3w4dw: icon keyword fic 2

[bossymarmalade]

When she talks about auras and energies, Mai says she lives in her head. Ty Lee doesn't know about that. As far as she can tell, she lives in her body; she lives in the eager bunching of muscles in her thighs and feet, in the clean snap of her arms and fingers knifing into pressure points, in the hot pivot of her hips as the rest of her cartwheels and flips and flips and flips. She lives in her own delight over the succulent weight of her breasts, the round beat of her calves, the sweat shivering down strands of dark hair.

When Mai says she lives in her head, Azula says there's plenty of room.

But Azula is folded in so tight on herself, like scarlet paper dragonflowers they used to make as girls -- hundreds of tiny, cramped creases all needing to be just so perfect in order for the finished product to look right, like a blossom clenched into a blood fist -- so Ty Lee breathes deep and smiles pink at her. If Ty Lee had her way they would the three of them make flowers out of gauze tissue and silk that spread open at the brush of damp fingers, turning deep and moist where they were touched. If Ty Lee had her way they would break down all the barriers and scaly-hard encrusted images of not only themselves but their people, in a whirlwind of whipping hair and bruising kisses and demanding bodies, until the image is no image at all and they are the Fire Nation, one and every one bright proud clear crimson with no need for the blood fist.

It's complicated, though. Because to be honest Ty Lee gets all prickly and hungry inside when she fights and hits and she has to press her thighs together and breathe deep and smile pink and push it down, down until she's ready. So maybe that's how her people are; too aswirl with violent lust to be proud clear crimson just yet. But Ty Lee can see it, just over the horizon of the black sun, and she's starting to reach towards it.

---

When he'd been a kid, Frank Pembleton had been certain that the most beautiful thing in all the world was the inside of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the way it vaulted over him in elegant, austere shelter when he walked through alone (always alone; having anybody else clattering along next to him would have spoiled it). Even now he can close his eyes and smell the wood and stone, the wax, the hushed rose petal and thorn of so much faith.

When he'd been older, a young man straying out of teenagehood and into the adult world, the most beautiful thing -- apart from attractive young women who felt the same way -- was the feel of words in his mouth and knowledge in his hands, belonging to him as surely as the rhythm of his feet on the pavement or the particular angle of his chin when he won an argument. It felt good, it tasted looked sounded smelled good. Every sense engaged. Every new piece of language and information sinking into his skin until he was sure people could see it there as sure as they saw that skin's blackness.

Here, now. With his wife in his arms, close enough for him to to smell the perfume she only dabs behind her ears and on the pulse of her throat, a breath of roses every time her heart beats. Mary with her dark skin overlapping and intertwining with his dark skin and soaked full of knowledge, holding him so surely with her hands against his back, and as Mary's dress swirls to clasp his trouser legs when she steps up against him, Frank has no doubts about what -- in this whole wide world -- is the most beautiful thing.

Comments

[gloss]

The Ty Lee made me gasp, several times over, at the flesh and *strength* and lustiness of it all. THE FLOWERS HOLY CRAP.

And then your Frank is every bit as brilliant and thoughtful and passionate as the Braugher's. Mary is *glorious*.

[bossymarmalade]

oooooh thank you so much! I was wondering what I could do with Ty Lee -- I like her fine, but never felt overly connected to her -- and this sort of shot up without warning. I'm so happy you liked it, and the Frank & Mary one as well! I heart them SO MUCH!!

[inkstone]

The Ty Lee ficlet is gorgeous.

[bossymarmalade]

I am so happy you liked it, thank you!

[glass_icarus]

bb, these are both gorgeous.

(also curses, I cannot handle any more fandoms right now! not even the temptation, s;dlkfjs)

[bossymarmalade]

Hee hee! Never you worry, the fandoms will be waiting patiently for when you *do* have the time. *g* Thank you so much for this feedback!

[kate]

Oh... I don't know either of these fandoms, but these are just beautiful. Really really lovely.

[bossymarmalade]

I can't believe you read them not even knowing the fandoms! Thank you so so much, bb; this feedback is truly wonderful.

[dine]

oh, *Frank*! I'm loving these ficlets - and the chance to see terrific icons I may never have stumbled across otherwise

[bossymarmalade]

I associate people SO strongly with their icons, it's unbelievable. Thank you for the sweet, kind feedback, Dine!

[sohotrightnow]

Oh, that Ty Lee one is incredible. The imagery and the colors and the sense of passion all wrapped up in her connection not just to her friends but her people -- just wonderful.

[bossymarmalade]

I'm so happy that you said that, thank you so much! I had absolutely no idea what to write going into that ficlet, and Ty Lee just sort of grabbed the reins and went, so I am delighted that it seems *right* that she mentioned her people as well as her friends. Thank you again!

[ghost_lingering]

Oh! I love these (and the others you posted, before). The Ty Lee (&Mai & Azula) one is amazing, and despite only passing knowledge of Homicide, I love the last one too.

[bossymarmalade]

Thank you so very much! I'm really chuffed that you took the time to leave me feedback; it is totally appreciated!

