#Azula learned to make knives just for Mai.

[the-genius-az]

What is something special that Azula does only for Mai? Ty Lee? What does Mai do only for Azula? Etc. Could be something sweet or spicy

Thanks for the question, Amor!

Azula learned to make knives for Mai, she could easily buy them, but she decided to give more meaning to her gifts.

Azula wrote songs and sang for Ty Lee, after the girl admitted to loving her voice after a music class.

Mai wrote her daily life to Azula when the princess was too busy to be there.

Mai wrote poems for Ty Lee, she did it even more when she ran away to the circus.

Ty Lee painted Azula in all her paintings, the princess was her beautiful muse.

Ty Lee danced just for Mai, she taught her all the dances she learned.

#Azula #Mai #Ty Lee #Maizulee #Maizula #Tyzula #Mailee #atla #avatar the last airbender #Azula learned to make knives just for Mai. #Azula took extra music lessons for Ty Lee. #Mai wants to keep Azula informed about her life. #Ty Lee is the girl from Mai's poems. #Ty Lee can't help but paint only Azula. #Ty Lee only allows Mai to watch her dances. #This is so sweet! I'm proud. #I didn't want to make it spicy because I always wanted to talk about it in a sweet way! #They don't even allow each other to do the same thing that makes it special for the other.

[puppyeared]

Atla live action 😐

#thats my honest reaction 😐 #to be fair ive only seen 20 minutes of the s1 finale bc my parents are watching it but. mmmmm kinda mid #like. the casting is definitely an improvement since the last time they tried a live action but it feels like the writing falls flat #or maybe im being harsh bc ive only heard negative criticism on it beforehand. but fr anytime u bring up the original its already #good and not just because its the original. so much fucking detail went into it to the point of someone noticing azula wielding mai's knive #to how well thought out irohs character is used as a way of uniting the cast especially as zukos foil #i heard that sokkas sexism was toned down and i have to agree that feels like a cheap move. like i get WHY they think it would be better #but its not about how that reflects on real world its about how it affects the story. sokka starts out as a misogynistic asshole because #it makes it that much more impactful when he changes. toning that down makes it flatter and makes his character development weak #and someone pointed out they didnt even make him wear the kyoshi warrior uniform and i know it feels like such a small detail but #come on man. they did that in the original because not only does it help him really walk in their shoes - wearing 'feminine' clothing and #makeup and having suki explain its significance but it also ties in with the shows theme of harmony and intersectionality #i was also disappointed when they had the fire sages explain how the water tribe draws power from the moon because in the original it was #IROH who explained it to aang and everyone else BECAUSE we as the audience is under the impression hes with the 'bad guys' #and it builds up to how he learned from the other nations which reconciles his past as a war general and his character overall #AND its an excellent starting point for the cast and audience to understand how the nations arent as closed off as you would think #plus you would think its only fire nation doing propaganda but they expanded on that with earth kingdom censorship and it WORKS #a lot of things in the live action also feel arbitrary like. they gave momo a near death experience for 5 minutes for no reason #im firmly on the stance of bringing back filler moments instead of putting major events right after each other so that u give your #audience a sense of time passing and to really absorb the story. but i think thats more like shock value than filler and yeah its a small #thing to gripe about but those things build up and its really annoying. the thing abt avatar filler moments is that however small #its at least meaningful. hell even the beach episode emphasizes how isolated zuko and his friends are as child soldiers #i also swore to never watch the first live action since it was that bad but i really liked the stylized tattoos they used for aang #anyway. those arejust my thoughts. im not gonna watch the rest because im a ride or die for the original aftr growing up and #rewatching it at least 20 times as a kid. but theres definitely room for improvement and i wish ppl wouldnt take it as 'better' just cuz #netflix is adapting it. i wouldve killed for them to just reanimate the entire avatar series and touch NOTHING ELSE no redub #no changes to the story. just reanimate the thing and leave the rest alone and youd make easy money just the same #ALSO its very jarring not hearing jack desena and dante basco voicing sokka and zuko cause their voices were the most recognizable to me #i get that its because its live action but im allowed to feel a little sad abt that. and uncle irohs accent was really soothing #yapping

[drpoisonoaky]

Azula is training with the rest of the group cause her therapist ask her to do it. And she’s a great patient

disclaimer: this is years later (at least they’re in their twenties) bc one azula is in therapy; two i’m not comfortable doing some dynamics with literally children even though is nothing explicit

——— Aang

Aang: So let’s start with breathing exercises.

Aang: This helps to have a clear mind.

Azula: I usually do it too.

Aang: Really? That’s so grea-

Azula: Doesn’t help at all. But hey we need to breath in order to bend.

Aang: Meditation?

Azula: See awful things.

Aang: Aromatherapy?

Azula: The smell is awful.

Aang: What did you do then to have a clear mind?

Azula: You’re so funny avatar.

Aang: *looking at her worried*

Azula: So funny. So what’s next?

Aang: Call your therapist.

——— Sokka

Sokka: So first thing first you get a boomerang.

Azula: I would rather not.

Sokka: I hit you with a boomerang before, you have to learn how to use it. At least as signal of respect.

Azula: Just cause something hit you doesn’t mean you have to respect it or like it.

Azula: My father used to hit me and I don’t really respect or like him at all.

Sokka:

Sokka: I gonna hug you and then we’ll spare bare handed. Come here.

Azula: DON’T YOU DA-

——— Toph

Toph: *hit Azula with a rock*

Azula: *throws a blaze of blue fire to Toph*

[Keep doing this until both are clearly exhausted and dirty]

Toph: That was fun.

Azula: Indeed.

Toph: Let’s do it again sometime.

Azula: Sure.

——— Suki

Suki: You have to wear the kyoshi warriors’ makeup.

Azula: We’re training not on a mission.

Suki: I’m wearing it.

Azula: And I admire your bravery for wear that but no thank you.

Suki: To train with me you have to wear it, end of the discussion.

Azula: The last time I wear that filthy makeup I conquered Ba Sing Se.

Suki, raising one eyebrow: The last time I wear this filthy makeup I was trying to train with an ungrateful bitch.

Suki: So?

Azula: Ugh, but if I get a pimple I swear-

——— Zuko

Zuko: No dirty tricks.

Azula: You wound me Zuzu. I would never do something like that to you.

Zuko: You bend lighting at my butt to make me fail in front of dad. So sorry if I don’t trust you.

Azula: *sighs*

Azula: You were already failing, doing that father would laugh at the prank and not punish you for not knowing the forms.

Zuko: I-

Azula: And I admit it was fun. But that’s the truth. And my therapist says I should share my truth of that little moments, especially with you.

Zuko: I didn’t know…are you going to do it again?

Azula: Nah, now you won’t be punished if you mess it up. I’m going to do it while you are eating or something. Like a good sister.

Zuko: We are pretty fuck up, aren’t we?

Azula: At least we’re pretty.

Zuko: *smiling*

Azula: Wait no.

Zuko: Lala did you say we?

Azula, completely red: “I” I said “I” CLEAN YOUR DIRTY EARS!

——— Ty lee

Azula: You don’t going to force me to use the Kyoshi makeup, right?

Ty lee: Nope, that’s Suki’s policy I don’t really care.

Azula: Thank Agni.

Ty lee: I’m going to make you flex baby.

Azula: As if you didn’t know I’m very flexible.

Ty lee: Well we will see. Let’s stretch.

Azula: Do you usually use this as a first move or the flirt start after?

Ty lee: Nah, after. You will see it when we get to the-

Katara: DROP IT RIGHT NOW BOTH OF YOU.

Ty lee: Whao you were right she’s jealous type.

Katara: I am not!

Azula: Then why are you here?

Katara: To train with you, Ty lee’s training looks what I need right now.

Ty lee: Sure. It’s gonna to be awesome. But I’m going to focus on Azula. She asked me first.

Azula: She’s focused on my, sweetheart.

Katara: AND I’M TOO SO WATCH OUT.

Ty lee, whispering: And I don’t even try to make a move.

Azula, also whispering: And she knows I wouldn’t do anything. This is going to be fun.

Katara: STOP WHISPERING I’M HERE.

Azula, ignoring Katara: So what’s next?

——— Mai

Azula: So you throw knives and that’s all?

Mai: What do you want me to do?

Azula: I guess exactly that.

Mai: Maybe we could spicy up?

Azula, raising one eyebrow: I’m listening.

Mai: We need a target.

Azula: Living creature?

Mai: Why not.

Azula: Male or female.

Mai: Whatever.

Azula: Easy or hard?

Mai: Who’s on the hard level?

Azula: Ty lee or Aang.

Mai: And on the easy?

Azula: Sokka or Zuko.

Mai: I guess it’s Sokka’s turn.

Azula: Sure.

Azula: Hey Boomerang boy! If you stay in front of Mai with an apple on your head for 20 minutes lunch is on me.

Sokka: Steak?

Azula: Two steaks.

Sokka: But the good ones.

Azula: Of course.

Sokka: Deal.

Mai: Let’s have fun. Do you want to start?

Azula: I’m going to throw him a boomerang. So you first.

——— Katara

Katara: So listen.

Azula: I’m listening.

Katara: I want to see your hands clearly, not funny business.

Azula: But I am a funny person. And you love my funny business.

Katara: ‘Zula.

Azula: Ok. I’m focus.

Katara: I’m gonna to attack and you going to doge.

Azula: No warm up?

Katara: *throws her a warning splash of water*

Katara: There you go.

Azula: That wasn’t necessary darling.

Katara: No pet names, we’re training.

Azula: Of course. Master Katara.

[two hours later]

Katara: That was good.

Azula: I’m wet and partly freeze. All in a bad way.

Katara: As I said. Good. But you know the better part?

Azula: What?

Katara: I don’t want to see your hands now.

Azula: Why do you don’t…my hands…oh.

Azula: Yeah yes let’s do that.

Katara: You’re a less smooth than you think you’re.

Azula: But I’m hot.

Katara: And very humble.

Azula: Whatever…let’s the funny business begin.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #azula #aang #zuko #toph #katara #ty lee #kazula #azutara #past tyzula #mai #sokka #suki

[the-badger-mole]

There's No Excuse for Mai

Are we really out here demonizing Michi for trying to encourage her daughter to make the best of a bad situation? Was Mai the first kid who had to move for a parent's promotion? Is that really all it takes for a tragic backstory to take form?

Let me begin by saying that Mai's parents are villains without a doubt, but that part is irrelevant here, because that doesn't make them bad parents. Or at least not abusive parents. Mai's introduction doesn't support her assertions later (much later) that she was stifled or oppressed by her parents. That's the only time we see or hear from Mai's parents until The Beach, and in that appearance, they seem like average parents (who just so happen to be the oppressive hand of an invading force). Mai didn't want to leave because her parents were trying to make her a Proper Lady. She left because she was bored. And okay, yeah. I get that. It seems like a boring place to be as the only kid her age who was part of the oppressor class. That must have sucked for her. There's also not a whole lot her parents could have done except try to encourage her to make the best of it until Azula came and offered an alternative.

Despite what Mai said in her Breakfast Club moment in "The Beach", which came a whole season later, Michi and Ukano don't come off as cruel parents in their introduction. They seem like average parents who had to move to a new place with a moody teenager who complains a lot. A. LOT. And we're just supposed to take Mai's word for it that despite all the evidence to the contrary that she was stifled. Her skills with her knives, her attitude, her style- none of that was against anything that was shown to be the standard in the Fire Nation, not for a young noble woman, anyway- require time and more importantly, money. The chances are good that they not only did her parents know about her interests, the actively encouraged them. So where did Mai's parents interfere or try to subdue her? That one line where after listening to Mai complain about being bored for probably the umpteenth time, Michi tried to get her to focus on the positives of her situation?

What Michi and Ukano did wasn't any different than anything thousands of parents would have said or done in that situation. That doesn't make them bad parents. That doesn't mean they are generally unempathetic to Mai. They are clearly capable of affection towards their children, and there's no evidence that they are cold towards each other. Yet, that one moment, where Michi is trying to buck up her daughter and get her to see the bright side of her father's promotion is now being used to justify Mai's overall apathy towards anyone or anything that doesn't amuse her. Michi was trying to remain upbeat in the face of complaints she'd probably heard time and time before. Mai was bored. There was nothing Michi could do to change that, so she tried one of the only tactics available to parents in that situation. Is it the best tactic? I don't know. I've never been a parent in a situation like that, but what else could they have done aside from disavowing colonialism and retiring back to the Fire Nation? That is not the equivalent to what Mai did to Zuko.

Zuko wasn't complaining about being bored. He tried to open up to Mai about what he was feeling. He was seeking reassurance after years of abuse and then banishment at his father's hand. He was seeking reassurance from the girl who allegedly loved him. And Mai's response was not only dismissive, it was cold. It wasn't just cold, it showed a lack of interest in the guy she claimed to be interested in. Why wouldn't Mai be interested in hearing what he was feeling (I mean besides the aforementioned apathy towards anything that didn't amuse her?). Even Michi's "make the best of it" attitude would have been a kinder response than Mai's. And Mai never learns empathy. Not even in the comics apparently.

