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bellatrixobsessed1 · 7 months

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Vicarious (Part 14)

Azula can’t recall the last time she has been this close to someone. Even during their bath, she had managed to keep Sokka at arms length, not she is holding him in her arms and it couldn’t possibly feel any stranger.

At some point he had gone silent, at least now she doesn’t have to grit her teeth and listen to the sound of her own crying. It is such a horrible, ugly, painful sound. A sound that puts all kinds of knots in her belly.

She didn’t want Sokka to cry if for no other reason than not wanting to hear it. Not wanting to see it. She doesn’t like how she looks when she cries, the way that her face reddens and bunches up. She is not a dainty, graceful crier like her mother had been, like even Zuko is. And now that Sokka has gone silent and near limp, it’s almost worse. She looks so fragile, even to her own eyes. Her cheeks are decorated with red streaks and lines of black makeup run down her face.

She dabs those cheeks dry with her sleeve. Remembering only in retrospect that Sokka might not want his sleeves stained with makeup. He closes his hand around hers and squeezes tightly.

“When did you guys get here?” She hears Jin ask and her body tenses all over again, a chill vibrating up and down her spine.

“Almost the whole time.” Katara says quietly.

And she goes cold all over. It doesn’t matter if they had arrived at the beginning or somewhere in the middle. Either which way, they saw her cry. Just as they are seeing Sokka holding her. They don’t know that it is happening the other way around and she isn’t sure if that is better or worse. Sokka doesn’t let go of her hand and she can’t bring herself to tug out of his grasp.

For the first time, she sees dread on their faces. Dread and maybe, if she is not mistaken, guilt as they look upon the trembling body in her arms. She wishes with all of her soul that Sokka would stop crying. She’d rather have him march right up to them and apologize. That would be less humiliating than the sobbing.

“You have to stop now.” She whispers in his ear.

He has to because the sound of his cries is destroying her thrice over. Once in having to see exactly how she looks when she cries, how small and helpless and week. Twice in realizing that her struggles are so hard to wrestle with that they can break someone who has no real attachment to them. Thrice in that this person who she shouldn’t care for is in so much pain. And to some extent it is her fault. “Please stop crying.” She murmurs.

“I can’t.” He says quietly back. “I don’t want to be alone anymore. I’m not the type of person who can be alone. I need friends.”

And maybe these words have such an edge because they very well could come from the back of her mind where the rest of the things she has repressed dwell.

She likes to think that she is better off alone but up until Mai and TyLee had left her, she has always done her best work with companions at her side.

“I-I’ll be your friend, okay?” She tries, she hopes that she doesn’t sound as desperate as she is beginning to feel. She needs to get this under control. Agni, it is already too late for that! “You won’t be alone. Jin will also be your friend.”

The other woman’s mouth opens and then closes. Azula’s heart leaps. But when she finally does speak, her words are a breath of fresh air. “Yeah. I’ll…keep you company sometimes.”

“You will?” Sokka murmurs.

Perhaps Jin will keep his spirits up so she won’t have to worry about another moment like this.

Jin nods. “Sure. I’m not going to tolerate any pushy behavior.”

Azula tries to pass Sokka off to Jin, but the man clings stubbornly and maddeningly to her. With her own body still in her arms, she gets to her feet. “I’m going to take her to her room.” She doesn’t spare Sokka’s friends a passing glance.

The whole palace seems quiet now. Silent as though it too is waiting, anticipating how this will all play out. There is only the crackle of the various fire pits in the guest bedrooms. Azula reaches her own and carefully sets Sokka down on the mattress. Facedown, with his cheek against the pillow.

“You’ve been having trouble sleeping, I can tell.” She mentions. “Try sleeping on your stomach with your arms like this.” She positions one of his arms beneath the pillow and the other between his cheek and the pillow. She pulls the blankets up to his shoulders.

It is the most care she has given to her body in a while now. It is the most care that she has ever afforded to someone who isn't herself.

“This is really comfortable.” He admits, his voice still hitching. Cracking particularly when he adds that uncomfortable positioning isn’t why he hasn’t been sleeping.

“I know.” She replies quietly. “But sometimes it helps.” It is fascinating how sleep eventually comes when the situation becomes familiar and then numb. She realizes that she doesn’t want Sokka to know what that feels like.

She sits on the edge of the bed with her hand on his back until he falls asleep.

.oOo.

She is terrified when Aang suggests inviting her to dinner. Every time they have tried to include her it has been a disaster whether it was she or Sokka captaining the ship. She can’t see this playing out much differently.

But she watches Sokka make himself comfortable at the table, he picks a spot between she and Jin and almost immediately hunches over and buries his face in his arms. She thinks that he has a perfect understanding now of how pointless it all is. Even if they invite him to dinner he is only there until they grow tired of him.

By now he doesn’t seem to be interested in talking to his own friends.

By now, the rosy tint is wearing off and she doesn’t particular want to converse with them either.

The conversations that had elevated her mood just a few days ago are becoming laborious after watching from the outside how they treat her. She speaks to them only out of a sense of duty, to maintain those friendships on Sokka’s behalf.

Aang is the first to speak, he always is. Of all of them, she likes him the most. She might even say that she considers him to be something of a very, very distant friend. At the very least, she doesn’t resent him. “We’ve been really hard on you, haven’t we?”

And because she is in Sokka’s body she has no problem leaning back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest, and propping her feet up on the table in the exact manner that drives her absolutely mad when she catches him do it. Because she is in his body she has no qualms about uttering, “no shit.”

Attention shifts to him.

“Right.” Mai begins. “You’ve been talking to her lately, haven’t you?”

She nods.

“And you let her get into your head?”

She has to stop herself from laughing the sort of laugh that borders on hysterics.

“You know that she lies.” Zuko says uncertainty.

“She didn’t have to say a word.” Azula shrugs. “I just had to sit back and watch.”

To her surprise, Katara gives an uncomfortable shift and makes a terribly uncomfortable point. “I don’t think that the whole…wrist thing…”

“Suicide attempt.” Sokka cuts in. “You can call it what it was.” In lead in, inflection, and blunt word choice, it is so uncannily like her. She swallows, Sokka may well just be losing himself. Agni, for the first time she considers that she won’t have to worry about him trying to find a way to swap back.

Tension that already had the consistency of molasses, becomes that much thicker. That much harder to wade through. But Katara, pushes through the liquid. “Yes.” She clears her throat. “I don’t think that, that was a lie.”

There is something in her eyes.

A look.

A dullness.

Something distant.

Something haunted.

For the first time Azula wonders just how much Katara is repressing for herself. She can’t imagine that it was anything less than horrifying to have a limp and dying body carried to her. She wonders if the woman thinks about it now and then, replays the moment in her head just as it plays out in Azula’s own nightmares. She wonders if that’s one of the many things that keeps Sokka from sleeping.

And the silence descends once more.

What is to be said for that?

For as much as Azula has done to hurt them, they can’t say that they haven’t damaged her right back. Maybe she is a monster. But it might be that she is just one of many. It could be that they are all horrible people. At least she has the decency to see herself for what she is.

The silence becomes absolutely choking and that is precisely how she knows that she has said something to that effect out loud. They are all staring at her. Sokka is staring at her. “At least she…” Azula had pointed at her own body. “Knows what she is.” That is the sentence that echos about the room. That is the sentence that has spoiled a dinner that never had a chance to be pleasant.

“You all pretend to be such nice people.” Sokka mutters. “Forgiveness this, forgiveness that. I think that all of you are trying to kill me…” rather get her to kill herself. “It wouldn’t have mattered would it have?”

Azula tenses. This is the question that has been burning on her tongue. The one that she is terrified to ask. Were she not petrified with dread, she might have stood and left.

“If I died that day, you wouldn’t have cared.” It isn’t a question. “You all would have been relieved.”

“Princess...” Jin whispers.

Sokka shakes his head. “No. I want to know!”

But she doesn’t, not at all. She feels sick. Sick and trapped because Sokka would have no reason to flee the discussion. She wouldn’t want to explain her sudden departure.

“How long would you pretend to be sad for?”

“Azula.” Zuko begins just as quietly as Jin. “We wouldn’t have wanted that. We wouldn’t have been happy.”

“But you aren’t doing anything to keep it from happening again.” He says flatly. “You’re making it so easy to give it another try.”

Azula’s blood runs completely cold. He isn’t actually…? He can’t be. He hasn’t occupied her body for that long. But he also isn’t equipped in any way to handle the things that she needs to handle. He isn’t numb like she is.

Suddenly she isn’t certain of what sort of state he will emerge in if they switch back.

Suddenly she isn’t certain if happy, goofy Sokka exists anymore.

She has destroyed him without having to do anything at all.

She reaches for his hand. He squeezes hers so tightly.

He needs touch.

She needs touch.

She has needed it for so, so long.

When she looks up she sees that Zuko is crying. She furrows his brows. “Did you even know?” Azula asks. “Did Katara even tell you?”

Zuko shakes his head.

Spirits! She knew that he was oblivious but this? This is a brand new level. “What did you think the bandages were for!?”

“She uses wrist wraps when practicing her bending.” Zuko mutters. “It’s not out of the ordinary to see.”

She supposes that he has a point there.

“Why didn’t you mention it, Sokka?” Now he sounds accusatory. He needs to shift the blame, put it on someone else because at the end of the day, he is soft. The guilt will eat him alive. It has to be someone else’s fault.

“I thought that Katara told you.”

Katara shakes her head. “I didn’t think that it was my place.”

“Not your place?” Jin asks. “I feel like keeping secrets is a little different when that’s the kind of secret.”

“Wow this is a mess.” Toph grumbles. “I just wanted to enjoy some dumplings.”

“Can’t you be serious for one conversation!” Sokka snaps. “Just one!”

Azula wonders how many times Toph has made a tactless joke at the wrong time.

“Just trying to lighten the mood.” She lifts her hand.

“Have you considered that some moods shouldn’t be lightened?” Sokka hisses. “Maybe some things should be serious.”

She wonders if he is addressing Toph or if he is scolding himself. She wonders what TyLee would say if she were here and not off with Suki.

Katara nods. “Yeah. Maybe some things should be serious.”

To Azula’s dismay Sokka is in tears all over again. She rubs her hands over her face. The knots in her stomach tighten even further when he moves himself closer to her. He expects her to comfort him, Agni, he expects her to comfort him…

In her life she has seen many make or break moments. Omashu, Ba Sing Se, Sozin’s Comet…the list is almost endless. In the grander scheme of things this is such a small thing. But she knows it for what it is. If she takes him into her arms now then it will put a new spin on things. She will have an in.

The one that Sokka has been trying to push her towards this whole time. The one that she had been nervous to take for a good many reasons.

She doesn’t want Sokka to be in control of her life at a time like this.

Against her every instinct she takes him into her arms once again and holds his head against her chest. She can almost pretend like Sokka isn’t there; can almost pretend like she is giving herself the love that she has craved for so long.

Whether they like it or not, as far as they know, Sokka has grown fond of Azula. As far as they know, Azula has grown fond of Sokka too.

True to her word, Jin takes hold of Sokka’s hand. It is more love and comfort than she has ever received and it isn’t even the one receiving it. She fends off a twinge of jealousy.

“Since when were the two of you so close?” Mai asks.

“Since I found her bleeding.” The best lies are the ones that are true at the same time.

“You’re going to be alright, Azula.” Aang promises.

“How?” Sokka mumbles into her chest.

“We’ll give you a chance. A real chance. Right?” He looks around the table. Each nod is as reluctant as the next, save for Zuko who has the politeness to agree right away. “I think that we all have a lot to talk about.”

It had only taken watching her break, truly and totally.

She only had to bleed for them.

#avatar the last airbender #azula #sokka #sokkla #fanfiction

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nami-writes · 2 years

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Cold Baths - Avatar: The Last Airbender/Chaos Walking

[ 1 | 2 | 3 ]

old post i've had in my drafts for so long i forgot it was there, this fic has since been abandoned but i might as well post it anyway lmao

chapter 3 of whatever this is, in which zuko and sokka have a heated discussion over baths

Shit, the deputy mayor’s Noise says as he exhales and sits back down, and Zuko isn’t sure why. If anything in his Noise says why, Zuko doesn’t catch it. All he knows is that the people of Farbranch want to hang him, and it doesn’t seem like either Tuila cares to help him.

The door to the lodge opens before he has time to continue wallowing in his pity and he’s almost grateful for the distraction when Mayor Tuila comes out. “Was that Matthew?”

“Yeah,” Deputy Mayor Tuila scoffs. “You saw that?”

“What did he want?”

Oh, boy. The deputy mayor hesitates. “Confirmation that we’re going to hang Zuko.”

The mayor is visibly surprised at how he refers to Zuko by name— and how he even knows his name— but she brushes it off. “It is the law.”

His Noise is a little more cluttered than Zuko’s used to. “Yeah.”

She seems to pause to consider something, eyes downcast for a moment before looking back up at Sokka. “We don’t have anywhere for them to stay,” she says, gesturing to Zuko and then looking behind herself at Suki. “They’re going to have to stay with us.”

“Really?” Deputy Mayor Tuila groans. Great. “I have to sleep with him?”

“Yes, you do,” Mayor Tuila says. Then she looks at Zuko. “But first, you and Suki need a bath.”

He stares at her. “A bath?”

“You know, when you fill up a bathtub with water and—”

“I know what a bath is, asshole,” he cuts the deputy mayor off, then looks back at the mayor. “You’re letting us bathe?”

“I’d rather let you bathe than keep smelling you like this,” she says.

“There isn’t much of a point to letting me bathe if I’ll be hanged in the morning.” He’s still sour about that.

He almost wants to laugh when he hears Deputy Mayor Tuila’s Noise: ooh, he went there.

For a moment, it looks like the mayor falters— possibly even feels guilty— but then it’s gone and she glares at the deputy mayor before looking back to Zuko. “If you really want to stay dirty, be my guest. But the offer still stands.”

Zuko shrugs. Fine with him, he won’t be taking it.

“Sokka, show him to your room.”

“You got it.”

The mayor turns back inside and they follow. At her request, Suki joins them and once they reach a hallway, they split into separate rooms— girls on the right in the bathroom, boys on the left in a bedroom. Which leaves Zuko alone with the deputy mayor. Again.

“Do you have to be so pessimistic about it?” Deputy Mayor Tuila sighs, annoyed as he makes his way to one of the beds and sits down on it. I’m as happy about it as you are but you don’t see me bitching about it in my Noise, do you?

“What’s there to be optimistic about?” He stops and lingers by the door. “I’m stuck with you.”

“Would you rather be stuck with Katara? Because I can arrange that.”

Zuko huffs and doesn’t respond.

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

As if on cue, the mayor comes out of the bathroom and shuts the door behind her, muffling the sound of water beginning to run. She passes their room inconspicuously and enters what Zuko assumes is her own room but he doesn’t miss the odd look she gives him.

It takes Deputy Mayor Tuila a moment to realize Zuko’s just standing there in the doorway and he stares at him like he’s stupid. “Are you gonna sit down?”

“...Where?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he drawls, “maybe on the other fucking bed?” He gestures widely to the unoccupied bed. “What’d you think it was for?”

This time, it’s Zuko looking at the deputy mayor like he’s stupid. “The mayor?”

“Okay, that’s… actually a reasonable assumption,” he replies, “but no. It’s a spare. Men and women sleep in separate rooms here.”

“Why?”

“Katara says our Noise is too loud.” He shrugs. “I dunno, I don’t think we’re that loud.”

“You didn’t live in a town with only men,” Zuko scoffs, making his way to the bed. He isn’t sure why he gets a bed, but he also definitely isn’t going to complain. “We’re definitely that loud.”

“Wait!”

Zuko stops just short of sitting down at Deputy Mayor Tuila’s outburst, nearly falling backward with his hands bound, and glares at him. “What?”

“You might want to rethink not taking a bath,” he says, looking Zuko up and down. “You’re gonna dirty the bed.”

“I’m not that dirty,” he argues. “And I’ve been sleeping in the woods for the past week. I’d rather sleep in a little dirt than take a cold bath.”

The deputy mayor gapes at him. “Okay first of all, you can’t tell me you’re ‘not that dirty’ and then immediately afterward say you’ve been sleeping in the woods for a week. And second of all, what’s wrong with cold baths?”

“What isn’t?”

“Excuse me—”

“You’re excused.”

“—I’ll have you know cold baths are just as beneficial as hot ones are.”

“How do you know?” Zuko says. Hot baths are practically impossible to come across. Zuko can’t compare cold baths to hot ones, he just knows he hates the cold.

“What do you mean, they’re ‘impossible to come across’?” Then he pauses. “Wait. Don’t tell me— you’ve never had a hot bath before?”

Zuko stares. “You have?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“How?”

“What do you mean, how?” he scoffs. “I turned the hot water knob and—”

“No, I mean, how do you have hot water?”

“How do I— you don’t have hot water?” It’s his turn to stare now.

“No,” Zuko says. “None of the water heaters in Prentisstown work so they just scrapped them and used the parts for other stuff.”

“Ours didn’t work at first either, but we have a plumber who was able to get the intact ones working.”

“Huh.” All the men in Prentisstown know how to do is fight and kill. “Wait. Does that mean I can have a hot bath?”

“Unless you’d prefer a cold one, yeah.” The water stops in the other room and Suki walks out in completely new clothes, presumably the mayor’s. She gives them a curious look before entering the mayor’s room and the deputy mayor grins at the now-empty bathroom. “You sure you still don’t want a bath?”

“Shut up and untie me.”

The deputy mayor gives him a look. Zuko returns it.

“Do you expect me to take a bath with my hands tied?”

