#maybe aang helped her to take down ozai so that she would become the firelord or firelady

[ticklishfiend]

A Toy Smile (ATLA)

(lee!zuko , ler!sokka and ler!aang)

A/N : AAAHHH!!!! fixating hard y’all. it's impossible for me to be normal about anything ever. this one's got more story than the last one but i hope u enjoy anyway lolll

Summary : a day off at the abandoned vacation home and zuko has a lot to think about. though, it’s kinda hard to think about your place in the world when your friends are being annoying (and u still love them for that)

Word Count : 5106

hope u enjoy!!

-

Being back at his family’s old beach house was remarkably strange. Zuko kept getting flashes of bittersweet nostalgia, images of his mother building castles out of sand with him, just for Azula to knock them all down. Running through the halls in shrieks of laughter, getting chased by the tickle monster (his mother always had the perfect balance between her calm and nurturing nature, and her more silly and playful side. Feeling okay with play was something that ended almost immediately after she left his life), always before being interrupted by a stark glare from his father.

Zuko’s father was usually absent in these beach house memories, but that’s because even when he was there during their vacations (which honestly wasn’t often, he was usually off tending to the business of being an up-and-coming Firelord), he always stood with a glare that Zuko could still see in his head clear as day. Looking back on it, he was glad that Ozai was usually preoccupied during those old vacations so he at least has a few good memories left of this place.

Zuko pondered on it alone in the house.

The rest of the group were off at the beach, doing their own things. If he had to guess, Toph was probably practicing her sandbending right now. Maybe she’s teaching Aang, or maybe Aang was practicing some moves Zuko taught him earlier in the week. Zuko felt weirdly proud at the idea. He imagined Katara was probably soaking in the ocean, bending and feeling one with the water. And Sokka…Agni knows what Sokka’s up to right now. Maybe he’s fishing. 

All he knows is that they’re probably keeping themselves preoccupied right now, taking the day off to do whatever they pleased. The group needed to keep their minds sharp, but not overworked. 

Zuko could sort of relate to that, trying to keep occupied. It was at a much lower scale, sure, but when he wasn’t training Aang, he took to wandering the grounds of this place that felt distantly familiar to him. 

Zuko still feels a little uncomfortable with the thought of hanging near everyone during an off day like this. He knows they don’t hate him anymore, but guilt and shame have become chronic pains he hasn’t learned to aid yet. He’s happy to help them, but hanging out on a casual level is something he’s still getting used to.

As he walked through the abandoned home, he couldn’t help but gaze at old photos, taking some out of the frame to burn in his hand. For some reason, watching the memory physically char and fall to ashes from his fire felt like a medicinal release in his system. He sat on beds that had been dressed by old maids years ago, untouched for so long and yet the sheets still had a smell that burned into his sinuses like a forgotten memory. 

It was so quiet in the house. Every footstep seemed to echo. It was dark, too. Each flame he set gave light to the entire room and the hall with it. It felt right that this place had been abandoned for so long. Justified. It deserved to lay dormant with the rest of any happy memories his childhood had to offer. That part of his life was laid to rest some time ago, but revisiting it lit something in him he hadn’t expected.

When he suggested they settle here for a while, Zuko hadn’t thought too hard on what it would be like to revisit this place. It was obvious this house, these grounds, the beach itself, would bring back memories he used to try hard not to think about. That was only logical.

What Zuko hadn’t anticipated was the way it would make him feel about the new people he’s surrounded himself with. The last time he was on a beach with people he thought were his friend group, it was a disaster. Fights and arguments, insecurities thrown around like weapons of war. That used to be normal to him. That was just what a vacation was.

But everyone here was having a good time. Yes, stress was definitely high and in the air, everyone was still keeping their guard up for what they knew was to come after they left. But that didn’t mean good times came to an end altogether. Zuko saw how they still played and teased each other, telling stories at dinner and laughing when they trained. Stress was high, but spirits might’ve been even higher.

Walking through this empty house, he realized that’s what this place was actually for. It wasn’t just a house you stayed in away from your home. It was a place built for bringing people closer together.

And here he was standing in it, alone in the dark.

Zuko sighed, dragging a hand down his face. He knew he should probably go out there. They trusted him now, what was he waiting on? He’s allowed…fun. That sounds so gross. But it also sounds like something Uncle would be telling him right now. If Zuko was any good at impressions, he’d give himself a famous Iroh Special about the balance of work and life, the importance of close friends in times like these. But Zuko sorta sucks at impressions, so he’ll just have to imagine how good some advice like that would sound and suck it up.

He should probably go join them on the beach now. Ugh. 

As Zuko walked out of the dimly lit house, the sun felt really good on his skin, warm and filling for his soul. He took a deep breath, in and out, as he made his way toward the beach. The sounds of splashing water and shrieking laughter filled his ears as he got closer, his bare feet now warming in the sand.

“Zuko’s back,” he heard Toph announce from her self-made throne of sand, a little umbrella over the top for shade and flavor. 

Zuko made his way next to Toph, watching the other three play in the ocean. Sokka had Aang in some kind of hold with his arms behind his back, while Katara stood in front, doing something with the water that seemed to have Aang in stitches. Zuko was utterly confused.

“What are they doing?” he puzzled, sitting down criss-crossed next to Toph.

“Why, do you want in?” Toph teased with a grin, making Zuko blush and nearly start defending himself (for what, he wasn’t sure) before she interrupted his clear stammering, “Katara figured out how to tickle with her water. She can be a little ruthless sometimes, and I really like that side of her.”

Zuko just nodded, really not sure what to say right now. He felt so awkward, maybe this was a bad idea after all. He’d be better off alone back in the house, it was probably good for him to think about his past the way he was before. Maybe he should just turn back, Toph will notice but none of the others have even acknowledged he came back yet so it’s not like–

“Hey!” Sokka called out, “My arms are getting tired! One of you come hold him for me!”

“Nohoho! Just lemme gohoho!” Aang cackled, kicking the water but not doing anything to actually stop them. 

Zuko sighed, regretting saying anything before the words even left his mouth. “Aang, just bend the water!” he yelled their way, “Did you forget you’re the Avatar?!”

Aang just kept laughing for a moment like he hadn’t heard a thing, and Zuko nearly smiled at the boy’s blatant silliness. But in a blink, Katara was suddenly lifted and thrown about ten feet away by a small but powerful wave, Sokka getting launched not long after in the opposite direction. 

Aang shot a thumbs up Zuko’s way, so Zuko gave him a quick nod back. Real smooth. 

“Wooo, that’s right Twinkle Toes! Show ‘em who’s boss!” Toph cheered like she was watching a wrestling match, throwing an excited punch to Zuko’s shoulder. He winced and shot a hand up to comfort the ache, but otherwise said nothing about it.

He watched as Aang launched a tickle attack of his own against the siblings, Katara squealing and using her own water to try and counter or block any of the water she could. Sokka threw his head back in loud laughter, having no way to defend himself and pretty much succumbing to his fate, screaming with his head above water.

Zuko felt weird just spectating like this, so he started fidgeting with the sand in front of him. He thought for a moment on building a castle like he had with his mother so many years ago, but that was so far from who he was now that he chose to keep it to himself. That can just stay a happy memory for the time being.

He looked up to Toph, who seemed content on bending miscellaneous sand shapes in her hand while she listened to them play.

“Why aren’t you out there with them?” he couldn’t help but ask. Zuko didn’t feel as weird around Toph as he did the others. He still felt awkward at times, but not weird. She was the first person here to really trust him, vouch for him even. She was strong and resilient and damn was she stubborn. Zuko really liked that about her, and even though she loved to tease, he felt comfortable having a conversation with her. That was just who she was.

“Eh, water’s not really my thing. I can’t see jack when I’m in the water. Well, I kind of can, if my feet are still touching the ground. But it’s sorta foggy that way and it freaks me out. I like knowing where I am, and in there I just feel all over the place,” she cringed, forming a little sand sea lion in her palm. “Why aren’t you in there with them? Is it a firebender thing to hate the water?”

Of course she’d turn the question onto him, why didn’t he think of that? Ugh, this was not something he felt like getting into right now. “Yeah, sure. Something like that.”

“You are such a bad liar,” she chuckled, chucking her sea lion at his head playfully. He grunted at the impact and dusted the sand from his hair while she grabbed another chunk to fidget with. “I don’t even need my feet to figure that out.”

Zuko sighed, bringing his knees to his chest to lay his arms down and make a makeshift headrest. “I don’t know how to just…play, like that. That’s not natural for me, it would just be weird. It’s better if I just stay up here,” he said, suddenly feeling very weirdly insecure and unsure of his words, “If, like, y’know–if that’s okay with you.”

She laughed openly at his hesitance. “Sparky, it would mean the world. I like your company! You’re funny to talk to,” she said, and her choice of words made him squint.

“‘Funny to talk to?’” Zuko questioned.

“Yeah, you’re always so uptight. And awkward. It’s really funny,” she chuckled, making him deflate a little. He knew she probably meant the best by it, but her bluntness will always take a little blow to his already fragile ego.

“Is that really the only reason you talk to me?” Zuko huffed, not even looking for an answer if not to just air out his insecurities a little. 

“No, you dingbat. You’re really different from the others, it’s a nice change of pace. You’re stiff, and your heart rate might be faster than anyone I've ever met which can get pretty annoying. But you’re very real, and I like that in a person. If you have something you need to say, then you say it,” she paused. “Well, most of the time.”

Zuko sat in that for a moment. He’s pretty sure she was…complimenting him? Maybe? It’s hard to tell with Toph, it’s rare she ever gets sweet with her words. But he’s pretty sure that whatever she meant by that, it was supposed to be a good thing. So he’ll take it.

“Thanks…I think.”

“I know it’s hard but…they can be fun if you try,” she shrugged, forming a little sand-Zuko in her palm and handing it to him. He took it gently, worried it would crumble in his hand. But it didn’t. It stayed sturdy and solid, like a real doll. Zuko turned it in his hand, getting a good look at his mini-me.

“How do you…”

“Know what you look like?” she finished for him. “The others described you to me a while back. It’s probably not perfect, but–”

“No, no. It’s…” Zuko stared at the thing in his hand. It was small, pretty much the size of his palm. His scar was there, but that’s not what he was looking at. Zuko couldn’t stop looking at the smile on its face. On his face. How natural and meant to be there it looked. “It’s really good. You captured my essence,” he remarked playfully, sliding the doll into his pocket. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it, Sparky,” she smiled. “Seriously. Don’t.” Zuko couldn’t help but chuckle at that, looking up to see Sokka dragging himself out of the water towards them.

“Teaching Aang waterbending was a mistake,” Sokka groaned, leaving puddles of water in his wake as he plopped in the sand next to Zuko. Zuko flinched, some water from Sokka’s clothes splashing on him when he sat down with so much force.

“Watch it, you’re getting water all over me,” Zuko complained, wiping droplets from his face with the back of his hand.

“Oh I’m sorry, were you the one that just got nearly tickled to death by the ocean?! No, I didn’t think so!” Sokka exclaimed, every big movement he made just splashing more water on a frowning Zuko. “I could’ve drowned!”

“Well that wasn’t my fault, so keep the water to yourself,” Zuko rolled his eyes at Sokka’s dramatics. 

“You’re such a baby, Sokka,” Toph chuckled. “Aang took it like a champ. You don’t hear him complaining about a couple of tickles,” Toph cooed in a mocking baby voice, making Sokka squint in contempt. 

Sokka pointed a finger toward Toph over Zuko, “I don’t wanna hear it from you. You don’t get attacked like I do!”

“Yeah, cause I set boundaries,” Toph grinned, tossing a foot over her knee. “You guys don’t tickle me cause you know if you even try it you’ll never have use of your fingers again.”

Zuko’s brow shot up at that, and he nearly smiled, but made no comment.

Sokka had no smart comeback to give, instead bringing his hand back in to cross his arms over his chest, pouting. They sat in silence for a moment before it seemed like a light went off over Sokka’s head, the boy perking up quickly and whipping his head toward–

“Zuko,” Sokka started with a grin. “You should help me get back at Aang.”

Zuko’s brow really shot up at that, “What?!”

“Yeah, he’d never expect it from you!” Sokka said, his smile wide and excited. 

Zuko stared incredulously, “Did that water hit you over the head or something? I am not doing that,” he scoffed, refusing to look at Sokka right now. He is so stupid, what makes him think Zuko would ever do something so childish? 

“Oh c’mooon, you said you were here to help us, right? Well…this would be helping me,” Sokka smiled a toothy grin, really hoping to win him over.

“Just ask Toph, don’t involve me in this. I’m sure she can do some…earthbendy thing and help way better than I could,” Zuko said, looking toward Toph for help.

Toph shook her head, “Nope. This is all you, Sparky,” Zuko could see her smile beneath the shade. He growled in frustration, peeking over toward Sokka.

“You can do it yourself then. Figure it out,” Zuko said, staring back off into the ocean. Aang and Katara were bending and splashing water at each other, their laughs and happy voices blending with the sounds of the ocean waves pushing and pulling against itself.

Sokka grumbled, falling onto his back in the sand. “Was just trying to see if you wanted to have some fun before we get serious again tomorrow,” he mumbled, picking at the sand with his fingers. 

Zuko tried to ignore him, but felt a poke to his shoulder on his left. He looked to Toph and saw her just staring at him with this look, like she was disappointed. Or, maybe not disappointed. More like she was saying with her eyes, “Didn’t we just have a heart-to-heart about this two seconds ago?” He felt the doll in his pocket jab into his thigh. 

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose like he often did when utterly frustrated. “If I help you, you have to do something for me in return.”

Sokka shot up, his eyes wide like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Yeah! Anything!” he paused, “Or, I mean, almost anything.”

Zuko clicked his tongue, he cannot believe he is doing this. “There’s some spices left over in the kitchen cabinet. They haven’t gone bad, I checked,” he peeked over to Sokka. “For dinner tonight, we are using those spices. No offense, but I’m tired of eating bland stew every night. If you grab those from the house…” he sighed, saying the words like they crawled from the pit of his stomach, “I will help you get back at Aang.”

“Say no more!” Sokka shot up from the sand and strut toward the house with his head held high. He was obviously very proud of himself for convincing Zuko to do something silly for once, and honestly, Zuko couldn’t blame him. He was surprised himself.

Toph dropped her throne back to the ground, the force of it shaking the ground under them as she stuck her toes in the sand. “You really gonna do it, Sparky?”

Zuko dropped his face into his hands. “I think I just dug myself into a hole.”

That made Toph cackle, and Zuko couldn’t help smiling into his palms.

–

The fish stew Katara was cooking smelled amazing. Zuko had forgotten just how much he missed the smell of real, seasoned food until he found those spices in the cabinet earlier today. At least he was getting something good out of this mess he’s got himself into.

In the living room of the beach house, Toph was proudly showing off all the sand dolls she made today. It was mainly weird shapes or animals she was familiar with, but everyone got a kick out of it.

“Oh, oh, can you do me?!” Aang practically bounced on his heels, clutching the Appa doll to his chest. 

“Remind me when we go back to the beach, Twinkletoes,” Toph smiled, tossing a solid ball of sand to the ceiling, up, then down. “I made Sparky one, since he didn’t abandon me on the beach like some people.”

Aang deflated in guilt, “I thought you said you didn’t care…”

“I didn’t care, I’m just messing with you,” she grinned, throwing the ball at a quiet Zuko’s head. 

“Ow! Hey, watch it–!”

“Show ‘em your doll, Sparks!” Toph said, the ball launching itself back into her palm. Zuko frowned, feeling weirdly embarrassed by it. He just sat there for a second with everyone staring at him, waiting.

“I thought you said not to mention it?” 

“Well if Aang’s making commissions, he should probably see what he’s buying,” Toph said, clearly just proud the others were liking her art so much.

A little shy, Zuko reached into his pocket and pulled out the doll, holding it up for everyone to see. Aang immediately rushed over, not taking it from his hand but still looking at it really close.

“Woah, little Sifu Hotman! Toph, this is so cool!” Aang poked at the doll’s face, “Aww, she even made him smile!”

Katara barked a laugh from the kitchen close by, “Really taking some artistic liberties with that one, Toph.”

Everyone snickered at that, and Zuko couldn’t help but frown (unfortunately proving their case). “I can smile,” he said, shoving the doll back in his pocket. “Maybe I just don’t find you guys that funny.”

Sokka gasped, “What, do we not amuse you enough, Your Highness?” He said in a mockingly fancy tone.

Zuko knows he’s just teasing, but Sokka can really be annoying sometimes. 

“That’s not it,” Zuko glared. “I don’t know, maybe we just have different senses of humor. But I can smile.”

He saw Aang glance over his shoulder to Sokka, who was lying comfortably on a pile of pillows. There was a weird, silent exchange happening between them that Zuko couldn’t pinpoint, but he was smart enough to know something was up. 

Sokka sat up and looked at Zuko, trying a little too hard to look casual. “So…what does make you smile, then?”

Zuko raised a brow. Kind of a loaded question, if you ask him. “I mean, I don’t know. That’s sorta vague.”

“On purpose,” Sokka corrected. “I can think of a ton of things that make me smile off the top of my head. Like, uh…shopping!”

“Cartwheels,” Aang butt in.

“Sea prunes!” Katara called from the kitchen.

“Feeling the enemy crumble to the ground,” Toph said, way too casually.

Zuko felt a little cornered. This was hard for him, okay? Thinking of something like this off the top of his head was difficult when he’s spent the last three years with a resting frowny face. “Um…” he started, really digging into his brain for an answer. “My…Uncle was really good at telling jokes? They got annoying sometimes, but some of them made me laugh. If that counts.”

