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licorishh · 3 months

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Welp. Binged the second half of the new ATLA show and finished it and I am still so incredibly impressed. Spoilers under the cut y'all know the drill

I freaking loved this adaptation. Slapped. Killed it. Nailed it. I'm gonna rewatch it over and over. Legitimately the only things I could really complain about are all related to Azula.

I really feel like Azula having screentime in season 1 served zero purpose here. I feel it would've been much more impactful to have her go entirely unmentioned until the finale when Zhao reveals to Zuko that Azula was behind everything (i.e. iy would've been cooler if Zhao were also revealing it to us, the audience, for the first time).

I also think it's a little odd how they're kind of totally changing the dynamic between Ozai and Azula (or at least the parts of the dynamic that we're supposed to believe is a representation of their relationship for the majority of the show). In the original show, Azula has no idea Ozai is simply manipulating her for the fun of it. She genuinely thinks he loves her, is proud of her, and is extremely impressed with her. It's not until almost the last episode that Ozai ever directly expresses his disdain for something she's done/said, unless I'm wrong. Ozai's expectations of her in the original show appear to be things she's easily capable of meeting, and she feels extremely confident in her abilities and is under the impression Ozai is equally confident in her. I find it strange that repeatedly in this adaptation Ozai is instead treating her pretty similarly to the way he treats Zuko. He doesn't appear to show her any kind of particular favor, doesn't expect anything but the most outrageously impossible from her, and regularly ridicules/undermines her and sows seeds of doubt in her mind that she's competent.

Azula doesn't show the slightest hint of cracking until the end of season 3 after Mai's and Ty Lee's betrayal. Sure, there are hints earlier on that she's a perfectionist and refuses to settle for anything less than the most flawless outcome, but she comes off as being incredibly confident and secure in her position. She doesn't doubt anything about her situation or her relationship with her father or brother. In other words, in the original show, the audience and Azula herself are never meant to realize until the very end that Ozai was pitting his children against each other. We (and her) are intended to believe that Ozai genuinely prefers Azula and is more pleased with her than he is with Zuko. In this version, there really doesn't seem to be much of that at all. It's just odd.

Smaller complaint, but I don't think that actress is necessarily just the most stellar choice for Azula, either. The casting for the show has been excellent so far, but this particular actress seems to be bringing out aspects of Azula's character that really weren't meant to be at the forefront until much later. Maybe it's the actress, maybe it's the writing, maybe it's both, but it doesn't feel like Azula. She doesn't feel like a substantial threat. Heck, Zhao is wayyy more compelling in this version than Azula is, and that's really not very good. She feels like just another competitor for Zuko.

Kind of branching off of that, and this one is a pretty small one, but Mai and Ty Lee are super boring. Granted, I don't really care about them at all in the original anyway (Mai has really no narrative reason to exist other than to be part of what causes Azula's spiral; I do like Ty Lee a little bit, but I could really take her or leave her), but they're just... so bland. There's no reason for them to be in those scenes other than to be cardboard boxes Azula can glare at. At least in the original, they serve as an excellent example of what's tethering Azula to reality and how she feels an incessant need to exert control over every aspect of her life. I reaaaaally wish they'd waited until later to bring them into the adaptation (it's also just reinforcing to me the fact that I simply cannot see Zuko with Mai at all in either version, but that's an issue for a different day).

Other than those things I wasn't too thrilled about, I really did love the show. The acting from the main cast was excellent, the stakes felt SO MUCH HIGHER and it was SUCH a nice tonal change, the bending looked incredible, the amount of effort put into accurately replicating the sets and the costumes was just astounding, and the pacing was excellent. I love how they were able to cut down on so much of the extraneous filler from the original season 1 by finding ways to compile them together in a way that still flowed excellently and allowed for a greater focus to be put on the main story. The main story in this adaptation never stops going, and for me, that makes it SO much easier and more fun to watch. It doesn't go off on forty-minute tangents that have zilch to do with the main point of the show.

Also Dallas Liu is literally the best possible pick for Zuko. He is capturing Zuko's miserable wet cat energy in a way no one but Dante Basco could do and that is saying something. He's also putting an excellent emphasis on how desperately obsessive Zuko is about catching Aang in season 1. He's completely blinded by his desire to find him, causing him to make completely illogical and irrational decisions driven purely by a desperate desire to measure up, and Dallas Liu is really doing an incredibly good job reinforcing that without having to actually say it.

Gordon Cormier is also absolutely killing it as Aang for me. I'm really not the biggest fan of Aang (I just don't usually like child characters; he's better in some parts of season 3 but he's just not really my favorite), but he's actually making Aang incredibly fun to watch. He's adorable and fun and silly without being painfully immature and difficult to be invested in. Yeah, I know, Aang's twelve and twelve year olds are immature, but that doesn't mean they're automatically fun to watch. He's really doing a great job there.

I also love this version of Zhao. I feel like he got way more screentime in this version than in the original, which was pretty cool. He turned out to be a much cooler and more dangerous villain than it felt like he was in the original.

I also liked this version of Yue WAYYYY more even though she was only in one episode because man!! She has a personality holy cow!! She's actually fun!! And entertaining!! Not just Phantom Menace Natalie Portman-levels of "Well she's a very nice person :)"

Also also, I loved the vibe of uhh episode 5, I think it was-?. Both of the Koh jumpscares legitimately startled me which I was not expecting 😭 normally I can eat simple jumpscares for lunch but they made him so frickin creepy which is honestly good because hE IS FRICKIN CREEPY

And I cried. Like three times. First time when frickin Leaves From the Vine played at Lu Ten's funeral (that one had me weeping as usual), I think a second time when Katara is remembering being a little girl and is hiding and she sees her mom being killed (that was honestly so much more impactful that we actually got to SEE such things instead of just hearing about it), and then I think again in Zuko's Agni Kai because my gosh he's been through it :((( the flashback parts before then though were so nice 😭 I lived long enough to see happy smiling Zuko in 4k which means I can die peacefully now

All of this is coming from someone who first watched the show as a young kid, was never really a huge Aang fan, and really doesn't care for the original season 1 and tends to skip it every time I watch the show. I have pretty unusual opinions about the original, so my opinions here may vary massively from the general consensus, and that's fine. I really loved this adaptation and I will be so heartbroken if they don't make a season 2 MAAAANNNN I NEED MORE 😭😭😭

Also the writers are goated for replacing Aang with Sokka in the Cave of Two Lovers and having Katara reinforce their family bond instead of pushing a self-insert crush a little boy has on a teenage girl who treats him like her son. And also that scarf scene which I think I will perhaps never not be thinking about. I will be forever indebted to them for that but again that's a topic for uhh not right now 👍

#avatar the last airbender #avatar netflix #get into a fight about ship wars and i'll break your legs. you can talk about it if you must but BE NICE #tl;dr show is radical!! very hopeful for a season 2 #all of you whining about it need to Shutte Uppe 🤓👍 it is Good and you should be thankful that this much effort and love went into it #if i wrote something incorrectly it's 2:45 in the morning which means i'm not responsible. good night #now i ain't gay but if i were sokka and this version of suki were right there. geah. she's. pretty and very cool

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atjsgf · 3 months

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Finished the live action ATLA. Honestly? I actually really liked it, more than I thought I would, and I wasn't even particularly skeptical about it.

I liked Katara and Sokka's dynamic here actually better than I did in the cartoon. Maybe I would be more attached to Katara being parentified in the cartoon if it was ever resolved in that show, but it wasn't, so I'm fine with it being discarded and taking a different angle with her characterization and relationship with her brother.

I have no complaints about the performances given by the actors (though I do agree with the criticisms of casting light-skinned actors for Katara and Sokka, I still enjoyed the performances, though I know I'm coming from a place of being, like. White. With that--like, people with darker skin might have a harder time enjoying the performances despite that and that's valid).

However, Dallas Liu as Zuko was a highlight for me, he absolutely killed it in every single scene. Easily my favorite casting choice in the whole show.

I also really liked bringing in Azula earlier and not making her just like a demon child who enjoys being evil. The golden child-scapegoat dynamic between Azula and Zuko even as they've been separated for years is interesting and I liked it. (In particular I never liked how Azula in the audience of Zuko being scarred just smirks, so I like how in the LA she clearly has more mixed emotions about it. To me she looks morbidly fascinated and afraid at the same time, which feels right to me.)

I thought the show did a good job of covering the most iconic s1 episodes within their limited time frame by tying them into a connected plotline with each other within Omashu. Also I know the secret tunnel ep was s2 not s1 but I think it worked for this plotline, and I liked that it centered on Katara and Sokka's sibling bond instead of a forced k/ataang moment. (I don't care for that ship but Aang antis do not think I am one of you!)

As for the Sokka no longer being sexist thing: I don't know why we're pretending "Sokka being sexist in episode one, meeting a woman who fights good three episodes later and immediately changing him mind and being normal for the rest of the series" is like some huge plot point that Sokka's character falls apart without. The live action is only eight episodes long, it can't cover everything and I'm fine with it looking at that non-arc and going "yeah, that's not fundamentally necessary." He still felt recognizably like Sokka to me.

(Also others have pointed out that misogyny is cultural and we don't really see much if any sexism in the SWT aside from Sokka, certainly not to the level that Sokka exhibits in ep1, so it's kind of an odd trait for him to have to begin with. Like he just decided independently that women aren't as capable as men? Bruh.)

But yeah, I actually really enjoyed it and I hope we get a second and hopefully third season.

#good post op #atla la shitposting #whitewashing cw

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zuko-always-lies · 2 years

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Issues with using the Earth Kingdom Chronicles as a source on Azula

The Earth Kingdom Chronicles official novelizations are an interesting source on Book 2. However, there are severe issues with using them as a canon source, particularly for Azula.

In general:

1. Some of the details for the Chronicles are different than those shown in the episodes. In particular, some lines of dialogue are different.

2. Many of the details in the fight scenes are different(i.e. Azula uses a lot more lightning than she does in the show).

Specific to the “Tale of Azula”[i.e. the season from Azula’s point of view].

1. The novelization makes it very clear that Azula’s offer to Zuko at BSS is genuine and that now she wants him to be her brother and be together with him as they pursue their shared destiny, but it offers no explanation whatsoever for Azula’s change of heart.

2. There’s generally no groundwork laid for the “softer Azula” we often saw in Book 3; the EKC Azula seems to be all rough edges. The idea that at some level Azula cares about Zuko isn’t really present, at least until the last couple pages.

3. Along with that, there’s only one mention of Ursa in the entire novelization. There’s no real reference to Azula’s complex relationship with her mother.

4. It’s made clear that Azula is 100% after the throne[although it seems like she expects it to take a lot of work to displace her brother and inherit the throne, which is odd since Zuko has been first been banished and then declared a traitor]. This of course doesn’t fit with the way that show! Azula never talks about the throne the way Zuko does, and it appears to strong contradict #1 on this list.

5. Generally, Azula comes off as an extreme blowhard, even inside her own head, with many references to how she’ll severely punish and hurt anyone who slights or fails her, but she never seems to get around to doing(and there are zero references which indicate she ever actually did anything to anyone). The only way to square this with her actual actions is having her narrative be extremely disingenuous, even to herself.

Generally, the Earth Kingdom Chronicles’ are interesting, but I think the “Tale of Azula” offers a window into Azula’s original conception at the beginning of Book 2, not into how her conception evolved, particularly in Book 3. The novelizations for Toph, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko seem to have fewer conflicts with canon, as their character concepts evolved less.

#Azula

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crellanstein · 4 years

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Prodigious

I find it odd how the fandom focuses so much on Aang’s childhood being ruined when he learned he was the Avatar at 12, but there’s very little talk about how discovering she was the Avatar as a toddler affected Korra’s life and how she was raised.

But we’ll circle back to that...

Because this is a good starting point to talk about one of the most prevalent themes in the story, which the mainstream discussion of tends to only focus on a few characters -- That is the Child Prodigy.

We’ll start with the two most obvious. The ones we always talk about.

Azula.

The clearest example of your typical child prodigy (if there is anything typical about a prodigy). Azula showed early mastery of very advanced Fire-Bending techniques, and is the only Fire-Bender to use blue flames, which was intended to make her stand out amongst the other villains but is also indicative that her Fire-Bending is more pure and powerful (blue flame is produced when burning pure O2 or fuel without contaminant at a very high temperature).

All this lead to her being praised and favored by Ozai as a child, but as double-edged swords go, this also meant she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders to never fail, and she rarely did. Her ego matched her talent, and let’s be honest she was the baddest bitch the show had ever seen. Conquering Ba Sing Se, defeating the Avatar in combat, and dropping some of the most devastating lines of dialogue in villain history; she was a force nobody wanted to reckon with.

And that become a problem for one asshole in particular...

Being jealous of his own child is just one item on a laundry list of reasons why this guy is the worst father in the history of fathers. Azula had begun to outshine him with her victories, and Ozai’s maniacal ego couldn’t handle that, so he left her behind to babysit the Fire Nation while he went out to burn/conquer the world, which also was her idea.

And while this wasn’t the only thing that aided in her demise, it certainly was the final straw which sent her spiraling down into this...

In the end Azula is a sad example of how certain unfair expectations are placed upon talented children, and the more they succeed, the more these expectations grow and weigh on the them until they either disappoint those looking down on them or surpass and embarrass their elders.

It is a lose-lose situation which inevitably destroys them.

There is a similar example of the child prodigy, but his story goes a little different.

Aang.

Even as a twelve/thirteen year-old boy Aang by far has the most impressive stats among any character in the Avatar universe.

Basically mastering 3 of the 4 Elements in less than a year, after mastering Air by the time he is twelve (not to mention inventing his own Air-bending move, the Air scooter).

Aang is an example of a child prodigy who had too much thrust onto him at too young an age because of the talent he showed; because of this he panicked and ran away, and the world was worse off for it.

Aang/Sokka/Katara’s story is all about how in times of War, responsibilities normally handled by adults are pushed onto kids who then have to grow up very fast in order to deal with it all.

The message is clear. War robs the young of their childhoods.

Now, let’s talk about a different kind of child prodigy.

The Unacknowledged.

Yes, of course I’m talking about Toph, the greatest Earth-Bender to ever live.

Because of her blindness, Toph’s family tried to keep her sheltered and safe by hiding her from the world. Refusing to believe she could ever be more than helpless. Anyone who has seen the show knows that is far from the truth.

But because her potential went unseen, there were some negative effects to her personality. Initially, she resented her parents, and rebelled; which established a certain level of independence, a bad attitude, and a hot-headed streak. Over time spent with the Gaang these behaviors subsided because she finally had friends and they accepted her for who she was. By the end of the series she was fully willing to accept aid from them when she needed it, like holding on to Sokka’s arm in environment where her bending couldn’t help her “see”.

Toph’s story is a foil to Azula’s, both showed immense talent and badassery, but while recognition of Azula lead to ever-mounting pressure for her to succeed; the lack of recognition for Toph created a need for her to be acknowledged and set an undercurrent of frustration which leads to her acting out in the ways she does.

The lesson to take from Toph’s story is not to shelter your kid from the world out of fear for their safety, and to be open to recognizing their talents, not shun them.

Next are two more Unacknowledged.

Katara and Sokka.

Their story, and the reason behind their circumstances, is one of the more complicated and nuanced ones in the series, so here we’ll focus on how it fits into the subject of discussion.

Because of the War, Katara was robbed not only of her mother but also of any Southern Masters to train her, and any role models Sokka could have looked up to left with his father to fight. Because of this Katara’s potential and Sokka’s genius went unacknowledged not due to neglect but rather due to circumstance. (Yes, I think Sokka is a genius, how many 15 yr olds do you know that can plan an invasion, design submarines, and spit poetry off the cuff?).

This is a further example of how War robs kids of necessary childhood experiences, and these two robberies had particular effects on both Katara and Sokka’s character developments.

Sokka had the responsibility of protecting his home put upon him at a young age. The men of his tribe leaving prevented him from completing his rite of manhood until the Gaang ran into Bato of the Water Tribe, and early on Sokka was constantly trying to prove himself as a man and a leader. Sokka is one of the smarter characters of the series, but he rarely got credit for it until the third season. Not to mention that because he wasn’t a bender he often seemed less useful than the others. The circumstances of war made his talent go unnoticed and because of that he often was unsure of himself and overcompensated to prove something.

Speaking of talent going unnoticed.

Katara is definitely one of the more talented benders of the series. After training herself for years with little progress, she essentially mastered Water-Bending in a few weeks under Master Pakku. While her anger towards the Fire-Nation mostly centers around the loss of her mother, it can’t be ignored that the delay in her training was a direct result of the Fire-Nations’ actions. Toph’s anger and frustration vented itself as rebellion. However, the same frustration and anger is within Katara, but because she wasn’t as natural a bender as Toph she sought to learn and be respected, and when that was denied to her is when that anger bubbled to the surface in some terrifying ways.