He splutters. “Well”—that’s a good point—“no, but I don’t know if Katara’ll be okay with me untying you after, y’know, she tied you up and all…”

“She’s the one who offered to let me bathe in the first place,” Zuko says, exasperated.

Okay, yeah, that’s… also a good point. “Fine. C’mere.”

Zuko makes his way to Deputy Mayor Tuila and holds out his wrists. He expects him to unknot the rope but instead, the deputy mayor reaches around behind Zuko and pulls the knife from his belt. “Hey—!” It slices cleanly through the knot with some sawing and the rope falls loose around his wrists while he gapes at the deputy mayor. “How did you—”

“Your Noise, dumbass,” he scoffs with a grin. “When you thought you were gonna be hanged and you reached for this.” Hah, that was the coolest thing I’ve ever done. He twirls the knife in his fingers, then promptly drops it on the bed. Damn it, nevermind, I jinxed it.

Zuko doesn’t bat an eye. “So you’ve known I had it this whole time? Why didn’t you take it earlier?”

“It was in the back of your belt and Katara tied your hands in front,” he shrugs. “No way you were reaching it.”

He sighs. “I guess I’m not getting that back until I leave.” Or get hanged, in which case he wouldn’t get it back at all. The latter being more likely.

“Mm,” he turns the knife around in his hands slowly like he’s dragging out a joke, “I dunno, this is a pretty nice knife. I might keep it.”

“Don’t you dare,” Zuko snaps and pulls the rope off of his wrists. He got that knife from his uncle, before he was exiled by the mayor. The deputy mayor could take it and Zuko wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, he knows that, but he can’t replace it and he needs that knife.

“Okay, okay, geez, I was kidding.” He holds up his hands in mock surrender. “But I’m not giving it back while you’re untied. Consider it… a reason to not try and escape from the bathroom.”

He huffs but doesn’t protest. That’s fair; he wasn’t planning on running anyway. “Fine.”

The deputy mayor looks over the knife again, seriously this time. He glances over the foreign inscription on one side, then turns it over to look at more inscriptions on the other. “What’s this say?” Idiot, just because it’s his knife doesn’t mean he knows what it says even though it’s not English. “I mean, do you know?”

“No.” He can’t.

He shrugs. Fair enough. He sticks the knife in his own belt and takes the rope from Zuko.

“If you’re done wasting my time,” Zuko says, “I’m gonna go take my bath. Don’t touch my bag.” He goes and tosses his rucksack on the floor by the spare bed— it’s dirtier than he is and there’d be no point in bathing if he just dirtied the bed with his bag anyway— and starts toward the door.

“Uh, aren’t you forgetting something?”

He stops and turns around. “What?”

“Are you just gonna… wear the same dirty clothes when you get out?” he says blankly.

“Yeah?” Zuko says. “What else would I wear?”

“...Clean clothes?”

“I can clean them while I’m in the bathroom.”

“They’re gonna take forever to dry.”

“Well, I don’t have any other clothes, so I don’t know what you expect me to wear.”

This guy— “Zuko, you oblivious asshole, I have clean clothes you can borrow,” Deputy Mayor Tuila sighs.

He bristles a little at the use of his name, then frowns. “They’re your clothes.”

He rolls his eyes. “We have a plumber and a seamstress.” Before Zuko can protest, he drops the rope on his bed and makes his way to the dresser.

“You don’t have to—”

“No, shh,” he interrupts, “I don’t wanna hear it.” Where’s my old pair of knee shorts? Sifting through a drawer of clothes, he selects a white tank top and the aforementioned shorts and throws both on his bed. He pulls out another drawer, then makes a face. Eugh. “You’re cool with your own underwear, right?” He shuts it before Zuko can answer— duh, no shit he wants to keep his own underwear, gross— and grabs the clothes to shove them in Zuko’s arms. “Here. Now I have something of yours and you have something of mine.”

“I don’t need—”

“Nope, fuck you and fuck off,” he retorts, turning Zuko in the direction of the door and pushing him forward. “Go take your inferior hot bath.”

“What’s the point?” Zuko mutters as he begrudgingly walks to the doorway. “I’m being hanged tomorrow. You’re gonna have to take your clothes off my corpse.”

“Wow, okay, morbid.” But good point. “Worry about your bath first. If you die, you might as well be clean.”

Zuko almost scoffs at the “if” as he leaves. There is no “if,” it’s “when.”

#atla #atla fanfic #atla zuko #atla sokka #fanfic #writing

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solarmorrigan · 3 years

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Okay, so I see your touch-starved!Zuko headcanons, and they’re great and valid, and we’ll get to that in a minute, but first. Hear me out a sec. Touch-starved Ambassador Sokka

He grew up in the Southern Water Tribe, a small enough group that everyone mostly knew everyone, and touch was free and easy. Closeness was not only common, but sometimes a necessity. Then, when he left, he traveled with his sister (also Water Tribe, and Comforting Hugs Incarnate), Aang (who both valued and needed the physical contact as much as Sokka and Katara did), and later Toph (who wouldn’t know personal boundaries if they were made out of solid rock) and Suki (who was dating Sokka at the time). And Zuko - but like I said, we’ll get to him

So coming to the Fire Nation in an official, politics-like capacity is a bit of a culture shock for Sokka. It’s not that he didn’t notice how they’re more reserved with physical touch the last few times he was there, it was just that he had a buffer of close friends who were always there with hugs and sleep piles when he needed them. Now, he’s largely surrounded by strangers who Do Not Touch

Sure, there’s the odd handshake, a pat on the shoulder for a particularly good idea, even sparring matches when the palace guards start to loosen up around him (challenging nobles other than Zuko to spar seems unwise, politically speaking, and other members of the palace staff certainly won’t engage, but the guards will let Sokka train with them sometimes, so that’s cool), but it’s really not the same. It’s no substitute for Katara’s hugs (not that he’ll tell her so), or the way Aang will sometimes just cuddle up to friends, or Toph’s casual invasion of space, or the way they could all just shove their bedrolls together and sleep in a pile of limbs - and it’s definitely no comparison to the way things had been back home

Sokka feels almost sick with it sometimes, like his skin is crawling and aching and, counter-intuitively, like the only thing that will make it stop is if someone just maybe lies down on top of him. Or something. He finds himself lingering over brief touches from the few people at the palace he’s become friendly with, and realizes he probably needs to do something about this soon before he just asks one of the palace staff for a hug or something equally depressing and likely to get the staff to lodge a complaint about him

Thus, Sokka hunts down Zuko (oh, how the tables have turned). Not that Zuko’s been avoiding him, they’re both just busy. They haven’t seen each other as much as either of them would like, so really Sokka’s taking out two birds with one stone here. Have bro hangout time, get a hug. Totally not weird

He probably makes it a little weird by saying, as soon as Zuko has let Sokka into his chambers and they probably can’t be heard by the guards, “So not to be weird, but can I have a hug?”

He did, in his defense, say that he wasn’t trying to be weird. The look Zuko gives him tells Sokka that he has probably not succeeded in not being weird about it

“Uh,” Zuko says, which is as far as he gets before Sokka interrupts to attempt damage control and probably makes it worse

“Okay, no, that definitely sounded weird, didn’t it? Sorry, I’m not trying to be like- not that I wouldn’t! Or that I would! I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, is what I mean, but I’m also super uncomfortable because I don’t think I’ve been able to just be close to someone for more than a few seconds at a time since I got here and it’s like I just- I just need- but, I mean, not if you-” Sokka cuts off when Zuko grabs him by the front of his shirt and yanks him in for a hug

“You’re overthinking again,” Zuko tells him, and holds on, and lets him be close

Sokka doesn’t even have a comeback because spirits, this is nice. This is so nice. This is exactly what he was missing and it feels so good to have another person wrapped around him that he might actually cry. He buries his face in Zuko’s neck and tries not to do that, so as not to make it weirder, but Zuko probably wouldn’t notice if Sokka did shed a few tears because he’s too busy being overwhelmed himself

Because spirits, this is nice. Zuko hasn’t had anyone to hold like this since he and Mai broke up and she went to seek out Ty Lee, hasn’t had anyone who wanted to hold him since he last visited Uncle in Ba Sing Se, and he hadn’t even realized how much he was missing it until he realizes he’s shaking against Sokka, and Sokka-

Sokka definitely notices. And holds Zuko tighter, and presses his face a little closer, and they stand there like that until their legs get stiff and tired, and then they just go to the little sofa by the fireplace and practically settle on top of one another and fall asleep that way

After that, Sokka declares it’s just mutually beneficial for them to go on being Cuddle Buddies. (Zuko makes a face at the name, but Sokka is unwilling to budge; he is great at naming things, thank you very much.) They try to make time for each other at least once a week, which turns into pretty much any day one of them isn’t in a late meeting, and they spend evenings curled together doing paperwork or reading or (hopefully) catching some sleep

Kissing isn’t really necessary, but after the first one, Sokka suggests they graduate to being Smooch Buddies, because that is far superior

(”Boyfriends,” Zuko says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Let’s just be boyfriends.”

“Yeah,” Sokka replies, hoping desperately he sounds cooler about this than he feels. “That’s good, too.”)

#sokka #zuko #zukka #sokkazuko #avatar the last airbender #long post #solar wrote

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sokkastyles · 3 years

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People usually says that Katara and Aang are best friends, but I really don't see this. Katara and Aang never shared any deep conversation or understanding, I mean, Katara does understand and protect and cuddle Aang, more like a mother would do, but Aang never does the same. Actually, I think he disrespected here more than just a couple of times. On "Southern Raiders" Katara even said that she knew Aang would never understand her. Best friends are supposed do be supportive, understanding and Katara knew that Aang wouldn't be able to do this for her. I don't think that Katara goes to Aang to share her burdens because she is constantly protecting him and he probably wouldn't be able to handle it. I do think they are friends, but never best friends. Katara gives and Aang just takes.

I'd like to hear your opinion.

I think it says a lot that Katara tells Aang in "The Southern Raiders" that she knew he wouldn't understand this part of her. Katara is always trying to protect Aang from anything, including herself and her darker emotions. That says to me more than just feeling protective of Aang, it says that she feels like she can't be her true self around him. Like when she yells at him in "The Waterbending Scroll," she immediately apologizes and is afraid of hurting his feelings. When she is praised for her bending skills in front of Aang, she deflects and says that Aang is the Avatar. Whether or not Aang actually does understand Katara (and I think it ALSO says a lot that he claims he understands but then completely misunderstands at the end of the episode, and is wrong about his assumption about what Katara would do) it is clear that KATARA thinks Aang wouldn't understand this aspect of her personality, and that's true not in just what she says in TSR but in the way she hides the darker or more selfish parts of herself when she is around him. Like how she waits until she is alone with Zuko to finish her threat to him. Or when she breaks down in the catacombs (again while alone with Zuko) because she has to always keep it together for Aang and the rest of the group.

If you look at that scene in TSR, Katara didn't even want to tell Aang where she was going.

Katara: I need to borrow Appa.

Aang: [Jokingly.] Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?

Katara: Yes, it is.

Aang: [Slightly surprised.] Oh. What's going on?

Katara: We're going to find the man who took my mother from me.

Zuko: Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him.

Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?

Katara: [Shakes her head in dismay.] Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand.

I mean. Look at the way Katara approaches this situation. She's not asking Aang's permission, they're already packed. She doesn't open with telling Aang where they are going and why or bring up her mother to appeal to what he already knows about her trauma. She just tells him she needs to borrow Appa. She's already decided that he's not a part of this, she doesn't want him to see this part of her, and she already knows Aang won't understand.

And Aang's response in the face of Katara's seriousness is to joke about it. And he's totally surprised when he realizes how serious she is. I'm supposed to think that these two people have a deep and intimate connection?

Moreover, Katara becomes even more defensive in response to Aang's levity. Her dialogue changes from "I need this" to "WE are going to do this." Meaning her and Zuko. Because she feels unsupported by Aang. She's already decided that Zuko will support her in a way Aang won't, and she hated Zuko like five minutes ago! But she trusts him more than she does Aang, the supposed wholesome option, her supposed best friend.

Another very interesting thing is that when she says she knew Aang wouldn't understand, it is to refute Aang's dismissal of what Zuko said. Zuko is speaking in support of Katara after Aang's initial dismissal of her, Aang is dismissive again, and Katara says what she said to Aang not only in response to his tone, which makes it clear that he doesn't take what she wants to do seriously, but she says it to defend Zuko. It is, like, hilarious when people use this episode as evidence that Katara and Zuko are toxic together because what they just did right there was support each other instantly, while Aang and Katara bicker with and talk past each other.

Katara could have said something like "Zuko says he knows where to find him and it's the only chance I have" or something to indicate that she didn't really trust or want to go with him, because she hasn't forgiven him yet, but she doesn't do that. Instead she lets Zuko explain the situation to Aang, who should know her better and who she should feel more comfortable with than a guy she only recently stopped hating.

The thing that gets me is that there were multiple opportunities to use this episode as a bonding moment between Katara and Aang, even as its purpose is to establish a bond between Katara and Zuko. Aang could have apologized to Katara for not understanding or used it as an opportunity to learn about her. Instead he assumes she'll do what he thinks she should do and is totally wrong, makes an assumption, and Katara's look of guilt when Aang says he knew she'd "make the right choice" is so painful. That look says so much. Because I believe Katara wished Aang understood. I think she wished she could show the more hurt side of herself to him without fear of judgement. It's the same look she gets when she overhears Sokka talking about how he thinks of her as a mother figure. And whether or not it is Aang's - or Sokka's - fault that Katara feels this way, the reality is that she does, and that is so sad.

It's sad that a fourteen year old girl feels that much pressure to be perfect, to not show anything that might be interpreted as ugly or uncomfortable for the people around her to deal with. To take care of other people to the point of feeling guilty for her own emotional needs.

What annoys me a lot of the time about this conversation is that a lot of people center Aang and how good of a person he is and how he "deserves" Katara, how dare you say Aang did anything wrong, etc etc. The problem with this - other than that no one deserves a relationship based on how good they are - is that it's not necessarily about what Aang did wrong, it's about Katara's needs not being met. And the show weirdly went out of its way in one of its last episodes that focused on Katara and her relationships to show that Katara's emotional needs were not being met in her relationship with Aang.

#katara #antikataang #the southern raiders #zuko #the runaway #the waterbending scroll

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helpistolethesecharacters · 3 years

Text

Love Conquers All

Part 2

Zuko x Male Reader

Word Count: 1643

-----------

The next morning Y/n followed Zuko back down to the kid's campsite. Y/n was half expecting them to have packed up and left, but he was happily proven wrong when they got down there.

The kids were sitting in a half circle, clearly waiting for the two of them to arrive. From the looks of things, they might actually be more open to talking to them today.

A look at the water tribe girl told Y/n that she still had a serious distrust for them that would be annoying to get past.

They approached the group. Y/n held back. He would be on guard for anything they might pull that could hurt Zuko.

"Um, so, you guys have something you want to say?"

Y/n guessed that if you couldn't count on the Avatar to break the ice then the world was doomed.

"Yes. I'm here because I know now that my destiny is to teach the Avatar firebending. I also wanted to say that I'm deeply sorry for all of my actions that have caused you pain or worry. I know that my apology doesn't fix everything, but I hope that it can help pave the way to better relations between us."

Y/n had missed this version of Zuko. He had been buried under so much pain and anguish, and had been desperately trying not to let anyone see it. It was good to have him acting more like himself again, but no amount of royal training was going to remove his awkward manner.

"Why should we believe anything you have to say? You've been chasing us around the world trying to capture Aang and kill us! We shouldn't even be sitting here listening to you!"

That girl was really sticking with her hard-done-by feelings. Y/n was going to have to keep a close eye on her around Zuko.

"Actually," the water tribe boy interjected, "I had a question about that."

He stared into the remains of their fire for a second before looking up at the still standing duo.

"Why didn't you just use your airbending to capture Aang? I mean, it looked like you were holding your own against Katara pretty well. When we first met you could have wiped the floor with us. So why?"

Y/n was surprised. The Water Tribe boy was more perceptive than he had given him credit for.

"It's a secret."

Bless Zuko for trying to take the question for him. Y/n sent a grateful smile his way.

"The Fire Lord has decreed that any airbenders are to be executed. If any are found, it's a death sentence."

Y/n looked around at the appalled faces of the kids. Finally it looked like they were starting to realise what they were involved in.

"How can you side with monsters like that?!"

Y/n turned furious eyes on the opinionated girl.

"I don't side with them! I side with Zuko."

"That isn't any better! So you're saying that if he decided to go back to the Fire Nation tomorrow you would just go with him?"

She was on her feet and flinging her words at him much the same way she had been with water the day before.

She turned back to her friends.

"This is why we can't trust them! I know you want to have someone else who's an airbender Aang, but he won't do the right thing if Zuko doesn't."

She spat Zuko's name like it was a bad word.

Aang turned big eyes on them.

"Would you really go back to them?"

"No."

"You just said----"

"I won't go back to them because Zuko won't. And I stand with him."

Y/n chanced a glance at Zuko only to find him already looking at him. He had that soft smile on his face that had been missing for years. Y/n was so glad that it was back. They reached for each other at the same time, fingers coming together and intertwining easily, familiarly.

There was a surprised intake of breath from the kids in front of them.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Was Y/n's eloquent response.

"Well, that doesn't make it okay to do the wrong thing when you know it's wrong."

She was still lecturing them, but the wind had clearly gone out of her sails.

Y/n managed to pull his eyes away from Zuko and look back at the group.

"We really are on your side this time."

Y/n stilled. The air had shifted in the way that it did when it was trying to warn him of something, becoming electrified. He spun around, scanning their surroundings, trying to locate the problem. He spotted the man up on the cliff just in time to bring his sword up and deflect the wave of energy that he sent at them.

Y/n growled. His timing had been off, resulting in his returned wave being sent off in a different direction.