#atla #anti mai #anti maiko #not yall got me out here defending michi and ukano #but there's no evidence that they are bad parents #except mai's words #and idk about u but mai doesn't strike me as all that reliable a narrator

[ellakomskaikru]

Do you think Mai is a cool character? Do you like her?

Hello anon!

I’m not going to lie. I’m a little nervous to answer this because Mai is such a controversial character, from what I’ve seen. Some people love her, other people hate her, and others are indifferent to her. But from what I’ve seen, she’s a character that provokes strong reactions in people. I will be truthful in my opinion of her but if anyone has any different opinions feel free to express them.

I think Mai is cool in that she can throw knives like nobody’s business. I also have sympathy for her because of how she was treated as child. Her parents were very strict with her and didn’t allow her to express her emotions. That is supposedly what caused her apathy, and I do have empathy for her.

But besides that, the only character depth that she seems to have is that she has feelings for Zuko. And we don’t even see why she cares about him so much in the first place. We knew she had a crush on him as a child, but we never actually saw them interact in the flashback. As soon as Zuko saved her from the flaming apple, he left the fountain, very annoyed. There should have been a scene in the flashback showing Mai and Zuko interacting. We needed to find out what exactly it was about Zuko that made her show her emotions.

So the writers made Mai be apathetic and aloof about everything but Zuko, and to me that made her character uninteresting. But it’s truly a shame because she had so much potential. She could have had an arc of her own where she learned that the war was wrong, much like Zuko’s own, which would cause her to show emotions because she’d see the injustice people were facing. She’d have her own arc independent from Zuko.

As she is written in canon however, she was not a good person. She wasn’t evil, but she wasn’t good either. Mai never showed remorse for anything that she did. She happily threw knives at the Gaang and helped Azula conquer Ba Sing Se because it entertained her. And that would have been fine if the writers hadn’t tried to pass her off as being good simply because she saved Zuko at the Boiling Rock. (I’ve liked many characters who are not good people, but in Mai’s case, I can’t because the writers attempted to pass her off as being good simply because she loved a redeemed character, Zuko) As I’ve said before, Mai did not have a moral awakening. She simply was not willing to let Zuko die and was daring enough to commit treason to save him.

To be honest, neither Mai or Ty Lee should have been anywhere near the Gaang after the war was over, because those two certainly enjoyed themselves on Azula’s mission, and never showed any remorse for what they did. Realistically, Team Avatar should hate Mai and Ty Lee. So basically, I just find her character to be bland, and I wish her friendship with Azula and Ty Lee had been explored more.

So anon, I would say that I am indifferent to her in canon, but I’ve enjoyed many versions of her in fanfic, where she is more fleshed out and has her own motivations that have nothing to do with Zuko. She joined Azula on her mission because she was bored and would get to see Zuko again. She was on the side of the Fire Nation because Zuko was. Then she turned against the Fire Nation because Zuko did. Then she was friends with Team Avatar at the end because they were Zuko’s friends. Do you see a pattern here? All of her most important actions were taken because of Zuko. Her character revolved around his. It was quite misogynistic writing, if you ask me.

Mai had the potential to be a strong female character, but the writers ruined that potential by making the only thing she cares about and who makes her act be a guy. It’s good that we have fanfic where her character potential can be utilized.

Thanks for the ask!

#atla #atla ask #anti mai #not really anti but just in case #I don’t really hate her but I’m just indifferent to her #she had so much potential #this is just my interpretation #if anyone interprets her in a different way feel free to explain #ella’s original post

[atla-suki]

how many people have the members of the gaang killed?

(these are all just stupid HCs supported by canon events. see the tags for my disclaimer ok i’m not promoting violence alright don’t be like that)

1. aang

when he’s not in the avatar state, absolutely nobody. aang’s the type of person to trap spiders and set them free outside. cries when he steps on bugs. so on and so forth. but when he IS in the avatar state, he’s probably killed about 20 people in total. so much destruction occurred in the time before he learned to master the avatar state. he doesn’t know he’s unintentionally killed these people and hopefully he’ll never find out.

2. katara

nobody. she threatens LOTS of people and has committed numerous acts of violence but never actually killed anyone. she can’t do it and she doesn’t want to. good for her.

3. sokka

so many people dude omg. everyone on all of those airships in the finale? dead. combustion man? dead. i’m sure there were a few during the invasion too, and where are they now? dead. he doesn’t like thinking about it and ofc he doesn’t actively make an effort to kill people, it just so happens he’s done it more than twice.

4. toph

hmmm. i don’t think toph would have a high kill count, but definitely two or three. i mean she trapped xin fu and master yu in that box, and what’s the bet they died as a result, right? also just general destructive nature with earthbending probably resulted in some casualties. toph’s the type of person to voluntarily squish bugs. throw rocks at birds. that sorta thing, yk? but not flat-out murder.

5. zuko

lmao definitely a few. similar to toph, probably only two or three people directly. probably lots indirectly, though. especially during his banishment. he absolutely WANTS to kill people, probably threatens it every two hours, but like katara he can’t bring himself to actually do it most of the time. came very close to killing ozai during the invasion but didn’t go through with it.

6. suki

at least like 10-15 idk. she’s an elite warrior, she’s definitely gotten her sword bloody more than once. it haunts her in her sleep, though, and she hates resorting to it. (but if the situation is dire…) however she WILL NOT kill bugs and will make others do it for her.

bonus:

7. azula

oh man. lots. so many. TOO many. a lot indirectly while she was going a little mad and making crazy dangerous orders. over time the numbers die down as she heals and grows, but she definitely has a pretty high kill count.

8. mai

30+ probably more. throwing knives go swishh. also like mai gives assassin vibes she’s probably killed so many people man. like. a lot. zuko (sarcastically) goes, “ugh i’m gonna kill that advisor” and then mai disappears suspiciously and then the next day the advisor is found dead in his home and mai goes, “huh that’s crazy.”

9. ty lee

18,000 people. (this is a joke ok she’s probably only ever killed a fruit fly and then had an existential crisis over it.)

#atla #the gaang #ok before anyone says anything this is all jokes ok all jokes and all for fun #i don’t promote criminal activity or violence ok just love each other be there for one another don’t kill people don’t take this post srsly #aang #katara #sokka #toph #zuko #suki #azula #mai #ty lee

[hello-nichya-here]

Can you elaborate on how Azula would teach Zuko to generate lightning? Would you like to see Zuko teaching Azula how to use swords or be a ninja?

I know this was meant to be just Zucest, but I'm making it about the Fire Foursome because I have some ideas and they kind of form a narrative.

First, before everything went to hell, Mai would teach Azula and Ty Lee how to throw knives (Azula for self-defense like on the day of the eclipse, and Ty Lee because CIRCUS!)

Once Ty Lee is rebuilding her relationship with Azula, she'll teach her how to avoid being chi-blocked and how to do it to other people. It's her way of showing that she does trust her again, and that she doesn't want Azula to ever feel like she can't defend herself ever again.

Ty Lee then suggest that Azula should teach chi blocking to Zuko - it allows them to take one step to salvage their relationship, but it will take more time, while also giving Azula an excuse to let out her rage and frustration by using her brother as a punching bag.

Meanwhile, Mai is learning from the Yu Yan Archers (because there's only so much you can do with knives, especially when you live in a kid's show that won't let you slash throats and stab people in the eye). She then asks Zuko to teach her some sword fight - and she constantly jokes that is unfair that she only has two swords, while he has three, which makes him VERY proud.

After that, Azula, feeling jealous and already on better terms with Zuko, demands he teach it to her as well. Once she's good at it and Ty Lee is back at the Fire Nation, the three girls decide it'd be funny if they learned to fight like Kyoshi Warriors after the whole Ba Sing Se thing.

Finally, with a an absurdly deadly squad to protect her Zuzu, Azula tells him that it's time for him to learn to generate lightning because what kind of Fire Lord isn't as powerful as possible?

He is hesitant, since he failed at it so hard before, but now that both he and Azula are in a much better place and have a great relationship, he accepts it. He trusts her and isn't trying to compete with her (much). She is strict, but she gets results, and she understands him and how to get to him.

Azula pushes him practice every single day, to master every other form of firebending before he tries lightning, and makes him meditate for hours and hours, and even goes as far as trying to create distractions to break his concentration, so he'll be ready to truly forget everything when he tries generating lightning.

Zuko feels more powerful than ever when he finally gets it right, and seeing Azula look so proud, happy, and even a bit intimidated by him, he can't control himself anymore and pulls her in for a kiss.

#asks #zucest #the foursome

[thispatternismine]

The Last Firebender [16/?] - The Council Has Spoken

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Mai/Zuko, Zuko & the Gaang, Zuko & his family

Summary: Agni has stood by as his children have used their gifts to burn the world, consumed with despair but reluctant to interfere. When the one who is meant to act as his intermediary in the mortal realm burns his own son in a shocking act of cruelty in front of a crowd who fail to step in, that is the final straw.

The Fire Nation descends into chaos at the sudden loss of firebending, & the war becomes bloodier still, as the troops fight on out of sheer desperation, terrified that a reckoning is now due.

And then Iroh, tending his injured nephew while trying to keep him safe from a vengeful father who blames him for this calamity, realises that Zuko's inner flame still burns...

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter 2: Any Port in a Storm

Chapter 3: Unexpected Guests

Chapter 4: Making Friends

Chapter 5: Adventures

Chapter 6: Learning Lessons

Chapter 7: Fire & Ice

Chapter 8: Azula is Not Okay

Chapter 9: Father & Son

Chapter 10: E v e r y t h i n g i s F i n e

Chapter 11: Azula is Still Not Okay

Chapter 12: Friends & Family

Chapter 13: Unravelling

Chapter 14: Zuko & Azula Actually Have A Conversation (part 1)

Chapter 15: Zuko & Azula Actually Have A Conversation (part 2)

Chapter 16: The Council Has Spoken

Extract:

Zuko grabbed him by the front of his robes, dragging him upright, and shoved him up against the wall. He lit a flame in his hand. “Tell. Me. Right. Now. Or…”

Zheng failed to look intimidated. “Or, what? We both know you don’t have the guts to do anything.”

Azula shoved her brother aside. “What about me?” She pressed one of Mai’s knives to his throat. “Look me in the eye and tell me I wouldn’t.”

He tried to struggle. Foolish. He had no chance of getting away. But if she accidentally cut his throat then there would go their only witness... “Ty Lee.”

She didn’t even need to give a specific order. A few jabs and the man sagged against the wall, her hold on his clothing the only thing holding him up until Mai and Zuko stepped forward and pinned his arms to the wall.

“Now,” she said, in a voice that could only be described as ‘deceptively calm’. “How about you tell us what happened that night, and in return for a nice little story, I’ll refrain from slitting your worthless throat.”

He gulped, his adam’s apple brushing against the blade as it bobbed. “Please! I just did as I was ordered!”

“And what, pray tell, were you ordered to do?”

[ tip jar ]

#stuff what i have wrote #fanfic #atla #zuko #azula #mai #ty lee #princess yue #ozai #ursa #maiko

[muppet-on-a-spit]

Rating each atla character by how much himbo energy they possess. (This list is in alphabetical order)

Aang: 4/10 He is so so kind, and he respects women so much. He is, however, quite smart, and even when he does Foolhardy things, it is out of his mischievous nature, which is not the same as the himbo’s dumbass-ery.

Azula: -876/10 She does not possess one single himbo bone in her body. She is mean, she is a talented tactician, she is stick-thin, and she struggles w/ internalized misogyny.

Jet: -389/10 Like Azula, there’s not a himbo bone in his body. He’s strategic and very intelligent. He definitely doesn’t have the himbo kindness, even though he clearly has love in his heart, alongside his desire for revenge. He doesn’t seem to disrespect women, but I didn’t see him being particularly respectful at any point. He’s not really the type to respect anyone.

Katara: 0/10 She’s nice, but not in the oblivious himbo way. She’s also pretty thin but, unlike Azula, she has some muscle (it’s not just her bending prowess, she can lift stuff). She also respects women so so much, and fights for their rights whenever she can. But, it obviously isn’t in the Background Cheerleader kind of support that himbos usually provide (that’s aang’s job here). She’s also quite smart.

Mai: -4/10 She’s not particularly nice (listen. Mai has a heart of gold, but she would rather die than say the l-o-v-e word. She’s super compassionate, but she glares at her friends and is off-putting to strangers.) she’s very smart, and she is also very thin. Mai is incredible at throwing knives, but she would rather die than do a push up. I know this.