While Toph’s talent went unnoticed because of her families neglect, Katara and Sokka’s wasn’t acknowledged because there was nobody to acknowledge it. Because of that both brother and sister wanted to prove themselves to the world.

And then there is Zuko.

I know what you’re thinking. Zuko wasn’t a prodigy, his Fire-Bending skill didn’t catch up with Azula’s until the finale and he never mastered Lightning-Bending, but this section is about the Unacknowledged.

Zuko had many other talents besides Fire-Bending, he was a master swordsmen, and was able to successfully break into every secure facility he attempted in the show (which was almost every secure facility the show featured). Unfortunately, these talents were never recognized, because the only thing the royal family cared about was bending ability (It’s possible the reason he learned the sword was because he lacked skill in Fire-Bending).

As per usual with Zuko, this part of his tale is quite sad. Many can relate to being outshined by a sibling, and when it becomes all too clear that one cannot match another’s talent it’s quite understandable to focus on what they do excel at, but even then there is no promise of recognition for their own talent. Zuko was even mocked by his father during the solar eclipse when Ozai tried baiting him into attacking with his swords.

This lack of recognition is one of many sad aspects of Zuko’s early life, but it is a definitive example of one of the hardest unacknowledged prodigy’s cross to bear. The Outshone prodigy, one whose talents are never noticed because a bigger and brighter star stands in the way of such recognition, and arguably the most frustrating type mentioned here. Toph/Sokka/Katara all came from situations were there was no recognition being given to them or anyone, but Zuko had to bear watching massive amounts of praise be piled on to his sister while he and his accomplishments went by the way side.

Ozai summed up the situation best.

“Azula was born lucky, Zuko was lucky to be born”

Alright now where have I been going with all this?

So, far we’ve covered a lot of wrong ways to treat a child, whether they show talent or not, and how the circumstances of war can also take many things from children.

But what happened to Korra?

(Before we get into to this I should state that I like Korra, and the purpose of this is not to bash her as a character or her arc, but rather to give a little of my insight into it.)

It’s well established that Aang was told of his heritage too young, and that was a detriment on his development into an adult, but what would have happened if he realized his powers himself not long after he could walk? We’ll never know, but we do get to see the effects it had on Korra.

When she revealed herself as the Avatar, Korra set her entire life in a new direction, and because Aang tasked the White Lotus with finding and training her that direction was out of her control. There are two key differences between Korras’ and other Avatars’ lives.

1. She grew up in isolation on a White Lotus compound.

Every Avatar before Korra we know of spent a portion of their early lives traveling the world in order to master the elements; along this journey they not only learned how to bend the other 3 elements, buy also many things about the 3 other nations and the world they are tasked to protect as a whole. By confining Korra in safety and bringing the masters to her the White Lotus deprived Korra of this opportunity to learn and grow and understand the world and the people within in. It also deprived her of learning modern bending styles until she reached Republic City.

While this might have kept Korra safe from the Red Lotus, it grew within her a naiveté about how the world worked, and because of this when she actually did venture out into the world she was terribly unprepared for it.

2. She was trained and mastered 3 of the elements by the time she was 16.

Most Avatars don’t know they have this power until they reach 16 and then they spend several years learning to control it. Korra’s natural talent in the bending lead to her training being expedited not by necessity like Aang’s, but due to her talent and eagerness. Korra excelled at the physical part of being the Avatar and because of this by the time she reached maturity she had become over-confident in her abilities and true to what her Fire-Bending master said in Ep.1 she lacked restraint.

I’m not saying her bending isn’t great, but rather because it is so great it’s her go-to solution to anything, and she enjoys that so she uses it with enthusiastic gusto and not a lot of thinking before striking.

This overconfidence coupled with her naiveté of the world is what lead to many of her rash decisions and actions, most of which had negative consequences, and I believe are the reason behind some fan are dissatisfied with her. Aang had been almost the complete opposite, even by the age of twelve he was an experienced world traveler and an incredibly humble guy.

Some may have been dissatisfied by these character decisions, but they served a purpose, they are only the beginning of her arc. The internal challenge Korra must overcome through 4 seasons is to humble herself before the world, and learn from it. This was finally achieved in the 4th season when the metal poisoning in her body forces her to face others in the world as equals, only then had she completed her journey.

And why did it all go this way?

Because she is a very unique child prodigy, what she demonstrates in the first episode of LOK would be akin to a toddler playing the violin or hitting a three-pointer; she could bend 3 elements close to just after learning to walk. That is the kind of prodigious talent rarely seen because it is mostly impossible. How does a rational person handle a child like that?

It’s a tough question, and something this essay has been circling around the whole time. Each example here is the wrong way to handle talented and different children, but what is the right way?

As always look to Iroh.

Who treated his surrogate son Zuko with both respect and compassion.

Unlike Toph’s parents, Iroh worried over Zuko’s well being, but also allowed him to be independent, make his own decisions, and take his own risks.

Unlike the Nomad Leaders, he didn’t want Zuko weighed down by his position in the world and the responsibility that came with, and always encouraged him relax and take advantage of the moment.

Unlike Ozai, Iroh would always be there to support Zuko in his victories and his failures. Iroh shows him the right path but does not force him down it.

And even after Zuko betrayed and abandoned him.

Iroh was never angry with him, and embraced him upon his return.

He wanted Zuko to grow and be a better man. Even if Zuko wasn’t a prodigy like his sister.

And that is the answer here. The way to raise a prodigy is the same way anyone should raise any child. Love, Support, a Guiding Hand rather than a Forceful Shove, Recognition of What Makes Them Unique, and Forgiveness When They Falter. The problem comes along when you start treating children differently because you see them as different or special. All children are different, all children are special.

Kids are kids, and they all deserve a proper childhood.

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firelxdykatara · 3 years

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Came across a post that claimed for Zutara "a romantic relationship would undermine Zuko’s redemption arc & undermine the found family aspect of Zutara's friendship" & I'm so annoyed now. So, becoming romantically involved w someone means your redemption arc is no longer valid? & what exactly is wrong with becoming friends w someone, choosing them as your family & then falling in love w them? If anything, K@taang undermines the found family aspect of K@taang's friendship.

People who claim that romance undermines found family relationships must have a very odd view of like, families in general......like are two people who are in love and have kids w each other not each other’s family now???? It’s just really bizarre to me lmfao like, familial relationships aren’t inherently platonic bc I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t be able to genuinely fall in love with someone I didn’t consider to be family, or close to it!

Anyway, this idea that found families must Stay Platonic otherwise their bonds are being undermined is just so fucking boring. Like, you know what the absolute best found family dynamic in television in the early 2010s was? Leverage. And guess what! Nate and Sophie fell in love and John Rogers himself said that the ot3 was made canon in the finale, a poly relationship that comprises the other three of the family. That doesn’t make them any less a found family, though???? Like, they chose each other. They found each other and then they chose each other and they kept choosing each other, and that isn’t somehow Less just because romantic love became involved in some of their relationships.

Found family is all about choosing the people you love. Choosing the people you want in your life, choosing the people you want to be around. Romantic love can be part of that, and often is! Zuko and Katara falling in love doesn’t undermine the found family of the gaang any more than Suki being part of it because she’s Sokka’s girlfriend does--because that may be where her connection to the gaang began, but not where it ended. (Or, rather, didn’t have to be where it ended--one of my gripes with the show is how little Suki is given to do with the rest of the gaang, especially Katara. They should have had a friendship on screen and I’m a little annoyed they didn’t.)

And as far as it undermining Zuko’s redemption goes, that’s actually really funny when you consider that Katara and Aang getting together in the finale actually did undermine Aang’s character arc--in a way that Zutara getting together wouldn’t have for Zuko, because his redemption itself didn’t actually hinge on his relationship with Katara. (His redemption was complete before he joined the gaang at the Western Air Temple--those life changing fieldtrips were about Zuko earning forgiveness for the things he’d done before he made the choice to do and be better, but he still would have been redeemed even if the others hadn’t chosen to forgive him.) On the other hand, Aang’s growth--and, indeed, his ability to become a fully realized avatar--explicitly hinged on his attachment to Katara. This is made explicit in the book 2 finale, where Aang is forced to make a show of ‘letting go’ of Katara in order to unblock his final chakra and enter the avatar state--and then it is promptly thrown out in book 3, where he’s allowed to double down on his possessive attachment and unlock the avatar state and defeat the firelord and get the girl at the end of it all.

Aang needed to let go of his selfish attachment to Katara--not actually his love for her, but, for example, the expectation that his romantic love needed to be returned, which is a huge part of the problem with his actions and overall arc in book 3--in order to achieve enlightenment master the avatar state, but this is completely undermined when, later on, he is... selfishly attached to Katara and practically demands she return his feelings, and then gets the avatar state back anyway, and is able to master it in order to defeat the firelord nonlethally. Aang getting absolutely everything he wanted just handed to him on a silver platter in the eleventh hour, without having to sacrifice a single thing--not even his selfish entitlement to another person’s feelings--is the definition of undermining a character arc tbh.

Meanwhile, two characters falling in love after helping each other complete their respective arcs--Zuko helped Katara finally achieve closure for her trauma and begin to heal, and Katara helped Zuko accept himself and gain the courage to face his uncle and beg forgiveness (forgiveness he never really needed, because as Iroh says, he was never angry--he was sad that his beloved nephew had lost his way, and this is something I think Katara understood even without knowing exactly what had happened between them)--would be building on and enhancing their journeys, rather than undermining them.

So yeah, I just.... do not understand that argument (except insofar as it comes from ppl with a vested interest in delegitimizing zutara, usually because they’re mad that it’s more popular or has more support than their preferred ship), because it completely misses the point of not only found family, but redemption arcs--Zuko’s in particular. (And I don’t even have an issue with redemption via romantic love--as with anything, it depends on how it’s handled--but Zuko’s very clearly wasn’t, and the fact that he was redeemed before seeking out Katara’s forgiveness means that if she did fall in love with him post-canon, it wouldn’t be undermining anything at all.)

#atla #zutara #zuko #katara #kataang salt #just covering my bases #asked #Anonymous

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thinkingisadangerouspastime · 3 years

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grief

Written for Day 6 of @aangweek! Read here on AO3.

~*~

6. grief - and when i can’t be with you dream me near / keep me in your heart and i’ll appear

Aang took a deep breath as he stepped onto the balcony of Iroh’s tea shop in Ba Sing Se. The air was… well, not cool - it was never cool during Earth Kingdom summers, even if it didn’t get quite as hot as in the Fire Nation - but it wasn’t overly warm, either. The humidity wasn’t too extreme in the evening, though if anything Aang appreciated the slight gravity to the air. It was… grounding.

Fitting for the Earth Kingdom, but perhaps an odd sensation for an airbender to seek.

Still. Aang found a certain comfort in the air’s heavier presence. It was there. Surrounding him, clothing him. He was there, existing and living and breathing in the moment. In the present. In the now.

Only… He wasn’t.

No, Aang was in the past, as he was wont to be. Particularly on that day of all days. If he closed his eyes, the Southern Air Temple sat before him, alive and carefree and in its prime as it had been… a hundred and one years ago. If he listened, he could hear the laughter of students learning their first airbending technique from the monks. Echoes of the past. If he took a deep breath, he could smell freshly-made fruit pies, sweet and tangy like those he’d whip up with Gyatso.

Sometimes… Aang could pretend nothing had changed at all.

Of course, the truth was that everything had.

Aang sighed, opening his eyes to stare down at his wooden necklace. Engraved in the center was the symbol of his people and their element. Today was a day of celebration, he knew, but the heart didn’t often lend itself to such clarity.

It was the first anniversary of the end of the Hundred Year War. The first anniversary of the Fire Nation’s defeat. The first anniversary of a new, peaceful era. A cycle of cruelty had ended, and a future of harmony had begun.

Well, perhaps it wasn’t quite so simple.

A ghost of a smile graced Aang’s lips. How the past lingered on.

His friends were inside the Jasmine Dragon, laughing and teasing each other just as they’d done a year ago. They were relaxing after a long day of political tasks and dull meetings and formal celebrations, a decision for which Aang could not blame them.

Soon, they would join him on the balcony. Aang knew this. His friends never let him be alone for long.

But for now, Aang basked in the stillness. And he breathed.

“Greetings, Avatar Aang.”

Aang blinked upon hearing his name. Or rather, hearing his formal title. Of all his friends to join him first, he’d suspected it would be Katara. Maybe Zuko. But not… Well, who was Aang to question the workings of the universe? It was far more powerful than he.

“Grand Lotus Iroh,” he said, bowing to the older man. “Is there something you need?”

Iroh chuckled. “I suppose I don’t ‘need’ anything, but I will remind you that it is not necessary to address me so formally. Just ‘Iroh’ is fine.”

Aang gave him a small smile. “On one condition - you have to drop the formalities for me, too.”

Iroh’s chuckling became full-on laughter, booming from the man’s stomach. “Oh, you sound like my nephew. He can’t stand it when I address him as the Fire Lord.” He smiled at Aang. “I accept your condition, Aang.”

Aang found himself laughing, too. “Thank you, Iroh.” He’d always been fond of Zuko’s uncle. For one, Iroh had given him memorable - powerful - advice on their journey into the crystal catacombs together. And two, it was clear as day just how much Iroh loved Zuko, and how he tried to be the doting father Zuko had never had. In that respect…

Well, he reminded Aang of Gyatso. A little bit. Caring for a person with every bone in his body, guiding a child through responsibilities thrust upon them that they were unprepared to bear, and loving a little boy who wasn’t their own son. Who didn’t need to be.

“Are you alright, Aang?” Iroh asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I noticed you withdraw from your friends in my shop with a rather…” He paused. “Pensive expression, I suppose. I simply wanted to check on you.”

Oops. Had he already given himself away?

Aang shrugged, returning his focus to the cityscape of Ba Sing Se before him once more. Lanterns lit the streets as laughter and music filled the air. “I have a couple things on my mind. Nothing too serious.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I’d say it’s been a long, busy day, but I don’t want to imply you weren’t there for as much of it as I was.”

Iroh chuckled. “Perhaps I was there for most of it. But my responsibilities are certainly not comparable to those of the Avatar.” He, too, turned to look out over the city. “However… This day presents conflicting feelings to you, does it not?”

Aang stiffened as Iroh’s comment sunk in, wondering how on Earth the man could have known what was on his mind. But he soon relaxed, realizing it wasn’t exactly difficult to put two and two together. And moreover, Iroh was simply… well, he was an observant person. Zuko was his nephew, after all. During Zuko’s banishment, Aang had a feeling Iroh had needed two sets of eyes in the back of his head to keep track of him.

“That’s one way to put it,” Aang admitted, a soft smile inching onto his lips. “But I didn’t want my overthinking to ruin the festivities, so I came out here.” Even from the balcony, he could hear Katara and Sokka squabbling about the significance of a particular Pai Sho tile, soon interrupted by Mai dryly informing them that they were both wrong.

“I am sure your friends would not -”

“I know, I know,” Aang interrupted with a laugh. He looked down once more at the wooden beads hanging around his neck. “I think I just needed… a minute of quiet. With myself.” Himself, and the past that ever influenced the present.

Aang glanced at Iroh, hastily adding, “It’s okay that you came out here, though! I don’t - I don’t mind the company.”

Iroh gave him a warm smile. “Since I am here, would you like to share your thoughts with me? About your conflict, that is.” He stroked his beard. “Please don’t feel pressured, of course. But if you speak, know I will listen.”

Aang allowed a pause to pass between them. Gathering his thoughts. A moment of silence, filled only by his friends’ muted voices from indoors and the cityscape chattering around them. Then he sighed.

“It’s not a big deal, really.” Aang gently clasped his wooden pendant, fingers tracing the curves engraved in the center. “A year ago, I defeated Fire Lord Ozai. And I am happy about that. Happy that the war is over. That we won.” He exhaled slowly. “But if I think too much about it…”

His hand tightened on the beads, and Aang found himself looking anywhere but at Iroh. “I chose to spare Ozai’s life. I don’t regret that decision, because affirming and upholding the beliefs of my people is - is -” Aang blinked back tears, and he took a sharp breath before he continued. “One of the reasons it was so important was because I’m the last of my people. I’m the only one left who can uphold our beliefs.”

Aang bit the inside of his cheek to avoid breaking into sobs, but against his will a few tears slid down his cheeks. “When I think about it like that, when I remember how part of my choice was because - was because they’re gone -” Aang couldn’t finish, his teeth sinking into his tongue to stop a choked sob from escaping.

The absence of his people was a never-ending ache, a pain rooted deep in his bones. And some days were more agonizing than others. Even days that should have been happy ones.

