Rebecca Hb. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beckyh2112) wrote2009-08-12 06:28 pm
beckyh2112) wrote2009-08-12 06:28 pm
[Avatar Fic] Flint
I need a Lu Ten icon.
Title: Flint
Characters: Jet, Lu Ten, Ozai, Zuko, Ursa, Azula, assorted unnamed Firefolk extras
Rating: G
Word Count: 2200+ words
Summary: Captain Mongke of the Rough Rhinos brings Prince Lu Ten an Earth boy. Lu Ten decides to keep him.
Author's Note: This was written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
calicojane on the request me to write you something meme. It just got way too long, and I didn't feel like cutting it up into multiple comments.
---
***
When Jet is seven, his entire world goes up in flames. The Fire Nation kills his parents and steals him from his people. The leader of the riders gives him to his leader, who is stocky and grinning and has eyes like the depths of a burning hell.
His name is Lu Ten, and he says Jet is his now. He tells Jet he will be treated well, but the next thing he does is have Jet stripped of his greens and forced into reds. Jet fights tooth-and-nail, but he is a child against the adult woman who manages supplies. In the end, he wears red.
It's ugly, he decides. Red is the ugliest color in the world.
***
***
He's not sure when he stops climbing to get away from the Firefolk and starts climbing for the fun of it. He is sure that it drives Lu Ten crazy, no matter why he's doing it, so Jet is happy either way.
Lu Ten isn't bad, he's decided. Well, for Fire. But the people with Lu Ten are all weird for Firefolk. None of them have tempers, and they mostly just use their firebending for fighting or useful campwork stuff. No one destroys stuff just for the fun of it. And there's women fighting, but the women are still women and the men are still men. Strange men and strange women.
The food still feels like fire going down, and he thinks maybe Lu Ten is trying to make him into Firefolk by feeding it to him.
Jet figures since he still doesn't like it, Lu Ten's plot isn't working too well.
***
***
Jet has been living with Lu Ten for a year, riding with the older man on his rhino and watching him plan and oversee battles. He's taken to mislaying some of the messages Lu Ten asks him to run, the ones that coordinate Fire Nation attacks on the Earth Kingdom.
He hopes Lu Ten doesn't catch on, because he doesn't want the older man to give him the disappointed look he'll give misbehaving soldiers. But it's wrong to do nothing for his own people.
"You need to learn to fight," Lu Ten says one day.
Jet blinks at him, then across at the fort's drill-field where some firebenders are practicing. "I can't."
"Not like that. With weapons." Then Lu Ten takes him to the fort's quartermaster, who sets him loose on the armory. "Find whatever suits you. There's no point in learning a weapon you hate."
Jet runs his hands over the weapons in the armory. He hefts a mace experimentally, and it reminds him comfortingly of earth but it doesn't feel right. A spear feels nice but it takes both hands to use just one, and a bow feels almost-perfect and also gut-wrenchingly wrong. Knives get closer to right, but they're too short, they've got no reach.
The pair of hatchets is interesting, but he's already thinking by then it's going to be swords. The jian swords like Lu Ten uses are nice, but not meant to pair. He doesn't think about why he wants something for both hands, and neither Lu Ten nor the quartermaster ask. He knows why Lu Ten fights with only one sword, of course; Lu Ten firebends with his empty hand.
He holds the twin dao swords thoughtfully, thinking they're what he wants, and his eyes catch a curve of metal. He drops the dao swords and heedlessly pulls out the pair of swords hiding in the back. His arms get a bit cut on the other swords' edges, but then he pulls out a pair of tiger-hook swords.
"I want to use these!"
***
***
Half a year after Jet turns eight, Lu Ten takes him to the Fire Nation. The sea-voyage is... interesting. Jet spends most of it as high up as he can get, staring back towards the Earth Kingdom. But it slips away into the ocean, and while water all around is terrifying if he thinks about it, he's mostly thinking about what lies ahead.
The first thing he thinks when he sets foot on the Fire Nation is that it's really hot. It's been hot for days, but somehow being on land again makes it real.
Then Lu Ten took him for lunch at a local tavern.
He'd been getting used to the food Firefolk ate. Apparently, though, what they ate in the Earth Kingdom was mild by their standards.
Jet didn't stop regarding the food distrustfully for days.