Aang really smiled at that, moving to sit next to Zuko on the ground. “That definitely counts,” he said, before shooting another look toward Sokka. Hm…

Sokka got up and sat next to Zuko on his other side, throwing an arm over his shoulder way too casually, “I think that’s a wonderful answer. But there’s just one problem…”

Zuko shot him a confused side-eye, almost shrinking away from Sokka’s touch. “Uh, okay?”

“I don’t think we’ve ever made you smile,” said Sokka, giving a small jostle to Zuko’s shoulder.

Toph snorted across the room, getting everyone’s attention. “You can be real smart sometimes, Sparky. I don’t know how you haven’t figured out what they’re up to.”

Zuko shook Sokka’s arm off his shoulder with a furrowed brow, “What are you talking about?”

She grinned, feeling through the floor how both Aang and Sokka were slowly inching closer to Zuko on either side. “I think they’re gonna tickle you.”

Without a second more to think about escaping, Sokka shoved his hands under Zuko’s arms, followed by Aang throwing himself over Zuko’s lap to wrap his waist in a ticklish hug. 

Zuko shrieked, the sensation throwing him off guard so hard he nearly toppled over onto the ground. He would have toppled over, if Aang didn’t have such a strong grip on his waist, not to mention those fingers digging into his sides with a terrible, gentle accuracy. He was a cackling, giggling mess immediately.

“Nohoho-! Wahahait! Waitwaitwaitwaitwahahait-!” Zuko cackled, his eyes scrunched up and his smile wider than it had been in some time. He had forgotten just how ticklish he was until those fingers wouldn’t leave him alone, the digging into his armpits and the scribbling at his sides, it was all so…ugh, it was so ticklish.

“Tried to warn you!” Toph smiled, hearing Katara enter the room to watch while the stew finished cooking.

“Woowww, didn’t know you guys had it in you,” Katara remarked as she leaned against the door frame, watching with a grin. She pointed at the scuffle with her spoon, “I really expected you two to wuss out!”

Aang scoffed with a grin, having to use a lot of his strength to hold the very squirmy Zuko in his arms. “He’s not scary anymore, Katara. I mean, just watch this,” he said, before pinching at Zuko’s hips and making the boy squeal.

“Guhuhuys! Ahaha–wahahait! Hold ohohon!” Zuko twisted in his laughter, his arms sealed at his sides to no avail. If Sokka didn’t get his stupid fingers out of his armpits right now he was pretty sure he was gonna keel over and die any second now. From laughter or embarrassment, he wasn’t really sure which.

“Wait, wuss out?” Toph questioned. “Did you guys plan this?” 

Sokka snickered, switching to just using one finger under each arm at a time, and somehow that was even worse. “Yeeeeah, I might’ve pulled a fast one at the beach. Sorry buddy!” he said, before, “Well, not too sorry. This is pretty funny.”

Zuko’s face felt so hot he was almost worried it was gonna catch on fire. Quite literally. “I’m gonna kihihill you twohohoo!” he cackled, finally gathering enough strength to push Aang off him, kicking his feet to make sure Aang kept his distance. But Sokka was unrelenting. “Sokka! Cuhut it out!”

“Ohhhh fine,” Sokka pulled his hands out, bringing one up to scruff Zuko’s hair for good measure. “Before you get mad, we only did it cause you looked a little left out on the beach today.”

Zuko wished so badly that Toph would let the floor swallow him up whole right now. “So your solution was to—do that!?”

“Well, yeah,” Aang smiled a little shyly, “It looked like you felt left out when we were playing earlier. I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong…sorry if that was too much.”

Katara had slipped back to the kitchen for just a moment during their conversation, coming back now with a tray of bowls. She handed Zuko his bowl first, which he took while still glaring at Sokka and Aang. (Well, mainly Sokka. He could tell Aang felt bad, and Zuko’s not like, actually mad. Just so utterly embarrassed and shy that he doesn’t know how to express himself right now.) 

Katara gave him a sympathetic smile. “They really like you. They just don’t know how to…express it with you, sometimes.”

“Don’t put this on me, it was Aang’s idea!” Sokka looked a little embarrassed himself, like he’d been caught saying something he didn’t want Zuko to hear. He took his bowl from Katara but wouldn’t look her in the eye.

Aang took what Katara said with stride. She always had a way of putting exactly how he felt into words. “Yeah, it was my idea. You’re really cool, Sifu Hotman! But, I don’t know…I never wanna make you mad, but I still want you to feel included, yknow?”

With a mouthful of stew, Sokka chimed in, “Wha’ he said.”

Zuko wasn’t sure what to say right now. He still felt warm up his neck, and all the eyes on him right now weren't helping. But…he also felt really appreciated? These people certainly had a weird way of showing their affection, but they were trying. For him.

Ugh. They’re so sweet it’s almost sickening.

“We won’t ever do it again. Just…know we meant well,” Aang gave a sad little smile before taking a bite of his stew. Well now Zuko had to say something.

“No, it’s okay,” he stared into his bowl. “Affection, and I guess play, are…sorta new to me. I don’t hate it. I don’t…mind,” Zuko cringed at his own phrasing. Telling them that he actually sorta kinda had a little bit of fun just now felt impossible. He sighed, “What I’m saying is, I won’t get mad if you ever do it again. I know you’re not being mean. And it doesn’t bother me. So. Y’know…yeah.”

Sokka squinted toward Zuko over his spoon. “So, you didn’t hate it…” he shot a grin, “...which, in Zuko Speak, means you had fun right?”

Zuko sincerely wanted to singe the brows right off Sokka's face. Because, unfortunately, he was right. Zuko bit the inside of his cheek, “If I say yes will you drop it?”

“Actually, if you say yes you’re just giving me permission to turn that frown upside-down whenever I want,” Sokka wiggled his eyebrows, making Aang laugh beside him.

Zuko could only roll his eyes and take another spoonful in response, which they all knew in Zuko Speak was a definite yes.

“Ahem,” Toph turned the attention back toward her from across the room. “Now that that’s over, can we please go back to talking about how awesome my new sandbending tricks are? I’ll be generous and take free commissions for the next five minutes, but after that you suckers are gonna have to start paying up.”

Aang shot his hand up immediately, “I call a tiny hat for Momo!”

“Ok, but how about a tiny sword for Momo?” said Sokka.

Katara giggled, “We could give him little sand boots.”

Toph hummed with a nod, drawing up plans in her head before pointing toward Zuko. “Sparky? Any suggestions?”

Zuko looked around the room, everyone’s eyes on him once again. It wasn’t a bad feeling, though. They liked hearing what he had to say, even if it was just for a silly game. Zuko was allowed in on the conversation; actually, more than allowed. Encouraged.

“Um…he could use some sand shades. Really bright outside, y’know.” 

There was a small beat of silence, and for a second Zuko almost regretted joining in, before everyone burst into giggles.

“Momo’s gotta be beach ready!” Aang laughed, poking the lemur in the belly. “Toph, he needs sandals. He needs them!”

Zuko couldn’t help but smile along as they kept throwing insane suggestions Toph’s way, his cheeks almost hurting by the end of it. Every once in a while, he’d catch himself glancing around the room, taking in how different it looks full of good company. It was somehow brighter, obviously louder, and the air didn’t feel as tight. Even when they circled back to Zuko’s newfound ticklishness later in the conversation, he felt comfortable to tease back about how weak they all were against the spices he had Katara throw in their stew.

Sokka’s threat of future tickles his way kept creeping its way to the forefront of his mind every once and a while. And he wasn’t…not excited about it. It’s not the tickling he’s looking forward to, exactly. Although, every time he pictures that future attack, he feels the ghost of fingers digging into him again and feels a weird smile pulling at his lips. Zuko puts it back to normal immediately when he catches himself, but it was there, and he knows that. But no, no it’s definitely not the tickling. It’s not just the tickling. 

Zuko’s glad they’re not scared of him. They aren’t scared to touch him the way they do the others. It’s different for him, and he knows he’ll have to get used to all this newfound affection. But that’s something he’s willing (happy) to do.

When the night was finished and he found himself in that old familiar smelling bed, Zuko pulled the doll out of his pocket. He traced its details with his thumb under the light of fire he lit in his other palm. Sand took another shape with his friend’s help, and made him smile.

At that moment he decided, that’s what he’ll do with this house. It doesn’t have to feel so dark and alone. Zuko can reshape it. 

-

pls consider reblogging if u enjoyed!! love yall, smooches

#tickle community #tickling #tickle fic #atla tickling #lee!zuko #ticklish!zuko #lee!aang #ticklish!aang

[procrastinatingwriting]

Legacy of fire

Zuko breaks. Simple as that. After a few easily avoided assassination atempts and being left alone in the castle by his friends - the war won't stop itself - he just. Breaks. Starts banishing staff from the castle, or imprisoning them for the smallest things, claiming they were with Ozai and wanted to kill him. Mai gives up trying to reason with him, they break up. She writes for the gaang to tell hem what's happening, and sends a search for Iroh.

Azula is being treated in her room, and hears nothing of anyone for a long time. She is still shaky after the breakdown, but doing better. In one night, Zuko invades her room and looks in shock to see her calmly laying on her bed. He babbles about her having to stop going into his room to taunt him. She hadn't been doing that. Azula frowns, and deduces what's happening. She teases him saying if she wanted the throne back she would just challenge him again, but she didn't. Zuko calms down, but is still restless. They bond over being left behind with the crown by who they love.

Things start to get better in the palace, the staff being able to hold their jobs for longer than a week before being sent away for 'attempted treason'. Azula is seen outside often now, either training or spending time with the firelord (aka convincing him that no, those gardeners are not going to use the scissors to try and assassinate him). They feed the turtleducks and talk about mom and dad, and how it wasn't fair. Azula talks about how Iroh leaving Zuko must feel the same as father leaving her in the day of the black sun, and Zuko has a meltdown after finally breaking through denial. Azula admits she accepted that Ozai never loved her after that day, and had the same reaction. They joke that at least he wouldn't be challenged to an agni kai in his own meltdown, and he apologizes.

Azula never allows Mai to tag allong in their bonding moments, but sometimes allows Ty Lee. Mai is livid, but won't admit. Ty Lee is just glad to have her friend back.

It's in the middle of a meeting when Zuko truly breaks down. He panics and attacks his advisors, screaming, breathing and kicking fire. Azula takes him down and when Ty Lee chi blocks him, Zuko goes limp. Azula is crowned as temporary fire lord and follows through with the plan to end the war since she doesn't really minds it anyways. She isn't following orders anymore. She does keeps some of their colonies though, and there comes the issue.

Aang couldn't stop what he was doing to go back at the fire nation because, quote, 'Zuko wasn't feeling well' as per Mai's words, but when the colony issue arrived, he changed his schedule and went to grab his friends to solve the problem. What a surprise when they see it's Azula giving orders, not Zuko. Ty Lee explains the situation and is supported by the Kyoshi warriors, but Aang demands to see Zuko. Katara is tense. Azula too. She denies them claiming her brother being too tired to be visited. Aang finds it fishy and keeps guard at night to try and contact Zuko by breaking in through his window (maybe Azula is holding him prisioner right?). Zuko is not only crazy and terrified, but also hallucinating apparently, and fights Aang until his eventual collapse, and Azula comes out of nowhere to help.

Azula: Can't get him to eat anything. Three of the last 6 attempts involved food, he hasn't had much since.

Aang:

Aang: pardon?

Azula: My brother is weak, avatar, would you leave us alone so he can keep at least a piece of his dignity?

Aang becomes number one member of the "let's give azula a chance" club. They all realize that it was deffinetly NOT a good choice to leave Zuko alone in the palace, and that Azula shouldn't be burdened with it either (and maybe, just MAYBE, they were a little too rough in the judgement of her). He calls Bumi and Azula agrees to let him help keep things in order until they decide what to do, but declines to have her position revoked.

I remember I had a vision with this but it was too long ago and I am currently working on another AU. I might come back for this one latter, though.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #azula #fire siblings #aang #katara #sokka #mai #ty lee #iroh #iroh critical #iroh salt #princess azula #actual child soldier azula #zuko is not an awkward turtleduck #but he is autistic #fight me #legacy of fire au #atla legacy of fire au #atla au idea #atla lof au #fire lord zuko #fire lord azula

[stinkw333d]

ok this is the rest of my big long thoughts about TLOK, and i’ll never do something like this for ATLA bc that show is perfect and i’ve never had notes though any rewatch.

anyways, i understand why LOK is structured the way it is, due to the back and forth nickelodeon gave the writers on the show being renewed etc etc. It’s clear they didn’t have a beautiful planned out 4 season arc to give korra as they did with aang, and you can’t make the bad guy of the season *that* powerful and unbeatable if you aren’t sure if the show is going to continue or not, but i got a little drunk the other night and thought of a way the show might have flowed better, with the content we’re given, without changing too many major plot points.

i like amon as a S1 villain. i think they could have made him not so obviously evil right off the bat. it would be interesting if he had worked with government to take away the bending of some of the more difficult prisoners in the nations. like the members of the red lotus that have to be put in those completely remote super prisons that take so much manpower to hold down. maybe they get their bending taken away at the beginning of S1 as a public act by amon to get support, but the red lotus isn’t mentioned much besides that, the seed for the next season has just been planted. amon is still defeated at the end as he should be, (i love him and tarrlok and their tragic daddy issues story) and then we move on to season two, now Zaheer/the red lotus season.

the hardest part of rearranging these seasons was trying to get Zaheer out of prison without him gaining airbending, but he’s clearly powerful without it, he can fight just as well out of prison sans bending. however, if his friends all lose their bending to amon, Zaheer would likely hear about it eventually. the guards, throughout ATLA and LOK, are notorious gossips. I believe that would motivate him to meditate deeper to try and connect to his buddies through the spirit world, like how Jinora can astral project around. maybe Ming Hua knew amon while he was still Noatak, or at least knew of him as a fellow super powerful water bender, and knew how skilled he was at water bending and could tell his “ability to take bending away” was a phony chi blocking trick all along, but needed zaheer’s guidance to unblock her chi and regain her bending. and now that she’s in a lower security prison, where everyone thinks she’s a non-bender, the guards are a bit more lax on allowing water near her. Ming Hua could break everyone out as zaheer did, and then the events of S3 (the new S2) play out.

i think unalaq’s season is good, sue me, plus his motivation to equalize the world with the spirits would be a good motivator/way for him to continue his bff zaheer’s work after he’s defeated. Zaheer started the work by defeating the earth queen, now unalaq will finish it by bringing true balance to the world. look at the earth kingdom now, it’s already beginning!

i really like the time skip at the end of S3, so maybe instead of being poisoned by zaheer, Korra still loses her connection to the past avatars and is simply desperate to try and reconnect. spending three years meditating and going to the spirit world, and visiting avatar temples all over the world. especially after learning about what a threat Kuvira is becoming, it’d become more pressing to at least connect with aang again. taking over the whole earth kingdom? sounds a lot like what firelord ozai was trying to do to the whole world, sure wish we could talk to the guy who defeated him about all this. plus, bumi gaining the ability to airbend? aang would be thrilled to know! Korra could still be led to the swamp to meet toph, still get some grumpy old lady advice to make her feel better, have a spiritual swamp vision of sokka perhaps, to get advice on how to take down Kuvira since he HELPED a LOT defeating Ozai, thank you.

it would also be more impactful if all the spirit world creatures and vines were just freshly brought to the world when kuvira decided to use spirit vines as a weapon that has completely unknown consequences. the newness would take the fact that the spiritual power was more dangerous than kuvira could even imagine, and really give it a punch.

#ok im done now #tlok #legend of korra #korra #aang #atla #zaheer #unalaq #amon #kuvira

[madrone33]

So here's my thoughts on netflix atla ep 2! It was... hmmmm. Zuko was the best part imo.

Heads up; spoilers obviously. But also I'm a huge fan of the original, so I'm heavily biased and also literally cannot not compare them. This is my opinion only, and if yours is different that's completely fine! I just wrote this out mainly for me to get my thoughts in order, and posted it for fun. Anyway! Here's my extremely long rambling:

The Northern Water Tribe attack warning - it’s unnecessary. They’d already need to go there to get Aang and Katara a waterbending master. There’s no need to take away from the sudden shocking attack just to add a deadline they don’t need. They have Sozin’s Comet for a deadline. If they’re even going to add that. Honestly can’t tell at this point.

Kyoshi - her showing up and possessing Aang takes away from Roku being the first show of Avatar State power. And it being possible from any shrine instead of needing the Winter Solstice? Huh. Also, she’s really harsh and mean; in the cartoon she’s more just stoic and blunt? Is she supposed to be a stand in for the mentor role instead of Roku? Don’t see why they made Kyoshi throw down this episode either; story wise, Kyoshi Island... isn’t all that major. Why did they choose here in this minor skirmish to showcase the power of the Avatar? It’s seriously overkill.

Zhao - not assholeish enough, just kinda smarmy. Where’s him smugly shoving in Zuko’s face the fact that his father doesn’t want him? I miss feeling like I want him to drop dead. Also, his sideburns aren't big enough lmao. Have him swap with Lieutenant Jee.

Zuko - really getting the teenage angst vibes here and I love it. Zuko is my favourite character so far. Also wow, he’s actually fairly emotionally aware. And pretty reasonable? Like, they're really toning down how much of a jerk he was in the original, huh?

(I kinda knew they'd do this tbh. Adaptation writers have this Thing where they see what the fans like, and then misunderstand why the fans like it. We like Zuko because he has an amazing redemption arc, goes through shitTM, and ultimately becomes a badass good guy. But his arc was only so great because we saw how very low he started. Zuko was an asshole for most of the show. Like seriously, he was not a nice person in s1 and s2 and most of s3. He was angry and bitter and callous, and there were only a few times where his better side shined through to give us a glimpse of the kind of person he could be. So when he embraces that side, and fully turns his back on his abusive father, we are right there with him, seeing him at his lowest point, and watching him rise higher than anyone thought possible. If he starts out more mellow, less of a trashfire little shit, almost a nice person, then he can't rise to such great heights. And that's a shame.)