Iroh nodded. “I see,” he said after a pause, once Aang had wiped his eyes and eased his unsteady breathing. “I hope you understand, Aang, that your grief here is not irrational. While grief is seldom controllable, and often leaves us confused…” He shook his head. “It is not irrational. Your feelings here are what you need them to be.”

Iroh gave Aang a sorrowful look. “I regret that I have so little advice for you, Aang. The decisions of my ancestors, my brother, and my own may have caused irreparable damage to the balance of this world. Worse, in doing so, they stole everything from you. And for that…” Iroh shook his head. “No words can express my apologies.”

Aang exhaled slowly. “Not everything,” he finally said, once he was certain his voice wouldn’t waver. “Guru Pathik told me that my people’s love for me has not left this world. That it was reborn in the form of new love.” He gave Iroh a warm, if watery, smile. “You… remind me of Monk Gyatso. The way you take care of Zuko, even though you aren’t his father. Because it doesn’t matter. You -”

Aang’s voice caught in his throat. Iroh didn’t comment, and Aang collected himself before he continued.

“You still love him,” he said, maybe a little wistfully. Spirits, there were times Aang missed Gyatso so much he couldn’t breathe. “You still love him, and you would do anything for him.”

Iroh gave Aang a soft, sincere smile. “That is the highest praise I have ever been awarded. Thank you.”

Aang looked down at his beads once more. This time, he noticed Iroh’s gaze following them, too. “And… the Fire Nation can’t take my grief from me. I will always remember my people, and I will always work to keep their memory alive.” What was the future other than a world built on the past?

Iroh nodded. “Grief is nothing if not love,” he mused. “Grief is all the love we have for someone, for something, that no longer has a place to go.”

Aang nodded, eyes watering for what had to be the umpteenth time since their conversation started. Grief was love. All the love Aang had for his people that he kept in his heart, love so jam-packed it made his chest ache with pressure about to burst.

But love was reborn. Every day. Reborn in his friends.

In his family.

Aang turned, wrapping his arms around Iroh in a tight hug, an embrace the older man gently returned. “Thank you,” Aang whispered. “For taking care of Zuko. For listening to me. For…” He exhaled. “Just for being here.”

Iroh shook his head. “No, Aang. I am the one who must thank you.”

Aang wasn’t sure when he started crying. He wasn’t sure when his friends joined him on the balcony, either. But when they all wrapped their arms around him in a massive, ridiculous, everything-he-could-have-ever-wanted group hug…

They were Aang’s present. His friends grounded him, keeping him in the now. And yet, if he opened his eyes?

Aang suspected he would fly.

~*~

idk how much i like this ficlet either lmaooo. regardless, aang deserves a million hugs and his friends will always be there to provide them!! i hope to see you tomorrow for the final day of aang week 2021 - love. (here's a hint: an overabundance of fluff. also, everyone's a little bit in love with aang! which is practically canon.) thank you for reading!

#aang #aang week #aanglove #iroh #atla #avatar the last airbender #the gaang #air nomads #gyatso #atla fanfic #atla fanfiction #words aren't real anymore #amy writes

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likeabxrdinflight · 4 years

Note

Unpopular opinion: The sibling rivalry between Azula and Zuko is unhealthy more because of the ways their environment encourages them to view and act toward one another than because of any particular personality traits either of them has. When there are no external forces pushing them to be at odds, they get along quite well, as we see in "The Beach."

Yeah...I think in a world in which Ozai is not a factor and they’re also not somewhat inherently pitted against one another as competing heirs to a throne, things would have been different between them.

There are definitely hints to this in canon. We briefly see them playing together in Zuko Alone- it’s a blink and you miss it moment, but you see them laughing as Azula chases Zuko across the screen, clearly playful. There’s hints that they used to get along when they were very young- Zuko refers to the time they used to vacation on Ember Island as a time when “our family was actually happy.” And in The Search, they both reference playing “Love Amongst the Dragons” with each other.

I think Azula would always be the “bossier” sibling, the one who directs people around, assigns roles, and leads the making up of rules of the games. She’s a more directive, take charge kind of person, and Zuko by nature strikes me as more passive and content to follow along. I took on this same “bossier” role with my brother when we were kids (albeit, I’m the oldest.) Azula is also a more aggressive person than Zuko, and some of that I do think is just part of her personality, but in a healthier world, that could just as easily have been channeled into being fiercely protective of and loyal to her brother. But, since their environment was just so destructive, the relationship really broke down as they got older, especially as Ozai started seeking out the throne. By deliberately pitting the siblings against each other, he created an environment where one would emerge as the “winner” between the two of them, and the other the “loser”- I get the feeling this was a dynamic within the Fire Nation royal family, as it seems to be the same dynamic that Ozai had with Iroh, to some extent. Whether that came from Azulon or not is unclear, but it wouldn’t surprise me. So the sibling rivalry might actually be, in part, an inheritance of a kind of generational trauma.

It would be hard for them, after all that, to fully heal that relationship. Azula has been trained for most of her life to see Zuko as her inferior as much as a rival, and Zuko has been hurt by Azula and, for a long time, possibly been projecting a lot of his anger about his father onto her. He never once seems to consider her a victim of Ozai’s abuse and I suspect this is why- Azula represents everything Zuko wanted from his father, and he resents that, unable to see that Ozai’s “favor” isn’t something to be desired for the majority of the series. I think plenty of that resentment lingers post-series. Even once he accepts that his father is an abusive monster, it’s hard to just forget that longing for acceptance and love from a parent. Those are wounds that don’t heal quickly.

Ultimately I don’t blame either of the siblings for the toxicity of their relationship. And I certainly think a skilled writer could write a story in which the two of them come together and heal that relationship as they realize just how much their childhood was fucked up and how much they were really pit against one another.

I realize that it is very common for people to look at these situations in a rather black and white manner, to see Azula as the abusive sibling and feel strongly that Zuko shouldn’t forgive her. And in some ways it makes sense, because complex trauma doesn’t allow for thinking in shades of gray if you want to survive it. When you’re right in the middle of the trauma, in the abusive household, you have to find a way to survive it however you can- and that can mean shutting off relationships. It made sense for Zuko to shut out Azula emotionally for the time that he did, he was trying to survive and protect himself emotionally. But a lot of times part of the process of healing from abuse, and healing from complex trauma, is moving beyond black and white thinking, and seeing how other siblings in an abusive home were victims too, even if they were also toxic to their other siblings. And I think Zuko and Azula could do that with one another...they have that potential.

This is so complicated and I could write an entire dissertation on the topic, so I just want to state that no, I am not saying that anyone has to or even should forgive an abusive or toxic sibling. That choice is up to each individual victim, and having that agency to either reconcile or shut someone off is important to recovery. Agency is important to recovery. But...sometimes, not always, as part of the healing process, people find that they want to forgive. And that’s okay too.

#atla #abuse cw #eshusplayground #forgot to add that azula might also be angry with zuko for failing to protect her from ozai and for leaving after he was banished #they're not the most rational feelings but those are common emotional experiences in abusive homes #she would have largely dissociated those emotions though

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 3 years

Text

Protea (Part 17)

She doesn’t come home that night or the next. So Mai caves, partially under the pressure of Ursa’s rising anxiety.

“She’s probably at ‘er factory.” Mohi shrugs.

This does little to alleviate Ursa’s concert. “Her what?”

“It used to manufacture war machines.” Zenyul remarks.

“An abandoned factory!? Those are...they’re unsanitary and full of blades and broken beams.”

“She always goes there when she’s upset.” She cuts Mai a pointed glare and just like that she recalls the woman’s warning not to hurt her daughter. “Been goin’ ta that factory fer a long while now. Ain’t nothing to worry ‘bout.” Mohi assures.

“She’s been gone for…”

“Only a day.” Zuko cups his hand over Ursa’s. “Azula can take care of herself. She’ll come back when she’s ready.”

“Girl jus’ needs time ta clear ‘er head s’all.”

“I’ll go check on her.” Mai grumbles. She is certain that she will come to regret this decision. Whether Azula is withdrawn or furious she is in for a difficult and tedious time. Really she shouldn’t go at all. But, frankly, she’d do just about anything to keep Mohi from glaring at her with that much hatred.

“Boy, ya git on up ‘n go find your sister!”

Both Kaz and Zuko rise.

“I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout ‘choo.” She jabs her finger at Zuko.

“He doesn’t have to come.” Mai grumbles.

“He’s a goin’.”

The argument is settled. It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t have to talk to him. And she doesn’t. It isn’t out of hatred nor dislike. It isn’t out of anything at all in particular. Perhaps it is just less awkward. They reach the factory and she leaves Kaz to do the calling. He tries Snapdragon first and after getting no answer he tries ‘princess’ and then ‘Azula’.

Mai finally speaks directly to him, I’ll look inside, I know where her nest is. You can check around outside.”

“Yeah, that werks.” He agrees.

The building has a certain chill to it now that Azula has left it vacant for some time. She is twice as hesitant to ascend the ladder, it seems to sway more than ever and when she reaches the top, she finds no reward. Azula isn’t in there picking through her hoard.

She climbs back down and takes the stairs to the upper levels. She is beginning to speculate that Azula isn’t here. She wouldn’t put it past her to have run off to find the Forgetful Valley a second time.

With a drawn sigh she takes the fire escape. This is where she finds Azula and her stomach has never plummeted faster. By Agni’s fire, she wishes that the princess would have just run off into the jungle again. She is so still, so nauseatingly still. And there is blood. Too much of it.

Spirits, has she been here all night. She feels queasy beyond compare. She nearly hurls over the side of the railing when she sees Azula’s legs. She takes a deep breath, “Kaz!” Her voice strains, she isn’t used to yelling so loudly. “Kaz!”

“Ya find her?”

“Yeah, and I need your help.”

She is scared to feel for her pulse. She reaches out regardless. It is only faintly reassuring to find a subtle beating. She rubs her hands over her face. She shouldn’t have kissed Kaz. Spirits, what was she thinking.

Snapdragon’s goofy lopsided smile appears in her mind, accompanied by that delighted and loud laugh. Her face is so still, her expression so pained. It doesn’t sit will, not on Snapdragon. On Azula, sure. But not on the face of joyful Snapdragon.

.oOo.

Her head hurts. Her legs hurt, what she can feel of them anyways. Everything just hurts.

She forces her eyes open, expecting to see the sun glaring mercilessly down upon her. She doesn’t remember when she had passed out. She recalls that she had been trying to stop the bleeding and then nothing at all.

But she is not strewn out on hard metal. She is back in the infirmary and wrapped in more bandages than when she had left.

There is no one around, no one save for a healer. She swallows, the really are all angry with her. She tries to sit up and the healer is by her side in an instant, gently coaxing her back to the mattress. “Not yet.” She says gently. “At least wait until your food gets here.” She hands her a cup of water.

Some fifteen minutes pass and then another five. And Mai enters. She sets a small bento box in her lap. “I’m not a very good cook. Kaz and Zenyul did most of the work.”

Azula nods and heaves herself into a sitting position. She feels so dizzy and tired and her fingers fumble with the box. Mai helps her pry the lid open. She picks at the rice first and then a small helping of noodles.

“You didn’t have to jump.” Mai mumbles.

For a moment she doesn’t register the weight of the remark. When she does, she shakes her head. “I was just trying to get to the top. I figured that I could do it now that I have my bending back…”

She supposes that she won’t be doing much of that anymore. Her face pales; she can’t climb, she can’t do parkour, she can’t even get to her hoard. She can’t do anything that can help take her mind off of things.

Mai looks profoundly relieved. “You really did just fall?”

She holds out her sprained wrist, “I hurt it more trying to catch myself.” She thinks that maybe if it hadn't been so bruised prior, she might not have hurt it so badly. She wonders if she’ll be able to walk again. She inquires as much and the healer comes to her with a small pin. She pricks Azula’s thigh and then her calf. She winces with each.

“You’ll be fine as long as you let your legs heal right.”

Azula lays back, it is more than a relief.

“Kaz helped you make this?” She gestures to the box.

Mai nods.

“He’s still mad?”

She nods again. “I don’t think that he will be for long.”

“Are you?”

“I want to be.” Mai sighs. “I really want to be...”

“But…”

“You just fell off of a building and you look like a kicked rabaroo. It’s kind of pathetic.” She laughs.

Azula frowns and crosses her arms. “Where is mother?”

“Which one?”

“Both of them.”

“I can get them for you. Zuko will probably tag along.”

She starts to stand but Azula catches her by the wrist. “Stay with me.” With a sigh, Mai sits back down.

.oOo.

Azula still doesn’t let go of her hand. Likely she thinks that she is going to try to leave again. She exhales again and brushes Azula’s hair out of her face. She rests her hand on her cheek. “At least you don’t have to worry about any new scars, they’ll disappear when you get your real face back.”

“My face, not my body.” Azula replies. “I don’t think that my body changed.”

Mai shrugs, the last fragments of her anger fall away when Azula looks back at the bento box and mutters, “you forgot the marigold.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d still eat that.”

Azula quirks a brow. “I had my memories when we opened up the new shop.”

Mai doesn’t know how her brain had managed to gloss that one over. “Are you trying to tell me that, that wasn’t part of trying to pretend like you didn’t have your memories?”

Azula clears her throat, “the taste grew on me.”

“Spirits, you’re a feral little beast beast.” Mai rolls her eyes. She really can’t hate her. Not anymore. Not when the line between Snapdragon and Azula is so blurred. Not when it becomes so outright that they are one and the same. She carefully lifts Azula’s bandaged hand and, with a moment of hesitation, offers it a little kiss before putting it back down just below her chest. Azula cradles it in her uninjured hand.

“Who do you think is going to have the better lecture; Mohi or Ursa?”

“Honestly, I can’t wait to listen to both.”

“Did Zuko cry?”

“It was more like this look of distress and concern.

“Good.”

“Good?”

“People care about me.” She clarifies. “I didn’t think people cared about me.”

“Of course we care about…”

“Everyone cares about Snapdragon. I...I didn’t think that anyone cared about me.”

Mai bites the inside of her cheek, she probably hadn’t helped any in that regard. “That’s why you became Snapdragon, isn’t it?”

Azula nods, “I was tired of being alone. A new face was my best chance.”

“You didn’t think to try to apologize?”

Azula cringes. “I’m not good with that. I don’t think that I would have felt loved if it was given to me...no memories came with no...trust issues.”

Mai rubs her lips together and tenderly strokes the back of Azula's hand. “I guess that it would have been difficult to just apologize and move on.” She can’t even promise the princess that she would have given her a chance. She has an inkling that Azula knows it too. Of course she does, she wouldn’t have run off if she hadn’t.

“Well, maybe it’s a good thing you did leave.” Zuko shrugs. Mai isn’t sure how long he had been standing there; Azula’s cringe tells her that she isn’t sure either.

“Why’s that, Zuzu?” She mumbles. “So you could have a break from me?”

“That too. But also because…” He ponders for a moment. “Because I think that Snapdragon is a part of you. The part that you’ve been afraid to show everyone. A new face gave you the chance to do it.”

Azula’s cheeks color ever so subtly. “That’s not…I’m not some feral...”

Mai holds her pointer to Azula’s lips and quirks a brow. “You don’t have to repress yourself. Trust me, it...its tiresome.” Maybe she ought to start surfacing her own bizarre interests and odd habits. The ones that her mother would chastise her for.

“We like you better when you don’t refine and polish yourself. You’re easier to talk to.”

Azula nods. “You guys like me.”

Mai sighs. “Yes we like you, Azula, not just Snapdragon.”

She opens her mouth.

“Not just the Snapdragon parts of you. All of you.” Zuko adds.

“Even the part that is going to laugh at you for crying over me.”

Zuko cringes. “You’re pushing it.”

“But you’re still going to bring me a cup of tea?”

Zuko rolls his eyes. “Fine, I’ll get you a cup of tea.”

Azula smiles and nuzzles her head into her pillow. She closes her eyes.

Mai wants to get up and fetch herself a scroll or knitting supplies, or something to occupy herself with while Azula rests but she told the princess that she wouldn’t leave. She supposes that it wouldn’t hurt to have a rest for herself. It had been a stressful few days.

.oOo.

Azula feels as though her life has come to a bleak standstill. She can’t climb nor scramble, she can’t firebend to her liking, and she can’t go out and reclaim her old face. Though it is rather nice to have Mai caring for her; bringing her meals and laying on the bed with her. She sits as close as she can without risking damaging Azula’s legs worse. The princess is dissatisfied to find that Mai usually keeps a foot or two between them, despite insistence that she isn’t that fragile.

Mohi and Ursa check in frequently to the point that she thinks they are hovering. Were her speech written, Mohi would be pages into a multi-part lecture on climbing safety and not doing anything bold and risk at the height of anger. It doesn’t matter how many times she insists that it would have been relaxing had she not fallen.