***
***
"He's going to kill me," Jet mutters after Lu Ten takes him away from meeting his aunt and uncle. Ursa is nice, he supposes, or as nice as such a woman can be. She's actually less scary than Lady Zolena, Lu Ten's mother.
Ozai was polite, and Jet wishes he'd been less polite because then the man would have spoken to him less. Focused on him less. Those crazy gold eyes would have been looking at someone else instead of him.
"Are you worried about Uncle Ozai?" Lu Ten asks. "Yeah, he didn't seem to like you." The older man shrugs. "'Course, he only likes Ursa and his kids, and I'm not really sure how much he actually likes his kids. But he'll be polite - you're just a kid, and you're my kid."
"No, I'm not," Jet says because he still sometimes forgets to think before he talks.
Lu Ten gives him a hurt look.
Jet plows forward since he might as well keep going now that he's gotten it started, "You've never adopted me."
Lu Ten stops, then settles down on his haunches so he can look Jet in the eye. "Look, Jet, I would if I could. But one, my grandfather would never let me; two, all the nobles would scream bloody murder if I did; and three, you really would need to be afraid of Uncle Ozai if I did. After my betrothed died, I promised him Zuko would be my heir. He would kill you to protect his son's interests."
Jet nods, knowing he'll understand more of this when he's older. What he understands now is infuriating enough.
It's not fair. He doesn't want to be Firelord. He just wants to be Lu Ten's real son.
Lu Ten stands and hmms. "Azula and her friends are probably out in the garden, but we can meet them later. Let's go find Zuko."
***
***
Zuko is a dork.
He gets bullied by his younger sister, by turtleducks, and probably by passing breezes. He throws himself into doing everything like he'll be set on fire if he doesn't give it his all, and he still pretty much sucks at firebending. He wears his hair like a girl, too, except Lu Ten says a long phoenix-tail isn't anymore girly than Ozai's long hair.
Jet stops comparing Zuko's hair to girls back home after that.
Zuko's pretty good with his swords, though, even if it took Jet forever and a day to get the other boy to even admit he had them. They're practicing when Azula comes along, and Jet finds out why Zuko doesn't like to admit he uses swords.
Of course, since Zuko is such a nancy-boy, it falls on Jet to tell Azula to scram and call her names until she gets so angry she tries to fry him. Then Zuko puts him out, and Ursa comes along and snaps at all three of them, but mostly at Azula.
Lu Ten tells him he's strutting like a peacock later, grinning with clear amusement and approval.
***
***
When Jet is ten, his entire world goes down under stone. Lu Ten dies besieging Ba Sing Se, Firelord Azulon dies the night they receive the news, and Ozai takes the throne. Lu Ten's father, whom Jet has never met, should have had it, everyone whispers, but Azulon did make Ozai his heir before he died.
It's as ugly as red, and so obvious to Jet's eyes what happened.
The morning after the world ends, Ozai stands in his doorway, and Jet wishes his hook-swords were closer. The older man wears a white robe, a mourning robe.
"You're very fortunate," Ozai says. "Lu Ten never formally claimed you as his own."
That is all he says before leaving. Jet gathers his swords and his best traveling clothes, then sneaks down to the kitchens to get some food and hide it. He's not sure when they'll make him leave, but he'll be ready for when they do.
But no one comes. No one does anything. They're not ignoring him, exactly, but no one has time for an Earth Kingdom boy. At least not until the day of the funeral.
"You will wear white as befits a prince mourning his grandfather," Ozai says. "The Seneschal will instruct you in what to do."
Jet glances in confusion at the woman in red armor-like ceremonial robes. "Lu Ten never-"
"No, Lu Ten never did. And now Iroh never will," Ozai says and leaves.
Jet looks at the empty doorway in confusion, then turns to the Seneschal. She is a woman younger than Zolena but older than Ursa, one hand broken and scarred as if it had been pierced by a thousand knives. Some of the guards speak of her with reverence - she fought with Azulon, it seems.
She has been neither kind nor unkind towards Jet, and today does not change that. "Firelord Ozai has claimed you as his own."
