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comradekatara · 16 days

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The Awakening is one of the most underrated episodes in the series.. this episode was such a turning point for aang

Aang first ran away in a storm to avoid his duty, and now he’s running away in a storm to do his duty. Poetic!

Love also Roku and Yue in this episode

yes! the way this episode establishes so many of the central tensions for the final season and parallels basically every character so deftly is perfect. the chiastic storm symbolism, the storm inside aang of crushing responsibility and guilt and grief and rage…. and in both cases, whether it’s to run away or to attempt to face his problems head on, leaving behind his loved ones (like he tried to do in the crystal catacombs) is always the wrong choice, he needs to rely on his friends. and his friends need him too. katara’s speech about how aang thinks he has to do everything alone kind of seems out of left field considering aang has always valued and cherished forming deep bonds, especially with katara. but then you remember that katara’s last memory of aang, that has been haunting her for the past however many weeks she’s been on that boat desperately trying to save him, was aang (unintentionally) martyring himself. and that would be traumatizing for anyone to witness, their best friend literally dying in their arms, but it’s especially triggering for katara because it’s happened before. kya died for her. hakoda left her. sokka emotionally abandoned her in his promise to die for her.

being a waterbender, the last waterbender, is such a complicated role for katara, because on hand she must feel immense guilt over the way her entire family and tribe prioritizes her life, and is especially motivated to become the world’s greatest waterbender specifically to prove that her mother’s sacrifice was not in vain. but it’s also that drive to be the best that awarded her the spirit water, that gave her the ability to heal aang when history repeated itself. katara couldn’t save kya, she couldn’t make hakoda stay, she couldn’t heal jet, but she can with aang. she literally brings the avatar, struck by lightning while in the avatar state (thus effectively ending the line of avatars were he truly dead) back to life. katara revived him as the inciting incident of the entire narrative, and then she revived him again in their darkest moment. because katara will continue to bring back hope to the world, resoundingly, through sheer force of will, with nothing but her bare hands and overflowing heart.

i do love aang’s arc in this episode, the narrative parallelism, the tragedy of him burning his glider, his last physical relic of his past and his people. i love the way he is so determined to perform the duty he has shied away from for so long due to the shame and humiliation of actually trying, and failing. of course aang was already motivated to perform his duties to the world, because guilt is a hell of a motivator, but the existential terror of actually being killed adds tenfold motivation. instead of running away from his problems, aang is now running towards them, equally as thoughtlessly and hastily. because he is too ashamed to care about tact, he just wants to rectify his devastating mistake. and that’s why he says that he needs to regain his honor. scarred and humiliated and lost, he finally understands how zuko feels.

zuko acts as the third side of a prism through which he, aang, and katara, are all refracted and reflected in one another. this episode makes use of that parallelism both in the contrast between zuko “finally regaining his honor” (illusory, of course, but he gets to come home and see his father again, and that’s all he’s wanted all along) while aang has lost it, and zuko confronting his father for the first time in three years, just like katara does. katara is angry at hakoda, her anger exacerbated by her grief over aang. she’s angry that hakoda left them, even if logically she doesn’t blame him for it. and she doesn’t mask her anger (i don’t think she’s even capable), and hakoda, for his part, receives it, listens to her, treats her with love and affection, holds her, acknowledges his own pain. it’s an incredibly beautiful scene; the episode is excellent if only for that scene.

it’s also immediately followed up with its opposite. zuko walks into ozai’s chamber, no anger only fear, kneels before his throne while ozai circles him like a predator (a move that both zuko and azula picked up from him). even a few episodes later, in “the beach” when azula asks, “are you angry at dad?” zuko’s face falls open and vulnerable, almost afraid at the accusation, and goes, “what?? no!!” even though it’s a perfectly fair question. ozai banished zuko for three years when he was still a child, whereas hakoda left katara for three years when she was still a child. katara resents hakoda for leaving against his will whereas zuko doesn’t even feel like he’s allowed to resent ozai for anything. ozai never once actually touches zuko, but zuko still flinches. zuko kneeling on the ground while ozai circles him like a hawk. hakoda and katara holding each other, both in tears, both open and vulnerable. zuko katara parallels always make me go crazy, of course, but this is one of the most insane juxtapositions in the entire show to me. i just love the katara hakoda reconciliation scene, and all the more for its narrative impact as it precedes zuko and ozai’s.

the ozai face reveal is also pretty incredible imo. for the past two seasons, ozai’s face as been obscured by shadow, framed only at angles that made him unknowable to the viewer. he is a larger than life villain, to both aang and zuko, not simply a man but something far greater and more terrifying. except no. he is just a man. zuko returns home, and immediately sees that. the ozai of looming shadow from zuko’s faulty memory is in fact just some guy. a uniquely powerful guy, of course, but he’s not gargantuan, too great to be comprehended by mortal eyes. zuko was just a child when he left, but he has since grown, in many ways. and while ozai still terrifies him to his core, because how could he not, we see, as zuko sees, that he is just a man.

as the image of aang’s goals becomes clearer in his eyes, he too, learns to see ozai as just a man. in the following episode he even crafts his likeness out of noodles (“impressive, i admit”). ozai is not some fantastical godlike being. no, aang is the fantastical godlike being in question, and it’s his literal god-given right to humble that man playing god who claims that aang has no place in his world. to obscure ozai’s face is to illustrate the sheer magnitude and terror of the power he wields. and to show ozai’s face, and then over the course of a season, continually undermine him and mock that face and depict it as noodles, or pantsless, is to take away some of his power, his cultivated, dictated, arbitrary power.

the awakening is a fantastic episode as it sets up the central internal conflicts for book 3, especially for aang and zuko, but also for katara, acknowledging the weight of her grief as it culminates in “the southern raiders.” (also her waterbending progress as it’s demonstrated in that one scene is incredible, i guess being at sea helps in one’s waterbending, who’d have thunk!) it’s basically a microcosmic encapsulation of the entire season, appropriately ending on a loving gaang hug as they promise to help one another through this. the heart of the show lies in that hug. it’s a fantastic episode.