Aang’s fear - I don’t like him being so powerful the monks were scared of him. As a kid, he’s supposed to have a peaceful, happy life; that’s why getting all that abruptly shattered and ripped away hurts so much. And his fear of the Avatar State would be valid - except that he calmed himself down last episode without anyone’s help?? He seemed to be able to control the Avatar State just fine, so there is no problem, and thus, no reason for his fear.

Captured by Kyoshi Warriors - it's weird that Aang airbended when they were ambushed and they had zero reaction, but it was him airbending that proved he was the Avatar in the cartoon. I also don’t like the deus ex machina statue.

Ozai - face reveal?? I like his voice. But for the love of god, stop putting the firelords on the same step as everyone else!! He should be on his throne, behind the fire, in shadow, with a low-up camera angle- He’s a dramatic ass bitch, stop taking away from his dominance displays!

Unagi - Kyoshi stopping the attack means no Unagi, and I am sad. Idk maybe they didn’t want to bother with the cgi? But they did Kysohi? Ok… Oh also, isn’t the Unagi the thing that kept most outsiders away? Weird that they’d not even mention it.

Commander - guys stop feeding Zhao’s ego. Let Uncle Iroh subtly put him down by calling him a Lieutenant.

Sokka and Suki - I don’t like it. It was cute in some scenes maybe, but wayyy too forced. By taking away Sokka’s sexism, they’ve taken away the main rift between Suki and Sokka as well as the reason for them making up. Sokka swallowing his pride and humbly asking for lessons is the only reason Suki gives him a second glance, and then she gets to know and respect him. They didn’t just see each other and have some innate attraction! Also she gave him one (1) kiss on the cheek, because it was at most a crush and mutual respect at this point, not some big thing! I would’ve bought it if he’d fought her at the statue and she’d taken him out and he was impressed and smitten and then tried to awkwardly fumblingly get to know her - but that’s not what happened! I’m pretty sure she was holding Katara at that point. There’s no reason for them to notice each other. Is it seriously just because they’re hot?? Come on guys! You’re better than this! Sorry. Rant over.

Gran Gran - ah. She’s back as the exposition master I see. Have a scene where her grandkids try to go off and save the random kid they found, get busted, brace for anger, only to receive her support and love as she tells them how proud she is and how scared? Nah, just have a voice over, it’ll have about the same emotional impact, I’m sure. Well, I guess that’s one way to skip the Waterbending Scroll episode.

Katara - so this is a trend is it? She’s just- not gonna get mad at the things she should be getting mad at. She didn’t break the iceberg from anger, and she doesn’t feel bitter and jealous of Aang being a bending prodigy. O-kayyy. (Because imo her jealousy was less ‘oh he’s getting this faster than me’ and more ‘omfg I am the last waterbender in the south and this is MY culture and if I’m failing to learn this then that’s one more thing the fire nation has taken from me and would you please stop rubbing in my face how much better you are-) Yeah, so what does this mean for Imprisoned and Jet?

Suki’s mum - by making Suki’s mum the hard, untrusting person, and making Suki the more trusting hopeful one, it takes away a big part of Suki’s character; she’s a warrior that was born, and grew up, shaped by the war. She and her people were so untrusting of outsiders and the danger they posed that they would throw them to a sea monster to get eaten alive rather than trust. And it’s Aang and Sokka that inspires Suki to change that way of thinking. By taking away her initial distrust, it’s taken away her ability to change. Just like Sokka, less character flaws means less character development.

Katara standing right there so that Zuko looks up and spots her - like Katara, come on! At least try to be subtle! This is the Last Agni Kai all over again I swear-

Momo - he’s… hmm uh yeah. Idk. I don’t like. Sorry.

Suki’s facepaint - ok ok, sure, they couldn’t trust the audience to be able to point her out with her facepaint on so they made her take it off, but like- the whole point of the facepaint is so no one stands out and gets targeted? And now? She stands out??

Sokka doesn’t wear a dress - I am disappointed. I am very disappointed. The dress is not just a dress, it’s 1) showing how Sokka is willing to follow, adapt to, and respect other’s traditions, 2) proving that what you wear doesn’t affect your skills, and 3) it’s vital to making Suki, in turn, respect him. The writers are cowards. Let my man wear a dress!!

Coward - speaking of, why do people keep calling Aang that?? He didn’t run away in this one! It really doesn’t hit very hard at all when he literally Didn’t. Run. Away. If you’re going to make changes, stop referencing the old version!

Kya - the flashbacks to Katara’s mum when the fireballs got too close were pretty good. Just enough detail to know something traumatising happened, not enough to reveal the whole story. And it’s realistic that Katara would have a trauma response to fire.

Power scaling - an issue of last episode too. The original was good at slowly building up and introducing the power of the world. We go from Zuko, to Zhao, to Azula, to Ozai, to Sozin's Comet. But since we’ve seen the firebenders at the height of their power - during Sozin’s Comet - all other firebending should now be less impressive. (I say “should be” because tbh the firebenders under Sozin’s Comet weren’t even much more powerful looking?)

Weapon - why does Kyoshi call the Avatar the ultimate weapon? That sounds like General Fong type shit. The Avatar is the bridge between the physical and the spirit worlds, they keep the balance. In no way does that mean they have to become a weapon. In fact, I would argue that a good Avatar must be the furthest thing from a weapon, because weapons are wielded by others to kill, but the Avatar should be independent in the decisions they make, striving for peace, if they want to see the bigger picture and keep the balance for all.

Appa - he was there. He didn’t look too bad. I hate that that’s the only thing I can say about him.

Sokka finally shows the boomerang - but he still doesn’t use it in combat. At this point I think they’re trying to contain the sheer power that would be unleashed should he get to wield it.

RIP the pirates - I get the time constraints, but I am sad we never get to see the sheer unhinged-ness of Zuko's stubborn ass. This mf out here catching goss of a bald kid and a waterbender and immediately grabbing it with his teeth.

Hmm yep, think that's everything for now. It's a fine episode if I don't think about stuff too hard, but if it's only good when my brain's turned off then it's not really that great, yknow? I'll probs keep watching the rest, but I might not post any more reactions unless they pull something hella good or fuck up egregiously bad lol.

#rambles #rants #n​atla #netflix atla #long post #my posts #immediate reactions

[firelxdykatara]

Katara x Aang :3c

are you trying to get me in trouble

-cough-

no but in all honesty, my genuine feelings about kataang boil down to three major points: 1. it's boring, and does not jive thematically with either of their character arcs, to the point of, 2. actively hampering character development on both sides, and 3. katara deserved better.

points expanded under the cut. (please, if you're a kataang shipper and you see this, just keep scrolling. i've tagged it appropriately and put the bulk under a cut and at this point that's literally all i can do lmfao.)

send me a ship and get my (brutally) honest opinion!

1. It's Boring: This is the most subjective point on the list (I mean, in fairness, it's all subjective, but I have evidence from the show and post-canonical materials to support my other points; this one is just preference), but there's just... nothing to kataang. It's cute (when it's not actively aggravating), and... that's about it. It's not even that I dislike friends-to-lovers as a shipping trope (though it's not my overall preference), because there are a lot of friends-to-lovers couples that I do ship (kanej comes to mind, also will/elizabeth from potc, karolsen from supergirl, romione and hinny from hp, among others), but one thing that I think all of those couples have that kataang doesn't is that both sides of the pairing are teens or adults when they get together, with teen/adult dynamics and issues and stories to deal with, rather than one half being a teenager and the other being literally prepubescent.

And don't get me wrong, I have no problem with age gap ships in general. And as far as atla goes, Katara, at 14, has the same age difference from Zuko (16) as Aang has from her, and it's never stopped me--because both Katara and Zuko are well into puberty when they meet and I have no problem picturing them being into one another and growing together as they enter adulthood. Aang, on the other hand, is a child. And he acts like it. Which wouldn't be a problem, if the show weren't expecting me to believe he is a) ready for a romantic relationship, and b) ready for one specifically with Katara, who is not only older and far more mature but is specifically cast as his caretaker in a very maternal role for the entire show's run.

This show asks me to believe that a teenage girl well into adolescence is going to be attracted to and develop romantic feelings for a pre-adolescent child--and it asks me to believe this while showing us otherwise that Katara's type is actually older boys with fabulous hair and angsty pasts in all of her other potential romantic dalliances--and then enter into a relationship with him, all while ignoring the elephant in the room that is the fact that she was basically acting like his mother for the entire series to that point. (Something that is heavily lampshaded earlier in the very same season.) That just stretches the bounds of credulity way too far for me, especially when there's no evidence that Katara herself would get anything out of their romantic relationship.

There's nothing there for me to sink my teeth into. No delicious development, no parallels where they help each other grow, no internal conflicts that they have to work through together, nothing. Certainly no reason for me to actually believe Katara feels (or would grow to feel) anything for him other than the platonic affection of a caretaker. I can easily believe she loves him dearly, as a friend and quasi-little-brother, but I just can't see that developing naturally into romantic love--not the way it's presented in the show.

And even if they did manage to at least make the development of Katara's feelings believable, unless they changed something fundamental about the nature of their relationship, it'd still be boring, so.

2. It Actively Hampers Their Character Development--On Both Sides: I've written before (extensively lol im so sorry) about how kataang is actively detrimental to Katara and to Aang. In short (because ye gods this post is already getting long enough), Katara is narratively harmed by being shoved into a relationship that completely ignores her stated feelings--a relationship that had been presented as a one-sided puppylove crush for the vast majority of the series--and it inhibits her growth as a character in ways that become far more obvious in the comics and lok, where the very same creative forces that lead to her beginning a relationship with Aang in the first place reduce her to 'the Avatar's girl' and very little else, all the way through to the end of LoK (where she is a Healer and the Avatar's wife and, again, very little else).

As for Aang:

As to how this relationship is detrimental to Aang (other than the comics and LoK nonsense)? Just take a look at book 2, when he’s trying to learn Earthbending from Toph. Katara constantly coddles him. Much of the time, she’s afraid to be anything other than gentle and understanding with Aang--partly because of her fear that if she pushes him too far, he’ll run away. (Which he does, several times.) But sometimes, what Aang needs to grow is a sharp kick in the slats, which Toph was more than willing to provide--and which worked. Katara was great for teaching Aang to waterbend, but he needed more than that to grow as a person. And he can’t get that while he’s in a relationship with someone who will apologize for getting upset when he was very explicitly neglecting her.

In addition, it is pointed out by Guru Pathik at the end of Book 2 that one of Aang's chakras is blocked by his attachment to Katara. Aang takes this to mean (incorrectly) that he has to stop loving her in order to become fully realized as an Avatar, but this is actually part of the problem--because the issue isn't that he is in love with Katara, it's that he's possessively attached to her. He believes himself entitled to her love in return, rather than selflessly loving someone regardless of whether or not they return that affection. (This is obvious come the EIP episode, where Aang demands to know why he and Katara aren't in a relationship already--because he kissed her without asking [or even checking to see if she'd be ok with kissing him], which he phrases as mutual even though it very much was not, and he gets angry and violates her boundaries when she says that she is confused and doesn't want to think about it right then.)

It is his attachment to Katara--the need for her to return his love, the belief that she will and it is only a matter of time before he gets what he wants--that he was supposed to let go of, not his feelings for her in general. Unfortunately, while he pays lipservice to doing this (far too late for it to be useful--if he'd stayed with the Guru for five more minutes and unlocked his chakra there, that battle would've gone very differently), he almost immediately backtracks on that development come book 3, and there isn't another single whisper of Aang maybe growing up and moving past his one-sided and possessive crush and realizing that even if Katara doesn't feel the same way, it doesn't mean she loves him less or that their friendship is less important.

What really needed to happen, for Aang to grow as a person and become fully realized as an Avatar, was for him to grow up. To realize that his feelings were not of paramount importance, and that even if he was in love with Katara, he was not entitled to her love in return. He should have been able to move past his need for her to love him back, in order to get past that stumbling block, unlock his chakras, and regain the Avatar State in time to face the Firelord. But he didn't. As a result, they had to find some other way to just give him the Avatar State (a well-placed rock) and the means to defeat Ozai without killing him (the deus ex lionturtle) and his entire character arc just fell apart in the third act rather than reaching a satisfying conclusion.

3. Katara Deserved Better: This really ties into how her romantic relationship with Aang hampered her own development, but I'm still bitter enough about it that it gets its own bullet-point. And the biggest single reason I could never ship kataang--the thing that would've turned me off even if there were substance and a halfway decent storyline for them--is the fact that Aang kisses her without her consent (for the second time) in Ember Island Players, Katara gets angry at him and storms off, and then..... she walks out onto the balcony to make out with him.

With nothing to bridge that gap.

It's bad enough that a show aimed at children had a scene where the child protagonist kissed the object of his affections without her consent when she didn't want him to (made explicit by her angry reaction)--and this is absolutely an issue when the show is aimed at children and it may well be the first experience they've had with consent issues portrayed in media--but this moment is never addressed again. Katara just decides--completely off-screen--that she does love him Really and walks out to make out with him in the epilogue. There's no conversation, no apology for violating her boundaries, no discussion of why that was wrong or any indication that Aang understands what he did and why it upset her. They don't have a single one-on-one interaction between that kiss and the epilogue, and the only other time they are on screen together, Aang yells at her and storms off.

So, even leaving the comics and lok aside, Katara deserved much better from her own romantic plotline. In fact, she deserved to have one, rather than simply being the oblivious object of Aang's affections, given a couple moments where she blushes but otherwise remains completely ignorant of his feelings (she looks shocked and upset when he kisses her prior to the invasion, and then she completely forgets that even happened because she's confused as to what Aang is even talking about during EIP until he brings it up; that's not the behavior of a fourteen-year-old girl who was kissed by someone she was developing romantic feelings for), before the epilogue where it becomes clear that she figured all of that out off-screen and had feelings for him after all.

She's a main character, not a side-character written in solely to give one of the mains a love interest. She deserved a romantic plotline of her own. (She could have had one with someone else, with very few changes made to what was actually on-screen prior to the epilogue, but that's another conversation entirely.) She deserved to have her feelings considered at all important by the person she was going to be paired with in the end, rather than having him just assume she felt the same way and then get mad at her for never giving any indication of it when he'd never asked about her feelings to begin with. She deseserved agency in her own romantic narrative, and she just didn't get that with Aang.

So yeah, at the end of the day, my biggest issue with kataang is that it involved doing Katara dirty, and she's my favorite character and she deserved so much better damnit.

#atla #katara #aang salt #kataang salt #anti kataang #atla meta #katara deserved better #salt for ts #ask meme #invincibleweasel #asked

[kataraslove]

katara: “do you hear that?”

aang: “sounds like it’s coming from over there...”

for kataang week day 3: post canon @kataang-week​

newly wedded aang and katara (now sporting a cute little bob) were travelling across the world for their honeymoon. on their way to the kingdom of omashu, the two decided to stop and revisit the cave of two lovers. as aang and katara leaned in for a quick kiss by the entrance of the cave, they heard a blood-curling scream come from inside. immediately pulling away, the couple shared a suspicious look with each other before deciding to investigate.

katara cautiously grabbed her pouch as aang drew out a small flame to lead the way. however, the waterbender stopped her husband to remind him that the tunnels were filled with fluorescent crystals that glowed in the dark. 

“oh yeah,” aang recalled. he looked down at the flame dwindling in his palm. “i’ll put it out when we get further in there. if we hear screaming again, we’ll be able to find out where it came from.” 

“you can also use your earth bending this time around.” 

aang nodded. “that i can.” the gentle lines of his face - reserved especially for his wife - quickly switched up to the avatar look, the signature look that he bore whenever there was danger and people in need of his help. 

“let’s go.”

(continued under the cut, 2.4k words)

the broad sunlight of the summer day was reduced to a small crevice against their backs, as the two lovers made their way into the shadows of the labyrinth. their primary light source came from aang’s flame, which had grown brighter the farther they travelled. the avatar could not help but become a little bit mesmerized with the vivid red and orange hues that danced in his left palm, the warmth that occupied his hand having stretched out to his entire body. the flame synchronized so perfectly well with his heartbeat. fire is life, he recalled the words of the sun warrior chief. not just destruction. 

aang nearly chuckled out loud. firebending came so naturally to him now - almost as natural as his airbending. to think that there was ever a time that he had outright hated the element and vowed to never learn it, even if it had meant jeopardizing his avatarhood.

however, a small voice crept to the back of his mind, uncomfortably reminding of the exact reason as to why he initially refused to learn the element at the age of twelve. it was the same reason that brought shame and guilt inside his gut - even eight years later - whenever the memory unexpectedly crossed his mind. what he had done to katara on that day, how he had refused to listen to jeong jeong’s advice and lost control of his fire, the image of her fresh burns - it was all there, forever smeared across his brain and heart as a painful reminder. no matter how many times katara had insisted that good had come from that day through the discovery of her healing abilities, aang could never wash away the trauma associated with that event.

he inhaled sharply. it won’t happen again. he wasn’t twelve anymore, and he had full control over all the elements now. fire was energy, he had learned, and life.

sparing a glance at katara, who had been awfully quiet since they got into the cave, he noticed that his wife was chewing anxiously on her lower lip. the trouble in her beautiful features was easily detectable by the bright flames within his hand. he moved closer to her, his shoulder gently bumping hers in an attempt to comfort her. “you okay?”

she met his eyes, and he could see the hint of fear reflected in them. “aang, i’m worried.”

“you have nothing to be worried about,” aang reassured her with a small smile. “whatever it is, or whoever it is, we can take ‘em.”

katara shook her head. “i’m not worried about the who. we’ve probably dealt with far worse than whatever is lingering in this cave. but i - aang, what if it’s bad?”

he frowned, confused. “what if what’s bad, then?”

she studied her hands carefully. her hands were the hands of a fighter, of a healer. the same hands who had resurrected an avatar back to life and saved a firelord from near death, while dismantling another firelord from the throne. he felt the sudden urge to draw her hands in his own, to hold her tight enough to ease away her fears.