-End-
Title: Flint
Characters: Jet, Lu Ten, Ozai, Zuko, Ursa, Azula, assorted unnamed Firefolk extras
Rating: G
Word Count: 2200+ words
Summary: Captain Mongke of the Rough Rhinos brings Prince Lu Ten an Earth boy. Lu Ten decides to keep him.
Author's Note: This was written for
calicojane on the request me to write you something meme. It just got way too long, and I didn't feel like cutting it up into multiple comments.---
Hail, Crown Prince Iroh, Dragon of the West, Scourge of the Earth Kingdom, Conqueror of Guoyin, Dragon-Slayer, Son of Fire and Flame,
Tell me when you get to be Firelord I can just call you Firelord in these letters, Father. I know you'll be lying, but tell it to me anyway.
Also, tell me I can't strangle my Chief of Staff for insisting I maintain all formality. The fact that there are very good reasons to maintain the illusion of formality doesn't make it less annoying.
Province has been conquered, locals put to fire and sword when they resisted. Captain Mongke brought me back a kid, and I've decided to keep him. Not formally adopted, since I know you're going to ask. Grandfather wouldn't let me even if you would.
- Heir-Presumptive to the Crown Prince, Lu Ten
***
When Jet is seven, his entire world goes up in flames. The Fire Nation kills his parents and steals him from his people. The leader of the riders gives him to his leader, who is stocky and grinning and has eyes like the depths of a burning hell.
His name is Lu Ten, and he says Jet is his now. He tells Jet he will be treated well, but the next thing he does is have Jet stripped of his greens and forced into reds. Jet fights tooth-and-nail, but he is a child against the adult woman who manages supplies. In the end, he wears red.
It's ugly, he decides. Red is the ugliest color in the world.
***
Father,
Screw formality, this is a hawk-note, not a letter.
He is climbing everything! I don't know whether to be amused or appalled. He's quick-footed and very sure of himself, but Agni, sometimes I think he's going to break his neck getting back down. And he slipped the other day! Slipped! He fell almost fifteen feet before he caught himself on a lower branch, and his hands were skinned raw!
Don't you dare send back another letter full of 'I told you sos'.
- Lu Ten
***
He's not sure when he stops climbing to get away from the Firefolk and starts climbing for the fun of it. He is sure that it drives Lu Ten crazy, no matter why he's doing it, so Jet is happy either way.
Lu Ten isn't bad, he's decided. Well, for Fire. But the people with Lu Ten are all weird for Firefolk. None of them have tempers, and they mostly just use their firebending for fighting or useful campwork stuff. No one destroys stuff just for the fun of it. And there's women fighting, but the women are still women and the men are still men. Strange men and strange women.
The food still feels like fire going down, and he thinks maybe Lu Ten is trying to make him into Firefolk by feeding it to him.
Jet figures since he still doesn't like it, Lu Ten's plot isn't working too well.
***
Father,
Haaaaaaawknote.
Jet's picked out the weapons he wants to learn! A Heaven and Sun Moon Sword. Swords. Two of the hooked swords, used as a pair.
I'd like to train him to use them myself, but I only use the one sword. Speaking of which, how badly do you think Master Piandao is going to kill me for breaking his gift-sword?
- Lu Ten
***
Jet has been living with Lu Ten for a year, riding with the older man on his rhino and watching him plan and oversee battles. He's taken to mislaying some of the messages Lu Ten asks him to run, the ones that coordinate Fire Nation attacks on the Earth Kingdom.
He hopes Lu Ten doesn't catch on, because he doesn't want the older man to give him the disappointed look he'll give misbehaving soldiers. But it's wrong to do nothing for his own people.
"You need to learn to fight," Lu Ten says one day.
Jet blinks at him, then across at the fort's drill-field where some firebenders are practicing. "I can't."
"Not like that. With weapons." Then Lu Ten takes him to the fort's quartermaster, who sets him loose on the armory. "Find whatever suits you. There's no point in learning a weapon you hate."
Jet runs his hands over the weapons in the armory. He hefts a mace experimentally, and it reminds him comfortingly of earth but it doesn't feel right. A spear feels nice but it takes both hands to use just one, and a bow feels almost-perfect and also gut-wrenchingly wrong. Knives get closer to right, but they're too short, they've got no reach.
