#watertribe siblings

[lizardlicks]

I've been having this thought that I haven't been able to really articulate? And I still don't think I'm going to do it right, but here goes my attempt anyway:

BROADLY SPEAKING, yes, the trope of everyone gets hetero married and has lots of kids at the end of the story is over done, and YES we absolutely badly need other versions of happily ever after because there is no one path to life fulfillment, and no one true way to find or build a family, or even one definition of family!

HOWEVER: it rings a bit hollow to me when I see other people taking this bit of generallized story crafting advise and applying that to katara and sokka specifically. Because they're not the ethnically dominant race or culture in the AtLA setting, not even close. They're based off circumpolar native populations. Their people have survived a century of genocide. Their story repeatedly echos themes of family, community, tradition, being forcefully stripped of it by imperialist colonizers, and the trauma there in. There's pieces of themselves they lost before they were even born, and both siblings are acutely aware of that, though they choose to deal with it in different ways.

I'm not saying that they DEFINITELY ABSOLUTELY must get hetero married and have a million babies to have a fulfilling ending, I hope no one reads this that way. I'm only saying that I think there has been a gap in the critical analysis responses of the broader fandom when they start reflectively sneering at stories that do have them content to stay home and raise the next generation, or whenever anyone laments about post show canon/LoK seems to neglect mentioning sokka having any family at some point it gets push back on with that exact argument.

Consider that it might be better applied to people for whom getting to raise the next generation in some way isn't itself an entire victory fanfare.

#like!!! #idk man it means something different #I still don't think I'm wording this good #but a people that survived as a group actual concerted efforts to make them and their way of life disappear #might just have a different view on generational continuity #than someone whose never had to experience their cultural identity being erased #Fuck it's late this possibly didn't even make sense idk anymore #lizard is starting to ramble #sokka #katara #watertribe siblings

[f1reladymai]

I have so many thoughts about Sokka and Kya. I feel like Sokka is never given the chance to grieve, when in reality he’s the oldest and probably has much clearer memories of her than Katara does. Every time I say that, someone always says “but he said himself he doesn’t remember her face!” but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t remember her.

He remembers her holding him close on nights when it was so cold even the animal furs couldn’t keep him warm, curled up against her chest. He remembers her placing him on her lap, a baby Katara in his arms as she nuzzled into his hair and told him what a good big brother he would grow up to be. He remembers her taking him out in the canoe to cheer him up after his dad insisted he was too young to go hunting. He remembers her forehead kisses.

But the pain proves to be too much and he doesn’t deal with his grief the way Katara does. He isn’t open about it, he doesn’t get a chance to process on his own terms. He shuts it down, he has a responsibility to his sister, his tribe and later, the world. and because of these feelings he’s repressed, because he never gets to talk about her, cry over her, because he has to appear to be the strongest person, the big brother, the protector, his fear of forgetting her manifest into him forgetting her face. a common trauma response that kids have when they’ve lost a parent, and it’s so tragic because Sokka looks just like her.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel the loss of his mother, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t remember her and it sure as hell doesn’t mean he doesn’t love her as much as Katara does, it means they deal with things differently. When Katara said “you didn’t love her the way I did” it might have hurt, but I don’t think she meant she loved her more, I think it means they loved her differently. they both saw different things in Kya and enact their love for her in various ways.

But Sokka should get to process his grief, should get to cry and be comforted. He should be able to let his memories of her flow, and enter his mind without guilt and be able think about them when he needs some respite.

#I wrote some of this on Twitter first but I needed more words lmao #atla #a:tla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #sokka #atla sokka #katara #atla katara #water tribe #kya #hakoda #sokka&kya #katara&sokka #water tribe siblings #katara&kya #my shit #txt post: watertribe sibilings

[strawberrymilkyumyum]

sokka cant remember what their mother looked like when shes the only thing that katara sees

#strawberry tag #katara #sokka #sokka and katara #watertribe #water tribe siblings #atla

[marymary-diva17]

A marriage for peace and political

zuko x water tibe reader x male mai

This is story had been published on my wattpad, and I decide to bring it over here.

The war of the nations had been going on for 100 years and the fire nation kept on gaining ground and power, all over all the other nations. There had been a time of peace that came in the war and that peace was made through a political marriage or arrange marriage. That marriage was your marriage the second daughter of Hakoda of the southern watertribe you had been given away in marriage. As you were not just marrying the fire lord son, but also another Nobel man that is an ambassador. All the other nations and everyone thought this will be for the best as no wanted anymore war to happen. 

Y/n " dad" 

Hakoda " listen I know you must hate this idea but it need to be done" 

Y/n "......" 