"You all need to get out of here! If he keeps this up, the whole temple is going to come down."

"Y/n, if you can keep him busy, we can try to find a way to get rid of him!"

The Water Tribe boy was apparently their leader, was Y/n's distracted thought as he stood waiting for the man's next barrage.

If they got out of this alive he was going to smack Zuko upside the head for ever hiring the assassin.

That was probably something that the group of kids didn't need to know about, Y/n thought absently.

He was almost too focused on the long distance fight between the two of them to notice Zuko attempting to distract the assassin from where he stood nearly beside him. When had he gotten over there?

Something whizzed by Y/n's ear and he was so distracted by the thought of Zuko doing something so monumentally stupid as to antagonise the most ruthless assassin in the Fire Nation from a matter of feet away, that he didn't even sense it until he felt the air move by him.

He watched as the boomerang flew true and struck the assassin in the center of his third eye. He felt the world slow down as he saw the man draw in a breath for another wave of energy, but instead of it being sent to where they were standing, it exploded in his face and in the air all around him.

Y/n's heart stopped when the whole side of the temple crumbled and fell. Zuko had still been up there.

His sword fell with a clatter that was muted in his ringing ears. He was over by the side of the temple before he even thought about it, scrambling to find Zuko. If he was gone then that was it.

Y/n felt a thought settle in the front of my mind. He felt a sickening sinking feeling in his stomach, but there was no denying it.

He turned empty eyes on the group who were all celebrating their lucky escape. It was their fault.

He stood at the edge of the temple, watching them, feeling the wind caress him. It was whispering something to him, but he still couldn't hear anything over the adrenaline still coursing through his body.

He took a step toward them, reaching for his sword but coming up empty. His gaze narrowed in on it, lying on the floor back where he had been standing.

He was shaking, he realised as he tried to take another step but found himself on his knees instead.

The wind was growing around him as he fell forward onto his hands. He could feel himself falling apart, but he couldn't seem to pull himself back together. He had always had Zuko for that, but the stupid self-sacrificing idiot had gone and gotten himself blown off the side of the temple.

There was a groan from the ledge Y/n was nearest to. The wind died suddenly.

Y/n turned his tear streaked face sharply in it's direction.

He recognised that voice.

Then he was scrambling once again for the ledge, and grabbing hold of Zuko's arm and pulling with everything he had until he had his idiot firmly in his arms and far enough away from the edge.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and held Zuko in his still shaking arms. Y/n hoped Zuko was comfortable because he was never letting him go again.

-----------

They had gathered around the fire that someone had restarted to sort out something for lunch.

Y/n had the feeling that his melt down hadn't gone unnoticed by at least one member of the group. When he had gone over to pick up his sword from where he had dropped it, the little blind girl had watched him with her unseeing eyes. He had just sheathed it and walked back over to Zuko's side, but she hadn't stopped watching him ever since.

Y/n was sitting by Zuko's side, too strung out from earlier to be properly on guard, but he was sure that since they had seen him in action they might be a little hesitant to attack so openly.

Once everyone had a bowl of food Sokka cleared his throat. He had an uncomfortable look on his face.

"So."

Y/n waited silently. This was Zuko's destiny, it was up to him to earn his place with the group.

"You know why we're here. Our reasons haven't changed. I think, it comes down to this. Can you trust us?"

"Look," Sokka started, "We don't fully trust you, but I think that's fair. I mean you chased us around the world, but we also saw what you did for us back there. You could have died trying to help. So we're willing to give you a chance. But just one."

Zuko's face lit up with his happiness. It was a sight that Y/n knew he would always enjoy.

"You won't regret this. I promise!"

#Zuko x Male Reader #Zuko #Male Reader

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atlabeth · 3 years

Text

everything happens for a reason part 6 - zuko x fem!reader

The thing about forever is that it's a fucking lie

part 5 | masterlist | part 7

a/n: you all know whats coming lmao i got nothing to say for myself

wc: 3.5k

warning(s): pakku's usual sexism, typical siege of the north stuff, mostly angst but a lil bit of fluff in there

chapter title comes from forever is a lie by bea miller!

“I can’t believe that your tribe doesn’t teach waterbending to women!” Katara fumed, the snow beneath her feet packed tightly from her continuous pacing. “I mean, how can they even do that? Master Pakku’s all about ‘his culture and his teachings’ but his teachings are completely sexist!”

Y/N just nodded along as she listened to Katara — Master Pakku had refused to teach Katara, and after a disappointing healing lesson she had found Y/N to rant. “Yep. It’s unfair, but there’s not much we can do about it.”

Katara frowned and stopped in her tracks. “Don’t you want to learn how to fight too? I love being able to heal and help people, don’t get me wrong, but healing isn’t all I want to do.”

A shaky sigh fell from her lips and she shrugged, adjusting her position on the platform of ice she had made to sit on. “Well… yeah, I guess. I know a couple of martial moves, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to know more. But Katara, I—”

Y/N was silent for a moment as flashes of the past played behind her eyelids. “I’m not like you. I’m not the kind of person to challenge the rules. Not anymore.”

Katara shook her head, already back to her pacing. “I think you’re selling yourself short. I saw your healing during your class — you’re really talented, Y/N, and I know that skill will transfer over to fighting.”

“Thank you, but— but it doesn’t matter how good we are. Master Pakku is just as stubborn as he is talented, and I think he’d rather die than be a decent person. It’s a shame though. I’d really like to see someone knock some sense into him.”

“Yeah…” Katara sighed. “Hopefully Aang is having a better time than I am.” She looked up at the sky then fixed Y/N with a wry smile. “Speaking of Aang, I should probably get back to him and my brother. Sorry for talking your ear off the whole night.”

Y/N waved her hand around nonchalantly. “Don’t worry about it. You have my permission to rant to me any time you want while you’re here.”

Katara grinned and offered her hand, which Y/N took with a small smile as she got up from her ice platform. With a slight movement of her hand she bent it back into the ground, and the two girls began their walk back to the city. “I just wish I knew how to get Pakku to let up.”

“You’ll think of something,” Y/N reassured.

Katara did indeed think of something. Y/N’s wish of Pakku getting some sense knocked into him was granted when Katara challenged him to a fight, which was quite possibly the best thing that Y/N had ever witnessed. Though she ultimately lost, he still decided to take her on as a student — and in a move that Y/N would forever be grateful for, Katara had gotten Pakku to take her on as well. Katara made history that day, and she felt a shining sense of admiration for the girl for shaking things up.

And now, her days consisted of early mornings spent training, afternoons in classes, and nights doing homework, as well as fitting in time to hang out with Yue — it was a miracle she had any free time at all.

Lately though, it seemed like all Yue could talk about was Sokka. She liked him just as much as he liked her, but Yue was good — no matter how much she cared for someone, her tribe would always come first.

(“Did I hear that you and Sokka have a date later tonight?” she teased. “Aren’t you moving a little too fast?” Yue was silent at her attempt at humor and Y/N frowned. “Yue, are you okay?”

Silence lingered in the air for so long that Y/N almost thought she didn’t hear her, but finally the princess spoke as she pulled down the collar of her jacket to reveal an engagement necklace. Y/N gasped.

“It’s from Hahn,” she said quietly. “He proposed an hour ago, and I accepted.”

“You what?” Y/N cried, prompting a slight grimace from Yue. “Hahn— you can’t stand him!”

“Y/N, please,” Yue sighed. “He’s not that bad — he’s handsome, I guess. And he’s the son of a noble, and he’ll be really good for the tribe.”

“Yue, you’re the one who has to deal with him. He proposed to you, not the tribe — Spirits, half the boys in this tribe like you, why him?”

“It’s best for the tribe,” she repeated, her words an attempt to convince Y/N as much as herself.

“But what’s best for you?” Y/N countered.

Yue hadn’t answered, and had made up some half-baked excuse that she had to be somewhere. She had watched her go sadly, hoping that she would figure something out with Sokka.)

And it’s not like she wasn’t happy that her friend had found someone, it was just…

Y/N was upset that someone wasn’t her. And she didn’t know how to deal with that revelation.

But one morning, while making idle conversation with Katara as their lesson came to an end, a matter much more pressing came to hand.

Black snow. Soot raining down from the sky, tarnishing everything it touched.

A feeling all too familiar brewed in her chest as she met her friend’s eyes, and one thing was clear.

The Fire Nation was coming.

The air was even more frigid than usual with the knowledge of an imminent invasion, and Y/N had parted ways with her friends once they reached the town hall to be with her grandparents. The tension in the air was thick as Chief Arnook stepped up to address the people.

“The day we have feared for so long has arrived — the Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sokka stood up. “Count me in.”

Her eyes widened as she met Katara’s from across the room, and she looked equally surprised. “Sokka…”

“Be warned: many of you will not return.” Several other men stood up after Sokka, including her grandfather. Despite his age he was a skilled fighter, but that was no comfort to Y/N. She reached up for his hand and shook her head almost desperately, but he smiled sadly and squeezed her hand, a sentiment to express words unsaid. “Come forward to receive my mark, if you accept the task.”

As he walked forward to join the line, she found the only solace she could in her grandmother’s open arms, burying her face in the fur of her jacket. “He will be okay,” she soothed. “He’s just as strong as he is brave. You have to have faith.”

She hoped that her grandmother was right. She couldn’t handle another loss.

Once all the men had received their marks, they left to confer about the battle plan. Y/N found her way up to the stage where a tearful Yue sat. It pained Y/N to see her in such a way, and when she sat down and offered her hand the princess immediately took it.

“I saw that your grandfather volunteered,” she said after a beat of silence. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. For Sokka.” Y/N adjusted her position so their shoulders were touching, and she sighed heavily. “I can’t stop thinking about my village. My father.” She met Yue’s eyes, her own beginning to tear up.

“What if it happens again?” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I can’t— I can’t do it again.”

Yue let go of her hand to wrap the girl in a hug, the warmth of the embrace managing to chip away at some of their hopelessness. “You won’t have to do it again,” she stated, the reassurance seeming like the truth when coming from her. “You’re not alone this time.”

She finally pulled away from the hug as she wiped the tears off her face, and Y/N nodded. Yue somehow always knew exactly what to say. “What would I do without you?” she asked, her voice slightly watery.

“You’re never going to know,” the princess smiled. “Because whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.” That got a laugh out of Y/N and the two of them stood up as Yue gestured outside with her head. “I think I saw Aang and my father out there. It’ll help to talk with them — I think you need some fresh air anyways.”

Y/N nodded and the two girls walked out hand in hand, a small reprieve from carrying the weight of the world.

Things were so much worse than she had been anticipating.

After a short talk outside the hall with Katara, Aang, and the Chief, Yue had been transported somewhere safer as Y/N steeled herself for the front lines. After all, as a student of Master Pakku, she could fight damn well — it was just a matter of putting it into action.

But a line of warriors and children alike were no match for the strength of the Fire Nation from afar, and the first few fireballs had done their job at disrupting both the fighters and the wall — Seeing her home get destroyed hurt nearly as much as constantly getting thrown around.

After Aang had taken off on Appa and Chief Arnook took a section of his soldiers off for a different plan, the work on the ground began. The fleet of ships seemed endless , and the same went for their artillery — the fight went long into the day as Y/N worked with various other waterbenders to stop fireballs and repair broken parts of the city’s infrastructure, but just as the full moon began to show, the attacks stopped coming. Limbs heavy with exhaustion from their work in the field, Y/N and Katara met up with the princess back at the balcony of the palace.

“They’ve stopped firing,” Yue noted as they all gazed off into the distance.

“Thank the spirits,” Y/N muttered as she worked out a knot in her shoulder. “I don’t know how much longer I could’ve kept going.”

Just then, Appa came into view and a grin spread across Katara’s face. “Aang!”

He landed below them and the three girls hurried down to meet him. Aang landed on the ground, exhaustion clear in every part of him. “I can’t do it,” he muttered as he placed his head in his hands. “I can’t do it.”

“What happened?” Katara asked as she ran up to him, Yue and Y/N close behind.

“I must’ve taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there’s just too many of them!” His large grey eyes were full of hopelessness, and Y/N’s heart ached for the boy. “I can’t fight them all.”

“But— you have to!” Yue pleaded. “You’re the Avatar.”

“I’m just one kid,” Aang countered wearily. He buried his face in his arms and Katara kneeled next to him in an attempt to comfort him. Y/N could almost forget about the pain in her body at that moment, feeling an odd responsibility to this boy as she looked down at him.

“Aang,” she muttered, following Katara’s example and kneeling next to him. “You’ve already done so much for us. Just by being here, you’ve inspired hundreds of people — you’re a beacon of hope all on your own! We don’t expect you to take out this whole navy by yourself. As long as you’re here, fighting with us? You’re helping us more than you know.”

He managed a slight smile at that and he took her outstretched hand, getting pulled back to his feet with her help.

“We’ll have a better view from up there,” Katara noted, pointing back up to the balcony. “You can help us keep watch, Aang — in case they start attacking again.”

He nodded and the four of them began the walk, the Avatar in slightly better spirits.

“The legends say the moon was the first waterbender,” Yue said once they had reached the balcony, all of them gazing at the sky. “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

“I’ve always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night,” Katara mused, causing Y/N to hum in agreement.

“Our strength from the spirit of the moon, our life from the spirit of the ocean,” she said. “They work together to keep balance.

Aang’s expression brightened at her words as he popped up from the ground. “The spirits! Maybe I can find them and get their help!”

“How can you do that?” Y/N questioned.

“The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World,” Katara explained excitedly. “Aang can talk to them!”

“Maybe they’ll give you the wisdom to win this battle!” Yue exclaimed.

“Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!” At that, all three girls met him with strange looks. Aang coughed and straightened his posture. “Or wisdom. That's good, too.”

“The only problem is, last time you got to the Spirit World by accident,” Katara said with a frown. “How are you going to get there this time?”

Yue’s eyes lit up and she looked at them with a smile. “I have an idea. Follow me.”

A few minutes later, they were standing in the Spirit Oasis, the most spiritual place in all of the North. Yue, Y/N, and Katara all shed their coats as Aang walked around, marvelling at the beauty.

“I can feel… something,” Aang said as he sat down, getting into a meditating position. “It’s so tranquil.”

Soon enough, after a few moments of silence, Aang’s eyes as well as the arrow on his head began to glow.

“Is he okay?” Yue gasped.

“He’s crossing into the Spirit World,” Katara reassured. “He’ll be fine as long as we don’t move his body. That’s his way back to the physical world.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Y/N whispered, astonishment etched into her face. For as much as she had been taught about the ocean spirits, she wasn’t well-versed in the Spirit World as a whole — she was thoroughly fascinated by every part of this.

“Maybe we should get some help,” Yue suggested, still on edge as she took a few steps away from the gate.

“No, he’s my friend. I’m perfectly capable of protecting him. Besides, I already have some help here.” She smiled at Y/N, a sentiment that she returned happily.

A deep voice, almost mocking, broke the silence as it echoed throughout the oasis. “Well, aren’t you a big girl now? Even got yourself a little student.”

The three girls all whipped around to find the source of the voice, and Katara’s whole body stiffened. “No…”

“Yes. Hand him over and I don’t have to hurt you.”

Y/N immediately eased into a bending stance along with Katara as the princess fled to get help, but her confidence faltered when she took the time to focus on their assailant.

She almost didn’t recognize him — it had been nearly four years since she had last set eyes upon the boy, but it was as if he had become a completely different person. His head was shaved completely save for a ponytail, and blues and reds marked his skin in various cuts and bruises. His eyes held an anger she had never seen before, an expression only heightened with the addition of a large red scar across his left eye.

“Zuko?” she breathed, her chest tightening up beneath the weight of the revelation. Katara stared at her in bewilderment — she had no idea that Y/N knew the prince that had chased them halfway across the world, but Katara supposed that she had no reason to ever suspect she did.

His eyes flashed with recognition as they ran over her, and it seemed as if he had a similar epiphany as he staggered backwards. “I… I thought you were dead.”

“You’re with them,” she muttered, blood turning to ice. “Your nation is invading, and you’re helping them— you’re after the Avatar? What are you doing, Zuko?!”

The momentary surprise was replaced by steely determination as he shifted his weight forward and kicked up his leg, sending a blast of fire that she barely managed to dodge. “You know nothing!”

Y/N fell back into position next to Katara, but the newfound knowledge was like a fog over her mind. “Whoever he was when you knew him, that’s not him anymore!” Katara yelled as she bent water out of the pond and blocked his following attacks. “He won’t hesitate to hurt you, so you can’t either!”

“O-okay!” she stammered. This was the moment she had been waiting for, wasn’t it? After training with both Katara and Pakku, her martial skill had increased tenfold, and she was desperate to try it out — she only wished her first opponent didn’t have to be him. But another fire blast snapped her out of her paralysis, and she jumped into action.

The two girls worked impossibly well together, one stepping forward when the other fell back, the bending between them nearly seamless. Any fire that the prince sent their way was quickly extinguished, and with two against one on home turf, Y/N and Katara were able to hold him off with relative ease.

Y/N bent another jet of water up from the oasis and shot it at Zuko, the force of which knocked him several feet back. Katara took the opening and froze his feet to the ground, then began to move her arms about as she formed a ball of water around him — one more movement and it was frozen solid.

“You little peasant,” he growled. “You’ve found a master, haven’t you?”

The orb of ice began to glow, the air around them becoming hotter and hotter until it melted around him. Blasts of fire were flying at them as soon as Zuko hit the ground, and they were forced to retreat back towards the oasis as they grew more intense.

Y/N drew up a shield of water, extinguishing the flames on impact. Zuko dodged around them, his fingers inches away from Aang’s collar. Y/N propelled the water already at her fingertips towards Zuko with a grunt of effort, which sent him flying into the shallows on the other side of the oasis. She conjured up a large wave and sent it towards the prince, sending him up the side of the wall and trapping him once Katara froze it.