“what if there’s a bunch of dead bodies stashed away in this tunnel, rotting away for days or even weeks?” she answered in alarm, eyes widening at the dark path ahead of them. “or, what if there’s a bunch of people lying around in pain, on the brink of death, and I don’t have enough water to save them all?”

his eyes turned to the road ahead. he saw nothing, except for earth and more earth. but he knew better than to dismiss those kind of fears. 

“that wouldn’t be your fault.” he responded gently. “we’ll do our best to help, to make sure that whoever is out there is safe and unharmed. but if they do happen to be harmed - or worse, dead - and we’ve tried everything that we could,” he shuttered out a breath at the imagery. “i don’t want you to blame yourself for whoever you can’t save, katara.”

“and i don’t want you to blame yourself, aang.” she placed a hand on his shoulder as they walked on. he tried to ignore the immediate sweep of panic churning in his stomach at her proximity to the fire. if he envisioned a future with both katara and firebending, he would have to get used to accepting that she would be around the times when he required the element. 

“i know you feel a sense of responsibility, as the avatar, to ensure that the world is kept safe,” she continued on. her voice softened, a sad tone. “i know it upsets you when it isn’t.”

“wasn’t i the one consoling you just a second ago?” aang joked, deflecting. 

“we’re consoling each other.” katara insisted with a small smile. the corners of her mouth dropped at her next statement: “i know you don’t like to talk about it, aang, the stress and pressure that you feel. but i also know how it keeps you up at night. why you choose to sometimes spend long periods of time meditating.”

just like that, she had flipped the switch on him in the way that only she knew how. katara was undoubtedly right. of course he had seen and experienced his fair amount of injustice and morbidity; they all had. but the guilt of not being able to do anything about it - to know that people all over the world were counting on him to end their suffering and plight and despair, while there were many days when all he could do was sit in lavish cushions arguing endlessly with politicians who could not relate to the earth kingdom boy who had nothing to eat, or to the water tribe girl who had lost her parents, or to the air nomad who was the sole survivor of an entire culture - ate away at his heart and mind at every minute of every hour. even now, when he was supposed to be enjoying his blissful vacation with his wife.

“aang.” he felt katara lightly pull his chin towards her, forcing him to look at her before his mind could wander down the same dangerous road that it had so many days and nights before. she stopped the two in their tracks, the light from his palm illuminating their darkened features.

the fire reflected back in the indigo of her eyes, embodying the energy and intensity and life that was katara, his best friend, his saviour. suddenly, he was transported back to a time during the war, when he had just been a fidgety twelve year-old boy staring up at his fourteen year-old best friend. his heart thumped furiously against his chest the closer he inched to her face. when their lips met, he felt electricity course through his veins and wondered if the warmth that pooled in his stomach was what love felt like. 

as he caught her lips in his own again, this time at the age of twenty, he could confirm - a memoir to his twelve year old self - that the warmth was indeed love. but love was also so much more, he came to realize over the years. love was the cautious hands of a fourteen year-old girl spending weeks at his side, healing him from his coma, sobbing in despair and frustration when he would not wake up. love was the way that he had thrown his arms around her waist, and she around his neck, relief flooding each other’s veins at the knowledge that they were both alive and safe and together after his defeat of ozai and her defeat of azula. love was the way her hand fit so perfectly in his, palm pressed to palm and fingers intertwined, as the two watched the early formations of republic city from their home, vowing to leave a lasting legacy on a world where benders and non-benders of all types could live together in safety and harmony.

love was also the brief kiss in an abandoned cave that said a million more things than he could ever say in words. 

when the two pulled back, he noted the way that her eyes twinkled up at him under the fluorescent light. the crystals shone overhead, leading them down a familiar path, just as how it had done when he was twelve. aang checked his left palm and realized that he had extinguished his flame during the kiss. 

katara’s smile reached her eyes when she grabbed for his hand, pulling him along. “funny,” she said, bemused. “that thing you said when we were kids. guess it held up all these years, didn’t it?”

“what thing?”

“oh, you know,” she replied with a casual shrug, a mischievous glint forming in her eye. “you choosing to kiss me over dying - ”

he groaned. she was never going to let him live that one, was she?

“did i say that?” aang feigned innocence. “i can’t quite recall. maybe what my awkward twelve-year old self had meant to say, instead, was that the thought of not being able to kiss you is just so unbearable that i would rather have chosen death.”

“mmhmmm. sure you had.” a blush slowly crept up her cheeks, betraying her sarcastic tone. success.

“good thing that hasn’t happened yet, though. the not being able to kiss you anymore part.” he paused, adding as an afterthought: “the death part, too, if we’re being honest.”

“don’t speak so soon. what if there’s a serial killer in here?” she hushed him, looking around conspiratorially. 

“you’d rather a serial killer kiss you instead of your own husband? ouch.” 

she smacked his arm. “aang! i’m serious. with the recent bender supremacy uprisings going on in major cities of the earth kingdom, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. what’s stopping a bender supremacist from kidnapping a bunch of non-benders in omashu and dumping their bodies in this cave right now?”

“well, for starters, we would’ve heard by now if that were the case, wouldn’t we have? there’d be rumours, like with what happened with hama. so far, there hasn’t been any reports of mysterious non-bender disappearances in the cities where the uprisings are taking place. definitely not any in omashu.”

a dark look settled across katara’s face at the mention of the estranged bloodbender. “an earth bender supremacist could be dragging bodies from the city and burying them in the rubble of the tunnels. no one would even think to look because the legend says that the cave is cursed.”

aang scratched his head, suddenly very wary about his surroundings. his eyes scanned everywhere around him, from the plethora of crystals that provided them light on top to the solid stone that held the cave in place, trying to spot any semblance of a decomposing body. just as before, he couldn’t detect anything unusual.

while he knew that katara’s suspicions had merit to them, his mind still hesitated over the idea of a bender supremacist trapping people in caves. he would have heard something by now, if that were the case. besides, they were drawing all of these inferences from a scream that he wasn’t even sure came from a human. the high-pitched sound could have belonged to a species of wolfbats, for all they knew. and even if it were to emerge out of a person, who was to say that it was connected to the victim of a bender supremacist murderer? it could have been from a lost and hungry traveler stuck in the cave for days, unsure of their way out. or perhaps it was from someone whose foot was trapped under rubble, screaming out in sheer pain. maybe it even belonged to a villager being chased by an angry spirit.

he walked over to one of the walls, running his hand over the sharp rocks that pricked at his skin. or perhaps, he thought bitterly, gritting his teeth, it was his own refusal to accept that he was failing the world again that led him to dismiss such possibilities. given the political climate, it was entirely possible that bender supremacists were using their bending to hide bodies within the cave. he just wasn’t aware of any of it because it was all taking place underneath his nose, while he remained in blissful ignorance with the women he loved on what was supposed to be his vacation.

aang closed his eyes. he focused on the vibrations emitting from the ground, trying to detect if there was anything that could give him a clue, like a direction to the source of the scream. he was even searching for the large footsteps of badger moles or the fluttering wings of wolfbats. while he was no toph, his earthbending had vastly improved over the years to the point where he had gotten very good at perceiving the world around and underneath him through vibrations. but this time around, he was sensing absolutely nothing. 

well, not entirely nothing. aang noted that some parts of the earth below his hand felt kind of fresh. and quite warm. it didn’t take an earth bender to realize that their texture and temperature were evidently different from the rocks comprising the rest of the cave. this new formation of rock - whatever it was - also felt very familiar to him, almost like he had dealt with this type before. 

his eyes widened in recognition. it was rock that had hardened after the eruption of a volcano. and not just any ordinary eruption; a special kind of eruption that didn’t require any volcano whatsoever.

lavabending.

“hey, katara. would you be able to come over here? i think i found something.”

aang’s words were interrupted by the sudden howl of a blood-curling scream. this time, he had felt the vibrations perfectly through the earth, and spirits did they hurt. he winced in pain, his ears ringing, reflexively removing his hand off the ground.

the screaming did not seem to stop the longer the seconds passed. multiple more emitted from the path ahead in unison, echoing off the chambers of the cave. his heart pounded. there was no denying that the cries had unmistakably belonged to humans. 

katara already had a stream of water out from her pouch. she had sprang into action, pointing in the precise direction that the noise was coming from. 

“this way,” she shouted, running ahead. 

be careful, he couldn’t help think as he trailed after her.

--

this art was adapted from the following comic panel in imbalance part 2:

#kataang week 2021 #kataang #kataangtag

[visit-ba-sing-se]

My contribution to the “what happened to Kuzon?” question, I guess. No canon, just me making myself cry. Kuzon was old. He knew that, and with every move he made his body reminded him. Still, he was crouching over to clean the dust from a statue. The monk that it resembled had his eyes closed and seemed to be mediating, blissfully unaware off the world around him. Kuzon sighed. What would he give to just trade spots with him. Once more, he was not sure if he was supposed to find it rather funny or tragic that this small shed, in a small village between somewhere and nowhere, was where his life had led him. His parents had been a merchants. But not the kind of merchant you would meet on the city market and who'd sell you cabbage or fish. The kind of merchant that travelled to Ba Sing Se or Omashu and returned with ancient relicts that they'd sell some fire nation nobleman. Or the other way around, trade spices that would be used to for the spicy pickled kelp severed to earth kingdom royals. And Kuzon had been accompanying them for as long as he could remember, and a lot of it, he had loved. Counting heavy coins while sitting on his father lap, helping his mother chose between different colored pieces of cloth to buy and sell again for more, crossing items from a list before he even could read the words. And of course, he had met two of his best friends on their journeys. Bumi and Aang. And he had believed that that would be how things would stay, and that one day, he would grow up to be a merchant as well. Of course, in his mind he then imagines being the greatest merchant there ever was, who would have dinner with the king of Omashu and make his parents proud. And of course, that dream shattered as childrens dreams do.  One conversation it had taken to tear his world apart. One conversation that he had listend to from the closet in their living room. Kuzon had used to hide when his parents welcomed wealthy clients, as they had never wanted him around then. Today, he still remembered that one trade as if it had been yesterday, not a century ago.

“You know, the prices for those artifacts are going to increase rapidly soon,” his mother had said, her you find my price to high but there is nothing you can do about that voice as he called it. “It is not like new once will enter the market. And I even heard that the government is striating to seize and destroy those that are currently one it.” Kuzon was angry at himself for not taking a peak at what she was selling earlier. Now they were standing with their backs to him and the view was blocked. “Even if you are right, which is not unlikely”, that buyer, a fire nation noble, had responded,  “don't feel any bad at all profiting from that?” His mother had snapped back directly “Oh, don't strike that chord with me. You want to invest. I have an investment to offer. Nothing more, nothing less. This little intermission won't fool any of us, and you know it.” “Fine.” The nobleman than had sighed, as Kuzon had moved his head slightly, desperatly trying to get a glimpse of what had being sold.  “A pity they had to kill all of them.” “They just made the best fruit pies. And they were so fun at parties.” None of this had made sense to Kuzon. Not until he finally had seen what the noble man had just bought. An air glider. Like the one Aang had had. And with that, it had hit him. Fruit pie. Air glider. Aang. Killed. Kuzon had not left that closet until finally, after he had missed lunch and dinner in there his father had discovered him and ordered to go to bed. Of course, looking back, it was childish. But In that moment, he truly had thought that as long as he stayed in the closet, the reality would stay out. The reality in which Aang, his best friend Aang, the funny, caring and genius Aang, Aang who he had spent some go the happiest days of his life with, was dead. And his parents were selling air gliders for profit.  But of course, the reality was there, and it did not care if Kuzo accepted it or not.  He was just 12, and one might say that a kid that age would not understand so much anyway. But Kuzon felt like in fact, he was the only one who did. The only one who saw all the places in which the air nomads were missing. The only one who saw how fearful the merchants from the earth kingdom that used to be good friends of their family now looked. The only one who did no pretend that their firelord was nothing else but a liar and murderer.  All of that had made him wanting to yell. Or cry, Or both. But his parents had taught him not to do so very soon very well and so he did neither.  But he wrote it down. He started with everything Aang had told him about his people, and what he could remember from the times he had visited. He continued with everything that happened then. When his father got drafted for the war. When they started having to say this weird pledge in school. When the man with the serious face brought the letter that made his mother cry. When they had to leave their big house in the capital and move back to his grandparents into a smaller house in a small village. And how despite all of this, the first thing his mom did in her new, small room was to hang up picture of Sozin so that he could stare down from there as well. He wrote down how after that picture changed from Sozin to Azulon, he applied to university to avoid getting drafted himself. The thought of that made him chuckle now. How smart he had found himself to be. Only too find out that at university they may did not teach him how to kill someone with a sword. But to kill his mind with some words. Of course, he had written that down as well. Just as he wrote down the rumors of the deserted admiral, and the drinking songs the other students were singing about bravery and burned towns. Finally, he got into one last fight with his anthropology professor that got him kicked out of university and close to being arrested. After more or less fleeing town, he cut his hair, hid in a few more closets and stole the passport of a poor lad named Lee. Like that, he escaped his military service scrubbing floors, serving tea and unloading ships on docks. He spent some nights in prisons as well, after fights he had picked at night and after assaulting governmental officials. For jokes about Azulon that he alone had found funny. As the result of trying to convince people that attacking Ba Sing Se would not be right. But no one wanted to be convinced, so once more, all he could do was write down what he observed. The cheering masses and tea sipping towns people just as the polluted rivers and starving fisherman. The children playing war in the streets, already so eager to kill and die for honor and glory just as the factory workers with dark circles under their eyes. He hated to admit it now, but during that time, he had been giving close to giving up more than once. He woke up in the morning not knowing which town he was in, nor how he would pay for dinner there in the evening. He had given up his home, his studies, his name. All because he had not been wanting give up on Aang. He could not betray his friend. When he was not able to fight all of them and stop the war, the least he could do was not to become one of them and instead bear witness for future generations to come. But is just got harder and harder each day, and more and more times he scolded himself for being just stubborn and stupid. His friend was dead. The Dragon of the West was at the walls of Ba Sing Se. And everyone just loved Azulon. What difference would it make if he joined them in? Or if he just stopped trying completely? What saved him was a small clay figure of a sky bison. A woman sold it on the market in a town which's name he did not even know. What he knew, however, was that these kinds of toys were only made by air nomads. And that that woman clearly had no idea how much the piece she was offering here was worth. He bought it without thinking twice. And that was how he finally became a merchant. Trading goods became his explanation for traveling up and down the country, searching for traces and hints, gathering artifacts that one way or another that found their way into the hands of people who had no idea what they were holding. Of course, he had to start small. Very small. But he had learned from the best there were. And he had a goal. “Maybe I am naive to think that one day, the war will be over and the firelord defeated. That one day we can speak freely again and that people will come and learn about the airnomads.”, he wrote down during this time, but when that day comes, they need to have something to learn from. After many years, when Ozai already replaced Azulon, Kuzon settled in a small village, where he lived in a small hut with an even smaller shed in which he kept the artifacts hidden. People quickly started avoiding him as the weird old man who in any other place would have already been arrested but here just served as village idiot. He continued writing, but news travelled slow and when they arrived were usually not reliable at all. Because of that, he nearly did not dare to write the first hopeful line after what seemed to be an eternity. Word has it that the Avatar has returned.

And then after another year, despite all odds and just like that, the war suddenly was over. At least so he heard. And noted that the war was over. And then finally, he put the pen down. Everything suddenly had changed. Yet still, it remained the same.

Kuzon was still alone in his hut and with his books, and still no one seemed to care. He had a testamony to make, but no one wanted to listen. They all just wanted to forget so fast.  And he was a disturbance, since they knew that he remembered.  There were rumors that the new firelord, Zuko, 16 and like that himself half a child, wanted to change things and own up the crimes that were committed. Some people pretended to support that. Others openly complained. Kuzon just would like to believe it was true. But he just had stopped trusting in firelords a long time ago.

Still, he tried his best to maintain the artifacts in good shape, but he was old. He had no family. No friends. And the thought that they would remain hidden here after his death, abdomend and forgotten, broke what was still left of his heart.  But here he was, and here they were. Alone. Suddenly, when Kuzon could already feel his eyes filling with tears, he was interrupted by a voice. A very familiar voice.

“Somebody here?”, it asked.  Kuzon was sure that it was only in his mind, brought back by all the memories. Still, while scolding himself for being a stupid old man, he slowly turned around, expecting to see nothing except for the wall of his shed. But his mind had not tricked him. There he stood, smiling that familiar smile that Kuzon never would have thought he would see again. Aang. And Kuzon cried.

#avatar #Avatar The Last Airbender #aang #kuzon #My writing #atla fanfic #atlla #avatar aang #why did I do this? idk #the good thing is that I cannot sleep anayway #the bad thing is that is is 1:48 am and I really need to get stuff done tomorrow #also I am sad now

[thebakingqueen5]

KW 2021: Missing Scenes

Day 3 for Kataang Week 2021 hosted by @kataang-week with the prompt Missing Scenes!

This was arguably the most obvious way to go about this prompt but I wanted to write it anyways because if there’s one missing scene that should’ve been included in the series, it’s something to bridge the gap between EIP and Sozin’s Comet.

Links: AO3 | FF.net

Summary: Another year, another summer, another week of prompts celebrating our favorite couple. Kataang Week 2021 Day 3: Missing Scenes. Bridging the gap between the Ember Island Players and Sozin’s Comet Series Finale.

Word Count: 2.8K

It was another cool night on Ember Island. The moon was beginning to rise and was lighting up the corridors and central courtyard while the Gaang got some food to replenish themselves after a long day of training and preparations.

