Tantai Jin Apologist

7 Days, 7 Stories

2026-04-26T19:53:45Z

This week I've been busy. I signed up for the 7 Days 7 Stories challenge on getyourwordsout.

There was a lot of trial & error involved. My plan was to select a bunch of fanfic ideas sitting in my notes & work them into story outlines. How much of an outline I'd get would vary of course. A multi-chapter longfic or a oneshot with a lot going on would get a bulletpoint summary of the plot, while a shorter/simpler oneshot might get a very very rough 'insert cool stuff happening here later' draft.

Because I couldn't be sure which ideas would work out, I didn't select a week's worth of idea's in advance. There were a couple that were promising because I'd worked on them enough that they had taken up their own section in the notes app because they needed multiple pages to cover the planning, & a few that had individual notes pages because they'd come from Tumblr posts that had gone into some detail on suggestions for the prompt, & then there was a page of miscellaneous ideas. I just created a new section in my notes, copied a bunch of ideas pages over, then culled anything that was too vague (there were a bunch of 'ideas' that were basically intriguing Ao3 tags I'd found) or was more an idea for something that'd be cool to include within a larger fic. And that was my pool of ideas to work through.

( Day by day )

So I have a bunch of stuff ready to be worked on, which should hopefully encourage me to get writing them, simply by having an outline ready, so there's less initial work to do.

I might actually do this again. There are a couple of ideas still left in my notes. Plus my Tumblr has a 'writing ideas' tag full of posts where people suggested interesting ideas, that I could go through & decide if they'll actually work. I do have things to do this week though, so it'll have to wait.

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WHY

2024-07-29T20:13:30Z

The hardest chapters to write are the ones where it's technically fully written, but only in the sense that you've got a loose collection of short snippets & parts of conversations & you've got to put them together in some kind of cohesive order & connect them all somehow & fill in the gaps & force yourself to accept that that super cool line does not fit in anywhere & has to be cut

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The Life of A Writer

2024-04-11T23:32:53Z

Me: Wow I'm so tired

Me: Ah, time for bed!

Me: *curls up under covers, so nice & comfortable*

My brain: HEY! HERE'S A PREMISE FOR A MOSHANG FIC! SUPER ANGSTY! HERE IS AN ABSOLUTE ZINGER OF A FIRST LINE, & THE OPENING PARAGRAPHS PRETTY MUCH WRITE THEMSELVES! BUT IF YOU DON'T WRITE THAT SHIT DOWN IMMEDIATELY IT'LL BE GONE! NOW! NOWNOWNOW!

Me: Why. Why must you do this to me.

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Always Read the Fine Print on Spirit Deals [6/?] - Azulon's A+ Grandparenting

2024-02-06T22:37:06Z

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Ozai/Ursa, Ozai & his family, Ozai & his issues

Summary: This fic is about two things:

1) Treating Ozai as an actual character with motivations beyond simply Being Evil For The Sake Of Evilness, & dealing with his relationship with his family.
2) Making him suffer.

OR:

Ozai makes a deal with a spirit. It does not go well for him.

Chapter 1: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Chapter 2: Things Go Very Wrong

Chapter 3: Ozai Cries in This One

Chapter 4: Azula Gets to Bully Her Father (As a Treat)

Chapter 5: Ozai Gives His Son A Hug (Out of SPITE, But Still...)

Chapter 6: Azulon's A+ Grandparenting

Extract:

He tried to hide his nerves as he and Azula approached the throne and knelt before their grandfather.

(She looked perfectly calm, of course.)

They both waited.

"Rise, my dear grandchildren."

Slowly – at the exact speed dictated by their protocol teacher – they knelt upright. He almost looked up, but a quick glance out of the corner of his eye showed Azula with her gaze still lowered. It was usually safest to copy her, so he did.

That was a good sign, right? He'd greeted them as his grandchildren. "Dear grandchildren" too. And Zuko couldn't detect a trace of sarcasm or mockery.

Sure, so he was terrible at spotting stuff like that. But Azula wasn't, and she might be a good liar but she wasn't that good. She might look calm, but she was much tenser that she had been the few times that they'd met with grandfather with father present. He was pretty sure that even she would have twitched just a tiny bit if something seemed wrong.

He didn't allow himself to relax though. Whatever the reason for them being called here without their parents, it must be serious.