She breathed a sigh of relief and let her arms fall, a part of her wondering how they were still connected after the tediousness of the earlier battle. But this, one on one in a fight with real stakes? It was as exhilarating as it was nerve wracking, and she had never been so thankful that Katara had gotten her in with Master Pakku. Y/N felt intensely guilty over the pain she had inflicted on Zuko, but she tried her best to push it out of her mind — like Katara said, he would’ve done worse if she hadn’t fought back.

“You fought well,” Katara smiled. “I told you that you were talented.”

She chuckled and shrugged, cheeks heating up slightly at the praise. “It’s not exactly my first fight, just… the most intense.” It reminded her of the early mornings and late nights spent sparring with Zuko, a memory that only twisted the dagger in her heart even more.

The two girls smiled at each other as they began to walk back over to Aang — it seemed the boy was undisturbed by the fight by virtue of his glowing tattoos and closed eyes — when Y/N found herself squinting from the rays of light filtering in.

“Huh,” she mumbled. “The sun’s out. The sun’s out— Katara!”

Y/N turned to find the prince free from the ice, and the pair barely had time to draw water from the pond to shield themselves from the impending flames. But it was too little too late, and the power of the blast sent them back several feet. They slammed into either side of the gate, the force of it immediately knocking Katara out.

Y/N gasped in pain as she tried to push herself up, but the fight combined with the impact of her landing had taken a toll on her and she collapsed once more against the gate. When the smoke from the fire cleared, Zuko was there with Aang’s collar in his grasp.

“You rise with the moon,” he muttered, his face tinged with the slightest bit of guilt as he met her eyes. “I rise with the sun.”

The last thing she saw before her consciousness faded out was the boy she loved escaping with the Avatar.

why did i make yue and y/n like this when i KNOW what i have to write next omg i hate myself

perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77

ehfar: @chandies-sideblog @persica27 @anzanity @randomthingssss @escapingthoughtsandsecrets @shanksfav @shephard17895 @ilovespideyyy

atla: @marianne1806

#zuko x reader #zuko x you #zuko x y/n #zuko x reader fic #zuko #zuko fic #avatar #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla fic #avatar fic #avatar the last airbender fic #avatar x reader #sadie writes #ehfar #i already had this chapter half written so thats why its out so soon lmao #SOMEONE doesnt know how to hold their chapters and wants to release them as soon as she finishes them #its me. im someone

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asciendo · 3 years

Text

I Have Something to Tell You

Zuko has just started his reign as the new Fire Lord and everything seems to be falling into place.

That is until Y/N finds out she’s expecting and doesn’t know how to tell Zuko, afraid she’ll ruin the perfect bubble they’ve been living in.

It’s been five months since the end of the war and since Zuko became Fire Lord. Life was good, the four nations were in harmony under the protection of Aang and you and Zuko were stronger than ever.

Your family was welcomed back in to the Fire Nation so you had your home back, but you spent most of your time with Zuko at the palace.

There were so many close calls during your time with Team Avatar, which made you, and Zuko appreciate and value your relationship even more. Zuko would include you in his important meetings and valued your opinion, you were there for him when he’d question his capabilities to run the Fire Nation, he’d constantly visit your family and you’d wake up to each other every morning.

Everything was going smoothly until the day you found out you were expecting. You weren’t certain at first, you were late and felt sick in the mornings. Zuko was concerned, thinking it was something you ate so sent a doctor to your bed the third consecutive day you were throwing up. When the doctor told you that you were pregnant, you couldn’t talk or move for a good hour. When Zuko came back and saw your shocked state, he rushed to your side immediately. You told him it was food poisoning and had to be kept in bed the rest of the week. He placed a kiss on your forehead then went back to work.

After your week of “food poisoning” was over, you started to think of how to tell Zuko that he was going to be a father. You weren’t sure how he was going to react, as you knew he was still getting used to ruling over a whole nation. You hated keeping secrets from him but you wanted to wait till you were even used to the idea of being a mother. The situation made you distant from Zuko and he was starting to get frustrated with your cold demeanor.

“Hey, do you want to go for a walk after the state dinner tonight?” Zuko asked hopefully one afternoon. It was week two of your cold demeanor towards him and everyday was more stressful than the one before. “No.” you stated as you read by the window in Zuko’s bedroom.

“Figures.” He rolled his eyes as he turned away from you. “What?!” you snapped back, you didn’t know what it was, the hormones maybe, but other than distancing yourself from Zuko, you also found yourself snapping at him more often.

“Nothing.” He said through gritted teeth as he began to leave the room. “No, Zuko, say it!” you slammed your book shut and sat up from your lounging position.

“Nothing! I’m just not surprised with your attitude anymore!” he turned to face you and you could see the frustration in his face.

“Attitude?! Just because I don’t wanna go on walk doesn’t mean I have an attiude, Zuko!”

“It’s not that! You’ve been so—so—“

“So what?” you raised an eyebrow waiting for him to finish his sentence. “CRANKY!”

“Well if I’m so cranky then why would we even go on a walk together, then?” you were standing up now with your hands on your hips.

“Forget it!” Zuko huffed and left the room.

“Agh!” you collapsed on the couch. You hated yourself for acting this way towards him. He didn’t do anything and he certainly did not deserve your attitude. The whole thing was so confusing for you and the truth was, you were scared. You and Zuko were only seventeen and you just won the war. Bringing a baby into the mix now is a whole different ball game that you weren’t sure that either of you were ready for.

That evening at the state dinner, you sulked on a couch in the corner of the courtyard.

“Hi.” Zuko sighed as he sat next to you. “Hi.” You said back but didn’t look at him.

“How are you?”

“I’m bored.” You laid your head on the wall. “I know. Me too.”

“I’m hungry.” You sighed and looked up at him and he huffed then stood up to get you some food.

You were getting impatient until you heard a voice coming from the crowd. “Move! I have to bring food to my cranky girlfriend!”

“Really, Zuko?” you rolled your eyes as he handed you the plate of food. “What’s wrong now?”

“Telling everyone I’m your cranky girlfriend isn’t exactly chivalrous.” You snapped.

“I can’t do anything right with you anymore!” he was whispering so no one else would hear but there was strain in his voice. “I’m gonna go.” you didn’t want to look at him then made your way out to the balcony.

You were so angry with yourself for being this way. This wasn’t you and it made you think about what kind of mother you would be if you couldn’t even comprehend the thought of having a child. Of course you wanted a family with Zuko, but you never expected it would be this soon.

Suddenly, you felt a hand on your shoulder and you turned to see Katara. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just needed some air.” You smiled but you could tell she didn’t believe you. “How are you and Zuko?” she asked.

“Uhm, we’re okay? Why do you ask?” you nervously stared at your feet as she looked at you with a concerned expression.

“Y/N, come on it’s me. You can tell me, I won’t judge I promise.”

“I’m fine! Really, me and Zuko are okay.” She rolled her eyes as you continued to lie. “I heard him talking to Aang, alright?”

“What did he say?”

“He thinks you’re going to leave him.” Your eyes shot wide open, “WHAT?!”

“Yes! That’s why I wanted to ask you first!” Katara raised her arms in relief, as she knew you were finally going to open up to her.

“Oh no, this is all my fault.” Burying your face in your hands, Katara placed her arm around you.

“I’m so awful to him! He’s been nothing but amazing towards me and I was the biggest jerk!” your face was still buried in your hands as Katara watched you with concern.

“What’s going on?”

“Katara...it’s just...” there were tears forming in your eyes as Katara pulled you in for a hug. “It’s okay, I’m sure whatever it is—“

“Katara I’m pregnant.” She froze as soon as the words came out of your mouth. Katara stood there frozen and just staring at your face, then at your stomach. “I know, that’s how I reacted too.” You turned to face the open air as she continued to stare at you with her mouth wide open.

“OH MY GOD CONGRATULATIONS!” She suddenly pulled you into a tight hug.

“Katara it’s not that simple!” there were so many factors that would make having a baby complicated, how young you both were, Zuko just started his reign, and you not knowing the first thing about being a mother.

“Y/N, this is a good thing!” she squeezed your shoulders. “How? I mean...I don’t know how to feel about it yet...” you looked down.

“We’re only seventeen! Zuko just started his reign! I-I don’t know the first thing about being a mother!” you paced back and forth as Katara giggled.

“Why are you laughing?!”

“It’s just...Y/N you’re looking at all the bad things. Yes, we’re all still young but you both won’t have to do it alone. You have all of us! Can you imagine how loved your baby will be?” she smiled and you stopped pacing and looked at her. “Aang is going to flip! Sokka would spend every single day here if he could, and I know I would make the best godmother.” She winked and you laughed.

“But Zuko’s been so worried about how he is as the new Fire Lord...he has a so much on his mind and I’m so scared the baby will just add more stress for him...” you sighed and plopped down on one of the benches.

“He’s going to be happy no matter what. Zuko is going to be a great father and you’re going to be a great mother.” Katara sat next to you and put her arm around your shoulders. “I was so awful to him Katara...”

“It’s completely understandable, you were scared. Heck, I would probably be the same too! But you have to talk to him.”

“I know...thank you. It feels so good to finally tell someone!” you laughed in relief. You’ve been keeping this secret for so long it felt good to tell someone.

“Of course, I’ll always be here for you! But now you have to let Zuko be there for you too.” She smiled sweetly and you knew she was right. The both of you made your way back to the party laughing at the thought of Zuko changing diapers.

As soon as you entered, you spotted him in the middle of conversation with his generals. Your eyes locked on his and he quickly averted his gaze back to his own conversation.

“Good luck.” Katara smiled and left you with your thoughts.

The state dinner was over and you were making your way to Zuko’s bedroom. As you entered you leant by doorway and watched Zuko try to remove his ceremonial robes.

“Let me help you with that.” his body stiffened at the sound of your voice. “I’m fine.” He grumbled but continued to struggle. You sighed then walked over and helped him. “Zuko...I need to tell you something...” you fumbled with your fingers as you sat in front of him. Zuko stopped then sat down in front of you but he was avoiding looking in your direction. There was sadness in his eyes, which confused you at first, but then you remembered what Katara told you about how Zuko thought you were going to break up with him. “Zuko...I’m sorry.” You began and he didn’t react. “I’m sorry for being such a jerk to you these past few days...or weeks.” You rubbed the back of your head sheepishly. “Zuko can you please look at me?”

“Why should I? If you’re going to break up with me just do it.” he said bitterly. “Zuko, I’m not breaking up with you!” You grabbed his face with your palms and he was finally looking at you. His eyes were staring at you intently waiting for you to speak. “It’s just...” tears started to form in your eyes as you began to speak. “Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?” Zuko suddenly looked at you with so much concern that your heart melted knowing that no matter how awful you were to him, he was still the sweetest to you.

“No, no, it’s not that it’s...” you stood up and started pacing back and forth and Zuko watched you in confusion. “The reason why I’ve been such a jerk to you is because....I didn’t know how to tell you and I also didn’t fully, I still don’t actually...uhm...the information hasn’t really sunk in for me either, so whenever I thought about telling you, I still didn’t believe it myself so I didn’t tell you!” the whole thing was making you nervous so you started to ramble. Zuko stared at you with his eyebrow up and head tilted so you knew he was confused.

“W-wait I don’t get it. The reason why you were a jerk to me is because you did something I wouldn’t like?” he asked looking at you with a little bit of fear in his expression. “I didn’t do anything...well I kind of did by not telling you when I should have but I didn’t tell you because I still don’t sort of believe it myself?” Zuko’s expression was still a confused one you didn’t blame him. “So you’re hiding something from me?” you nodded and he huffed. “Is there someone else?” he looked down to the floor. “NO! God no, Zuko there is no one out there for me but you.” you quickly grabbed his face again.

“Then what is it?”

You sighed and turned to face him directly. “Okay, I’m going to tell you what it is now.” You said slowly as if convincing yourself that you were actually going to do it. Zuko stared at you with big eyes in anticipation of what you were going to say. When you still didn’t say it Zuko shot up from his seat and started making his way out the door.

“Zuko!”

“Y/N if you’re just going to keep me guessing the whole night you might as well not tell me!” he stopped by the door but was refusing to face you.

“Zuko...please!”

“If you don’t trust me—“

“ZUKO I’M PREGNANT!” the words finally came out of your mouth as you waited for Zuko to react. He stopped in his steps and slowly turned to look at you. His eyes were huge in shock and his mouth open.

The both of you stared at each other without saying anything until you finally broke the silence. “I know I should have told you! I was just so scared...I mean I don’t know how to be a mother. I’m so sorry for taking out my worries on you by being a jerk and I know how stressed you’ve been being the new Fire Lord and I didn’t want to worry you even more. I’m so so—“ before you could finish, Zuko’s lips were on yours and you fell into each other.

“Y-you’re not mad?” you looked up at him. “I’m mad because you didn’t tell me.” He looked at you with a serious expression and you looked away. “But not about our baby.” He pulled your face to kiss you once more. “Why would I be mad about the start of our family?” he looked deep into your eyes. “I-I don’t know, I guess I thought you’d be scared about it but I guess it was just me.” You buried your face in his chest again.

“I’m so sorry you had to deal with this on your own. That must have been terrifying.” He whispered in your hair. “No, it’s my fault, I should have let you be there for me.” You smiled and he kissed you on the forehead. “We’re going to be a great family.” He said and at that moment, you couldn’t be happier.

The next day, the both of you decided to have the gang over for lunch to tell them the news. You told Zuko that Katara knew, he was a little upset at first that he wasn’t the first to know and you understood. You promised he’d be the first to know if anything ever happened with you again and he forgave you.

Zuko sat at the head of the table and you to his left. Uncle Iroh was seated to his right but you haven’t told him yet as well. Katara and Aang arrived first and Katara gave the both of you a knowing look. Sokka and Sukoi came next with Sokka telling everyone he had big news to share. Toph was last as usual saying she was busy throwing melons at strangers.

“Uhm, guys we have something to tell you.” Zuko smiled looking at you while squeezing your hand.

“Wait wait!” Sokka stood up and everyone stared at him. “I think we should start with the most important news first. Don’t we all agree? And I have an announcement!” Sokka started to prance around the table. You started to chuckle and Katara was glaring at him. “Yes, let Zuko talk!” she said with annoyance.

“But I don’t think whatever hot head over there is going to say is more exciting than mine!” Sokka glared back at his sister. “Sokka—“

“No it’s fine, go ahead.” Zuko smirked and you punched him in the shoulder playfully. “What’s your announcement, Sokka?”

“Glad you asked Y/N!” Katara rolled her eyes and slumped to her seat as Sokka grinned from ear to ear.

“I have been declared BOOMERANG MASTER!” Sokka declared while everyone stared at him with amusement. His proud expression quickly dropped and you started to giggle. “WHAT! I am!”

“Who even declared that, Sokka?” Toph teased. “THE BOOMERANG CLUB!” Sokka’s face turned red and the rest of the gang laughed. “There’s a boomerang club?” Aang asked and Sokka sat back down and Suki rubbed his back but she was laughing as well.

“Okay, if that doesn’t excite everyone then I DON’T KNOW WHAT WILL!” Sokka fumed which made everyone laugh harder.

“I’m pregnant.” You announced and Zuko was staring at everyone with a huge grin on his face. Katara was smiling as she already knew, Aang stopped mid drink, Toph yelped, Suki’s eyes were large with excitement and Sokka’s jaw dropped to the table.

“Y-you’re what?” Aang jumped up in excitement as Katara hugged you. “She’s pregnant. I’m going to be a father.” Zuko announced proudly. Aang rushed to hug the both of you while talking about how he’s going to teach your child how to go penguin sledding. Katara started asking you about baby names. Toph was already planning on making a crib for your baby. Sokka was still in shock while Suki whispered to him that she was excited about his boomerang master status.

“OH MY GOD!” Sokka burst out then rushed to hug the both of you telling you guys he’s going to give all the boomerangs he could find to your future baby. You were all so happy to tell the rest of the group and to see their excited reactions. You were looking for Zuko but then saw him hugging Uncle Iroh tightly and you saw tears in his eyes. That moment, you knew you were so lucky to have a child with the best father there could be.

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blindbeta · 3 years

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Blind/Visually Impaired Person’s Review Of ‘The Blind Bandit’

It is here! At almost 6 thousand words (I have a problem lol). This is a review of season 2, episode 6 in Avatar: the Last Airbender. The episode is called The Blind Bandit.

Note that this is only a review of the portrayal of blindness rather than the episode or show itself. This show also has audio descriptions on Netflix so any blind followers of mine can watch the show if the want to. I would also like to make it clear that this is my opinion. It is my no means lacking in bias and I won’t pretend that it is. I love this character for some of the reasons I will explain here, and that will show even as I consider criticisms of her or things that simply could have been better.

This character, Toph, was my first exposure to a blind character in television.

CHARACTER INTRO:

“Your champion, The Blind Bandit!”

We first hear Toph introduced as The Blind Bandit. She is described as having pale eyes which is usually how eye conditions are conveyed visually. Some online sources describe them as light grey or sea form green, but glazed over. This could be due to cataracts or some other deterioration. Part of me wants to mention that not all blind people have eyes like this. Most don’t; I don’t. However, blind people can have many eye problems outside of just The Blindness, so it isn’t inaccurate either, especially for a time period where eye surgeries are not available, and Waterbenders are not as easy to reach for healings as they may have been before the war. I also suspect her family would not care about cataracts if Toph was not in pain— their main issue would be her blindness. I’m getting ahead of myself.