Sozin’s Comet was a mere few days away, and tensions were higher than ever. Earlier that day, the true plans of the Firelord had been revealed: that he was planning to use the comet to wipe out the Earth Kingdom entirely, which meant that Aang had to face him on the doomsday itself at the latest. It was a challenge he felt none too prepared for.

He thought that he was going to get more time to master his earth and firebending, but with this newest revelation, it was pretty clear this was not the case, and the stress was beginning to get to the young airbender.

The practice battle against Toph posing as the Melonlord had Aang’s stomach tied in knots. Before today, the final fight seemed so distant, almost inconceivable, something that he would only have to do when he was absolutely ready for it. But now? It was coming, and it was coming fast, and Aang had no idea how to handle it.

The boy hadn’t really thought about what he would do when he finally faced Ozai. He assumed that by the time he mastered all four elements, the solution would be obvious, but it wasn’t. Everyone else seemed convinced that killing him was the only option, but that went against everything Aang had been taught by the monks. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like him. How was he supposed to do something so drastic when he didn’t even believe in it? There had to be another way, something he was missing, there just had to be!

“I have a surprise for everyone!” Katara called as she walked into the clearing, immediately snapping Aang out of his intense thoughts. He briefly glanced up from the plate of food in front of him as everyone’s eyes turned to the crimson-clad waterbender, a rolled up tan scroll in her hands.

“I knew it!” Toph exclaimed. She grinned devilishly as she looked up from her wooden bowl of rice. “You did have a secret thing with Haru!”

Sokka, Suki, Zuko, and Katara all blinked at her in confusion and gave the blind earthbender a bewildered look, unsure of where her supposed epiphany came from.

“Uh…” the waterbender responded slowly as the others returned to their meals. “No. I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this.”

She unfurled the parchment in her hands, making a slight swish noise.

“Look at baby Zuko,” she cooed. “Isn’t he cute?”

The paper in her hands was in fact a painting showing a happy, bright-eyed cherub of a baby laughing as he played on the beach. He looked to be quite young, having only a tiny topknot on his head and a mere two teeth in his small mouth while a tiny shovel and sandcastle lay on the ground next to him.

Everyone except for Zuko laughed and “aww”d at the adorable picture while the firebender stared at the others gravely.

“Oh, lighten up,” Katara admonished when she noticed his lack of response. “I’m just teasing.”

“That’s not me,” the firebender said, opening his eyes to look at her. “It’s my father.”

The Gaang looked on in shock as Katara rolled the scroll back up. They were all wondering the same thing- how could such a precious baby have become the most cruel man on the planet?

“But he looks so sweet and innocent,” Suki frowned, her voice faltering.

“Well, that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster,” Zuko spat. “And the worst father in the history of fathers.”

“But he’s still a human being.”

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice. Aang’s back was hunched over his tray of rice and beans a few feet away from them, and a deep frown rested on his normally cheery features.

“You’re going to defend him?” Zuko questioned.

“No,” Aang clarified. “I agree with you.”

“Firelord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him,” he said as he stood up and turned around to face them, “but there’s gotta be another way.”

“Like what?” Zuko deadpanned.

“I don’t know,” Aang shrugged. He turned his gaze down and away from the others, eyebrows tilted upwards in concentration, when an idea came to him.

“Maybe we can make some big pots of glue, and then I can use gluebending to stick his arms and legs together so he can’t bend anymore!” he said excitedly.

Zuko smiled sarcastically. “Yeah, then you can show him his baby pictures, and all those happy memories will make him good again.”

“Do you really think that would work?” Aang asked eagerly, oblivious to Sokka and Suki snickering behind the firebender.

“No!”

Aang sighed heavily and hung his head in defeat. He needed to find another solution, think out of the box somehow. He stared at the ground for a few moments in exasperation before hopping down the stone steps to pace under a hanging orange lamp in the courtyard.

“This goes against everything I learned from the monks,” he said, walking back and forth. “I can’t just go around wiping out people I don’t like!”

“Sure you can!” Sokka interjected from the sidelines. “You’re the Avatar! If it’s in the name of keeping balance I’m pretty sure the universe will forgive you.”

Aang’s arms and slumped upper body shook violently with rage.

“This isn’t a joke, Sokka!” he shouted. “None of you understand the position I’m in!”

How could they, after all? They hadn’t been at the Air Temples a century ago. They hadn’t been raised by the Nomads to be peaceful and treat every life as sacred. He was the last of his people, and somehow none of them could see that. To them it was the simplest decision in the world- just get it over with and save the world, but it wasn’t to Aang. It wasn’t as cut and dry as that.

“Aang, we do understand,” the waterbender frowned. “It’s just-”

“Just what, Katara? What?”

“We’re trying to help!” she said angrily, her temper also rising.

“Then, when you figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!”

Aang raised his arms in frustration with the last few words and stormed off in the direction of his room, feet stomping loudly against the stone floor.

“Aang, don’t walk away from this,” Katara began as she made a movement to follow him.

Zuko put a hand on her shoulder, and the waterbender faltered, turning towards him.

“Let him go,” he said quietly. “He needs time to sort it out by himself.”

The waterbender huffed in indignation and began walking towards her own room.

“I’m going to turn in early tonight,” she muttered, arms wrapped around her torso. “Good night, guys.”

“Good night,” the rest of them mumbled back, all but Zuko turning their attention back to dinner. The firebender scrutinized her receding figure as Katara turned the corner and went down the left hall to her room. He knew she was likely going to talk with him anyways that night, but the least he could do was make sure she gave the airbender enough space to cool down.

After a few minutes of glaring at the corridor, Zuko turned back to the ragtag team of misfits and their lively voices. Though he had been traveling with Team Avatar for some time now, the way they managed to turn the subject of conversation to the Earth King’s bear Bosco in such a short amount of time would forever be a mystery to him, but nevertheless he listened attentively and heard from them all the latest exploits of what went on beyond Fire Nation borders.

Meanwhile, true to her word, Katara went back to her room and attempted to sleep, but it was an effort in vain. The last few days had been weighing heavily on her- she and Aang had never experienced such a tumultuous period in their friendship before, and between the kiss during the play and the past ten minutes, it was safe to say there was some tension.

She closed her eyes and groaned, tossing and turning to try and find a comfortable position to no avail. She just couldn’t take her mind off it. Katara stared at the ceiling and let out a short huff before sitting back up with a new fire in her eyes. She wasn’t going to sit around, no, she was going to face her problems head on like a rock!

“Toph would be so proud,” Katara chuckled as she wrapped her kimono on over her bindings.

With as much stealth as she could muster, Katara carefully opened the door from her room and crept down the hallway until she was facing the entrance to Aang’s.

She stared at the block of wood intently. It almost seemed like a cruel metaphor- the barrier between her and Aang not only physically, but emotionally as well.

Nevertheless, Katara was here to get things done.

The waterbender didn’t want to knock and alert everyone else of what she was doing, but she also didn’t want to show up unannounced and startle Aang. After a few minutes of careful consideration, Katara concluded that the latter was the lesser of the two evils, and she slowly pushed the handle and entered his room.

In the very back, she saw Aang’s silhouette in the partially open paper divider splitting the balcony from the main room. Katara walked closer to him, and she sat down silently at the opening of the divider when she saw him in deep concentration. He had been meditating with four small candles, some water, and some rice buns on a wooden board in front of him. The dim light of the candles highlighted Aang’s tense features, contorted in frustration.

“I know you’re there, Katara,” the airbender said after a few moments, apparently not as concentrated as she thought. “I could hear your footsteps from a mile away.”

The girl blushed furiously in embarrassment and promptly decided the floor was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Katara apologized. “I just wanted to talk but I get if you’re busy-”

Aang sighed and bowed his head in reverence to the spirits before opening his eyes and turning to look at her with a kind expression.

“It’s alright. Meditating wasn’t really getting me anywhere anyways,” he said sheepishly. “What did you want to talk about?”

Katara twisted a lock of hair around her finger and scooted closer to him.

“I’m not here to lecture you or anything. I’m not here to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do because ultimately it’s up to you and only you. You’re under a lot of stress right now, and I get that. I just don’t want, well, us,” she gestured between them, “to be a part of that stress.”

The airbender laughed nervously and looked at the trees around them to avoid her gaze. He subtly wiped his growingly sweaty hands on his cotton shirt, praying to all the spirits that she wasn’t talking about what he thought she was talking about.

“W-w-what do you mean? You, me, we’re f-friends! Good friends! Th-that’s all there is to it, right?”

“I’m talking about last night at the play,” Katara responded quietly, fingers fidgeting around in her lap. “We should talk about it.”

“Thanks a lot, spirits,” Aang groaned internally. He sighed and tucked his knees into his body.

“I think we both made it pretty clear that we want different things, Katara. It’s alright, really,” he said with a sad smile. “I made a mistake kissing you, especially after you already said you were confused, and I’m sorry. You don’t have to worry about me- I’ll get over it. I just don’t want to lose your friendship. I’d rather we just pretend like it never happened.”

The regret in his eyes was as clear as a full moon against the backdrop of a cloudless night sky, and it killed Katara from within to see it.

“We both said a lot of things that night, Aang,” she frowned. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot the last day, and I didn’t explain myself very well.”

Aang looked at her hesitantly, silently pleading with her to continue. The waterbender tried her hardest not to grin when she saw his unintentional yet extremely endearing puppy dog eyes and instead threw her head back to look at the stars above them.

“I don’t want to lose your friendship either, Aang,” Katara murmured, gazing up at the sky. “You’re the first person I’ve known from outside my tribe, the first other bender I’ve met- you showed me the world. You were my first real friend, and... also my first kiss, first three actually.”

Heat rushed up to their cheeks while Aang became very invested in the wooden flooring, eyes fully concentrated on the patterns of the boards .

“...but more than that,” Katara continued, “you’re the first person I’ve cared for this much, and my brain, my heart, really, doesn’t quite know how to feel about that.”

She tilted her head to the side to look at the boy next to her, who was now also staring at her with newfound hope.

“So yeah,” she exhaled loudly, “I’m confused. But I don’t want to pretend like none of that night ever happened, because if I’m being honest, a part of me wanted all of the… all of our kisses to happen.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments while Aang tried to process her words and formulate his own response.

“So…” Aang trailed off. “Does that mean this, us, still has a chance?”

Katara looked at their intertwined hands and gave him a sad smile.

“Maybe, but that’s just it, Aang. We can’t, not right now.”

The airbender’s cautious smile immediately dropped and was replaced by a frown as he broke eye contact.

“We’re in a war,” she murmured apologetically. “No one, especially not us, can afford to do anything differently. In three days, you’re going to be facing the Firelord, which means in three days, one way or another, this war will be over, and sacrifices will probably be made.”

“Katara, you’re not saying-”

She shook her head. “I’m not saying that, but war means making hard decisions, and in that moment, with that decision, we can’t let emotions cloud our judgement. No matter what sacrifices might be made, we have to end this before it’s too late.”

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t come to that,” Aang said firmly. “I don’t care what it takes.”

Katara smiled at him and leaned in to gently press a kiss to his cheek.

“I know you won’t. I also know that whatever happens with the Firelord, you’ll do the right thing. Not because you’re the Avatar and you have to, but because you’re Aang. Because you’re my Aang, and my Aang always does the right thing.”

The airbender let out a breath of relief, heart practically glowing at her faith in him, and enveloped her in an embrace.

“Thank you, Katara. For everything. For being here for me the last few months, for getting me out of that iceberg, for coming here tonight telling me what I really needed to hear. It means a lot.”

Katara happily returned the hug and squeezed him tight. “Of course, Aang.”

She furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed the circles under his eyes as they broke apart.

“It’s getting late,” Katara whispered, her fingertips lightly tracing his cheeks.

“I’ll leave you to all this-” she gestured to the candles and food, staring quizzically at the contents of the board. “-Avatar business and whatnot. I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thanks, I’ll try my best,” Aang laughed softly as the girl stood up and began walking back to her room. “Good night, Katara. Sweet dreams.”

“I know you will, Aang. Good night and don’t stay up too late- you’ll need your rest.”

The waterbender quietly exited and Aang released a heavy sigh as the door closed with a soft thud.

The airbender turned back to his spread, closed his eyes once more, and resumed his meditation, hoping that somehow, by some miracle, there was another way waiting for him.

“I sure hope you’re right, Katara. I’ll need that luck.”

#kataang #kataang week 2021 #kataang week #kataangtag #aang x katara #ember island #wrote this way later than I should've

[rayshippouuchiha]

Prompt of sorts i guess?

Read the story ‘the family you choose by TunaFishChris’ good story set in ATLA but when I finished reading it my brain threw more plot bunnies at me. Help.

Same soulmates verse but its ozai not azulon who burns zukos off, azulon does have one but its on his head covered by hair n it was for his wife so when she dies azulon goes a little mad n as this was during ozais formulation years n while iroh is away its no surprise that ozai ends up like he does. Half natural inclination n half nurture or lack there of. Sozin was soulmates with roku, loosing him n being partly responsible got rid of any sanity he still had thus war n genocide with gusto. Ozai is the only born royal with no marks n sees it as a strength, zuko gets his down his spine for his soul family always having his back n such. Ozai nearly cripples zuko getting rid of them. Lala (is easier n faster to write) gets her marks when she is with zuko, zuko is always with her, mum told him that he was a big brother n that big brothers looked after their little siblings, zuko loves his little sister, he takes her everywhere. So when her mark appear he very quickly covers them, takes them to a discreet doc in town to get cover cream for her n starts teaching her to NEVER talk about them to anyone but him, not mother not father, no one. It works the cream n the where they appear on the body mean she is not found out by ozai. This changes alot. Once azulon gets his mind back after his wifes death he is tired of war but realises that no one will believe him wanting to end the war, he looks at his sons, iroh has too much blood on his hands n likes fighting too much to be the one to take over from him. Ozai is too cruel, twisted n power hungry for it to be him. Lu ten is promising but after talking with him (under the pretences of teaching him royal politics, laws n other things that the presumed heir would need to know) azulon discovers that lu ten does not want to rule and to force him to do so would only make him resent the throne. Lu ten suggests zuko instead, zuko loves the nation n the ppl, zuko is a naturally caring n protective person, zuko already sneaks out n mingles with citizens who can’t seem to help loving him, he just draws everyone in. Lu ten suggests having zuko (and lala if zuzu is there so is she) attend these lessons with azulon n Lu ten the excuse given to allow it is that zuko is to be trained to be Lu tens advisor when he is firelord. Its the other way round really but no one else needs to know that yet, zuko can be the lord, Lu ten n lala the advisors. Lu ten is the one keeps the farce going n keeps the target for assassination on his back rather than his little cousins. Lu ten is reported dead at ba sing se but is alive just so injured n with amnesia, possibly also damage to his chi so he can’t bend. Is picked up by the boulder who was an army soldier but leaves after that battle as he can’t stand to see that much blood anymore. Lu ten has soul marks but they hang on his skin like a very log hanging belt no one is going to notice them unless he gets naked. Growing up zuko n lala discover they r soul mates, lala is far more stable as she knows her brother will always love her no matter what she does n without conditions like father. She still is terrifying but she is loyal to zuko n only plays at being loyal to ozai. When Lu ten is reported dead n ozai makes a play for the throne azulon sees his chance n when says ozai must lose a son, he doesn’t want zuko dead, he plans to remove zuko from ozai family line register n either take him in as his own son or to have iroh take zuko in. Either way zuko was never going to die. Lala not knowing this is scared her only person will be taken from her goes to mother as even though mother doesn’t love her she loves zuko n will be willing to protect him, that done she goes n spends the night with zuko in case father sends assassins. Ursa makes the poison n gives it to ozai n then runs, it isn’t fatal poison she is hoping that ozai will mess up, azulon to survive but proof that ozai tried to kill him will see ozai either in prison till he dies or being executed for treason. Either way zuko is safe from his father n azulon can’t kill zuko as he will be the only remaining male heir, ozai dead, iroh too old to have more children n azula being too young n too female for most of the war counsellors to take seriously. Ozai adds something of his own to the poison, not completely trusting ursa (I wonder y) the poison ends up stimulating death long enough for azulon to be declared dead, ozai crowned n shit started. Azulons body is secreted away by a small group of loyal followers n his health slowly, very slowly returns, he is an OLD man even if the poison doesn’t kill him it does still kick his ass a bit. Ozai ups his campaign to get rid of zuko, lala quickly becomes VERY good at acting, manipulation n fighting to counter this n keep her dum dum alive, zuko becomes paranoid as hell but reaches new heights in stealth, weaponry n first aid. Lala is counting down the days till she has a valid excuse to kill ozai. Azulon is pissed as hell that he can’t do anything from where he is apart from try to help zuko as much as he can by sending ppl he trusts to teach him n look after him. Iroh comes back n really throws a spanner in the works, dismissing his fathers ppl from around zuko, in the (how many??) months that he is back before zuko is shipped out has the highest number of nearly successful assassination attempts on zuko since ursa left. Ozai is not impressed (that they failed), lala is adding uncles name to her shit list, azulon is just mystified as to how his son who is a supposedly great tactician can be so damn stupid.