Sokka: Absolutely not/10 Look at me. Look me in the eye. Stop saying this. Stop it. Being goofy on purpose is not a himbo trait! Himbos are accidentally funny, out of their kindness and dumbassery. Sokka learns to respect women, but he’s not particularly ~nice.~ He’s a good guy, but he doesn’t have the endless patience and kindness of a himbo, and is actually pretty rude and sarcastic most of the time. Plus, he is so smart! The smartest! Wise AND analytical. Don’t even.

Suki: -8/10 Yeah she’s reasonably buff. She’s nice, but not overly accommodating, in fact, she is a fan of trickery and goofs, which himbos usually only mistakenly stumble into (and are on the receiving end. they aren’t usually successful pranksters). She is also smart! Strategic, wise, and emotionally competent.

Toph: 1/10 The 1 is because she is strong! Could scoop you up! Besides that: no. She doesn’t have the Himbo Kindess, and prefers to cause problems on purpose, and has to actively remember to be selfless. She’s also very smart and quick-thinking.

Ty Lee: 2 ratings. In appearance: 9/10. Actuality: -56/10. She seems to be buff, stupid, and Kind, but she is not. She is very smart and aware of her situation. Plus, she can actually be pretty mean, either by manipulating people herself, or because she seems completely unaffected by Azula’s frightening cruelness until it’s directed at Mai. She's buff tho.

Yue: -1/10 She is so nice, but it doesn’t come out of any naivete... though on the surface it may seem that way. She’s not buff at all, homegirl does not go to the gym. She’s also extremely wise! Which is a trait himbos can possess, admittedly. Still, I can see her being really good at math, and reading a lot of books.

Zuko: 3/10 He. He has the capacity for intelligence.... but also he’s dumb. He often forgets he has a brain, though we do see him use it on occasion. He’s also strong. However, I see no evidence that he Respects Women. In fact, he makes sexist comments pretty much all the way thru mid-book 3 (yikes). The major thing that makes him Not a Himbo, though, is the fact that he is a prick. By the end, he’s a good guy, but he is rude and snappy and even outright mean all the way through the series.

#don't take the numbers too seriously because actually /10 ratings stress me out idk why i made this post #gaang #dangerous ladies #atla #aang #azula #jet #katara #mai #sokka #suki #toph #ty lee #yue #zuko #avatar the last airbender #gray speaks #damn there's a lot of characters #... #atla analysis #?

[azenkii]

A Long List of Trash Fire Lord Zuko Headcanons

...that i couldn't get out of my head:

(warning: SUPER LONG POST i havent figured out how to trim posts yet)

he's the one who unchains azula despite iroh's protests. she doesn't even try to fight him, just cries into his shoulder and keeps mumbling about how father's going to be so disappointed in her. he takes her to her rooms and has her drink a sleeping draught, then stations the best guards he has left outside her chambers.

his first council meeting takes place literally a day after sozin's comet. he hobbles into the council chamber shirtless with his entire torso covered in bandages and every council member just looks at him like '...what'

he does NOT sleep for like,,a week after sozin's comet and then another two weeks after his coronation. katara, aang and suki try to persuade him to sleep and he doesn't listen. eventually sokka, toph and mai team up to literally drag his ass to bed and tell him he's not allowed to get up until he sleeps (does mai pin him to the bed with her knives? yes. is it kinky or sexual in any way? definitely not.)

he drinks So. Much. Tea. at this point it's practically tasteless to him but he drinks it anyway because he just needs something to do and tea is something familiar. he keeps iroh on his toes because he's constantly asking for new tea blends, uncle, i think i actually tasted the last one,

he flat-out refuses to grow his hair for at least a year after ozai's defeat. the second it starts getting close to his chin he shears it off himself, with his knife, and his stylist has a heart attack every single time

when he's tired he'll occasionally jump up when one of his guards moves. it stops after a bit, but for the first month and a half or so he's really twitchy. when sokka asks, the only explanation he can come up with is that he's not used to having people stand behind him silently and not want to kill him, much less want to protect him (sokka immediately takes him out for a shopping trip and makes a point of walking behind him the entire time, but only on zuko's right side, where he can clearly see it if sokka moves towards him)

when the healer declares azula mentally unstable and in need of an institution, he shuts himself in his office for the rest of the night. no one's allowed in, not even iroh. he finally emerges in the morning, eyes red from crying and sleep deprivation, and tells the librarian that he'd like a list of the best mental institutions in the country, please, the best in the world if you can get them

he loves theatre (is this even a headcanon?). unfortunately it practically died out in the fire nation along with the rest of the creative arts, leaving nothing but small troupes like the ember island players. one of zuko's personal goals (meaning things he wants to accomplish that aren't as important as restoring his country) is to bring back theatre; he finally manages to do it after about eight months or so of being fire lord, along with other arts like dancing, music and sculpture

he establishes a national day of mourning, on the first day of autumn every year, to commemorate the genocide of the air nomads. from 100AG onwards, every calendar printed in the fire nation has it marked. at first it was called the day of repentance, but aang persuaded him to have it changed (by arguing that he didn't want guilt to be a literal staple of fire nation culture)

he introduces literally So Many educational reforms, plus a mandatory class that teaches students about the cultures of the other nations (air nomads included) and how some of their traditions overlap

he turns down the offer of having a statue put up of him in the capital. toph ignores him and does it anyway.

he visits azula regularly, makes sure she's (relatively) comfortable and well-fed, and sometimes just sits down outside her door and tells her about everything that's going on right now ('some of the far colonies have developed their own standardised writing, azula, you wouldn't believe it, and i've asked the fire sages to come visit more often—but you never liked them, did you? oh, well; i'll make sure none of them go into your chambers by mistake')

(he doesn't know it, but when he does this azula sits by the door and listens. she wonders what kind of writing the colonists have developed, and whether or not the fire sages have taken on some new recruits.)

he hates being above anyone else. never sits in the throne if he can help it, nor does he sit on the dais in the council room. when he talks to people shorter than him, he finds himself stooping a little bit to talk to them on their level (the exception to this rule is sokka, who he mocks for being shorter all the way up until sokka grows taller than him, the bastard)

the first time he visits the earth kingdom, the earth king's ministers call a toast. he ends up being the only one who has to sit out, because he's too young to drink by earth kingdom law

once his servants figure out he won't kill them for talking to him, they start becoming a lot more bold, telling him off when he doesn't take care of himself. at one point, they force him to let them take care of him so much that he literally just bolts into the gardens and hides there until the staff rope in mai and ty lee

when he needs to escape, he does one of two things: (a) he dresses up as the blue spirit and does some parkour until he calms down, or (b) he goes to work at the jasmine dragon. (b) happens less often bc the jasmine dragon's in ba sing se, but there's been a few memorable incidents when an earth kingdom diplomat walks in and yells, 'LEE?!' when they see the fire lord

the first court artist who draws him also happens to be the one who drew azulon and ozai. he draws zuko without his scar. zuko takes one look at it and tells him, very calmly, that he'd like him to leave, please.

zuko burns the portrait. he doesn't fire the court artist, but he never calls on him again unless he has to. a second court artist is called, and can't help but be a bit confused when the fire lord tells him to be sure to include the scar

he forgets the crown. a lot. sometimes he walks into council meetings in his sleepwear with his hair tied up in a messy ponytail and a bunch of scrolls tucked under his arm. none of his councilmen have the guts (or the heart) to tell him that this is not, in fact, formal council wear

he goes to feed the turtleducks when he's stressed. he thinks he's being subtle. he's not. the entire palace knows, and they consciously give him space when they see him in the turtleduck garden

most of his staff are older than him, so they look at him and see this teeny tiny fire lord who is So Small and who Must Be Protected. the day after zuko's coronation, the head chef holds a meeting where they commence Operation Do-Not-Let-That-Boy-Turn-Out-Like-His-Father (subsection He's-The-Only-Good-Thing-We-Have)

one night he wakes up to find suki sitting in his room, decked out in full kyoshi warrior garb and makeup, and just about screams blue murder. suki tells him there are suspicions of an assassin in the palace, and would you please stop yelling it's very distracting, we won't be able to hear anyone coming over that racket

zuko gets very, very paranoid of random spirits after that. yeah, suki looks like a possibly malevolent spirit when she's wearing her makeup, what about it? (when he tells sokka he's highkey terrified of spirit shenanigans, sokka just looks at him and says, 'man, the stories i could tell...', and THAT'S when zuko remembers sokka spent like six months more than he did travelling with the avatar)

on his first visit to the southern water tribe, he removes his boots and leg guards, rolls up his pants and kneels barefoot in the snow. even though chief hakoda immediately starts trying to pull him up, he's stubborn as hell and stays kneeling for the entirety of his very long, very sincere apology-on-behalf-of-the-fire-nation speech. he nearly loses his toes to frostbite after that, and both sokka and katara never stop giving him shit for it

the first time he grows a 'beard' is completely accidental. he's stressed over some trade miscommunications with chief hakoda, hasn't slept in a few days...and then when sokka arrives as water tribe ambassador to help smooth things over, he takes one look at zuko and says 'man, facial hair does not suit you'

zuko: facial what now

he checks a mirror to find that he's got stubble covering his chin, dark enough that it almost looks intentional, and holy gods how the fuck did he not notice this before

'UNCLE WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME' 'i assumed you were doing it on purpose' 'WHEN HAVE I EVER DONE ANYTHING ON PURPOSE'

he shaves it all off immediately, of course, which prompts a lot of teasing and rib-poking from sokka until zuko finally snaps that he's scared it'll make him look like his father. sokka stops after that.

(the day after sokka leaves, zuko finds that a mysterious someone has scribbled all over ozai's royal portrait, giving him a frankly ridiculous beard and moustache that literally CANNOT be grown in real life. oddly enough, he can't bring himself to care about the defamation of royal property. he's too busy laughing.)

his paths cross with toph and sokka more than any of the others, because sokka is ambassador and toph is technically still a beifong. most of the time, at formal functions, he ends up sequestered in the corner with toph and a hoard of snacks, and they talk and swear much more than they usually do (zuko's ministers once heard him when he was drunk with toph, and the servants swear the older ministers' ears started bleeding)

he restores fire nation cultural festivals, and in doing so subjects himself to learning a lot of complicated dances

during one memorable week, he wrote so many letters and drafted so much legislation that he ran out of paper. he had to go visit the nearest school and ask for some

he keeps up with his firebending and sword training even though it's hard to fit into his schedule. his ministers refrain from reminding him that he has guards to protect him now; it's still hard for zuko to trust his safety with anyone but himself (team avatar is the exception).

he started sleepwalking about two months into his reign. no one knew why. one time, he nearly sleepwalked right off the edge of a balcony, and one of his guards had to grab him by the back of his robes.

the sleepwalking stopped after around a month and never happened again. at this point it's practically palace legend.

after freeing the war prisoners, he went around collecting every single earthbender-proof wooden cell he could find in the capital and surrounding areas. when he'd gotten most of them, he gathered them into a huge pile in the city square and set fire to them with his own hands.

unfortunately he couldn't do that with the waterbender metal cells but he did get toph to come in and bend them all into pretty shapes (well, toph thought they were pretty shapes. everyone else thinks they're meaningless squiggles)

he learned how to write with both hands at the same time out of sheer necessity (he refused scribes until it became clear that he'd be putting some people out of a job; that was when he started letting scribes write very, very minor things, but all important documents/drafts/letters are still written by him)

he once put the wet end of an ink brush in his mouth instead of the wooden end by mistake. didn't even realise until he bit down to keep it in place and ink went oozing everywhere

when his guards rushed in to find him coughing and spluttering black liquid all over his desk they thought he'd been poisoned but no he's just stupid

on his 17th birthday, his first one after being crowned, he got tackled by team avatar in the middle of the ballroom and ended up at the bottom of a cuddlepile for like ten minutes

this cuddlepile happened at an event that was very much public and very much formal. it was a scandal for weeks

just. fire lord zuko, guys. so much potential

#holy cow this ended up so much longer than i intended #atla #avatar #zuko #firelord zuko #headcanons

[fire-lady-ilah]

More good dad! Ozai AU? Even if you didn’t ask for it, you’re getting it and I’m picking up right where I left off. This is my reminder that, while Ozai is a good and non-abusive dad and husband in this, he is still very much an imperialist and a cruel person in general.

Parts [1] and [2] if you’d like. This is part 3. Here’s part [4]

The siblings venture into the capital, although they make it known that no one should inform their parents that they are nearby. The moment they step off the ship, Captain Jee sends a letter to the Fire Lady. He was loyal to the Prince and Princess above all, but he did not feel like being executed or exiled that day when Lady Ursa inevitably finds out.

In a large house just outside Caldera City, Lord Ukano lives with his wife, Michi, his daughter and heir, Mai, and his newborn son Tom-Tom. The Dragon Emperor and the Blue Spirit sneak into the bedroom of the heiress and steal her away.