The point is, I don’t mind the way her eyes are portrayed here. I do think non-blind people are too obsessed with portraying eyes like this, however, and I feel like it is not necessary in non-visual media unless you have established why their eyes are cloudy/lighter/Like That other than Because Blind. I’m happy they didn’t fall into the trap of portraying her eyes as constantly closed.

I also read somewhere that the creators tried not to move her eyes much. I don’t know how true this goal was, but I feel it is not entirely necessary. Blind people can also have uncontrollable eye movements or rapid eye movements. This might be too hard to animate and too confusing for viewers. Therefore, I feel the creators chose a more practical portrayal of eye movements that is the easiest to animate and least confusing for people who may not know blind eyes can and do move, whether due a condition or other factors.

“She can’t really be blind, can she?”

I like that everyone says “blind” without stumbling over it or treating it as a bad word. Katara is surprised and Aang is accepting, feeling hopeful that this girl could at last be his teacher. I even like that she chose to capitalize on it for her persona. Already we can tell Toph has no issue with being blind, nor does she feel the need to hide it in such a setting as this. She is already the champion— it must be working for her. It is this openness and acceptance of blindness that I like, especially from the main character. Rather than make her hide her blindness or angst over something she has lived with all her life, the writers just introduced it as fact. She’s blind and she’s a champion. That is how we meet Toph.

“Sounds to me like you’re scared, Boulder!”

Trash talk. She’s trash talking him. If the champion thing was not an indication that this wasn’t your stereotypical innocent, blind flower, her first line should be! Already Toph is brash and fearless. A far cry from the angelic stereotype we often get in the media.

“Your winner, and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!”

Toph kicks Boulder Butt. Pretty easily. I loved every second of it.

Now let’s talk about the Super Crip trope here.

IS TOPH A SUPERCRIP?

The Supercrip trope is a bit hard to pin down. I found a few definitions floating around. This link has two: Trope: SuperCrip | #CriticalAxis: a community driven project from The Disabled List

The Supercrip is seen as having “overcome” their disability in order to do normal things or even extraordinary things— with a focus on their disability rather than their accomplishments.

The first part is avoided. The narrative doesn’t focus on how extra special it is that Toph is doing things like: walking, talking, eating soup, sitting with her family, yelling at Aang and his friends, etc. Toph is not seen as extra special for doing normal things that her disability does not make more difficult. Not only would this be patronizing and ignorant, this would reflect that attitudes many real life strangers have: disabled people are so strange and mystical to some people that they feel the need to ask blind people on the street how they walk or talk.

Personally, I find this portrayal of disabled people to be the most harmful. It caters to able-bodied onlookers alone and offers nothing for disabled people. To clarify: the problem is not portraying disabled people/characters doing normal things! The problem is expecting your audience to feel inspired because a disabled person did a thing that is completely ordinary for them.

This does not apply to Toph.

Another definition is that a disabled person is portrayed as “overcoming” their disability in order to do something cool/big, usually something able-bodied people don’t do everyday. This disabled person is only noteworthy because they did something extraordinary such as win several gold medals. This presents two problems: 1) it is hard for disabled people to meet these expectations, especially when this is shown as the only positive way to live with a disability. And 2) able-bodied people see this and believe all disabled people must be winning gold medals or doing super extraordinary things because their disability somehow gives them privilege, pity-points, or superhuman powers that make up for their disability. An example of these powers would be the myth that blind people have superhuman hearing rather than simply using their hearing more than sighted people and thus being more attuned to sound. An example of pity-points would be the time my family was watching Dancing With the Stars featuring a blind contestant. After the dance, someone remarked that the contestant would probably get sympathy points and go on to the next round. Her talent was not a factor the same way it was for the able-bodied contestants; pity-points could not be separated from her success. It was impossible that she would be supported and judged the same way as the others, with her blindness being only an extra factor that might make copying a dance to learn it more challenging for her. Keep in mind, these ideas are so ingrained in people that my own family believed it in even when they know me and several of my blind friends.

Let’s consider Tooh:

Pity-Points? - Not even a factor. This was not brought up by Aang, nor Katara, nor Sokka. It was certainly not thought of by the owner of the battle ring nor Toph’s opponents. In fact, she was only doubted when she lost. Her talent was never viewed as the result of someone else’s pity or reduced to inspiration for an able-bodied wrestling audience. The announcer says her name and nothing else. Her parents don’t bring up the idea that Toph only wins because she was pitied either. They witnessed her bending and only believed they needed to protect her more, not that she was not talented.

Privilege? - It is no question that Tooh’s family is rich. It is hard to say how much that affects her here. She has a tutor who undermines her growth and is pretty much useless. She has protection she doesn’t want and riches she doesn’t seem to use. She does have more free time to battle as a result of her riches, not having to work at a young age (although her parents probably would not have let her even if they needed the money). Toph’s family status could have been seen as playing a role in her winning— if her parents allowed the world to know about her. - It is no secret that Toph is rich, however, when privilege is brought up by able-bodied people, they don’t usually mean riches (although the stereotypical rich disabled person is something I could discuss at a later time). They usually mean some combination of government benefits that may or may not exist and pity points. Disability makes things HARDER, not easier. A person can have multiple privileges they did not earn, or lack of privileges they did not ask for. Toph does not gain special privileges due to her disability, nor does she ask for or expect them. My opinion is that no one asks for this, anyway.

Super-human? - This one is a little trickier. It is the one people are obviously hung up on when they consider Toph. It is difficult to consider this without considering Toph’s entire arc. However, I have chosen to focus on her bending and “sight” and how it is used in this episode. I may talk about this more if I do other reviews. - First, bending. Toph is not the only bender in the series. She is also not the only good bender, as Katara is also someone who grows into her bending and becomes particularly powerful. Aang is already a master of airbending in addition to being the Avatar. He is special and particularly powerful, mastering water quickly. Azula is also said to be a prodigy and has mastered lightning at 14. The point is, Toph is a powerful bender. She is not the only powerful bender in the world. The Avatar needs someone to teach him and that person would, reasonably, have mastered their bending in order to teach the Avatar. - Now for Toph’s bending in relation to her blindness. It is true that Toph is powerful AND blind— is she powerful in spite of being blind? Is she powerful because her blindness gives her superpowers? This is tricky. To me, the narrative doesn’t go out of its way to say “she overcame her blindness and was able to win”. It also doesn’t show blindness as a superpower, such as causing superior hearing. - How is it portrayed then? First, Toph never has to “overcome” her blindness, which is important. The obstacle is the limitations placed on her. The obstacle is society, not her disability. Toph does not need to accept her blindness before doing anything, because she has been blind since birth. She does not have to overcome her blindness before fighting or becoming a champion because when we are introduced to her, she already was. She is not expected to overcome her disability in order to teach Aang; he tries to recruit her without seeing her disability as an issue. She does not need overcome her disability because it is not what stops her, as is the case for most people. There are some things being blind makes difficult, different, or impossible to do, but this isn’t one of them. Blind people can learn to fight. They can win. And when people reduce such accomplishments as “overcoming disability”, it can feel like a misdirection, like a dismissal of hard work and talent.

This does not happen with Toph.

Second, does Toph’s blindness give her superpowers? Maybe. I feel like it might be necessary to cover Toph in other episodes. However, this review is focusing mostly on The Blind Bandit and so I will focus on Toph’s unique “sight”. Toph’s bending is unique from others because she can feel the vibrations in the ground, allowing her to sense objects and people. This ability allows her to fight and beat others. In my opinion, this is more of an adaptation perfected through sheer amount of practice. Katara and Zuko don’t always bend. Toph is using her bending constantly. Of course she would be good at it. Her bending is a tool for her use. Fighting? That’s just a bonus, a hobby.

Toph also has weaknesses and is in fact beaten by Aang, who wasn’t even trying. Losing to someone who had no intention of winning is a pretty big deal.

Personally, I don’t think Toph is a supercrip in this episode. She is a Blind Seer, a trope popular in literature. The Blind Seer can’t see physically, but they can see in other ways you can’t. I don’t have an issue with this trope and think it can be used in cool ways, especially if the blind character isn’t the only one with a superpower.

I do, however, want people to question why a blind character always needs to have a power that relates to or makes up for their lack of sight in some way. Unless you are making a deliberate allusion to something or a blind is not the only one with sight-related powers, I ask writers to question why they jump to sight-related powers in the first place. Or powers related to hearing, something to “make up for” their lack of sight.

Can this be done well? Absolutely. Toph, while she can fall into both The Blind Seer and the Supercrip tropes for some people, she is beloved and interesting for many fans, blind or sighted.

I ask people to trace their logic about why they choose to give their blind character powers related to sight. What kind of power is it? Does it make up for (aka erase) their blindness and make them less relatable to blind readers/watchers? Are they the only blind character and/or the only person with such a power? Can they have another power? What works and does not work for good characters like Toph? Why?

Getting rid of these particular tropes are not the answer. I simply invite people to consider other options, try new things, think critically about why and what woks or doesn’t work in other characters.

I absolutely invite blind writers to use whatever tropes they want, as they can probably write it in a more nuanced way.

My personal opinion about the Supercrip trope is that it is somehow focused on success or talent as the enemy without recognizing what it means. Wanting to succeed is not wrong. Being competitive is refreshing!

It isn’t really about doing super things or not— it is about disabled people being made to feel like they will not be successful, accepted, or taken seriously if they do not win everything or succeed at impossible feats. Able-bodied people are permitted to exist without needing to prove anything. Disabled people are not afforded that respect.

Either disabled people fight against the ingrained expectation that they simply cannot do anything, that will FAIL, because of their disability, or they fight against the realization that, for many people, even impossible feats will never be enough. Their accomplishments will never be seen as just that— accomplishments.

Blind characters should be talented or hard-working, prodigies or people who claw their way to the top. Their disability may be an obstacle and it may, in fact, barely even be necessary to mention aside from adaptive tools. The Supercrip is so alluring because people are under the impression blind people— and disabled people as a whole— cannot do anything. To the point that some condescendingly assume certain things are impossible because they did not think of adaptive techniques or technology. This is why research is important.

Remember why this trope/stereotype exists: for the inspiration of able-bodied people who are uninterested in making changes in society’s attitudes and the amount of accessibility it provides. Problematic tropes like this usually have a specific issue behind them and you cannot tackle or discuss r subvert the trope until you understand the harmful reason it exists.

Not everyone agrees with me. Here are some reading materials:

On the pervasive Supercrip trope in martial arts:

http://feministing.com/2010/02/19/media-portrayal-of-disability-and-martial-arts-a-personal-statement/

On the pressure this trope puts on blind people:

Challenging the ‘Supercrip’ Stereotype of People With Disabilities | The Mighty

[In the comments, I would prefer people not speculate about Toph being a Supercrip or not if they aren’t blind themselves. It would be more helpful to focus on other aspects of this review or share posts by other blind people instead.]

Keep in mind, this is only a review of one episode. And I personally will take a powerful disabled character over a powerless, sad one anytime.

This concludes our commercial break. Back to the show.

BEING BLIND IN EARTH KINGDOM SOCIETY

Earth Kingdom Boy 1: “Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong family. They’re the richest people in town. Probably whole world.” Earth Kingdom Boy 2: “Yeah, but they don’t have a daughter.”

Now this is interesting. It implies that Toph is: a) hiding herself well so as to keep up her double life and/or b) being hidden by her family. I suspect it is a little of both. A) is pretty obvious, especially with the wall surrounding their estate, while b) could be due to overprotectiveness or shame on the part of her parents. Shame may seem harsh. However, this is not exactly a modern time period and respect for disabled people can vary depending on culture, time, place, and individual attitudes.

When portraying poor social attitudes toward disabled characters, writers must work hard to show the attitudes as wrong and work to reduce them. I do feel that, like with gender discrimination, people tend to preemptively assume accepting disability is modern and Western concept- and that any ableism is fair game because it is realistic. That is far from the truth, especially if they get it wrong.

Too much and it could be mistaken for an excuse to be ableist. Too little and it may seem like erasure of societal barriers faced by blind people.

Let’s see how the ATLA writers handle this.

TOPH’S “SIGHT” AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Anyway, the Gaang finds Toph again. Toph: “What are doing here, Twinkle Toes?” Aang: “How did you know it was me?”

Two things stick out here. I love that The Gaang interacts with her normally and this episode is not about the able-bodied characters learning how to treat a disabled person like a person, nor is it about them confronting their biases. Instead, they have a favor to ask, one that Toph cannot grant. The episode shifts focus onto Toph and her emotions and needs.

I also liked that Aang asks how she knew it was him. This is a common question and it seems to be asked in curiosity rather than implied judgment or suspicion on Aang’s part, as is often the case nowadays. Later in the episode, Toph explains how she knew, but she could also have recognized his footsteps (light as they are) with or without her bending. Blind people are also usually more reliant on hearing or smell and so may pick up on scents or sounds others do not. That is not to say their hearing or smell are superior (see the Supercrip discussion), but that they are used more often. This is how I conceptualize Toph’s bending— it is something she uses all day, every day. Like her hearing and smell and touch, she is more reliant on these senses and so uses them in ways others don’t.

I do wish we had a few more examples of this in the episode/show rather than Toph using her bending for every situation. As I said, I do not mind that she can “see” with bending as it is not true sight, but showing how she uses other senses would have been nice details.

TOPH’S PARENTS HAVE ENTERED THE RING

Toph: “I thought I heard something! I got scared.” Guard: “You know your father doesn’t want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph.”

With this, we can understand her father is overprotective, so much so that Toph is able to believably pull off this act of helplessness in front of the guards. Her father does not believe even walking around her own home is safe for her.

With that in mind, it is NOT a plot hole that she can walk around her home in front of her parents. Even overprotected blind kids don’t use canes or need a guide within their own homes as they often memorize the layout. Canes are not usually used inside ones own home or very familiar areas. Outside areas might be an exception as they are likely to change due to nature or redesign, but generally familiar, casual areas do not warrant canes or guides. It is completely believable that Toph can walk around in her own home without causing suspicion.

Toph’s father, indicating soup placed in front of her: “Blow on it. It’s too hot for her.”

Not only is her father overprotective, he is infantilizing. He thinks she can’t blow on her own soup and must be confined to basic stances of bending, something Toph is clearly unhappy with. Toph’s parents are the kind of people who wouldn’t let her watch TV lol!

Toph’s father: “And sadly, because of her blindness, I don’t think she will ever become a true master.”

There it is. There are many people in the world who have this mindset, believing disabled people succeeding is unrealistic, or only achieved by pity-driven intervention from others for inspirational purposes or a lie told by overly soft parenting. Toph’s father may seem radical, but his views are very common even for those close to a blind person. Even for those who might like the inspirational stories about blind people doing things.

HOW TOPH SEES THE WORLD

Toph: “It’s kind of like seeing with my feet.”

This is where I disagree with some interpretations of Toph. She can sense where things are and what they are. She has a wider range than someone with a cane would. However, I don’t know if this is quite erasing her blindness. Could they have done better? Yes. However, to claim the show made her sighted with magic is not quite fitting to me. Toph is not seeing with a magical potion, nor did Katara heal her blindness. She is using a power a lot of people in the ATLA universe have in bending, one she has used her entire life and perfected through sheer number of practice hours. I think it helps that she did not get this power, narratively, because she was blind. Rather she is a blind person who adapted a skill to her use.

A cane or an animal guide might have helped make the narrative more relatable for blind people, however. They could have also played up being unable to see people’s facial expressions. In other episodes, they show areas where she is unable to bend, such as on ice, sand, or floating objects like the warship or Appa.

In these instances, they could have shown sighted guide.

However, I think what they did worked. Would I suggest anyone else try it? Maybe not. It depends on their motivation for doing it. Toph’s powers basically act as a cane or Sunnu band would. They aren’t a magic spell letting her see all the time.

They could have done a little better— I still think it worked. It does not seem to have unfortunate implications of sight being better than blindness or blindness needing special cures.

For writing purposes, it is important to understand why this worked, how it was portrayed, factor in that bending is not unique to Toph, understand the nature of her ‘sight’, and understand what they could have done better. Just because it works here doesn’t mean it will work everywhere. It is important for writers to understand that and question their motivation for giving their character a different kind of vision.

THE DISABILITY EPISODE - AVOIDED

Toph’s father: “My daughter is blind. She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you.” Toph: “Yes. I can.”

Some may feel uncomfortable that Toph’s first episode is about her parents doubting her, dealing with ableism and being forced into stereotypes by her own family. It is important to remember that this is a show for children and any blind children watching it will have dealt with similar issues from adults in their lives. The show doesn’t seem to say this is the only narrative a blind character can have, but rather that it is a relatable occurrence for blind children who are watching it.

Toph also has many episodes left — this is only the beginning. This is hardly her only arc, and even her personality and abilities challenge so many stereotypes.

In most shows, the blind character gets one episode. Toph, however, is a main character.

Toph is also a well-rounded and interesting character with agency. She hardly seems like an inspirational puppet for adults.if this show had been written for adults or if Toph had been focusing on wanting to become a champion “despite her blindness”, I might have felt upset. It goes to show how important nuance is when writing disabled characters and how powerful it can be to make an effort to challenge stereotypes.

This is not how we first see Toph— helpless, unproductive. Instead, we FIRST see her out in the world kicking butt with her bending skill and I think that it is important.

NOT SO HELPLESS AFTER ALL

Toph’s father uses these words to describe her: Tiny, helpless, fragile. Unable to help others. Unexpected to become a true master or even advance beyond breathing techniques.