Then the agni kai happens n azulon is too pissed off at ozai to care about iroh anymore. Azula is leaving with zuko “as otherwise his only example of fire bending will be uncle father n really even dum dum is better than that, besides then if zuko dishonours the family I can kill him straight away.” She has spent too long keeping him alive now for him to ruin all her efforts now. Zuko still has the same soul mates but also has the marks for Lu ten, azula n yue. Azula has zuko, toph n yue. Lu ten has zuko, azula n boulder at the least. Toph has azula added to her group. 6 months after zuko is banished azulon manages to find their location n reach them before they leave, takes over teaching them again n rips iroh several new ones while the crew watches in awe n horror. Azulon finds out about zukos marks n what ozai did n nearly sinks the ship in his rage, lala is glad to find someone else to help her keep zuko alive even if she doesn’t fully trust him, the only one who gets that treasure is zuko. With azulon backing his thoughts about stopping the war n to start helping the ppl of his nation zuko is different by the time aang gets freed, he n lala (im still coming with u dum dum) start working with the gaang earlier n things go smoother? The fire royals end up going to the northern city with them where they meet yue, she n azula bond, azula teaches her to be terrifying, azulon just watches n makes cutting remarks on how stupid the norths misogyny is n just how under prepared they r for anything really, the small fleet of their southern sisters tribe could lay seige, win n not loose more than maybe 5 ppl n they r all non benders. Water ppl being pissed that they can’t kill azulon due to him not being fire lord anymore n is just a doting grandfather really look at how harmless n unarmed I am, they have no claimable vendetta to excuse their killing him as lawful by tribe standards, as the tribe isolated itself n has had no real damage from azulon, also he has already been declared dead which is throwing them a little. Hahn being stupid enough to try n take azulon on, azulons bitch face is epic n lala vows to replicate it one day. Political marriage betrothal between yue n zuko? This azulon is a mix of grumpy old man, sarcastic little shit n im-too-fabulous-for-this attitude. When they find toph is also when they find boulder n Lu ten, zuko n azula bond with him n that breaks the amnesia n katara might be able to help heal his chi?

#ATLA #Prompt #Oh oh damn #that's good #submission

[autisticzukka]

what is this hakoda zuko arranged marriage you speak of? i am intrigued

okay so the long story short is that it’s a slight rebuttal of a popular post that is very fun but i find like... unrealistic in a really intriguing way like, how would this ACTUALLY play out. I’ve talked about it at length in my server a few times, and it’s one of those AU’s -- like the genderbend zukka ATLA rewrite or the zukki fic that starts with sokka failing to assassinate zuko -- that lives rent free in my head and I’ve written a couple thousand words for.

tw for like VERY unrequited zuko in love with hakoda and the inherent comedy of sokka being in love with his fire nation stepmom.

so here’s hakoda, chief of the southern water tribe, happily not-married to Bato. and here is a more balanced war, where the north and the south are actually  allies, rather than whatever the fuck they were in ATLA. Yue already has a fiance and the Northern chief refuses to remarry. that leaves hakoda responsible for biting the bullet and doing a political marriage even though, as he points out at length, he is an elected official and if he stops being elected it’s no longer a marriage with the chief of the south pole. intelligently but mostly selfishly motivated (yue’s fiance is his nephew, after all) pakku points out that its not like the fire nation knows... that. the fire nation is dumb. ozai’s stupid.

faced with such inarguable points hakoda stiffens his upper lip, pre-emptively ends things with bato on the understanding that if this is another kya situation they’ll get back together and that he’s still the most important person to him but the tribe comes first yada yada, and deals with katara throwing the mother of all tantrums. it is slightly softened by the fact that in return for him marrying the fire nation noble, a thing everyone can agree isn’t traditional, the north has finally agreed to train katara. she heads out before the wedding, in protest but also so as to not cause an international incident.

(on her way, she’ll find aang. with the war less dire, katara will be sympathetic towards his desire to live without committing violence, even if she deeply can’t relate. they’ll have a hot girl romcom summer of self discovery and coming to terms with the dichotomy between duty and love as they become master benders. at some point they pick up toph. they ARE a throuple.)

sokka meanwhile is like.. not cool with it.. but ? kind of relieved? like. he’s the eldest kid. he’s 18, and he’s been a man of the tribe as far as legalities for several years. it would have been entirely understandable if his dad had asked HIM to do it. he had his emotionally crushing romance with yue, and as much as he was like ‘im kind of a prince’, he finds he doesn’t actually want some of the responsibilities and demands that would bring. yue’s life sucks.

back in the fire nation, zuko never demanded a quest and never went on it. he’s spent years hardening into something that, while brittle, can survive the pressures of the court around him. he still has his scar. he still wants his father to love him, but he knows by now that it’s not something he’s capable of earning. he watches his sister, never the most stable person, start to have complete breakdowns of sanity once she hits puberty, and helps her cover for it and receive medical treatment on the down low. he’s the heir, but he lives knowing that if he was ever in a position to inherit his choices are to abdicate or have the baby sister who he raised kill him and destroy herself and the country in the process.

when he realizes the plan is to marry azula off rather than someone more reasonable-- mai is RIGHT there, for fucks sake-- he doesn’t realize ozai’s true intent is to fuck this up through malicious compliance and false shows of good faith. he panics, and does the zuko thing: he blurts out that this is unacceptable and immoral and she’s only 16 and Ozai sees the true opportunity for two birds with one stone. send zuko, let him piss someone off so badly he gets killed or divorced, and he gets rid of zuko from the line of succession permanently. there are those who are incredibly attached to teh idea of a firstborn for firelord, and it’s been a constant thorn in unpopular ozai’s side to nto be able to name azula his heir apparent without costly rebellion. but if he can taint him in the mind of the fire nation so much that birthright is easy to supercede-- yeah. this’ll work PERFECTLY.

so zuko is sent to marry hakoda, chief of the water tribe.

literally NO ONE was expecting it to be a member of Ozai’s immediate family. besides the fact that his oldest child is half hakoda’s age and his brother has 20 years on hakoda, it would have been sus as fuck - the treaty is not favorable enough to grant that kind of secession of interests. it becomes quickly apparent that this young man -- hakoda reminds himself of that repeatedly. not kid. not kid. young man. don’t think of him like a kid, it’s hard enough on both of us already. -- is not a horrible threat. he’s scared shitless and shakes with what he thinks is bravado. he’s desperate to make the marriage work. he’s desperate to not go home. he’s got a giant fucking scar on his face from where the fire lord punished him for some grievous but unstated offense.

zuko “daddy issues” fire nation sees his husband to be and, despite being scared shitless, immediately begins to soften a little. like... he’s not nearly as scary as he thought he’d be. his face can be stern, but it just as easily breaks into huge smiles, and his eyes are crinkled with laughter. he’s incredibly handsome. and his biceps are. his biceps. are. his hands are...

like. zuko thinks. okay. maybe. maybe his marriage duties. won’t be so horrible as he thought. maybe he’s ready for this. and he knows what to expect, Uncle had discreetly provided him the means and the contacts to acquire an intimate education in the whirlwind of activity that was the two months before leaving. and like, once he’d gotten past the nerves, it was often even... good? or at least... not bad? he thinks that even if hakoda isn’t a professional expert, he has a certain.... je ne sais quoi, if you will.

((DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF DILF))

sokka sees his new stepfather and immediately falls in love because he’s that kind of dumb bitch. (the core of this au is that i cant breathe thinking about sokka falling in love with his hot young stepmom his age who his dad doesnt even want to fuck. like. i CANT. sokka masturbates to ‘hand caught in the washing tub’ fantasies which are even more absurd for requiring zuko to be DOING LAUNDRY. i find it so funny.)

bato watches them at the wedding feast while hakoda is very clearly trying to treat zuko as an Equal Adult Partner and mostly managing to seem like someone having a serious conversation with a seven year old about the game they’ve made up. zuko is clearly enamored with it, soaking up the attention, blushing and doing his best to Bravely Flirt, which at one point includes awkwardly attempting to feed Hakoda by hand. bato has to excuse himself to have a teary eyed giggle, hoping that Kya is in the spirit world looking down and laughing with him. he can’t resent the kid even a little bit, when hakoda is sitting there looking so incredibly fucking befuddled as to what he’s supposed to do with this star struck infant he’s legally wed to

anyways all of this... is very funny. their wedding night... is less so. zuko does not take the rejection from hakoda very well, especially because he’d been caught wanting. HE’S the one who should be rejecting hakoda. and he catastrophizes almost immediately about his potential value to the water tribe, his future treatment, that endless inescapable freezing cold loneliness is the good ending for him here... hakoda, meanwhile, drops zuko off at his home, reassuringly informs him that there’s NOTHING else expected of him and he will be well taken care of, and books it to bato’s. bato refuses to let him in on grounds of ‘you can’t sleep under the same shelter as me on your wedding night to that kid, have a fucking brain’, and he ends up crashing at sokka’s.

sokka, who had KNOWN that his dad wouldnt, but also upon seeing zuko and zuko’s awkward flirting was like... but how COULDNT he???? sokka is relieved.

the core of this fic is that i find it endlessly hilarious for zuko to try and seduce his husband while sokka simps around zuko and bato tries to be heartbroken or betrayed but mostly ends up with a giant case of hysterical schadenfreude. but the thing that CLINCHED it for me, like THE scene. several years after being married, settled into their life. they’re partners and they see each other as people. and zuko just fucking snaps one night

he just kisses him, desperate and clawing and climbing and maybe a little drunk. he knows hakoda is going to push him away, maybe even hit him, but he doesn’t care anymore, he doesn’t care. he can do anything he wants to him as long as he just-- finally does something. zuko is 21 and married to the surface of the sun and the surface of the sun jr is his best friend and clearly in love with him-- so clearly not even zuko can miss it-- and like. listen. listen. zuko is not a patient person. but he’s been patient for this. he waited and he matured and he is a fucking amazing husband and he wants this, he wants him. he wants to be wanted.

but hakoda doesn’t push him away. hakoda doesnt yell at him, or hit him. hakoda gentles the kiss into something soft and closed lipped. he pulls away slowly, and his eyes are so sad for zuko, so pitying. he strokes his cheek with the back of his hand so gently. he says, I’m sorry. I don’t want you.

and zuko daddy issues fire nation swallows

and he nods

and he leaves, even though its his own fucking house

and he knows he’s never going to be good enough

like FUUUCK i am OBSESSED WITH THAT

#long post #lmao i am NOT fucking main tagging this #op #asked and answered #i just want zuko to fall in love with hakoda and for hakoda to gently reject him #noncommittalhum

[tiredcath]

Zukka Fic Recs

after atla came back into pop culture i found myself falling back in love with zukka which resulted in me reading (almost) every zukka fic on ao3 and here are my favorites

Transference by The_Quatermasters (146k)

In a modern AU, Zuko has to deal with settling in a new school after expulsion, dealing with an angry ex and an abusive father. Maybe his new found friendships and growing closeness with Sokka will help him make it through. 

Borderlines by The_Quatermasters (73k)

Three years after the war, the work still isn't quite done and the Gaang is scattered across the continents in their efforts to help the world recover. When Aang and Katara pay visit to the Fire Nation where Zuko is Fire Lord and Sokka acts as Ambassador for the Water Tribe, sparks fly between the siblings over Sokka's life choices.

Ashes Inside When You Finish Your Song by Muncaster (47k)

Sokka writes lyrics for his sister’s band. Zuko plays piano and is unnecessarily nice. Fellas, is it gay to write love songs about your friend and his golden eyes?

(AKA, a modern band AU featuring The Gaang, crappy software equipment, homoerotic lyrics, and the realization that maybe, if you think about a guy every night before you sleep, you just might be in love with him.)

sirens & sleepless nights by Satirrian (54k)

Life can be pretty hard living in a city under a totalitarian regime. Between adhering to the ridiculous curfew, keeping himself from being gunned down by a passing patrolman, and paying his unnecessary tolls to the state for, say, breathing, Sokka has his hands full just getting to work. Add aiding a resistance group on top of that, and Sokka should really be getting paid for this.

Then, one night, Sokka finds an injured patrolman collapsed in the street, who tells him with blood on his lips, “If the patrol finds me, I’m dead.”

 Real Slow by surveycorpsjean (21k)

“I see.” Zuko closes the scroll. “Is the Water Tribe sending a replacement?”

“Uh yeah,” Sokka gestures to himself dramatically. “You’re looking at him.”

 First by HoneyBadgerMole (20k)

Zuko has been nurturing a crush on the jock in his AP Psych class but he has been too scared to talk to him until they get paired up for a project.

the benefits of getting a flat tire by LesbeanLatte (64k)

Zuko makes an impromptu decision to run away from home after a disturbing conversation with Azula. Unfortunately, some plans are better when they're actually, well, planned. Zuko isn't counting on getting a flat tire almost as soon as he's far enough away from the city to really be in the middle of nowhere.

Sokka is immediately taken with the stranger he and his friends find stranded on the side of the road during an afternoon joy ride. However, he has no idea what he's getting involved with and a kind attempt to help a fellow teen in need turns into a massive coverup for a missing person who just so happens to be the son of the mayor of Ba Sing Se.

Azula was just trying to help her big brother - in her own way - by telling him things she thought he deserved to know. Now the situation has gotten wildly out of control. Did she enjoy seeing Zuko upset and afraid? Of course. Had she intended to endanger his life? Not necessarily, but of course, her idiot brother overreacted to everything and that's what happened and now she doesn't know how to stop the chain of events she's indirectly put in place like dominoes.

Operation Leverage by snowandfire (50k)

Sokka's instincts are onto something great. Zuko just wants to serve tea and brood in peace. Ironically, Toph is the only one who can see what's really going on.

 The Stingray by Smediterranea (24k)

“You’re not carrying me.”

“I don’t mind,” the lifeguard says easily.

“I can just hop over.”

“On sand?”

Zuko will never admit it, but being carried feels pretty nice. The lifeguard sets him down and eyes him warily.

“Are you really all by yourself?” he asks in a worried tone. “No friends in town you can call to check on you?”

“No,” Zuko confirms. Tears are forming again with alarming speed; his foot throbs painfully with every passing second.

“What kind of burrito do you want?”

“You don’t have to —“ Zuko repeats.

“I’m getting al pastor. You like al pastor?”

 AU: Zuko falls for Sokka, the super hot lifeguard who helps him after an unfortunate encounter with a stingray.

 it's the illusion of separation by argentoswan (110k)

Sokka takes a job washing dishes at the new tea shop in town. It's a great gig, until he finds out his only coworker is his old high school bully. Sokka really should quit, but he also really needs to afford rent.

Also, Zuko is kind of hot now.

 People like to think war means something by trying_to_spell_both_our_names_at_once (21k)

Sokka was the first to leave.

Somehow that hurt the most. . . . Not long after Zuko becomes Firelord, forces gather in the South and next thing he knows he's thrown into a civil war with almost no one by his side. Maybe healing is longer and more complicated than it needs to be, but with the right people by your side it is always possible.

 a way that will destroy you by anothermistakemade (14k)

In the wake of Ozai's death, Zuko begins to fall apart. Sokka will do everything in his power to make sure that doesn't happen.

-

or, zuko might be losing his mind, but he also might just be really sad & traumatized

 Those Who Favor Fire by CSHfic, VSfic (30k)

After a failed attempt on his life, Sokka fakes his death, dons a disguise, and infiltrates the would-be assassin's ranks in an attempt to bring them down from the inside.

Zuko learns of his husband's tragic death, mourns, and vows revenge.

 Words Mean More at Night by DaisytheDoodleDog (28k)

Even ten years after the end of the war, rebellions rise and risk the balance of the nations. Sokka was willing to do anything to protect his people, which is perhaps why he's leading an army against the rebellion, attacking only as a last result. But Sokka's unwinding, it's taking a toll on him, and the only thing keeping him grounded are the letter Zuko and him exchange late in the night when no one can see the messenger hawks. But as they say, nothing's fair in love and war.

another word for wanting by eurydicees (23k)

Sokka begins to dream of his soulmate when he's eleven years old, and it just gets harder from there. Or, 125 moments soulmates share, and none of them come easy.

(In which your dreams are your soulmate's memories, and Sokka dreams of an all-consuming fire, growing and eating at his soulmate until it burns up the connection between their souls. In which they find love anyways.)

 It Has Only Just Begun by Kirazalea (39k)

There is a bitter triumph in crashing when you should be soaring

Zuko had now chosen the path his uncle had been trying so hard to show him; he had someone who believed in him, who maybe loved him; he was travelling with the Avatar and they apparently had a plan to end the war. By all accounts, Zuko should be smiling.

But Uncle was gone (captured by Azula, and Zuko didn't think she would kill him, but he didn’t, couldn’t, know for sure). The Avatar was barely breathing (he could still die at any second and there was nothing any of them could do about it). Azula had conquered the last Earth Kingdom stronghold (all those innocent people who were now at her mercy). It seemed like, for every step Zuko took forward, the world sent him back three more.

But he was determined to push forward anyways. He needed to make his uncle proud, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

aka: zuko joins the gaang at the end of season 2

 Nightmares and Reveries by HisMomoness (20k)

Zuko doesn't sleep because when he does, he's haunted by nightmares. Sokka worms his way into a job and makes it his mission to get Zuko to relax. Lots of head pets and one vacation to the South Pole later, Zuko might just be getting the hang of it.

Cue pining, some fluff, and eventual romance.

 The One Who Stopped Time by ohhihoney (66k)

All hope was lost to Zuko until one day, his uncle asked a random person at the Jasmine Dragon to tutor his nephew. Gritting his teeth and embarrassed beyond the point of no return, Zuko gave the blue eyed boy his number.

Little did Zuko know how much Sokka would change his world.

 Rubbed Off Stars by ohhihoney (2k)

Sokka wasn't going to just sit and watch the boy at the back of the bus cry while trying to rub off pride flags off his cheeks.

--------------

WIP

Ozymandias, King of Kings by Think_of_a_Wonderful_Thought (168k)

After that fateful Agni Kai, Ozai makes a different call. Branded as a traitor and banished to a prison camp, Zuko learns how cruel the Fire Nation can be to its citizens. Three years, a water tribe raid, and an unexpected meeting with a gang of over-enthusiastic idealistic children puts Zuko back in the spotlight. The revolution is coming and it wants another poster boy, but Zuko is not willing to lend his face to the cause.

 Another Brother by AvocadoLove (312k)

It was a mission of revenge. There weren't supposed to be any survivors, but Chief Hakoda couldn't bring himself to kill the Fire Nation boy. Against his better judgment, he brought him home. A Zuko joins the Water Tribe story.