#lilith-91 #asks #analysis #aang #katara #zuko #ozai #hakoda #aang&katara #aang&zuko #katara&zuko #ozai&zuko #hakoda&katara #aang&ozai #i let this ask sit in my inbox for a while bc i knew i was gonna write a whole fucking spiel #but yeah. good episode i agree 👍🏼#also i love how say ‘every’ character but then proceed to only talk about aang katara and zuko #wym that’s not every character???

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ultfreakme · 2 months

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I need an ATLA LA Season 2 just so I can see these two on-screen together

Like NATLA Zuko is clearly gay, Jet is CLEARLY out to charm Zuko to join his little crew. Zuko stood no chance. Bye bye Fire Nation throne, Zuko's living in the trees now fuck Ozai.

EDIT: Also, make the dreams of Jetko fans who have stood tall and strong for decades come true. MAKE THEM KISS ON THE FUCKING BOAT. DO IT COWARDS! I know Zuko wants to kiss men!

#jetko #natla #atla la #atla live action #also i think THEY'RE BOTH FUCKING HOT #I NEED JET IN BAD WIG(why does it still work why why) and Zuko in his cropped hair era to MEET

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burst-of-iridescent · 2 months

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atla live action thoughts: episodes 3 & 4

SPOILERS AHEAD

tw: opinions

things i liked:

jet, you beautiful, beautiful man. had me twirling my hair and kicking my feet fr i NEED this show to get a season 2 just so i can see more of him in the ba sing se arc please netflix

but looks aside, sebastian amoruso DELIVERED on the performance. the softness, the vulnerability, the charm, the intelligence, yet also the ruthlessness beneath it all? KILLED IT.

the moment between him and katara where he tells her to remember her mother as she was alive and not just her death was absolutely lovely. “remember the sunrise” made me very emotional

on that note, can’t believe jetara fake marriage is canon now lmao

i am SO here for desi omashu. i love the vibe and aesthetic of the city and again the visuals are STUNNING. live action repping the south asians better than the original ever did i’ll be honest

shameless fan service but “MY CABBAGES” being so fucking dramatic had me dying

of all the things i expected from the atla live action, secret tunnel and omashu being lesbians wasn’t even on the list but i’m not mad. hilarious that they turned the cave of two lovers into the cave of two platonic siblings though

jet, omashu and northern air temple arcs actually meshed together better than i thought. the NAT episode never sat well with me in the original so i’m glad they moved them to omashu instead.

the freedom fighters were RIGHT OUT OF THE ANIMATION. casting directors absolutely killed

love that they showed resistance movements within the fire nation and azula being part of rooting them out. it’s a nice nod to the deserter, since i’m guessing they’re not including that episode

really glad to see that the atla live action is following the tradition of having weirdly unnecessary zutara crumbs in every iteration of the story because what in the om shanti om was that zutara scarf moment. 10/10 no notes

having one of the earthbenders transporting iroh be angry over losing a loved one because of iroh’s siege of ba sing se was a really great change. i’ve always thought the original glossed over the true extent of the damage iroh did, so having him come face to face with what he’d done in the past was a great way to add some complexity

“how dare you beat up that child!” everyone go home seeing zuko being beat up by a random old lady is the highlight of this series. really love that they were just running around throwing things at each other that was major book 1 zuko/aang fight energy lmao

SECRET TUNNELLLLLLLL

leaves from the vine instrumental was 100% to inflict emotional damage and it fucking worked. the scene between zuko and iroh at lu ten’s funeral was so beautiful & then to have it flipped around at the end when iroh says “everything i need is on this boat”… fuck you for this netflix i didn’t need these tears today

things i disliked/am conflicted about:

not a fan of what they’re doing with katara’s character. they’re toning down a lot of her rage and fierceness, and boiling her down to “trauma over mother’s death.” in the original katara didn’t freeze jet and splash water at him because he tried to fight her, she did it because she was hurt and pissed off! there’s no way animated katara would’ve just run away from jet without sending a water whip at his face first. i’m concerned for how the pakku fight is gonna go tbh

bumi my guy, what did they do to you 💀 this series seems hellbent on having everyone remind aang that he ran away which doesn’t work when a) you already changed aang actively running away to him just going off for a break and b) you’ve made that point! the original omashu episode was about bumi teaching aang to look at the world differently, here it just weirdly feels as though he’s punishing aang by venting all his anger and despair on him?? that’s NOT what animated bumi was like & they didn’t even have the two of them go sliding down the delivery system in the flashbacks so adding it in at the end felt very out of nowhere. they didn’t even genuinely seem to be FRIENDS

having aang immediately figure out it was bumi was… sigh. can we please not do the thing where characters already know everything it’s giving me trauma flashbacks to the percy jackson show

jet’s plan feels more reasonable here than it did in the original. i get they’re trying to show that he didn’t care about the collateral damage to innocent people and that’s bad, but idk him wiping out an entire town unilaterally felt more extreme than a few bombings.

heavily dislike what they’ve done with zhao. i know they’re trying to show him clawing his way to power but that’s more of a long feng move than a ZHAO move. it’s important that zhao always holds more power than zuko and that he has an overinflated sense of ego from the start for him to fulfil his narrative purpose of serving as a warning to zuko of what he might become.

i like seeing mailee but why are they in this show? it feels as though they’re cardboard cutouts there for fan service instead of being actual characters

overall i liked these episodes better than the previous two & i do enjoy how action-packed and visually pleasing the show has been so far.

