#i watched two episodes. i had to stop after sokka and suki kissed… like

[elderwisp]

The Netflix adaptation of ATLA kali-ma’d the heart and soul of the animated series then slapped a pretty picture over it and called it good

I adore the casting choices and stylistically, it’s beautifully shot (I love the bending) but man, I really wish the storyline felt stronger

Anyways I might go rewatch the animated series so I can ugly sob over Zuko’s final fight with Azula

#i watched two episodes. i had to stop after sokka and suki kissed… like #what the fuck was THAT #also the acting… i’m gonna blame the script and acting coach bc they just kids but #holy fuck #i think about this and the pjo adaptation and christ #pjo had strange changes and problems with pacing but i’m hoping rick will take that feedback #however with those things in mind it still wasn’t a horrible adaptation whatsoever #it was beautifully shot the actors were guided well and i still enjoyed it #this however is just… something else #elderwisp speaks

[invnciblesummer]

Can the Kαtααng kiss in the "The Ember Island Players" episode be justified? I’ve seen many people claim that, yes, it can be. But I must disagree with those takes. To explain why I think that the balcony kiss does not present Kαtααng in a very good light— to say the least— I’d like to compare and contrast the Kαtααng balcony scene with moments between other relationships in ATLA.

Let’s begin by comparing these two scenes above. On the right, we have what it looks like to be patient and give someone space, even when your relationship with them isn’t at where you’d like it to be at. This is what it looks like to not be pushy for someone to feel a certain way about you.

On the left, we have what it looks like to be impatient and pushy for someone to feel a certain way about you that you want them to feel. And, as you’ll see in the gif below on the left, the balcony kiss is what it looks like to not give someone space when your relationship with them isn’t at where you’d like it to be at.

A common argument that I’ve heard before defending the unwanted balcony kiss is that Katara really wanted it, but didn’t want to kiss Aang back right then because of the war, and how the war makes their relationship extremely uncertain. Putting aside the fact that "but she wanted it" is an extremely gross excuse often used for unwanted romantic advances, the statement is still wrong.

How do I know this? Well, let’s compare Zuko and Jin’s kiss to the balcony kiss. On the right, we have an example of someone wanting to kiss someone back, but not being able to because of the war, and how the war makes their relationship with that person extremely uncertain. Zuko wanted to kiss Jin back, but couldn’t, because of how the war complicated things, and would make their relationship uncertain. On the left, we do not have an example of that. Rather, Katara immediately pulled away from the kiss the moment she realized what was going on. She didn’t lean in and kiss Aang back (which, you know, one tends to do for at least a moment when they want to be kissed) before stopping herself because of thoughts of the war’s effect on their relationship. No, rather, Katara just pulled away quickly.

To add on to that, if you look closely at the kiss, you can see that Katara even pursed her lips together immediately when Aang’s lips touched hers (which, I don’t know about you guys, isn’t something that I think one would do if they wanted to be kissed). Compare that to Zuko leaning in to kiss Jin back, before stopping himself and pulling away from her. The former shows not wanting to be kissed, to the point where you purse your lips and jump back with a look of shock on your face when you are kissed, and the latter shows wanting to kiss someone back, but stopping yourself because of the circumstances of your relationship with that person because of the war.

On the right, we see Sokka and Suki almost kissing, but Sokka stopping himself, and Suki apologizing, before Sokka tells Suki that she shouldn’t be sorry. Keep in mind that Sokka and Suki’s almost-kiss would not have been an unwarranted kiss, unlike the balcony kiss. They both saw the signs that they wanted to kiss each other, and they both were moving towards each other. But the moment that Suki realized that Sokka may not want to kiss her right then, she immediately stopped herself and pulled back. She even apologized, even though— as Sokka confirms— she didn’t need to.

Let’s compare this to what we see on the left. On the left, we have Aang kissing Katara even though she didn’t give any indication (verbal or via body language) that she wanted to be kissed. Katara immediately tells him off for the surprise kiss, by reminding him that just a few seconds ago she had clearly stated that she was confused. But Aang didn’t apologize after Katara clearly expressed her dislike of what he just did. He just stared at her and didn’t say anything. And, if you watch the rest of "The Ember Island Players" and the rest of the show, you’ll notice that Aang never tells Katara that he was sorry for giving her an unwanted kiss.

On the right, we see two people who are good at communicating— both verbally and via body language— whether they want to kiss one another or not. On the left, we see a person who gave no indication that they wanted to be kissed (and even verbally expressed that they were confused), and another person kissing them anyway and not apologizing for it afterwards.

The comparison between the two gifs above also addresses the balcony kiss excuse that claims that Katara’s rightfully angry actions in this scene were "just because of the war." On the right, we have an example of wanting to spend more time with someone, but not being able to because of the war. On the left, we do not have an example of that. Rather, on the left we have an example of literally running away from a person. After all, I highly doubt that the reason Katara was running was to quickly buy snacks from the theater before Act III of the show began.

In both of the two gifs above, we see someone feeling bad about what they did to Katara. Zuko feels bad about betraying Katara and her trust in Ba Sing Se. Aang feels bad about giving Katara a kiss that she did not want. However, there is a difference in how Aang handles regretting his past actions and how Zuko handles regretting his past actions. Aang feels bad about giving Katara an unwanted kiss, but he never does anything to atone for it. Throughout the rest of the episode, and the rest of the show, we never see him go up to Katara and apologize and/or ask what he can do to make it up to her.

Let’s compare that to when Zuko felt bad about betraying Katara in Ba Sing Se. Zuko asked Katara what he could do to make it up to her. He didn’t just sit around with his feelings of guilt. When Katara gave Zuko her contemptuous answers to his question of how he can make it up to her, Zuko took an effort to learn more about one of the answers: bringing Katara’s mother back. He reached out to Sokka to find out more about the situation, and figure out if there was a way for him to help her get closure over the insidious murder of her mother. He supported and defended her right to get closure. He partnered with her on the trip to find her mother’s murderer. He helped get her to the place where she could finally face the monster that caused her such pain for so many years. He stood to the side and let her make whatever decision she felt was right for her. And, as confirmed by her line of "but I am ready to forgive you," he made it up to Katara.

Oh, and before someone argues that by saving the world, Aang makes it up to Katara for the unwanted kiss, let me just say that it does not. It does not address the issue at hand that happened between Aang and Katara’s relationship. Saving the world is something that Aang did for the world. What does it have to do with Aang apologizing to Katara and making efforts to atone for giving Katara an unwanted kiss?

Feeling guilty about doing something wrong and upsetting to someone else is all well and good, but it ultimately makes no difference of any real worth if you don’t make efforts to atone or apologize for what you did. Which is why I wish that Aang could have apologized to Katara and atoned for the unwanted kiss. But we never see that. This criticism, along with the other ones I already listed, are some of the reasons why I do not think that the Kαtααng balcony kiss is justifiable.

#anti kataang #zutara #jinko #sukka #atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #kataang critical #aang critical #my gifs #ana’s creations

[theclockworkmonk]

Title: Intermission

Summary: During the intermission of "The Boy in the Iceberg," Zuko and Toph are fed up with Aang and Katara's drama.

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Read on AO3

Read on FF.net

For Throwback Thursday, thought I'd post the first fanfic I ever wrote, back in August of 2013 (so excuse how...not good it is). The way Katara goes from rejecting Aang to kissing him with zero conversations in between always bothered me, so I wrote this scene that could have been a deleted scene in the episode, and to this day the type of fanfic I'm most drawn to is "missing" scenes that would have improved an aspect of the story. So awkward writing is what sucked me down this rabbit hole.

******

"Ow! What was that for?" Zuko rubbed his arm, suspecting a bruise would probably form.

Toph just smiled innocently. "That's how I show affection," she said as if she had just baked him a cake instead of physically assaulted him.

Zuko was glad Toph hadn't been with Aang, Katara, and Sokka back when he was chasing them on their way to the North Pole. They had given him enough bruises, lacerations, and concussions on their own. If Toph had been there, he'd probably still be eating through a straw.

"So, anyway, do you know where Aang is? I'm starting to worry. I told Sokka that this play wasn't worth the risk."

Toph just frowned, "Why are you asking me? In case you haven't noticed, this whole place is made out of the evil substance known as wood."

"I thought maybe you would know because he told you. Ya know, that's how the rest of us keep track of where people are."

"That sounds like a hassle," Toph said casually with a finger digging in her ear, "Anyway, Twinkle Toes is probably in the same place as Sugar Queen."

Zuko groaned for what seemed like the 12th time tonight. "Good. Maybe with them alone together they'll finally clear the air and allow the rest of us to move on with our lives."

"Hey, at least you just got here. Meathead and I have had to endure this drama for months."

"I honestly don't understand what their thinking is," Zuko sighed with his head in his hands, "At least you have the excuse that Sokka has a girlfriend."

Zuko saw Toph scowl a scowl that would even put Azula to shame. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, and unless you want a more symmetrical face, you don't either."

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I was surprised to find out they weren't official yet by the time I got here. Especially after Katara straight up threatened to kill me if I looked at him wrong."

"Wait, what now? You serious?"

"Yeah, it was the first night I spent at the Air Temple."

"Nah, she was bluffing."

"Toph, I grew up with Azula. I got pretty good at spotting lies. Katara meant every word she said. And it got even worse when I would try to train Aang. He would always make up some excuse about how he needed to practice more waterbending, even though he's been working on that almost a year."

Toph grunted in agreement, "You don't need to tell me. Just as I was about to break through his earthbending block, Her Sweetness comes in all 'Oh, don't worry, it's okay, we can practice waterbending. Come on, let's go splash around in our underwear.'"

"Yeah, I've been thinking that if they just got it out in the open then he could concentrate again. That's why I've been getting closer to Katara. I thought maybe if I piss him off enough he would man up and push me out of the way."

Toph smirked in her very self-satisfied way, "I knew it! Though, you might want to tell Snoozles about that plan. He's been worried that you really were interested in her. I guess that explains the seating arrangements this evening?"

Zuko rubbed the back of his head and smiled guiltily. "Yeah, I made double sure to sit next to Katara, and for a second he actually seemed like he was going to grow a backbone. I was thinking 'Come on, this is driving you crazy, isn't it? Call me out, why don't you want me sitting here?' but he hog-chickened out again. And I've been doing this for a while. After I saved Katara from being crushed at the temple, I made sure to stay on top of her just a little longer than necessary, but that just made her mad at me rather than him."

"And your little field trip?"

"Well, no, that really was just me trying to help her. But me decidedly not inviting anyone else, not even Sokka, to come help find Yon Rha had something to do with my meddling."

"And plus, it certainly seems like the play is helping you," Toph laughed.

Now it was Zuko's turn to scowl. "I actually think I got more than I bargained for with that. I'm just certain that if he finally told her he liked her, they could move forward and not be stuck in this limbo."

Toph looked confused, "Oh, she knows that he likes her. Did no one tell you that? He kissed her on the day of the invasion. Twinkle Toes waited until everyone else was gone, but he apparently forgot that they were standing on a giant metal submarine. He's kind of stupid like that."

Zuko just sat back, re-thinking his efforts, that he apparently had been wasting, "Well….huh. I guess I was wrong. Maybe she doesn't like him that way."

Toph sniggered in the way she always did when people failed to hide things from her, "Oh, she likes him, Sparky. You don't enjoy a kiss that much unless you do."

"You can tell?" Zuko asked in an alarmed voice. Toph's semi-mind-reading abilities still creeped him out.

"Oh yeah, her heartbeat went through the roof and she apparently forgot how to breathe until Meathead reminded her that we had a nation to invade."

Now Zuko was downright angry now. "Well then why the hell are they still dragging this out!?" He asked, probably too loudly.

Toph smirked and raised one eyebrow. "I think the better question is why you care so much. I mean, I find the drama annoying, sure, but you're really going above and beyond." She nudged him in the side and winked, "could it be that our own resident Angsty McEmopants is secretly a hopeless romantic?"

Zuko elbowed her back, "I'll have you know that I care as his firebending teacher. Firebending is fueled by raw emotion and passion," he nervously tried to figure out a euphemism, "and I just, um, thought that if he had a particular something that invokes certain….urges, then it would give him a little boost."

Toph grinned again. "So you're hoping that Sugar Queen makes him hot in more ways than one?"

Zuko groaned. "Well, if you must put it that way, yeah. You've been hanging out with Sokka too much." He stood up, "I'm going to go find them to see if they do something stupid."

And, sure enough…

***************

Katara was a split second away from kissing Aang back when her eyes shot open

NO!

She pushed him away, trying to muster up some anger. "I just said I was confused!"

Aang simply looked down. He had the same look on his face as when she pulled him out of the Avatar state at the Southern Air Temple, and he had no choice but to accept that he was the last airbender.

"I'm going back inside." She had intended to calmly walk back into the theater, but she had to run to keep Aang from seeing her eyes watering. She burst through the doors and stopped a few steps in to try to get ahold of herself. That was when she heard the voice behind her.

"Katara, who exactly do you think you're fooling?"

She whirled around and saw Zuko standing behind the door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Had he been listening?

"Yes, Katara, I was listening. So I'll ask you again, who do you think you're fooling?"

She turned around with a scowl on her face, determined not to get roped into this conversation. If she couldn't talk about Aang with Aang, how could she with Zuko? "Mind your own business, Zuko."

"Katara, you're a very gentle soul. You're peaceful, compassionate, understanding, slow to violence. To the point of stubbornness, in fact, which is one reason you two deserve each other. Hell, you didn't even kill the man who murdered your mother in cold blood. And yet even now, I don't doubt that you would have one second's hesitation to end me if you thought I might hurt Aang."

"Don't paint me in that light Zuko," She couldn't help but smirk, "I would totally give you one second's hesitation. Probably."

"So why are you putting up this 'confused' act?"

She put her hands on her hips and scowled, "You don't know how I feel, Zuko! Of course I'm overprotective of Aang, he's my best friend, not to mention that whole only-hope-for-the-world thing."

Zuko raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Your friend, huh? That's funny, because it's not Toph you were homicidally protective of, nor your own brother, who would be a lot easier for me to hurt, need I remind you. And don't think that I didn't notice you getting angry when those actors had you saying that you think of Aang as a brother. That wasn't a look of concern about Aang getting his feelings hurt, that was you pissed because they got something wrong about you."

"Well aren't you just the mind-reader?" she asked with enough sarcasm to upstage her brother.

"No, I'm not. I don't have to be. Newsflash Katara, the entire group knows. Sokka, Suki, Toph, even Duke, Haru, and Teo knew about it. Hell, all it takes is watching a single one of your 'waterbending sessions.'" He said the last two words with air-quotes.

Katara looked away nervously and blushed, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, to be fair, I'm not a waterbender, but none of my training sessions involved my teachers pressing up against me from behind to correct my stance."

"So, I was making doubly sure he had the proper form, what's your point?"

"My point Katara, that I had the waterbending scroll in my hand as you were doing it, and he was already doing it right. There was no 'correcting' to be done."

"Alright, FINE!" She almost shouted, "Maybe I have some feelings for Aang, but…he can't afford any distractions or confusions right now."