Toph challenges all of these at some point. She helps Aang defeat the bad guys. She faces many people in battle and wins, remaining an undefeated champion until Aang accidentally beats her. She advances far beyond basic bending techniques. Toph is good at very active things, with bending as a martial art and as a sport here. It is refreshing to see blind characters being so active and a stark contrast to the passive image her father has of his blind daughter. She does things for herself, including developing her bending style without the help of a master who limits her- and she hides her double life well. Toph’s ability and personality also challenge notions of fragility: she is boisterous and fearless, stubborn and even a bit rude. She mostly says what she wants to and fiercely hides what she doesn’t want to, even when pressured. She yielded only to her parents, which is tied up in love, respect, fear that they will no longer love her, possible aversion to change in some aspects of her life, and cultural expectations. For disabled children, it is often hard to go against your parents because the world teaches you that the world will never accept you or allow you to live in it. Your family is all you have.

Toph IS tiny, although that is due to genetics, environmental factors, and her age. However, her stature is used to prove the other qualities assigned to her when in reality her height has nothing to do with anything her family believes about her.

When the fighting starts, Toph creates a cloud of dust which effectively blinds her opponents. I thought it was a nice, ironic touch. The point is not just that her opponents now cannot see; Toph is already used to fighting under these conditions. She didn’t level the playing field. She is already better than them, already used to working without sight, and so the advantage is hers.

ABLEISM IN ACTION

Later, Toph confronts her parents:

Toph’s father: “You will be cared for and guarded 24/7.” Toph’s mother: “We are doing this for your own good, Toph.”

Unfortunately, this kind of infantilization is not uncommon. They saw her as she truly was and were still unable to let go of their ideas of their blind daughter. At this point, Toph is more trapped than ever despite opening up. The first time, it was surprising to see them not change their minds, given the happy endings we are used to in children’s shows. However, what happens is more relatable to blind kids with overprotective or controlling parents.

Of course, Toph makes the choice to leave them, showing more agency than most blind characters get, with or without controlling parents.

OVERALL

Overall: I loved this episode. It was a nice introduction to a character that both challenged expectations and dealt with obstacles relatable to blind fans. Toph’s struggles with her parents and the weight of stereotypes could have been cheap inspiration porn, but the way it was handled and the target audience of children rather than adults changes things immensely. This episode goes out of its way to challenge many stereotypes viewers may hold about blind people in ways that are fun and exciting. Toph’s personality is refreshing even over a decade later. While her bending as ‘sight’ may be disliked by some, it feels more like something with missed opportunities (the use of a cane or sighted guide), although I thought this episode did it well. Toph is not given special powers so that she can see—she adapts an ability for her own use.

Toph is a martial artist, encouraging children to try something similar if they are interested. She challenges her own parents, which may be very relatable to blind fans.

Unlike most children’s shows of the time (and even now), Toph does not feel like a vessel for able-bodied viewers to learn about blindness.

ACCESSIBILITY:

However, it is important to remember that at the time ATLA aired, there was no Netflix with audio descriptions. Descriptions were infrequent at the time and are still spotty on cable TV. The ATLA DVD did not have audio descriptions either, which is the case with all DVDs I have come across. Netflix also took an embarrassingly long time to add audio descriptions to a show with a blind character.

Consider that Toph was nearly inaccessible to blind children at the time — until 2020, well after other sighted children could enjoy it fully. Blind children could not watch a show about them with the same ease that a sighted child could. Think about that.

Is the show to blame for this? I don’t know. Usually the broadcasting service handles descriptions. I have yet to come across a DVD with descriptions. However, I wonder why it took this long. Did the staff consider a blind audience at all? Could they have pushed for descriptions to be added to the DVD?

And what about fans? Did fans consider that the character who challenged stereotypes for them might not be as accessible to blind people themselves? While they scrabbled about whether the characters were ableist, did they bother to consider Netflix’s lack of audio descriptions? Do they remember to add image descriptions to GIFs, pictures, or video clips in the years ATLA was popular online? Did any of this occur to anyone BUT the blind community?

Doesn’t seem like it.

TOPH AND THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF/LESS OF IN BLIND CHARACTERS

I made a post about things I would like to see more/less of in blind characters. You can read it here:

https://blindbeta.tumblr.com/post/637419979125489664/things-i-want-to-see-more-ofless-of-in-blind

Here’s how Toph compares to that!

More of: -Blind main character ✔️ -Blind character of color ✔️ -Active (sports/martial arts) and competitive ✔️ -Acknowledgment of difficulties faced in society ✔️

How They Avoided Things I Wanted Less Of: -Being portrayed as sad or broken because of blindness - Avoided - Toph owns her blindness by giving herself the same The Blind Bandit. The only time she is sad is when facing ableism from her parents.

-Being innocent, helpless, and unrealistically kind or selfless - Toph proves she is not helpless, even directly challenging it in the narrative. - Toph is also not unrealistically kind or selfless, not only insulting other characters- but refusing to help Aang when he needs it because it would change things between her and her parents. She also challenges her parents in the end, putting her desires before their feelings toward their perceptions of her. When she follows Aang, she doesn’t do so only to help him. She has her own want to travel and gain independence. - As for innocence, Toph IS 12, although she is far from naive. She is able to fool her own parents into thinking she is who they want her to be.

-Being portrayed as ungrateful or rude in general - Toph’s rudeness comes from a non-ableist place—herself. She is not rude due to anger about being blind nor rude due to entitlement. She doesn’t accept she doesn’t need and is not demonized for this, even when going against her own parents. Toph’s rudeness is in her personality, making it subversive in avoiding the idea blind people must accept all help and be grateful for it. The narrative does NOT expect Toph to go along with the ‘help’ of her parents or even Aang. She refuses this help until she is ready and willing to receive it.

-Going blind due to accidents or trauma - Toph was born blind

I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO SEE: -more adaptive technology/skills in addition to her bending -how she utilizes her other senses -another blind, minor character somewhere in the show (doesn’t apply to this episode, but still)

Toph is, in the end, a token blind character. It works better because she is a MAIN character, which is still not a common occurrence in modern media at all. Toph works because she does not have any stereotypical traits about her personality, which means the sighted audience does not have to rely on another character to broaden their perspective. However, it is still important to include more than one blind character in your stories. For ATLA, 1 or 2 minor blind characters may have helped, or maybe an additional secondary or even main character with low vision.

Toph has a well-rounded personality, which also means the “token” is not completely applicable to her. Toph is a great character. It would have been nice if she were not the only blind character. In fact, I cannot think of any show that has more than one blind character, as if it is a character quirk that cannot be done more than once.

RANDOM IMAGINES TIME

Now I’m imagining a Zuko whose eyesight was affected by the burn or a Zuko whose father decided he didn’t need that side of face anyway if he could not see out of it. Or an Azula who is blind and still better than Zuko -sticks out tongue-! Or perhaps Sokka or Ty Lee contrasting Toph’s personality and bringing to the table a struggle with a lack of depth perception while hunting or performing in the circus, respectively.

The point is, you don’t have to overload your story with blind characters unless you are setting it at a school or event for the blind. Instead, consider who is blind in your story and who else possibly could be. Consider why you only have one blind character and why.

That about wraps up all my thoughts on Toph. In short, I love her. There are things they could have done better or additions they could have made to improve the episode and Toph’s character as a whole, but she is still one of the most beloved and recognizable blind characters ever. I think that says something about the impression she left on people.

If only she would have been accessible to more blind children from the start.

I hope this review was helpful! If you need help writing blind characters I provide sensitivity reading in exchange for donations. My inbox is also open for questions.

#avatar the last airbender #toph #toph beifong #writing blind characters #blind #blindbeta

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zukkababey · 3 years

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I'm once again asking for your Time travel Sokka AU 😭😭 (I really wanna read it)

this message has been sitting in my inbox for way too long. thank you for being patient with me!! here’s a snippet to tide you over:

Sokka is 13.

From his tower, Sokka watches the village below.

As Chief, Hakoda has decided to lead the remaining warriors from their tribe to fight in the Hundred Year War. The village is the busiest it’s been in a long time—shipbuilding, rationing, and packing have been constant the last few months, but today is the day.

Today is the day his father leaves, along with almost everyone in the village. Those left will be women, children, and the elderly.

And Sokka.

He’s tried convincing his dad that he’s strong and brave enough to join the rest of the tribe’s men, but he won’t listen. Hakoda just places a hand on Sokka’s shoulder and tells him that he’s needed here most, that he needs to protect his sister.

Sokka gets that. He does. But if he were to go with his dad, he could do so much more. He just wants to help.

It’s the morning, early enough that the sun hasn’t risen yet and Katara is still sleeping. Only a few hours are left before the warriors leave. Sokka watches them prepare for their journey avidly, not wanting to miss a thing.

So of course that’s when he time travels.

He turns to look out the opening behind him and is suddenly staring at a metal wall, patched together and brushed lightly, tinged red in the dim light. It reminds him of the material used to make those awful Fire Nation ships.

“Sokka?”

The shocked voice comes from behind him; he spins around immediately.

“Dad?”

His father is sitting in the corner, dressed in an odd red tunic and loose pants—nothing resembling his usual water tribe gear. He’s staring up at Sokka like he can’t quite believe his eyes.

At the same time, they ask each other, “What are you doing here?”

Loud footsteps from outside wherever they are draws Hakoda unsteadily to his feet; Sokka can’t help but notice that he’s favouring his right side. A slit of light filters into the room, but Hakoda steps forward, pushing Sokka behind him before he can see where it came from.

Sokka holds his breath, trying to keep still. Obviously, Hakoda doesn’t want him to be seen, and he trusts his dad to keep him safe no matter what time he’s in.

A gruff voice calls into the room, “Who’s in there?”

“What are you talking about?” his father replies evenly.

“Prisoners ain’t supposed to have company.”

Prisoners? Sokka wonders. He looks around the small room with renewed interest, being careful to stay behind his dad’s silhouette. His chest swoops uncomfortably. Now that Sokka knows what he’s looking at, it’s obvious—they’re in a jail cell.

“I’m alone in here, as you know,” his dad says.

The man pauses, as if second guessing himself. “I heard voices.”

“I was talking to myself.”

The person on the other side of the door—Sokka figures he must be a guard—barks out a cruel laugh. “Always knew people from the Water Tribe were nuts.”

His dad must be able to tell that Sokka gets riled up by the comment, because he tightens his grip on his arm, holding him firmly in place. A breath passes, then two. A moment later, the light vanishes and the scrape of metal against metal rings in his ears.

Hakoda waits a long minute before moving. The grip around his arm doesn’t loosen until they both hear the faint sound of retreating footsteps. Immediately his dad is turning, shuffling Sokka so he’s no longer in view of tiny, barred window.

The first thing out of Sokka’s mouth is, “Why are you in prison?”

Hakoda’s expression is pained. “Oh, Sokka. How old are you?”

“Thirteen,” he answers automatically before his brain gets back in gear. “The Fire Nation caught up with you, didn’t they?”

“I’m not answering that.”

“Why not?” Sokka exclaims, then quiets his voice when Hakoda shushes him. “I can help you!”

His dad sighs wearily, moving to sit with his back against the wall. Sokka doesn’t miss his slight wince as he does so.

“You’re hurt,” Sokka says, sounding more accusatory than he intends.

“I’m fine, son,” he says firmly, his tone brooking no arguments.

Sokka argues anyway. “Fine? You’re in prison and you’re injured.”

He assesses his dad, trying to gauge how much older he looks. His hair is slightly longer but the style is the same, half pulled into a wolftail with blue beads knotted at the end of two braids. A new scar traces the back of his hand, but other than that he looks relatively unchanged from yesterday.

“What year is it? Where are we?” Sokka demands. “Tell me. I’ll come find you in this time.”

“No,” Hakoda says, gaze suddenly sharp and commanding in the dim light. “You are under no circumstances allowed to come for me. This place is extremely dangerous.”

“All the more reason for me to find you!” he insists.

Hakoda shakes his head. “No. Absolutely not.”

Sokka drops to his knees, not ashamed to start begging, not if there’s a possibility it could save his dad. “Please,” he whispers. “I can help. You just need to tell me how.”

Hakoda’s hard expression softens into one of compassionate understanding. “If I told you, I wouldn’t be here right now, would I?”

#still got a while before this fic will be posted but thank you to everyone has expressed interest in it ❤️ it means a lot #hydeandall #answered #time travelling sokka

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stitch1830 · 3 years

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How do you think Sukka, Zutara, and Taang would go about giving their kids ‘the talk?’ Do they preplan what to say or just wing it?

And as a bonus, how would each ship handle their older (early teenage?) kids, who already know what’s going on, walking in on them? (Lol I wrote a Sukka fic a few months ago where that happens so I thought it’d be fun to get someone else’s take on how that would go down.)

Okay Boomer (I saw an opportunity and I took it, and it was silly and I regret it I'm sorry lmao it won't happen again), thank you for the ask! Oh boy, the age-old armadillo birds and the beetle bees discussion. Good lord I need to stop I'm sorry it's Friday LOL. Let's talk!

Sukka: Sokka would probably go about the topic humorously to lighten up the awkwardness. Maybe put on his Wang Fire beard? He'd probably try and use metaphors, and then begin to ramble because he really doesn't want to be talking about his with his kids, especially his baby girl, and by the time he starts rambling on about the 100 year war, Suki puts a loving hand on his shoulder and says, "I'll take it from here, darling." LOL. But, I do think they would try and be sincere with their answers. Their son would probably go to Sokka for questions, and their daughter Suki. And if they were caught in the act? Well... Let's just say I feel like we'd see another TSR surprised looks from out esteemed couple lmao! They'd hope and pray no one saw anything but... it happens. Sometimes you just get caught with your pants down, ya know? I'd guess they'd try and play it cool, fail a little bit (a lot a bit), and they'd be walking on eggshells around the house for a while haha!

Zutara: Idk why, but I just picture mortified looks from everyone involved. The parents don't wanna be there, the kids don't wanna be there... I just see this as being the time where the whole family becomes awkward turtleducks and there's just no way around it. Zuko and Katara probably try to prepare for the conversation as much as possible, maybe even visual aids?? (the horror on the kids faces). But, like Sukka, there probably is a moment where all awkwardness aside, there's a breakthrough and they have a sincere conversation. And if anything, the girls would probably just go straight to Katara for a one-on-one conversation, and that makes things way easier. Sure, she can be awkward too, but it's their Mama, they trust her and respect her and they know they can go to her with these types of questions. With Iroh II? He just kind of goes about his life and Zuko avoids the conversation as long as possible... The kid is practically an adult by the time Zuko gets the courage to talk, and really, Iroh already knows things at this point LOL. And for the walking in... oh spirits above everyone wishes they could unsee what (or who lmao) went down. If either of the girls saw that, they would most certainly give their parents the silent treatment. No one could look each other in the eye either!

Taang: Aang tries to be all "it's a part of nature! It's beautiful" and Toph is like "enough metaphors, this is what you do and where you put it" LOL. They both seem rather impromptu with their ways, Aang probably would fumble his words more than Toph. And for the kids, I think they would mostly turn to Aang for questions and stuff. Toph would definitely give them blunt answers and won't shy away from the conversation, but it's easier to talk to Baba about this stuff... Toph probably is the first person to tell the kids where babies come from, though. Honestly, she probably told Lin when she was pregnant with Kenji and the girl was just... shooketh. Aang balked when he heard what Mama told Linny and gave Toph a stern lecture about oversharing... But out of the three, I think they're probably the chillest couple and not as embarrassed about talking about it than the others. It's probably not the smoothest conversation, but Toph always gives straight answers and Aang is really relatable, so in this situation, it's kind of useful. And as far as walking in on them... I think Toph would sometimes be able to tell when they're about to be walked in on LOL. But if she can't, I think there would be a lot of shouting between Toph and her kid telling him/her to get out lol. Aang would definitely be mortified and run after the child to console him/her and Toph would complain about her kid being a cockblock. The kids would whine and call them gross and the house would be a bit of a circus (well, more of one at least). Aang will probably be guilty and embarrassed, and Toph will say she's not, but Aang can see just a hint of blush creeping over her face...

Those are my thoughts on the matter, but would love to hear your takes! Thanks for the great question, and have a nice day!

Send me questions, asks, or headcanons about Taang, Zutara, or Sukka!

#taang #zutara #sukka #atla #headcanons #dunebabies #steambabies #bladebabies #my asks #thanks for the ask!#the Gaang giving THE TALK #oh boy here we go...#what a riot that would be...#we love to see it though.

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alfredolover119 · 3 years

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I looooove your zukka rec lists! I recently became Avatar-obsessed, never got a chance to watch it as a kid and only just got through it all! I was wondering if you'd consider doing a specifically angst rec list? I love fluffy zukka everything, but sometimes you just gotta have your heart ripped out of your chest and put back in after being thoroughly blended.

thank you! i relate heavily to “recently became Avatar-obsessed” haha. as for the angst list, i sure can try! warning: all of these have happy endings because im a crybaby who can’t read unhappy endings. also, p much all of the fics in the completed section were featured on my other lists but this is specifically the ANGSTY ones >:^)

angsty zukka wips

first, most obviously, feels like we only go backwards by @oldpotatoe

-currently at 102k with 19/27 chapters posted; rated teen

-the amnesia fic. the amnesia fic. the amnesia fic. you know. i haven’t actually read it yet because, as previously mentioned, i’m a crybaby and am waiting for it to finish up but, from my understanding, this fic will murder you in a dark alleyway with no remorse. if u like zukka angst, you’ve probably already read this, but just in case!

An injury leaves Sokka with amnesia. His last memory is of the failed invasion, of leaving his father behind in enemy territory on the Day of Black Sun. Of hopelessness. Rage. // But then he wakes up, and the war is over. Suddenly, he must come to terms with the fact that years have passed, and that he's somehow the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador to the Fire Nation. He is also supposedly friends with banished-Prince-turned-Fire-Lord Zuko, of all people. Close friends.