Ursa is softer, but equally as annoying. It is all forehead kisses, babying, and doting. But she doesn’t want to push her away again, so the woman gets away with it. She finds that Zuko is, to her shock and dismay, the most pleasant company.

He brings her things to keep her busy; lets her help him work through some of the more tedious and tricky contracts and proposals that the council presents him with. It keeps her mind sharp and makes her feel useful. Other times he will bring a Paisho board or other strategy games. Sometimes he just sits and tells her stories while she and Mai listen. One day he tells her that, by the time she heals fully, TyLee should be around to vision. Her heart flutters at this. She wonders how the woman will take her relationship with Mai.

.oOo.

It is good to see Azula getting fresh air again. She seems happier for it, far less grumpy. In general, being at the flower shop seems to soothe her. She has taken to opening all of the windows, letting in a breeze that has the petals and leaves in a constant state of rustling.

She watches her engage in conversation as she hands over a bouquet of iris, clover, and foxglove. She is certain that it is doing Azula well to speak with the general public; if there is one thing that Snapdragon and Azula share it is that they both stumble through basic conversation in some way or another. She wonders if Azula will continue working at the shop once she gets her own face back.

Mai watches the customer leave, the last rush of the day has finally come to a close. “I think that this is the most you’ve talked to anyone...ever.”

Azula swivels her wheelchair around to face Mai and shrugs. “I am tired.”

Mai sighs, “you did good.” She rubs the princess’ shoulders and gives her a soft kiss. Azula puts her hands in her lap. “How is your wrist feeling?”

“Sore.”

“And your legs?”

“Right now, they aren’t.”

Mai chuckles. “Do you want a cup of tea? I’ve been saving some leaves so you have plenty of choices.”

Azula nods and rummages through her collection and picks out several flavors. “Any of these will do.”

.oOo.

She isn’t much help with closing duties; she can’t reach the cleaning supplies from her chair and it is rather hard to hold a broom and wheel herself around at the same time. It is just as well, she really doesn’t like cleaning anyhow. The messes have always been funner to make. She can see it in Mai’s eyes that she is relieved that she doesn’t have to clean up a counter full of dirt, the sort of mess that she used to leave behind when Snapdragon would scoop up handfuls of dirt just to watch it sift out of her closed fist. Granted she still does this from time to time when she grows bored, but she keeps her space nice and tidy. There is something relaxing about watching dirt fall, something about the feeling of it shifting in her palm.

When she is through she withdraws her hand and ignites a small flame to burn away that which is still stuck to her hand. “You ready to go?” Mai asks.

“Yes.”

“I suppose that you’re going to have a bath when you get home?”

“Correct.”

She isn’t sure what kind she will have under orders to not get her casts wet. “You are going to have to help me.”

“Why don’t you have one of your serving girls--”

Azula shakes her head, “that’s...uncomfortable.” She paues. “I trust you.”

Mai smiles. She thinks that that is what implores her to roll her eyes and agree to help. Undressing is such a tedious task one that is sprinkled with questions like, “how did you even get these pants on?” And answers like, “with effort and an hour or so.”

“I am going to have Yora get you a robe.”

“Yes. That is what I wear to bed.”

“It’s what you’re going to wear in the day too, so we don’t have to struggle like this again.” Mai carefully lifts her out of the wheelchair and sits her upon the edge of the spring and hands her a towel.

She finds that bathing is no longer a relaxing endeavor, it is a constant fight to keep her casts dry.

“A little water isn’t going to hurt it.” Mai insists as Azula brings the towel to wipe away the water that has made its way into her lap for, well she has lost count of how many times now.

“It would be helpful to have a water bender to just shift it around and create a space for my legs.”

“Well we don’t have any waterbenders on hand.” Mai replies and hands Azula a bar of soap. She scrubs herself with both haste and efficacy and dries herself just as quickly. She waits for Mai to disappear and come back with her robes. She dresses herself and Mai helps her back into the wheelchair. She smells, once again, like Snapdragon and Firelily. And for it she feels like herself again.

Mai helps her into bed. Though it is a lot cozier, she finds that she doesn’t need her nest when Mai chooses to spend the night in her bed. Mai is just as warm as her softest pillow and is much better for conversation. Sleeping isn’t exactly comfortable, consider her preference for sleeping on her side or stomach. But Mai makes it more bearable by either rubbing her arms or stroking the back of her hands.

Mostly, this coaxes her to sleep. And it is nice to wake up to a slumbering Mai still holding her hand.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Mai #Maizula #Fanfiction

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wackextravaganza · 3 years

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So I’m rewatching she ra and as mentioned in a previous post, I think there are some things about Catra’s redemption that could’ve been better (the limited number of episodes doesn’t do the writers any favours with character development so I don’t blame them). But yeah I just thought I’d discuss those cause what better way is there to spend my Saturday lmao.

Firstly, I definitely think that Catra and Glimmer should’ve spoken about the portal, and how Catra was indirectly responsible for Angella’s death. I mean that was probably one of her worst moments as a villain, and in season 4 it was clear that it haunted her. She seemed to regret it deeply, even while she was still a villain, so the fact that it wasn’t addressed during her redemption struck me as odd. Also, I think that conversation between her and Glimmer would’ve been quite interesting, especially seeing as Glimmer also had the potential to hurt a lot of people by setting off the Heart of Etheria (I fucking love the way their characters parallel each other). I think Glimmer having such a similar personality to Catra would’ve made it easy for her to forgive her, and perhaps she already had, but the actual conversation would’ve been nice to see, as well as it being a good showcase of Catra’s redemption. She blamed Adora for it at the time, but seeing her take responsibility for her actions and apologise would’ve been a really good demonstration of her development.

Secondly, Scorpia. Now obviously with this one it’s difficult, because Scorpia was chipped once Catra arrived on Etheria and she never had to opportunity to apologise. She definitely wanted and intended to, which is evident in the episode “Return to the Fright Zone”, but she just never had the chance. And with the limited number of episodes, their “reunion”, so to speak, in the finale had to end on a good note since there wasn’t really time to develop their friendship/relationship afterwards. However, I do think that there should’ve been a verbal apology; as much as I love the cyclicality of the whole “I’m a hugger” line, I think Scorpia embraced her as a friend a little too quickly. Of course, it’s not in Scorpia’s character to hold a grudge and give her silent treatment, but she left for a reason, which was that Catra wasn’t being a good friend. And to see Catra make that effort and actually apologise would’ve been enough for Scorpia to forgive her. I just think the actual apology needed to be said, but otherwise I was pretty satisfied with that as the ending for them.

Finally, I think that Catra was embraced by the Best Friend Squad a little too quickly as well. Now with this one, I feel pretty torn, because part of me thinks that Adora explained Catra’s problems to them and they trust Adora’s judgement where Catra is involved, seeing as she knows her a lot better than they do. Lmao I’m writing this and I’m suddenly disagreeing with myself but lemme just make my point. So at the end of season 5 episode 6, Catra eventually comes out of her room and joins them to eat, and they immediately give her a place among them, which I found so sweet (God I’m really gonna regret what I’m about to say next lmfao). However, I do think there should’ve been some sort of apology or maybe explanation for her actions just to see her growth. Like in ATLA, where Zuko tries to join the gaang and they don’t immediately accept him, but after he explains himself properly and saves them from combustion man, they realise that he’s changed and allow him to be part of the group. I think with Catra, there was a lot more action than explanation, and I think her explaining herself would’ve been nice. But, the scene where she sits with them is so heartwarming and the immediate acceptance seems a lot more in character for Bow and Glimmer, to be honest. There’s also has a slight allusion to when Adora said “I’m always gonna be your friend”; Adora wasn’t gonna put up with Catra’s toxicity anymore, which was clear at the end of S3 and earlier on in this same episode, but as soon as Catra was ready to change and be the person Adora knew she could be, she would be there for her. The scene where Catra finally leaves her room kinda proves that, because Catra was taking a step forward and facing people she hurt and upon realising that Catra was trying to change and be better, Adora was immediately supportive, as were Bow and Glimmer. So yeah, I think that particular scene was fine the way it was, but just in general, Catra maybe could’ve talked about her actions more just to give the others an insight to her behaviour. I was pretty happy with her being accepted into the Best Friend Squad tho, seeing as she had already apologised to Entrapta and a lot of her other development in that episode (S5 episode 6) was centred around her interactions with Adora. So yeah, I didn’t find this to be that big of a deal, but I just thought I’d mention it.

Lmao that was a slightly confusing note to end on seeing as I contradicted myself the entire time, but I hope that made sense. I just think there should’ve been more conversations between Catra and the people she hurt, rather than immediate forgiveness and acceptance. Of course, I don’t blame the writers for that, since they didn’t have much time, but I just thought it would’ve really improved her redemption and made it more compelling. Otherwise, they did a very good job with her character and I loved her arc throughout the series.

#she ra and the princesses of power #she ra catra #she ra adora #she ra catradora #catradora #redemption arc

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cottage-babe · 4 years

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Burning Scars part X

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whoops i missed two weeks of updating, sorry, concussion stuff :) im all good now tho so more! updating!

I changed the original story up a bit :)

Summary: Y/n, a werewolf from a hidden village, comes across Zuko and Iroh after being exiled. How has fate intertwined the wolf into the avatar’s destiny?

___

Zuko’s been acting a little... weird lately.

Well, let’s clarify something; Zuko always acts weird. But ever since the trio went into work that day, the boy had been on edge.

Y/n was standing at the tea station, just leaning against the wall and spacing out. Iroh was beside her, humming a small tune as he prepared the next batch of tea. Then, the boy quickly walked up to them in panic.

“Guys, we have a problem.” He said as he set the teacups he was holding onto the table. “One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now but there is a girl over there at the corner table.”

Y/n snapped out of her daydream and looked over to the person Zuko was talking about. It was a pretty girl; she had long dark hair pulled into two braids and a sappy smile on her face. Instantly Y/n knew that she wasn’t suspicious of anything.

“Didn’t I say don’t look?!” Zuko whispered and dragged both of his companions arms to turn away.

A laugh almost escaped Y/n’s mouth as she shared a look with Iroh. “You know Zuko, I think you’re right, I’ve seen her here a lot.”

The clueless teen nodded his head and furrowed his brows.

“Seems to me she has quite a little crush on you.” Iroh laughed and went back to whatever it was that he was doing.

Zuko let out a ‘what?’ and Y/n sighed in response. She had to keep reminding herself that she and the other boy were nothing remotely close to romantic. If anything was learned from last night, they were just friends; family, at most. And she was okay with that, honestly. She had so many issues with him that it probably wouldn’t even work out. But still, she couldn’t deny the fact the Zuko might’ve been the topic of her daydream just moments ago.

Y/n resumed her position of leaning on the wall. She watched as the ‘mysterious’ girl walked up to the counter and began to talk to Zuko flirtatiously. The girl introduced herself as Jin and payed for her drink.

“Thank you and ... well, I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime?” Jin asked with a hopeful gaze.

Zuko paused in bewilderment and it almost made the poor girl regret her request. Y/n wasn’t going to butt in, she really wasn’t, but soon she decided that it was for the best. Maybe if she helped him get in a relationship, it would help her get over her slight (once again, very very slight) feelings over him.

“He’d love to.” Y/n responded for Zuko.

The boy looked around his shoulder and sent the wolf a questioning glare, but she just sent him a smile and turned to help Iroh make some tea.

My job here is done.

Jin and Zuko talked a bit more and ended with her saying that she’d meet with him at sundown. That meant that for the rest of the day Zuko chatted nervously with Y/n and Iroh, giving off mixed feelings between ‘I don’t want to go’ and ‘should I dress nice?’. Y/n let Iroh do all the talking, she wasn’t too much of an expert in that area.

When she was in her pack, Y/n wasn’t exactly popular among the boys. They mainly drifted her to strong, beautiful sister and the girl wasn’t bothered by it too much. She had a few crushes here and there, but that was about it. Nothing was ever acted on.

So hearing that this was Zuko’s first date relieved her to an extent; at least she wasn’t the only one who’d gone this long without being in a relationship. But there was the other part that nagged her a bit, the fact that Zuko was having his first date; with a stranger none the less.

Quit all this feeling stuff, it’s getting annoying.

Y/n may or may not have been giving Zuko a form of silent treatment for the day. If he ever asked her anything, she answered, but other than that, she never intimated any conversation. There wasn't any particular reason (lies), but it certainly didn't go unnoticed by her roommate.

"Hey, uhh.. if you don't think that I should go, I won't." Zuko said randomly on their break.

Y/n's eyes furrowed in confusion. "I literally answered her for you, Lee. If anyone is being hesitant, it should be you."

"So," he began. "Your not bothered? At all?"

There was this weird look in the boy's eyes, something of... Hope?

That's weird.

"Listen, if you need advise or something, Iroh will probably be your best bet." The werewolf laughed awkwardly.

He just sighed and went back to work.

When closing time was coming and there were hardly any customers left, Zuko and Iroh went to the backroom to prepare. Y/n didn’t really pay attention to what they were doing; she just assumed that they were cleaning up any dirty bits he picked up or making him smell better.

That was why when Zuko walked out into the dining room with his hair slicked back ridiculously, Y/n couldn't hold back the snort that escaped her. Why would Iroh do this to him? Some revenge she didn’t know about or something?

Zuko glared at her and she just masked up her laughter as a cough. “You look great!” She even put a thumbs up to try an convince him of her lie. He just rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly opening the door of the restaurant. By that time, the few remaining people had filtered out and it was just the three of them.

When the view of Jin came, even Y/n couldn’t hold back her gasp.

The young girl was really quite beautiful. Her braid was fixed and she had a youthful enthusiasm to her features. It was a beautiful contrast to the adult life that Y/n and Zuko were thrown into.

Jin’s eyes widened at the boys new look and laughed, saying something clever to him. Zuko just shut the door so his two roommates wouldn’t listen in on their conversation.

“He’s growing up so fast,” Iroh jokingly sniffled and wiped a fake tear.

Y/n laughed and nodded her head. I hope he’s nice to her.

The werewolf turned and returned to the backroom so she could put her apron away. She assumed that Iroh was following, so she didn’t bother waiting.

“So,” She began, “what should we do tonight?” Y/n began to wave her arms around dramatically. “Get some food? Watch a play?”

She was really looking forward to tonight. Now they didn’t have Zuko here constantly breathing down their necks (”We don’t have enough money for that!!” “Why buy that when you can buy this!” it got a little redundant at times).

Iroh slid his apron off and chuckled. “Oh no no... I’m far too old to have fun at night.”

Y/n deflated. To be fair, the sun hadn’t fully set yet. “I mean... I guess we could read at home?”

He shook his head once more and turned toward the werewolf. “Just go have fun, meet new people. Don’t let someone like me slow you down!”

She pouted. Why does he think that time spent with him is wasted? She has plenty of fun hanging out with the sweet uncle! Y/n looked at his happy, aged face and observed his truthfulness. She knows that he just wants her to have fun, but still...

“Just go, Y/n, and I’ll see you back home tonight.” Iroh smiled.

Y/n sighed, looking at Iroh one last time, before turning around and heading out the same door that Jin and Zuko left through. When the brisk air hit her, it felt different somehow. Maybe because this was her first time being out alone. She means this quite lightly, of course, but something about it still irked her.

The sun was sorta bright out, but not much.

It had set halfway, so the small beams were jutting out the tops of the building and the sky was painted the scene of fire. Oh, her and her love for sunsets.

Y/n decided to pick a direction and walk. Honestly, in this part of the city, there weren’t many sights to see; everything interesting rested in the higher Rings since they could afford it.

After a few minutes, the girl saw a stand selling sweets. She patted her pockets and brought out her tips from work. It wasn’t much, but definitely enough for the night.

She paid for some iced treats; Popsicles of some kind. She wasn’t entirely sure which flavor to pick, so she went with her childish side and decided to buy two that she was interested in.

As she continued her trip, Y/n stopped at a few places to watch things. Since night was approaching, shows were starting on random parts of the streets. People performed odd talents for money and it excited the girl; maybe she should do something like them, it seems fun.

At some point, Y/n ended up at the entrance of a zoo.

She was almost finished with the first ice cream in her grasp when she decided to enter the park. It seemed deserted and there was only one person at the front desk.

“Umm, excuse me? Are you open?” Y/n asked since the worker was almost half asleep.

The man jumped awake and looked around, startled. Then, his eyes landed on the girl’s curious figure. “Yes. Is it just you? Where’s your friends?”

Y/n pouted in response. “It’s just me, how much is it?”

She began to ruffle through her pockets, hoping that it was enough to see the animals, but the man waved a hand in the air.

“It’s fine, you can just go ahead. Just don’t feed the animals.” He said while looking suspiciously at the girl’s popsicles.

Y/n nodded her head and smiled in thanks. Then, she went inside.