"Katara, don't think that I'm stupid enough to believe that you're stupid enough to believe that. In what way would knowing that the person he loves loves him back and is there for him be a distraction? What is a distraction, however, is this game you're playing. Why do you think I'm here? I don't care about your love life, but this uncertainty is keeping me from doing my job as his teacher. Even after we trained with the dragons, Aang has been too timid, too hesitant. Firebending requires lowered inhibitions and absolute confidence in oneself. Now I know why he's been like that. Because the one time he was completely open and bold in his emotions about the thing most important to him, you left it hanging there untouched for weeks. And now that you've full-on thrown it back in his face, he might get even worse."

Katara couldn't keep her eyes from watering anymore, "Well then he should get over it! Get over me! What's the point, Zuko? It's not like my love for him will protect him! What, is your dad going to be so moved by our love for each other that he decides not to try to kill him?" She slumped against the wall and sat down, hugging her knees as tears streamed down her face, "He died in my arms once already in Ba Sing Se. I can't lose him all over again."

Zuko came over, sat down and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Before I left to join you, I had a girlfriend back home. Her name's Mai. You've already….become acquainted with her."

"I'm better acquainted with her knives, but whatever."

"When I left, I left a note for her saying that we weren't together anymore. I thought ending our relationship would make her lose her feelings for me, so that if anything happened to me, she wouldn't be hurt. Sokka and I are still alive because I was wrong. Even though we weren't technically together anymore, she still loved me enough to go against Azula and save my life, and I still love her enough for that knowledge that she's rotting in prison eat me alive every single day. Hiding behind words and technicalities about where you stand can't change how you feel. It just adds the weight of things not said if something does go wrong."

He stood up. "I'm going back to the seats. Think about it."

Toph was the only one already back when he got back to the balcony. "Have you seen Suki and Meathead yet?" he asked.

Toph answered with a punch to his gut, "Only I get to call him Meathead. But no. Honestly, Sokka has probably gotten them both thrown out of the theatre for harassing actor-Sokka. Twinkle Toes or Sugar Queen do something stupid?"

"Both did, actually. I think I might have managed to get to through to Katara."

People started shuffling in to retake their seats. "I will say this though, this intermission has definitely been the most dramatic part of the play so far."

#kataang #aang x katara #aang #avatar aang #katara and aang #katara #zuko #toph #the ember island players #avatar: tla #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla fanfic #team avatar #missing scene #one shot

[ladylunasolis]

Zutara Week 2020 - Day 1 “Reunion”

This is my first ever work for Zutara and ATLA - also my first work of any kind in years.  Zutara has always been one of my OTPs and the re-watching the show reminded me how much I love the ship.  We only had so many episodes to see them together...but this fandom keeps them alive.  This is a more Zuko-centric piece, as I really like to wonder about his POV.  Please enjoy “Reunion!”

Rating: G

It has been almost two years after the war had ended. There were some things Zuko had a more challenging time with as new Fire Lord. One was weeding out the Ozai loyalists in his councils. Second was smiling so much. He barely got used to that when he was with the rest of the gang. Of course, he didn’t necessarily need to smile but with the right people, it helped. He was initially a bit rusty with economics but with Iroh’s occasional visits and reading recommendations, Zuko made great progress.

Another area for growth was replying to the numerous gifts and letters he received from dignitaries throughout the world. After one round of answering letters took over an hour in a chair (he insisted he reply himself to make things more personal) he realized he was not quite there yet. Zuko tended to think better while pacing so he employed a transcriber.

As many things were challenging, there were many things Zuko did well. Some of these strengths include memorizing the names of his servants and being able to take into consideration the viewpoints of the needy/working class. He was for the people. He was open to hearing input, though did not hesitate to tell someone when their words were disrespectful. Although he was awkward, kids liked to talk to him.  He was great at international relations.

And he always, always replied to Katara within 2 days - in his own writing.

Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, daughter of Hakoda, waterbending master, ambassador. The girl who saved his life. Not too long after his coronation ceremony she had left to fix the rest of the world, alongside Avatar Aang. In the months that passed her departure, every time he closed his eyes he would see hers. He would see those deep blue eyes peering down at him, the first thing he would see after Azula’s attack. He remembered how they brimmed with tears. He remembered that not even the blue of Azula’s fire or hell, the blue of Azula’s lighting, could compare to the blue of Katara’s eyes.

He had wanted to say it, wanted to ask her if he was crazy to think there was something there because she felt it too right? A few days had passed after the pomp and circumstance of the coronation.  She was checking to make sure he was healing well, her glowing hands running over his exposed stomach, making his abs contract.

“So...” Katara started off shyly. She had a blush on her cheeks and a small smile, but did not meet his eye. This was it, Zuko thought. This is the moment!

“I think me and Aang are going to give this a shot. I mean this, like, me and him. Together.”  She became very flustered and brought the water back to the bowl, looking to see if any drops had fell though he damn well knew that wasn’t possible. Silence came over the two of them, except for the roaring of Zuko’s heartbeat in his ears.

He was unsure how much time has passed until Katara started to shift and stand up, brushing off invisible lint. “Okay well you’ve healed past anything serious, it’ll just be some pain—.”

“Thank you.” Zuko tied his shirt and stood up as well. He towered over Katara, who was looking down, playing with her hair. Zuko was definitely aware of the pain he would be feeling, now and for a long time coming. But it wasn’t from the agni kai. The next words kind of just came out on their own.

“Are you happy?”

Katara looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes, with a small smile. She kept eye contact for a moment, which made Zuko wonder if she was searching for something in his own eyes. Then the moment passed. “I am! I really am.”

Zuko felt the urge to say more, but another thought crossed his mind. Who was he to get in the way of her happiness? He saved her life and almost sacrificed his own, sure, but Aang had done just the same. Aang was a good kid. Aang would protect her. Aang is in love with her... With Zuko, he wasn’t even completely sure yet how he felt - he just knew that he wanted her around. But that wasn’t enough to keep her from love. So Zuko cleared his throat and returned the soft smile, placing a hand on Katara’s shoulder.

“I’m really glad.” And he meant it.

He watched her leave a few days later, after hugging both her and Aang, wishing them both safe travels and letting them know they were welcome any time.  Zuko could distinctly remember standing on the palace steps long after the air bison had disappeared into the horizon.  To distract himself from regrets, he buried himself in work.  It was effective about 90% of the time.  

Zuko would also still see Mai, and though he felt a familiarity for her it wasn’t the same as what he felt for Katara - whatever that was.  He would spend time with Mai when he could, try to get things back to where they were before he left to join the gang, but his mind would wander.  To the argument they had on Ember Island “At least I feel something!”  Or to brilliant blue.  The kisses and touches he shared with Mai paled next to what stirred within him when Katara merely said his name.

Then the letters started arriving.

The letters started a little more than two months after Katara and Aang left. They would come once a month, or two if they were closer. They started off with many “we went to” “we met with” “we did.” After another seven or eight months it was mostly Katara writing about her day and asking about Zuko’s day.

The fruit in the Earth kingdom are great, but I still like the Fire Nation’s better. Especially that one that’s soft and yellow in the middle.  I forgot the name.  But nothing beats sea prunes! You have to try some next time you come here.

Despite Mai’s lack of expression, Zuko knew she was very perceptive.  Try as hard as he could, he wasn’t able to ever give her all of his attention.  If he was honest, he would say he was almost desperate to forget Katara but it wasn’t fair to Mai to use her for that.  Zuko opened his mouth to say something one day and she put a hand up to stop him.

“I get it.  I don’t want to fight about it, but I never want to speak to you again either.”  That stung, because in a way she was pretty much his only friend in the nation, but he knew it must have hurt her worse.  And so he buried himself completely in work and firebending training.

A year after the war ended and peace had begun, a conference was held at the Fire Nation palace.  It was decided the leaders of each nation would come together to encourage international coordination and morale between the nations.  Zuko had fought against those Ozai-loyalists daily to combat the ideals that the Fire Nation was the best of all.  He had advocated diligently to open their eyes to how the other nations work, to be able to learn from them, and to share the Fire Nation’s ways without having to over their land.

Plus, it would be a good chance to see his friends again.

On the day of the Conference of Peace Zuko awoke even earlier than usual and went through some of his firebending forms.  He felt jittery, shaky, alert.  But he was excited.  Him, Zuko, excited!  He was sitting in the conference chamber an hour before the meeting started that day.  It had been too long since he had seen Katara.  Is she taller?  Is her hair done in the same way?  Will she still smile when she sees me?

Then the nerves set in.  Am I taller?  Am I fitting into my royal robes well enough?  Wait, are the royal robes too much?  I know Katara’s not the type to—.  He had to shake his head quickly, before his thoughts ran away with him.  “It doesn’t matter anyway, because she’s with Aang.  So stupid.”

When Sokka came announced as Water Tribe Ambassador, Zuko had to grit his teeth to curb his initial reaction.  Sokka was charming and cheerful as usual.  “What’s up, Fire Lord?  I’m here reppin’ the Water Tribe!”  He wrapped an arm around Zuko’s shoulders and leaned into him.

“H-Hey, Sokka,” Zuko managed.  He cleared his throat.  “It’s great to see you.  Uh where’s Katara?”

“Oh yeah, so right before she was gonna leave I guess almost all of the village got sick with something they haven’t seen before.  Katara had been healing for days but it’s something that needs multiple treatments or something.  Wait, you didn’t get a letter?  Well I guess I got here before the letter since I’ve been traveling closer with Suki.”

At this point they heard the unmistakable groan of an air bison and Aang landed Appa in the square, and from far away they could see his arm up and waving.  Everyone will remember that first conference as one where Fire Lord Zuko was informative, but his expression hardly changed the entire time.  Some would say he was even a little surly.

Zuko caught up with Sokka and Aang and while it was truly great to see them, he couldn’t help but wonder where Katara’s letter was.  As curious as he was about her, he wasn’t going to bombard her brother and her boyfriend for information.  Sure enough, he had found her letter at the end of the second day.

I’m so sorry Zuko, my people need me.  Even though people are recovering it’s taking multiple rounds of healing for each person and I’m the only one who can heal at this pace.  By the time you read this Sokka will probably have told you already.  But I just wanted you to know I really did want to see youand everyone.

The last words seemed to be scribbled together, like she had an afterthought to add  “and everyone” over where she originally placed a period after “you.”  I’m probably just imagining it - the thought flooded Zuko’s mind, but he was able to sit up late and respond.

You’re right, Sokka did get to me first.  But don’t worry, your people come first and I’m wishing them all a quick recovery.  They have a great healer there after all, Master Katara.  Zuko paused, before continuing on.  It would have been great to see you, too.  Hopefully that will happen some time soon.

After the conference, there were no letters for a month or two.  Needless to say, Zuko berated himself.  “Scared her off,” he muttered to himself, throwing a towel into a soiled linen basket.  He had just finished some training, taking his frustration out on himself.  Zuko noted there was a mail delivery and his eyes lit up when he saw the blue water tribe symbol.  He opened it eagerly and skimmed through the long letter.

. . . Anyways, I love being home.  It’s nice to be with family and wear my furs, though I’ve been growing a bit so I may have to get new ones soon!  I’ve been so busy ever since 2 of the kids found out they can waterbend.  Being home does sometimes feel different though.  I guess it just takes a little getting used to for me to be back here because this is the longest I’ve been home or even 1 place since me and Sokka found Aang.  But since Aang and I broke up, I just decided to stay here for a bit.  We’re still friends, probably better friends than girlfriend-boyfriend, but thought that the space would be good.

Zuko stopped.  “Since Aang and I broke up…”  A fire lit within him.  He read it over again in disbelief.  This was his chance!  Finally!  He was going to-!  Zuko shook himself, and ran a hand over his face, eyes skimming the letter over.  “No.  Come on, Zuko, she probably doesn’t want to be jumped on after a break up.  They were together a while.  How long have they been broken up for anyway?”

After some thought, and calming exercises, he picked up a quill.  Zuko wrote out the general greetings and response to the daily activities she had in her letter.  He hesitated and continued on.

I’m sorry to hear about you and Aang but that’s great you two are still friends.  As you know, it doesn’t always end up that way.  I’m sure you two will continue working on making the world a better place.

Zuko grimaced as he read his letter over.  Before he could change his mind, he rolled the scroll up and went to the aviary.

The letters were different from then on.

I was really missing the turtleducks today! I wonder if those babies are all grown up now!  Remember when you first showed them to me?  We had so much fun.

The sunsets here are great, but sometimes I think about the sunsets in the Fire Nation.  They’re completely opposite but still just as beautiful.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing all that I can to help people, or if I should be doing more.  I’m doing great work here I know but I’m thinking about traveling again, learning more and bringing that knowledge back home.

Zuko would reply.  He started to confide in her his fears and insecurities, in response to her becoming vulnerable with him too.  

Those turtleduck babies have gotten bigger, but there are always more born every year.  It would be nice to have a picnic by the pond to introduce you to them.

Next time you’re here, you have to see a sunset from my favorite spot.  I’ll take you.  And you’re right, opposites can both be equally great.  Before I got to know you, I never knew water could be so strong and beautiful.

I know how you feel.  Even though I’m seeing changes it can feel like I’m still fighting a battle.  Sometimes I just get tired, but I just have to keep going.  Sometimes broadening our horizons are the best ways to help our people.

The second Conference of Peace was approaching in another two months’ time.  Of course, Zuko had invited Katara to be Water Tribe Ambassador once more and he waited with bated breath for her answer.

Zuko, of course I’ll be there!  I can’t miss it two years in a row.  I actually wanted to let you know, I was thinking of spending time there before the conference.  I’m in the Earth Kingdom right now.  I traveled here since my last letter, thanks to your encouragement!  Since we’ve been talking about the Fire Nation and things I haven’t seen yet, I thought it would be a good chance to do a little bit of that before we have to all talk business.  But if it’s not a good idea, or if you’re too busy, I understand.

Zuko, who had been working on the speed of his replies, replied and sent right after he read her letter.

Of course you’re welcome to come.  I would love to have you here.

Weeks later, Fire Lord Zuko stood on the docks, staring out to sea.  Many citizens were quick to recognize him and Zuko gave each of them a nod of his head or a wave.  He knew this was a little odd, but he didn’t care.  He was finally going to see Katara again.  They had so little time together in person before she had to depart so he didn’t really know what to call his feelings then.  All he knew was he cared enough about her to give his life.  That had not changed with Zuko, but he now knew what he feels for her now.

He saw Katara on deck, leaning on the railing, before she saw him.  Her chestnut hair was partially up, hair loops still in tact.  She was wearing a new blue outfit that matched the tan of her skin.  And her smile when she saw him was brighter than the sun.  He noticed the way she flicked her wrist, and the sudden wave that brought the ship closer even quicker.

She made her way down the dock and Zuko had to remind himself he is the damn Fire Lord, look noble!  But he sure as hell still felt like a teenager despite his age making him an official adult now.  He wanted to run and hug her but was able to control himself enough to take a few steps towards the smiling waterbender.

“Hi Zuko,” Katara said, and her voice was a song to his ears.  Better than any song he ever heard on music night, by far.  She smiled up at him, because even though she had grown a little he had grown a lot.  “It’s been too long.”

And then he looked into those eyes, just as blue and expressive as he remembered them.  They had haunted him in the most tormenting way but now that his eyes were meeting her’s again, all the pain was worth it.