In that I mean, Mai leaps at the opportunity to escape her home with her best friends, who she’s seen wearing the same theatre masks dozens of times, and follows willingly. It takes an hour longer than the siblings had expected, if only because Mai has far more knives than they had truly expected and they get caught up in the palace kitchens stealing Azula’s favourite mochi and some bags of fire flakes.

Then they are caught by Fire Lady Ursa, who is gathering a late night cup of cocoa after a nice night with her husband, not that her children need to know that part. Her children, who are wearing her theatre masks that had very recently gone missing from her collection, stare at her innocently. Her daughter carries two entire boxes she knows are full of mochi. Her son carries the fire flake bag they use for festivals. Her one day daughter-in-law is making a cup of cocoa and the Fire Lady calmly requests one for herself from the girl.

That night, the fire Prince and Princess sleep in their own rooms, with Lady Mai in one of the many available. In the morning, they take breakfast with the Fire Lord and Lady, discussing trivial matters of politics and domestic affairs.

Mai leaves on the request of the Fire Lord, bringing everything they took from her home and the palace (along with what Ursa and Ozai insisted they take) to the ship with the help of some soldiers.

Azula and Zuko sit with their parents. Ursa gives them each two potent bottles of poison. Ozai’s voice has a worry that only his family knows how to detect through the facade of boredom as he inquires how their firebending and blades practice has been, as to the state of their weaponry. They try to soothe their parents worries with assurances: their practice has been going well in both bending and blades, Azula has achieved perfection in lightningbending and Zuko has achieved lightning, their blades are sharp and well maintained, they weren’t harmed when the temple blew up—

It slips through Zuko’s lips. He was never the actor like his mother and sister. For their part, his parents do not react overly beyond a flickering of the flame and a long sip of tea.

“Your mission has changed.”

Ozai is smart. Everything he does is to serve his goals the best they can. In canon, the premier of those goals is to gain more power for himself. In this world, that goal is to secure the ideal outcome for his family. (Of course, his second goal is as much power as possible. But it is only considered after his first goal).

Allying themselves with the Avatar, at least in appearances, will secure the best outcome for his children. And he has no doubt that his brother (so weak after the death of his son. And yet, Ozai cannot find it within him to scorn him overly. He knows that were he to be left childless, he would break. It is merely that Ozai would break in an explosion, whereas Iroh’s flame fizzled into embers.) would eagerly help his children betray him. Even if it was just in appearances.

His children are loyal and dutiful. They protest, but only out of a desire to maintain that loyalty. He wishes the Avatar had remained hidden, at least until they were both adults. They are prodigal, yes, but they are just siblings.

“You have our permission to reveal your mother’s ancestry. Use it wisely.”

The children know their lineage for at least five generations on each side. That, of course, is in addition to their knowledge of every Fire Lord that has reigned since the unification of the Fire Nation. They are well aware that their Grandmother Rina (who feeds them chocolate and tells them stories whenever she visits) ‘s father was Avatar Roku. Just as they knew of the friendship between Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku.

It is necessary for the people of their nation to hear pretty lies. It is not their responsibility to worry about the nuance and complexity of life. It is one of their responsibilities as Angi’s heirs in the mortal world. To worry of such things is a burden they should not have to bear. It is necessary for the people to believe the Avatar hated the Fire Lord.

The siblings don’t know everything, of course. They are just children after all. But they understand the nuance, the conflicting beliefs. They were told the truth (and carefully kept from necessary propaganda before then) when they were old enough to look critically at the situation. It was their duty to bring the Fire Nation’s good to the other nations, to liberate their populations, the siblings decided.

The Avatar is just a child, but he seemed able to connect with his past lives. And he had pointedly not hurt them, at least as Avatar Roku.

If nothing else, they have the Dragon Emperor and Blue Spirit on their side.

“Zhao has asked for permission to launch an invasion on the Northern Water Tribe. He is a fool, but he claims he has knowledge that will ensure his victory. Tomorrow, I will send him a letter approving his asinine idea. You will stop him— kill him, if you must— and use that act of perceived treason to ally yourselves with the Avatar.”

Ozai wants power, but he is no fool. The invasion is risky at best. He cannot find it within himself to care for the tens of thousands that would doubtlessly die in it, the Northern Water Tribe had the advantage in multiple ways. It would serve its purpose to get his children at the Avatar’s side.

The tone lightens after his orders and Ozai steps back from his role as Father Lord into just being a father. He teases his son on his interactions with his betrothed. He teases his daughter and asks if she would be visiting the circus soon, taking note of how she had learned to prevent a blush but not the squeak in her voice. They are not infallible, they are children.

As they see their children for the last time in the foreseeable future, the Fire Lord and Lady both think as to how much they will miss them. Ursa blinks back tears as she hugs them both, smiling as they react identically, burying their faces into her chest to hide them and breathing in the scent of fire lily perfume.

Ozai is not usually physically affectionate with his children. He had never received it from his father and was much more competent in other ways. That being said, no one commented on the kiss he pressed to the top of Zuko’s head (still shorter than him by quite a bit. Sometimes he acted so adult, but he was so clearly still a child) before repeating the action with Azula.

“I am so proud of you. Both of you.”

I’m just now realizing Blue Spirit is supposed to be after the whole Roku thing. Oh well.

For appearances’ sake, the siblings and Mai continue to chase the Avatar. Zhao attacks the Avatar while he trains under the Deserter. Princess Azula ensures the forest doesn’t burn while Prince Zuko uses all the bottled up anger at both Zhao himself and Azulon (really, what is with grown men trying to kill 11/12 year olds?) to yell at Zhao for acting so recklessly.

And if, perhaps, he manages to endear himself to others by knocking Zhao’s feet out from under him, all the better.

The Avatar and his friends escape and the siblings celebrate another success as Zhao nurses his bruised ass and ego.

(“Hey, did the Deserter look like that dude in Master Piandao’s painting in his main hall to you?”

“Admiral Jeong Jeong and Master Piandao were married, Zuko. Obviously that was him.”)

Zhao attempts to order their crew away from them, citing his rank as admiral as above prince and princess.

Azula’s sharp tongue reminds Admiral Zhao that Zuko is not only a prince, but the Crown Prince, and thus he is equal in rank to Zhao. As was their uncle a general, retired or not.

Behind the royalty of the ship stands Captain Jee, his eyes locked with Zhao’s. His eyes promise mutiny even if he were to somehow take them. His eyes swear loyalty to the Crown Prince, to his sister, above all else.

Zhao turns to leave.

“Of course, that is not to say we will not join your invasion.” Zuko sounds like his father sometimes, and never more than when his voice holds a hint of smug satisfaction. “Merely, do not presume to think you can order us in any way. We out rank you, and our crew is the best our Nation has to offer.”

Their ship joins, at least in appearance, Zhao’s fleet. That being said, they obey no orders from the Admiral and only allow his “inspections” of the ship and their crew once. For all intents and purposes, they are just there to observe.

And observe they do. The siblings watch the way Zhao treats his subordinates and twin righteous flames burns in their chests. The truth of being raised by a loving father means that Zuko and Azula are both rather sheltered in comparison to their canon selves. They are raised on ideals of honour and the divine responsibility of a monarch, rather than on the truths of war and practicality of rule. It only results in a hotter fire and more questions as to if Sozin’s way was truly the one to follow.

They still have absolute faith in their father. After all, he is the one that raised them, that taught them of honour and the ideals of a monarch. He is the one that sheltered them. He is the one that suggested they befriend the Avatar to keep them safe.

On the ship, only three people know the entire plan. The first two are the siblings, of course. The third is Captain Jee. He is the one that will keep their ship away from the invasion itself so there is no risk of their crew being harmed in the doomed attack. He is the one that will direct the ship to the colonies once the siblings are with the Avatar. Captain Jee has no qualms about technically commuting treason.

Mai knows some of the plan. In that, Mai knows exactly what Zuko and Azula tell her and then what she observes. She sees the way they stick together, now more than ever. Sees the way that Azula trains her non-lethal lightning (because even she, a nonbender, knows it’s far harder to bend lightning that doesn’t kill than that that does). She hears the way they drop the title of Fire Lord when speaking of their royal great grandfather. She catches whispers about Fire Lord Roku. About the Avatar.

Mai, in a way, knows more than the siblings themselves. She knows that they are genuinely sympathetic toward the Avatar in a way that they don’t yet realize. She begins to keep all her knives on her person, along with an easily grab-able bag for travelling in her room. There was no way she’d be letting her best friends turn traitor without her. This is the most exciting thing she’s done in years.

Iroh knows less than he believes. Oh, he gets the dropped title just as well as Mai, but he does not know the intricacies of Zuko and Azula the way Mai does. He sees Azula’s practice and writes it off as her ever-present search for perfection. He catches the tail end of a conversation between siblings and does not stop to consider who exactly “great grandfather” may be referring to. It would be unthinkable for his brother to tell the children of their heritage.

Despite this, Iroh also knows more than most. He knows from conversation exactly what Zhao intends to do in the Northern Water Tribe and it turns his blood to boil.

They reach the Northern Water Tribe. The siblings sneak off the ship in an emergency boat. Mai enters at the last moment and neither send her away.

Iroh has already left the ship, though he is currently in one last meeting with Zhao in an attempt to convince him not to continue with his plan. He will not check back with his niece and nephew, believing them to be safe on the ship.

In the Northern Water Tribe, the three Fire Nation teens remain tucked into the shadows. They, unfortunately, have no idea where the Avatar is and wander through the city. However, they reach the Avatar’s friends before Zhao does.

(“Is he... alive?”

“He’s just meditating.”)

It goes far better than they could have expected. The siblings’ act of releasing Sokka and Katara from Zhao’s bindings results in a part of water tribe siblings being quite willing to hear them out. Princess Yue gives them an odd look but remains quiet.

Zhao shows up. Iroh shows up. Azula and Zuko denounce him (though they cannot bring themselves to denounce their father, even though they know they should). Zhao declares them all traitors, a koi fish in a bag in his hand.

A bolt of lightning hits Zhao straight in the back. Both he and the koi fish fall into the pool of water. He does not emerge.

Azula’s face is carefully blank, even as she watches the water. She cannot stop to consider whether it is her or the water that just killed the admiral, or if he was even dead at all. She could not even see his body in its depths. She used non-lethal strength.

Despite Princess Yue’s backing, the Northern Water Tribe wants to take the siblings prisoner (hostage, everyone knows). After all, everyone knows of the devotion they show to the Fire Lord and vice versa. If nothing else, they would be excellent bargaining pieces in a more formal treaty.

They had not factored this into their plan. Admittedly, they had not factored the Northern Water Tribe into their plan at all.

The three Fire Nation teens are thrown into a prison cell. A rather comfortable prison cell, but still a prison cell. Iroh is taken somewhere else.

Within five hours, they sit on the back of a flying bison, Sokka handing them food he had smuggled out of the meal as Katara was smuggling them out of prison.

(“We tried to get your Uncle too,” the Avatar says in a remorseful tone, “but we couldn’t find him.”

“Uncle will be fine.” Azula declares, her mind set only on the future as she tries not to think about the way Zhao sunk beneath the still surface of the pond.

Zuko nods in agreement and clutches her hand in a comforting way.)

The Gaang now consists of six people:

Aang, a twelve year old Avatar with a mastery in air and a decent proficiency in water. He looks at the Fire Nation teens and sees his friend Kuzon, sees a time from before the war when an Air Nomad could wander freely through the Fire Nation. He attempts to use Fire Nation slang with them but it’s a century old and results in only laughter.

Katara, a master waterbender and healer (a concept that intrigues Azula to no end, although she tries to keep her questions polite). She tends to have a short temper when it comes to matters of the Fire Nation, but even she can be coaxed into trying a few sweets that Zuko has stored in his bag.

Sokka, a hunter and warrior who may or may not be engaged to the NWT princess (Zuko says he is, Azula says he isn’t). Azula laments that her jokes are even worse than Zuko’s, to which Mai agrees. It is that comment that leads Sokka and Zuko to start bonding, having nothing better to do on the bison’s back than exchange bad jokes.

Crown Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, who Sokka would insist is walking Fire Nation propaganda as he goes on at least one rant about Fire Nation culture and technology a day. Who surprisingly helps Katara with the cooking because it was one of the things Fire Lady Ursa carried over from before she was Fire Lady and taught to her children.

Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, who has a sharp tongue and a sharper pair of twin daggers that she seems to enjoy threatening her brother with for any inconvenience, even though they both just laugh at it. (Katara and Sokka have to be assured by them both that they truly love each other and that threatening each other with weapons carried over from the theatre scrolls they used to act out as children).

Lady Mai talks the least, seemingly content just to talk to Zuko and Azula. Aang makes it his mission to get her to warm up to him and spends a good portion of his time trying to talk to her. He succeeds when he brings up air ball, of all things. Mai’s parents had discouraged her from sport, believing it to be unfitting of a young lady just as they had discouraged her interest in knives until Zuko and Azula had ganged up on them. Partially for that reason, Mai enjoyed sports quite a bit, a shock to even Zuko (though Azula knew). After that, she talks mainly to Zuko, Azula, and Aang.