--------------

BONUS : zuko x jet

Something to Hold Onto by Wildgoosery (122k)

Since the day the walls of Ba Sing Se fell, the Freedom Fighters have struggled to protect what remains of the city and its people. Jet and his second command, a mysterious boy named Li, have spent the summer piecing together an army, hoping for a chance to take the city back for good. But Li is also Zuko, and the time for that secret is quickly running out. Soon, he'll have to decide exactly who he is, what cause he's going to fight for, and where his heart lies.

#avatar: tla #avatar the last airbender #atla #zuko #atla zuko #firelord zuko #sokka #avatar sokka #atla sokka #zukka #zukka au #zukka fanfic #zukka fic recs #zuko and sokka #sokka and zuko #jet #avatar jet #jet and zuko #zuko and jet #zet #juko #avatar fanfiction #atla fanfic

[babyboiboyega]

Family Reunion (Aang’s sister!reader)

REQUESTED BY ANONYMOUS: “hiya if ur taking request can u do a lok imagine where y/n is aang’s sister and has been traveling around the world but always keeping in touch with everyone . And then one day y/n comes back to republic city to her home and visits tenzin and his wife and gets introduced To korra and the gang . And to tenzin kids. And they all have a dinner together and it’s all fluff 🥺🥺 . Everyone starts asking questions about aang etc and y/n says something like how they talk with aang in the spirt world”

This was literally so wholesome to write. I absolutely loved writing this. Oh my heart. I hope you enjoy it! I also want to thank you for being patient with me; it’s been a while since you requested this, and things are just starting to calm down, school work wise!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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

Family Reunion

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: none! FLUFF

Babyboiboyega’s Masterlist of Masterlists

Babyboiboyega’s Legend of Korra Masterlist

It had been forever since you had stepped foot onto Air Temple Island…yet you never felt so at home. You knew Republic City, but you knew Air Temple Island even more; like the back of your hand.

The air was heavy as you walked through the courtyard, but heavy with pleasant memories. Every square inch of land that your eyes landed on, a memory accompanied it. It made you stop in your tracks, a content smile lighting up your face. If you tried hard enough, you could not only visualize the memories as if they were coming to life in front of you, but you could hear the sounds that accompanied them.

The nostalgic sound of you and your old friends’ laughter as you all told stories that stretched across the 100 year war. You and Aang would tell stories from your childhood, highlighting the years where the Air Nomads were alive and thriving. It always lead to a good natured argument between you and your brother over who “invented” the air scooter (he did, but you enjoyed riling him up).

No matter where you had traveled around the world, the anticipation of returning home had always made itself known. You couldn’t wait to get back home and tell your nieces and nephews about what you had seen around the world. You had even brought them a few gifts.

You imagined their faces as they listened to your tales, their eyes lighting up. The last time you had seen them, they hadn’t even been old enough to understand what you were saying, and Meelo hadn’t even been born yet, so this would be a treat.

“I hope you still remember your way around.”

A smile started to make itself known on your face as you turned around, instantly recognizing the voice. Your eyes widened as you had misjudged your nephew’s height, once again, and now had to crane your head back to look him in the eye.

“Goodness, Tenzin. How does one have a growth spurt as an adult? You weren’t this tall the last time I was here.”

There was laughter in your voice and he could tell, as his own smile formed while he walked in your direction. His eyes looked down at his own body as if he actually had a growth spurt, when in reality, you knew that he hadn’t had one.

You continued to watch him as he approached you, only coming to more of a realization that he was becoming more and more like his father every time you saw him. He walked with the same confidence and calmness that Aang had; it only made you smile harder.

“I’m the same height as the last time you visited, Aunt Y/N. Maybe it’s time for your eyes to be checked.”

Both of your laughs rang out as he wrapped his arms around you, hugging you closely, his shoulders still shaking softly with laughs.

You knew for a fact that had any other person been out in the courtyard with you two and had heard what he had said to you, his elder, gasps would have rung out. But what they wouldn’t have known is that, despite Tenzin being raised under Air Nomad traditions, he still had an aunt who was young at heart and who encouraged him to never lose the concept of fun. It had only taken forever, but eventually, you had taught Tenzin that he needn’t be so formal around you.

You two pulled back, his arm staying around your shoulders and your’s wound around his back as you two started walking towards the temple.

“How was your journey? Or, rather, I should ask how were your journeys?”

A content sigh left your mouth as you thought about the countless places you had visited; all of the customs and traditions you had witnessed.

“They were all wonderful. Words can’t describe how much I enjoyed them; but, truthfully, I enjoy being here more than any other place. I’m ready to see my great-nieces and nephews! I brought gifts, too!”

Tenzin’s face showed slight caution at the mention of more toys being strewn about the island; it made you laugh softly.

“Don’t worry,” you gently squeezed his side, “I brought you and Pema something as well.”

The smile could be heard in his voice as he replied.

“Well, we all can’t wait to see them and hear your stories.”

****

Your feet silently padded down the hallway in the direction where the voices were coming from. The smell of dinner made your stomach grumble in anticipation. You had traveled all around the world, but nothing was like a traditional, homemade, Air Temple dinner. Your steps quickened.

You had barely made it past the threshold before all eyes were on you, and you simply smiled back at them.

“This smells, and looks, absolutely delicious, Pema.”

Her head had quickly turned in your direction upon your entrance, but now there was a smile on her face as she quickly stood. It took her less than a few seconds to approach you and wrap you in a tight hug, your arms returning the gesture.

“Y/N! I had no idea you were coming! I’m glad I made extra! It’s so good to see you!”

“You have no idea how good it is to see you all, Pema! And don’t worry, if you don’t have enough, I’ll just eat Tenzin’s.” You had whispered the last part, but just loud enough to where he could hear. The look which he threw your way had both you and Pema smiling.

“Well, here! Sit! You came just in time.” She returned to her spot and you took the empty space on the other side of Tenzin. You hadn’t missed the fact that there were unfamiliar faces at the table, and you hadn’t missed the fact that they were all staring at you with varied expressions. They all ranged between curiosity, bewilderment, and…adoration?

Oh, boy.

Tenzin noticed the same, and he didn’t hesitate to begin introductions.

“This is my aunt, my father’s sister, Y/N. She’s going to be staying with us for a while, at least until she sets out on another adventure.” His statement wasn’t said with malevolence, not even a smidge of attitude; just as a matter of fact.

It made you even more excited to tell them your news; that you were planning on staying in Republic City for a good while.

“Aunt Y/N, this is Korra, Asami, Bolin, and Mako.” You made eye contact with each of them, offering a welcoming smile no matter the expression they sported.

“It’s so nice to meet you all. I’ve heard so much about all of you.”

They all offered smiles back, repeating your words…all of them, except the one named Bolin. He continued to simply stare at you, his mouth agape.

As the other young man sitting next to him came to realize what he was doing, you could see him nudge Bolin.

“I’m sorry- you’re Y/N? Avatar Aang’s sister? You helped defeat Firelord Ozai! You helped end the 100 year war!” You heard Tenzin sigh beside you, but you could only watch in amusement as he spoke, nodding at everything he said.

“I can’t believe I’m- we’re finally meeting you! It’s so nice to meet you! It’s an honor, really!”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Bolin.” His expression stilled as you spoke and he turned to Mako sitting beside him. You could vaguely hear him going on about how you knew his name as you turned to Tenzin.

“He acted the same way when he met Toph, Katara, and Zuko, didn’t he?”

Tenzin’s look was confirmation enough before he turned to address the entire table, his voice effectively gaining everyone’s attention as he led the blessing. It didn’t take long for everyone to dig in; and it didn’t take long for the questions to start.

To your surprise, they ranged from your solo adventures to your adventures with Aang and the rest of your friends when you were all younger. It was entertaining watching their faces at the embarrassing stories you told of your brother compared to the tales they heard of Avatar Aang. And to Tenzin’s horror, you even told stories from him and his siblings’ childhoods.

You had just finished telling the story of the first time Tenzin had airbended, which had resulted in a broken ankle and a broken fountain, when Ikki spoke up.

“Do you miss grandpa?” Her eyes held nothing but curiosity and excitement for your answer. So did the eyes of everyone else at the table as your own looked to your hands. It grew quiet as you considered your response, making sure it wasn’t too sad. Wouldn’t want to end dinner on a sad note.

“I…miss him everyday, truthfully. Nothing will ever make up for the time lost between us, but during the few times that I’ve seen him, we’ve tried to make up for it.”

“‘Seen him’? What do you mean when you say you’ve ‘seen’ Avatar Aang?” Jinora spoke first, beating you to the punch.

“You speak to grandpa in the spirit world, don’t you?” Judging by the look on her face, the topic you were approaching would interest her greatly; it made you even more eager to explain.

The silence that followed her question was pregnant with anticipation from every end of the table.

“I do. Well, when I can.” You added quickly.

“It isn’t the easiest getting into the Spirit World for me. It’s even harder to connect with Aang when I���m there, but when I do, it’s worth everything leading up to that point. In fact-“ Your eyes looked up, a sly smile coming to your face, “I promised him that the next time I saw you all, I would tell you the truth about the famous air scooter.”

Laughs rang out around the table, yours included, before you turned to your nieces and nephews.

“And I promised your grandpa that I would give you these.” Your hand reached under the table and pulled out the bag that held their gifts from the around the world and from the Spirit World. The looks of pure joy on their faces would forever be ingrained in your memory.

“You brought us PRESENTS!” Meelo’s voice rang out the loudest among his siblings excited chatter as he stood up, quickly flying across the room and landing in your lap. You could hear his parents begin to chastise him, but you quickly reassured them, righting his figure in your lap.

“I’d be excited too if my grandfather hand picked these from the Spirit World.”

At your words, Meelo froze, his eyes widening even more (if that were possible). He simply gazed at you before wrapping his arms around your neck and holding on tightly.

“I hope you never leave, Aunt Y/N!”

A hearty laugh left your mouth as you pat his back, your eyes glancing at Tenzin.

“Well, it’s a good thing that I’m going to be here for a while…if you don’t mind, Tenzin.”

All Tenzin could see was his loving, careful, and fun Aunt and the joy she brought with her to his children. He didn’t hesitate when he spoke.

“You’re welcome here anytime, Aunt Y/N.”

At his words, Ikki, Jinora, and even little Rohan quickly walked to your side, asking questions and trying to sneak a peek into the bag.

As soon as you had arrived, you had had a sneaking suspicion that you wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon; it only became more evident that this was the case as the night continued and you felt immense amounts of love from your family and their friends.  

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

Once again, I hope you enjoyed that! I had so much fun writing it, and I’m honestly thinking of a part two to it, maybe where Korra (regretfully) explains that she can no longer talk to Aang and asks for some advice from the reader HMMM??? 

Lemme know what y’all think!

Stay safe, y’all!

#legend of korra #legend of korra imagines #legend of korra drabbles #legend of korra oneshots #tenzin #avataraang #korra #bolin #mako #asami #pema #ikki #jinora #meelo #babyboiboyega

[powerfulharmony]

Powerful Harmony-Part 39

Soon enough, they arrived back at the Jedi Temple. There, they walked along the halls of the Temple. Anakin: “There are many things you need to know about the Jedi Order. We already told you that it’s our job to maintain in order in our world, much like the Avatar in your world.” Aang: “Yes, we remember you specifically telling us that.” Anakin: “Well, there’s more than just that. You see, there are also the different positions in the Jedi Order. There’s the Jedi Initiate, or the Younglings as we call them, they are Force sensitive children who are chosen when they are very young, they are taken from their families and homes, as we mentioned yesterday and brought here for training.” Aang: “The Avatar is never chosen at a young age, when the Avatar’s identity is revealed during come they’re 16th birthday, they are then sent away for 12 years to the other 3 nations. They are to spend 4 years in each nation to train in and learn the other styles of bending.” Anakin: “OK, sounds interesting enough. Anyway, after the younglings complete their training as an Initiate, they are then selected to move up to the position of a Padawan.” Sokka: “What’s a Padawan?” Ahsoka: “A Padawan is a Jedi apprentice, they are assigned to a higher ranking Jedi to learn on the field.” Sokka: “So, the higher ranked Jedi act as babysitters to these Padawan?” Ahsoka: “Yep…sort of.” Katara: “You’re a Padawan to Master Skywalker, right, Ahsoka?”

Sokka chuckled a little. Sokka: “That’s makes you a babysitter to Ahsoka!” Anakin: “Hey, shut up!”

Obi-wan chuckled a little under his breath, Anakin noticed. Anakin: “Hey, don’t forget that you went through the same process with me, my former master.” Obi-wan: “Anakin!” Suki: “You were a Padawan once?” Obi-wan: “All Jedi Masters were once Padawans, Suki, including me.” Toph: “You were a Padawan? I find that hard to believe.” Obi-wan: “Well, let’s see it this way, I’m sure each of you weren’t Master Benders throughout your entire lives and each of you never got to where you are overnight; you kids probably perfected your bending arts under a Master Bender.” Katara: “Hey, yeah, he’s right. We did learn everything we know from different masters. I guess that would kind of make each of us their Padawan.” Obi-wan: “Absolutely; that’s how it is with all Jedi.” Ahsoka: “During their training, a Padawan is required to wear a small braid to indicate that they have not moved up, yet; all species that grow hair is required to have their hair grow a little longer for the braid, all non-hair growing species, like myself, have to wear a piece of jewelry or tattoo for the braid.” Katara: “Say, where is your braid, Ahsoka?”

Ahsoka took off her Padawan braid and showed it to everyone. Ahsoka: “Right here.”

Everyone looked at it. Katara: “It’s beautiful.”

She put it back on. Ahsoka: “After a Padawan’s training is complete, their braid is then severed.” Anakin: “That is after a Padawan has proven themselves over a rigorous 10 year course, they are then bumped up to Jedi Knight.” Sokka: “Wait, it would take a Padawan 10 years to move up to Jedi Knight? That’s a long time!” Anakin: “Tell me about it. Being a Padawan to Master Obi-wan isn’t exactly a day on the beach.” Obi-wan: “Hey, it wasn’t that bad.” Anakin: “Maybe not to you, but to me, it was a trial all on it’s own, forget the rigorous training, living under your shadow was the real challenge.” Obi-wan: “Well, I moved up to Jedi Master and you’re still a Jedi Knight.” Anakin: “Yeah, but you never would have gotten to where you are now without my help.” Zuko: “What did he mean by all of that, Obi-wan?”

Obi-wan let out a slight worn out sigh. Obi-wan: “When a Jedi Knight has proven their full understanding of the Force and has succeeded in moving their Padawan up to Jedi Knight, they, in time, move up to the rank of Jedi Master.” Toph: “Isn’t that where you are now, Master Kenobi?” Obi-wan: “Yes, that is correct.” Sokka: “So, it takes just as long for a Jedi Knight to become a Jedi Master as it takes for a Padawan to become a Jedi Knight? No way! NO WAY will I believe it taking that long!” Ahsoka: “Well, it is less than the amount of time for the Avatar to learn other forms of bending under the masters of the other elements.” Aang: “That’s right, all Avatars went through that process, everyone but me.” Ahsoka: “What do you mean?” Aang: “Well, you see, a while after Katara broke me out of the iceberg, the Avatar that came before me, Avatar Roku, told me about a comet that passes by our world every one hundred years.” Anakin: “A comet?” Aang: “Yes, Sozin’s Comet, actually.” Ahsoka: “Sozin’s Comet, you mean as in Firelord Sozin?” Zuko: “Yes, the comet is said to grant Firebenders an enormous amount of energy for Firebending. Sozin used it to wipe out the Air Nomads.” Obi-wan: “I am terribly sorry to hear that.” Ahsoka: “So, what about Sozin’s Comet? Why was it so important for you to know about it?” Aang: “It’s because the comet was returning and Firelord Ozai was planning on using it to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground and claim the world in the name of the Fire Nation.”

Ahsoka and Padme gasped. Anakin: “No…! He couldn’t!” Obi-wan: “That monster!” Padme: “So Firelord Ozai was willing to destroy your world just to rule over it?” Zuko: “Yes.” Anakin: “And just when I thought that man couldn’t be anymore ruthless! How could you think you would ever be loved by someone like him, Zuko!?!” Zuko: “He was my father, what more could I say?” Padme: “All that is true, Zuko, but you had to have known where to draw the line.” Zuko: “I did, during that war meeting, when my father was telling everyone about that plan, I wanted so much to speak out against it, but I’m ashamed to say I didn’t. My whole life all I wanted was my father’s love, I thought all I wanted was my honor, but then I realized that I lost my honor and worst of all, I lost myself.” Anakin: “Clearly, there was a major difference between claiming your honor and gaining your father’s love; from what I can tell, they’re both complete opposites.” Zuko: “I know that now and I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner.” Obi-wan: “It’s alright, Zuko; better late than never.” Anakin: “Not to mention before your father used that comet to burn the entire world down! Scorching the Earth Kingdom? The Fire Nation is way passed sharing its greatness with the world! That’s just wrong!” Zuko: “I know.” Katara: “We all know that.” Obi-wan: “OK, then, so, shall we have a look around the temple?” Aang: “Sure, I’m up for it.” Katara: “Me, too.” Toph: “Same here.” Zuko: “I’m in.” Sokka: “Let’s go, then.” Suki: “Yes, let’s.” Anakin: “OK, then.” Obi-wan: “Follow me, everyone.”

#Ultimate Story 4 #Ultimate Story spin-off #Star Wars the Clone Wars #Avatar the Last Airbender #Aang #Zuko #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Toph #Katara #Anakin Skywalker #Ahsoka Tano #Padme Amidala #Coruscant #Jedi Temple

[dreams-and-daringsecrets]

Okay I'm not a writer so I can't make a decent fanfiction for the idea. It happens after the smoke and shadow comic. Zuko makes plans for Azula (her 17th birthday specifically.)