She wasn’t entirely sure why she wanted to be here; it would be hard for her to see captive animals when she herself was one (well, not caged, but you get the point). Her pack elders had informed her of zoos and used it to scare the kid wolves so they wouldn’t go and try to find humans. Of course, that never worked on Y/n and her siblings. She honestly just thought that it was fake up until this point.

The werewolf walked around to each cell to observe the animals. It almost made her cry; they all just looked so lonely. Y/n couldn’t imagine how trapped they must feel in this small cage; a part of her was happy that she wasn’t in that situation, though.

“They all look so sad.”

Y/n turned around and was met with a young boy, possibly about twelve years old. He was bald with a blue arrow tattooed across his forehead and arms and held a long stick in his hands. The orange of his clothing made him standout against the dreary greys of the zoo.

The girl looked at the animal across from them. It was a Rabaroo, an animal with long ears and bouncy legs. Y/n could hear small chirps coming from the pouch in her front, but she decided not to say anything.

“She’s really hungry too, I can tell.” Y/n said as she walked up closer to the cage.

The poor animal was almost pleading for help. She had a thought that the Rabaroo knew what she was, a predator, but still asked for help. These animals must be really desperate.

The boy joined her. “I wish there was something I could do, but I’m not sure how to help.”

Y/n nodded her head in agreement. When she got this feeling in the past (before they entered Ba Sing Se with their Ostrich-Horses), she found a solution; to just let them go and be free. Now, however, she just felt helpless.

Instead, she just looked at the boy and held out the other ice treat in her hand. “Do you want one? I can’t finish both.”

He got a childish excitement in his eyes and grabbed the treat. Y/n smiled back at him, maybe something good can come from today.

“I’m Aang, I’m looking for my lost Sky Bison.” Aang said as he began licking to Popsicle.

“Y/n,” she introduced herself while thinking, what the Spirits is a Sky Bison? “I'm just wandering the city; thinking."

“Really?” He asked. “What are you thinking about?”

What was she thinking about?

There’s so much that should be on her mind right now; her future, how her family’s doing, how she’s doing, but for some reason the only thing that’s been scattered around her brain recently was Zuko. Something about him just seemed so.. spirits, she couldn’t even find the word for it. But it seemed like she was seeing him differently now.

“Oh, you're still here?"

Y/n and Aang turned to the voice that spoke. It belonged to the man at the front desk, the one that let her in for free.

"Do you know what's wrong with the animals?" Aang asked the owner, ignoring the rude phrase that he said.

"Well, the Dai Li won't give me any money because the kids stopped coming. And the kids won't come because my zoo's nasty and broke." The owner sighed. "I wish I could give all these animals the big, open space that they need."

Y/n frowned. He must have really good intentions, it's just the situation that makes him seem bad.

She met eyes with the younger boy to her side and was surprised to see the... Joy?

"Let's do it!" Aang yelled out, surprising both people beside him. "There's a big open space right outside the walls of the city!"

"But how do we transport them?" Y/n asked.

She was totally on board with the idea, it's just that it seemed a little... Impulsive. But she was talking to a child, though, and they always have such big ideas.

"Oh I'm really good with animals." The boy smiled. "Do you want to help me?"

The werewolf paused, thinking that maybe she shouldn't get involved in this event. But one look at the poor Rabaroo peering up at her with it's wide eyes made her cave in.

"You know... I'm pretty good with animals too."

She was not as good as she thought she was.

Aang and Y/n separated because they needed to find a way to calm the wild animals running loose. The boy (spirits bless him) thought it was a fantastic idea to let all of the animals go at once; from the biggest animals to the smallest rats. It was wild.

And so here the werewolf was, chasing down a pair of Raccoon-Crows. Since the sun had set long ago, there weren’t a lot of people out. Most who enjoyed the liveliness of the night has had their fun and returned to the welcoming embrace of their beds. Oh, if only I stayed home to sleep.

“Get back here!” Y/n yelled as the birds flew off once again.

They seemed to look at her with a mischievous gleam in their eyes; waiting for her to get close before bolting off once again. It was getting very annoying.

She didn’t regret helping the young boy, especially since she might’ve gained a friend out of this. She only regretted not coming up with a better plan; or at least to wait until morning.

“AHHH!” A voice screamed off in the distance.

Y/n groaned and turned toward the yell, knowing that some animal was probably attacking some random citizen. What she didn’t expect though, was to run face first into Zuko and Jin’s date.

Jin had a hog-monkey climbing on her dress and Zuko was in full panic mode. He tried to help her push the animal off, but it seemed to have a steel grip on her. Luckily, they were alone in some fire lit plaza.

Y/n felt really awkward, especially with how private the area was. What would they need privacy for? She quickly pushed that out of her head though and whistled loudly to catch the Monkey’s attention.

The animal and the two teens looked at her in surprise. Y/n took out a treat that the Zoo Keeper had given her and waved it to catch the eyes of the Hog-Monkey. When it loosened it’s grip, she threw it as far as she could away from the group. Luckily, it jumped away in excitement.

“Y/n?!” Zuko exclaimed. Sighing in defeat, the werewolf slowly joined the duo.

Jin was still slightly frightened and was grasped onto the boy’s arm. Y/n pretended not to see it.

“Hey Lee. Fancy seeing you here?” She tried miserably as she scrunched her face up in discomfort. Maybe they’ll be able to cut this conversation short.

“Why aren’t you back home with Uncle?” Zuko said as his eyebrows squished together in anger. “What are you even doing out here?”

“I decided to go out too,” she explained quickly, “but listen, I met this boy and we’r-”

“A boy?!” He seemed to be fuming now. “You can’t just go around talking to random people.”

This made the werewolf (and Jin, but we’re kinda ignoring the sweet girl for a moment) raise her eyebrow in disbelief. He’s really out here, scolding her for making friends when he’s on a date with some girl he’s never met before. Does he ever think before he speaks?

“I-” Y/n paused and took a deep breath to calm herself. “You know what? We’ll talk about this later. I think we’re both busy at the moment.”

Zuko glanced at his date and the werewolf used that distraction as an excuse to leave. She ran off in the direction of the Hog-Monkey, hoping that it hadn’t run too far and purposefully ignored the boy who yelled in protest behind her. Stupid Zuko and his stupid anger issues.

When she got far enough, she slowed to a walk and looked around. The monkey must’ve gotten away because it was nowhere in sight.

“Hog-Monkey.... c’mere monkey, I have treats.” Y/n spoke loudly out into the dark streets of Ba Sing Se.

She hoped that the animal would hear her words and come barreling toward her, but she was only greeted with silence except for the soft footsteps coming from a lady walking down the street. Besides for the lady, the entire street was empty and no other animal was in sight.

That was when she heard it.

A high pitched ringing noise that rattled her bones and made her brain shrink in protest. It was louder than anything she’d ever heard before. It wasn’t the noise that was painful, no no, it was the feeling of being ripped apart that did.

The noise, for some reason, caused the werewolf in Y/n to go absolutely crazy. It was fighting the girl; desperately trying to shift into its natural skin so it could run toward the ringing.

Y/n hunched herself over and groaned out in pain. She looked at her hands and saw it shifting between claws and human hands; she could only imagine what the rest of her body was doing.

“Are you alright, sweetie?”

The transforming-girl looked up to meet the eyes of the lady who was on the street. Her eyes were filled with worry, but slowly changed into something of fear.

Before the werewolf could do something to hurt the kind woman, Y/n bolted down an empty alley. Spirits, what is happening to me?

She leaned against the dirty wall and tried to catch her breath, but her wolf just kept clawing at her, desperately trying to escape. She punched the wall, leaving a fist-sized dent (her mind just brushed it off as her wolf power, but that was weird, right?). Then, while the ringing noise still blasted through her ears, she felt her snout slowly grow out of her face; a growl of effort roaring through the alleyway.

The young girl wanted to cry. Why couldn’t she control herself right now? She was used to the pain of transforming, she had done it all of her life, but she’d never experienced the pain of her two natures battling. It was something entirely different.

The seconds that were passing seemed like hours.

All she could think was, when will the ringing stop?

Soon, she didn’t have the power to hold it back anymore. Her human body was weak and she hated herself for it. She let her werewolf grow into its natural size, towering above her normal height. She felt her clothing rip until it was just strips of fabric on on the floor.

The ringing stopped, but her wild mind remembered where the sound came from and began its run there.

Fortunately (although, its also very unfortunate), her journey was ended when something sharp pierced through the skin on her neck. Her dark eyes jumped around until it landed on the fearful lady from the street shaking beside a group of men.

Y/n felt a sudden drowsiness come over her and her large body fell limp to the floor despite it’s fighting. Just before the unconsciousness came over her, though, the green circle on the men’s chest became prominent in the moonlight.

Then, her world went dark.

Dai Lee >:(

also Aang’s whistle thing >:(

i know that this is a VERY slow burn, but maybe some... couple-y stuff in the next few chapters? we’ll see ;)

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Taglist: @bucky-blogs @hopefuloperaangelnerd @simplyfandomish @oddlypointlessescapes @lozzybowe @woohoney @whalerus @cece-lives-here @bwndito @kiaoizz @lrmilikepie @ohmigooosh

#zuko #zuko x reader #atla #avatar

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fantasyraindrps · 4 years

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Anti Catra/Catradora

This series has always felt like the Catra Show, and so much so that even Hordak never felt like the main villain. And nothing drove that point home more than season five proving once and for all that this series moral line(or lack there of) is REALLY about a Villain Protagonist when the character that increasingly became a MONSTER for FOUR SEASONS still got everything she wanted in the end.

Catra is the poster child for the moral bankruptcy of this series.

I can't buy her ''redemption,'' or her relationship with Adora, because she WENT TO FAR.

Therefore nor can I buy the HYPOCRITICAL mental gymnastics that arise when she is a topic of discussion in the fandom.

For four seasons I watched this character WILLINGLY and GLEEFULLY jump rope with the moral event horizon. She eventually finally broke it to the pieces when she deliberately GENOCIDES everyone on the PLANET, because of her sick,evil obsession with being better than Adora.

Loved all this time my behind.

Catra was a vile person from her introduction, and just got increasingly more poisonous as the show went on.

Season Five wants us to treat Catra like a bad friend that said a few mean words here and there, and therefore all she has to do is sincerely apologize then friendship can begin again.

Here's the thing Catra wasn't just a bad friend, but also an ABUSER and a FASCIST.

She had multiple opportunities to leave the horde,and had no reason to stay in the first place, gleefully attacks the resistance, is the reason Angela died, tried straight up multiple times to end Adora’s and her friends lives, and was just an abomination to even the ones on her side....

On the flip side we have Adora who doesn’t give a damn about Catra for four seasons. She’s too busy enjoying life with her REAL friends. Try and recall, was there ever a moment where Adora was...concerned for Catra’s safety? Pining for her in any way romantically? Ever? Even once during the first four? Because I don’t. Honestly Catra wasn’t important to Adora until Catra showed up on screen. And then they both wanted to kill each other. Any moments of Adora thinking about Catra it was in the context of Catra being her ENEMY.

But I'm supposed to believe in their romance based on what?

Catra's toxicity? Adora's nonexistent romantic feelings for pretty much the entire series?

In season 5 all Catra had to do was one act of atonement and out of nowhere, like Adora has been possessed by the ghost of Queer Rep, she suddenly can’t get Catra out of her head. Also note Catra didn't save Glimmer because she realized her past actions were evil; no it was all for Adora's sake i.e. the person she is toxically obsessed with.

Back to Catra, her redemption is handled with the most condescending of kid gloves. It’s like she was replaced by a clone for season five. She’s just accepted. It's like seasons 1-4 didn't happen. The forgiveness was excessive and forced so we could be okay with this ABUSER / WAR CRIMINAL being chummy and romantic with her victims.

For example Glimmer cries over her, hugs her, kisses her cheek etc... Yet Catra is responsible for her MOTHER’S DEATH, the WORLD ENDING once before, trying to KILL her, war crimes against Bright Moon/HER KINGDOM...

Then Entrapta also forgives Catra like it’s nothing even though she sent HER TO DIE, and apparently she was in this hell space for a YEAR.

Same with Scorpia who forgives Catra's toxicity in five seconds.

But everything is suppose to be wonderful because an ABUSER ends the series ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH HER VICTIM?

When Adora said you made your choice now live with it THAT should have been the end of any reconciliation either platonic of romantic.

Even her flashbacks are her being abusive. You see her in one of them( in her so called redemption season at that) SCRATCHING Adora's FACE to the point it left BLOOD,and JUMPING ON HER STOMACH just because Adora DARED to be friends with other people.

This was pretty much every childhood flashback they showed.

She would emotionally and physically abuse Adora, and then Adora would take her back.

This would continue even as near adults. It was a PATTERN(red flag) that Adora unfortunately didn't escape.

But.....I always loved you,says Catra.

For ADORA'S own mental health/closure she could forgive,but only if she also makes it clear that she doesn't want her abuser/war criminal ex friend back in her life.

I could have tolerated that ending instead of Adora becoming a COUPLE with her ABUSER.

Basically this villain sue ends the show getting everything she wants even after evil manipulation of several characters, genocide, war crimes against her own people, repeated attempts at murder,physical and mental abuse(especially toward Adora), and just being a complete psychopath to anyone within spitting distance of her toxicity.

She gets to be pretty much a abusive scum bucket for four seasons, on top of ACTUALLY DOING THE SAME THING PRIME WANTED TO DO, yet whiplash forgiveness and Lesbians 4 Evah is her ending.

"So we're all just okay with this?", says Mermista incredulously of the war criminal Hordak.

Good question,but then I remember you all seem to be okay with war criminal Catra who is pretty much Hordak's parallel soo ....

Her mirror Hordak, according to the showrunner, is sentenced to beast island for his war crimes. However, my question then becomes where is Catra's sentence? Oh, that's right if you're the creator’s pet you get to be a war criminal in peace.

It's also convenient that Mermista was chipped,and therefore didn't get to say anything to the girl who helped bring down her kingdom with a smile on her face.

Funny how that worked out.

It's even more convenient that her victims gave their lighting fast forgiveness.

Can't have icky things like abuse and war crimes get in the way of that ending smooch you know.

I suppose we also just need to look at Angella as collateral damage while we smile as her daughter hugs and kisses her killer I guess.

I also find it odd(since were loving abusers and war criminals) that Shadow Weaver point blank doesn't get forgiveness from Adora, and she even ends the series dead. However, she defected to the hero’s side in season two(regardless of any impure motivation), and stayed there and helped the protagonists until her season five death. But Catra, who not only stayed with the conquering organization the Horde for almost the entire series as well as eventually becoming their LEADER, was not only forgiven but also rewarded a romance with her victim. Curious.

I'm tired of this abominable trope invading every piece of media. An antagonist crosses the moral event horizon, and some even break it to pieces, but somehow the story gets selective amnesia and thus they are free to join the protagonists with their numerous sick crimes ignored or a sob story is bsed into a justification onto why we should ignore physical and emotional abuse and/or the numerous bodies piled up.

When you don't have a moral LINE in your narrative then that means you have already made a mockery out of morality and numerous victims.

The only way I can stomach her season five ‘’redemption’’, and lighting quick forgiveness, is if I forget the monster of four seasons didn't exist.

Problem is I can't do that.

Why should I get any catharsis that the protagonists prevailed over Horde Prime when you have two characters in particular(Hordak,Catra) that are pretty much him with a sob story attached. If THEY get to kumbaya with the hero's then Prime should to because that's honestly where the morals are at in this story.

I had to stop watching two shows(Vampire Diaries and Once Upon a Time) because I got tired of this sick trope. There were SEASONS worth of whitewashing and selective amnesia for two sick and evil characters(Damien Savatore and Regina), to the point their VICTIMS became their BIGGEST CHEERLEADERS and LOVE INTERESTS.

There is no justice when this vile trope is in play.

The moral event horizon exists for a reason. It means once a character has jumped over it then there should be no moral way they can come back from it. Humanizing them is a good narrative choice,but that humanization doesn't and SHOULDN'T erase their heinous crimes.

Thus the only true ending that moral event horizon characters should get are redemption equals death or thanks for growing a conscious and helping us out, but you're STILL going to prison for life afterwards kay. They don't get to kumbaya with their victims while the other one's, THE DEAD BODIES, stay cold.

But you know if I HAD to I COULD have TOLERATED Catra and Hordak going on an atonement journey so they could help the people still living that they made homeless/ lives they ruined. Also they can do this while they both get the therapy they badly need.

I needed CONSEQUENCES that STUCK.

Instead Catra (ADORA'S ABUSER) gets to make out with Adora(HER VICTIM), and also become her girlfriend. She also becomes the best friend of her other victims.

So it seems this show's message is no matter how much emotional and physical pain a person does to you it's okay to not only let them back in your life(damn your mental health I guess),but it’s also fine to enter a romantic relationship with them as well.

Yes, that's what children need to see.