overall rating: 8/10 for episode 3, 7/10 for episode 4

#atla live action #zutara #i put these two episodes together since they felt like a two parter #also yes i gave into the urge to binge

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ivnxrori · 25 days

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When Sun and Moon meet - S2

Zuko x Fem!WaterBender!Reader Enemies to Lovers

As one of the Princesses of the Northern Water tribe, you were blessed with a gift by the moon. However you were permitted to be allowed to use the gift at all costs. From many hidden waterbending usages, the aftermath of the avatar visiting the Northern Tribe had led to your beginning journey, hiding yourself as a water bender as a princess from the Northern water tribe

Warnings: none

Masterlist

҉ * ‧͙ ⋆ ⁺ ༓ ☾ Chapter 6 - Hidden in Ba Sing Se

“My leg is broken so I have this disabled specialized animal” I smiled innocently, leaning against my Buffalo Yak for support. The lady sighed “usually i'm not allowed to invite animals…but you're an exception, you’re royalty for the northern water tribe after all” Her eyes sparkled as she took a closer look at my passport. The lady stamps my ticket and gives it to me graciously. “Thank the spirits” I muttered under my breath, hopping on my animal. This is when becoming a princess is actually beneficial. No one cares if you're royalty and do something a little…wrong, unless if you're part of the fire nation, royalty or not you're bound to be untrusted. I looked for an area with no people nearby, luckily there was quite an amount of open space. I got off my Buffalo Yak and pulled off the bandages resembling a horrible injury. “Aren't you lucky that I used my brain to get us both in there, I was scared that they weren't going to allow you in. I had to fake an injury for you- uh” I stopped myself “I never gave you a name”. The Buffalo Yak made a sound which I hummed at. “I'll name you… uh..Ah…Ah-ku…Aku!” I springed up in excitement. “Aku means the moon, pretty name right?” I smiled sheepishly to an animal, who probably doesn't even care. “Okay Aku, you and I are going to have a fresh start in Ba sing se” I slightly hug Aku “No future arranged marriage plans, no restrictment for my water bending and no more princess duties for me” I smiled in contentment for my future plans.

I internally gag at the situation I'm in. I couldn't tell if it was the disgusting food they supply us with or the fact I'm seasick on a boat or even both combined. I'm leaning towards the first option, it's not like this is the first boat I have ever rode on. Thinking all of this in my head made me feel like a brat but what do you expect? A girl who lived in luxury her whole life has to deal with this…food…? That same girl was also complaining of being a princess, mixed signals. Aku was getting transported by another boat, I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried. I thought escaping would be more fun than this, in fact ‘this’ is quite boring. It's not like I regret it, I just wished it could be more enjoyable than looking out at the sea. I make sure the wind doesn't blow off my hood from the cloak I was wearing to hide my identity. The last thing I wanted was word to go out that the Northern water tribe princess is here. I grip on the edge of my hood, digesting the wind that was coming from the side.

Fresh start.

That's all I'm able to think of at this moment.

҉ ☾

“Where did all this food come from?” I said out loud. Loud enough for the boy who was passing the food to hear. “The people were generous enough to give us better food” He smiled. I look up at him and laugh. “Oh really?” “Yes really” He joined in my laughter and sat next to me. “So what's your name?” His eyes twinkled as I leaned back against the deck.

“Y/N” “Y/N huh? Sounds pretty familiar-” “My parents named me after the northern tribe princess” I quickly said, pulling out a complete lie out of nowhere. It's pretty believable, I would say. It's quite common for parents to name their children after royalties, I personally believe it's quite dumb. He laughed which made me awkwardly giggle “What's your name?” “They call me Jet”

“Why are you going to Ba sing se?”

“You’re asking a lot of questions” “I only asked two…” I deadpanned as he continued to smile. “I'm going to start a new life” He responded while I continued to eat my food. “I guess quite a lot of people have been coming for the same reason, huh?”

“Yeah, it's quite a good place to start”. Silence right after that. I like to keep it that way. “You should meet my freedom fighters, I have also met 2 others as well. I think you will get along with them.” Jet offered, already standing up, holding out his hand for me to reach. But I declined, shaking my head. “Im good staying here, thanks” I smiled. I wasn't in the mood to talk to more than 2 people today, neither participating in long conversations. He shrugged “Then I’ll see you around” and waved me off. I waved back slowly putting my hand down, sighing, hopefully tomorrow we can make it to the wall. Oh Yue, how much I wish you were here right now. I looked up at the moon, I couldn't tell but the moon seemed a little brighter than usual.

Leaning back against the sitting area provided, I felt so fatigued like my whole body was going to give out. I couldn't get Aku to help me because…well Aku is getting transported completely differently. “I always wondered why you wear a hood everywhere,” Jet, who came out of nowhere, came towards me. I laughed awkwardly, clutching the fabric closer to me. “It's a style choice” I whispered. “What a style choice” He laughed which made me smile. I felt the sweat from the anxiety I was facing. “I bet you would be even prettier with the hood off, but it's okay you're still pretty now” He smiled cheekily. I wanted to roll my eyes but I stopped from doing so. “Thank you” I said quickly, trying to make him just leave. Just as I thought he was decent. “Are you sure you don't want to meet my crew?” “I'm sure, please don't worry about me.”

“Do you not want to join in our adventure?” “I prefer going solo” I tightly smiled, hoping Jet would just leave me alone. Don't get me wrong, Jet isn't mean or bad I would say. At least to me he is not, however I'm quite literally hiding my identity from him. “Are you sure?” Jet moved a little close to my comfort. “No one would mind.” I leaned back against the pillar, pushing him back a little. “I'm definitely sure,” I said uncomfortably. “Whatever floats your boat” He cheekily smiled and went over to 4 others. The 2 he was talking to looked familiar. One was quite old, holding a cup of tea and the other was a boy who had a scar… I immediately got up from where I sat, and walked over to stand far away from them. Yes I was tired but I needed to remain precautious. I wish I could be able to kill him, I couldn't in this situation. Not too long the train arrived and I immediately found a spot far away from the two. I look at the window, seeing my own reflection faintly. Man, I was tired. The train starts slowly picking up pace as it moves. Oh what luck do I have?