Hakoda " I can't send your brother or sister they are to much of value and importance to all of us ... they are part of avater team we can't lose them" 

Y/n " i know that dad but have you heard about the stories of the fire lord he cruel and scary man ..." 

Hakoda " yes I have heard them y/n but sacrifices have to be made and this is one of them you are one of them" 

Y/n " please father o will do anything for my people but I'm scared" 

Hakoda " think about your people think about all the all other nations and all innocent lives that will be lost of you don't do this .... You can't be selfish" 

Y/n "  father ..." 

Hakoda " leave now I need to speak with my council and elders Wes most think for battle with three other nations, a war will come and war " you wish to say something else but your father had you escorted away from his office once words got to your siblings and their friends it didn't get better. 

Katara " please y/n we need this war to end we can't have aang go he not ready he hasn't master fire yet" 

Y/n " I'm just overwhelmed and scared that all this major decisions" 

Sokka " don't you think we all feel that you haven't been doing anything but stay here and healing, while the rest of us have been risking it all" 

Toph " I can sense many emotions right now" 

Sokka " if we don't have an answer by the end of week the war the fire lord wish for answers" 

Y/n " I ...." 

Aang " y/n I make a promises as an avatar and air bender if anything happen I will come help you, as you have my oath as avatar and all those that came before me" 

Y/n " I just need some time alone" 

Katara " fine go while we stay here and think about a back up plan" you could feel you were not welcome so you had soon taken your leave right away. As you were walking you had been getting cold shoulder from many people as they were all in fear. 

Gran gran " my dear" 

Y/n " hey gran gran" 

Gran " I came to see you I have heard the news" 

Y/n " I want to say yes for my people and everyone else but I'm scared" 

gran gran " it okay to be scared my dear whatever decision you make it will always love you and be with you in personal and spirt" you had hugged your grandmother as your cried, you had made your decision that night. 

Y/n " father I have made my decision" 

Hakoda " what have you decided my father" 

Y/n " I will take the marriage for safety for my family and everyone" everyone was happy about the news a hawk had been sent, and I'm days a fire nation ship had come with your future husbands. 

Iroh " lady y/n I will love to present my nephew prince Zuko and mister mao" 

Y/n " hello it good to meet you both and I hope our lives together will be good" 

Mao " hello it good to meet you"

Zuko " yes what you have done is honor and we hope to show you were are not that bad" this marriage will not be bad after all as you had thought, as the others around were either good and bad. Maybe you should give your future husband a chance and see their true selves. Celebrations had been held in your tribe you had tried to speak with your sibling and friends but they were with everyone else. You had been given the opportunity to get to know some of future family better. That next day you had left your home. 

Y/n " take care everyone I hope to see you soon" 

Katara " we will meet again" 

Y/n " yes and now we have peace life will need to be rebuild" 

Fire nation solider " lady y/n we are rests to leave" 

Y/n " coming goodbye everyone and please take care all of you" you soon got onto the fire nation ship, looking down to everyone and waving goodbye. You soon saw your home getting smaller and smaller as you head toward your new home. 

Iroh " I know you have heard bad stories about the fire nation and my family, and I don't blame you for being scared but we are all not that bad ... my nephew and mao might seem a bit scary but he a good young men and I have raised taught and many other well to be good and not to, follow their parents path"'

Y/n " thank you iroh I'm happy to know I will have friends there for me I, hope I can be a good addition to the royal household and ambassador household as well" 

Iroh " you will be amazing"

Zuko " uncle may I and Mao have some words with our wife" 

Iroh " yes" Iroh soon left the young couple to talk together, knowing it was going to be a long trip home.

Mao " we know you fear what life will be like in the fire nation but we will not be living there"

Y/n " huh why you are royalty and noble born"

Zuko " yes but I made a deal with my dad will be living on ember land it will be good for us all, and we get to know each other and live the lives we want if that fine with you"

Y/n " I'm fine with that if can keep bending and healing, and keep some cultures I have"

Mao " yes it will be good as we all should keep what we love most close to our hearts" this marriage was not going to be bad after all, you had been able to get to know your husbands better and their created famiky good as well. Life is going to be hard away from the water tribe but you know you will adapt to your new life and home.