The pair of hatchets is interesting, but he's already thinking by then it's going to be swords. The jian swords like Lu Ten uses are nice, but not meant to pair. He doesn't think about why he wants something for both hands, and neither Lu Ten nor the quartermaster ask. He knows why Lu Ten fights with only one sword, of course; Lu Ten firebends with his empty hand.
He holds the twin dao swords thoughtfully, thinking they're what he wants, and his eyes catch a curve of metal. He drops the dao swords and heedlessly pulls out the pair of swords hiding in the back. His arms get a bit cut on the other swords' edges, but then he pulls out a pair of tiger-hook swords.
"I want to use these!"
***
Hail, Crown Prince Iroh, Dragon of the West, Scourge of the Earth Kingdom, Conqueror of Guoyin, Dragon-Slayer, Son of Fire and Flame,
All right, my campaign is done for now, and I've got various generals and admirals set up to maintain the provinces I've conquered, get them firmly established as part of the Fire Nation. I'm taking Jet back home to meet Mother and the rest of the family.
No, I'm not going to formally adopt him. I'm not even going to petition it. I know you think I should, but frankly, you're wrong.
- Heir-Presumptive to the Crown Prince, Lu Ten
***
Half a year after Jet turns eight, Lu Ten takes him to the Fire Nation. The sea-voyage is... interesting. Jet spends most of it as high up as he can get, staring back towards the Earth Kingdom. But it slips away into the ocean, and while water all around is terrifying if he thinks about it, he's mostly thinking about what lies ahead.
The first thing he thinks when he sets foot on the Fire Nation is that it's really hot. It's been hot for days, but somehow being on land again makes it real.
Then Lu Ten took him for lunch at a local tavern.
He'd been getting used to the food Firefolk ate. Apparently, though, what they ate in the Earth Kingdom was mild by their standards.
Jet didn't stop regarding the food distrustfully for days.
***
Father,
Letters from the Fire Nation take too long to get where you are.
Mother likes Jet. Ursa likes Jet. Ozai doesn't like Jet, but this didn't really surprise anyone. I think Azula likes Jet. Azula's little friend with the braid likes Jet but I think she likes everyone. Azula's other little friend maybe likes Jet but about all I'm sure of about Mai is she likes Zuko. Speaking of which, Zuko and Jet... Yeah.
- Lu Ten
***
"He's going to kill me," Jet mutters after Lu Ten takes him away from meeting his aunt and uncle. Ursa is nice, he supposes, or as nice as such a woman can be. She's actually less scary than Lady Zolena, Lu Ten's mother.
Ozai was polite, and Jet wishes he'd been less polite because then the man would have spoken to him less. Focused on him less. Those crazy gold eyes would have been looking at someone else instead of him.
"Are you worried about Uncle Ozai?" Lu Ten asks. "Yeah, he didn't seem to like you." The older man shrugs. "'Course, he only likes Ursa and his kids, and I'm not really sure how much he actually likes his kids. But he'll be polite - you're just a kid, and you're my kid."
"No, I'm not," Jet says because he still sometimes forgets to think before he talks.
Lu Ten gives him a hurt look.
Jet plows forward since he might as well keep going now that he's gotten it started, "You've never adopted me."
Lu Ten stops, then settles down on his haunches so he can look Jet in the eye. "Look, Jet, I would if I could. But one, my grandfather would never let me; two, all the nobles would scream bloody murder if I did; and three, you really would need to be afraid of Uncle Ozai if I did. After my betrothed died, I promised him Zuko would be my heir. He would kill you to protect his son's interests."
Jet nods, knowing he'll understand more of this when he's older. What he understands now is infuriating enough.
It's not fair. He doesn't want to be Firelord. He just wants to be Lu Ten's real son.
Lu Ten stands and hmms. "Azula and her friends are probably out in the garden, but we can meet them later. Let's go find Zuko."
***
Father,
I keep watching Jet and Zuko together and thinking of what it was like when I was a surly teenager, and Ozai was a pissed-off twenty-something who'd just lost an Agni Kai. Except it's not like that at all, and I can't tell if they're going to be best friends or worst enemies.
- Lu Ten
***
Zuko is a dork.
He gets bullied by his younger sister, by turtleducks, and probably by passing breezes. He throws himself into doing everything like he'll be set on fire if he doesn't give it his all, and he still pretty much sucks at firebending. He wears his hair like a girl, too, except Lu Ten says a long phoenix-tail isn't anymore girly than Ozai's long hair.