It's also hilarious that some of her fans say she's Zuko.

No.

She's what would happen if Azula and Kylo Ren were made into one character.

I did my research on the show runner, and the creators pet/villain sue bias became clearer.

Catra is HER, and Adora is her wife.

That explains EVERYTHING, and not in a good way.

What the show's title should actually be called:

She-Ra:The Story of a Villain Sue Antagonist,War Criminal Abuser,That Gets a Happily Ever After With Her Victim; Whom She Emotionally and Physically Abused for Four Seasons.

Another alternate:

She-Ra: The Story of Lesbian Reylo.

#catradora #anti catradora #catra #anti catra #spop season five #spop #shera confessions #spop critical #anti c//a #western magical girl confessions #adora deserved better than to end up in a romantic relationship with her abuser

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gloves94 · 4 years

Text

Sunburn [Prince Zuko] 9

Warnings: None Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Zuko/OC Summary: “You have everything you’ve ever wanted.” “No.” He said softly. “Not everything…” His golden eyes looked at her with a melting intensity she had never witnessed before. “I guess not.” She responded with glassy eyes as tears welled up threatening to break the dam of her eyes.

My fanfiction: M A S T E R L I S T

Later that evening Tsai had returned to where the Avatar gang were spending their nights in. Katara had been tossing around in her sleeping bag complaining about not wanting to be in the healing class because she would've gathered be learning how to fight instead.

"All knowledge is power Katara,"Tsai uttered wisely as her grandfather would've said. She lightly played with her choker necklace at the memory of the man. "You never know, the healing techniques that you learn might actually come in handy in the future." She nodded.

"A difference?" Katara questioned popping her head on her palm with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah," Aang suddenly commented. "I'm also very curious- how was it that you managed to get past all of those Fire Nation guards at the Pohuai stronghold? He asked.

Tsai lowered her head in an attempt to hide the smirk that slowly inched across her face. She tugged in her arms deeper into her sleeves mischievously.

"I'll keep my secrets," she said with a ghostly smile before turning away from them preparing to sleep. "I'll tell," she said. "But first I have a question," she turned to look at both Aang and Katara once again.

"Why does everybody here hate me?" She asked bluntly.

Aang and Katara exchanged a look of pure confusion.

"In the Water Tribe, I mean." She clarified.

"Tsai," Katara began to explain. "You're Fire Nation. You're their enemy. You're our enemy."

"But why?" She retorted leaning forward as she sat with her legs crossed. "The Fire Nation is and has always been the greatest nation!" She spoke with a sudden bold sense of nationalism. "We bringing our culture and goods to new lands because we want to share our greatness with the world. It would be selfish not to."

"WHAT?" Katara roared furious. Tsai flinched slightly at her explosive reaction. She was not expecting her to react in this way.

"That's what you think the Fire Nation is doing?" She snapped. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!" She exited her sleeping back and rose to her feet aggravated. Tsai did the same.

"The Fire Nation took everything away from me! My family, my mother!" She roared. Aang held her back. "Starting this war is just as great of a sacrifice for my nation! It's for the greater good."

"You killed my mother!" She screeched heaving.

Tsai dropped the argument at the accusation. Katara's eyes were wide. Her nostrils were swollen with hatred as her eyes zeroed on the aghast teen before her.

"Can't you see? The Fire Nation has done nothing for the world! Everywhere you go you spread war, hatred, fear, famine, death and pain! You tear families apart. Leave orphan children, widowed wives, wounded soldiers and for what? For greatness?" She spat.

"Katara!" Aang pleaded.

Tsai wasn't going to sit here and take this. She turned away with her jaw clenched and stormed out of the room.

"Tsai! Wait!" Aang called after her. "Where are you going?"

Katara huffed and exhaled a sharp breath before snuggling inside of her sleeping back once again. She punched her pillow angrily a handful of times.

"Tsai means well Katara," Aang said after a moment. "I know it. She's just-" He paused for a moment trying to find the proper words. "The daughter of a Fire Nation governor?"

Aang was quiet at Katara's silent response.

"She's Fire Nation Aang. She's evil. They are all the same. Don't forget."

Xxx

"Is your friend toying with me?" Sokka snapped as he walked back to where they were staying.

"What are you talking about?" Tsai asked confused not in the mood to be dealing with these types of situations.

"I don't understand her. I thought she liked me and now she's telling me to get lost. I don't get it!" He threw his hands up in the air confused. "That's odd," Tsai said. "She told me she really liked you earlier today."

"Is she playing games with me or something like that?"

Yue didn't seem like the type to play these games. And from what she had told Tsai earlier she seemed to genuinely like the Southern Water Tribe boy. She thought for a moment scratching her chin.

"I don't think so," She said not really wanting to engage in conversation in her foul mood after her fight with Katara.

"So what should I do?" He deadpanned.

Was he really asking her for advice?

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Just talk to her. Ask her how she really feels about you."

"Why do I have the feeling you think talking is the solution to everything," he sighed in defeat. "It's probably what my grandpa would've said," she smiled fondly at the memory of the man.

"That is- completely unhelpful," he grumbled and hid his face in his arm.

"Sometimes some things are lost in translation." She says wisely. He looked at her oddly, she suddenly get a sad look on her face. She looked at Sokka one last time before continuing on her trek to nowhere in particular.

Katara was wrong.

The Fire Nation was the greatest nation. The war was well intended. Together all united under one nation the world would thrive. All under the rule of fire.

She thought about her home, Yu Dao. It's history serving as testament of the Fire Nation's greatness. Under Fire Lord Azulon the Fire Nation had made a mecca of industry and commerce out of a nowhere town in the edges of the Earth Kingdom. The city had drowned and blossomed to be one of the most important in the world. That would've never happened without them. So if they were so great...

She looked at a couple who whispered and shied away from her scarring away.

A man walking spit at her feet.

Arnook did not welcome her like a hero would've been welcomed.

If they were so great- why were they so hated?

xxx

"Yue, I need to ask for a favor." Tsai asked the following morning. She hadn't slept in the same room as the Avatar and his friends. Instead she had found comfort outside the doors of the palace simply leaning against the snowy wall and barely sleeping through the cold night. She really hated the weather here.

"Anything," Yue smiled taking her hands in hers. Tsai didn't have time to ask about what had happened with Sokka. It's not like she cared either. She wasn't the nosy type. "I need you to get me an audience with your father."

Moments later Tsai had her audience.

She walked into the meeting room. One which like the entire tribe was made of snow falls which reached the skies. The ceiling was gone allowing for the clear weather and shinning sun to witness their meeting.

"Arnook," she bowed before him in respectful Fire Nation fashion which irked the leader to no end. "You're persistent," he barked.

"What do you want?" He asked impatiently.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tsai of Yu Dao. Yu Dao is-" he interrupted her. "I know what Yu Dao is!"

She paused for a moment. Knowing he would be difficult.

"I've come to you with a challenging question." She scrapped everything she had reserved. "Do you think.." She says slowly. "Do you think the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes will ever be able to work together as one?" She pondered.

"If you have come here to sheathe blood and bring darkness and war to my land I'm afraid that you've come to the wrong place," he threatened approaching her. The soldiers and other officials surrounding him raised their hands and weapons menacingly. A bead of sweat formed in her temple as she look at them. They were at least a dozen of them.

"Listen!" She snapped frustrated. "I did not choose where I was born. My mother is of Earth Kingdom descent, my father Fire Nation. Which makes me half of both. I cannot bend fire or earth-" once again he interrupted her.

"That only makes you a mutt." He said bitterly.

It was then that his eyes darted up in the sky. All of them did. She turned after a moment only to see what looked like black snow snowing above them. The girl had never seen snow before, let alone black one. It took her a moment to realize that it was ash raining above them. Which could only mean one thing.

"You have lead them to us!" Arnook pointed accusingly. "Arrest her!"

"No. I have no idea how they found us!" She denied the dangerous accusation.

Tsai tried running. She tried fighting but before she could move an inch was frozen still to the ground in ice.

xxx

The girl was thrown into jail. She didn't know how long she had been in there. It must've been more than a day. Unbeknown to her Yue pleaded with her father. Pleaded with all of her wish and power to let her out. She tried explaining it was a coincidence and that she believed in the Fire Nation girl's honesty, but Arnook would not see to it.

The cell was cold as ice which had her shivering in the corner alone hugging herself in an attempt to retain some of her body's warmth. In her time in jail she felt a terrible headache. One which she felt could've split her forehead in half. Looking out the window she noted that an ominous light as red as her hair crept in. Holding on to her temples in pain she looked out and saw that the full moon had been tinted a color of crimson red blood. She starred eyes wide when she suddenly heard a sudden crash nearby.

Shocked she took cover before a market stall was thrown at the wall making it collapse. Setting her free.

"Well.. That was lucky," she mused as she carefully snuck out of the gaping hole that had been made by the crash. Creeping on her toes she slid down a hill of snow to the streets of the Northern Water tribe with only one objective in her mind. Escaping. She didn't realize where she was falling to and fell into a freezing stream of water. The icy North Pole water felt like a thousand knives nipping at her body from all over.

She had to get out of here fast. As she ran the moon shifted color as the air became colder, the air darker as all color seemed to be drained from the world. She hadn't stopped to wonder just what thing could've thrown such a heavy cart at such a distance when a monstrous creature in the figure of a glowing fish rose from the depth of the waters. It attacked all Fire Nation as it stormed through the village.

She cursed as she avoided it. Noting it was mainly attacking the invading Fire Nation troops that had descended on the Water Tribe's village. If she got near it, it would probably lead to her demise.

Whatever that thing was- She saw fire balls being aimed and fired at the creature which advanced unaffected - whatever was going on - it was not good. There was no time to say goodbye to her friend Yue. To converse with the Avatar. She had to get out.

Tsai continued on her dash towards the docks when she slid around a corner and looking over her shoulder teeth chattering she turned and crashed into something hard. She reached for her head as she tripped over her feet and fell to the ground on her bottom. She looked up and saw a pair of angry eyes glaring daggers at her. Oh, she had crashed into somebody.

"You," the man growled dangerously.

It was that son of a bitch Zhao.

She staggered to her feet but wasn't fast enough. Zhao was fast and his meaty hand claws around her neck with a deathly grip. He had obviously taken the night of the Blue Spirit at the Pohuai Fortress a little too personally.

She coughed struggling to gasp for breath when a third party stumbled upon the scene. Zuko walked into what seemed like the worst surprise of his life. Zhao turned to look at him maliciously.

"One step and I'll make sure your pretty girlfriend has a scar to match yours." He threatened.

Zuko's jaw clenched, he gritted his back molars in anger and frustration. He saw Tsai struggling to breath coughing for breath as her face slowly turned blue. He had to do something. Anything.

"So- tell me, what was your plan? You went in and distracted me and the Blue Spirit did all the dirty work?" He chuckled as he squeezed his grip on the girl's neck. He was holding her up above her feet so that they saw eye to eye. He suddenly dropped her and she gasped and coughed for air the color returning to her face. He turned her and kept a firm grip around her as he slowly retreated out of the scene.

His terrible breath pricked at her skin as he kept his arm wrapped around her body holding her in place.

"It's going to be interesting to find out what could've happened between us that night-" He whispered that and other filth into her ear.

"You're sick!" She growled out at the older man as she struggled against his deathly grip still shivering as she was soaked to the bone.

Zuko was ready to fire. He aimed his hand twitching slightly. His heart was pounding in his rib cage. One wrong move and it was over. He only had one shot before things went South. Zhao continued advancing over a snow bridge. He was going to get away! The girl struggled, her breathing loud as it became harder and harder to breath with every step the admiral gave. It was then that her eyes met his and he saw something familiar in them.

He understood and lowered his hand. Her body was trembling from the cold. Zuko lowered his guard and it was then that he saw offensive. Two silver blades crept our from her long sleeves and in one swift fluid motion she punctured Zhao's arm and Zuko swore he saw the blade go through his hand. The man screamed in pain. She twisted her torso and managed to guide the burning flame in his other arm to the sky missing her by mere inches. She took a sharp breath and ducked with skilled training. She used all the strength in her legs to push away from him. Her body collapsing to the snowy ground. Zhao held his arm put again ready to attack. However lost his footing when she twisted kicking him off his feet smoothly. Without hesitation Zuko stepped in and blasted Zhao away in a fiery dance.

Wounded and miserable the man collapsed to the ground in the middle of the snow bridge.

Massively monstrous blue hands suddenly struck out from the water and clawed at the top surrounding the admiral in a deathly capture. Zuko and Tsai managed to roll away from the monster claws as to their horror witnessed the admiral being dragged away to a watery grave. Tsai glared with eyes narrowed. Zuko was the better person and stretched out his hand in aid. For a second it looked like Zhao was going to take it but the prideful man turned away.

And just like that he was gone. Color returned to the world and it seemed like a glance had returned to the world. Zuko stepped back and saw the red-head shivering a couple of feet away from him. Her teeth chattering. He looked at her and her at him and she couldn't believe how happy she was to see him. To see somebody from home, someone familiar.

"Zuko!" She spoke in a low voice through violent shakes. Now having her she got a good look at his face and noticed the many new scars and wounds that decorated his face. She was about to ask what had happened during her short absence.

"What-" She was left with the words in her mouth when he wrapped his arms around her hugging her in a tight embrace. He almost sighed. Relieved that she was okay. That they had found each other again.

She stood before him sharp hidden blades unsheathed, shocked, shivering, soaked to the coldest bone. It took her a moment of hesitation before hugging him back just as tightly.

"I'm so happy to see you," the words left her mouth before she could process them. She hadn't even realized that she had started to cry. She buried her face on his shoulder. He was warm. He was the piece of home she had been missing. Right now, he was comfort.

"You're freezing," he said taking her hands in his as she retracted her hidden blades. He said nothing. Simply held her icy hands in his and brought them close to his lips breathing a hot air into them slowly warming her back.

She didn't even know why she was crying at this point. She smiled at him endearingly and wiped a stray tear from her. Everything was just too much to handle right now. Way too overwhelming.

"Let's get out of here." He said to her.

She wiped her tears as they escaped the icy tundra.

xxx

They met up with Iroh and Tsai sprinted hard running into his arms hugging him tightly. He hugged her back almost like a missing child and she repeatedly apologized for leaving without saying goodbye. He simply cupped her face with a hand and told her she did the right thing.

"I feel like you're at the crossroads once again Tsai, " Iroh said wisely tucking in both of his hands inside of his sleeves. "I wonder what road you'll take." He said ominously.

She raised an eyebrow confused at his riddle and shook his head.

"Let's just go home," she sighed. "I want to go back to Yu Dao. I think I'm going to be sick." She shivered not wanting to linger in this icy Neverland for another minute.

"Very well." Iroh said understandably. The man insisted on leaving on a makeshift raft boar which the girl refused to get on endlessly. Having been lost at sea for so many dies and almost dying from starvation she refused to put herself through the whole thing again. So instead they stole a slightly larger boat. One from a Water Tribe fisherman.

"They owe me," she grumbled. "That's for throwing me in that cold pit." She said bitterly as she remembered her brief stay in the icy prison cell. She hadn't even done anything!

And so they sailed away. Iroh explained to Tsai everything that had happened. Zhao killing the moon spirit. Yue becoming the moon spirit. The attack. The Avatar becoming one with the same spirit and taking down the fire nation. It had been a loaded day. He reasoned that it was probably the best that she had spent the day in jail for her own safety.

"You're really sure about returning back home?" Iroh asked.

Tsai snapped back into the conversation feeling distraught by her friend Yue's demise into the spirit world. "Sure," She mumbled. "Why not? I don't want to keep on 'getting in the way.'" She glared at a certain scarred prince who looked like he had the worst headache of his life.

"I'm concerned as your status as a traitor to the Fire Nation," Iroh stroked his beard wisely. "But that's a problem for when we arrive back to the mainland," he smiled at her warmly.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Zuko suddenly snapped in a scolding tone. "That stunt at the Pohuai Fortress? What were you thinking!" He sounded almost worried. Tsai misses the slight smirk that is growing on Iroh's face as he looks at them from the side.

"Hey! I freed the Avatar for you! Do you should be thanking me!" She shot back. "If I hadn't done that you'd be sitting in your room right now sulking with your arms crossed over your chest angrily meditating like an idiot."

"I don't sulk!" The other shot back slightly embarrassed and reached for her arm

"Also- may I remind you that Admiral Zhao is disgusting company. Interacting with him was definitely not pleasant," she raised both of her eyebrows eyes holding a little horror in them at the awful memory. It was then that he realized that he was holding on to her lower arm. He raised it up and her sleeves rolled back which exposed her secret weapon. He scrutinized over it looking at the arm braces she wore with the hidden blade mechanism.

Zuko would've never admit it outlaid but this was way more simple than what he had expected. Mind reading, secret bending, being a blood thirsty vampire demon, and super natural powers all came to him in his theories of how Tsai had gotten in an out of the stronghold with such ease.