I would think he never wanted to have Azula locked away in a straight jacket for the rest of her life. So he decides to give her a "special" normal birthday.

He started plotting certain details months in advance. Leaving Azula the letters and scrolls of sozin and roku's deaths at the institution. He even spends some time with her sitting just in silence, and having luxury made meals prepared for her. Finally the night before her birthday Zuko has her carted into the palace ballroom in her straight jacket. She of course is pissed off and is yelling and trying to make chaos. Zuko tries to calm her down and decides the only person capable of that is Ozai. So begrudgingly Zuko has Ozai brought to the ballroom, in prison gear mind you since there is no trusting the dude. Azula after a few hours of being left alone with Ozai is at least manageable to talk to. So when Zuko comes back in with his guards. He tells Azula he has a surprise for her birthday, but she has to promise to behave...or at least be decent. Mocking his kind gesture and calling him weak Azula spots a palace servant enter with a small box. Zuko thanking the servant kneels down and takes a small ankle bracelet out and skillfully/ smoothly melts it together around her closet ankle. Ozai and Azula both confused but somewhat manic laugh at the stupid gesture only for Zuko to explain that it is anti-bending bracelet made by Toph and Aang (through metal and energy bending.) It doesnt take away her bending forever but when she wears it she won't be able to firebend. Going farther Zuko explains this isnt her birthday present, it is just insurance that's she cant create too much destruction when she is freed from her restraints. Two servants walk in with Ursa behind them holding a dress box. Azula becomes mortified that her mother is in her presence, and that her brother thinks so little of her that he'd torture her with stupid frilly gifts. She starts shouting her normal horrible mind warping theories, which gets Ozai entertained. Only for Zuko to become upset and use his Firelord voice "Enough! Will you please for once allow me to be your older brother and do something nice for you without you making our relationship so unbearable!" Azula finally shutting up, and Ozai glaring. Zuko turns his attention to the box in his mother's arms to pull out a strikingly beautiful, red, off the shoulder dress. Zuko turning to Azula saying that since it is now her 17th birthday he wanted to surprise her with something seemingly normal. Azula rolling her eyes stating that his efforts were worthless and she wanted the bracelet taken off. Zuko sighing due to frustration turns her chair to face the ballroom entrance and gestures for the servants to fetch something. Azula becoming frustrated herself starts in again with "oh great another stupid gesture of your disgusting affection for me." Zuko now right beside her and smirking" if you aren't nice I can always return my present." Azula confused by his reaction to her out burst follows her brother's glaze towards to entrance. Where Ty Lee stands smiling all dolled up in a beautiful pink tulle gown. Azula's cold blooded stare almost cracking. Azula sarcastically saying "oh look you got me a traitor and ex friend all in one, how kind." Zuko looking at Ty Lee " She means you look beautiful" as he turns to unfasten her restraints. Zuko still holding the latch looks at Azula hoping the bracelet Sokka came up with for Toph and Aang to make actually works. Zuko looking at Azula with brotherly affection "please try to be decent, she got all dressed up and even helped pick out your dress. Just to make your birthday special." Zuko turned to look at Ty Lee once more and than back to Azula "plus if you are nice maybe you can even get a second date."

#azula deserved better #azula x ty lee

[lucy-dont-give-a-fuck]

More toughts on Fem!Zuko/Usha AU Part 2

Check the part 1 here 

Now on the other point on interest, how Uncle Iroh’s masculinity affects Usha here.

First we have to talk about how Usha see man, marriage and submission. She is raised not as a possible heir but mostly to be betrothed an ally as she is considered non qualified as her sister that could have a chance to be the next firelord. She is trained on modals and households to be a good wife and, as I said before, diplomacy and politics to make this union the most profitable. She accepts her role and believes her marriage would be as her parents. We tend to emulate our parents for better or worse, most our relationships mirror our parents, so Usha probably accepted that marriages aren’t happy or loving, even more in royalty, you’ll be lucky if you marry someone who is apathic towards you. She accepts that men are violent, physically and psychologically, being Uncle Iroh, and probably Lu Ten, the exception to the rule. As long as she complies to Ozai’s standards and becomes useful she can may be loved. Again as she doesn’t want Azula to suffer from Ozai’s abuse she might think that is her duty as the firstborn and as princess to carry on with it as her mother did.

On a side note, Ozai’s burning her might be a new level of physical abuse, which could be one of the reasons why Usha feels the way she does, she has become accustomed to Ozai’s abuse and trying to not anger or disappoint him, she has learn more or less how to tip toe around so this is a physical proof that she has wronged her father that she has stepped out of line in a terrible way, it is in the end her fault.

So with all this information we can start theorize about her time before finding aang on the warship. I’m gonna use @kyuuley drabbles as a base because they are amazing and I think they illustrate very well what could have been Usha’s time on the ship. We can take three things out of them: 1) the first six months, give it or take, she behaved like a perfect little princess 2) She doesn’t seem afraid of the crew and 3) there are women on the ship.

We can theorize that this three connect and influence Usha’s behavior. First, we can say that the first six months she was on one hand still recovering emotionally and physically of her injuries and on the other she might have been testing the waters, she was out of her element, she had to adapt to her new normality and being instructed in diplomacy and politics, she probably was observing and waiting to learn what to do or how to act. During this observations she could have notice that the crew was easy going and even respectful of the women on board, that combined with her status could have make her feel, if not safe, in charge. 

Combined with her emotional state…poor crew.

Mentioning the last point again, the women, this is, in my opinion, VERY IMPORTANT, first because feminine contention and connection, don’t try to tell me these women wouldn’t go big sis/mother hen with her, don’t try. Feminine contention and connection is very important for women development, trust in another women and seeking knowledge in another women can be very positive. On their drabble Proper Education because of a situation, Satomi, one of the women on the ship, decides the princes has the right to learn about sex, having an EXCELLENT moment when Kyo, other of the women on it, ask if they have known or not about what they were doing. Not only this is an amazing resource and interesting point to make but can illustrate how the knowledge and support of an older woman can help on our development. Now Usha would understad what certain acts are and that she has to chose if engage in them or not, being easier for her to understand and defend herself against unwanted advances.

In fewer words, Usha feels safe and in charge on the ship and is contained and supported by the crew.

This could eventually lead to her realizing that earlier that her father was abusive and that her Uncle isn’t the exception but the rule or at least that there are more many men that treat their spouses and daughters with respect and kindness, that without counting that in certain places harming your spouse and children could get you in jail or beaten.

If we wanted to apply it to relationships, yes, I’m talking about Jetko because I like this ship, It could help her to establish boundaries and recognize abusive or manipulative behaviors. Basically she wouldn’t take shit and will establish what is okay or isn’t in her eyes. Wich could put Jet in line, so no stalker behavior, or very light. He will have to work hard to get the girl. And yes, hilarity ensues.

She would get into a crisis a bit earlier than in cannon, going through the process of mourning during the first season to finish it on season two, where she can establish herself on her new life without guilt or anger, freeing Appa by her own choice and conviction without breaking down or having this breaking point earlier on her journey.

The mourning process establish the following: 1) A crisis arise, 2) Negation, 3) Anger, 4) Negotiation, 5) Depression, 6) Acceptation and finally 7) Learning

1)     The crisis: Usha begins to realize her father’s abuse wasn’t right or normal and that she didn’t deserve it

2)     Negation: She can’t accept this fact so she focus on her training and searching for the Avatar.

3)     Anger: She doesn’t make any progress wich makes her angry and later directs her anger towards the gaang when aang wakes up.

4)     Negotiation: She starts to try negotiate between what she feels, what she knows, what she has been teach and what is right. Maybe this period starts after the blue spirit, reaching its peak when she ruins Zhao’s plans and saves the spirit and Yue.

5)     Depression: It could be trigger by the fight with Azula, here it could cut even more deeply. Now she not only becomes a traitor but has to bare with the harsh truth that her father can be wrong and that her sister will gleefully chase her. She still failed. Zuko/Usha Alone will be the pinnacle of this and the possible transition to the next point.

6)     Aceptance: Usha finally starts accepting and understanding that she was abused and that it wasn’t normal nor her fault. This could intertwine with her time in Ba Sing Se, living a new life.

7)     Learning: Once she accepts the reality of her father abuse and how his actions, and by consequently the war, are wrong, she starts to learn from her experiences and decide what to do, does she wants to get involved with the war or she prefers to hide and resign to her past? Maybe one of the actions that could determine her decision could be the liberation of Appa.

On another point, something that was mentioned on the Azula’s video was “the rescue parent”, a parental figure that comes to “save” the child of the situation they are in. To Zuko his rescue parent was obviously Iroh, which repeats on this AU. Azula doesn’t have a rescue parent on the series which could be an important point here, with Usha trying to reach Azula’s and rescue her, showing her another way of being driven by what she realized and by this more maternal feeling she could develop over her. Azula would most probably reject her intents, relating them to her mother and weakness, fear is power, love is weakness, the only one who loves her is her father, her mother thought she was a monster so Usha must do the same.

So yeah, this are a “few” thoughts I had over this AU. Please check Hello Future Me videos about ATLA because they are awesome, specially this two.

#zuko #prince zuko #princess usha #princess usha au #usha #fem zuko #fem zuko au #atla #avatar the last airbender

[hermitknut]

A:TLA watch, part 17 - SERIES FINALE

All of my posts on this are here.  I’ll be putting up a masterlist sometime soon.

*deep breaths*

Okay, it’s time. Time to finish this series. I’m both desperate to find out how it ends and also desperate to stay in the middle of it. It’s been a hell of a ride… here we go!

Sozin’s Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King

Zuko teaching aang is so great, even when he’s getting touchy about it.

BEACH PARTY lol sokka, never change

Appa sand sculpture!!

Nooooooooo zuko I know you have to teach but NOT THE SAND SCULPTURES

Oooo aang wants to wait??

Ohhhh call back to that one war meeting!

Oh shiiiiiiit wiping out the earth nation. Big task. LOVE the shot of him walking over the map and casting his shadow before him.

Omg dragging zuko into the group hug XD

HOW TO REDIRECT LIGHTNING ZUKOOOOOOOO uncle tea would be SO PROUD

“yeah, I’ll just do that” :( aaaaaang.

I am really curious as to how they’re going to handle this (aang potentially killing the firelord)

Omg look at the precious children training I love them so much

God aang :( I love how much weight they’re giving this.

The music as he walks into the night!

Wait. Where did the island aang was heading towards go????

“what? Everyone else went on a life-changing field trip with zuko, now it’s my turn” Toph, I sincerely love you

“get out of the bison’s mouth, sokka” XD

“if anyone’s got experience hunting the avatar, it’s you” GOOD POINT

Fire Lord is leaving? Where is he going?

Damn the dynamic between Azula and her father…

“mole? Her skin is flawless” jesus this show XD. Also, yet AGAIN, a logical, perfect call back to an earlier character. The way this show winds this stuff back in really makes the world feel real and solid.

“where are we?” AANG

Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters

My dvd player is skipping a bit :/ hope this doesn’t keep happening. Maybe it’s because I keep pausing so much to type stuff. Hmm. I’m gonna try overlapping windows and see if that helps. [edit: it did, though I had to stop the whole thing and give it a rest between episodes. It’s old and cranky.]

“he doesn’t exist” hell of a disappearing act there, aang

ZUKO WANTS TO FIND UNCLE TEA HELL YES

I have been WAITING for the return of Iroh!!!

Oo maybe talking to zuko will help

THE ORDER OF THE WHITE LOTUS RIGHT??? And aang’s friend is one of them!!!!

“new grandfather” XD XD XD holy shit sokka’s so enthusiastic

“all old people know each other” LOL

I genuinely love aang working through previous avatars, trying to get an answer.

“did you do anything interesting on the day of the eclipse” “no, not really” LOL

SURFING AVATAR

Ohhh how nervous zuko is!

Ooo an air nomad avatar…

“I have to kill the firelord” is it me or is that the first time aang’s used the word “kill”

ZUKO’S CRYING. IROH’S CRYING. I’M CRYING. OH GOD.

“it wasn’t that hard uncle. You have a pretty strong scent.” God XD

THE ISLAND IS A SEA CREATURE I AM UNNERVED BUT DELIGHTED

“the fatherlord” XD

“it has to be you” oh BLESS

“my destiny is to take it BACK” ohhhhhhhhhh

Omg katara and zuko vs azula? I am VERY EXCITED

Here we go, splitting up the forces and starting the plan

Also sokka looks so little in that helmet, I can’t deal with this

Duuuuude the island beast thing!!

Oh boy here comes the comet oh godddddddd that closing shot of aang…

  Sozin’s Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno

God everyone’s worried about aang… so am I…

Azula jesus

Nice SHOT Toph

God this show is so STUNNING the way it pans from the ship they’re on to the lead ship with Ozai on it…

Azula… jesus no one needs to take down azula, she’s going to do it herself XD

TOPH KNOCKING ON THE DOOR AND THEN USING IT AS A METAL SUIT MY MOUTH IS JUST OPEN IN DELIGHT

“I can’t believe the captain remembered my birthday” BAHAHA AMAZING

God azula is just dissolving isn’t she?

Ohhhhh you know it occurred to me that Zuko could use the comet’s power but I hadn’t thought about Iroh, holy SHIT

MOTHER IN THE MIRROR fuck this show is intense

AANG

No glider no momo no appa oh AANG PLEASE BE CAREFUL I LOVE YOU

Airship slice!! Oh gosh folks oh gosh

I’m actually genuinely frightened for everybody

“you’re not going to become firelord today – I am” COME ON ZUKO HELL YES

Ooooo full on formal duel I am HERE FOR THIS

Aang :( I SAID BE CAREFUL

HE CHANNELLED LIGHTNING BUT ONLY JUST

NO AANG AANG AANG YOU’RE FALLING NOOOO

Oh GOD I love the way he caught himself with the waterbending!

I am very concerned by the sad music playing through the zuko and azula fight..

NO SHE’S GOING TO AIM AT KATARA NO  NO NO NO NO NO NO ZUKO NO

AANG HIDING IN THE EGG

QUICK I NEED THE NEXT EPISODE QUICK QUICK QUICK

  Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang

YES YES EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE FIRE NATION ATTACKED WE KNOW WE KNOW HURRY UP I NEED ANSWERS

“PREVIOUSLY ON AVATAR” I KNOW I KNOW GET GOING

“you could stand to mention it more” TOPH

JESUS SOKKA YOU’RE SUCH A BADASS

NO NO DON’T DROP TOPH NO

ANOTHER SHIP HIT THEM OKAY

Aang hiding in the egg still, oh boy

Oh god the way it melts away around him

And it HIT THE SCAR

“little boy” oh you are SO FUCKED

AVATAR STAAAAAAAAAAAAATE

HE’S USING ALL OF THE ELEMENTS AT ONCE HOLY SHIT AANG

PLEASE BE OKAY AFTER THIS

Irohhhhhh setting fire to the fire nation flag!! This is great :D

Jesus this entire series has been building to Aang having full control and HOLY SHIT is it worth it!!

Uh oh we’re back to azula and katara and zuko

COME ON KATARA COME ON ZUKO

Katara has an idea!!

WAIT DID SHE FREEZE BOTH OF THEM HOLY

Oh KATARA you GENIUS

I’m worried about zuko but also able to appreciate the symbolism of him having a scar that matches aang’s

Oh god azula shooting lightning with her mouth and losing it entirely :(

Holy shit the BENDING that aang’s doing is BLOWING MY MIND

Was that a gasp of fear from ozai??

“the ultimate price” AANG STOPPED THOUGH

God the slow motion bit where he captures ozai holy SHIT

Is he gonna take the bending away from ozai???

THE LIGHT COMING FROM THEIR FACES FRIGHTENS ME

To bend another’s energy??? I CAN’T HEAR THE TURTLE THING CLEARLY ENOUGH DID HE JUST TAKE OZAI’S BENDING AWAY???

“I took away your firebending” phew I was right

God aang just. summoning the avatar state briefly with a breath and raising the water

i n c r e d i b l e

SOKKA you’re hilarious

“who taught you that” “a giant lion-turtle”

I love that they’re all just taking the piss of ozai like. Valid. You are all incredibly valid.

ZUKO’S GIRLFRIEND IS BACK blesssssss

“but don’t Ever Break Up With Me Again” HA

Oh god it’s ahappily ever after I can’t handle this I CAN’T AHHHHHHH

I am CRYING

Acrobat girl joined the warriors!! Hahahahaha

AANG IN THE YELLOW ROBES

AANG AND ZUKO HUGGING

I CAN’T BREATHE

LOOK AT THE LINES OF PEOPLE AND EVERYONE CHEERING

LOOK AT LITTLE AANG

They better let aang chill for a bit now, jesus, the kid is still twelve XD he needs a HOLIDAY

*screams through fingers* that little beckoning to aang

Zuko talking to his father – OH SHIT HIS MOTHER

LOL AT SOKKA’S DRAWING

Katara – KATARA AND AANG HUGGING awwwwwww

KISS THEY KISSED AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HOLY SHIT

(sidenote: we get different end music randomly on the last episode that’s REALLY PRETTY but also kind of strange lol. I love it)

~

SO WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO UNPACK ALL THAT

BUT I LOVE IT

I LOVE ALL OF IT

HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS

*steadying breaths*

This series is absolutely INCREDIBLE and I am SO GLAD I watched it. I can’t wait to rewatch it in the summer (I’m planning it with a friend) – and next month I’m going to get hold of Legend of Korra to keep me going in the meantime.

Thank you so much to everyone who’s been following along, it’s been really lovely to share this with you!! I am one hundred percent here for anyone who wants to talk (read: let me yell with them) about the whole series now, provided there are no Korra spoilers.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to ramble to myself about how amazing this was until it’s fully sunk in XD

H

#hermitknut watches a:tla #a:tla #avatar #avatar: the last airbender