“You’re right, Katara.  It has been.”  And Zuko smiled, the emotions reaching his golden eyes.  His smile was a promise - a promise to show her everything she wanted to see, and that he wasn’t going to take this chance for granted.  Not ever again.

Thank you for reading! 

#zutara #zutara week #zutara week 2020 #atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #writing #reunion

[fangzeronos]

Fanning The Flames Ch. 1

It’s been almost twenty years since the end of the Hundred Year War. Living in the Earth Kingdom with her children and family, the former Fire Nation Princess Azula was happy. She snickered as she heard the sounds of feet running on the cold floor, and she smiled softly.

 “What did your mother and I tell you about running in the house, little ones?” she asked.

 “Sorry, Mommy,” a young girl’s voice said. She and her sister walked around to Azula, both of them hugging their mother’s legs. “Mommy, can you tell us a story?”

 “What kind of story, Ursa?” Azula asked, kneeling down and looking at her daughters. “Hm? Which story do you want to hear?”

 “You and Mama!” the other girl said with a smile.

 “Me and Mama? Oh, that’s a fun one,” Azula said, kissing her daughter’s head. “Ursa, you and Mai go sit on the couch and I’ll be right there to tell you all about it. Without the adulty bits that are too spicy for your tiny ears.”

 Ursa giggled and nodded. “Come on, Mai!” she said, taking her sister’s hand and running for the couch, climbing up and settling in.

 Azula smiled softly, walking over to the couch and sitting down. Mai climbed up into her mother’s lap, her golden eyes sparkling as she snuggled against her mother. Ursa wiggled under Azula’s arm, wrapping her own arms around Azula’s, ready to listen.

 “Your Mama and I, hm? Well…that is a long story,” Azula said. “We met a long time ago, back when she was Kyoshi Warrior and I was…an undisciplined and obnoxious Princess who thought the world belonged to her. But, after Uncle Zuko and Katara stopped me, I got my mind right after your grandfather’s manipulations. And that’s where Suki came in, giving me a second chance…” ________________________________________

 Twenty Years Ago

Kyoshi Island

 Suki and Azula stepped off of the airship surrounded by several other Kyoshi Warriors. The Warriors split off and took off for their houses, sounds of laughing and cheering filling the quiet island’s air. Azula wrapped her arms around herself, her bag on her shoulder as she walked down the path with Suki, biting her lip.

 “I shouldn’t be here,” Azula said, looking at the former Captain of the Guard and her brother’s right-hand woman. “Anywhere but here, Suki.”

 “You need a relaxing place to keep yourself centered. You’d never get that in the Palace or with Sokka and Katara. Kyoshi knows you’d never get it with Toph,” Suki said. “Besides, this gives us a chance to get to really know each other, ok? Outside of trying to kill each other.”

 Azula nodded, looking around as she walked beside Suki. “It’s so calm.”

 “Yeah, until the Unagi attacks,” Suki said with a smile.

 “Unagi? Attack?”

 “Oh, yeah. It happens about once a week. Aang and the others took it down the last time I was here. Who knows, you may get lucky and get to see it,” Suki said, walking up to a house and pushing the door open. “Mom?”

 Suki’s mother, Shei, walked in from the kitchen, hooking a towel on her hip. “Suki!” she said, running over and hugging her daughter. “You should have let me know you were coming home!”

 “Surprise,” Suki said with a smile, hugging her mother back. “Mom, there’s someone I want you to meet.” She stepped back and moved back to stand beside Azula. “Mom, this is—”

 “Azula. Princess of the Fire Nation,” Shei said in a hushed voice, her hand moving to her belt, fingers wrapping around the hilt of a dagger. “What is she doing on this Island, Suki?”

 Azula backed up slowly, her hands in front of her. “Ma’am, please—”

 “Answer me, Suki!” Shei snapped.

 Suki sighed, stepping between Azula and her mother. “She’s here because I asked her. She’s not like she used to be, Mom. I promise. She just got out of the hospital again a few days ago and I thought coming to Kyoshi would help her relax. Please, you have to trust me.”

 Shei removed her hand from the dagger slowly, narrowing her eyes. “One slip-up, Princess, and I will not hesitate to put this in your chest,” she said. “Understand?”

 Azula nodded softly. “Yes, ma’am. I swear, I mean no harm or ill intentions. Suki’s telling you the truth. I’ve been in and out of the hospital for the last several years thanks to my mental state at the end of the Hundred Year War and my father’s machinations. Suki offered to help me and being away from the Fire Nation was the best option in her eyes.”

 Shei looked at her daughter who nodded. She bit her lip and looked away, hands clenching. “Last time Fire Nation Royalty was here, your brother burned down half of the village. It’s hard for us to trust anyone from the Fire Nation. If Suki’s vouching for you, it’ll have to be enough,” she said. She turned back toward the kitchen, putting her hand on the doorframe. “Dinner’s in two hours.” She disappeared behind the curtain, leaving Azula and Suki to themselves.

 Suki sighed, putting her hand on Azula’s arm. “Come on. I’ll show you the spare room,” she said. Suki looked at the young woman, biting her lip when she saw Azula was staring at the entrance for the kitchen, her eyes glazing over. She got concerned, stepping in front of her and breaking her line of sight. “Azula?”

 Azula gasped, shaking her head out and backing up a step. “What—where—”

 “Azula, where are you right now?” Suki asked, setting her bag down and taking the Princess’s hands. “Azula, where are you?”

 Azula panicked, looking around before finally feeling Suki’s hands in hers. “Kyoshi…Kyoshi Island,” she said softly, licking her lips softly. “Kyoshi Island…”

 “Where did you go, sweetheart?” Suki asked, putting her hand on Azula’s cheek. She remembered the healers in the hospital telling her that touch and questions would help ground Azula after an episode, and it was clear she had just had one, judging by the sweat building on Azula’s face and neck. “Azula?”

 “I…I saw my own mother. Telling me I wasn’t…wasn’t anything but a monster. I was that five year old girl again, wanting praise from my mother but being met with disgust,” she said softly, reaching up and wiping her eyes softly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

 “It’s ok,” Suki said, smiling softly. “Come on. We’ll get you settled in and then we can look around the Island.” She took Azula’s hand and led her upstairs, nudging the door to the guest room open. “Well, it’s not a Fire Nation suite, but it’s cozy enough.”

 Azula looked around the room and smiled a bit. “It’s fine. It’s better than my room in the hospital,” she said, walking in and setting her bag on the floor. She sank onto the bed, sighing as she did. “Suki…can I ask something?”

 “Of course,” Suki said, sitting beside Azula. “What’s on your mind?”

 Azula sighed softly, rubbing her hands together before she looked at Suki. She had two big questions on her mind, and one would be a longer answer so she opted for the quicker one. “How in Sozin’s name did you get Ty Lee to join the Warriors? That girl complained for years about being part of a “matched set” because of six identical sisters and then she comes to my cell in the prison wearing Kyoshi robes and makeup. How did you pull that off?”

 Suki giggled and smiled. “She said that when you three impersonated us and got into Ba Sing Se, she felt like the armor and makeup would be fun to do all the time. I guess she’d bonded with some of the other Warriors while she was in prison after betraying you with Mai at the Boiling Rock, and she came to me after the War and asked if she could be part of the Warriors. We put her through intense training and crazy tricks, but she proved herself.”

 Azula smiled a bit and nodded. “I think it looks good on her. Almost like she was made for it, or it was made for her, one of the two.” She rubbed her arms, biting her lip. “Why….why did you really offer to help me? After everything I did to you—”

 Suki out her hand on Azula’s, giving a gentle squeeze. “Because I’d like to think that, if the situations were reversed and you were the Earth Kingdom girl raised with love and affection, and I was the Fire Nation Princess who was manipulated and used by the people that were supposed to love her, in the end you’d do the same and help me get back to myself and find the person I should be,” she said. “And, in all honesty, you needed a friend that wouldn’t judge you. Not when I know that everything that happened to you was your father’s fault.”

 Sitting silence for a minute, Azula nodded before she leaned over and hugged Suki. “Thank you,” she said softly. “Other than you and Zuko, nobody wants to really give me a chance. All they see is the broken fourteen year old that tried to burn the world down. I hate being that person…I hate that being the only thing people know me as. I want to be better, and…if being here can do that, I’ll take what I can get.”

 “I’ll be here every step,” Suki said, hugging Azula back and rubbing her back softly. “I promise. Nobody’s going to fuck with you while you’re here. Not if they want to keep their tongues. You’re my guest, in my home, and my Island. Anyone that doesn’t like it can step to me.”

 Azula smiled softly and nodded. “OK,” she said. “Thank you, Suki. Really.”

 Suki smiled. “You’re welcome,” she said. “Get settled in. I’ll go try and talk my mom down and then we’ll go look around the Island.”

 A few hours later, after a tense dinner with Shei, Suki walked with Azula through the village. The princess was looking at everything, biting her lip as she watched people pull away from her, children being yanked back to their parents or older siblings. She knew it shouldn’t hurt and that she should expect it, but she also knew she couldn’t help the feelings in her chest as she watched the cold reception.

 “Suppose it’s my punishment. Years of incarceration, a few years in and out of a hospital, finally getting the right dosage of medication to help me balance my emotions. Everyone’s still scared of me. I don’t blame them. Like Suki said, if situations were reversed, I’d probably be afraid of me too,” Azula thought.

 “You’re lost in thought again,” Suki said with a smile, nudging Azula’s shoulder softly. “What’s wrong?”

 “Trying to reconcile the reception I’m getting. I don’t blame them. My problems are as legendary as my grandfather starting the war. I don’t blame them for hating me and pulling away and hiding. I’d do the same if I were them,” Azula said with a bit of a shrug. “It’s alright. I’ll just be glad when it’s over. Soon enough I’ll become invisible.”

 Suki nodded. “It’ll be ok. Lot of the time I feel invisible in the Fire Nation,” she said.

 The two made their way toward the shoreline, Suki reaching down and pulling her sandals off, letting her feet hit the sand. Azula followed suit, wiggling her toes in the sand, giggling a bit at the sensation before she covered her mouth.

 Suki looked over and smiled, cocking an eyebrow. “Did I hear—”

 “You tell anyone what sound I just made, and I’ll kick your ass,” Azula said, shoving Suki into the sand.

 Laughing, Suki hit the ground and rolled, popping back up. “Well, well. The Princess can have fun. New information.”

 “Fuck you,” Azula said, rolling her eyes and walking down toward the beach with Suki. The two walked the sands, Azula enjoying the sea breeze. She closed her eyes and took a breath, feeling like a weight was off of her shoulders.

 Suki smiled softly, watching Azula and feeling a tug in her chest. “What the hell? Odd…haven’t felt that since Sokka—oh, shit. No, no, no! Suki, no. Do not fall for another Fire Nation Royal! Zuko already broke your heart, you do not need that again. Just masturbate like a sane woman,” she thought.

 Sounds of feet running on the beach caught Suki’s attention, seeing a villager rushing for them. “Fire Nation Bitch! Suffer in hell!” the man yelled, lunging for Azula with a knife in one hand, a club in the other.

 Suki felt like time had stopped, shoving Azula to the side as the knife penetrated her stomach, the club coming down on her shoulder. She felt the bone break and the blade in her flesh, and she hit the ground, blood seeping from the wound.

 Azula hit the ground, sliding in the sand some before she watched Suki get stabbed and hit with the club, hitting the ground. “SUKI!” She leapt up and tackled the attacker, knocking him onto his stomach before she wrenched his arms back. “Someone help!”

 A few people rushed over, one man kneeling beside Azula and wrapping a sash around the attacker’s wrists, binding him. “Mahu, what are you doing?!”

 “Fire Nation bitch needs to die!” Mahu yelled, thrashing as two others rushed to Suki.

 Shaking his head, the man dragged Mahu to his feet. “My name’s Rahin. Princess, you’re not hurt are you?” the man asked.

 Azula shook her head. “I’m fine, but Suki—” she started, looking over as the others tried to stop the bleeding. One of them reached for the knife, but she ran over and stopped. “Don’t take the knife out. You do, she’ll bleed out. Don’t do that yet. Get her to a healer! They’ll know what to do.”

 “Let’s get the Captain to Moya. She’ll know what to do,” one of the men said, three of them lifting Suki up slowly.

 Azula followed them after picking up Suki’s shoes, heart thundering in her chest. Suki had taken an attack meant for her. Suki shoved her out of the way, taking the knife and club to the stomach and shoulder. Nobody else had ever taken an attack for her, not in her entire life. She felt sick, confused, and disoriented. She stopped when they did, the three disappearing into the healers huts. She sank onto a bench beside the door, wrapping her arms around herself tightly, tears falling down her cheeks.

 “Spirits, let her be ok,” she whispered. “Please…don’t let anything happen to her…”

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azuki #Azula #Suki #Kyoshi Warriors #Azula and Suki both have a bad case of the gays #this was fun #Can't wait to crank out the second chapter #and basically anyone that isn't Suki or Azula are OCs

[firenationember]

Destruction, Everywhere (OC Fic)

10/?

Authors Note: I know the gif is from the beach episode BUT  it’s still cute and about Zuko talking about his feelings, we support boys who cry. Everybody cries!

Previous Chapters

I sat on the front steps of the beach house lazily, everyone except Aang and Zuko sitting around me. They were working on Aang’s firebending, Sozin’s comet being only three days away, and Zuko insisted on perfecting Aang’s firebending the best they could. They weren’t at it very long before Katara began offering up watermelon juice. Zuko was upset that we were all just lying around when we should be training, and Sokka suggested that he relaxes by having a beach party with us. The others ran down to the shore, a tornado of laughter, and I stood there holding a cup of juice I had saved for Zuko. I walked over to the spot he was brooding in and offered him a small smile. 

“Juice? It’s important to stay hydrated, you know.” I poked the sliced melon towards him which earned a small smile in response. He grabbed it out of my hands, stirring the contents inside with the straw without drinking it. I shifted on the balls of my feet slightly, Zuko’s frustration radiating off him in waves. “You should come down to the beach with us, take it easy for a bit. It might help you feel better about the comet.” He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something before sighing and shaking his head.

“I’ll meet you guy down there soon.” I gave him a small nod. Without giving it too much though, I quickly closed the distance between us and put my hands on his chest as I stood up on my toes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. He gave me a halfhearted hug, using his free hand to quickly wrap around my waist before he turned to walk up the stairs. I made my way down to the beach where the others were building sandcastles and swimming, and I hoped that Zuko would join us soon.

Aang, Toph and I were laughing at Sokka’s sand sculpture of Suki before we were caught by surprise when a ball of fire flew down, destroying Sokka’s hard work. I looked over to see Zuko soaring through the air, anger apparent on his face, as he threw flames towards Aang. The two of them continued fighting, making their way back to the house, and the rest of us just stood there in confusion, Sokka trying to salvage his art. Once Katara noticed something was off, she came back in from the water and we ran to meet the explosions coming from our hideout. We heard a crash from the side of the building, and when I looked over to the sound, I saw Zuko flying through the air. What has gotten into them? Into him? We all ran over to the spot where he landed, Aang jumping down from the balcony Zuko just flew off of, as I crouched next to Zuko and offered him a hand up. Katara began questioning his motives as he accepted my offer and we stood up. He was angry to be the only one to be taking the closely upcoming comet seriously, and I sighed next to him. Before I had the chance to open my mouth and say anything in the others’ (and my own) defense, I noticed the expressions on their faces.