Jet stops comparing Zuko's hair to girls back home after that.
Zuko's pretty good with his swords, though, even if it took Jet forever and a day to get the other boy to even admit he had them. They're practicing when Azula comes along, and Jet finds out why Zuko doesn't like to admit he uses swords.
Of course, since Zuko is such a nancy-boy, it falls on Jet to tell Azula to scram and call her names until she gets so angry she tries to fry him. Then Zuko puts him out, and Ursa comes along and snaps at all three of them, but mostly at Azula.
Lu Ten tells him he's strutting like a peacock later, grinning with clear amusement and approval.
***
Uncle Ozai,
Father wants me to join him in the siege of Ba Sing Se. Will you watch over Jet while I'm gone? I don't think bringing him into the middle of that is a good idea. I'd ask Mother, but Jet and Zuko are getting along well, and both the kids need friends. Or do you remember how we were at that age?
- Lu Ten
***
When Jet is ten, his entire world goes down under stone. Lu Ten dies besieging Ba Sing Se, Firelord Azulon dies the night they receive the news, and Ozai takes the throne. Lu Ten's father, whom Jet has never met, should have had it, everyone whispers, but Azulon did make Ozai his heir before he died.
It's as ugly as red, and so obvious to Jet's eyes what happened.
The morning after the world ends, Ozai stands in his doorway, and Jet wishes his hook-swords were closer. The older man wears a white robe, a mourning robe.
"You're very fortunate," Ozai says. "Lu Ten never formally claimed you as his own."
That is all he says before leaving. Jet gathers his swords and his best traveling clothes, then sneaks down to the kitchens to get some food and hide it. He's not sure when they'll make him leave, but he'll be ready for when they do.
But no one comes. No one does anything. They're not ignoring him, exactly, but no one has time for an Earth Kingdom boy. At least not until the day of the funeral.
"You will wear white as befits a prince mourning his grandfather," Ozai says. "The Seneschal will instruct you in what to do."
Jet glances in confusion at the woman in red armor-like ceremonial robes. "Lu Ten never-"
"No, Lu Ten never did. And now Iroh never will," Ozai says and leaves.
Jet looks at the empty doorway in confusion, then turns to the Seneschal. She is a woman younger than Zolena but older than Ursa, one hand broken and scarred as if it had been pierced by a thousand knives. Some of the guards speak of her with reverence - she fought with Azulon, it seems.
She has been neither kind nor unkind towards Jet, and today does not change that. "Firelord Ozai has claimed you as his own."
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*Nuzzles the poor Jetling and scowls at Ozai, he ruins everything.*
I loved Lu Ten's letters to his father in this, you can sense the frustration and humor.
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Ozai is only doing what he canonically does! Well, except for what he does with Jet.
Writing Lu Ten's letters was fun. He's an interesting character to get inside the head of. ^_^
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Being an awful, mean, bastard? Yes, yes he is.
He would have been... a very different Fire Lord.
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He would have been, yes.
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Ozai adopted him?
*Sads for no Lu Ten the Fire Lord.*
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Yeses. For reasons that may or may not be verging on paranoia, depending on how you take FN politics.
Maybe in an alternate universe, babe. *cuddles him*
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Is he doing this just because Zuko is a weenie? Sort of like your AU where he made Zuko into a girl?
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Though I have to admit, I too am confused slightly by the ending.
And can't help wondering if Jet will still wander off to join the Freedom Fightersno subject
*cuddles Jet*
Yeah, I'm trying to think of how I can clarify the ending. It's unfortunately merely confusing rather than ambiguous, and while the pov character is just as confused as my audience is winding up being, the readers shouldn't be confused.
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*DID have to read it a couple times, admittedly*
But, um, Fire Nation Jet. <3333333333 SQUEE.
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^___^ *cuddles FN Jet and his adorability*
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*hearts on him*
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Your vote has been taken into account. We'll see what the other three say.