Captain Jee guides his ship to the Fire Nation colonies, unable to confirm that his Prince and Princess were okay. He hadn’t expected the worry he feels now, but he knows he will be awaiting a letter at Yu Dao if they are safe.

Prince Iroh is startled to discover that, while meeting with Master Pakku, the Avatar, his friends, his nephew and niece, and Mai had all disappeared.

As had his ship.

#Good Dad! Ozai #My poor friends #but good dad Ozai be compelling #evil but a good dad #oh also blanket permission to use any of the ideas I propose in this series (tho I'd love to know if you do use them) #fire lord ozai #ozai #zuko #prince zuko #fire lady ursa #ursa #azula #princess azula #fire nation #fire nation royal family #mai #mai atla #iroh #uncle iroh #jee #lieutenant jee #though he isn’t a lieutenant in this #Zhao #admiral zhao #aang #katara #sokka #atla #avatar the last airbender #the gaang

[backhurtyy]

ummm how about matchablossom or mailee + 18?💕

18 - willow by taylor swift

the more that you say, the less i know

wherever you stray, i follow

im begging for you to take my hand, wreck my plans

For all that she pretended to be ditzy and thoughtless, Ty Lee never made a single decision without thinking it all the way through. She analyzed it down to every possible consequence, every minute detail, every tiny ripple in her life it could cause. Only once she was satisfied she’d thought of every outcome— so quickly that it barely seemed she’d given it any thought at all— did she pick the best one and act.

It was a system, and it worked, and nothing could make her decide on things differently.

Except for when Mai was involved.

Because when Mai was involved, then she really was ditzy and thoughtless. She acted irrationally, without thinking, without analyzing, without breaking things down. So long as what she did helped Mai, or brought her back to Mai, or kept her at Mai’s side, she didn’t care what she did.

That was the thing about being in love with someone since childhood, she’d learned. Decisions always seemed to end up skewed in their favor.

And looking back at her life, all of the biggest decisions Ty Lee had made, and the ones involving the least amount of thought, circled back to Mai somehow.

She’d only run away and joined the circus because Mai told her it was a good idea. She’d only been able to betray Azula at Boiling Rock because Mai had the courage to do it first. She’d only become a Kyoshi Warrior because Mai encouraged her. Time and time again, Mai was at the center of everything she did.

Mai was captivating, the star that Ty Lee orbited around, with a gravity to her that Ty Lee couldn’t escape even if she wanted to.

And now, Mai seemed determined to change her life once again, appearing in front of her right as she was finishing her shift with her hand out and an expectant look on her face. The gesture was unmistakable in its meaning, but Ty Lee was still surprised when the first thing Mai said was, “Come with me.”

Ty Lee blinked once, then grabbed Mai’s outstretched hand. She had no clue where they were going, and she was exhausted after following Zuko around all day and had been looking forward to collapsing into her bed to sleep, but it didn’t matter. She’d known from the moment Mai showed up and held out her hand that she was going to go with her, no matter how it wreaked her plans for the evening.

Mai smiled, the small but genuinely happy kind she reserved just for Ty Lee, and started leading them down the hall, never making any move to drop Ty Lee’s hand.

“Where are we going?” Ty Lee finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“You’ll see,” Mai responded cryptically. She took a complicated series of turns down the winding red halls, but Ty Lee was familiar enough with the palace after so long that she knew they were heading towards one of the secret exits.

She raised an eyebrow. “We’re sneaking out? What for?”

There was no reason, after all; Zuko didn’t care where they went, Ty Lee wasn’t on shift anymore, and no one was going to look at Mai with her knives and scowl and pointed eyeliner and tell her she couldn’t go wherever she wanted.

Mai shrugged and finally looked over her shoulder at Ty Lee, a glimmer of what Ty Lee could only describe as mischief in her eyes. “Just for old times sake. I mean, how many times did we sneak out as kids?”

Ty Lee grinned, remembering how they’d gotten caught a thousand times over after failing to stifle their giggles as they snuck out to get sweet rolls from the city. Everyone had always assumed Ty Lee was the mastermind encouraging them to sneak out, and she’d never corrected them, but in reality it had always been Mai; just another example of how Ty Lee failed to make good decisions when Mai was involved.

Although, with Mai’s hand in hers now and the memory of her laughter as a kid in her ears, Ty Lee wasn’t sure how Mai could be anything but a good decision.

She just laughed and squeezed Mai’s hand once. “Are there going to be sweet rolls involved?”

“Amongst other things.”

Ty Lee hummed once, curiosity growing with every cryptic response, but she didn’t pry anymore— she just let Mai continue leading the way, content to follow her wherever she went. So long as Mai kept holding on to her hand, she didn’t care what the plan was.

#hi grace i am so sorry this took so long #i was turning this into a whole fic and had like 1.3k words and wasn’t even close to done and i was like. what am i doing. this is crazy. #so now you’re getting this little bit lol #maybe i’ll save the rest for mailee week….. hmmm #anyways i hope you like it!!!! #i just love the idea of mai actually being a little rebel and sneaking out #but everyone thinks it was ty lee’s idea. and since she knows mai would get in a lot of trouble if anyone found it was actually her idea #ty lee takes the blame. not in like a weird way. just…. looking out for her. ya know???? #mailee #atla #answered #grace tag #ellen.fic

[comradekatara]

the gaang + how well they would do on the infinity train?

this is suuuper hard because there are so many factors to take into consideration. first is obviously the train itself. the train's function in a metanarrative sense is to serve as a vehicle for storytelling, dissecting & deconstructing the process of a narrative and how a character's arc is propelled by their circumstances. the train supposedly functions to improve its passengers, and yet we also know that The Train is a deeply flawed mechanism that can corrupt and further traumatize its passengers just as much as it can "fix" them. when the train invites you in with the single-minded goal of getting your number to zero, assuming you ever disembark, you're probably gonna be left with even more trauma than when you arrived, or at the very least, weirder trauma.

grace wanted to be seen, but instead of learning to value herself for her own intrinsic worth instead of relying on validation from those around her, she was enabled by that validation and literally started a cult. likewise, since jet is basically a less heinous version of simon, i see him taking a similar path to the apex (though he would of course name them the freedom fighters) trying to overthrow the tyrannical one-one and reinstate the True Conductor. he would think his path is righteous. he would think he is protecting those kids from evil. who knows what would happen once he learns the truth.

then there is the matter of what the train wants from you. the train arrives at a pivotal moment in one's life, when they are at an emotional crossroads and need a catalyst for growth. for example, jesse's problem was relatively small (because he is perfect) but hurting his brother caused him emotional turmoil nonetheless, so the train stepped in. this means that to answer this question properly, i would have to answer not only when the train arrives for them, but why, and seeing that every single atla character carries massive amounts of baggage (most of it flavors of trauma that infinity train has not addressed), this proves extremely difficult. i have to identify the most narratively satisfying moment in each character's lives to have the train arrive, and then i have to make assumptions about which cars would propel them which way (emotionally). you're asking me to outline nine different fanfictions.

only jet's character feels similar enough to any of the characters we've seen in infinity train for me to even have an inkling as to what path he would take. while sokka and tulip are quite similar as people (rational, scientific yet creative thinkers who over-rely on logic over feeling, are deeply loyal, and instinctually blame themselves for the problems caused by others), their character arcs themselves have little in common. both aang and hazel experience a tragic loss of pure, childhood innocence (which is why i cry over both of them every day), but in relatively dissimilar ways (at least appa gets to return to aang). min-gi and zuko are both pressured by their upbringings to conform to a standard that makes them miserable to please their parents, only to ultimately embrace their own passion & truth... but not only do those arcs play out completely differently, zuko and min-gi are completely different people, and if anything, zuko's approach to life is far more like ryan's (ie, jumping off a cliff and hoping he lands on his feet).

but what i think you're really asking, at the end of the day, is how emotionally mature, self-aware, and capable of positive growth is each atla character? because how am i supposed to know what the train would do to their psyches, considering each external situation would shape them differently, and unless i'm supposed to meticulously craft fanfiction for each one of them (which i wouldn't be opposed to doing, but only for one character, i simply cannot do all nine ��� also, i'm surprised infinity train AUs aren't more common, but then again i'm not particularly familiar with fanficition, so maybe it is!), it would only be an approximation, in which i identify their core problem (which again, is not how real people work, or even how atla characters work, but how The Train works) and then analyze how long it would take for each of them to solve said problem.

so, that was a very long-winded preface. without further ado:

aang's main problem is that he keeps running away from his problems, which is to say, distracting himself from the enormity of his grief. personally, i would say his coping mechanism isn't the worst. after all, he experiences so much world-shattering pain in such a short span of time, and he does deserve to preserve his childhood and his innocence for as long as possible. but, for the purposes of the narrative, the train must necessarily disagree. he must confront his grief head-on, without distracting himself from it or flying into a destructive rage that he'd only regret later. it also depends on who his companions are. with katara by his side, he can get through anything (and vice versa), but it's unclear who will be there to guide him through his pain. that said, i know he'd make it through okay. he's aang. he has to.

katara lives in a fairytale. like i said with aang, that's not really a bad thing. she's a great kid with big dreams and a big heart. she wants to save the world, and – guess what! – she does. but living in a storybook strips one's worldview of the nuances of life, not simply the harsh realities of the world, but also the full extent of one's personhood, outside of simply the black and white worldview of heroes and villains. katara's apotheosis is when she confronts yon rha, looks him in the eyes, and sees a human being staring back at her, another human being. she is no longer in a revenge tale. she is out of stories to tell herself. (life doesn't make narrative sense.) ironically, the train is a metaphor for storytelling, so katara coming to realize that she isn't in a story would both be confusingly meta and also fucking brilliant (if i do say so, personally). i don't know how exactly it would play out, but by god i would pay to see it.

in many ways, sokka is remarkably open-minded, and in many ways, sokka is extremely stubborn. i think he'd come to terms with his own emotional growth (which would be rooted in learning his own self-worth) faster than he'd come to terms with the train itself. "okay, fine, yeah, i deserve love regardless of what i can do for other people, but WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS PLACE?!?!?" his journey through the train is actually everyone else's dream experience on the train. passengers and denizens alike keep falling in love with him (or at the very least, admiring him more than they've ever admired anyone they've ever met), but he doesn't even notice because he's too busy being extremely suspicious of everything he comes into contact with. yes, he'll solve your problems and puzzles and help people and make meaningful connections and eventually he might start to realize that he is worth something even when he's alone, even (especially) when he's being unconventional or "weird" or "selfish." but even once he does get his door, does he walk through it? oh no, he takes it apart and tries to figure out how it just created a fucking portal. so while he would technically "do" quite well, he is never leaving that fucking train. rip sokka.

well, toph needs to learn to accept and embrace her own vulnerability. she definitely goes through that same crystal karaoke car tulip did. that, or the train just tortures her by putting her in increasingly more painful situations in which she must ask for help. but that's too awful to even think about, so i'm just gonna say she has to sing karaoke.

zuko needs to learn to trust his instincts and his own internal moral compass instead of the external pressures being forced upon him by his Father (capital F to emphasize that his nation & his father – aka the patriarchy – are one & the same for him, lmao). and he would fail. a lot. but eventually he would realize that his number goes down when he lets himself be himself, and he would leave the train happy. he probably also gets a bunch of cute little talking animal companions to guide him through. he deserves it.

the train appears to suki while she's having a breakdown in solitary confinement at the boiling rock. she finds healthy ways to cope with being put through hell while on the train, and by the time she gets off, she's being let out of solitary. it is a very rewarding experience, and one that she can swear wasn't just some hallucination. she's constantly telling herself yes, of course it was just a hallucination.... but still... it felt so real....

if i had to diagnose azula with one singular problem that plagues her at the core of her very being, it would have to be her fear of rejection. but it's not good enough to just keep having train cars reject azula, she has to accept that rejection, instead of just intimidating people into submission after the fact. she needs to understand why she is being rejected, and be fine with it, and learn from it, instead of letting her lack of universal perfection in every area anyone could ever excel in shake her to her very core. when ty lee proved that she secured the affections of dumb stupid boys better than azula ever could, she did an arson to cope (which of course is still very valid of her uwu). azula needs to learn to come in second place, third place, even last place, and shrug it off, think to herself, "hopefully i'll do better next time, and if not, that's okay also," and once that happens, everything else will fall into place. though maybe she could read bell hooks or smth at some point on the train cuz i think that could help too.

mai needs to stop being so goddamn depressed all the time. has she tried lexapro, or perhaps using a lightbox in winter? her favorite coping mechanism, knives, only helps her feel something some of the time, but most (if not all) of the time she's still being expected to play a part. has she tried, like, being herself? i heard from zuko (you know, the guy? from the train?) that "being yourself" works wonders. so the train gives her that opportunity. and she actually even enjoys herself for once in her miserable fucking life.

omg there must've been some sort of mistake ty lee was totally sent here by accident because she's actually super happy all the time and doesn't have any problems!!!!!!!! jk, can u even imagine? ty lee hates her life too, she just doesn't go around advertising it like mai does with her big dyke boots and depressing eyeliner. but apparently she also needs to learn how to "be herself," whatever that means. as if life isn't a constant performance, you know, like jacques said or whatever. she sees mai on the train. she rolls her big beautiful brown eyes. "oh god, not you too."