“About Sozin’s comet-- I was actually gonna wait to fight the Firelord until after it came.” Aang’s tone was almost sheepish as he spoke, while still holding his voice strong. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion and noticed that Zuko was the only one to share this expression. I pursed my lips and focused on the unfolding conversation in front of me. Aang explained how he wasn’t ready, his firebending (and earthbending, as Toph kindly reminded) still needed a lot of work before he mastered them, and he didn’t think he’d be able to defeat the Firelord.  Sokka and Katara offered up more reasons and it hit me that they had talked about this. I suddenly felt a twinge of something, anger and confusion and sadness; I shook the feelings away, knowing that Aang, Katara and Sokka are closer than the rest of us and that was probably why they knew. I brought my attention back to the conversation.

“Things can’t get any worse.” I focused on Katara’s voice as she hung her head, realizing how pointless it was for me to feel upset.

“You’re wrong.” I snapped my head towards Zuko, his icy tone catching my attention. He told us about his father (or rather, Azula’s) plan for world domination. He was right, it was worse than we could’ve imagined. To say that this 100-year-war has been awful would be a devastating understatement; wiping out the entire Earth Kingdom is just… sickening. As he spoke, Zuko found a rock to sit on, the angry energy that was keeping him upright deflating. I crouched down next to him, gingerly grabbing his hands so he’d know he’s not alone. Even though he refused to look back at me while he spoke, he squeezed my hands with reassurance.

“You may have gotten lost Zuko, but you found your way back. You’ve found who you are.” My voice is soft as I lightly rested my chin on our intertwined hands looking up at him. He glanced down at me with a soft smile before sighing. I heard Katara drop to the ground behind me and the others shifting in the weight of what Zuko just told us. I got up and walked over to Katara, offering her some support as well. Zuko got up from the rock and we all stood there, unsure what to say next. Aang asked why Zuko failed to mention this plan before, which made me let out a small laugh. I noticed everyone turn to me and I looked away. “Sorry… it’s not like you told everyone you wouldn’t be fighting him though, Zuko isn’t the only one who’s been holding back information.” Katara shot me a glare which caused me to roll my eyes. “I’m not saying anyone’s in the wrong, I’m just saying we all need to learn what information is worth sharing.”

“Oh, that’s rich, coming from the queen of mystery herself.” Katara retorts back, causing Sokka to walk over to her and Suki over to me. Suki shook her head as if to say, “don’t let her get to you” and I shrugged it off, aware that we had bigger things to focus on then friendship drama. That could wait. Aang had walked a few feet away and was crouching down with his head in his hands. Katara had directed her energy towards him, reminding him that’s he’s not alone. What started as a heavy, heated conversation ended in hopefulness: together we could stop Firelord Ozai. Everyone walked into a group hug, Katara’s eyes finding mine as she smiled sheepishly.

“I didn’t mean that Draya, I’m-“

“It’s okay, Katara.” I smiled back, walking into the spot she had made for me between her and Toph in the group hug. Katara looked over at Zuko, who was still awkwardly standing a few feet away.

“Get over here, Zuko. Being part of the group also means being part of the group hugs.” I watched as he grimaced at the phrase “part of the group” before he reluctantly walked over to the empty spot between Toph and Suki. His hand easily finds my shoulder as his long arm wraps around Tophs’, giving it a gentle squeeze. I saw Appa flying over with Momo, knocking us all down with him as he landed; they just wanted to be included in the group hug too.

Zuko taught Aang something his uncle taught him, how to redirect lightening, while Sokka came up with a training plan for all of us. We spent the rest of the afternoon practicing against a melon headed dummy (Melonlord, as Sokka called it), and it was dark by the time we finally sat down for the night. We were talking, relaxing on some stairs in the courtyard, when Katara brought out a picture of baby Ozai because she thought it was Zuko. It led to a heated conversation between Zuko and Aang, about life and death, causing Aang to storm off. Zuko stopped Katara from going after him, reminding her that he needs space. None of us felt like continuing our night, disbanding to our rooms after a long day of emotions and training. I started to walk towards my room when I stopped, turning around to check on Zuko before going to sleep. He had picked up the scroll with his fathers’ picture on it that Katara had discarded on the steps, staring at it for a long time before it burst into sudden flame in his hand. I walked over as he watched the ash float to the ground and placed my hand on his shoulder. His body was tense, turning his neck to look over at me.

“I thought you went to bed.” His voice was harsh, hushed.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I offered lightly, dropping my hand as Zuko turned around to face me. I saw his face contort from anger to exhaustion. Everything about his posture drooped and he walked over to the steps, dropping the end pieces of the scrolls on the floor before sitting with a defeated huff. I walked over to sit on the step below him, turning my body towards him so my knees brushed up against his leg. I found myself tracing his features with my eyes, his face stoic, being illuminated by the light above. His hair was outrageously messy, I wanted to reach my hand out and attempt to run my finger through its tangles. He had his head tilted up towards the sky, eyes closed, as if he were basking in the stillness; I wish I knew what was going on in that sweet, angry, beautiful mind of his. I was memorizing his face completely- the soft curve of his nose, his perfectly angled jaw, the blending lines of his scar- when he opened his eyes and looked towards me.

“I appreciate you checking on me, I’m okay. Just… nervous. And stressed. And I feel really bad about yelling at Aang. It’s just… there’s no other way and he just doesn’t get it. He has to kill him… he has to.” He was balling up his fists, and I noticed his eyes were glistening more than usual. The expression he had on his face was different from his usual gloomy one, it was more… pained? I moved up the step to be next to him, reaching my hand out to gingerly caress the back of his head, running my fingers into his hair at the base of his neck, and he softened at the touch. In one swift moment, he turned his body into mine, letting his arms wrap around my torso as he buried his face into my collarbone. My hand stayed on the back of his head, bringing my other arm around him, and we just sat there. I don’t know how long we sat there holding each other, but it was over all too soon. He sat up, looking away as he rubbed at his eyes. “Sorry, I- uh…”

“No, you have nothing to be sorry for. It’s okay. It was about time I repaid you for holding me that time I tried to run away.” My hand was still cradling his head, absentmindedly playing with his hair in slow motions. He chuckled slightly, still sniffling. “It’s okay that you feel all those things, this is all a lot. For you, and for Aang. He’s expected to take the Firelord’s life and… the fact is, the Firelord just happens to be your father. He’s the definition of horrible. It still can’t be easy to know that, after all this, he’ll be gone. Feel your emotions now, that way your head is clear for the comet.” He turned his head to face me, my hand drifting from his neck to his cheek. His eyes were still glistening, the small twitch of a smile causing a few tears to slip out. I rubbed them away with my thumb, savoring every bit of this moment.

“He’ll never be gone, not really. Besides, it’s not even the fact that he’ll be dead after this, it’s the fact that I don’t feel anything when I think about it. I don’t feel sad, or mad, I don’t even feel happy! I feel nothing towards the thought that I’m helping someone prepare to kill my father. Does… does that mean I’m a monster too? Am I just like Azula after all? Someone who… doesn’t care if someone lives or dies?” He dropped my gaze as he spoke, and as he looked away, I instinctively pulled him back in for a hug. The silent tears were streaming down his face quickly and I just wanted to help him the same way he helps me. He let himself slump into me as I wrapped my free arm around him, accepting the embrace.

“You’re not a monster, Zuko. You are nothing like your father, or your sister. You’re you, someone who is kind and caring. You don’t feel anything because, well, he’s probably been dead to you for years now, even if you never realized. He hurt you, Zuko, and you’ve held onto that ever since. It’s okay to feel nothing and it’s okay to feel everything. I’m here for you.” His arms tightened around me and I felt a sob wrack through his body as he buried his head into my collarbone again. I still had one hand cradling his head and the other wrapped around his shoulders as I held him tightly until his shoulders stopped shaking. He pulled away and I brought both of my hands to his face, his cheeks hot and wet from the tears. “I’m not going anywhere.” I placed a soft kiss on his forehead, nose, and each cheek in between each word; my last kiss being on a spot where his scarred skin met the untouched skin. My lips lingered on his wet cheek as I felt his head turn until his lips met mine. This kiss was different than the ones from last night. It felt more sincere somehow as he wrapped his arms around me until we broke apart. He leaned his forehead on mine and let out a breathy laugh.

“Thank you, for everything. I’ve never felt this comfortable with someone. I hope you never go.” It was his turn to pepper my face with soft kisses, making me melt into his embrace.

“As much as I’d love to sit here with you for hours, we should probably get to sleep. We have a few… long days coming up.” We both shared similar smiles, soft and sad, knowing we may not get another moment like this for a while, if ever. He walked me to my room and, before I stepped inside, he had pulled me into a strong embrace, our heartbeats crashing into each other. He kissed the top of my head as we said good night. I knew life as we knew it would be changing in three days, and the only thing I could hope for was that Zuko’s by my side, no matter what happens. It was nice to have a normal teenage thought for once, about a boy, instead of the impending doom waiting to rain down on us with the comet.

#avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #avatar: tla #a:tla #atla #avatar: the last airbender fanfic #avatar the last airbender fanfic #original character fic #oc fanfic #oc x zuko #katara #aang

[pigeoncentric]

i did an A:TLA rewatch and took notes because that’s just what i do, and here’s the notes if anyone wants to see my thoughts

i haven't watched atla since about a year before korra started airing, so like, around 2011. i should also mention that i never watched korra through to the end, but i guess i'll do that after this. if i feel like it. i do know that the biggest bottles were never popped

i have such a clear memory of the first episode. it must've been on nickelodeon pretty often, even though when it was airing, i only watched it occasionally. i remember they also aired the library episode super often.

aang's voice is so tiny and sweet

i gotta turn off my dumb adult brain and put my dumb kid brain back on so i can better appreciate the nickelodeonness of it all

sokka and zuko's first interaction.......

zuko's intimidating approach and then his tiny teen voice

SOKKA AND ZUKO'S SECOND INTERACTION............

zuko's like "i'm going home." with aang. he must be feeling an incredible mixture of feelings, thinking he has the avatar and can reclaim his Honor. but he also must be terrified to go back, and in disbelief... fortunately he's not going home like he said and there are even more confused feelings in between

i just remembered that iroh's voice actor dies between seasons :(

thinking a lot about dante basco... no thoughts in particular, just a lot of them... and how he shipped zutara lmao

"my troubles cannot be soaked away!"

hei bai looks like a ben 10

mounts list (added to as i progressed through the series): zuko's rhinos. earth armored ostriches. metal noshing mole. north pole goatyak. azula and friends' fur geckos. sabertooth moose lion if you're not a wimp. appa-sized beetle. moose with aquatic features. Eel Hound.

you can't out-mom-friend katara. even when she's yelling and being reckless

it's true... airbenders are weak to nets.

the n*tfli* captions are making several mistakes. eat my ass ne*f*ix and hire me to do flawless captioning instead you dumb fucks

YEAH! even by episode 13 in season 1 we already know zuko is a good boy! well also by episode 12. and earlier. well i've seen the series before.

i've just learned that zach tyler eisen is the voice of aang and i have to give him huge props for having the perfect voice. i pay a lot of attention to voice acting, usually in a nitpicky way, and i've never heard an english voice actor whose voice is perfect on the level of ikue ohtani... and when he was like 12 years old. incredible. i'm not being remotely sarcastic

i gotta be 100% honest. i had completely forgotten the existence of zhao and that he's actually a pretty important character, at least in season 1. also his voice actor is pretty good. generally the voice acting is good in this show, and i'm picky.

god the animation where aang makes one catapult catapult the other is so good. also appa just picked up and grabbed a guy. with his fist. wait how many toes does appa have? is that 18 in total? also appa has scutes on his ventrum. anyway i love that appa can pick up and grab a guy but generally chooses not to. gives it more weight when he does choose to

zuko tells turtle seals to be quiet and then touches them unkindly :(

zuko busted out of katara's ice orb instead of melting it :\

zuko put his hood up like iroh told him to but aang just has his naked bald head in the snowy cold :(

seeing zhao grab and bag the moon spirit fish made me feel sick. such a foul act

god. the quality rope. i noticed sokka mention it and was like, "was this a chekhov's gun or a red herring" and then a few minutes later there was a pointed pan over to the quality rope.

anyway examining the quality of the voice acting here leads me to a thesis i might gather evidence to prove: american english voice acting for cartoons is far higher quality than american english voice acting for anime dubs. or is that just something obvious that everyone already agrees on

anyway anyway, the episode ended without the quality rope being put to use. unless i missed it, which is entirely possible.

jesus i heard azula's first lines and got an instant flashback to all the tumblr drama about grey delisle and her tumblr account and how she pretended it wasn't hers or something let's just erase all of this from my brain right now

this is kind of out of nowhere and borderline inappropriate but i'm glad characters in avatar are illustrated with nipples when they're shirtless... it always disturbs me a tiny bit when shirtless characters are depicted with zero nipple, not even a hint of nipple. (Aladdin.) not just because it implicitly stigmatizes something everyone has, but also because this scenario always plays in my head where it's like, a little kid sees a cartoon character without nipples and they think, "so i'm not supposed to have these..." and they start feeling weird and bad about themself... all you need to depict a nipple is a single unobtrusive dot. nothing visually offensive or explicit about it.

even to an audience who doesn't understand any cultural context, you can't not see the significance of zuko and iroh cutting off their topknots...

fandom seems to see sokka as the silliest one when in fact at least 40% of his entire role as a character is to be the tsukkomi

underrated moment: "you've got an elbow leech." "WHERE?! WHERE?!"

zuko should be a good boy and only steal if it's from pirates

stealy zuko stealing money and buying iroh a teapot !

god i forgot what a tiny baby voice toph has... so tiny

zuko trying really really hard but doing a bad job hammering (tears)

azula set up zuko and mai for a lucky sukebe...

when zuko's mom told him not to forget who he is, she didn't mean to remember that he's a prince and an heir as he revealed to the unsuspecting earth kingdom village. she meant to remember that he's someone with at least the base level of empathy and compassion, unlike most of his immediate family...

i still think aang's voice actor did a great job but i bet it sucks to be a young boy doing an excellent young boy voice and then when you grow up a little and presumably experience some puberty you just Cannot do the young boy voice anymore. hopefully in most cases where that happens, it's at least not abrupt

placing a bet that the writer for episode s2:e10 (the library) is different than most of the other episodes. i don't like it very much, at least in the first several minutes. if it's a name i recognize from the credits of several other episodes, i might be a bit disappointed in them. seriously, there's one stinker after another. and with such a great concept of an episode...

i didn't recognize the name of the guy who wrote this episode so i thought i was right but no, he wrote a bunch of episodes. must have been off his game for this one... either that or i'm in a very unforgiving mood and don't realize it... also when i went on wikipedia to look at who wrote which atla episodes, i learned that the animation for the show was split between two animation studios, and they're both korean. ah, i guess that doesn't mean all the animation took place overseas, as DM movie has a headquarters in the US. according to wikipedia.

oh, they're BUZZards... i get it... i gotcha.

aang with a vengeance is both scary and sad to see. but he does understand that property damage is nothing compared to a life

people who love azula are the exact same as people who love vriska: [comment redacted]

they have american birds in the avatar world. i keep hearing an eastern wood-peewee going "pee-pee-uwee" in the background :3

the serpent's pass seems geologically implausible.

sokka should really get face paint all over his face when he kisses suki. or like, the cartoonish image of when someone is covered in lipstick lip smacks, but it should be suki's makeup color

appa's been through so much and now he has to meet a boarcupine?!?! fortunately he still knows how to pick up and grab... but still :(

he touched appa's scutes and read them like a palm...

longshot translated his meaningful stares into out-loud words for katara and friends

zuko forgot that azula always lies :(

zuko should know that being redeemed in his father's eyes is the opposite of what he wants...

i LOVE aang's passionate tsungi horn dance

there are spring peepers in the fire nation

god the dripping of the rotten clams is so excessive

you know how ultrasonic humidifiers can create water vapor without heating it into steam, by vibrating it super fast? let's try that with waterbending, it'll be cool

two different bad guys have been skipped across the water like a rock

i love the fake time lapse of cleaning the river... and it showed how with pollution in real life, stopping the source of the pollution is not enough. it needs to be removed as well

sokka deserves LOTS of credit just for being able to handle a boomerang.