“Aku!” I yell in joy as I find the Buffalo Yak. He made some bizarre animal sounds to show his gratitude. I got on his back as he started walking. “Now buddy, I actually don't know where to go” I sigh, I really should have made a plan. “Lets just book a room to sleep in, we’re going to be staying here for a while”.

<- Back - Next ->

a/n: AGAIN Apologies for not having a chapter yesterday, just didnt have motivation to re-read everything. I have a lot of the chapters already preplanned so tomorrow yall should be able to get a chapter. AGAIN I have an AO3 ACCOUNT which im going to be posting the same chapters as here however tumblr should be always ahead. Anways have a nice day and take care of yourself! Thank you for reading :)

Taglist: @luvkvni @katovano @karmaswitch @someonesmember @velvet-spider @sh3sa1dwhat @nerdisthenewcool @meiraloves2dmen @fqnfics101 @iluvme547 @leaderwon @yukihatesreoyo @heart4hees @4l3x1s @kkissaku @corpsebridenightamare @newjellis @fatkish

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unorthodoxx-page · 1 year

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A Tale of Spirits last sneak peek!

Yes, I know the sneak peeks are early this week lol. There’s going to be a lot going on in this chapter, but it’s flowing for me right now. So here’s the sneak!

Like always, it’s unedited and subject to change.

SNEAK PEEK (Iroh POV)

He moves through the steps with a leisure he hasn’t felt since his family was whole. This small kitchen almost reminds him of his time at sea with his nephew. When he would brew Zuko’s favorite on those colder nights and play a relaxing game of pai sho. He folds the tea leaves gently in a smooth cloth and brings it to sit just below his chin. Iroh takes a soft sniff and hums in approval at the richness of the aroma. He moves his hand just over the moving flame in a seemingly useless gesture and frowns. His fingers twitch against the urge to adjust the heat by a few degrees. It is not worth the risk. He moves to the teapot and lets his fingers run along the curve of the ceramic with a light smile. He dumps the warm liquid and replaces it with fresh boiling water to steep the leaves in.

“I’ve never seen anyone preheat a pot before.”

Iroh chuckles and sets the teapot on the open flame. “That is one secret to great tea,” he says, “a warm pot ensure that the temperature of the water does not drop too much when steeping.”

A loud snort echoes through the empty shop and Iroh’s smile grows tight.

He’s back again.

The boy sits close to the open kitchen with a dark scowl on his face. His eyes flicker between Iroh and his fumbling nephew with an unwavering focus. He hardly moves during these moments, and only the twitch of that perpetual stem between his teeth betrays his fury.

Iroh though he detoured the young man from his nephew when the boat made it to Ba Sing Se. He recognized the intensity in the boy’s eyes the moment he and Zuko came back from the food raid. Although young, Jet has the gaze and words of a seasoned general. He would not stop until Zuko was recruited to his cause, so Iroh acted preemptively. He called to the man serving tea, made a loud complaint at the beverage being ice-cold, and ensured Jet was watching when he warmed it. The boys face had pinched in revulsion at the truth of what they were, and that should have been the end of it.

He miscalculated.

Jet’s hatred ran deeper than anything Iroh’s ever encountered. An immeasurable, festering rage that promises death to all firebenders, no matter how innocent they might be. He should not be surprised, Iroh himself has probably created children like this during his campaign, but he will not let this child ruin his nephew.

Iroh jumps at the sudden bang of plates. He turns just as Mikey slams the utensils against the table. “Are you going to do anything else besides glare at us all day?”

“Why,” Jet spits, “got something to hide?”

“Yes, Uncle’s patented tea process for one,” Mikey snaps. “Shouldn’t you be working? It’s like seven in the morning!”

“I am.”

Mikey crosses his arms. “Stalking doesn’t count, and I know it doesn’t pay the bills!”

#Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #Avatar The Last Airbender #rottmnt #atla #atla fic #atla fanfic #Crossover fanfiction #fanfction #crossover #crossover fanfic #A tale of Spirits #tmnt #rottmnt mikey #tmnt mikey #jet #iroh #zuko #ao3 #ao3 fic

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sokkastyles · 3 months

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Was that Jet in the trailer fighting a firebender?

I mean, it would absolutely make sense to have more Jet/Zuko interaction and that can easily happen by having Zuko retrace Aang's steps and run into Jet.

I guess then Jet would recognize Zuko in Ba Sing Se, unless Zuko was wearing his helmet or something. Then the Ba Sing Se arc would have Jet realizing that the guy who he befriended on the boat and the firebender he fought in season one are the same person...

#atla live action #zuko #jet

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rwoh · 3 months

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In the modern AU Sokka has a tracker for Zuko's boat like that jet tracker twitter account all the way through season 1

#atla #Sokka #zuko #avatar the last airbender

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kawaiichibiart · 2 months

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More of my favorite "Zuko Joins the Gaang Early" tropes:

There's always a chance he'll get second hand embarrassment when Katara pretends to be an earthbender so she can get arrested (okay this one isn't really a trope, it's more of a desire)

The 50/50 chance he's the one Jet carries up to the Freedom Fighters' hideout

Animals like him

Finds out Roku is his great grandfather earlier

He and Yue are besties (or in some cases, spiritual siblings)

He was probably kidnapped, ngl

Ranaway and got adopted by someone (usually by either Hakoda's family or by Bato)