"I'm glad to see your grandfather's hidden blades are in good hands," Iroh commented with a knowing smile.

"You knew about this Uncle?"

Iroh simply smiled a mischievous glint on his amber eyes.

"My grandfather taught me how to fight," she admitted reaching to touch the sunstone necklace she wore. "But I refuse to unless it's necessary. You see it can be quite deadly."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Zuko asked.

"I guess I didn't want you to think I was... weird." She said looking away slightly embarrassed.

"I....think it's cool," he said sharing the same tone after a moment. "Really?" She turned to look at him beaming. This only caused his cheeks to redden even more.

Iroh chuckled.

Zuko sighed and threw his hands up in the air not wanting to further have this conversation. "I'm tired." He declared.

"Youre not going to chase the Avatar?" Iroh asked.

"No- I'm tired." he repeated as he collapsed on the ship.

"A man needs his rest. Besides, Tsai and I have some much needed catching up to do." Iroh winked in her direction and she winked back.

They certainly did.

xxxx

AN: Your lovely thoughts? Phew and that's the end of Book 1, now onto what's next. Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 were originally one really long chapter so I decided to split them into 2. Also I have the story written until chapter 26 but as I keep editing and rewriting for posting I have made so many changes and I am loving how the story is unfolding.

Much love - G

xxx

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CHAPTER MASTERLIST

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snippychicke · 4 years

Text

The Jasmine Dragon

What’s this? More Avatar the Last Airbender fic?

Yeah, I like Iroh too much. Shout to my fude @phrogballz for inspiring this mess. Here is part one!!

Rating: This one is maybe teenish?

Triggers: Awkward flirting? Otherwise none.

The Jasmine Dragon had quickly become your new favorite place to relax after work. Within a few weeks, you had become a regular, stopping by every afternoon to indulge in a cup or two of the various teas and just to enjoy the atmosphere.

Tea shops in the middle ring usually had a very… haughty atmosphere. Stern and stiff with dress codes and who they allowed in. Yet not the Jasmine Dragon. Its atmosphere was far more relaxed as people happily chatting over tea, kids allowed to laugh and giggle while their parents caught up with the day's gossip.

Never mind the tea was far better than any other tea shop. You weren't exactly a tea connoisseur but you could still deduce Mushi certainly was.

Which was the other reason you frequented: Mushi. He was not a typical man that the other ladies enjoyed fawning over, but to you…

Well. You were in deep. Heads over heels deep, which made you feel rather guilty because he was certainly older than you, and he also had to be married. You may have never seen his wife or heard either of them mention her, but there was little doubt in your mind that there was a missus in the back. Perhaps a high-class lady that was shy and demure. After all, something about the way Lee carried himself told you he was definitely high-class, even if Mushi didn't quite act it.

And here you were, unmarried, overworked, and in love with a man that was completely out of reach.

---

"There she is," Mushi greeted as you entered the tea shop, your name rolling off his tongue as you blushed at the wide smile on his face. "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't be joining us today!"

"And miss your handsome face?" You replied without thinking because it had been the first thing to pop into your head. It was his turn to look surprised; a faint blush crossing his cheeks before he laughed your slip of the tongue away as if it had been a joke.

Which, it hadn't. It had actually been your main thought as you were forced to stay late at work because another employee had walked out and you had too much integrity to leave your co-workers to work short.

Thankfully someone else had shown up, allowing you to leave and rush to the tea shop before they closed.

"Take a seat, my dear!" Mushi waved toward your usual table, breaking your train of thought. "Lee will be with you shortly."

He turned back to the group he had been talking to and you slinked to the table and slid into your seat while wishing you would just melt into the floor.

"Nice," Lee commented dryly as he appeared a moment later. "Very subtle."

"I feel so embarrassed," you whined pitifully as he poured your usual order.

"As you should." Lee was often dry with you once he started to feel comfortable in your presence. Yet a’;t the same time, he seemed to actually care, going as far as patting your shoulders awkwardly as you tried to hide your face.

"It just…" you gestured the word popping from your mouth. "Every time. Whatever thought is at the front of my mind just pops out."

He was quiet for a moment, "...He likes it," he muttered quietly, almost sounding embarrassed as well. When you glanced towards him, he was looking away with a very put-upon expression. "When you...flirt with him."

When Lee looked back, you were fairly sure your face expressed your delight and hope, judging by his own soured expression. Yet after a second, your mood started downwards again as you caught sight of Mushi. "I bet your aunt isn't as happy."

"Aunt?" His expression morphed into confusion as he quirked his eyebrow. "What aunt?”

You paused as you looked to him, hope once more blooming in your chest despite yourself. "Isn't Mushi married?"

"No, well…. A long time ago, but she died before I was born."

It was bittersweet hurting in sympathy for Mushi, yet also having butterflies as you realized you might actually have a slight chance. You weren't crushing on a married man.

Just one that was more than just a few years older and thought you were just being playful when you shyly flirted with him.

"He hasn't said anything about being interested in anyone in particular, has he?" You asked as you played with your hair, your eyes drifting to the man in question as he bid the other customers farewell and disappeared into the back.

The odd noise from Lee made your attention snap back to the young man. His face was somehow both green and red at the same time, his expression truly horrified. "Don't give me that look!" You balked, feeling embarrassed yourself. "And don't tell him I asked! Omashu," you buried your face in your hands. Why was it things just popped out of your mouth when it came to Mushi? This time around Lee nevertheless.

"I just...I can't. I just can't." Lee shook his head and marched back towards the kitchens.

And okay, you could kind of sympathize with the poor boy. You could imagine what it would be like to have someone fawn over your older uncle in front of you.

You sighed and sipped at your tea, watching the sunset out the window as lights started to flicker to life. You weren't sure if today was a good day or a bad day. Or maybe just a day.

He wasn't married.

He was still twice your age.

He noticed you weren't there. You smiled to yourself as you remembered his bright smile when you entered. His deep laugh turning your stomach into butterflies.

But he thought you were teasing.

You sighed as you took another sip. How could you convince him you weren't just bantering. That you did look forward to seeing him every day. He may not be a strapping young Dai Li agent that looked as if Oma and Shu had granted life to a statue, but there was something to be found attractive in his shorter and rounder appearance.

He'd be a lot more comfortable to hug, for one. To he wrapped in his arms, resting against his full-frame and drifting off to sleep….

"What with that look, nephew?" Iroh asked as Zuko entered the kitchen sans teapot. Instead of answering right, the teenager groaned and rested his head against the wall. "Did someone leave you another love note?" He chuckled at the thought. A lot of the young women would leave notes ranging from simple /you're cute!/ To poems using flowery prose to describe his unique gold eyes and black hair.

"I wished," Zuko muttered, opening his bad eye to look at his uncle.

"Well, did our favorite customer say why she looked so frazzled this evening?' Iroh gently pried as he busied himself with dirty dishes. "It's not like her to be so late."

"I guess I didn't ask…"

"Oh? Then what were you two talking about? She seemed rather flustered."

Of course, he would notice that. Because just as he had to listen to you try to deny and admit your crush in the same sentence, Zuko knew his uncle enough to know his flirting with you was different that the attention he gave other women.

He never talked about them. But he would talk about you. Small comments here and there that had caught the prince's attention.

"She thought you were married," he blurted out with the finesse of a komodo rhino. To his credit, Iroh didn't drop the cup he had been washing, though it was a close call. It was actually comical the way his eyes widened.

"She what?"

"I told her that my aunt died a long time ago," Zuko shrugged, trying to act indifferent when he really enjoyed seeing his uncle flustered for once, though the older man was trying to hide it as he continued. "She then made me promise not to tell you that she asked if you were interested in anyone."

The clay teacup shattered in Iroh's hands, though he barely seemed to care, judging by the smile forming on his face.

Zuko expected his uncle to burst into the cafe and do something over the top and embarrassing. Instead, he turned his attention back to the broken cup, though still smiling widely as he hummed to himself, picking up the fragments.

"Wait...aren't you going to do anything?" Zuko asked after a moment.

"When it comes to matters of the heart, dear nephew, you cannot rush. Patience is key. One must allow a fruit to ripen before harvesting."

"What is there to ripen?!" Zuko groaned after a long moment of trying to understand his uncle's words. "She likes you, and you like her, right? Right?" He stressed as Iroh just continued to hum to himself, which sounded a lot like the girls of Ba Sing Se.

---

The next day you had a feeling something had changed when you entered the tea shop.

"Welcome, my beautiful firelily," Mushi greeted as soon as he saw you, smiling widely as ever though you swear there was more of a glint in his exotic golden eyes.

"Thank you, my handsome tea master," you blurted back without thinking. You enjoyed the shocked but pleased expression as he chuckled but returned to his customer he was pouring tea for.

You once more slinked to your usual free table. You expect Lee to appear and give you grief once more. Or express his usual dismay at your flirting.

Instead Mushi slid up next to you, setting a cup before you and pouring the tea gracefully despite your jump of surprise. "I know you prefer my Jasmine Chamomile with honey after a long day of work," he started lowly, making a shiver trace down your spine at the huskiness of his voice. "But I think you will enjoy this blend as well. It's a sultry full-bodied tea, aged so it's slightly smoky yet sweet. Something I believe you're fond of."

You were fairly sure your face was as warm as the steaming tea in the innocent cup. You shifted slightly in your seat, rather ashamed of the shivers and warmth pooling in your abdomen from his voice and words alone.

Then his free hand rested lightly on your lower back, and you swore his hand was hot as the teapot, which felt like heaven on your sore muscles. You looked from the dark tea up to him, able to notice the flecks of dark amber and gold in his eyes as he smiled down at you. "Enjoy my dear," he continued as he pulled away slowly. "I hope you find this brew as pleasing and fulfilling as I expect."

You were going to die and melt in a puddle right there. You couldn't even think of a single word, let alone say anything as he went to tend to the other customers, once more his usual bright and cheerful self, no hint of…

Of…

What exactly was that? You wheezed as you turned back to your tea, cupping the warm porcelain with your slightly trembling hands. That was not Mushi's typical banter and light flirting that left you with butterflies but smiling ear to ear.

That was... sensuous. Sultry. Seductive.

You brought the cup to your lips to hide your smile, closing your eyes to enjoy the subtle scent of the tea. As he said, you caught a whiff of slight smokiness mixed in with deeper earthy tones.

Full-bodied indeed, you thought pleasantly as you took a sip, letting the tea ease the feeling of cotton mouth Mushi had left. Intense warming flavor that you couldn't describe, but certainly addictive.

With speed you were rather ashamed of, given how you liked to savor your tea, the cup was emptied of its last drop. You traced the delicately painted flower around the porcelain of the cup, chest warmed both by the tea and the emotions stirring in your chest. His words, his tone, repeated itself over in your head, your back still tingling where he touched you.

You needed more.

Tea. You needed more tea, you thought rather embarrassed at the feeling settling in your lower regions. Being attracted to Mushi was one thing, but it was something quite different to imagine him….

"You look flustered, my little flower," Mushi reappeared as if summoned by your thoughts, making you squeak. He had a secretive smile on his face as his hand reached around your back and settled on your opposite shoulder, subtly bringing you closer to his frame. "Was the tea too strong for you?"

"No, I-I loved it," you answered honestly, dangerously being bold enough to look up at him. "And your right, I do enjoy aged full-bodied...teas."

The pause was barely noticeable, and you hadn't fully intended it, but you were proud to see surprise flash across his face, followed by a faint flush on his cheeks as he smiled, rubbing your shoulder slightly.

"Good, good," he chuckled lowly. "I am glad I know my favorite customer so well. It would be a great shame if I misjudged what you were interested in."

You were fairly sure he was meaning more than what he was saying. Your stomach twisted and your heart fluttered as you were caught up in his amber eyes. "No, I think you've figured out exactly what I like. But, um, maybe we could still take some time to, uh, get to know each other better," you finished in a rush, realizing what exactly you were saying. Asking.

A date. You were asking him out on a date. Out loud.

The blush on his face deepened but it was a look of happy surprise on his face. "I quite agree. Perhaps at the festival next week?"

"Yes!" You agreed instantly, breaking into a smile. "I...! Yes,I would love to, Master Mushi."

#atla iroh #atla #Avatar The Last Airbender #i love iroh so much #iroh #irohxreader

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vomara · 4 years

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atla sense8 au.

a couple people seemed interested so i decided to type this all up. there's a LOT, and i spent more time than i should on this, so i hope someone reads it. (3.5k words total, it’s practically a plot outline.) aspects of the sense8 lore has been modified to fit ATLA, and for people who aren’t fans of the show, i try to be clear, but if it’s still confusing, here’s a link to the wiki page that details how the sensate thing works.

it's all under the cut.

no one in the gaang knows they're a sensate, not even when the avatar awakens from his 100 year slumber.

so when exactly is their cluster "born"? (aka for non-fans, when do they suddenly gain their psychic connections to the people within their group/"cluster"?) it happens at roku's temple, during the winter solstice. roku himself "births" their cluster, and tells aang briefly about what he just did. aang understands -- because sensates were common knowledge amongst air nomads.

aang, katara, and sokka escape one way and zuko escapes another, and for the next week, they start... feeling odd. soon, roku starts to visit them and they start having sudden migraines. one day, sokka's out hunting when aang suddenly "visits" him, sees the ferret-hare sokka's about to kill, and stops sokka from killing it. somehow, instead of being stupefied by their newfound ability, sokka just chews aang out for letting his next meal get away. they discuss what aang knows about the sensate ability over the fire. one of the abilities, beyond "visiting", is "sharing", where they can share skills with each other. katara tries to take advantage of this during "the waterbending scroll".

zuko has a dream with roku and afterwards, starts getting migraines, but for the most part, he doesn't feel the connection. why? iroh knew that zuko was an unawakened sensate from a young age, and thus kept blockers (sourced from the OotWL) on hand in case zuko woke up. normally, iroh would want zuko to embrace his nature, but iroh also realizes that there's danger in being a sensate, especially in the fire nation. most information of sensates has been suppressed there over the years, and zuko could be headhunted if found out. (and... there's another reason as to why iroh gives zuko blockers, but more on that later.)

toph is also within the cluster, but nobody actually knows that for some time. aang, katara, and sokka have their suspicions that someone else is in the cluster, but they can't discern whom. this is because toph's blindness has an odd effect through her connection. while sensates would usually be able to identify each other by seeing each other's physical appearance when they "visit" through their bond, toph has no conception of her own appearance, and as such, she initially can't seem to project herself visually the way that everyone else does. since sighted people -- aang, katara, sokka -- rely heavily on physicality to identify others, this hampers them.

it doesn't help that bending is complicated by the cluster connection. toph can't use her bending to "see" aang, katara, and sokka when they visit her via psychic connection, because they aren't physically there. likewise, they don't receive any visual input, either, when they visit toph. instead, they receive this odd earth-sense feeling that's absolutely foreign and indecipherable to them. when toph visits them, she has to leave almost immediately -- her occipital lobe is severely underdeveloped and thus, she can't interpret the visual information they give her. with time, they should be able to resolve this, but not immediately after they made the connection. all of this this is a significant barrier between their communication -- they can speak, but early on, toph, understandably, begins to think that the other three don't actually exist and manages to effectively block them out. this prevents them from realizing the connection they have until s2. (more on bending later.)

the "medication" (blockers) that uncle gave zuko becomes a normal supplement he takes, in the form of tea. he thinks it's to stave off migraines. still, sometimes he goes a little too long between doses, and sees some peculiar things. when he's sleeping, his dreams get odd. one night, he dreams of escaping into a storm. he shakes it off, and when his ship gets trapped in another storm, he takes it as an omen.

aang, likewise, has a dream the night after being rescued by the blue spirit. a man looming over him, nothing more than a sillouette, fire in his hand. "... and suffering will be your teacher," he hears.

when sokka looks into yue's eyes, euphoria runs though him. he thinks it's love, but it's something more. yue is an unawakened sensate, and while it's rare for unawakened sensates to make connections with other sensates, it does happen, and in this case, she's made a connection with sokka. (for non-fans: sensates can make psychic connections with people outside their cluster by meeting each other's eyes. they must be physically in the same space when they meet eyes, though. connections made outside of the cluster cannot share skills, but they can "visit" each other.)