GOD THE SLOW PAN OVER THE BEAUTIFUL SWORD (in 3:4)

sokka also deserves LOTS of credit for being able to admit he doesn't know everything.

i managed to forget that zuko turns his back on iroh, while remembering that at some point, iroh gets buff

the voice of sokka's master is the voice of the boulder. right? right? no? are you kidding me? i suck at this

seems like kissing azula would have immediate consequences, like something melting

zuko is poorly socialized

zuko still forgot that azula always lies. even when she's being somewhat humanized in an episode like this.

so avatar roku had earthly attachments he did not let go of, presumably. such as his wife. did he have unfettered access to the avatar state? that's what i would ask him during this expositionfest if i was aang.

so sozin could do heatbending... that's amazing. i think i missed that the first time around.

that's right, zuko came back and his hair is long enough, but he hasn't recreated his topknot.

hawky is the only atla animal that poops on camera.

if you're gonna bend sweat, you might as well bend spit, and it's a little easier to obtain

wait so... is combustion man also a heatbender? i'll have to look into it later. [looked into it later: the avatar wiki has termed it "combustionbending?" are you shitting me?]

ooh it's the bloodbending episode! i'm pumped.

someone made a post about how when they watched this show and they were a kid they were thinking about how the characters are hot, and now they're watching as an adult and the characters are all tiny children... that's how i've been feeling. also season 3 episode 8 aang's voice sounds a little bit pubertous.

anyway damn this bloodbending episode is outright traumatic. good shit

oh, now zuko's topknot is back.

appa's armor covers each individual toe <:3c

i seriously misremembered the course of zuko's character development. and the timeline of the invasion in general. but now i understand that zuko has to tell his dad to eat shit face to face.

watching zuko's "zuko here" practice speech hurts 100% as much as it did the first time i saw it. and when he's delivering it to the gaang it's impossible to watch. i didn't put my hands on my head-- they just went there unbidden.

i kinda can't help picturing dante basco's face every time i hear zuko talk. the whole time. it's sometimes not optimal to know the faces of voice actors. especially when you're like me and you're not good at pushing out unwanted mental images.

what the fuck, combustion man? he just loves assassination so much you can't take back any orders. also i can't help but imagine that if you put a slice across his third eye his combustion would be fully inhibited. well i guess that's not a problem anymore.

i like that the gaang are a variety of heights, and that they're all noticeably shorter than most of the adults they meet. it just makes it feel realistic

if it was a US max security prison and prisoners were escaping they'd probably just fucking murder them

i love how when mai starts up the gondola again and azula is like "what is she DOING!" and ty lee just makes an "iunno" noise

tfw your best friend abandons you because you wouldn't let her murder her own brother

chit seng didn't get to free his girlfriend and best buddy :(

funny how azula seems almost docile when she's getting everything she wants. typical narcissist. well ok not the least bit typical.

sokka ate the rose. i remembered this scene Too clearly. but i didn't remember that.

um... was that the full moon? when katara bloodbent that guy? i should've looked at the sky... i went back and looked and still didn't see if it was the full moon. maybe the wiki knows. i don't care enough to look it up properly.

i was wondering when the melon lord would show up

none of the teens understand the obvious solution of defeating the fire lord by beating him INTO SUBMISSION (or oblivion) instead of killing him. just like in every anime fight ever. it's over when you acknowledge you've lost or you can't fight anymore, not when you die. (for the #1 best example of ending a fight the right way, see the way luffy defeats crocodile.)

so i know aang's gonna defeat the fire lord by essentially hitting him with a forced purification beam to the face and make him realize the errors of his ways or something. the fun part is how we get there

bumi bending entire houses through the air

aw i forgot the turtle island didn't have a cute face.

jyong jyong firebent a jet platform to fly around on?!

i guess the firelord can fly around like bakugou katsuki

i forgot that aang took away his firebending... and sokka hops up to him like "well, look at you, buster"

i'm glad i decided to watch this again. even if i didn't do a great job paying attention tbh. well i did spend a bit of time carving a little wooden spoon while i was watching. anyway i was thinking i wouldn't move right on to korra but rather read some of the atla comics that i know exist but have never read whatsoever. i wonder if i can find them in some kind of library...

  i found the comics illegally on the internet and read a whole bunch (up until the end of the "zuko finds his mom" arc). i didn't write my thoughts down as i was reading, so i don't remember them. that's how my worthless brain works. i do remember that i found the comics satisfactory as an accurate extension of the show, and that i feel ambivalent about how azula is written/treated in the comics.

i don’t know if i feel like rewatching korra yet.

[snake-house]

Zuko X Male!Reader - through time.

Zuko X Male!Reader warnings: angst, mentions of homophobia, time skips ***spoilers for the ending of the series ah he/him pronouns used for reader *set during the episode 'the fire bending masters' in book fire [season 3] and later**DOES NOT go with canon, duh, it's fanfiction ___ requested by an anon!!!

word count: 7,020

(i was fixing the ending and ended up changing the whole thing and added 300+ more words ahhh)

___

It was still a shock to how it all happened. You were set on tracking down the avatar and bringing him back to the fire nation to finally earn your place among the military, where you belonged. Because that's who you were, that's what was meant to become of you, the groomed weapon and son of the highest ranked General in the Fire Nation Military. That's all you knew until you stumbled upon the avatar and his firebending master. One moment you were ready to see the end of the avatar, the next you were in awe of what he was capable of. You didn't think you've seen anything as beautiful as watching the two dance with dragons, it was amazing. The avatar and his master seemed so in tune with their firebending, and for such a stereotypically nasty and violent element, it was so serene and made you stop and really think about what you were doing.

