him receiving a rather hilarious scolding from his mother.
Of course, the first time we met isn’t all that memorable to me, since I was much too fascinated with Jungwon’s older brother, Heeseung.
Calm, polite and incredibly likeable. I didn’t understand at first. How could someone so handsome, so relaxed be related to someone like Jungwon?
I wanted to scream.
Why….
Why couldn’t it be Heeseung swinging beside me?
But no, reality punches me square in the face and I’m back in the yacht, back in the hammock, back beside his arrogant ass of a brother.
Our mothers remain fixed before us, one cruel and one kind, both impervious to my daydreaming.
Graced with elegance, as usual, they slowly continue on with their rounds, my mother giving me a stern glare as she rounds the corner, gnawing away away at Mrs Yang’s sanity with her endless bore.
I glance over to the hammock beside me.
Jungwon, as per usual, is long gone, leaving his empty hammock to swing in desolation.
I find myself sinking into a deep, beautiful dream where I push him overboard and smile as the sharks eat him alive, only to realise that I am one of them.
And like my mother, I shall eat.
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Authors note:
HOLY SHAT guys finally I published something!!!!!!!! Me so happy!!! I know it didn’t have a lot of Jungwon or anything so there will be a lot more of that in Chapter Two :) Hope you guys liked it, I’ll be posting an update soon about the next chapter ;)
PS: I’ve decided to repost a few Jungwon edits at the end of every chapter (none belong to me) since one of y’all kept asking so nicely~
i was going to make a joke about how the thing is, if you're going to make the drakes old gotham money (which they were not) and tim tim-drake-of-the-gotham-city-drakes-who-live-up-in-the-house-on-the-hill, he still wouldn't go to gotham academy, he'd still most definitely be a boarding school kid, except he'd be going to boarding school in switzerland instead of the local ones. but then i got to thinking. why did renowned travelers jack and janet put tim in local boarding schools versus international? obviously, from an outside standpoint it's simple: so tim could be close to gotham for the events of alpod and his training period, along with further framing the drakes as rich but not ridiculous rich like bruce is (tim goes to fancy private boarding school, but it's a local one, not a super exclusive foreign one that, like, royalty attends). however, from an in-universe standpoint, i thought of a couple different options for this:
the boring, non canon one would be: jack and janet hated tim all along!! god forbid he be in school anywhere near them, they might have to remember they have a child! he needs to be at least halfway around the world away from them at all times. besides, tim only gets 98 on his tests and the drakes don't need that kind of embarrassment on an international level.
anyways, seriously. the first option would be maybe the drakes wanted him to do international schooling but *tim* pushed to stay close to gotham with his schooling, to better keep track of batman and robin. jack and janet then probably respected his wishes to stay close to gotham and looked for more local ones. tim has an attachment to gotham and they want to indulge him, since they're sending him to boarding school--may as well try and make sure tim's happy with it. this would mean that they listen to their son's input on matters of schooling.
the second option would be that *jack and janet* had an attachment to gotham city, and wanted tim to go to a boarding school nearby as gotham city was *their* home base. they do have several apartments in the city itself, and seemed to enjoy going downtown and doing things in town with tim. also, from a convenience standpoint, if tim is close to gotham, it becomes much easier for them to pick him up and bring him home to spend time together when they're home between trips. pros to this include the fact that when jack, tim, and dana moved to keystone temporarily, jack even admitted he hated living there because it wasn't as good as gotham to him. so it's possible that they just really like gotham city and wanted tim to stay in the area, because they grew up there and they love it or something.
now, we don't actually know that all of tim's boarding schools were near gotham. we only know that the final one was driving distance and local to gotham. however. whenever his parents were home, tim mentions that he would be with them, so he can't have been ridiculously out of the way, and tim never mentions having to take a flight back to gotham for spring or summer breaks, and i believe references growing up in gotham so he probably never attended school in like. california or anything. so i'm inclined to think they were mostly local schools. now interestingly, post-janet's death, during cry of the huntress, jack's kneejerk reaction is to send tim to a boarding in metropolis in order to get tim away from 1) whoever is beating him up 2) bruce wayne, who jack thinks might be beating his son up, which metropolis is a little farther than local but probably still just a drive away. and during the brentwood arc, where tim is back at a local boarding school that jack got him into, after the whole kobra cult thing jack threatens to send tim to a school in haiti (which, rude jack. did you forget your wife died there?), so not local at all. it's possible, of the two, janet was the one who pushed for tim to be in a school closer to gotham whereas jack probably cared a bit less where tim went.
i think i fall on it's a mix of tim probably didn't want to go somewhere too far and the drakes also didn't want tim to go to school far away (so they could see him easily when they were home). anyways. things i think about. tim's boarding school years fascinate me.
Welcome! Grab yourself some dragon-hide gloves and a pair of earmuffs. All stories listed below can be found on AO3, and occasionally in other places. For recommendations, search this blog for #fic recs, or feel free to ask!