#obeetlebeetle #fuck this took me over an hour to write #asks #the gaang and #analysis #AUs #synthesis #mailee infinity train au when..... #sokka is the only one who dies on the train. unfortunate. aunt wu was right once again. #god this question was hard #so many factors to consider #i want the mailee season tho #and i want it NOW!

[zuko-always-lies]

What Mai and Ty Lee got Out of Their Friendship with Azula

So, to be clear, I believe Mai and Ty Lee are absolutely people who liked and loved Azula, even if their friendship with her ended up fairly toxic.

But that doesn’t mean that Ty Lee and Mai didn’t have “ulterior” motives in their friendship with the Princess or that they didn’t receive things from her that wouldn’t be normally be part of a friendship, even a close one.

Under most circumstances, a friendship between someone as high ranking as Azula and someone of lower social status would contain the natural expectation that the lower-ranking person would be rewarded with patronage and influence over policy in return for their friendship. This is very much not the case in the Azula-Mai and Azula-Ty Lee relationships(not that Mai and Ty Lee don’t potentially have a lot of influence on policy, but power doesn’t seem to be an objective for either one of them).

I’m sure Azula gave her friends gifts and also rewarded them(and potentially their families) in other ways, but that also doesn’t seem to have been a major objective for either of them. Even Azula symbolically declaring her friends to have royal status doesn’t seem to have been particularly highly valued by her friends:

What, then, do Mai and Ty Lee get out of their friendship with Azula? 

With Mai the answer is easy:

“Return to Omashu”:

Mai: There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place.

Governor's Wife: Mai, your father was appointed governor. We're like royalty here. Be happy, and enjoy it.

...

Mai: (distressed, but in a dull tone) I thought my life was boring in the Fire Nation. But this place is unbearably bleak. Nothing ever happens.

“The Beach”:

Mai: (Cut to wide shot of the four of them. Mai lays back carelessly on the rock she is sitting on) What do you want from me? You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. (close shot of Mai) I was a rich only child who got anything I wanted. As long as I behaved...(cut to shot of the clouds above) and sat still...and didn't speak unless spoken to. (cut to shot of Zuko listening) My mother said I had to keep out of trouble. (Cut to wide shot of the four of them around the fire) We had my Dad's political career to think about. Azula: Well, that's it, then. (close-up shot on Azula) You had a controlling mother who had certain expectations, and if you strayed from them you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything, and why you can't express yourself.

“Return to Omashu:

Azula: I have a mission (she puts one of her hands on each of their shoulders) and I need you both. Mai: Count me in. Anything to get me out of this place.

“The Drill”:

Azula: (condescendingly) Oh, I'm sure it is War Minister Qin. But just to be on the safe side... (in commanding tone) Mai, and Ty Lee, take the earthbenders out! Mai: (twiddling knives) Finally, something to do.

“The Crossroads of Destiny”:

Ty Lee: Nice speech, Azula. It was pretty and poetic, but also scary in a good way. [She hands the cup to Azula. Camera pans over to a close-up of Mai.] Mai: [Amused.] Yeah. I thought you were going to make that one guy pee his pants.

So what Princess Azula offers and gives to Mai is freedom from Mai’s suffocating duties as a female member of a upper-noble family, in addition to amusement. This pattern has probably been going on since Mai was very young, especially if Azula is the one who encouraged Mai to learn combat skills and made it so that Mai’s family wouldn’t be an obstacle to this endeavor. Azula also seems to value Mai for who she is in a way that no one else(other than probably Ty Lee) does. This has to feel good.

Ty Lee is a slightly more difficult case to crack, but “The Beach” gives ample clues:

Ty Lee: Do you have any idea what my home life was like, growing up with six sisters (cut to shot of Ty Lee) who look exactly like me? (she stands up) It was like, I didn't even have my own name. (she falls to the ground crying) I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matched set. At least, I'm different now. (close shot of teary-eyed Ty Lee) Circus freak is a compliment! Mai: (sarcastically) Guess that explains why you need 10 boyfriends, too. (Cut to shot of Ty Lee looking angrily toward Mai and putting her hands on her hips) Ty Lee: I'm sorry, what? Mai: Attention issues. You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid, so (looking downward) you're trying to make up for it now.

Ty Lee’s family environment starved her of positive attention and denied her an identity of her own.  As a result, she’s desperate for attention now and to be as unique and distinct from her sisters as possible.

Princess Azula is Ty Lee’s friend, but she’s also an authority figure who gives Ty Lee positive attention in a way that no other authority figure in Ty Lee’s life does. Moreover, Princess Azula’s friendship with Ty Lee makes Ty Lee unique and feel unique from her sisters, especially since Azula is not friends with any other of the Ty sisters.  The combat skills which Azula probably encouraged Ty Lee to learn and Ty Lee’s great accomplishments alongside Azula and Mai also distinguish Ty Lee from her sisters and makes her unique. Finally, Azula values Ty Lee for who she is in a way that no one else(except probably Mai) does, in particularly taking Ty Lee’s opinions and advice(both in “The Beach” and in “The Drill”) very seriously, which has to be gratifying for someone who has been devalued as much by society and her family as Ty Lee has.

Meanwhile, Azula gets friendship out of her friends, but they also serve as her only real support network(in potentially unhealthy ways), and she expects her friends to provide military service (under her command but for the sake of the Fire Nation) when asked.

None of this post should be groundbreaking, but I felt it was important to make a post where I put all of this together.

#Azula #Mai #Ty Lee #Dangerous Ladies

[beifongsss]

playing with fire pt. 4 [sokka]

Pairing: Sokka x reader

Summary: You’re a Fire Nation citizen who saves Sokka and Katara from some angry villagers. Aang “convinces” you to come along with them, finding your knowledge of the nation useful. Not everything is smooth sailing though as both Water Tribe siblings have their doubts about you.

this will be a series :D this is Toph’s intro!!!

w.c.~5.7k

prologue. one. two. three.

.masterlist.

~

The peacefulness you felt while flying through the air didn’t last long, and soon enough you felt Katara’s gaze burning into you. You glanced up, meeting the pair of narrowed blue eyes that seemed to study your every movement. It was silent for a few more minutes, Aang and Sokka shifting uncomfortably as tension filled the air. When he could no longer take it, Aang opened his mouth, ready to tell some cheesy joke to try and diffuse the situation before it even began.

“So,” Katara spoke first. Aang clamped his mouth shut, looking to Sokka as he tried to get a read on Katara’s tone. “Why is it that literally every single Fire Nation person we run into seems to know you?”

“Sokka didn’t tell you?” you asked quietly, glancing at the boy in question. He shook his head. 

“I didn’t want to tell them your story, (Y/N),” he stated firmly, his tone a stark contrast to the soft stare he was sending your way. “That’s your business, not mine.”

You stared at him for a few seconds before Katara cleared her throat, drawing your attention back to her. Settling against Appa’s saddle, you glanced at Sokka once more before facing Katara and speaking.

“My parents are Fire Nation nobility. They worked with Ozai to plan the conquests of Earth Kingdom towns. As a result of their positions, I spent a lot of time in the palace,” you began, recalling the words you had told Sokka in the Cave of Two Lovers. Katara’s glare lessened, an interested gleam taking its place as she motioned for you to continue. “I grew up alongside Prince Zuko. I was his chosen training partner, even if I wasn’t a bender. I was good with a bow and arrow and I was even better with a sword, which made me useful to Ozai. I joined the army when I was old enough and eventually Ozai realized that I was good at planning invasions and had me revise the generals’ plans. One day I was sent out to battle with my father. When the Earth Kingdom troops surrendered, I took the chance and ran because I had finally realized that the Fire Nation had done so much harm to others. Later on, I found out that they had massacred them either way. I couldn’t go back after deserting so I traveled until I settled into the Fire Nation colony where I met you.”

“So what about the other girls?” Katara asked.

“I told you that I attended the Royal Fire Academy for Girls with them,” you said calmly. “Mai and Ty Lee were the daughters of noblemen. Mai is good with knives and Ty Lee’s a chi-blocker, which is why you couldn’t waterbend after her attack.”

“What about the other girl.”

“That’s Princess Azula,” you said, sighing deeply. “Zuko’s younger sister. Firebending prodigy. She can bend lightning. She’s the most dangerous of them all.”

The group went silent at your words, thinking about the way the golden-eyed girl had conjured up blue fire. Sokka was staring at you curiously, something about your words bothering him. When speaking to Katara, you had told her that you found out about the Earth Kingdom soldiers’s death after you ran away. Back in the Cave of Two Lovers, you had told him that you had run away because they had killed the soldiers. He shook his head softly, realizing that he could’ve easily misheard you. But there was something about the way you had spoken, almost if you were uncertain about some of the things you were saying. Sokka huffed slightly before tearing his gaze from you. You couldn’t be lying to them...right?

He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Appa dip lower and lower. He looked at Aang, who seemed to be spacing out, and leaned out of the saddle, tapping the Air Nomad’s shoulder. “Hey, you taking us down for a reason? Aang, why are we going down?”

Aang shook his head slightly before looking at Sokka, confused. “What? I didn’t even notice.”

“Are you noticing now?” Sokka asked as Appa dipped even lower. 

“Is something wrong?” Katara asked, moving closer to the front of the saddle as you followed her. 

“Yeah, why are we getting lower?” you added, looking down below. 

“I know this is going to sound weird, but I think the swamp is calling to me,” Aang said softly, looking down at the trees. 

“Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?” Sokka asked, his stomach grumbling on cue. You giggled softly, earning a proud smile from the Water Tribe boy. 

“No,” Aang replied, not acknowledging Sokka’s words. “I...I think it wants us to land down there.”

“No offense to the swamp but I don’t see any land down there to land on,” Sokka said, peering over the saddle. 

“I don't know. Bumi said to learn earthbending I would have to wait and listen, and now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?”

“Yes,” came the reply from you, Katara, and Sokka. Aang scowled. 

“I don’t know,” Katara added, looking uneasy. “There’s something ominous about that place.”

Immediately after Katara’s words, Appa groaned and Momo jumped into your arms, burying his head in your chest. You cradled the flying lemur close to you as he shivered.

“See? Even Appa and Momo don’t like it here!” Sokka exclaimed. Aang patted Appa’s head and turned to look at you and Momo, a conflicted look on his face. You shook your head lightly, causing him to sigh in defeat.

“Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this, bye swamp,” Aang said sadly. “Yip, yip!”

Your eyes grew wide as you caught sight of a tornado, clutching Momo tighter as it got closer. “You better throw in an extra ‘yip’! We gotta move!”

Appa tried to fly faster, eager to avoid the tornado that was catching up to him. Sokka yelped as he was pulled away by the strong winds, causing Katara to grasp his hand. You lunged forward, connecting your hand to Katara’s as well. Aang created an air shield, causing Sokka to fall back down to the saddle. You let out a loud ‘oof’ as he landed on top of you before he rolled off, turning his head to look at you as he landed on the saddle. 

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Katara replied bitterly, causing the two of you to chuckle. All of a sudden, Appa’s leg broke the air shield, sending you all tumbling down below as the tornado swept you up. Screams left your mouths as the ground approached quickly. You looked around frantically, letting out a yelp when you felt the tree leaves hit you. From what you could see, the swamp water was muddy and you reached for a hanging vine to try and avoid landing in it. You managed to grasp the vine just before you reached the ground, swinging roughly as you used it to hold yourself up. Sokka and Katara plopped into the water as Aang used his airbending to land gracefully. 

Standing up, he looked around for you. “Hey where’s-”

You swung in, letting go of the vine once your feet landed on the ground. “Here I am!’

After making sure that no one was hurt, you began to make your way through the swamp, anxiously looking for Appa and Momo. After a long day of searching for your furry companions and occasionally scolding Sokka for disrespecting the swamp, you all decided to set up camp for the night. By this point, you, Aang, and Katara were extremely unsettled and Sokka kept trying to convince you guys that there was nothing supernatural going on. You set up a campfire, huddling up as you all drifted off to sleep. You sat there silently as you tried to drift off to sleep, eyes still wide open. Sokka was snoring softly into your ear, the sound calming you down slightly. Soon enough, you found your eyes closing and you shifted your weight only for your fingers to brush against a vine. A vine that was moving. 