Yeah, nah.

and i’ll do anything you say (if you say it with your hands) by @goldrushzukka

-currently 38k with 6/8 chapters posted; rated mature

-holy shit. holy SHIT. modern au based on the “my cat likes my fuckbuddy and i am falling in love” trope(?). maybe it’s just because of how the last chapter ended, but oh my god. this one made me cry. made me want to commit violence. when it’s not angsty as hell, it’s pretty funny, but holy shit. ao3 user nebulastucky please.

It’s supposed to be a one night stand. Pick up some guy at a bar, barely remember his name and never learn anything real about him, send him packing in the morning with a thanks for the ride and a cup of coffee to-go. That’s how it’s supposed to go. // But then it’s the best sex Sokka has ever had, and he thinks he’ll hate himself if he never gets to have it again.

Violet Blossoms and Celestial Objects by @hollypunkers

-currently 15k with 2/? posted. rated teen.

-this is the sequel to blue (an angsty, zukka rewrite of book 2-- go read it if u havent!)! !! this is a book 3 rewrite. only two chapters in and mrs hollypunkers is really abusing the miscommunication tag, as zukka writers seem to enjoy doing. im excited to see how the world and story develops with the changes to the story! you should be too!! its very good! obviously spoilers for blue lmao

Having sided with the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, Zuko not only must navigate his new relationship with Sokka but returning to the Fire Nation as a banished enemy. His own journey of self discovery and personal growth must now coexist alongside the personal struggles of every other member of the Gaang as together they blaze a treacherous path toward an unsure victory against Zuko's own father and nation.

breakable heaven by @fruitysokka

-currently 71k with 9/11 chapters posted. rated teen

-swt ambassador zuko! soon to be chief sokka! fake dating ur best friend to get out of an arranged marriage! what could go wrong!!! i also haven’t read this one ((see: i’m a crybaby who is being hurt by too many zukka wips already)), but it has been hanging out in my marked for later for months. from what i understand, this fic has: angst.

With his twenty-first birthday looming just around the corner, the Southern Water Tribe Elders have decided that Sokka, next in line to be Chief, needs to get married. Sokka does not want that, but he does need to get them off his back until he can figure his way out of it. What better way to do that than to pretend to date his best friend (and newly minted Ambassador to the Southern Water Tribe) Zuko? // Seriously, this is a foolproof plan. Maybe one of Sokka's best. Absolutely nothing can go wrong.

angsty zukka fics (completed!)

(i’ll put these in wc order)

lighthouse beam by @incorrectzukka

-7k, rated g

-a modern college au!! zuko’s inner-monologue is very angsty in this fic. typical zuko. also per usual, theyre both fucking dorks. they sort themselves out in the end, but not before The Angst. zuko is semi-deaf in this fic and also he has a bit of internalized homophobia.

Sokka’s breathtakingly beautiful and he’s smart and makes other people laugh. Zuko has a half-burnt face and a deaf ear. It’s not rocket science. // Or, Zuko falls in love with the boy in his Philosophy class.

This Isn’t My Idea of Fun by @khaleeseas

-9k, explicit

-moon spirit/nwt prince!sokka, no war to be found here! admittedly this isnt THAT angsty but like. the angst IS present. zuko is still the prince. a lovely childhood friends (though they hated each other for a minute haha) to lovers story.

If you asked Zuko, he and Azula saw far too much of Chief Hakoda of the Northern Water Tribe’s children growing up. It wasn’t until they were older, and Azula pointed out that - duh - their families were trying to set them all up, that he realized why. // He was told by his mother to be polite. These people were their friends and allies, and though their nations were as different as they came, harmony between nations was the most important thing. // It wasn’t his fault the Chief’s children were so annoying.

put your lips close to mine (as long as they don’t touch) by @celestialceci

-9k, teen

-modern au! zuko and sokka are college roommates. zuko goes to spend the summer with sokka. again,, not really that angsty but-- its there!! the detail and feeling of Home in this story make me happy. zuko is insecure as hell here too. if ur into that.

Zuko hates his home. He likes college alright, but he likes Sokka even better, his assigned roommate turned best friend. Spending the summer with Sokka will be fun, a welcome change of pace he desperately wants. It probably won't awaken anything in him... right?

the thing about dancing by anodymalion

-9k, teen

-yes. this one right here officer. it makes my heart ache. also trans sokka! which is cool. but the zuko angst in this one. hurts me. not so much relationship angst as it is zuko learning he deserves happiness angst. i’m sure u know The Type.

The first time a attendant spills Zuko’s tea and doesn’t immediately fall to her knees, begging the Fire Lord’s forgiveness, it is not anger but a resounding warmth that fills his chest.

i could (never) give you peace by @zukkababey

-10k, mature

-OUCH. OUCH OUCH OUCH. boys please learn to communicate im begging u. also zuko.. zuko, dude. as the tags of the fic say, hes “really going through it” in this one. YOUCH. post-canon.

Zuko almost said it. He almost said the words I think I’m in love with you, but he choked them back down at the last second. // Zuko would never be able to be what Sokka wanted. They might have needed each other during the summer, when two boys with too much weight on their shoulders found comfort in each other in the only way they knew how. // But now Zuko was Fire Lord, and Sokka was leaving.

this love burns so yellow (becoming orange and in its time, exploding) by @meliebee

-18k, teen, major character death

-i lied. THIS is the one, officer. found family.. good mai and zuko and toph friendships.. . ozai escapes prison and tries to overthrow zuko. OBVIOUSLY angst ensues. poor boy. he Does heal in this but it gets worse before it gets better. angst angst angst angst.

Ten months after Zuko is crowned at seventeen, he faces his first coup.

Anything for You by beersforqueers

-23k, explicit

-istg. this is probably one of my favorite zukka fics. its PAINFUL. modern au where theyre broken up but sokka hasnt told his family yet so zuko goes home with him for kataang wedding. a bit smutty, but the plot oh my god ohgm y fuvk. made me cry the first time i read it. (see: crybaby!me) insert that one picture of the horse with the caption PAIN.

In which Sokka and Zuko have broken up but Sokka hasn't told his family yet. So when Katara and Aang's wedding weekend rolls around and he doesn't want to break Gran-Gran's heart, he asks Zuko to pretend to be his boyfriend for one last weekend. // Things don't go as planned.

Moving Mountains by @thefangirlingdead

-64k, mature

-so. when i read this the first time it was in one sitting. soulmate au set within canon era / the comics, to an extent. soulmates can hear each others thoughts. i will happily say this is slowburn, jesus christ. champagne without the cham.

Soulmates are chosen by the spirits and can hear each other’s thoughts. Sokka thinks it’s cheesy and dumb. Zuko thinks it’s poetic justice that he doesn’t have one because he doesn’t deserve it. Cruel irony is finding out that the prince of the Fire Nation (and the person currently hunting you) is your soulmate.

In the Soft Light by @voidcenturyscholar and @romancedawning

-83k, teen, graphic depictions of violence

-moon spirit!sokka living in the northern water tribe. zuko is sent to the northern water tribe as a cultural liaison. iroh is the fire lord but while he is away taking care of lu ten after his injury ozai steps up. i cannot express how many emotions this fic made me feel. background yuetara. i would almost say found family?? but. anyway. plenty of angst to spare here with a healthy dose of enemies to friends to lovers.

As the newly appointed cultural liaison to Northern Water Tribe, Zuko is the first Fire Nation Citizen to step foot inside the city's walls in nearly a century. He's determined to prove himself—to the Fire Lord and to his father—even if the Water Tribe's spirit-touched prince seems to want nothing to do with him.

That Midnight Sky by @zukkababey

-103k, teen

-now now now. tms... modern college au where sokka agrees to tutor zuko in physics because zuko has to maintain straight a’s and physics is just not doing it for him. so. thats cool but THEN azula moves in, randomly, with zuko. to hide the fact that sokka is tutoring zuko, they fake date! what could go wrong!! the mutual pining in here combined with the angst... wonderful, tasty. everyone read it rn. also SLOWBURN

In Zuko’s strict family, needing a tutor is just about the worst thing you could do. Failing a class, however, is even worse. The only rational solution? Take up Aang on his offer to find him a physics tutor and have Sokka—beautiful, smart, handsome Sokka—tutor him in secret. // When Azula’s arrival threatens to reveal Zuko’s secret, it’s up to Sokka to convince her this definitely isn’t what it looks like. See, he’s actually… Zuko’s… boyfriend? // Hmm. There’s no way this could get complicated, right?

#zukka #zuko #sokka #angst #zukka angst #atla #avatar: the last airbender #fic recs #zukka fic recs

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 1 year

Text

Ten Into The Fog (Part 34)

He can’t explain it, why he is just breaking down now and when things are finally looking up. It simply doesn’t make sense, not even to him. But he supposes that this has been building for a while now. If only he could have waited just a little longer. Just until they could be away from the public and away from the cameras. He has come to know that these sorts of things just simply don’t wait. They come on fast and they come on suddenly.

They come on devastatingly

Azula is sitting right there across from him and acting more like councilwoman Azula than ever and yet there’s an overwhelming sense of loss, an air of it that surrounds her. And maybe that is because he is only seeing loss right now.

He is only hearing last words whispering in his ears alongside the distraught calls of faceless strangers that he has killed.

Nobody talks about that.

They talk about the people that Zuko has killed in battle, the people Toph had taken out. They talk about how Azula had killed Aang but they never talk about his body count. He thinks that everyone just forgets that he has one at all.

They don’t try to reassure him like they reassure Toph. Like they reassure Zuko and Azula that they are not bad people.

And maybe that’s the price of being the funny man. The laidback, carefree, silly guy. The comedian doesn’t have any problems. The comedian cheers everyone else up, not the other way around.

He needs Azula to comfort and soothe him, but as per usual she is staring at him with that dumbstruck look and glancing at everyone around her to see if they will step up so that she doesn’t have to. And as Katara reaches out to offer words of comfort, his anger finally spills over.

He doesn’t mean to yell, he hadn’t even meant to speak out loud. In fact, he didn’t realize that he had until they all collectively flinch. “Dammit! Why can’t you ever help me! I always go out of my way to comfort you and make sure that you’re okay, but you can’t ever do that for me!”

And he has made things worse. Of course she isn’t going to want to comfort him now, he has just shouted at her. And for moments that she can’t even remember. Of course she won’t want to approach him after he has fixed her with such a potent glower.

He is lucky that Zuko has opted to stay home and watch Mai or he would be getting an earful.

Even in the throes of his own distress he finds himself upset that he has ruined Azula’s first good mood in ages.

“Sokka…” Katara says uncertainly. She reaches her hand out and he swats it away. “I just don’t understand. Why can’t anyone ever comfort me. It’s always about Azula and Azula’s problems…or Zuko’s or Aang’s. Everyone’s problems are more important than mine. Fine! Maybe there was no genocide of my people, maybe my parents loved me! But one of them is dead! Everyone I love dies. And no one cares!”

“Sokka, that’s not true.” Katara replies softly.

“We do care.” Aang adds, “It’s just…sometimes it’s hard to tell how you feel.”

“Right. Because it’s so much easier to read Azula.” He jabs his pointer in her direction. The entire sushi shop is staring now. He thinks that some people have entered it just to see what the fuss is.

“You always seem so happy.” Aang replies.

“Azula’s always either grumpy or…” TyLee tilts her head. “She just has this aura, even when she’s got that blank expression.”

“It’s all about her all the time and I’m tired of it!” He should just shut up right now, but his mouth keeps pouring words, even after seeing Azula flinch. Even after seeing the way her hold tightens around Chomp. She doesn’t like when people yell, he recalls. But somehow, instead of coaxing him to take a step back, it makes him angrier. Angry because he realizes that it truly is easier to tell when Azula’s anxious or sad. “I always go out of my way to make sure that she’s okay even when she yelling and saying these awful things about me. And what do I get!?” He gestures to her. “She just stands there and watches me lose it!” He finds himself digging his fingers through his own hairline.

“You know Azula, Sokka.” Katara tries. “She isn’t exactly a cuddly person.”

“Yeah, until she’s breaking down. Then suddenly she loves being held and coddled.” He knows what he is doing and still he can’t stop. He is probably making her feel like she can’t come to him anymore, probably making her feel guilty for letting herself be vulnerable. The rational part of him that is still there, truly hopes that she won’t take any of this to heart.

He wants her help, he is asking for it all while pushing her away. All while giving her a reason to keep standing there, staring at him with this horrid mix of confusion, hurt, and hatred. She taps her fingers upon Chomp’s scales–he knows that he is making her anxious.

He should apologize, but all that comes out is another soft sob. And this time he can’t stop it. This time it takes him over completely because he knows that he is going to lose another person he loves. But this time it will be for the better. If he pushes Azula away then she will be free of his bad luck. She will be safe. If she doesn’t love him then she won’t die the way Yue and Suki did. The way his mom had before them.

It is strange that Katara and Hakoda have managed to escape the fate that everyone else he loved faced.

Just as he had expected, the cameras are here now. They are flashing in his face, capturing his distress for all to gander at for weeks to come. This is where Azula decides to step in. Explicitly and under no uncertain terms, she tells them to fuck off and mind their own buissness.

He hasn’t heard her speak so crassly in a good while. And maybe that is why the cameramen do leave.

Maybe that is why the sushi shop is now vacant save for they and the shop owners. Nobody wants to test an Azula who has dropped the polite princess demeanor.

Nobody but him apparently.

He is set to shout at her again. To ask her why she would rather yell at people than offer him words or gestures of comfort. Why it’s so much easier for her to be cruel and terrifying than it is for her to be loving and consoling.

Before he can she asks, “do you want to hold Chomp?”

He almost yells at her again. Almost shouts that he doesn’t fucking want to hold Chomp, he wants to hold her! Realization settles in first; holding Chomp makes her feel better, holding Chomp makes her feel less anxious. And she is clinging onto that dragon harder than she has in a while. But she is still offering her to him.

He holds his arms out and takes Chomp into them. The dragon gives a little coo and nuzzles her face against his cheek.

With no dragon to occupy her hands, Azula takes to making little shapes with her fire. He doesn’t think that he has seen her do this before but it seems to keep her calm in the absence of Chomp.

“Do you want to go home, Sokka?” TyLee asks.

He shakes his head. He can barely stand, let alone walk. What he wants is understanding! He needs someone to know that he needs to be held just like they hold Azula. But the only one daring enough to get close to him right now is Chomp.

Azula keeps her distance.

He had never kept his distance with her even when she was throwing fire and lightning…

.oOo.

Sometimes Azula thinks that she isn’t allowed to be happy.

Every time she starts to get there, something or someone takes that away from her. Sometimes, she is afraid to be in a good mood, lest it be stolen from her as quickly as it had been today. She is tired of people shouting at her, tired of being the object of everyone’s stress and resentment. And today she can’t say a damn thing about it because it will make things worse.

Sokka tells her to express herself, tells her to ask him for comfort, tells her that it is alright for her to be vulnerable. And now he is angry with her for finally doing just that.

He is expecting things from her that she has never been good with, apparently even at the height of her recovery and progress.

She has lost her memories, she has just been nearly killed, father has just made her feel all kinds of confused, and on top of it all she is pregnant and still feeling terribly awkward about it and unlike herself. And now Sokka is both furious with her and longing for her and she can’t tell which part of him is winning out.

And so she freezes. It is stupid and ridiculous but she can’t bring herself to say or do a damn thing now that she has passed Chomp to Sokka. She continues to watch her fire, she shapes it into a star and an orb. Into a miniature dragon and into a phoenix. Watching the flames shift and morph helps her mute the world around her. Watching that mesmerizing blue dance slows her heartbeat, it empties her mind.

It shields her, to some extent from that heart wrenching sob. Katara is rubbing his back but he is looking at her. The same eyes that had glared at her are pleading with her to come over and say something, do something…anything at all.

And so Azula lets the fire in her palm die and kneels down in front of Sokka.

She holds her hand out and lets him take it. His grip on her hand is tight, almost painfully so, she doesn’t think that he realizes how tightly he is holding.

She wants to ask him if he is angry with her but she supposes that that would be making things about her again. About her problems that she has to set aside at least for a time. It makes her feel queasy and she isn’t sure how to console someone when she can’t even console herself.

It settles in that, that is exactly why Sokka is upset.

He has been doing this for her for probably a decade or so; providing comfort while unable to comfort himself.

At least he is good at it.

She isn’t, all she can do is let him hold her hand as he cries.

She asks him what has been bothering him.

She isn’t sure if she will be able to help him even when he answers.

.oOo.

And it all comes pouring out his guilt, his feelings of inadequacy, his feelings of not being loved as much as he loves everyone else, his dread of losing anyone else, and the repeating voices of those who he has already lost.

Azula looks overwhelmed, completely out of her comfort zone and confused. He has unloaded all of his problems on someone who is terribly under equipped to handle them. More so than he had been to tackle the problems she has brought to him.

But she still lets him hold her hand.

And finally she says, “I won’t die.”

She doesn’t have a choice though. It has become so, so obvious in the last few months that if the universe wants her out of it, it can and will eject her. And yet she is, indeed, still here and talking to him. Twice now she has survived something that she probably shouldn’t have.

“I was born lucky.” She mutters. “That’s what father says.”

“Yeah, and you constantly tell me that you think that your luck has worn out.”

She shakes her head. “I guess that it hasn’t. I think that I would be dead if it has.” She pauses, seeming to think for a moment. Just long enough for Sokka to become peeved again. She is making things about her again. “I have you, that’s lucky, right?” She pauses again before backtracking. “It’s actually about choices rather than luck, I guess. You chose to…deal with me more than once. So I’ll choose to put up with you.”

He doesn’t mean to but he does, he laughs. She is so terrible at this. She is trying her best but she is horrible at it. Somehow, that in itself cheers him up; knowing that she is willing to make herself look awkward to try to make him feel better.