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Always Read the Fine Print on Spirit Deals [5/?] - Ozai Gives His Son A Hug (Out of SPITE, But Still

2024-02-01T21:51:51Z

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Ozai/Ursa, Ozai & his family, Ozai & his issues

Summary: This fic is about two things:

1) Treating Ozai as an actual character with motivations beyond simply Being Evil For The Sake Of Evilness, & dealing with his relationship with his family.
2) Making him suffer.

OR:

Ozai makes a deal with a spirit. It does not go well for him.

Chapter 1: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Chapter 2: Things Go Very Wrong

Chapter 3: Ozai Cries in This One

Chapter 4: Azula Gets to Bully Her Father (As a Treat)

Chapter 5: Ozai Gives His Son A Hug (Out of SPITE, But Still...)

Extract:

While it was nice to get a change of scenery, and to feel the sun on his face, there was only so long that one could spend looking at some trees and grass, artful though the landscaping in the palace courtyards was. Fortunately, he had thought to bring a scroll to read, so he could focus on that, rather than having to endure conversation with his family.

Or he could, if he weren’t being constantly distracted by Zuko, sitting on the grass next to him, who kept jerking and looking around at something.

“What are you looking at?” he snapped, the fifth time it happened.

“Um, nothing!” he blurted out. Then he did it again.

Having had enough, Ozai turned to look.

One of Azula’s friends (Min? Mo? She was Lord Ukano’s daughter, he knew.) was sitting against a tree behind them, watching Azula and her other friend performing acrobatics. She glanced towards Zuko, spotted Ozai glaring at her, and paled, turning away hastily.

If he was interested in being a good father, he would tell the idiot boy to go talk to her.

He went back to his reading.

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Always Read the Fine Print on Spirit Deals [4/?] - Azula Gets to Bully Her Father (As a Treat)

2024-01-16T20:53:49Z

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Ozai/Ursa, Ozai & his family, Ozai & his issues

Summary: This fic is about two things:

1) Treating Ozai as an actual character with motivations beyond simply Being Evil For The Sake Of Evilness, & dealing with his relationship with his family.
2) Making him suffer.

OR:

Ozai makes a deal with a spirit. It does not go well for him.

Chapter 1: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Chapter 2: Things Go Very Wrong

Chapter 3: Ozai Cries in This One

Chapter 4: Azula Gets to Bully Her Father (As a Treat)

Extract:

The moment her mother walked in, Azula had her face scrunched up in a perfect expression of terrified upset as she hunched over, hugging herself. She even managed a few tears.

“I- I just- I just wanted to s-s-say hi to dad! B-but he- he threw fire at m-me!” She pointed at the scorch mark on the wall, before rushing forward and pressing her face into her mother’s skirts, sobbing loudly and shaking.

Ursa glared at her husband. “What is wrong with you, Ozai?” He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. “I know that you can be rather demanding where our children are concerned. But this is a new low, even for you.”

He tried pointing at the very obvious red handprint left on his leg, but she wasn’t even looking at him any longer, concentrating on her daughter. “Now then, Azula. How about we get some mochi and go into the garden, and you can tell me all about your trip?”

Azula pulled away slightly, looking up at her mother with a cautious smile that was as fake as her tears. “That s-sounds lovely, mom. I’d really like that.”

She smirked over her shoulder as Ursa led her out of the room, as he could only watch, too shocked to protest.

He’d taught her to be ruthless above all else, to seek out weakness and attack it without mercy. But she wasn’t meant to do that to him!

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Upcoming chapter titles on Always Read the Fine Print on Spirit Deals

2023-10-20T19:25:37Z

1. ~~What Could Possibly Go Wrong?~~
2. ~~Things Go Very Wrong~~
3. ~~Ozai Cries In This One~~
4. Azula Gets to Bully Her Father (As A Treat)
5. Ozai Gives His Son A Hug (Out of SPITE, But Still...)
6. Ursa is Just So Done
7. This:

But since Ao3 doesn't allow you to use images as chapter titles it'll have to be [insert that gif of the guy walking in with pizza & there's fire everywhere, but it's Iroh returning from Ba Sing Se]

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Always Read the Fine Print On Spirit Deals [3/?] - Ozai Cries in This One

2023-10-18T17:17:48Z

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Ozai/Ursa, Ozai & his family, Ozai & his issues

Summary: This fic is about two things:

1) Treating Ozai as an actual character with motivations beyond simply Being Evil For The Sake Of Evilness, & dealing with his relationship with his family.
2) Making him suffer.