Was banished but rather than be sent to find the avatar, he was thrown overboard (either literally or placed into a boat that got lowered into the water with nothing but him and maybe a note in it) and got rescued and adopted (again either Hakoda's family or Bato usually)

↓ Time travel bullshit

Spiritual bullshit

↑ Zuko can join the Gaang early but something has to happen to him (turned into a dragon, turned into a child, memory loss... take your pick) bullshit

A/B/O AU

Soulmates AU (I like the romantic ones but the platonic ones are my favorite)

The fight in the catacombs still happens the same, it was just planned that way so Zuko could be a spy on the inside (I think I saw this like once and I regret not remembering the name or where I read the fic, so this is also more of a desire)

Dragon boy (either literally, he is a dragon, or metaphorically (probably not using that correctly but whatever), he acts like a dragon (chances he got raised by one))

Fuck this, let's be pirates

Fuck this, let's sell tea

Fuck this, I'm going to be the Firelord, let's go back so I can fight my bastard of a father (again this was a one time thing, far as I can remember but it cracked me up, desire number 3 is to see more of this)

#zuko #zuko joins the gaang early #atla #avatar: the last airbender #atla zuko

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rosie-b · 2 months

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Sokka the Avatar

In a world where soulmates can't see color until they meet, Zuko believes he will never find his soulmate (or the Avatar). As he journeys through the South, however, he finds both in one day... but it quickly turns out that everything is not as it seems. Or, Zuko mistakes Sokka for the Avatar.

First atla fic, let's go!!!! You can read the full fic on AO3 or below.

It all started on the day that Zuko found the Avatar.

Despite the nearly three whole years Zuko had spent chasing after him, he was remarkably easy to find in the end. After all, pillars of light such as the one he’d seen in the Southern icebergs earlier that day could only have come from a very powerful source. It was a dead giveaway just who the water tribe was trying (and failing) to hide from him, and the flare they later released made it even easier to find their village’s location.

Today, the Avatar would be his.

So far, everything was going to plan—the boat had landed by an honestly pathetic collection of igloos and crushed a sloppily-made snow wall without any trouble, and Zuko was walking down the gangplank to confront the tiny town which had thought it could conceal the Avatar from him.

He might have managed to hide for 100 years, but the Avatar had finally made a mistake. At long last, he’d be delivered to the Fire Nation, just as he should be! At the thought of his quest finally reaching its end, Zuko could feel his rage start to come down from a boil to a simmer.

He stalked down the gangplank with an intimidating scowl on his face, readying himself for battle with the cowardly, but still dangerous, Avatar.

Then a boy charged towards Zuko and his guards, brandishing a club in his hands. Zuko almost felt bad for him as he kicked the weapon out of the boy’s hand and sent him flying into the snow without even sparing him more than a cursory glance.

He continued marching down to the village, which seemed to be made up of only elders and children even younger than the boy who’d attacked him.

Except, it seemed, for one girl and her ancient grandmother, who were clutching each other like the doomed fools the boy should have recognized they were.

Perhaps they knew something, Zuko mused.

“Where are you hiding him?”

The question came out loud and angry. There was no way any of them could be foolish enough to deny him an answer, not after they saw how easily he’d defeated what seemed to be their only warrior.

And yet, Zuko was met only with silence.

Annoyed, he grabbed the grandmother to use as an example. “He'd be about this age, master of all elements?”

Still no response. He shoved the grandmother back into the angry girl’s arms and shot out a warning jet of flame above their heads.

“I know you're hiding him!”

A war cry rose from behind Zuko, and he turned just in time to catch the same boy as before leading a second doomed charge towards him. He’d picked up his club, and as he ran, he threw a curved stick at Zuko’s head, but missed.

Is this really the best the South has to offer me? Zuko wondered in disdain.

He ducked under the boy’s wide club swing and rammed into him, shoving him forward. The young warrior landed hard on the snow, scrabbling to get back on his feet as Zuko readied a blast of fire in his hands.

The boy looked up as he scrambled backwards, and his eyes caught on Zuko’s.

And the world burst into color.

It was the most frightening thing Zuko had ever seen. The white of the snow didn’t change, but now the icy world had a new tinge to it, one lighter than black or grey, but more threatening, carrying the freezing nature of this land through his eyes and directly into his heart.

Before him, the boy was as frozen as the rest of his world, staring up at Zuko with a horrified expression on his face. He was still as helpless as he’d been before his failed attack, maybe even more so now. He was pathetic.

And they were soulmates.

No. No, no, no, this was wrong! There was no way this could be happening! It was impossible that he should find his soulmate now of all times, that he would be— well, a he , for one thing, and a simple water tribe peasant, for another! Zuko was the prince of the Fire Nation! The spirits must have made a mistake when they tied him to this peasant, because his soulmate should have been just as important as he was.

Unless.

Unless this boy, who was staring at him in shock and falling still further backwards as the world finished its colorful blossoming, was more than he pretended to be.

Zuko had heard a story once about two soulmates whose bond was not that of lovers or friends, but of enemies, whose hate for each other outweighed their love for anyone else. It was entirely fictional (and horribly executed, like the rest of the Ember Island Players’ productions), but what if the writers had been correct in hypothesizing that such a bond was possible? What if there was a grain of truth in their miserable tale?

For three long years, Zuko had spent his time chained to a Fire Nation ship, cursed to search the world for the long-lost Avatar. An Avatar whose signal he had finally followed to this very village, who was not in the air temples or the Earth kingdom or the icy world of the North.

Zuko hated the Avatar, he knew that, but did it really outweigh his feelings for anyone else? For his family, for his friends, for his kingdom?

After three years spent avoiding the painful thoughts of home, growing more and more hopeless and resentful and angry with no one left but the Avatar to blame, perhaps he did. He hated the Avatar more than anyone but himself, that much was certain.