🌳 Multi-Chapter:
‣ Chasing (WIP) - Ginny Weasley POV. Post-war navigation of life, career, and identity (playlist)
🌿 One-Shot:
‣ Good Enough - Arthur POV, Fifteen 100-word drabbles for his daughter
‣ Harbor - Bill and Fleur post-wedding, DH missing moment
‣ Judas (WIP) - Percy POV, DH missing moment
‣ Defiance - Neville POV, Hogwarts, DH missing moment
‣ Surrender - Ginny POV, Hogwarts, DH missing moment (⚠ Dark)
‣ Standard Operating Procedure - Gred and Forge slice of life, DH missing moment
‣ Exodus - Molly POV, evacuating the Burrow, DH missing moment
‣ Clocks - Charlie POV, the Burrow, post-war musings
‣ In Search of an Oak - Hinny, post-war reunion, songfic
‣ Coming Up for Air - Hinny, late night talks, post-war (1/3)
‣ Like Circles on Water - Harry&Hermione, post-battle healing (2/3)
‣ Drowning - Hinny, late night soul-baring, spring '98 (3/3)
‣ Bookends - Bill and Ginny, coming-of-age and grief, summer '98
‣ Career Advice (Revisited) - Hinny, the Burrow, summer '98
‣ Flour, Butter, Sugar, Salt - Harry POV, Weasley post-war Christmas
‣ twenty-two - Hinny seaside holiday, quarter-life crisis, summer '02
‣ A Soft Place to Land- Hinny, pre-epilogue slice of life (⚠ NSFW)
🌱 Microfic:
‣ Withered - Hinny slices of life (ft. special plant cameo)
‣ Fear - Golden Trio, post-war Hinny fluff
‣ Goodbye - Ginny&Neville, GoF missing moment
‣ Today (In Search of an Oak) - One-shot precursor, post-battle Hinny reunion
‣ Forbidden - Neville POV, forest vibes, DH missing moment
🍃Headcanon and Meta:
‣ Gin and Nev... A Friendship Forged in Fire
‣ Population in the Wizarding World
Ok I've realised what's bothering me about people reposting my scans - it's that I have absolutely no indication that it's happened. Ask for permission.
From left to right, top row followed by bottom, I have selected my four favorite looks after reviewing those who showed for Paris Fashion Week 23'.
Look one: Issey Miyake Spring 2024 RTW (Look 20) by Satoshi Kondo
This is something I would wear everyday if I could. An iconic Japanese silhouette, with a long top or dress reaching a mid thigh, either paired with a wide leg trouser or straight tailored long skirt. I also adore asymmetrical sleeves and ruching around the hips, providing the body contour and definition.
Collection Notes: Aside from this look, the whole collection was so special and meaningful after the passing of Miyake just last summer. It was an homage to Miyake's iconic Spring 1998, beginning as a quite literal, almost replication of some of the gowns. 98' was unforgettable; it was as if the models were trying to escape the sheer veiled gowns they were clothed in, posing with their limbs and faces completely covered and restricted. Kondo could not have delivered a more beautiful and timely tribute.
Look two: Marni Spring 2024 RTW (Look 14) by Francesco Risso
I will always fall head over heels for a mini dress that has a fit and cut like this. In some ways, this look reminds me of early Prada, simple girly (yet chic) silhouettes and plaid motifs, but what's new is the mini v-neck, giving a sporty edge. If you look closely at the shoes, you'll see a white leather ballet flat with embossed ribbon-style bows, which obviously I want on my feet right now. This entire look. Right now. As for the rest of the collection? A total skip.
Look three: Loewe Spring 2024 RTW (Look 21) by Jonathan Anderson
The more I look at this, the more I drool over an asymmetrical tutu-skirt paired with a cherry-red plaid collared shirt. Not to mention a cashmere (I'm guessing) moss green sweater tying a fresh and exciting color palette together. The mules, I can skip. Same with the bag, I'm all good. Not to say both are not showing Loewe though, or speaking to Jonathan Anderson's very specific design language. I liked every variation of this look.
Collection notes: Super high-waisted trousers were also a sight to see, paired with the same buttoned-to-the-top collared shirts. The collection wasn't loose or relaxed in anyway, however, it also wasn't uptight, despite blazers with pockets in restraining positions and large-knit sweaters missing armholes. There were even gold belts made out of nails, going through leather shorts, and yet somehow, Anderson creates equilibrium between the slouchy and over-refined.
Look four: Prada Spring 2024 RTW (Look 37) by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simmons
Out of about five favorites, I decided on this look because I believe it best encompasses something I would choose to put on, and includes my favorite highlight from the show; fringe. It's not just fringe though. Its beaded fringe, and in other parts of the collection metallic and printed fringe, even fringe to create collars on shirts! The choice of throwing a clunky leather jacket over is just good juxtaposition, matched with black patent leather pumps. Get this look on somebody cool now.
Collection Notes: My personal highlights were specifically shoulder draping, eclectic fringe (as mentioned,) fluffy pastel layered mesh, and classic Prada embellishments such as punched-out metal holes in various sizes. There were however a few floral patterns I absolutely despised, so it turns out, perhaps, Prada can do some wrong? Or perhaps Miuccia can, because Miu Miu 2024 RTW was absolutely horrendous.