*really hates confusing her readers, but also does prefer the original ending point*
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
And it is PERFECT! I have never loved a no-series-face-time character like you have made me love Lu Ten with just the first letter! "Province has been conquered, locals put to fire and sword when they resisted. Captain Mongke brought me back a kid, and I've decided to keep him." Best. Adoption announcement. Ever! I can just picture Iroh's face! XDDD
And tiny!FireNation!Jet is the most adorable thing since the invention of the puppy! "He is climbing
everything
!" Oh Lu Ten, I don't blame your dad for saying 'I told you so'. You obviously had no idea what you were getting into! "Haaaaaaawknote." Bwahahahaha! Oh those poor hawks, they must be working their tailfeathers off!"The food still feels like fire going down, and he thinks maybe Lu Ten is trying to make him into Firefolk by feeding it to him.
Jet figures since he still doesn't like it, Lu Ten's plot isn't working too well." <3<3<3 He's such a little kid still, and it just makes me all sniffly that he's gotten the chance to be a kid. Of course, he's still Jet, so he mislays orders and is mystically drawn to his hook-swords and stays as high up as he can.
Also- "Speaking of which, Zuko and Jet... Yeah." Lu Ten: Master of Understatement. :) Also also- "It's not fair. He doesn't want to be Firelord. He just wants to be Lu Ten's real son." I can see the gut-punch coming from here, but I still adore how you fulfilled my request; Lu Ten loves Jet, Jet loves him, and he has helped Jet be less crazy. (Still a bit paranoid 'tho, but in this environment I think that will be a valuable survival trait.)
"I keep watching Jet and Zuko together and thinking of what it was like when I was a surly teenager, and Ozai was a pissed-off twenty-something who'd just lost an Agni Kai. Except it's not like that at all, and I can't tell if they're going to be best friends or worst enemies." I can't either, and I love you so much for that!
The whole section starting with: "Zuko is a dork." is so much love that it pretty much reduced me to incoherent wibbling in between bouts of giggles. *nancy-boy! bullied by passing breezes! girly hair! tiny!Azula is not amused! strutting like a peacock! Lu Ten approves!* <3<3<3<3<3 etc.
And there's the gut-punch that I knew was coming: "When Jet is ten, his entire world goes down under stone." Ow. Ow. I knew it was coming and it still hurt like hell. Oh, Jet.
"It's as ugly as red, and so obvious to Jet's eyes what happened." Jet's conspiracy radar serves him so much better in this world than it did in canon.
"'You will wear white as befits a prince mourning his grandfather,' Ozai says. 'The Seneschal will instruct you in what to do.'
Jet glances in confusion at the woman in red armor-like ceremonial robes. 'Lu Ten never-'
'No, Lu Ten never did. And now Iroh never will,' Ozai says and leaves."
Ozai, I don't think that you know what you've gotten into either. (But I suspect you're going to find out. The hard way.)
*i'm sure you realize that i will be pawing at you for more of this at the earliest opportunity. it's your own fault for being so fabulous.* >>
>^.^<
Re: SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
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I'm really glad you enjoy it this much. I was way uncertain of my Jet-characterization and of what people would think with how I handled Lu Ten's ultimate fate. Though, honestly, I think Ozai is going to do with Jet what he did with Zuko and Azula - ignore him. You can't expect the Firelord to raise his own kids, can you? (Ozai is a terrible father.)
The earliest opportunity probably won't be for several months. At the very least, not until I finish the current meme and probably not for a while after that.
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Of course I enjoy it! You might as well have Jet standing over your shoulder and dictating to you, you've got his voice down so well.
Oohhh, Ozai, I don't think that strategy's gonna work so well with Jet. He's already had a good daddy, so he wouldn't be spending all his time scrambling after crumbs of your approval. If you ignore him, that just means you won't know what he's up to until it's too late. >_> (Seriously, this is a kid who built his own guerrilla cell from nothing before his voice broke; if Ozai leaves him alone with the resources available to a prince of the Fire Nation, he deserves whatever he gets. ~_~)
*for this? i can be patient*
>^.^<
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Jet's a decent guerrilla leader and a skilled combatant, but this is really not a situation where either of those skillsets is useful.
Also, he's ten years old.
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I am interested in this AU! Although I would like to know more about why Lu Ten wanted a random EK boy around? Anyway, I'll be interested to see how it all continues. :D
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If it goes past "... and Iroh never will", then it was edited already when you read it.
It's not likely to continue except as people ask me to write more of it in a request-fic meme.