You yelped loudly, waking everyone else up. They were pulled away almost immediately, wrapped up in the same kind of vine you had touched. You jumped up as the vine lunged for you, wasting no time in drawing your sword and running away. The vines trailed after you, occasionally brushing against your skin. You swung your sword behind you as you ran, breathing heavily as you sprinted through the muddy water.  One of the vines managed to wrap itself around your ankle, making you tumble face first into the water. 

A scream escaped you as you rolled over, stabbing your sword into the vine as you did so. The vines all retreated immediately, causing your eyebrows to furrow as you looked after them. A faint glow caught your attention and you scrambled to your feet, quietly approaching the figure.

“Hello?” you called out, keeping your sword ready just in case. In front of you stood a woman, her back facing you. She was wearing Fire Nation red, her long, dark hair styled into a half-up, half-down style. “Who are you?”

She turned silently and you felt the air leave your lungs. She was beautiful; tall and fair with golden eyes, her topknot secured with a royal Fire Nation hairpiece.

“M-Mom,” you gasped, tears welling up in your eyes. Your sword fell to the ground as the woman stepped forward, raising a hand to stroke your cheek before letting it drop suddenly. 

“(Y/N), my beautiful daughter,” her voice sounded the same and you shook your head, knowing that the swamp was playing tricks on you. “I’m sorry for leaving you. I’m sorry for what happened. But it is important that you always remember who you are. Never forget who you are. You will do great things. I am sure of that.”

You let out a choked sob as you threw yourself at her, hugging her tightly. Your sobs only got worse when you realized you were hugging a tree stump. Shakily, you turned around, pressing your back against the tree stump and sliding down until you reached the ground. You brought your knees up to your chest and hugged them close before burying your head in them, finally letting out all your tears. 

That’s how your friends found you; hair disheveled and sword discarded as tears streamed down your face. Aang had asked you multiple times if you were okay but the only response he had received was the word ‘mom’. Katara’s face had softened, realizing that you must have seen your mother in the swamp just like her. Silently, Sokka had picked you up, holding you close as your hand grasped at his shirt. He had looked at Katara pleadingly, tilting his head towards your sword that laid abandoned on the ground. Katara swiftly picked up the sword, a little surprised at the weight of it before trailing behind Aang as he continued to walk. 

Eventually, you had wiggled your way out of Sokka’s hold. You ignored everyone’s words as you took your sword from Katara and silently trailed behind the rest of the group. After a few more minutes of aimlessly trekking through the swamp, you managed to come across a large swamp monster. Fortunately, the fight didn’t last long as Katara realized that there was a waterbender controlling the vines from inside of the “monster”. The bender, Huu, kindly helped you save Appa and Momo. After eating dinner and thanking them, you set off.

Aang proceeded to tell you all about his vision in the swamp, telling you about how a girl had appeared before him and led him on a wild goose chase before he had finally bumped into Katara. Sokka had talked about how he had seen Princess Yue. At the mention of her name, you felt your heart clench. Sokka told you all about how she had appeared to him, saying that you and him had failed her. You had wrapped Sokka up in a hug after that, murmuring in his ear as you told him that her death was not his fault. His arms tightened around you when he realized that you hadn’t included yourself in that statement. 

Katara told you all about how she had seen her mom briefly before realizing that there was no one there with her. Everyone looked at you afterwards, uncertainty clear on their faces. Taking a deep breath, you proceeded to explain your experience. You told them about how your mom had told you that she was sorry for abandoning you and disappearing without a trace and how she had told you to never forget who you are. The group stared at you sadly, but you just brushed off their concern, stating that you were fine now that you had left the swamp behind. 

The whole time, Sokka couldn’t help but mull over your words. You had never mentioned anything about your mom leaving. You had told them that both of your parents worked closely with Ozai. Much like earlier, he brushed off his doubts. Losing a parent wasn’t something easy to talk about; he didn’t blame you for not mentioning it. 

Your attitude seemed to improve over the next few days. After a few more checkups, Aang and Katara began to leave you alone. Sokka, however, was always by your side. He claimed that you couldn’t be left alone while you were in unfamiliar territory but Aang and Katara knew that he was just worried about you. 

After trying to prove Avatar Kyoshi’s innocence and fighting off the Rough Rhinos, no one doubted that you weren’t fine. You seemed to be back to normal, sitting at Appa’s reins and sending snarky remarks at Aang as the sky bison landed in Gaoling. You and Sokka bantered back and forth as he debated whether or not to buy a bag and Katara convinced Aang to try out an earthbending academy, stating that he could find his teacher there. 

After Aang’s failed earthbending attempt, Katara managed to persuade some of the academy’s students into revealing the location of Earth Rumble VI. And that’s how you found yourself in an underground cavern watching fully grown men as they chucked rocks at each other. You couldn’t help but chuckle softly at Sokka’s enthusiasm, your eyes never leaving him as he cheered loudly. 

One of the fighters, The Boulder, managed to defeat all of his opponents and earn himself a place in the finals. Aang was still hesitant about finding his earthbending teacher, telling Katara that although The Boulder was good, he relied too much on his muscles instead of waiting and listening. 

“Now, the moment you've all been waiting for,” Xin Fu, the host, said. “The Boulder versus your champion... the Blind Bandit!”

A girl stood on the platform, black hair obscuring much of her face as she raised a championship belt into the air. She stared blankly ahead before turning and handing her belt to one of the assistants. There was something oddly familiar about her and you found yourself shaking your head before tearing your eyes away from the small girl. 

“She can’t really be blind, can she?” Katara asked, looking at the girl nervously before turning to you and Aang. “It’s just part of her character… right?”

“I think she is,” Aang said quietly. You nodded in agreement.

“I think she is...going down!” Sokka exclaimed, pointing down as he did so. You stared at him, giggling softly as you observed him. Sokka turned to face you, blushing when he realized your attention was on him. He leaned back on the bench, throwing an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into him casually. 

“Hey,” Sokka whispered, looking down at you with a smile.

“Hi,” you whispered back, biting your lip as you tried to hold back a smile. The two of you sat comfortably, watching as The Boulder approached the small girl.

“The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a small girl,” he proclaimed, looking at the young girl uneasily.

“Sounds to me like you’re scared, Boulder,” the girl cried out, cowering in fake fear. The Boulder’s face hardened as he stared as the girl.

“The Boulder is over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-alanche!”

“Whenever you’re ready, The Pebble!” the girl yelled, throwing her head back and cackling.

Aang’s eyes widened at her laugh and he sat up straight, observing the fight. The way the girl fought was different from the rest of the earthbenders and he found himself remembering Bumi’s words. The fight ended with The Boulder getting thrown out of the ring, causing all four of you to look at the girl in surprise. 

“Your winner and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!” Xin Fu exclaimed. The girl raised her hands in victory. 

“How did she do that?” Katara asked.

“She waited,” Aang said, a smile on his face. “And listened.”

Xin Fu offered up a bag of gold for anyone who dared to challenge The Blind Bandit. Aang, of course, couldn’t hold back and took the challenge as an opportunity to try and talk to the girl. It didn’t end well, the girl storming out after Aang managed to airbend her out of the ring. Aang rejoined your group sadly, a stark contrast to the large grin Sokka was wearing as he held the bag of gold and the championship belt. 

“Way to go, champ!”

~

“I’ve got to admit, now I’m really glad I bought this bag,” Sokka said as you all walked down the streets of Gaoling. “It matches the belt perfectly!”

“Well that’s a relief,” you teased, blushing when Sokka rolled his eyes and reached for your hand. 

“If we want to find The Blind Bandit, the earthbending academy is the perfect place to start,” Aang said, leading the group through the streets. You came to a stop when you felt Sokka pull on your hand, letting Aang and Katara leave without you. You turned to face Sokka, completely missing the wide smile and thumbs up that Aang sent him before he turned the corner. 

“What’s up?” you asked, looking at the Water Tribe boy. 

“I just um, well I wanted to give you something,” Sokka said, avoiding your eyes. “Can you just...close your eyes real quick”

You opened your mouth to say something before you decided not to, instead complying with Sokka’s request. You felt him move around you, letting go of your hand as he rifled through his bag. A weight landed in between your collarbones and you felt a chain shifting around your neck. 

“There,” Sokka whispered. “You can open your eyes now.”

Turning around, you opened your eyes to come face-to-face with Sokka. You reached up to touch the necklace, your fingers brushing against the pendant that now rested against your skin. 

“I hope you like it,” he said softly, watching you as you looked at the necklace. 

“I love it,” you whispered back, looking up at him with shining eyes. He grinned goofily, leaning against the building next to him.

“You do?”

You nodded before leaning up and pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. You grabbed his hand again, swinging it softly before speaking. “Thank you, Sokka.”

He nodded in reply, speechless because from your kiss. He blushed brightly before guiding you towards the street where Aang had disappeared. “Let’s go catch up to them before they get worried, yeah?”

The two of you walked back hand in hand, locating Aang and Katara at the earthbending academy. They were talking to the same two boys from yesterday, although it seemed like they were getting closer and closer to an argument. You reached them just in time to hear Aang mention something else from his vision. 

“That's because we're asking about the wrong person,” Aang said in realization. “In my vision, I saw a girl, in a white dress, with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?”

“A flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong family,” you said, walking up next to Aang. The familiarity of the girl now made sense. She looked like a Beifong. The entire group shot you a surprised look.

“How do you know that?” Katara asked curiously.

“The Beifongs are some of the richest people to exist,” you said, turning to face Aang. “You should’ve mentioned that earlier.”

“They’re probably the richest people in the world! But the Beifongs don’t have a daughter,” one of the earthbending students said.

“A flying boar is good enough for me,” Aang said, already walking away. “Let’s go check it out.”

As the four of you made your way to the Beifong residence, you noticed Aang eyeing your necklace. When you gave him a questioning glance, he simply looked from you to Sokka before making a kissy face. Your eyes widened before you looked away, a blush spreading across your face as you heard Katara giggle. 

“That’s the flying boar from my vision!” Aang cried suddenly, running towards the house. “Come on!”

All of a sudden, your group was launched into the air. Aang and Katara landed in the bushes and you landed on the lawn. Sokka, unfortunately, landed on the concrete. 

“What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?” the girl asked, now dressed in a fancy gown. 

“How’d you know it was me?” Aang asked, looking up at the girl.

“Don’t answer to ‘Twinkle Toes’,” Sokka groaned from the ground. “It’s not manly!”

“You’re the one whose purse matches his belt,” Katara commented, throwing her brother a teasing smirk. Sokka glared at Katara, his anger fading when he heard your laughter. 

“How did you find me?” the girl demanded.

“Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and-” Aang trailed off as he noticed the girl’s disbelief.

“What Aang is trying to say is, he’s the Avatar,” Katara stepped in, trying to get the point across. “And if he doesn’t master earthbending soon, he won’t be able to defeat the Fire Lord.”

“Not my problem,” the girl replied, causing you to snort as you tried to stifle your laughter. She began to walk away from them. “Now, get out of here or I’ll call the guards.”

“Look,” Sokka said threateningly, taking a step forward. “We all have to do our part to win this war, and yours is to teach Aang earthbending.”

The girl looked towards Sokka angrily before she relaxed and took on a frightened expression. “Guards! Guards, help!”

You raised an eyebrow at the girl as the guards came rushing forwards, a smirk playing at her lips. The four of you scattered to avoid being captured. 

“Toph, what happened?” one of the guards asked, looking around suspiciously. 

“I-I thought I heard someone,” Toph said. “I got scared.”

“You know your father doesn’t want you wandering around without supervision, Toph.”

The voices faded as they walked away. You all emerged, brushing off the dirt and grass that was attached to you. Sokka had a scowl on his face as he stared in the direction Toph had gone, Katara sporting a similar look. 

“Well,” you said, drawing their attention. “You can’t deny she’s a good actress.”

~

Three guards led the four of you into the Beifong residence. It was a beautiful house, decorated in a way that showed just how wealthy the family was.

“Avatar Aang,” Lao Beifong said, bowing down before the young Air Nomad. His wife did the same, eyeing you before nudging her husband. 

Lao’s eyes widened as he glanced at you, dropping into an even lower bow than the one he had given to Aang. “Your e-”

“There’s no need for formalities, Master Beifong,” you quickly cut in, bowing dramatically before turning to his wife and doing the same. “Lady Beifong. Please, just (Y/N) is fine.”

Toph’s eyes narrowed at her father’s actions and your swift interruption. Your name rang a bell in her head and she walked forward slightly. Lao noticed and grasped her shoulders, bringing her to stand in front of him. 

“This is my daughter, Toph,” Lao said. Toph bowed slightly. “Please forgive her manners.”

You waved him off, not missing the suspicious look that lingered on Toph’s face. “It’s quite alright. Some formalities are overrated anyways. There’s no need for her to bow.”

Lao and Poppy’s jaws dropped at your words as they exchanged borderline offended looks with each other. Toph, on the other hand, tried to cover up her snicker with a cough. 