What were you doing? You were here on a mission to trail the avatar and if all else failed, kill him, if the timing seemed fit. But why were you doing this? You slowly slunk away from the display back to where you set up camp deep in the forest to really think about what you were doing. This was horrible and you felt sick to your stomach. This was not what you wanted from your life. Through the fighting and training, it was all you knew, it was all you had since you were barely five years old. But, you didn't want this anymore. It was a blessing that you realized this was no longer the life you nor the one you wanted to live anymore. You knew now that the avatar was humanity's only hope from the Fire Nation's destruction. Before the two saw the two perform the Dancing Dragon, you had listened to the little group and the fog that clouded your judgment had been lifted. You always thought the destruction of the Southern Water Tribe and the take over of the Earth Kingdom were good things, proof of how powerful and wonderful the Fire Nation was, but you were wrong. Everything you once knew was wrong. All those events just showed how disgustingly evil the Fire Lord was. It wasn't until the next day you approached the group with your guard down. You needed to be open with them if you wanted them to trust you. As soon as you were spotted, the female waterbender froze your feet where you stood. You held your hands up in surrender, "I just want to talk," You stated quietly. The male with the ponytail was the first to approach you and crossed his arms, "How can we trust someone decked out in official Fire Nation clothing?" "Because I want to explain myself," You flinched with a pained expression as you noticed the curious eyes of the avatar. "Maybe you should let him talk," he stated but ponytail held his ground, "I mean, it wouldn't hurt anything. We gave Zuko here a chance, why not give him the same chance?" Eventually, you were unfrozen and allowed to explain yourself, "I am from the Fire Nation, I was sent by the Fire Lord to trail the avatar," there was a loud commotion from the male Water Tribesman of 'See! I told you so,' "I was sent to trail you and your friends, and if the time seemed right- to kill." All hands were raised in defense to fight and your feet were frozen once again, "But I have changed my mind. I was raised as a child prodigy seeing I was the son of General Bujing. I've been raised under the propaganda that the Fire Nation instills in all of the citizens. I-I've been following you all since you arrived at the Air Nomad Temple, and I've been able to hear what the Fire Nation has really done around our world. I thought they were doing good, but I know now that all they have done is kill too many innocent lives and instilled fear into the rest of our world." You bowed your head in shame, "I'm sorry for what I have done, but I know there can be no forgiveness for helping in the tyranny across the nations. But, I would like to make up for it, I can help you all," You looked on now with hopeful eyes, "I've been in those high ranking strategy rooms, I can tell you what they are planning and I am a master in hand-to-hand combat and various other self-defense techniques." The group was silent for a while, they seemed to be speaking with each other merely through their facial expressions. It was a sight to see, people close enough to be able to communicate like that. You haven't had a real friend since you were a child. A cough brought you out of your thoughts. "So, you said you know what they're planning?" The firebender said with a small grin and your feet were unfrozen for the second time. You let a bright smile surface on your face at the fact they were going to give you a chance, "I do, but it will take some time to explain," your smile fell as your grimaced, "This will not be pretty." -- The days leading up to the final battle Aang was destined to be in, you helped the 'Gaang' in every way that you could. You told them everything you knew about what the Fire Lord was planning, you showed them their moves so they could be ready to fight. You taught them all you knew about combat to strengthen their skills. They may have been benders, save Suki and Sokka, but you can't depend on just that. When they went to break into the Boiling Rock Prison, you were there to give them extra credentials and the mission went by flawlessly. Well, of course, there were a few kinks, but for the most part, it was flawless. Everything was great, you really thought you found friends in each of the teenagers, even the rowdy and loud earthbender. It wasn't until you all watched that horrid play did something finally click. "Y-You're Zuko- the Zuko? As in the crown prince of the Fire Nation?!" You squeaked and went ridged at his narrowed stared. Zuko clamped his hand over your mouth and tugged you around the corner and out of sight of all the island citizens. "Yes? I thought you knew this," He hissed quietly and folded his arms over his chest, "What's the big deal anyway? You were fine with me before, what changed?" He said in a softer voice, eyes now full of concern. You took a deep breath and couldn't help the blush surfacing to your face, "I'm [Name], the son of General Bujing, w-we used to be friends, before you and Mai started going out and before I was sent to train night and day. I was at first a disgrace to my father for being a non-bender, I couldn't refuse or else I would disgrace his name even further, do you remember?" You paused and darted your eyes away, "I didn't recognize you, I never saw you after you got scarred." Zuko eyed you for a while, straightening his back at your explanation. He was going to deny what you said, but then a flurry of memories surfaced. A memory of him playing with a little [hair-color] boy by the pond, and how the boy was just as excited about the turtleducks as he was. That was you. "[Name]..." He said softly and made you meet his eyes again, "I never knew what happened to you, I-I was told you didn't want to play with me every time I asked my father or yours." You smiled slightly at him and nodded, "I was told the same, my father told me you were a distraction from my training and that my training should be more important than childish things." The two of you chatted like the excitable teenagers you were as you caught back up with the rest of the 'Gaang'. That night, the two of you were inseparable and everyone took notice of it. Aang seemed a bit confused until Katara caught on and explained what was going on to him with a sly look in her eyes that unsettled you. "How have you and Mai been? I knew you had a huge crush on her when we were younger, did you guys ever end up dating?" You asked casually and took a drink of your water. "Uh, yeah, we dated for a while actually. But we've broken up multiple times so I don't know if we are still a thing or not right now. War kind of gets in the way of these things you know," Zuko said with an uncomfortable shrug of his shoulders. You smiled and nodded, "That's nice, I mean I guess it is." You looked down at your crossed legs, "You're right though, war changes things. I never had a girlfriend," You averted your eyes, "-or a first kiss or date," You pulled your knees up to your chest and laid your head on them, "We're just kids and here we are stuck in a war we didn't start." "Never?" Sokka cut in obviously wanting to veer away from the topic of war for right now, "Not even a little peck on the cheek?" He added sounding shocked. "Nope, not even a peck on the cheek," You laughed in response, "But it's ok, romantic relationships are a luxury only few can afford." "I beg to differ," Katara said in an offended voice, "Everyone deserves love and relationships no matter in they're romantic or platonic," She gave you a sad smile, "What did the military do to you to think like that?" You shrugged, "Took away my innocence I suppose." There was only silence after that. You were right, they just didn't want to believe it quite yet. -- Watching Zuko be crowned as the new Fire Lord made tears come to your eyes. It may have just been the beginning, there was chaos still reining throughout the nations, but everything could only get better from here on out. "I'm so proud of you," You said once you and Zuko were alone in the throne room, aside from Iroh, "I know you will make a wonderful Fire Lord." Zuko flushed at your praise, "Thank you, that means a lot." Iroh placed a heavy hand on his nephew's shoulder and beamed at him, "He's right, you'll do great I'm sure of it." "I know I will if you mentor me in all the political stuff," Zuko said back with a grin, "And if you, [Name], could help with getting our military back to a respectable organization, I would really appreciate it." "Of course," You said quickly, "I am more than happy to help rebuild the Fire Nation." "As am I," Iroh agreed before changing the topic and turning to you, "I know my nephew has Mai but don't you have a special someone to come back to?" You grimaced and shook your head, "No sir, I didn't have time for such things nor do I ever believe I will." Iroh ignored his nephew as he turned to speak to the members of the 'Gaang' as they walked in, "Why do you say that?" Now he sounded concerned. "Because you could say I bat for the same team," You whispered with a flush, "and I don't want anyone to know- I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable or anything. I just want to be normal for once and not in my Father's shadow like I have been for all of my life." Iroh nodded in understanding, pulling you into a hug without a second's thought, "I'm sure you'll find someone out there for you, everyone has someone." You glanced at Zuko over Iroh's shoulder and shook your head, "If you say so, General." "Please call me Iroh, I thought I have told you this before." He chastised with a warm smile radiating over his features. With a laugh, you nodded and went over to greet the rest of the crew seeing you didn't have much time to speak with them before the coronation. -- Months later, it became too much. Even with the happiness of the Hundred Year War being over, there was a looming sadness that you couldn't shake any longer. With a deep breath, you walked up to Zuko in his office and stood before his desk where he sat, "May I speak with you?" The dark-haired male looked up and grinned before dropping the papers he was looking over and leaned back in his chair, "Isn't that what you're doing right now?" He teased. You smiled sadly at his words, now worrying the other, "I suppose. I was going to ask for some time off, seeing as you are my boss."   Zuko looked at you quizzically, "What do you mean by that?" "I need a break... I-I just need a break that's all. I thought I'd travel a little around." You stated with a sigh. The Fire Lord furrowed his brow in confusion, "A break? What's been troubling you? I mean, you can take off all the time you need, but if you want to talk about it I'm here." "I'd rather not," You said immediately, "But thank you. I'll write while I am away." With that, you left to go pack. Zuko was still confused by your sudden change in behavior as this was not the first time you have been like this with him, so... formal. He quickly shuffled away from his paperwork and went to find the one person who could probably answer his questions about you, his uncle. You have developed a strong relationship with his uncle as Zuko had with him. He was your mentor and friend and taught you the things a father was supposed to, seeing as your own father only saw you as a weapon. "Ah Zuko," Iroh beamed as he saw the boy walk into the garden, "To what do I owe the pleasure? Or are you just early for our afternoon tea?" Zuko smiled and sat down beside the older male, "I wanted to ask you about something." He quirked a grey eyebrow, "Oh? And what is it?" "Do you know what is wrong with [Name] lately? He hasn't really seemed like himself at all and just asked for some time off like I'm his boss or whatever." "You are his boss," Iroh deadpanned. "But we were friends first," Zuko sighed, "And he's never addressed me as his boss like this before too." Iroh hummed in acknowledgment, "Is that all you have noticed has changed about him?" Zuko looked at the older man in confusion before turning his eyes to the greenery in front of him and thought about the question, "He doesn't seem too ready to spend time alone with me anymore, as before we would often mediate together before the others woke up and so on," He trailed off, not really sure where his uncle was going with this, "He's uncomfortable around Mai, which is completely understandable, Mai gives off that vibe, but it does seem rather unusual now that I think about it." "Is that all you can think of?" Iroh prompted. "I guess overall he seems uncomfortable and... sad. Detached almost." Zuko said slowly. Why didn't he notice all of this before? He was supposed to be your friend.   They two stood in silence for a while, simply taking in the beauty of the garden he fell in love with as a child. "You said he was leaving?" Iroh hummed with a thoughtful look. "Yes, I assume he went to pack after he finished talking to me," Zuko replied. When Iroh chuckled, the Firelord snapped his head towards the man, "Do you know what's wrong?" Iroh shrugged nonchalantly, "I just suppose it became too painful to watch someone you love with another." He said cryptically. "If that is all, there are some things I need to attend to before our afternoon tea." Zuko let his uncle walk off with a look and air of confusion about him. He didn't have a clue on what his uncle was trying to say. - "[Name]." You turned away from your bag towards the voice from your doorway, "Yes?" You said, smiling when you noticed it was Iroh. "Are you sure this is what you wish to do?" He asked with a well hidden pained look. "Yes," You repeated as your face fell, quickly turning to your bag to see if you needed anything else before the boat you were taking left in an hour. "I think it's time. Every day I see him so happy and vibrant with someone else, and even though I love him, I can't continue to torture myself. I've tried going on dates-" "But only with women." Iroh interrupted with an unimpressed look. "But I can't make myself have feelings towards anyone else," You trailed off with a sigh. "Maybe if you came out, you'd be surprised how open people are about homosexuality," Iroh said placing a hand on your shoulder, stopping your movements, "You can't expect yourself to find love elsewhere when you're not being true to yourself." You bit your lip, "I know this. I do. But I can't lose him or my friends if they don't agree. I just need some time away to forget about these stupid feelings and emotions," You laughed bitterly as you furiously wiped away your tears, "My father was right about one thing, emotions are useless and only hinder your performance, and that is exactly what's wrong with me." "[Name]," Iroh said softly as he pulled you into a warm hug, "You know that is not true. I wish there was more I could do for you." You held tightly onto the older man. Savoring the warmth of the hug. "Could you make me forget about him?" "I would if I could, but I know that's not what you want," Iroh chuckled, holding you out at arm's length, "How about this. I have a tea shop in the Earth Kingdom that I have neglected these past months, would you be willing to run it for me for a few more months until Zuko is back on his feet?" You smiled warmly at the offer and nodded, "I would like that. It will be a nice change of pace for me, I think." Iroh beamed at you and brought you back into another crushing hug, "It's settled then. I will send you with a letter of my wishes. Sounds good? And I will see you off when you leave," He said as he headed out of your room, pausing in the doorway, "Which is when?" "In an hour," You mumble and bit sheepishly. "You are very ready to leave then," Iroh sighed affectionately. "I will meet you at the harbor then." "Thank you, Iroh, for everything." The man simply smiled and waved off your thanks like he did every time. - Iroh was the only one to see you off. He beamed as he handed you the letter about the tea shop, he was acting as if you were taking over the family business and you found it very endearing. He gave you a map of where it was and a brief rundown over the fact people still hold judgment towards you because you were of the Fire Nation. Even though the war was over, it would take some time to heal the wounds in the other nations. The older man eagerly waved you goodbye as you boarded the ship, even as you the ship drifted away and towards the Earth Kingdom. You didn't deserve his kindness, and yet here you were. You would never be able to thank him enough for all that he has done for you and his influence on your life. - - Life working at the tea shop was amazing. You weren't sure how you would adjust to it, or if you would even like it at all. But you fell in love with everything about it. The locals surprisingly welcomed you with open arms. The two girls that had been running it in Iroh's absence happily taught you everything you needed to know, from transactions to how to make the tea. Their names were Qin and Mina, and they were the sweetest. They were cousins that looked more like sisters than anything. Qin was the younger of the two at 19 and Mina was 22. They both had curly sandy blonde hair that they kept short and long respectively, and light brown eyes, though Mina's looked more like an amber than Qin's warm honey brown. You grew close to them, and after a few months of getting to know them and being friends, they were the first people besides Iroh you told about being gay. It surprised you that they laughed when you told them. "Oh no, don't get it wrong," Mina had said as she brought you into a warm hug, "Everything just makes so much more sense now!" "What does that mean?" You said nervously, even if you were relieved that they accepted you. "It means we have been trying to set you up for months but you have not been receptive at all!" Qin exclaimed as she ruffled your hair affectionately, "Have you really not noticed?" You blushed and shook your head, "N-No, I haven't..." They shared more laughs at your expense, not that you blamed them, you supposed you were more obvious about your sexuality than you thought. "That just means we have to start in on guys with you and all will be good!" "Oh no!" You said as you frantically waved your hands in front of yourself, "Please don't do that. I'll just embarrass myself." "Awe you poor thing," Mina said with a slight pout to her lip, "So obviously naive when it comes to romance, which means you need experience! And let us provide that for you with expendable boys to give you some experience." You groaned in self-pity and hoped you could fend for yourself as they tried to play matchmaker. - - It didn't let up one bit when Iroh finally arrived back in the Earth Kingdom to take over his tea shop again four months after you arrived. The older man found it incredibly amusing to watch you flounder in front of the guys Mina and Qin tried to set you up with. "How have you been adjusting?" Iroh asked as the two of you were cleaning up the cafe after closing. "Wonderfully," You admitted with a smile, "I like the simplicity of this life. Everyone is so kind here and so open. Even... Even with me being attracted to men, no one has batted an eye at the fact, it's amazing." You gushed as you went to the next table to wipe. Iroh smiled at your enthusiasm, glad you were happy at least right now. "I'm glad," He said with his own smile, "You are more than welcome to stay and to continue working with me here," He started, "You don't have to go back." You smiled as you looked up to the man, "Thank you, I would like that. I wish to return, but not right now and not anytime soon. The Fire Nation will always be my home, and people tend to always find their way back to their homes." "Until that time, you have a home here too." - - You were twenty-five when you returned home to your nation. During your time spent in the Earth Kingdom, you kept you regular letters with your lost childhood friend. If Zuko ever found out why you needed to leave the Fire Nation in the first place, he never alluded to in his letters. It was actually a letter from Zuko that sent you sailing back to your home. It was an emergency express telegram that was from a mere two days before. The letter stated that Mai had died shortly after giving birth to their daughter and that he really needed you and Iroh back home. He didn't say so, but you knew he was asking for emotional support and help. You and Iroh were on the next boat out to the Fire Nation. When the two of you arrived as soon as you could, about five days later (it was the quickest boat they could get on such short notice), you found Zuko secluded in his room with his newborn daughter Izumi. His eyes were worn and bloodshot from both the stress and lack of sleep. And you were sure from crying as well. You greeted your old friend briefly, offering to take the little girl as he caught up with his uncle and father figure. He gratefully accepted the help and you left the room with a slightly fussy baby in your arms. You didn't have a proper reunion with Zuko until a few weeks after Mai's funeral, as he was still in his mourning period for a while. Your reunion with the man was different than what you expected it to be. You expected it to be stiff and uncomfortable, even if you both kept in touch over the years, but it wasn't. He acted as if time hadn't passed and the two of you were still those teenagers who helped save the world and grew closer through those experiences. Izumi stayed with you mostly as Zuko went through his mourning. You simply inserted yourself as her caregiver as your friends went through the motions of grief. Even though she was just a baby, as the weeks and months went by, it seemed like the little girl attached herself to you. Besides her father, she seemed to favor you over the nannies and her wet nurse. And this did not go unnoticed by everyone. Iroh would give you a sweet and slightly mischevious smile every time he stumbled upon you and Izumi. Zuko, however, was harder to read when he watched you interact with his daughter. The firebender would watch your interactions with her very closely as if he was analyzing you. At first, you thought it was because he was protective of his daughter, but since he always left you with a soft smile, you weren't sure why he was acting like that. - Eight months passed and Izumi was crawling very good and starting to get into everything and anything she could find. She was a little terror and kept everyone on their toes. You didn't know when it happened, but somehow you managed to make yourself Izumi's full-time nanny if that would be what you called it. You took care of her the majority of the day while Zuko worked, as simple as that. Zuko didn't pressure you into your old position all those years ago, nor did he with you helping take care of his daughter. But being with Izumi felt right, and where you were supposed to be.   "I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you for all that you've done to help me with her," Zuko said as you both crept out of her room after putting the fussy girl down for her nap. You smiled at him and shook your head fondly, "I don't need any thanks at all, I love Izumi and I'm happy to have a part in her life." Zuko hummed in thought, neither of you knew where you were walking to, just simply walking to be in each other's presence. "I'm glad you're back," Zuko says as you enter the garden, "It's been lonely all these years without you." You couldn't help the blush that surfaced at his kind words, and you supposed that old flame never truly died. "I'm glad to be back, I never realized how much I missed my home." "You still consider the Fire Nation your home?" He asked curiously, stopping at the edge of the pond. "I always did," You nodded, crouching down to get a better look at the turtleducks and their spring hatchlings, "After everything, this will always be my home. I loved the Earth Kingdom and the tea shop, but I knew that one day I would return. It was simply at your calling did that time come." There was a beat of silence before Zuko uttered those words that you feared. "I'm sorry I never realized," He started quietly, "And I'm sorry I pushed you away." "I-I don't know what you're talking about," You denied. Even if you didn't look up at Zuko, you would picture the sharp look that would cut through your lie. "You are my friend, one of my closest friends," He corrected himself and sat down on the grass beside you, "I should have realized that, for one, that you weren't interested in women- I mean, looking back at it, it was so obvious," He teased, making you blushed harder. "And for two, that you were in love with me." He sighed and ran a hand through his loose hair, "With how uncomfortable you were with me and Mai, I just thought it was because she was a little rough around the edges, but I was wrong. I pushed you away without realizing your feelings, even if I didn't feel the same." "Zuko-" "No, this needs to be said," Zuko said swiftly, "I'm not saying I regret basically choosing Mai over you, she gave me Izumi after all, but I shouldn't have pushed you aside and ignore you completely." "Zuko," You repeated, looking up at the firebender, the boy you watched take the throne at 17 years old wasn't so little anymore, "It's ok, it's in the past and I've moved on," You said averting your eyes back to the pond, "I don't blame you for anything of the past. You didn't push me away, I left. It wasn't your fault or Mai's fault that I hurt when I saw you together. I was glad you were happy, but I needed some distance, to get over myself and recognize your feelings." "Don't think of it like that," Zuko said a bit sadly, "Your feelings, I should have taken yours more seriously like you did mine. You thought of me and my happiness before your own, and that's where I went wrong. I was supposed to be your friend." You smiled at his words and nodded, "It's ok. I hold no resentment or bad feelings about that. I've buried that a long time ago." The two of you sat in silence for a while, gazing at the water, watching the fish and turtleducks swim in peace. You missed his company, you realized then. All these years and you never realized how alone you felt without Zuko in your life. "Can I ask when you knew you loved me?" You started at his question and Zuko blushed at his own forwardness, "I mean, you don't have to tell me-" You laugh cut him off. "The day we saw the play about the Avatar on Ember Island when I realized who you were. You were more worried I would treat you different when I realized you were the crown prince than anything. I mean, I didn't realize until the next day when I really thought about it, but that was when." You blushed at your childishness, "I admired the fact you wanted to know for you, not your title, and with everything else, I knew my crush wasn't so little anymore." Zuko nodded to your words, his stomach fluttering at your flattery. "So you had a crush on me before that?" You scoffed and shoved the man next to you, hitting his arm as your face lighting up with a blush, "Don't make fun of me!" Zuko laughed at your antics, knowing you weren't serious about hurting him because you were a trained assassin, you would be able to kill him with only four of your fingers. "Hey, I was just curious. But judging by your reaction, you must have," He added slyly, grinning as your blushed harder and buried your face in your hands. Once you got yourself under control, you peeked at the male through your fingers and sighed, "I did," You said, "I found your emo, bad-boy kind of look very cute so of course I had a tiny crush on you. But then you just so happened to have a heart of gold behind those looks and I was done for." "With all this flattery, you'd think you still loved me," Zuko said with a teasing grin, only to have it fall when you tensed, "I didn't mean to insinuate anything-" "I know," You said, now avoiding his gaze again, "I just think that old flame wasn't completely snuffed out," You added in a whisper. Zuko was silent for a while, making you squirm uncomfortably and for a moment, you thought you completely ruined the relationship you had with Zuko. "Does that mean I have a chance if I were to ask you on a date? Like a real one?" Zuko eventually said, looking too bashful to be on the face of the Firelord. Your head snapped towards Zuko. Your mouth fell open to speak, but nothing came out. Was he being serious? "I know it seems kind of sudden, especially because of where the conversation started," Zuko started in explanation, "But when you came back when Izumi was born and stepped in as if you've been here for much longer, you were my savior. And the way you are with Izumi, I mean, I'm convinced half the time she loves you more than me and sees you more as her dad than me." You flushed at his observation, but you knew this all too. You fell in too easy, and you supposed this was why. "When I walked in on you bathing Izumi and blowing bubbles at her and her giggles bouncing off the walls of the bathroom, I think that's when I started to fall for you," Zuko said unprompted, "You just fit, you fit better with me than Mai ever did. I loved her and she will always hold a place in my heart, but the way you work with and around me and Izumi, it's so easy." "I'd love to," You blurted, "I mean, I'd like to start with a date, to see where things go," You mused trying to not seem too eager. "Great," Zuko beamed a bit too eagerly on his part, "How about this weekend sometime? I'll see if Ty Lee would be interested in babysitting, I know she'll get a kick out of this," He added with a faint shudder. He knew he will be cornered for all the details when he asked the girl. "That sounds good," You said standing up, "Want to grab something to eat before the princess wakes up?" Zuko nodded and took your offered hand to stand as well. As the two of you headed towards the kitchens, you talked about anything and everything. The both of you were hyper-aware of how close you were standing next to each other, your hands brushed as you walked and it would have been so easy just to grab ahold of his. But not yet. You needed this to move slow, for your sake and his. - - That first date ended up being the first of many. Everything progressed smoothly and you loved every minute of it. You were right in the fact that the old flame you had for the firebender was never fully out. You may have let yourself date in the Earth Kingdom, (men this time), but it was always Zuko in the back of your head you held a piece of your heart. Your date nights were every other Saturday, with either Zuko's personal maid or Iroh, when he was in town, babysitting little Izumi. Officially, the two of you dated for four months until you guys made it official, which was rather pointless because everyone knew you were together and exclusive. Iroh had a field day when he came to visit before the two of you were 'official' and called it as soon as he walked off the boat. "I knew the two of you would find each other," Iroh had said patting both of your shoulders before whisking Izumi from your arms, "Eventually that is." Because of Izumi, you didn't move into Zuko's chambers until she was almost a year and a half old. (10 months after your first date and 6 months after you became official). Even though ten months is a long time, you were worried you were moving too fast. You were worried about what people would think, because of how Zuko and Mai's relationship ended, you didn't want anyone to think that you had taken advantage of Zuko in a vulnerable state. Thankfully, Zuko quickly shut you up when you christened the bed with a passionate night and morning. He reminded you that he was taken as much advantage of you as you were him, but in all the good ways. That was when you knew you <i>loved</i> Zuko more than anything. Well, Izumi was neck and neck with Zuko. - - "Mai never believed in weddings," Zuko said as he adjusted your ceremonial robes, "But I always wanted to have one." "Really?" You asked, looking over your appearance in the mirror. "Of course, I remember all the talk of how wonderful my parent's wedding was, despite the circumstances, and I wanted something like that for me. But Mai was Mai." You giggled at that, "When I disappeared and we broke up, she was worried her parents were going to marry her off to the next best bachelor, so the whole thing left a sour note in her mouth." "I can understand that," You said as you turned to Zuko and picked an imaginary piece of lint from his shoulder, "But I'm glad you're finally getting one." Zuko beamed and brought you into a breathtaking kiss, humming and licking his lips when you pulled away slightly flushed, "I am too, and I'm glad it's with you." You smiled at the sweet sentiment, "I'm glad you're going to be my husband, but I am not loving having to wear women's ceremonial robes," You grumbled as you looked at yourself in the mirror one last time. "I am sorry about that, but it's the traditional robes for the soon-to-be spouse of the Firelord, and well, there's never been a man in your place before." Zuko said with a laugh, "They do make your ass look very good though," He added with a pinch to said assets. You squeaked at the pinch and huffed, and started walking towards the doors exiting your shared chambers, "At least that is a good thing," You said with a grin, "Does that mean you'll have fun taking them off after the reception?" You asked innocently as you left the room to see how Izumi was holding up to all the papering of being the Crown Princess. Zuko growled at your coyness and followed you out of the room. - Zuko proposed to you on your birthday when Izumi was four. You had been together for just over three years by then, but Zuko always liked to say you've been together since Izumi was born. You were always unsure of the idea of marrying, because Zuko was the Firelord, and there was still animosity out there for same-sex couples. You didn't want to damage Zuko's image just as he has made himself a name as the Firelord. But Zuko was having none of that. He proposed to you after he threw you a far larger birthday party than you anticipated. He had the entire throne room decked out for the occasion and invited many many people you knew and didn't know. Then he proposed to you at the end of the night after you opened all your presents. You instantly started crying and looked around to see if there was any sign of trouble. But all you saw was support from your friends, and the people you didn't know. "I know you're scared, but I would love nothing more to declare to the world that you're mine," Zuko had said as soon as you turned back to him, "I love you [Name], and nothing is going to make me ashamed of that or you. Will you-" "Yes," You breathed before he could finish, "I'm sorry I was ever scared. I will, I love you too, so much." You beamed and if it wasn't for Zuko's strength and height he would have toppled over at the sheer force of your hug. Your wedding was the next spring when all the flowering plants were in bloom. Many diplomats attended the wedding, not that you cared or paid attention to that. You were, however, beyond happy to see Mina and Qin in the crowd as you stood beside Zuko. This day was to be filled with happiness and love, and you were glad to see them, along with the rest of the GAang, and all your other friends from all over the place. The ceremony was very traditional and some would even call it boring, but you loved every second of it. "I love you," You whispered to Zuko as you walked to the throne room for the reception, "Thank you for making my heart whole." Zuko smiled softly at you, pressing a kiss to your temple, "I love you too, and I should be thanking you for everything. You are my everything and have changed my life for the better, in more ways than one." They say if you love something, let it free. You did let Zuko free when you left long ago, but you found your way back. Through everything, you found your way back to your heart and found a greater love than you would ever imagine having. All it took was time. 