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And then it didn't, and Lu Ten turned out to be a cool father figure, and I was happy. :D
I liked how Jet never really got used to Fire Nation food, and how he slowly came to sort of accept his life, and how he realizes that Zuko is a dork. Why yes, he is.
Of course Lu Ten has to die, which is sad.
Maybe it was because I was reading it on my blackberry and sort of distracted pretending to work, but I didn't get the ending at all. I'm glad it was edited. So now Jet belongs to Ozai, eh? Well there goes my ambitions for Jetko in this AU. haha!
Anyway, I much enjoyed this. The letters were good -- I wish we knew more about Lu Ten in the series, you know? Was he cool like his dad or was he a little bit of a hardass? Hard to say. I like your version of him, though.
And I think Ozai has bitten off more than he can chew. He's used to kids he can push around, like Zuko. Give him hell, Jet. :D
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What sort of reasons for adopting Jet were you worried about?
I don't think being adopted brothers would exactly stop the Jetko. *grins*
More of Lu Ten would have been awesome. We only really see him through Iroh's eyes in "Tales of Ba Sing Se" and references to him in "Zuko Alone". Which is a pity, because he's a pretty pivotal character for the older Fire Nation royals. However, AtlA is Zuko's story more than it is Ozai and Iroh's story.
Honestly, I think Ozai is going to treat Jet like Zuko and Azula and ignore him most of the time.
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(Anonymous) 2009-08-13 09:25 pm (UTC)(link)I've probably failed at observing things, but is the Seneschal a woman already known or is she an original character? I'm confused by "she fought with Azulon" mostly (was she in a fight in opposition or a fight alongside him?).
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The Seneschal is an original character. And yeah, it occurred to me that it wasn't entirely clear from my phrasing. She fought alongside Azulon.
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Although up until the end, I thought that it was going to be a "secret history that could fit into canon" type of story, that Ozai would end up just banishing Jet from the fire nation and having him dumped in a random forest in the Earth Kingdom. Even with him meeting Zuko, they were young then, and he had never met Iroh, so it could still fit.
That being said, the ending I guess did confuse me a bit with what it was supposed to suggest... What does Firelord Ozai claiming him as his own mean? Will he be incredibly cruel to Jet and force him to run away? Or will Jet just grow up miserable in an AU type of verse?
That aside, I really enjoyed the overall fic. :)
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Yeah, I probably should have warned for it being an AU. I forget to do that sometimes.
Ozai claiming Jet as his own child means Iroh cannot adopt him. One of Ozai's arguments for why Azulon should make him his heir is that he had two living heirs while Iroh had none, if you'll remember "Zuko Alone". Iroh picking up Jet as his heir could conceivably let Iroh challenge Ozai for the throne. (Iroh could probably have challenged Ozai anyway if he wanted to, but having an heir of his own would definitely help matters.)
Likely, Ozai will do to Jet what he does to Zuko and Azula: ignore him the vast majority of the time.
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XD Well, I suppose the lack of AU keeps up the suspense?
Ah, okay that I understand. Plus, having Jet allows Ozai more choice between who should be his heir...
XD The only possible character more dangerous to ignore than Azula (or Zuko for that matter) is probably Jet! Oh Ozai... you are in trouble...
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Response. (http://beckyh2112.livejournal.com/350694.html?thread=2614502#t2614502)
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The reason I (and I assume so many others have) bring it up is probably because we are used to Jet's character in-series. But you are right, without his freedom fighters, he probably would've grown up a very different person. So I probably was overestimating him here. Surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers, in a palace where everyone is loyal to the Firelord, there really isn't much he can do and if he tried he probably WOULD be killed--or at least burned, probably worse than Zuko (at least his whole hand).
But with that difference in mind, I'm now interested in what Jet probably would be like in this universe, having been raised by Fire Nation. Not to mention, having another boy his father didn't treat lovingly (especially taking into consideration Jet can't firebend), I wonder if Zuko would be as obsessed with his father caring about him and getting his love. Jet existing may actually give Zuko more of a sense of independence. I'm not saying to rise up against Ozai, but just be more sure and confident with himself since he's not alone and has someone who obviously is ready to protect him against Azula.
Anyway, very well said arguement, and something to keep in mind while rereading the ending...