“W-Would you like to stay for dinner?” Lao asked, still bewildered by the words you had said. You all nodded, thanking the Beifongs for their hospitality before joining them in the dining room.

Dinner was a tense affair, culminating in what could only be described as a food fight between Toph and Aang. Dessert was just as uncomfortable and soon enough, the four of you found yourselves in one of the Beifong’s guest rooms. Aang had disappeared a while ago with Toph and you were absentmindedly braiding Sokka’s hair, trying to ignore Katara’s nervous pacing.

“Should we go look for him?” Katara asked, glancing out the window.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Sokka said, waving off Katara’s concerns as he leaned into you. 

“Have either of you seen Toph?” Poppy Beifong’s soft voice floated through the air, catching your attention. You all shook your heads, causing the woman to frown.

“She was with Aang, Lady Beifong,” you replied, tying Sokka’s hair back up in a ponytail. “They were in the garden, I believe.”

“Oh!” Poppy Beifong gasped, turning around to leave. “She’s not allowed out without supervision.”

Katara was the first to follow, you and Sokka trailing closely after her. A few minutes later, you stood outside with the Beifongs and Master Yu, staring at the note that had been left behind. 

“Whoever took Aang and Toph left this,” you said, bending down to pick up the note. Katara took it from your hands, reading it out loud. 

“‘If you want to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena.’ It’s signed Xin Fu and The Boulder,” Katara said out loud.

“I can’t believe it,” Sokka said seriously, taking the note from Katara. “I have The Boulder’s autograph!”

You swatted at his head, wincing at Poppy Beifong’s loud sobs. Lao turned to Master Yu, a pleading look on his face. “Master Yu, I need you to help me get my daughter back.”

“We’re going with you,” Katara stated. You gave a firm nod. 

“Poor Toph,” Poppy murmured, blowing her nose. “She must be so scared!”

You exchanged a skeptical glance with Katara, remembering the way Toph had taunted The Boulder before destroying him.

“Yeah, she must be terrified,” you said dryly. Sokka snorted. 

~

“Toph!” Lao cried out as you entered the arena. Her and Aang were suspended high in the air, trapped in metal cages. 

“Here’s your money,” Sokka said, placing the bag of gold down onto the ground. “Now let them go.”

Master Yu earthbended the bag over to Xin Fu, who quickly grabbed and examined it. Nodding, he motioned for Toph to be freed. The small girl made her way over to Lao before they both exited the arena. 

“What about Aang?” Katara asked, stepping forwards. 

“I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar,” Xin Fu said as he held up a Fire Nation wanted poster. “Now, get out of my ring.”

Many of the other earthbenders who had been fighting earlier popped up out of nowhere, causing you all to exchange panicked looks. 

“Go, I’ll be okay!” Aang called out, smiling encouragingly. 

“We’re not leaving you!” you yelled back, eyeing the earthbenders nervously. 

“Toph, there's too many of them,” Katara pleaded, looking at the small girl. “We need an earthbender. We need you!”

“My daughter is blind!” Lao yelled furiously, tugging Toph farther away from them. “She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you!”

Toph’s face hardened at Lao’s words and she yanked her hand away from him before turning to face your group. “Yes, I can!”

The three of you watched in awe as Toph took on all the pro earthbenders before snapping out of it and scrambling to get to Aang, who had been tossed aside earlier. Katara and Sokka tried all they could to free Aang, with every single attempt being unsuccessful. 

“Hit it harder!” Aang cried, desperation in his voice.

“I’m trying!” Sokka yelled back, hitting the lock to no avail. 

“Let me,” you said, nudging Sokka out of the way before striking the lock with your sword. The lock fell away instantly, a smug smirk making its way onto your face as you looked at Sokka. 

“I loosened it for you,” he said, puffing his chest out. 

“Sure you did big guy,” you replied, causing him to scowl at you. 

Aang popped out of the cage, ready to fight before Sokka held his arm out and shook his head. He pointed at Toph, who had defeated almost all the earthbenders and stood proudly. Xin Fu was the last one standing. She made easy work of him, sending him flying out of the ring as her father and Master Yu looked on in shock. Aang and Katara ran towards her as Sokka collapsed from shock, leaving you to watch over the Water Tribe boy. 

A while later, you found yourselves back in the Beifong manor. Toph stood in front of her father, the rest of you watching the interaction anxiously. 

“Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way. But the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender, and I'm really, really good at it,” Toph said, gaining confidence as the words flowed out. “I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So, now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me.”

“Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph,” Lao proclaimed. “It's made me realize something.”

“It has?” Toph asked hopefully, her face brightening up. 

You swallowed harshly as you watched Lao’s reaction. You had a bad feeling deep in your gut as you glanced at Toph, and your instinct was proven right a second later. 

“Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on you'll be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day.”

“But dad!” Toph yelled, surprised at the words.

“Sir, with all due respect, your daughter is one of the most powerful earthbenders alive,” you said quietly, stepping forwards and dodging Sokka’s hand as he reached for you. “She doesn’t need to be cared for and she definitely doesn’t need guards to protect her.”

Lao looked at you coldly, his lips pressing together into a thin line. 

“We’re doing this for her own good!” Poppy cried, gathering Toph into her arms.

“Guards, please escort Miss (Y/N) out of my house. She and the Avatar are no longer welcome here,” Lao finally said, glaring at you. “Never return. The Fire Nation isn’t welcome here any longer.”

“I’m sorry Toph,” Aang said as you were all led out. You didn’t stop glaring at Lao. 

“I’m sorry too,” Toph replied, tears pricking at her eyes. “Goodbye Aang.”

~

“Don’t worry,” Katara said softly as you all approached Appa. “We’ll find you a teacher. There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there!”

“Not like her,” Aang muttered. Katara looked at you for help but you shook your head, knowing Aang was right. 

You leaned against Appa, narrowing your eyes when you saw a figure sprinting towards you. You made out the person’s features easily enough and you tapped Aang’s shoulder. “Aang, look!”

“Toph! What are you doing here?” Aang asked as the small girl came to a stop in front of them.

“My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world,” Toph explained, trying to catch her breath. You smirked at the girl, knowing that she was lying. 

“Well then, we’d better get out of here,” Sokka said, peering over the edge of Appa’s saddle. “Before your dad changes his mind again.”

“You’re going to be a great teacher Toph,” Aang said, smiling at the girl.

“Speaking of which, I wanted to show you something,” Toph said softly. 

“Okay.”

Without hesitation, Toph stomped her foot, sending Aang flying before he landed in a tree. “Now we’re even. Um, I’ll take the belt back.”

Sokka tossed the belt down, frowning slightly. You stifled a laugh as it hit Toph’s head, knocking her down.

“Ow!”

“Sokka!” you scolded, helping Toph up. He simply shrugged before disappearing back into the saddle. Toph took your hand, standing up before picking up her belt. You looked at her amusedly. “Didn’t think you had the guts to run away from home, Beifong.”

Toph gave you an unreadable look before replying. “That makes two of us, Princess.”

“Don’t call me princess,” you said immediately, glaring half-heartedly at the girl.

“Sure. Whatever you say, Princess,” she said, awkwardly patting Appa. 

You sighed deeply before helping Toph reach the saddle. “I have a feeling you and I are gonna get along wonderfully, shortcake.”

Toph let out a sound of indignation at the nickname before rolling into the saddle, glaring at you as you joined her. “Don’t call me shortcake.”

“Whatever you say, shortcake,” you teased, mocking her earlier statement. Toph looked like she was ready to attack you but was stopped as Sokka took the reins. 

“Alright Team Avatar! Where to now?” he asked, looking at Aang questioningly. Aang looked around uncertainly before shrugging.

“I don’t know, but the faster we leave Gaoling, the better.”

Sokka nodded in agreement before facing forwards once more. “C’mon Appa. Yip yip.”

Toph grabbed onto your arm as Appa began to fly and you looked at her in amusement. You looked around at everyone, knowing that things were about to get more interesting. 

~

taglist!

atla: @musicalkeys, @mywigglybaby​, @bubblebars​, @iguessthefloorislava​, @dekahg​, @boxofteenageideas​, @bottledcostcowater​, @butterflycore​, @coldlilheart​, @the-firebender-girl​, @ajediherowitchrunner​, @lammello​, @astroninaaa​, @samsmultifandomblogs​, @sadskater25, @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak​, @eternallyvenus​, @emberislandplayers​, @sunflowerazula​, @moonnei​

pwf: @ilovespideyyy​, @binaryssunsets​, @a----rag​, @existing-but-nonexistent​, @milk-n-cheese​, @itsthatsadbitch​, @nin-tendou​, @honey-ruel​, @reclusive-chicken-nugget​, @teenbiology​, @davnwillcome​, @fandomarchiveilyd​, @minninugget​, @sukifans​, @nugget-barnes​, @vintageroses1014516​, @donteatmycookiesplease​, @fanficdepot​

#sokka x reader #atla sokka x reader #sokka #atla sokka #avatar #avatar: tla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar x reader #aang #katara #toph #toph beifong #azula #mai #ty lee #zuko #prince zuko #fire lord zuko #sokka imagine #avatar imagine #atla x reader #atla imagine #atla sokka imagine

[bonesbuckleup]

anonymous asked: would you be willing to talk more about what you mean when you say the fire nation/azula probably didn't know what to do with sokka? I'm curious.

Something went weird with the original answer so I’m reposting as a text post vs. an answer.

OKAY SO what I mean is imagine this: You’re a powerhouse war-mongering nation bent (ha) on taking over the world. The main thing in your path is the Avatar, who is leading you on a wild goose chase around the world. He’s trying to learn all the elements, and your enemies are hellbent (haha) on helping him. You’ve got spies all over. You’ve got intel. You’ve got a good idea of how and where the Avatar travels, even if you can’t pin him down directly.

(Got long-ish, throwing in a cut)

So it makes sense to you that he travels with a waterbender, since he needs to learn waterbending. And since he started in the south, it makes sense that she’s not terribly adept at her craft yet despite being the one to teach the Avatar, and it makes sense she becomes more of a threat after they starting moving south again from the North Pole. But you have entire prisons designed to keep waterbenders in. You’ve fought them before. You can do it again.

And it makes sense that they pick up an earthbender, because the Avatar needs to learn earthbending. It probably doesn’t take you long to figure out she’s a Beifong, especially when she starts flashing credentials to get into Ba Sing Se and whatnot. You know her parents are looking for her. But. You also know messing with the Beifongs is to poke a sleeping bear, one that might be more trouble than it’s worth to deal with. Besides. Like the waterbender, you know what to do if you manage to capture this earthbender. You can keep her locked up. And maybe that gets iffier with the rumors of metalbending but there’s always wood.

And then there’s...this other guy.

Who is clearly also Water Tribe, and who has been traveling with the Avatar since he first reappeared, and who is not a bender. I think if you’re the Fire Nation, you’re assuming (not entirely correctly) that the Gaang knows what they’re doing, which means this guy must serve some purpose. I think pretty early on, you’d assume he’s their handler--which, you know, Sokka’s the idea guy, so that’s not wildly off-base. But you don’t really know who he is or where he came from. You don’t know what kind of training (maybe he’s a spy? maybe he’s a really good fighter or something? (which is a hilarious concept when you consider book 1 Sokka who is just out here doing his best)) the Water Tribe and/or Earth Kingdom got this guy before sending him off to keep the Avatar in line, which makes him the wildcard in this whole thing. Especially once the invasion during the eclipse happens and he’s leading the charge.

Anyway, so I think the Fire Nation probably spent a lot of time trying to crack who Sokka is, even though the real answer is pretty simple and that all Sokka truly is is tired. But I really do think that it’d be Azula who gets really into trying to solve the riddle. Because, like, here’s the thing. We don’t see a lot of Ozai on screen, but he seems to equate bending ability with power and surrounds himself with above-average benders. This is one of the main places Azula actively deviates from his example, because her most trusted confidants are Mai and Ty Lee, two non-benders. She not only acknowledges that their lack of reliance on an element makes them better fighters, but counts on it and anticipates it. They’ve had to get more creative without bending, fighting with knives and pressure points. They’re her wildcards. It makes sense, both in a strategic sense and with Azula’s character, that she’d try to figure out the boy who spends his time keeping pace with the world’s most formidable benders.

And I don’t really have any back up for this, except for one tiny little thing. As best I can recall, and excluding Zuko for obvious reasons, Azula doesn’t call the Gaang by their names. She calls Aang Avatar and Katara peasant. There’s one single exception to this. During the invasion, down in the tunnels, when she narrows in on the one person trying to keep the plan in motion, knowing that if she can get him the others will fall in turn: So, Sokka’s your name, right?

#mail #anonymous #atla #Sokka #Azula #once again behold what self-isolation has done to me #META META META ROCKING EVERYWHERE #long post #it put the whole thing under a read-more the first time I answerd #and then when I tried to edit #it put the read more into the question? #IDK #TAKE TWO