And today, he’d finally seen the Avatar’s signal and followed it to this village, to this tiny town which was protected only by one woefully untrained warrior who just so happened to be Zuko’s soulmate.

Perhaps that boy was the Avatar. Perhaps the Avatar was his soulmate. That was preferable to it being a random, skilless Southern boy, anyway.

But how had the Fire Nation missed all the signs? How had the Avatar cycle been continued, under their very noses, without their knowledge? Hadn’t they ridded the South of all their benders? How was the Avatar’s birth even possible?

But the spirits moved in guileful, unfamiliar ways, and the Avatar was a secret worth hiding, even worth dying for, if they thought he would save them from their foes. Was it really so far-fetched to believe that the Southerners would’ve hidden this boy, even kept him away from the benders of the North and refused to let him hone his own bending, just to give him a chance to grow up undetected by the strength of the Fire Nation?

Was it really so impossible, that Zuko’s soulmate was the one thing that would finally prove his worth? His honor?

As the boy glared up at him and hurried to collect his pitiful weapons, Zuko came to his decision.

This boy, this poorly-disguised Avatar, was indeed his soulmate, and his very worst enemy.

Literally, as far as his fighting skills went.

Zuko couldn’t afford to let anyone else know that first fact, but he couldn’t let the Avatar escape him, either, not when he was finally so close to accomplishing what he’d set out to do.

So, he motioned for his guards to come help him defeat and restrain the boy instead of staying back, like they’d planned. The fight was over in mere moments, though the village elders and children gasped and wailed in fear, and a few toddlers threw tiny spears at his soldiers’ backs.

The Avatar squirmed and twisted around in his grasp, letting out loud, incensed threats, but Zuko only held onto him firmer as he dragged him up the gangplank to the bridge of the ship. He quickly barked out an order, and his soldiers confusedly readied the ship for takeoff.

As soldiers scurried around him, Zuko wasted no time in handcuffing the Avatar. He might be untrained, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous!

Of course, the Avatar didn’t have the honor in him to come quietly. As soon as Zuko dragged him on board, he was already protesting. “Hey! Rude! You’d think even the Fire Nation would know this is no way to treat your—“

Zuko clapped his hand over the Avatar’s mouth before he could announce to the whole ship the real reason he’d been recognized and brought on board so fast.

“Be quiet,” he hissed to the boy. The Avatar huffed, sending a flood of warm air against Zuko’s hand. He wrinkled his nose at the feeling. “I will question him privately. No one disturb us.” He barked out the command as he steered the Avatar towards the stairs, heading deeper into the ship.

Once they reached the prison hold, Zuko shoved the Avatar in and slammed the door behind them.

“All right, listen,” he ordered in a low, raspy voice, “I don’t know how much you know about soulmates, Avatar, but this setback will not stop me from finishing my mission. I am taking you back to my father, and after that, your fate is up to him.” Zuko paused, noting the Avatar’s strange reaction to being named. “What?”

For some reason, the boy’s nose was wrinkled up like he’d smelled meat that had been rotting for several weeks. “I’m not the Avatar,” he said, almost huffily. He had the audacity to stick out his lower lip in the beginning of a pout.

It was absolutely infuriating.

Zuko stomped his foot hard on the floor. “What do you mean, you’re not the Avatar? Of course you’re the Avatar! Why else would we be soulmates?”

The boy looked lost and a little bit angered by Zuko’s point.

“Hey, I never wanted to be soulmates with a pouty-faced jerkbender with a scar! How come you get to complain about it, and for Tui’s sake, what made you think I’m the Avatar?”

Zuko rolled his eyes at the insolence. “I saw your signal, oh master of four elements. Only the Avatar is capable of creating such a powerful beacon.”

The Avatar pursed his lips and looked up and to the side in a considering manner. “I see how that would confuse you. But couldn’t it have been a little kid playing crack-the-ice, instead?”

Zuko clasped his hands behind his back. “Don’t patronize me, Avatar, it won’t end well. I know what I saw, and so does my crew. I know you’re the Avatar, just like I know that we are soulmates. It’s unmistakable, and a little disgusting.”

The Avatar scowled. “No arguments there, but I am not the Avatar, jerkbender. Sorry your little signal-recognition trick didn’t work. The South doesn’t even have regular benders, they definitely don’t have the Avatar.”

Zuko’s frown deepened. “Oh, really? Then let’s pretend you aren’t the Avatar. Clearly, someone else is, and that someone has been around here, very recently. That person, the Avatar, is the last defender this tribe has to offer, now that you’re locked up. So, if you insist on being stubborn, we can always burn your village down and see if the real Avatar shows up to save them. That way, we’d know you haven’t been lying.”

The cowardly Avatar blanched whiter than snow at Zuko’s threat. “No, you can’t! They never did anything wrong, they don’t have anything to do with your stupid delusions! You can’t just burn the village down!”

Zuko’s gaze didn’t waver, though his stomach twisted at his threat, even though he didn’t think he’d need to follow through on it. “I’m about to, unless you man up and just admit who you really are.”

He watched as the boy in front of him went through several new shades of colors he didn’t have names for. Disbelief, anger, disgust, and sheer loathing accompanied them, and Zuko noted each pairing.

“Fine,” the boy spat out, “I’m the Avatar. Are you happy now?” His chest heaved up and down, and Zuko relished the fact that there was fear in the Avatar’s eyes, fear of him, even though his words came out bravely.

Zuko allowed himself the smallest hint of a smile.

“I am. And in exchange for your introduction, I offer my own. I am Prince Zuko, the crown prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne.”

“And you’re my stupid jerkbending soulmate, too,” the Avatar huffed. “Just my luck.”

Zuko fumed . He’d finally accomplished his impossible mission; he wasn’t about to take any disrespect from this cowardly Avatar who’d taken less than a minute to beat!