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #zuko #zuko atla #atla #male reader #x reader #x male reader #male reader insert #imagine #lok #reader insert #avatar tla #avatar the last airbender zuko #atla zuko

[avatarrewatch]

Hello and I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Ba Sing Se so far. I am your host Joo Dee. Remember, everyone is safe. There is no war in Ba Sing Se. Today we watched the following episodes in “Book 2: Earth.” We will also be watching the same episodes tomorrow (Sunday, March 18, 2018) at the same time.

2.13 

The Drill 

With the Gaang in Ba Sing Se, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee (whom I will dub “the Trio” moving forward) arrive in Ba Sing Se with the Fire Nation military and The Drill the episode is named for. This drill was created to penetrate Ba Sing Se’s impenetrable wall. Ba Sing Se’s General Sung seems to be so comforted by the presence of the wall, that it takes him no time at all to tell Aang that the Avatar is not needed, but the Gaang is not dissuaded. Aang, Katara and Sokka successfully sneak into the the drill to damage it from the inside. While Toph, refusing to be without her bending, commits to slowing down the drill from the outside. The Gaang encounters the Trio and a fight ensues with Aang showing off the earthbending he’s most recently learned. It was pretty impressive! Oh, and Momo got to save the day! I knew I always liked Momo for a reason. It’s not just because he’s cute. The Gaang escapes the Trio and the drill is successfully stopped.

Lee and Mushi (or otherwise known as Zuko and Iroh, respectively) arrive in Ba Sing Se as well. You’d think they were following the Avatar or something! But no, actually, Iroh’s White Lotus contacts decided since the pair are practically refugees, that Ba Sing Se would be ideal for them. Iroh flirts with a ticket seller to get into Ba Sing Se, while Jet (and his wheatgrass!) jeatgrass.tumblr.com flirts with Zuko to try and get him to join the new reformed Freedom Fighters. That’s right folks! Since the last time we saw Jet, he has decided to change his ways and only do what’s right. Let’s see if he’ll live up that goal.

2.14  

City of Walls and Secrets  

We see the Gaang on an earthbending operated train travelling to the inner wall. They meet me! Joo Dee. I introduce them as their guide and waive off any attempts the Gaang make to meet the Earth King. Because of course, “one doesn't just pop in on the Earth King.” How laughable! We meet the Dai Li (cultural authority of Ba Sing Se) and its leader Long Feng when Toph and Katara dress up like high society girls to sneak into a party in order to meet the Earth King. In the meantime, Aang and Sokka manage to sneak into the party as busboys. We see Bosco for the first time as he voraciously attacks the food in front of him. Long Feng takes the Gaang aside and tells them that the Earth King doesn’t have time to get involved in “political squabbles and the day to day minutiae of military activities. What’s most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se.” It is the Dai Li that oversees the military and other resources. The Gaang are warned that they will be watched very closely to make sure they don’t mention the war to anyone lest they be expelled from the city and be unable find Appa.

Jet, knowing Zuko and Iroh are Fire Nation after spotting evidence of Iroh firebending, starts obsessively spying on the two. Zuko and Iroh start working in a tea shop. After repeated attempts to catch Zuko and Iroh firebending fail, Jet decides to attack them at the tea shop in an attempt to force at least one of them to use their firebending. Iroh cleverly insists that Jet is just confused, everyone else comes to the conclusion that Jet is violently crazy and Jet gets taken in by the Dai Li. He is brainwashed to believe: "There is no war within the walls. Here we are safe. Here we are free."

2.15

The Tales of Ba Sing Se 

Katara decides to take Toph on a girls day out. After putting on some makeup and taking a stroll, they walk onto a bridge where some girls make fun of their makeup. Toph, ever unwilling to put up with such behaviour, earthbends them into the water. Katara then comforts her friend. I’m glad these two are actually getting along.

Aang, while looking for Appa, sees the state of the animals living in a poorly funded zoo and decides to free them. He causes a massive havoc and ruins the cabbage man’s cabbages again. At least that rabbaroo got to eat though! Aang forces the guards to open the gates and quickly makes a nice habitat for the zoo animals which the zoo keeper thanks him for.

Someone tries to mug Iroh. Iroh, being Iroh, corrects his stance and gives him some life advice. The mugger graciously thanks him and commits to seeking his goal of being a masseur. Just Iroh things! Iroh honours his son’s death as the entire membership of the Avatar Rewatch cries with him.

Zuko gets asked out on a date by a girl named Jin. I rather like her. Unfortunately for Zuko, he makes quite a few awkward and rather gauche moves. The two still end up kissing, but Zuko very quickly decides after that it simply cannot work between them. So sad. But I guess Mai is happy with this decision.

Momo gets chased around by some felines and does some impromptu street dancing before getting locked in a cage beside the same felines. He very easily escapes, and decides to graciously free his former pursuers.

2.16

 Appa’s Lost Days 

We see Appa being captured by sandsailers and sold to a circus. The animal trainer mistreats Appa, but he bonds with a little boy that feeds him. Appa manages to escape during a show after performing a few tricks. He searches for his air nomad with no luck as he retraces his steps. We are shown a flashback of Appa and Aang meeting for the first time as youngsters. And we see that Appa and Aang are thinking of each other throughout the night. Appa goes through so many hard times with humans and other animals, he grows defensive of anyone that may harm him. Suki and the other Kyoshi warriors find a hungry, dirty and injured Appa. After the Kyoshi Warriors take care of him for a little while, and gain Appa’s trust, the Trio attacks. Appa manages to escape with the Kyoshi warriors help.

Fanart

Joo Dee:

http://superootoro.tumblr.com/post/90039544929/joo-dee-was-scary-as-shit-old-one-from-2010

http://sailortenchi.tumblr.com/post/161387243649/joo-dee-brought-to-you-by-a-collaboration-with-my

http://airbenderbabe.tumblr.com/post/109199937761/hello-my-name-is-joo-dee-i-have-been-given-the

Fancy Earth Kingdom Toph: http://korraquality.tumblr.com/post/79851806814/made-a-fancy-earth-kingdom-toph-to-go-with-the

Appa: http://raphodraws.tumblr.com/post/162362518137/so-my-sister-asked-me-to-make-her-an-avatar-themed

http://biram-ba-gallery.tumblr.com/post/148396635372/book-one-water-ive-been-watching-avatar-

http://angi-pants.tumblr.com/post/168337532892/cute-appa-concept-3-yes-no

Jet: http://istehlurvz.tumblr.com/post/158382341744/i-cant-believe-i-always-come-full-circle-on-old

http://thesearchingastronaut.tumblr.com/post/171707418292/today-i-missed-atla-so-i-drew-jet-because-he-was

The Gaang: http://raphodraws.tumblr.com/post/162442066567/ok-so-after-design-no1-got-rejected-have-design

Bosco and The Earth King: http://zeddfro.tumblr.com/post/166491061201/inktober-day-16-fat-bosco-the-normal-bear

Suki: http://angi-pants.tumblr.com/post/171903584627/sneak-peak-suki-is-finally-ready-for-approval

Suki & Sokka: http://rebel-spore.tumblr.com/post/170879604308/sokka-would-so-be-all-about-valentines-day

Suki, Yue & Mai: http://puffycaveman.tumblr.com/post/120074866296/been-super-busy-lately-but-i-finally-had-some

Iroh’s tea time: https://huckdoodles.tumblr.com/post/171984618446/huckdoodles-sharing-tea-with-a-fascinating

Analysis

Caelum Blue's ATLA Episode Timeline (this is dedication!)  https://caelum-in-the-avatarverse.tumblr.com/post/171979806694/caelum-blues-atla-episode-timeline

Discord server: https://discord.gg/dtajJx3

Avatar Rewatch Calendar: http://goo.gl/NUV1Kp

(These beautiful episode title cards were created by the ever talented @ahhhsami)

#Avatar Rewatch #AvatarRewatch #Joo Dee #ATLA #Avatar The Last Airbender #Avatar: The Last Airbender #Avatar #Ba Sing Se #There is no war in Ba Sing Se #The Drill #City of Walls and Secrets #Tales of Ba Sing Se #Appa's Lost Days #Book 2 #book 2 earth #aang #Avatar Aang #Katara #Sokka #Toph #Toph Beifong #Zuko #Azula #Iroh #Jet #Appa #momo #mai #ty lee

[tigerlover16-uk]

romance in media

You want to know one of the things I most appreciate about Dragon Ball? It doesn’t wait until the very end of the series to have characters get into romantic relationships together and then never do anything with those relationships.

Probably one of my favourite parts about Dragon Ball Super is seeing the various couples play off of one another or otherwise getting insight into their relationships. Gohan being a dorky, loving husband is just the most adorable thing ever, and the scene in episode 74 when Barry Kahn, a sleezy movie star with a grudge against Gohan, tries to screw him over by convincing Videl he’s been cheating on her with some out of context pictures, only for Videl to immediately see through his load of bull because she knows Gohan would never do something like that and then calling out Barry for how pathetic he really is, is honestly one of the best scenes in Dragon Ball history to me.

Vegeta and Bulma have tons of adorable moments together, so I can’t even settle on any one scene with them that I enjoyed the most. Just seeing how much Android 18 appreciated everything Krillin went out of his way to do for her and their daughter to make them happy, and her wanting to use one of Shenron’s wishes to come up with the perfect thank you present for him in episode 68, was really engrossing stuff, and their little battle couple moments in episode 99 were fantastic too.

Heck, while they don’t get as many as they should, a lot of Goku and Chichi’s interactions are fun too, and they did have a fun little arc building up their relationship at the end of the original anime (Filler or not) and plenty of nice moments in Z that show just how real and grounded their relationship actually is.

Neither DBZ or Super focus a great deal of attention on either of these relationships, but it’s always fun when these characters do get moments together, and their relationships are all different, cute and interesting in their own ways.

It’s something I’ve really grown to love about the franchise as I’ve gotten older. Mainly because I’m sick of how so many other shows, movies, comics, manga, books etc. that I watch/read handle romance.

I hate the common story telling tropes where characters are frequently ship teased through out a series, and then only get together at the very end when there’s no time left to actually explore how they interact as a couple, as opposed to before they got together. Good shows do this all the time. Avatar the Last Airbender did at least have the decency to have Zuko and Mai, and Sokka and Suki get together in the last season before it ended, but Aang and Katara, who were very plainly painted as the “main couple” of the series, had to wait until the last scene of the very last episode to do so.