OR:

Ozai makes a deal with a spirit. It does not go well for him.

Chapter 1: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Chapter 2: Things Go Very Wrong

Chapter 3: Ozai Cries in This One

Extract:

“You have correspondence, Your Highness.” It was pathetic how much he perked up at those words, and how eagerly he reached for the offered scrolls.

Alas, they were not the responses from allies that he had been awaiting. A letter from Iroh. Addressed specifically to him, which was unusual – he normally addressed his letters home to Ozai and his family, which Ozai ignored in favour of the official reports.

And a letter from Zuko. He threw that one aside.

Iroh’s letter began with condolences for his injury and sympathy at his currently being bedridden (Just how far had news of his humiliation spread?). And he expressed a belief that Ozai would be back on his feet soon enough (Thank you! At least someone had faith in him…), but that he should take his time and not push himself too hard (Never mind.).

His brother knew him well enough to not waste any further characters on sentiment, and instead launched into a report of the siege (albeit one with more proverbs and anecdotes about tea blends than appeared in the official reports, because his brother could never resist the opportunity to ramble given half an excuse). It was dull, but it was better than nothing.

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Into the Fire [10/x] - Untitled

2023-10-18T16:48:04Z

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Mai/Zuko, Zuko & Iroh, Ozai & Zuko, Zuko & the Gaang

Summary: When Azula met her brother in Ba Sing Se & told him he could come home, he believed her, even though she had made this exact offer before. This time there was no loose-lipped Captain to give the game away, & he was brought back to the Fire Nation not as a hero, but in chains. When he is dragged from his cell months later, he expects to be facing his execution, not his coronation.

Chapter 1: A Decision is Made

Chapter 2: Preparations & Discoveries

Chapter 3: A Public Spectacle

Chapter 4: Prison Break, But Legally

Chapter 5: Casually Suggesting Treason

Chapter 6: Confused Hakoda

Chapter 7: Family Drama

Chapter 8: Iroh & Ozai Have A Custody Dispute

Chapter 9: The Phoenix Queen

Chapter 10: Untitled

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Into the Fire Update

2023-10-17T22:41:07Z

The good news: I've got a chapter of Into the Fire ready to go

The bad news: It's kind of just some stuff thrown together & polished just enough to make a coherent chapter & that's it for the fic

Problem is I went into this one with no idea where it was going, which I usually avoid for just this fucking reason (not to say I usually know exactly how a fic is gonna play out - because I almost never do lol - but I always have some goal to head towards, even if that goal can be something super vague like 'let this AU play out in the canon timeline until X point is reached' & can shift a little along the way), but I had a premise that interested me & enough ideas to start off with & I'd hoped an actual plot would present itself along the way &... it hasn't

All I've really got is a few ideas for things that they can talk about in negotiations, & wanting to actually confront Iroh's past & not brush it off like 'He was good the whole time actually pls ignore how he joked about burning a city to the ground' like canon tries to

I made a meme & everything

And I just have other stuff I would prefer to be working on instead

I might not have bothered with a chapter at all, but I did kinda leave it on a cliffhanger so I wanted to resolve that (also it was a planned scene that has been written for months)

I can't entirely rule out that I might pick it up again. But in the same way that I can't rule out that I might win the lottery. Anything can happen. And knowing what I'm like, the lottery win is more likely

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thispatternismine @ 2023-09-05T14:10:00

2023-09-05T13:11:28Z

I might maybe possibly have made some progress on chapter 10 of Into the Fire...

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Marry in Haste [6/6]

2023-09-04T19:40:21Z

Fandom: MCU

Relationship(s): FrostSpice

Summary: Believing his parents intend to marry him off to a Jotun, Loki is desperate to make himself ineligible by finding a wife of his own. Meanwhile, Pepper has reached the end of her tether with Tony Stark, and temporary marriage to an alien prince seems a great idea for putting some distance between them and showing that there's more to her than 'Iron Man's girlfriend'. They both get something out of the deal, secure in the knowledge that it's a temporary arrangement, and if the other party involved seems to be showing warmth and fondness? Well that's just good acting, and nothing more...

Read on Ao3

[Please note: Due to an extended hiatus & not wanting to drag things out any further - but also not wanting to just abandon it - I've opted to wrap things up a little quicker than the summary suggests for the sake of closure. Apologies for not delivering on the premise. Anyone who wants more is more than welcome to take the premise & run with it.]

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