“Listen to me well, Avatar— uh.” Zuko paused as a sense of horror dawned on him. After all that had happened today, he still didn’t know his quarry’s name! The Avatar had to have a name beside his title!

The boy filled it in for him, looking miffed (even pouty, which seemed to be his default mood for this interrogation).

“It’s Sokka.”

“Avatar Sokka. Listen, I don’t like this any more than you do. But know that as surprising as it is, having an enemy soulmate will not—“

Avatar Sokka’s ocean blue eyes lit up. “Enemy soulmate? You mean like, just that we’re enemies? Or do you mean the bond doesn’t have to be romantic?” He sounded thrilled at the prospect of the second option.

Zuko fought the urge to roll his eyes again. To think he’d spent so long chasing after this disappointment of an Avatar, and he turned out to be not only his ticket home and his soulmate, but the biggest pain in the ass Zuko had had since that unfortunate time at the Air Temple.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t even bother returning home with you if this bond was romantic.”

(Zuko’s parents raised him to know that everyone should marry someone of the opposite gender, and that it was especially important for the royals to do so. It wouldn’t do for them to run out of heirs, after all.)

Avatar Sokka grinned, and a dangerous glint entered his eye. “Good, although I don’t think you’ll be returning home soon, anyway. At least, not in one piece. Because sooner or later, jerkbender, my sister is going to find out that I’m missing. And even though she’s a girl, and younger than me, I kinda pity the guy who she’s gonna blame for me getting kidnapped. Which is you, by the way,” he said, as if that wasn’t obvious.

Zuko wasn’t intimidated in the least. His own little sister was definitely much more frightening than Sokka’s (and he didn’t recall seeing many other people near their age around the village when he’d arrived. Was the Avatar trying to threaten him with a toddler? No, wait, there was that one weepy girl who’d been clinging to her grandmother before he’d used her as an example. Okay, that made the threat a bit better, but not by much.)

“I’m not afraid of your little sister, Avatar,” he said in a bored tone, to show just how unaffected he was.

“For the last time, Prince Jerky-face, it’s Sokka!” His soulmate scowled at him, and Zuko knew that if his hands weren’t currently cuffed behind him, Avatar Sokka would be crossing his arms like a petulant child.

Zuko scowled back. “It doesn’t matter. Once I get back home, I’m handing you over to my father, and he will take care of you. Then, after three long years, I will finally be free of your shadow, and I’ll never have to remember your Southern peasant name. I’ll never see you again.”

Avatar Sokka raised his eyebrows. “How can we be enemy soulmates, if you’re so sure that your mission’s really going to go so well? We’d only be enemies for like a month, tops, because how long can this boat ride last, anyway?”

He pulled himself together and leveled a gaze at Zuko almost as cold as the spirits-forsaken wasteland he called his home.

“So, no. I don’t think your little kidnapping trick is going to work out so well. If we’re gonna be enemy soulmates, then we’re gonna do this the right way. You and me, our enemyship will last a lifetime.”

And Zuko’s lifetime wouldn’t go on for much longer if Avatar Sokka had his way. The murderous look in his eyes made that very clear. It almost undercut the ridiculous air the Avatar’s word choices gave him.

Zuko’s frown deepened. “You’re wrong,” he said simply, refusing to give in to his anger and show weakness in front of this boy, who’d already been responsible for so much of his humiliation. “I’ve already won, Avatar. Take as much time as you need to realize it, because the facts will not change.”

He turned his back and walked out the door, gesturing to the guards who were making their way down the hall to take over. As he left, he turned his head over his left shoulder and met Avatar Sokka’s murderous glare one more time.

Yeah, it was just like he’d thought. There would be no comfort coming from Zuko’s soulmate, not in this life.

Zuko continued on his way to the deck. As he reached a corner, he heard a yelp followed by a grunt, and froze as he imagined what was going on. Had one of the clumsier soldiers tripped? Had they already lost their sealegs, after such a short time on land?

Zuko hurried around the corner, fists ready to either burn or help whoever he found.

It was a little boy dressed in the brightest colors Zuko had seen yet.

An airbender costume. It was a perfect copy; the boy even had a staff!

The boy’s eyes widened when he saw Zuko, and he quickly crafted the wind into a large ball, which he rode around him and down the hall in a flash. Before Zuko could react to this apparent airbending, the boy was blowing air into the lock of the cell the Avatar was in, while another person ran up behind Zuko.

A slap of cold water hit his face and made him start thinking again.

“That’s for kidnapping my brother!” a righteous, feminine voice rang out in Zuko’s ears.

He stared at the girl, who was probably Sokka’s sister. “He’s not the Avatar, is he?” Zuko followed his question up with a blast of fire. He didn’t really want to hear the answer yet, and besides, he had to stop the airbender before he made it off the ship with the Avatar— er, with Sokka!

The girl stumbled backwards, reaching out to grasp something. The water peeled off Zuko’s face and slapped at him again as he ran towards the cell. The girl followed closely behind as Zuko ran down the hall.

They must have gone further in; they don’t know the layout of Fire Nation ships; they’ve trapped themselves!

Zuko dashed around a corner, but skidded to a halt when he heard his soulmate’s voice coming from back the way he’d just come. His sister had stopped following him, too— they’d tricked him! Sokka and the airbender had only made it seem like they had left the prison cell! If they’d already made it through the guards above deck, then their escape route was clear and Zuko had just failed at capturing the Avatar, whichever one of them it was!

(He was painfully sure that he already knew which one it was, and he was never going to live down mistaking a normal water tribe boy for the Avatar. This day would haunt him in his nightmares.)

Zuko ran back to the stairs, chasing the three kids up to the decks.

“Stop them!” he yelled to any guards he saw. “Get up and fight them! We have to stop them from leaving! They have the Avatar!”