(yes, this means toph is immune to creating connections outside her own cluster. this is both a boon and a loss -- she can't have unique connections, but that also means that malicious sensates can't force a connection with her.)

pakku fesses up to the fact that kanna left him, and that she probably left him due to his misogynistic attitude. however, a lot more people have left the NWT in the last 100 years, that weren't all related to cultural problems. many sensates, when they were "born", suddenly had the perspectives of people who lived in other nations, and many left to join the rest of their clusters. this is something that katara discovers from yugoda.

after zuko's ship is blown up, his supply of "medication" becomes even less regular. when zuko infiltrates the NWT, his medication is wearing off, and a migraine is coming on. he pushes through it. when he and katara fight, they meet eyes, and something electric runs through both of them. they ignore this, but it happens again between aang and zuko, when zuko's medication is wearing off even more. none of them know what's happened, but aang remembers the experience later.

when yue sacrifices herself, sokka quite literally feels her apotheosis. later, he realizes that he can still feel her. katara feels the cycles of the moon because she's a waterbender, sokka feels it because he and yue are connected.

the foggy swamp shows aang toph's appearance... and things slowly start to change within their cluster. during "the blind bandit", aang recognizes toph to be his future earthbending master immediately, but so too does katara and sokka, who, in canon, did not make the immediate connection. when they chase her down, they finally manage to make toph understand that she's part of a psychic cluster, that those voices she heard before were real.

during "zuko alone"/"the chase", katara sees something she shouldn't see. there's a man standing over someone else, with his back to her, twin swords in both hands, wreathed in flame. she can't see his face but he feels familiar.

in "the chase" itself, aang also sees zuko, this time fully recognizing him, and then so too does sokka. since toph and zuko both are somewhat closed off, they can't sense each other -- but aang, katara, and sokka, who don't know this, thus incorrectly believe that toph doesn't have a connection to zuko at all. therefore, they come to the conclusion that zuko is a sensate, but that he's not a part of their cluster. they must've created accidentally met his eyes and made a connection with him back when he was chasing them. though sokka has to wonder why zuko didn't just use his connection to better track them down, like he's somewhat doing now, during "the chase".

after zuko reunites with iroh, he's shaken by the odd visions he had of the gaang while traveling. he doesn't understand that he's psychically connected to them, so they felt more like premonitions. he tells iroh a little of what he saw, and iroh nearly startles in alarm as he realizes that zuko's cluster is the avatar's group. but given the fact that zuko is reeling from both the fight with azula and iroh's injury, iroh decides to keep it to himself. when zuko asks if iroh has any more of the migraine "medication", iroh gives it to him -- only for now, he thinks.

in "bitter work", toph takes advantage of the psychic connection to teach aang earthbending. katara had done this before, a little, but not much, because aang never really needed it. for earthbending though? it's useful. toph gets aang to "visit" her, and forces him to stay. when he's visiting her, he only gets her sensory input, and thus, he's blind. he has to spend time with her and learn to decipher the information that toph's earth-sense gives her. this helps him understand his own earth-sense.

also, just for fun, before sokka gets stuck in a hole in that episode, he accidentally visits katara while she's practicing bending. he asks her what it feels like. she lets him take a ride in her body and shows him how it feels.

and that's really how bending works in conjunction with the psychic connection -- bending is partially based in body, so when a sensate briefly possesses another sensate's body, they can bend whatever element is in that body. but that's also contingent on their own spiritual connection to the element. in sokka's case, his peculiar attachment to the moon (yue) makes him not-the-worst at waterbending when in katara's body. when katara and sokka "visit" toph, the information they get from her earth-sense is not as precise as the info that aang gets, because they have less connection with the earth. so on and so forth. yes, when someone "visits" aang's body, they can bend all four elements. this particular property of possession only works well within clusters, as it's part of the skillsharing aspect which is unique to clusters.

there are other effects on bending, too. when iroh begins to teach zuko lightning direction, he first begins by teaching zuko the basics of movement in waterbending. zuko picks up the push-and-pull fluidity of the style almost immediately. why? because some of katara's and aang's expertise has trickled down to him, sometime when his connection wasn't blocked. (during the siege of the north, specifically.)

when aang loses it after appa is kidnapped, everyone in the connection can feel his anger. they can feel the avatar state, almost as they were there themselves, shrouded in anger and grief. and katara drags him down to earth once again, but sokka and toph run forwards to meet him, and together, they hold him in their presence and provide him comfort and support through their connection. somewhere else, zuko begins to cry, and he doesn't quite know why.

for most of the rest of the season, zuko takes blockers regularly, and his connection to the gaang is blocked. the exception is when he falls ill after setting appa free. an illness that deep is semi-resistant to the blockers, and odd memories weave their way into his dreams -- an air nomad laughing with him (aang), black snow falling from the sky (sokka), his mother's face superimposed over another's (katara), the feeling of badgermole snout against his cheek (toph), and the feeling of being buried alive in lava (roku, their cluster "mother" who passed some memories down to them). all of this is in a blur that mixes with the rest of his absurd and symbolic dream, and he can't quite separate them out when he awakens.

in "the guru", when aang ascends the last chakra and sees the cosmic energy around him, he can see the visage of the rest of the cluster there, glowing sillouettes akin to his avatar state. they're tethered to him, but guru pathik tells him to let go of his connections. he has to be willing to keep moving even without them, even if they died... but he can't. he's fallen in love with their connection -- katara, sokka, toph, and the odd flickering image of someone else on the horizon. and suddenly, he can feel katara in danger, viscerally so, and he has to leave.

during "the crossroads of destiny", tension comes to a head. when katara talks to zuko, she references the fact that zuko made a sensate psychic connection to her, aang, and sokka, while he was hunting them. (remember, she doesn't know he's part of the cluster, but thinks he's a sensate from another cluster that managed to connect with them through eye contact.) this confuses him, but he doesn't quite get the clarification he needs before iroh and aang come in, and both aang and katara leave. when azula traps iroh, and leaves zuko and iroh alone, iroh finally reveals to zuko the extent of what he is, including the fact that the rest of his cluster, the rest of his psychic family, is the avatar and his friends. from this, zuko also discerns that the medication wasn't actually medication, and feels angry at iroh, which in part leads to his betrayal.

"if you go down this path, i can no longer protect you, nephew," iroh says, as zuko leaves to fight azula.

the lightning strike is a terrifying moment, and it reverberates throughout the sensate bond. katara almost collapses but manages to get aang to safety. toph and sokka are struck with fear and pain. and zuko... feels a twinge in his chest, something that penetrates even through his blockers. he barely manages to hide it.

in "the awakening", aang tries to close himself off to his cluster, and he hides from them. out in the ocean, he sees yue, and roku, and suddenly he sees them in a deeper fashion, feels the sensate energy between them. katara, sokka, and toph track him to the island with their connection.

at the start of s3, zuko goes home. his usual supply of blockers is running low, since he got them from his uncle, and he's just run out. now, zuko meets his father again for the first time in years. when he looks up into ozai's eyes, all the muscles in his body are too warm, too cold. and ozai narrows his eyes, and smiles. why, he didn't know his son was a sensate, too.

they both recognize what just occured, and ozai tells him that he'll leave zuko a supply of blockers to take regularly. the crown prince has just returned home in honor. it would be horrible if they'd have to send him away once again, on another hunt.

you see, ozai first awakened when he was in his late twenties, before he married ursa. sensates are forbidden knowledge in the fire nation, but azulon suspected that there would be sensates in his family one day. but since being a sensate gives you an unfortunate connection to people that may not be fire nation, it's not something that either azulon or ozai was happy about. so ozai vowed to prove his loyalty by hunting and killing his clustermates. this is a painful and terrifying process. killing a clustermate is like a killing a part of yourself. and ozai did this several times. he even killed another fire nation woman that was part of his cluster; he surmised that her temporary connection to those of earth and water would make her traitorous, and justified it that way. now, all of ozai's clustermates are dead, but he still retains his abilities as a sensate to connect to other sensates.

zuko is... happy that his father seems to respect him, but he feels uneasy. the unease remains as azula delivers to him the blockers, like she knows exactly what he is, too. and the way that she acts as if he knows the avatar is alive, does she suspect that the avatar is part of his cluster? did she see him react to his so-called death in a way that indicated a psychic connection? he doesn't know, and he feels so very uneasy and destabilized.

during "sokka's master", sokka's more skilled at swordplay than he should be. he chalks it off to natural talent, but there was a weird, long moment where he almost selected the dual dao as his weapon of choice. later, when he's planning the invasion with the water tribe, hakoda notes that sokka's handwriting has become neater and more formalized, closer to the sharp script of the fire nation nobility. sokka thinks that it's from being in the fire nation for too long.

in "the avatar and the fire lord", aang and zuko both find out that roku and sozin were part of the same cluster. through this, aang realizes that avatars of the past have had clusters of their own, ones that they kept a secret but nevertheless had. roku and sozin are also shown to have outlived the rest of their cluster, but sozin killed roku and became the last one standing. from that act, zuko realizes the history that runs through the blood of fire royalty -- the sin of killing one's own spiritual brothers, fratricide of the highest order. it's a curse that even ozai followed through on, and it's one that zuko will eventually be damned to if he cannot rise above it -- this is what iroh tells him as zuko kneels in front of his cell.

when zuko escapes the fire nation on the day of black sun, he takes a supply of blockers with him. after all, if he doesn't block his own sensate ability, his father will be able to track him using the connection they made with each other. when he confronts the gaang in the western air temple, he doesn't get the chance to explain that he's part of their cluster, but alarm bells go off toph's head. he leaves to go back to his camp, and she follows because she NEEDS to verify this hunch. he burns her, but when she finally gets back to the gaang, she knows for sure that she recognizes that voice -- he's the odd voice she heard once back during the chase, sleep deprived. he's psychically connected to her.

the puzzle pieces fall together in the gaang's mind. zuko had already established connections with the other three, so they assumed before that their connection to him was a product of them meeting eyes with him during his initial hunt. but toph cannot make connections with people outside of her cluster, due to her blindness, so she can't possibly have a connection with zuko... unless he's a part of their cluster. it's a terrifying conclusion, and not one that everyone wants to accept. behind toph, aang is probably the one who most wants to accept zuko -- it's unnatural to reject a clustermate, that he knows from what the monks told him.

zuko takes his blockers diligently, so that his father can't find him through the connection. but, by the time he and aang meet the dragons, it's worn off, just a little. not enough that ozai can find him, but enough that he and aang can share in the rainbow fire together, their inner fires vibrating at the same beautiful intensity. this connection is one they alone share -- even when katara, sokka, or toph try to bend fire in either of their bodies, they can't capture the real spirit behind the fire.

sokka takes a few blockers with zuko before they go to the boiling rock, but the rest of the small supply that they take with them to the boiling rock is burned away with the rest of the warship. as a result, it's a race against time for them to get hakoda and get out, as their medication wears away. for sokka, he's practically waiting for the blockers to wear off, so he can SOS aang, katara, and toph, but for zuko, once the blockers wear off, his father can find him once again. in this case, it's actually a good thing that he gets outed as an impostor and imprisoned because then, at least, anybody who comes after him aren't coming after him because they tracked him through the bond.

however, when azula finds the gaang at the western air temple, it IS because ozai told her they'd be there. that's because zuko's blockers wore off before he could arrive at the temple and take another from the rest of his supply. everyone's back to being sort of safe during their stay at ember island.

when aang gets stranded on the lionturtle, the lionturtle shows him not only energybending, but the very psychic nervous system that connects him to his clustermates. it's almost like the roots of the foggy swamp tree, this great psychic energy that connects everyone and everything but is strongest between the sensates. they are all connected, but their sensate connections are an incredible and unusual manifestation of this energy.

aang takes away ozai's sensate abilities alongside his bending, so he can no longer abuse them. if energybending is a sort of "neutralization" of ozai's bending ability, the removal of his sensate ability is a sort of "severance". it severs ozai from that great psychic energy that connects everyone and everything, and in some sense, that's a fate worse than death. that's as if the world rejected you and judged you unworthy of the connections that living creatures make. aang doesn't regret doing what he did to ozai, but he opts never to do it again.

after the war, zuko finally stops taking blockers. he's free to truly connect with the rest of the gaang. toph embraces her connection as well, and one day, she manages to actually see, using sokka's eyes first, and then one by one, every one else. furthermore, the rest of the gaang finally begin to understand how she “sees”, and as a result, they all become more comfortable visiting each other.

love blossoms within the cluster, both platonic and romantic.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #aang #zuko #katara #sokka #toph #atla au #yeets this into the tags because i spent so much time on it and i want people to read it #me: oh this will be a cute set of headcanons! [3 hours later]#i have unreplied asks solely for the fact that i WILL write an essay #my brain hurts man i went crazy stupid with this #PLEASE read it. i'm begging you #this is the fruit of my labor #mine #text #headcanons #*head hurty noises*#atla headcanons and aus

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captainkirkk · 5 years

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✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

A collection of fics I’ve read (/reread) and thoroughly enjoyed in the past week-ish from all kinds of fandoms and genres.

BNHA

the curse of the anime protagonist by masterdipster

Or; the one where Izuku is blessed with the most heroic quirk in existence.

The problem is, er, being a hero's the last thing he wants to be.

you make it better like that by favspacetwink

“Is she their biological daughter?” Akiyama asks. “I know she has some kind of hardening quirk, but neither of them have anything close to dark hair like she does.”

“Red Riot’s hair is actually black,” Ogawa says. “He dyes it red. Don’t ask how I know that.”

“My whole life is a lie,” Nakamura mutters quietly to himself.

hey there, demons by Origamidragons

The first channel pops up around ten days after the Dabi/Touya debacle. It has a blank icon, and is just called Himi and her Friends :)

Or: The League of Villains becomes YouTube famous, takes over the Internet, and crashes headfirst into an unwanted redemption arc.

The Rights and Obligations of Fated Parents: Aizawa's Messy Journey to Parenthood by Hayato (TheLennyBunny), SugaSugar

Aizawa's heart has always been hopelessly big for those who needed help. Growing up taught him how to obscure that fact to protect himself after a few hard lessons but he never gives up. A parent's love is to be trampled on time and again but always ready to help. He didn't begrudge not having a marked parent of his own- well, outside Nedzu in his own odd way- maybe it even made him determined enough to deserve the twenty one child marks on his back.

If only he didn't have to get his hopes up every year he teaches a new class at UA. Maybe... Maybe this year he'd at least find one of them. Right?

pressure points by ohmygodwhy

Shouto becomes an adult at five years old. He finally feels like a kid at fifteen.

Spiked by aconstantstateofbladerunner

There's no such thing as a free meal.

BNHA/Marvel Crossover

I'm A Huge Fan by Cassidae

Peter isn't sure what to expect from an international meeting of Heroes, but meeting a fan of his isn't it. It doesn't help that he's totally starstruck the entire time.

What's he supposed to do after embarrassing himself like that?

Megamind

Percussion. Strings. Winds. Words by setepenre_set

Metro Man realizes that Megamind wants to be killed and starts frantically thinking of ways to cheer his little blue buddy up. And, well, as Minion says, kidnapping Miss Ritchi always seems to make Megamind happy…

Miraculous Ladybug

to set the world in motion by GuardianKarenTerrier

"Well," Sabine says, much more thoughtfully than Ladybug had expected or been prepared for. "If we legally adopt you both, son, that might make the wedding a bit tricky."

"Ma-Madame Cheng!" Ladybug exclaims, feeling herself flush brightly. "I'm- I'm flattered, really, thank you, but this- this should only be temporary, we don't really need-" Marinette swallows, trying not to look at Chat Noir. "Um, adoption."

She shoots a quick glance over at her partner after all, but his sudden starstruck look is both the opposite of reassuring and sends some unidentifiable emotion shooting through her. She knows he's been enjoying this particular akuma fight more than she has- she has the really, deeply unsettling sense that Chat Noir didn't have this kind of fun as a child before and he seems to be trying to make up for as much lost time as possible as fast as possible.

ATLA

✩ several small fires by ohmygodwhy

That’s not something he can bring himself to think about, all the way. If the war is wrong, it means his scar is wrong and if his scar is wrong it means the war is wrong. His nation is wrong. Everything he’s been trying to do his whole life would be wrong. And what is he supposed to do with that? He can’t go back to the way it was - and that’s all he’s ever wanted: to go back to the way things were before.

(When Zuko gets home, he finds that he doesn’t quite fit right.)

East and West by naggeluide

"Earth King Kuei," said Fire Lord Zuko. "Would you like to go on a field trip with me?"

…..

Aw, hell naw. Toph had dibs. And she is not letting this happen without her.

Like Fire and Water by Setari

Hakoda and Ursa got married several months ago, and have been living together in Ba Sing Se ever since in happily wedded bliss. They knew they'd have to tell their children eventually, they just hadn't expected it to happen all at once. Nor that their kids would already know each other.

Coming Back All Changed by WinterSky101

Zuko returns home, just like he’s wanted for the past three years, and finds he doesn’t quite fit.

my hands and feet are weaker than before by ohmygodwhy

he had looked at this boy and thought, so so selfishly: here is your chance to make things right, here is your chance to help where you failed before.

(iroh slips up; they don't talk about it.)

#weekly fic round up #fic recs #my posts #bnha recs #atla recs #ml recs #marvel recs

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