“I guess that I can put up with you and…” she gestures vaguely, “and this as long as you continue to tolerate me and…” another vague gesture to indicate circumstance.

She clears her throat. “Anyways, you don’t have to worry about me dying because I was born lucky and I live lucky too. I think that I would be dead already if I was supposed to be.”

He takes her into his arms and she doesn’t protest. He just needs to be close to her again, like they used to be. He needs to feel her body heat against his, that peculiar type of Fire Nation body heat that is significantly warmer than most. He needs to feel the locks of her hair against his neck and the brush of her cheek against his.

Reluctantly, she puts her arms around him. She brushes her thumb over his semi-new tattoo and he wonders if she remembers the night that he got it. He wonders if she has even a fragment of that night–one of their last nights of peace. One of their last nights of being in love. She traces the ink of the tattoo, her forehead is inches from his. Her lips her close enough to his that he can feel her breath on them. For a moment it feels like nothing has changed. For a moment it feels like things always have. It is enough for him to ignore Chomp’s wiggling.

He waits for her to pull back as this new, regressed Azula tends to. And she does, she pulls back and stares at him. She is thinking about something but it is hard to tell what. She reaches up and sweeps one of his tears away with her thumb. She holds her hand there, cupping his cheek as he had cupped hers.

He thinks that she doesn’t know exactly what to do. That she is simply replicating the things that make her feel better. Things that don’t necessarily work for him but suddenly do just because she is putting in an effort to comfort him.

Katara, Aang, and TyLee are all so quiet, he realizes that they have stepped out to give them some privacy. Perhaps that is what makes it easier for Azula to leave her comfort zone.

“You won’t lose me, Sokka.” She promises. “Not unless you get angry with me and…”

“Don’t ruin it!” He cuts her off. And to his surprise, she chuckles. For a moment he swears that her memories are fully intact. But her hesitant gestures tell a different story. That brief pause she takes before leaning in closer again.

That brief pause before she slightly tilts her head and brings her lips to his.

It is a fleeting moment–a tester, just to see if she likes the sensation.

She draws back just long enough for his heart to flutter, for him to think that she has decided that she didn’t like it.

But then she offers him another, longer kiss.

Spirits he had missed the sensation. Missed the light taste of cinnamon in her mouth. Missed recalling that she has a habit of taking some cinnamon treat with all of her meals. Missed the taste of Azula herself on his tongue. Missed that soft little hum that she always leaves him with after their lips part.

She is a lot gentler today, more uncertain as she had been the first time that they kissed. And he finds that it isn’t so bad, having a second first kiss. It certainly feels like a first kiss with the way it leaves his stomach fluttering and his cheeks flushed. The way it leaves her cheeks flushed.

Chomp isn’t quite as thrilled. In fact, Chomp seemed thoroughly annoyed.

“Do you feel better now, Sokka?”

He nods. There is still a fog in his mind, a lingering dizziness of distress. But for now he has something else to think about. For now he can be happy knowing that Azula is willing to put his problems above her own at least sometimes.

He interlaces her fingers with his own.

“I guess I didn’t do a good job of showing it today but I love you, Azula.” He is going to make himself sad again, “I wish that you could remember what things were like between us.”

“I can’t.” She replies quietly, that low captivating tone of voice that coaxes him to listen. She leans in closer so that her lips nearly touch his ear. “So show me.”

His heart skips a beat or two.

“I don’t have to remember, Sokka.” She says. “As long as I can get some new memories to replace the ones that I lost.”

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Sokka #Sokkla #Fanfiction

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zukkaoru · 3 years

Text

good evening zukka nation yesterday i watched episode 3x03 of legend of korra and decided hmm. you know what would be fun? if zukka had been casually canon! why would that be fun? because then we could’ve seen p’li trying to tick zuko off by mentioning sokka.

anyway then i wrote this. i haven’t watched past 3x07 of tlok so just... ignore any inaccuracies

tw for references to character death

and in the end, it had word count: 1016

P’li creeps closer to the cell door, and lowers herself enough that she can look Zuko in the eye. He meets her gaze, knowing better than to display any sign of fear.

“Where’s your little Water Tribe toy?” she taunts. “Didn’t bring him along today?”

Something icy stabs through Zuko’s chest at the reference to Sokka. It’s been long enough that the mere mention of his name doesn’t throw Zuko off kilter, but the way P’li speaks - like she somehow already knows - has Zuko wishing he could rip the cell door off its hinges and put an end to her right here and now. He might do it, too, if not for the knowledge that Sokka would disapprove.

Sokka would say something like, “She’s just trying to get under your skin. Don’t let her. You’re stronger than that, I know you are,” because Sokka always, always, believed in Zuko.

As it is, Zuko can’t stop his body temperature from rising.

P’li gasps, mock concern filling her voice to the point where it’s making Zuko sick. “Oh? Don’t tell me something happened to him.”

Zuko looks away from P’li’s gaze enough that it answers her question wordlessly. He can feel Tonraq standing tense next to him, like he’s ready to hold Zuko back from a fight. Like he’s hoping he even can.

P’li clicks her tongue. “Well,” she says, the false sense of concern abandoned in favor of her original taunting tone. “We all knew you’d outlive him anyways.”

Zuko wants to scream. He wants to tell P’li off, tell her how it should have been Zuko to die first, how Sokka’s only gone because he sacrificed himself to save Zuko’s life. But then again, maybe that’s what she means. Of course Sokka wouldn’t have let Zuko die before him. He’s too stubborn, too loyal, too self-sacrificing, too insistent that he’s always the less important one.

He never was. As far as Zuko is concerned, Sokka was the most important. As far as Zuko is concerned, he still is.

Because it’s Sokka’s memory - Sokka’s ghost, haunting Zuko’s mind - that stops him from lashing out at P’li. It’s the part of Sokka’s spirit still dwelling in Zuko’s bones that reels his temper in and stops him from inadvertently freeing P’li before Zaheer even makes it to the North Pole.

She’s just trying to get under your skin.

If it had actually been Sokka speaking, he would’ve thrown some pet name in there that Zuko would have pretended to hate during the early years of their relationship but ultimately admitted he liked because it was a reminder that Sokka had chosen him.

Sokka isn’t actually speaking, though. He isn’t here. He’s gone.

Zuko steps towards the cell, bracing himself to throw Tonraq’s hand off him if he tries anything. He doesn’t.

“If you’re going to talk about Sokka,” Zuko has no idea how he manages to keep his voice steady, “at least have the decency to use his name.” It’s not even close to what he wanted to tell P’li, but it’s what he can manage without setting the entire place on fire and putting Avatar Korra in even more danger than she already is.

He turns on his heel, away from P’li so he doesn’t have to look at her menacing smile for a moment longer, looking like she’s trying to peer into Zuko’s mind and figure out what she can say to tip him over the edge. And he doesn’t have to stare at that mark on her forehead that sends Zuko all the way back to the Western Air Temple before the war was over, back to Team Avatar reluctantly accepting him into their group and Sokka’s soft smile when he showed Zuko to his room.

He avoids making eye contact with Tonraq or either of the kids. “Let’s go,” he grumbles, pushing past them. He doesn’t bother turning around to make sure they follow.

“I’m sorry for your loss!” P’li calls after him. “No really - I am. You two were good for each other.”

Zuko winces. His hand reaches up towards his topknot absentmindedly, reaching for a hairpiece he can’t bear to wear anymore because it hurts too much to be reminded that Sokka is gone every time he catches a glimpse of his reflection.

He shoves his hands into his pockets and tries to block out P’li’s voice. It doesn’t work.

“I know what it’s like to be separated from a significant other for a long time.” He can hear the smirk in her voice. “Only difference is mine is coming back for me. Yours can’t.”

The sharp iciness digs itself deeper into Zuko, wrenching his heart in half and making his stomach churn. He closes his eyes and thanks Agni it’s too cold here for tears to fall. He hears footsteps and hushed voices behind him, but he pushes them from his mind and walks onwards.

It’s not like being outside of this prison will help much, though. It’s all snow, all Water Tribe and reminiscent of Sokka. It’s all Boiling Rock Freezer-adjacent. It’s all a reminder of what he’s lost, far as the eye can see, and he can feel the heat radiating off his body.

If Sokka were here, he’d tell Zuko to focus on the task at hand instead of letting P’li’s words get the better of him. He’d wrap his arms around Zuko and whisper into his good ear, and he’d hang on for longer than he needed too under the pretense of being cold. He’d tell Zuko that no matter what happens, they won’t let any harm come to Korra or they’ll die trying to keep her safe.

It was a promise they’d made each other nearly a decade and a half ago, on Aang’s behalf. They would do whatever they needed to in order to keep Korra safe, even if it meant dying.

It was a promise Sokka had made Zuko too, time and time again. He would do whatever it took to keep Zuko safe, even if it meant dying.

And in the end, it had.

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spark-09butghostfilesbitch · 3 years

Text

Truth or Dare

“I don’t want to,” Mai said as she straightened a bouquet.

“But everyone’s gonna be there, Mai!” Ty Lee implored. “It’s gonna be fun.”

“I don’t like fun.”

“What’s going on?”

The two girls turned and their eyes fell upon Tom Tom.

Ty Lee replied,"Aang, Katara, Toph and Sokka are visiting. They want Mai to come too since they won't be staying very long."

Tom Tom looked at his sister, doing his 'polar bear puppy eyes' thing.

"Please, can we go, Mai? I want to see Aang's air marble trick again!"

Mai frowned at her brother. "I'm willing to drop you off but I'm not coming."

"It would be so much better if you came, though," Ty Lee interjected. "We'd love to have you there."

Mai sighed out of frustration. It wasn't that she didn't like going to the palace. No, she just didn't want to meet Zuko.

Ever since their 'make up', Mai was unclear on what to do. She was sure she liked him liked him in the I-don't-hate-you kind of way, but she was still hesitant to be in a relationship again. When she had told Zuko this, he had cupped her cheek and told her he'd wait as long as she'd wanted.

And Mai had been thinking about his words. She just wasn't ready to face him yet.

"Mai?"

Ty Lee's voice shook her out of her thoughts. The knife thrower looked at the chi blocker.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," She said.

"No, no, I'll come," Mai said. She smiled at her oldest friend. "It'll be nice to reconnect with some old friends."

When Mai and Tom Tom arrived at the Royal Palace the next day, they found Ty Lee waiting for them. Tom Tom waved at her.

"You didn't have to wait," Mai said. Ty Lee looked up from where she had been doing a handstand, her legs arched and almost touching her head.

"I wanted to," She replied. She bent out of her handstand to survey her friends.

"You look tired, Mai. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. Tom just woke me up early." Mai frowned at the seven year old, and he shot her a sheepish grin. Mai sighed and shook her head.

"Let's go," She said. Together, the trio walked inside.

Mai opened the door to the sitting room. Inside, she found Team Avatar and Kiyi. Suki sat on the carpet covered floor. Kiyi sat on an armchair which looked too big for her. Aang and Katara sat together on a fainting couch. Sokka sat on a settee. Toph was lying down on the settee and had her feet propped up on Sokka's lap. The Water Tribesman didn't seem to mind.

Zuko sat at the foot of Kiyi's armchair. When he saw Mai, he smiled at her. Mai returned her more subdued smile. Tom Tom managed to squeeze in the armchair with Kiyi. Mai and Ty Lee took seats on the floor.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Sokka asked. They all nodded.

"What will we be playing?" Tom Tom asked Sokka. Sokka grinned.

"Truth or Dare, kiddo," He said. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that Mai didn't like.

"Okay, who'll go first?" Sokka asked enthusiastically.

"Ooh, me!" Said Ty Lee.

"Okay, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Well," Sokka placed a hand on his chin. "Who's one person you can't live without?" He asked.

"I'd say...the Kyoshi Warriors, you guys and my family," Ty Lee finished. Sokka nodded. He turned to Toph.

"Toph, truth or dare?"

"Eh, truth," She said carelessly.

"Have you ever lost an Earth Rumble tournament?" Said Sokka.

"No. Other than the one with Twinkletoes I haven't lost to anybody else."

"Katara, truth or dare?"

"Dare," The waterbender answered.

"Okay," Toph said."I dare you to drink that bottle of extra spicy peanut sauce." Toph looked at her smugly. Katara spluttered.

"What - drink that?! Are you out of your mind?" Katara shrieked.

"Yeah, Sweetness, drink that bottle of extra spicy peanut sauce. You can have water after."

Katara looked like she was about to protest, but she defiantly walked across the room and grabbed the bottle of sauce. She stared at it for a few moments before opening it and taking a long sip.

As soon as the bottle was away from her lips, she gasped. Her face was flushed. Lips pressed together, she walked over to the table where the water was, grabbed a cup and took another long swig.

After draining the glass, Katara walked back to Aang and glared at Toph. The others laughed.

"One point to Katara," Suki said.

The game went on for another two hours. Suki was dared to kiss Sokka while holding a handstand, Aang was dared to walk around the palace and explain the rules of Pai Sho to random people. Mai was dared to throw a knife on an apple placed on Zuko's head while blindfolded. Thankfully, the tasks turned out well.

Finally, it was Zuko's turn. He'd been withdrawn for the most part and he agreed to a dare.

"Zuko," Sokka said. "I dare you to announce who the prettiest girl in the room is and kiss them."

There was silence at Sokka's words. Zuko's eyes widened and his cheeks flamed. The others put a hand to their mouths to hide their smiles. Zuko glared at Sokka.

"Couldn't you have given me anything else?" He exclaimed.

"You asked for a dare," Sokka said. "Here it is."

Sokka smiled at him innocently. Zuko bit his lip. Mai could almost see a plan to escape forming in his mind.

Finally, he announced in a strangely strangled voice, "Suki."

Everyone laughed. Toph had a cocky look on her face. "I can tell when people are lying, Hothead. And we all know it isn't Suki."

Zuko went even redder. Mai was sure that something in the room might be set on fire. But why was he so flustered? He just had to announce the prettiest person in the room and kiss them. It wasn't an uncommon thing to ask during Truth or Dare.

She felt like she was missing something, a vital piece of the puzzle. She felt like she should know who he was about to kiss. But she didn't.

His eyes kept flickering to her, his face turning redder. He ran a hand through his hair and kept glancing in her direction and.....oh.

Oh.

Mai understood. The others' smirks made sense. Zuko's fluster made sense.

She bit her lip and stared at her lap. She could feel everyone's gaze on her.

"Are you going to do it or not, Jerkbender?" Sokka asked teasingly. Zuko glared again.

"Fine," He said.

He cautiously approached her. Mai looked up a him. Zuko looked nervous, uncertain.

He stared at her furtively for a few seconds, before dipping his head down and kissed her. They broke apart within seconds and even though it was barely a brush of the lips, it left Mai's heart racing.

Zuko moved away from her. The others booed good naturedly. Mai could hear Tom Tom make retching noises.

"Oh, come on, that wasn't even a proper kiss!" Sokka protested. There were murmurs of agreement among the others.

Zuko shot him an icy glare but that didn't have an effect on them.

"You asked for us to kiss. We kissed. End of story." He said.

"It was barely a kiss and it still made your heart do somersaults," Toph said. "You've got it bad."

"Toph!" Zuko said angrily.

"What? I'm just stating facts."

Mai sighed. She knew their friends weren't going to leave them alone after this.

"We'll do it," She announced.

She walked over to him and knelt down. He looked at her, nervous and uncertain.

"Do you want to do this?" He whispered.

"Let's just get this over with."

His lips were soft. He kissed her gently, his hand cupped her cheek, while the other linked their fingers. Mai rested her hand on his forearm.

Mai had missed feeling like that. The feeling of his hand in hers. The feeling of his lips against hers. She felt warm, both inside and out. They broke apart and Mai glanced at Zuko.

His face was flushed. He stared right back at her, trying to control his breathing.

She heard someone wolf whistle and there was an outbreak of awkward giggling. Mai and Zuko disentangled themselves from each other and resolved to siting in their usual positions near Ty Lee and Suki.

Their friends slowly began to trickle out after that. Finally, when only Mai and Zuko were remaining, Zuko plopped down next to her. They sat in silence. It wasn't awkward but it wasn't comfortable either.

"I'm sorry," Zuko said.

Mai looked at him. "For what?" She asked, confused.

"For - well, I don't know what I'm apologizing for but I feel like I may have crossed a line," Zuko said.

"You didn't cross any lines. There isn't anything to apologize for," Mai said.

"There isn't? I didn't make you uncomfortable or anything?" Zuko asked.

Mai sighed. She knew they were going to have this conversation sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.

"I know I said I needed time," She began. "I think about your offer a lot, Zuko. To be honest, I didn't want to come today because it would mean meeting you but I'm glad I came. I felt like this gave me a push I needed."

Zuko smiled at her. "So, you're okay with us being a thing again?" He asked.

Mai returned his smile. "We'll practice opening up about our feelings and problems. If the Spirits are on our side, we could probably make it work."

Zuko took her hand. "We don't need the Spirits on our side. I already have you."

Mai blushed. "You're so cheesy."

But she was smiling too, and Zuko felt his heart soar.

He leaned his forehead against hers. Mai placed a hand on either side of his face. He knew what was coming and his eyes slid shut.

He smiled against her lips and could feel that she was smiling too.

They kissed slowly and then they broke apart. Mai's cheeks were dusted with a pink blush. His smile grew wider as Mai rested their foreheads together once more. He knew they ought to head back to their friends, but right now.....he was happy right where he was.

Story is also cross posted on Fanfiction.net and AO3.

#maiko #post comic maiko #kataang #sukka #ty lee #toph #kiyi atla #tom tom atla #mai atla #zuko #pro maiko #zumai #Val's writing #spark 09's writing #maiko fanfiction #atla fanfiction

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