Uncle Iroh was nowhere to be seen, and most of the guards had already been knocked on their backs or frozen to the deck with ice. Just perfect.

Once he was close enough, Zuko launched a tight burst of fire at the air scooter the airbender was riding. The boy was forced onto his feet, and Zuko started catching up to him. He reached forward and grabbed the kid’s ankle, pulling him down onto the deck and ignoring the pain that falling along with him caused.

“Aang!” The water bender (because one hidden bender wasn’t enough for the South, of course) tugged a wave onto the deck, sweeping Zuko away from the airbender, who got up, pulling the staff off his back and turning it into an air glider. Zuko tried to get up and catch him in time, but the water froze into ice around him, leaving him as helpless as most of his crew, though some were giving a fight against Sokka and his sister. Before long, the airbender was soaring away, landing on the back of an enormous, fluffy animal that appeared from behind an iceberg as the boy took off. It was flying.

Zuko’s jaw dropped.

“What is that?”

“Appa?”

The boy Zuko had once mistaken for the Avatar sounded just as shocked as he was. Zuko looked at him sideways as he wriggled one hand free from the ice and started melting it.

“Yes, he really flies,” the girl said smugly. “You have to believe it now, meathead!”

Sokka used the spear he’d stolen from one of Zuko’s own soldiers to knock another one out. “I can see that,” he said in a measured tone.

The flying bison, whose name was apparently Appa, hovered beside the ship, and the water bender climbed on as Zuko finally freed his legs and staggered to his feet.

There was still a chance. He had to stop Sokka from leaving!

Zuko threw out his fist, sending a wide arc of fire toward his soulmate.

Then he tripped and fell on a spot of ice he hadn’t seen in time.

As Zuko’s ears burned, he was pretty sure he could hear Sokka laughing, but then Uncle was there, reaching down to help Zuko back on his feet.

“Are you all right, nephew? That was quite the fall you took.”

Zuko glowered. “I’ll be fine, Uncle, just as soon as we stop those kids from taking off! Especially Sok— the one still on our ship!”

Uncle cast a discerning eye towards the spot where Sokka was trapped by two soldiers who had managed to free themselves without slipping and falling back down.

“I see,” he said. “Do you mind me asking how this happened, nephew? I seem to have missed a lot during my little nap.”

Zuko spluttered. “I– I– no! We don’t have time for this! We have to stop them now!”

Uncle shrugged as he watched the air bison try to stay in place beside the ship as it veered in the opposite direction, manned by one of the smarter of the crew. From below deck, windows screeched open, punctuated by blasts of fire that the bison had to soar above. Even if Sokka won his fight, he’d had a hard time escaping the ship.

But just as Zuko began to relax, Sokka made a leap for it. For a moment, it looked like he’d make it, but then the bison gave out a roar of pain, and moved upwards by an inch or two.

Sokka plummeted into the ocean, and Zuko’s stomach fell along with him. He ran to the edge of the ship, pointing down at the proof of his… well. Not his honor, apparently.

“Get him!” he yelled, just as the water bender let out a cry and made a tugging motion at the ocean, as if it could lift her brother to her.

“Sokka!”

The giant wave she summoned didn’t save her brother, but it did send Zuko plummeting overboard beside Sokka.

Zuko quickly swam up to the surface and gasped for breath. The ship had moved further away, which was good or else he might have been trapped under the hull. However, the bison was that much closer, hovering right over the water, and the Avatar was reaching his staff down to let Sokka grab it and climb on.

“No!”

Zuko swam over to Sokka, grabbing onto his leg as the Avatar and Sokka’s sister heaved him onboard Appa.

Sokka squirmed as Zuko held onto him, only shaking him off as his other foot touched the bison’s back. Zuko began to slip, but immediately grabbed onto the staff, then Appa’s fur as the staff was ripped away from him. He glared at Sokka and the others as strands from his soaked ponytail dripped into his eyes.

Sokka grabbed the staff away from the Avatar and began hitting Zuko in the head with it, which was an unexpected attack when there were two capable benders right there, but it made sense for Sokka, Zuko supposed.

It was admittedly effective, too. Zuko fell off the bison and landed back in the water with a plop.

Avatar Sokka let out a raucous laugh. “Take that, Prince Jerky-face! That’s for the water tribe!” Turning to his sister, he complained, “He wouldn’t even believe me when I told him I’m not the Avatar!”

The bison was already beginning to fly away. Zuko wished it would take his memories of this painful day away with it.

Sokka shot Zuko a shark-tooth grin, cupping his hands around his mouth as he shouted, “You were wrong about me, jerkbender! I’m just Sokka, the Southern water tribe peasant who happens to be your enemy soulmate. Why don’t you bring that tidbit back to your father, the Jerkbender Lord?”

He sent a mocking salute Zuko’s way, and then the bison was gone.

Zuko didn’t even have time to process how colossally he’d fucked up before his ship was moving closer to him. A soldier tossed down a rope with knots tied into it so that he could climb back to the decks. Zuko was almost able to do it without thinking of how unimpressive he must look, but that was just one more impossible feat he’d attempted that day.

As he accepted his uncle’s help climbing out of the frigid water, Zuko scowled in self-directed anger.

Great job, Zuko. You met the Avatar and immediately lost him and the water tribe boy who’s your soulmate. That went swimmingly well, he thought drily.

Then he froze. First he’d found out his soulmate was a male peasant, then he’d mistaken said peasant for the Avatar, and now he was so out of sorts that he was punning?

Curse you, Sokka! Zuko thought angrily. This was all his fault, after all.

We really are enemy soulmates.

#there’s another ao3 link at the top #zukka #soulmate au #takes place at the start of season one #atla #avatar: the last airbender #atla fanfic #rosie-b writing #everyone like 'why is an atla fanfic on my dash'#it's me i'm the problem. join me in my madness

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