[callmesandyk]

Oh, FRANK. Love!

[bossymarmalade]

I'm pretty sure that once you start loving Frank, you never stop. *g* Thank you, bb!

[sinensis]

oh, Frank. That's so wonderfully him.

[bossymarmalade]

eeeeee, thank you so much for saying that! I'm terribly glad you enjoyed it.

[rural_juror]

Ty Lee's is amazing and makes me love these girls all over again.

[bossymarmalade]

I was watching the Ember Island vacation episode again the other day and ... I think I was too preoccupied with the story as a whole the first time I saw it? But this time their individual stories were so intriguing! I'm so happy that I managed to convey my reinvigorated love for them, thank you, bb!

[crossedwires]

I love how dissimilar the show made the three girls and gave them their own backstories/issues too. ♥

[duraflame]

Oh god, the Frank and Mary bit made me tear up, I love them so much and this was just beautiful.

[bossymarmalade]

Thank you so much, dearest! They are one of my favourite tv couples, and that's for sure.

[supermouse]

That's one hell of a feast for the mind you have there. I feel... sated. It's weird. But absolutely lovely.

The sheer intensity and the dragonflower blossoms in one, then the hushed rose petal and thorn of so much faith. Oh man. And then a breath of roses every time her heart beats.

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. Lush.

[supermouse]

BTW I don't know these fandoms at all but I do love these ficlets.

[bossymarmalade]

Thank you so, so, SO much for this! The fact that you aren't even into these shows makes this feedback all the more squeeful for me, and I'm so happy that you enjoyed the ficlets and were so kind to let me know!

[crossedwires]

♥ ♥ ♥ I love them both SO MUCH. Ty Lee and her prickliness and how she sees Azula! And how she'd help her people! Frank and Mary! I was so gleeful when Frank quoted Springsteen ("God help a man who doubts what he's sure of"), and Springsteen writes a lot of songs about Mary... Frank as Bruce's song-narrator is a little stretch, but I could see it.

[bossymarmalade]

Hee, I don't even know that many Springsteen songs so it wasn't a conscious choice to reference Frank's love for his music, but goddamn, how cool is it that you teased out a connotation in that direction? I love that so much, thank you thank you!!

[copracat]

These are gorgeous meditations on character and desire.

[bossymarmalade]

You are so wonderful for letting me know you liked them. Thank you!!

[eisen]

!!! I KNOW THAT ICON HAHA. I approve of this so fucking hard, bb. This is amazing.

Oh, yes; that is exactly the idea I was trying to evoke with those keywords, and you have captured it so beautifully, so vividly, I feel both embarrassed and honored by the richness you've added to it. THIS IS WHY I LOVE AVATAR. THIS IS WHY I LOVE THE FIRE NATION GIRLS. THIS IS WHY I LOVE EVERYTHING.

The sheer - the sensuality of it makes my cheeks pink and my eyes crease from smiling, it's so - you have captured the embodiedness of Ty Lee's outlook on life and relationships, and I love it I love it I love it.

THIS IS A DELIGHT. YOU ARE A DELIGHT. ♥♥♥♥♥♥

I feel a little bad that I have so many words for Ty Lee and so few for Frank (and gorgeous, beautiful Mary), who loves them so, but that made me suck a breath in through my teeth with the power and warmth of it. I love these, I love the sensuousness to them both and the way they so perfectly capture these two very different characters so vividly and clearly. Their heart and passion beats loud in every word.

[bossymarmalade]

hee hee hee YAY!

I admit I looked at your icon, looked at the keywords, poked at it for a bit and went away discouraged; then I guess it all percolated together for a while because I came back and banged this out, and it *felt* right. I am so glad you enjoyed it!!

the embodiedness of Ty Lee's outlook

yes yes yes, that's exactly it! I didn't understand it myself until I tried matching your words with that picture, and as I worked through it, I understood her more. So thank you for that, as well, because I LOVE discovering new facets of characters like this!

*mwah*!

[mona]

Eeek, the Ty Lee one is terrific! The prose is sensual and gorgeous and powerfully stunning, the entire first and third paragraphs made me shiver, but what I love most is how fundamentally and three-dimensionally you've captured Ty Lee here, united all the different parts of her. Like, you've got her resenting and empathizing with Azula simultaneously, you've got her privileged and implicit in violent imperialism, and, simultaneously, knowing better (but sometimes being tempted to rationalize that knowledge away anyway because the violence she's had encouraged and socialized into her her whole life, it feels so good), she's hedonistic and kind and selfish and generous all at once, and just so complicated and appealing, even amidst her flaws. And you conveyed all that in so few words, with so much showing, not telling! Really amazing.

(I haven't seen Homicide, but I know I should probably get on that.)

[bossymarmalade]

omg I want to wrap myself in this feedback and roll around for DAYS. ♥♥♥!!

Thank you so very much for such thoughtful words, for plucking out the contradictions and simultaneousnesses in Ty Lee that I was hoping to convey, for such incisive and gorgeous critique. I appreciate it so, so much!

[stevie]

That bit of Ty Lee is stunning.