And they didn’t really need to either, Aang had already made his feelings towards Katara pretty clear half way through the season, why couldn’t they have just gotten together a few episodes before Sozin’s comet?

This whole cliché is pretty much the only issue I have with the My Hero Academia series. As someone who’s read the manga, it gets irritating how despite all the ship tease between Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka throughout the series, with Ochako having an obvious growing crash on Izuku as the series goes on (And him being infatuated with her from their first encounter), nothing has really come of it outside of a scene of Ochako having a love epiphany, only to tell herself “I have to put these feelings out of my mind so I can stay focused on bettering myself as a hero!” or something like that.

An that’s all well and good, it’s a good character moment and shows that there’s a lot more to her than just being a satellite love interest... but it’s incredibly frustrating at the same time, because the characters are already cute together and would be an utterly adorable couple, and there’s a lot of potential there. Plus, it would buck so many standard shonen conventions and make My Hero Academia feel even more perfect than it already is.

Just... why not let them just spit it out and get together at some point? Honestly if that doesn’t happen and the writer waits until the last chapter to have them get together, I’m going to be very upset. Even more so if it goes the fairy tail route, having NONE of the hinted at couples get together at the end, despite constant ship tease between them for years and knowing full well what the fans wanted to see happen.

And it’s just... it’s not like the build up to a couple getting together CAN’T be interesting and engrossing, with the relationship upgrade being a satisfying climax. One of the reasons Tangled is one of my favourite movies is because of how amazingly well Repunzel and Eugene’s relationship was built up. (And yes, the fact that they got a series following up on that with them as a couple having plenty of focus pleases me greatly, thank you for asking).

But so many shows, movies, books etc don’t do it as well and often have characters with obvious attractions to each other, but they just can’t spit it out or they never try to talk to one another about their feelings. And you know what, that’s not interesting. That’s frustrating, because I’m sick of WANTING to see characters get together in so much of the media I watch, or just generally being given obvious signs that “Yeah, these two are end game” only to have nothing come of that plot point other than maybe a single kiss and a “Now they’re together” moment.

And I know the excuse some might try to pull for kids cartoons or anime with “Well, kids don’t care about romance”. To which I say... I always wanted ship teased characters to get together as a little kid. I was very happy to see Peter Parker marry Mary jane on Spider-man The Animated Series, and was devastated when that Mary jane turned out to be a deteriorating clone who ended up dying. I’ve wanted all my life to see a resolution to the series where the real Mary Jane was found so she and Peter could be together.

I liked seeing characters be couples. Probably helped I watched a lot of Disney movies, where romance was a big plot point in most of them. Maybe not all kids care to see romance in the stuff they watch, but others don’t mind it or find themselves enjoying it even if they can’t relate. I was never a monkey tailed boy living in the middle of a woods with no understanding of any social norms whatsoever who grew up to find out he was an alien and fulfilled a legendary prophecy to overthrow space Hitler, but that lack of relatability didn’t stop me from finding Goku a fascinating character growing up. So why just assume that no kid would want to see two main characters just being a couple in a cartoon? So long as it’s handled well, I don’t think most would mind.

I just wish more shows would actually do stuff with their end game ships after letting the characters get together, instead of just assuming the act of becoming a couple is the end of the story. NO. That’s literally the least interesting part of a relationship, the best parts are the characters actually being a couple, and all the ups and downs, and adorable loving moments that come with that. And the sooner media as a whole realises that, the better.

i’m not saying shipping has to be a big part of the plot either to the point that it takes over the story, of course not. That’s silly unless the work IS a love story. I’m just saying, it would be great to see more shows that didn’t use “getting together” as a note to end on.

I guess that’s one thing Dragon ball still has over almost all other popular shonen series. It knows how to let it’s couples actually be couples.

#dragon ball super #my hero academia #dragon ball #dragon ball z #dbs #tangled #avatar the last airbender #kataang #hanvi #vegebul #gochi #K18 #spider-man #spider-man the animated series #spider man

[magolor-starcutter]

My mother’s reactions to ATLA

1. The Boy in the Iceberg: Why is Ponytail Boy so mean and sexist? Also, I like the uncle already, because he likes roasted duck.

4. The Warriors of Kyoshi: I can’t believe Sokka likes getting his butt kicked. And that Suki likes Sokka. I mean, I didn’t expect some badass warrior girl to have a crush on *Sokka* of all people.

5. The King of Omashu: Isn’t he like 100? How is he so buff? Also, I can’t believe he almost killed Aang.

6. Imprisoned: Haru is so good-looking! Are all Earthbender boys this good-looking or is it just him?

9. The Waterbending Scroll: Why is Katara suddenly such a bitch? I get you’re jealous of Aang, but come on, he’s the *Avatar.* He’s going to be naturally skilled, obviously.

10. Jet: Okay, I’m really confused. Haru is way more handsome than this Freedom Fighter dude. Why is Katara falling for him? She should get back with Haru.

12. The Storm: …Zuko’s father is the biggest dickhead ever. No wonder Zuko is emo and mean all the time. And that girl who was smiling at him: is she his sister or something? She seems like a misguided bitch child.

13. The Blue Spirit: (Zuko as the Blue Spirit appears on screen for the first time) It’s Zuko. I don’t know how I know, but I know.

14. The Fortuneteller: Aang has a crush on Katara? Sorry, Aang, but you’re like 12. Also, how did Katara sparkle when she put the necklace on?

15. Bato of the Water Tribe: Aang! Why! Did! You! Hide! The! Map! I’m starting to lose hope in Aang. Also, that goth chick is *way* too young for Iroh.

16. The Deserter: Aang was dumb, again. How am I not surprised? At least he made Zhao burn down his own ships.

18. The Waterbending Master: (about Pakku at the end of the episode) What a sour old man. I still don’t like him.

19 & 20. The Siege of the North (Part 1 & 2): Yue is *so* dramatic. I still like her, though. Too bad she died and became the moon, I guess. Also, I can’t believe the entire ocean drowned Admiral Monkey Dude.

21. The Avatar State: I was right! That girl was his sister. And she is so mean. That line about the tides was funny, though.

22. The Cave of Two Lovers: Aang, you’re never gonna get a girlfriend if you keep misspeaking like that.

23. Return to Omashu: I don’t like Mai. She’s too sour and typical; a classic edgy teenage girl. Ty Lee is also kind of weird, but at least she’s nice… I guess.

26. The Blind Bandit: (talking to me) I can see why Toph is your favorite character, honey, but Sokka is still my favorite.

27. Zuko Alone: Well, that was depressing.

28. The Chase: Zuko is not really good at communication, is he?

29. Bitter Work: Katara, stop telling Toph what to do. Let her do her job.

30. The Library: Appa is gone? What? For how long? When is he coming back? Also, the sandbender guys were so ugly and creepy.

32. The Serpent’s Pass: “Sorry, samurai girl, I can’t kiss you right now, my ex is watching me.” And now begins the transition of Aang being an edgy teenager.

33. The Drill: I’m surprised Azula didn’t zap Mai right away when the battle was over.

34. City of Walls and Secrets: I did not expect Ba Sing Se to be like that… at all. Also, the Chinese characters for Ba Sing Se aren’t even accurate. I’m confused.

35-B. The Tale of Iroh: (crying) He sure… loves singing a lot.

35-C. The Tale of Aang: (animal jumps at Aang through its cage) Oh no! I got so scared that I dropped my meat bun onto my lap.

36. Appa’s Lost Days: (crying on the bed)

37. Lake Laogai: I don’t like Jet, but I feel bad that he died. He made mistakes but he had a rough childhood. Also, Long Feng is the worst. He’s a coward.

38. The Earth King: Finally, that guy got arrested. Sokka’s jokes are still funny.

40. The Crossroads of Destiny: Zuko! What the fuck! I hate this scumbag. I feel so bad for Iroh. He spent so much time mentoring Zuko and he just betrays him. And, Aang, if you opened all your chuck-ras (she’s used to Aang’s pronunciation) or whatever they’re called, you wouldn’t have almost died and you could smack Azula into the wall.

41. The Awakening: Ew. It’s Zuko. I hate him. I wonder how he’ll get redeemed. + Aang, stop being an idiot! I know you’re 12, but still! (P.S. Katara and Hakoda’s talk made her cry)

44. Sokka’s Master: Yes! Sokka! I love him! Did you write that down, honey?

45. The Beach: Even after this episode, I don’t hate Zuko any less. Also, Azula, it’s just volleyball. Chill out a bit.

46. The Avatar and the Firelord: So Sozin and Roku’s friendship is foreshadowing Aang and Zuko’s future friendship… how is Zuko even gonna get in the group?

47. The Runaway: Katara… you kind of are a mother. A bitter one. But everyone likes you, including Sokka, so it’s okay.

48. The Puppetmaster: Why is it that every time Katara meets another waterbender that they’re evil or something? I mean, I didn’t even expect Hama to be malicious, especially to that extent. Bloodbending is creepy.

50 & 51. The Day of Black Sun (Part 1 & 2): I guess I’m gonna have to like Zuko soon, since he’s gonna join Aang, Katara, and the others.

52. The Western Air Temple: Zuko is actually really good at impressions. Especially the Azula one. I completely agree with Katara about Zuko, though.

54 & 55. The Boiling Rock (Part 1 & 2): I can’t believe Sokka broke his father and girlfriend out of prison. And that Mai quit being *as* bitter.

56. The Southern Raiders: Katara, oh my goodness. Don’t use bloodbending. Sigh. (She later cried when Katara forgave Zuko)

57. The Ember Island Players: Aang, it’s a play. I know you’re still a kid, but come on.

Sozin’s Comet: The Final Battle (Part 1 & 2) - I cannot understand a thing that turtle guy was saying. I think he gave Aang special powers, though. I’m not surprised Iroh instantly forgave Zuko, but he definitely doesn’t deserve it yet. Whatever, though, he’s Zuko.

Sozin’s Comet: The Final Battle (Part 3 & 4) - Finally! Azula got put in her place! I kind of pity her, but she’s still mean when she’s crazy, right? (She later cried when Aang and Zuko hugged and when the show ended, for like, a really long time; maybe 10 minutes)

Verdict - I give it a 10/10. The show was really fun to watch and the characters and plot were very interesting. I guess I like Zuko now, even if he’s still an idiot sometimes. Sokka is still my favorite.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar #zuko #sokka

[fireprunes]

Avatar and Recreation

I don’t really have an excuse except I was watching the episode ‘Lil’ Sebastian’ and it just spiraled from there. Like 98% of the dialogue is straight from the show, but I did ad-lib a couple moments to fit in the Avatar-universe

Alright, pull your dress down a bit... fluff your hair... 

Katara stood in front of the door to Suki’s office. Bless the warrior, her best friend really pulled through on this one. After the war ended, Suki and the Kyoshi warriors moved to the Fire Nation to serve as Zuko’s personal guard. Being head warrior, Suki was granted her own office. 

Which made sneaking around with the Fire Lord that much easier.

Katara and Zuko’s affair hadn’t been going on long. Though they decided not to tell anyone; Suki was the one exception. She and Katara were best friends, inseparable, and Katara ran to Suki immediately after her and Zuko’s first kiss. Zuko was the Fire Lord, and Katara was a waterbender. It was important that their relationship wasn’t discovered yet. They just needed time for the Fire Nation to be okay with the idea of them together. 

But Katara didn’t like thinking about that. For now, the thrill of sneaking around was still new enough to be exciting. Opening the door, Katara walked into the office, only to be greeted by an unwelcome sight. 

Instead of her boyfriend, her brother Sokka sat in Suki’s chair, his legs kicked up on the desk. He watched her come in, face completely calm, as if he had been waiting for her to come in. 

“Hello, Katara. How long have you been sleeping with Zuko?”

Katara froze. “What?” 

Sokka asked again. “How long have you been sleeping with Zuko?” 

Okay, keep calm Katara. Just deny it. She tried to put on her best shocked face, acting like she had no idea what Sokka was talking about. “That’s disgusting, and wrong! I don't even get... Why would I? I've never had sex with anyone, anywhere.” Sokka just nodded slightly at that, amusement written all over his face. “It's none of your—You have the nerve, the audacity! 

“Zuko is the Fire Lord, technically. And he is terrible, facewise.” Sokka raised an eyebrow at that. “And how—How do I know, frankly, that you're not sleeping with him? Maybe you are. Maybe you're trying to throw me off. Hmm. Check and mate.” Katara was rambling now. Sokka’s eyes narrowed slightly. “This is an outrage!” Katara yelled. “Who do I call?” 

It was at that moment Zuko decided to finally show up. Not noticing Sokka, he ran up behind Katara, poking her playfully at her sides. Katara shot up out of her skin, stiffening at her boyfriend’s inopportune arrival. “Hey,” he said, nuzzling his head into the back of her neck. He spun her around slightly, so she was facing him. “Hey...” he said again, smiling at her. 

Spirits stop please. Katara tried to say with her eyes. “Hey... hey...” she said back to Zuko, hoping he would notice Sokka before he tried to kiss her. 

Luckily, he did. Zuko’s eyes widened when he saw his girlfriend’s brother. He immediately let go of her waist, coughing uncomfortably. “Hey, Sokka! Listen...You’re just who I was looking for!” He lied. “Are you... did you forget... the uhm...” Zuko snapped his fingers, trying to think of some excuse to give to the smug swordsman at the desk. “Did you—Can I get that thing? Can we just... uh... Did you bring it?” Zuko dropped his head, knowing he wasn’t doing anything to cover up what Sokka just saw. “This isn’t convincing,” he conceded.

Katara sighed. She couldn’t blame him for trying. She looked to Sokka, who was just trying not to laugh at the two of them. “How did you find out?” She asked. 

“We grew up together. I’d like to think I know you pretty well.” Katara started to say something in response, but Sokka kept going. “Plus... I was walking back from dinner yesterday and overheard you two in here.

“’Okay, okay!’” Sokka started, doing his best impression of Katara. “And this is how Avatar Kyoshi would kiss.” Zuko's face turned a deep scarlet. Katara closed her eyes, completely mortified. “’Woah,’” Sokka continued, now impersonating Zuko. “’Kyoshi likes the tongue.’” Zuko looked like he was about to implode in on himself. 

Hesitantly, Katara spoke again. “Please tell me you walked away before Oma and Shu?” 

Sokka shoot his head regretfully. “Unfortunately not.” Zuko released a groan that sounded like he had just been stabbed. “This is a scandal waiting to happen!” Sokka scolded. “If you get caught—which you clearly will— the Fire Nation council could pounce. And there’s nothing either of you will be able to do.” 

“Sokka, we’re being very careful!” Katara argued. 

“’Oh Shu!’” Sokka mimicked. “My bindings unraveled!’” He lowered his voice, as to match Zuko’s raspy tone. “’Well, Oma, let me help you with that. It’s going to be a bumpy ride to the Cave of Two Lovers. Our villages have had a very...’”

“Stop!” Katara interrupted. Zuko looked as if he was going to be physically sick. “You’ve proven your point.” 

#zutara #zutara fanfiction #my writing #god im so sorry for this #i WONT SHUT UP about my Friends!AU #but i was watching this episode and was like #omg... its zutara