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #aang #the last airbender #katara #the gaang #prince zuko #zuko atla #zuko x reader #fire lord zuko #atla zuko #zuko #alta #zuko x y/n #atla x reader #zuko imagine #atla sokka #sokka avatar the last airbender #toph beifong #toph #kataang #avatar x y/n #avatar x you #avatar x reader #hakoda #ozai #uncle iroh #fire nation #water tribe #mai atla

[aangarchy]

Do you know of any metas that disprove the argument of aang being a bad father? :/

I haven't seen any metas but i personally found the argument for Aang being a bad father weak at best

Aang wasn't a perfect father, that much is clear. But imo no Avatar can ever be a perfect parent (no one can be a perfect parent but i digress). The Avatar has a responsibility to the world. There are times where the Avatar isn't allowed to be selfish. For example, think of when Aang had to let go of Katara in order to access the Avatar State. How would Katara feel if he ever told her that this is necessary for him to activate it every time? I'm sure she wouldn't be fond of the idea.

The only thing we have to go on when it comes to Aang and Katara's parenting, is episodes 3 and 4 of Tlok book 2 (at least that i know of). Tenzin tries to recall his childhood memories that he thinks Kya and Bumi were a part of but turns out, they weren't. We don't know the reason for this, and we don't find out. I'm assuming these trips were perhaps intended as "airnomad lessons" or something like that, and that would be a reason for the other siblings to not be present. We do have to remember that Aang has a nation to rebuild. He's the only one in the world that was physically present during the time of the airnomads, and he only has so much time between his Avatar duties. He's the only one that can authentically pass on the customs. That's probably why these trips felt so frequent to Bumi and Kya, the few times Aang was present he was off with Tenzin for airnomad teachings. (Again this is my assumption. The writers never gave us a reason for the other siblings being absent or for the trips to even have occurred.)

(Personally i do feel like this is affected by bad writing. Why on earth would Kya and Bumi not also be considered part of the airnomads, as well as the watertribe? Why would they not learn everything there is to know about their heritage, even though they don't master the element? Instead bryke made Kya a mini Katara, Tenzin a mini Aang and Bumi just kind of floats lost in the middle, and is clearly supposed to be a mini Sokka. It's a very poor example of a mixed family.)

Kya and Bumi's version of the events are obviously going to be biased. They felt like their father was never there, and they're very angry with him for being absent (who wouldn't be). Tenzin's view is also biased, he was the youngest and spent the most time with Aang. It surprises me that throughout this episode, they never once mention what Katara was like as a mother. All of their anger is aimed at Aang (easy target, the mf is dead already) but Katara is also responsible here as the other parent. What were discussions like? Did the kids ever tell Katara how they felt? She was still married to Aang it's not like they had separated and started co parenting. They were a team. Did Katara spend a lot more time with Kya to teach her about the watertribe? Did she take Kya on girltrips? What was Bumi doing during all of this?

At the end of these episodes, when the siblings reconcile, Kya shows them a family photo. They all look back on it fondly. If Aang was truly such a horrible father (or even abusive like some people have claimed bc why not throw every term around) they would not look at this picture like that. They like their family, as flawed as it is. They clearly have good memories too, but because these particular episodes are about how parents aren't perfect (the conflict between Ikki and her siblings mimics that of the one Tenzin has with his) those memories aren't talked about.

Anyway to summarize this into a point: i don't think Aang was a bad or abusive father. I think he was unfortunately an pretty absent father as a byproduct of being the Avatar, and that he committed the ultimate parent sin: picking a favorite. I wonder what type of parent Roku was, or any past Avatars that had children.

#ask dori #anon #atla #the legend of korra #kataang kids #tlok #kya #bumi #tenzin #katara #aang #avatar aang

[jaredstrout]

Firelord Ursa - mothering a nation

I wondered how the world would look if in the night Ursa poisoned Azulon and left instead both Azulon and Ozai died and Ursa took power? After careful preparation Ursa had the entire staff of the palace on her side. The servants made sure she knew everything that went down, the guards were a bit less in her pocket, but clearly would not stop her if they could pretend to have missed her, maybe some even would have taken up arms against Ozai or even Azulon in the worst case.

But when Both men died one night her contacts to the home guard and city guard ensured, that nobody questioned the official lie, that assassins had slain both Azulon and Ozai. The inoffical lie being that Oazai had tried a coup himself and died after murdering his father appeased most of the people who saw through the official version.

And when Iroh returned home finally he found Ursa in power, willing to listen to him, but unwilling to let anyone take the throne from her.

A world where Zuko never got burned, maybe the raids against the watertribe stopped in time to save Kya.

Both sibling duos grow up in better conditions and while Azula never gets as close to her mother as Zuko, things get better, even if she has to spend much time with the Fire Nation and the still ongoing war.

But the armies of the Fire Nation, while not recalled, are slowed down by orders to avoid casualites among the civillians, the fighting slows and an undeclared armistice brings a resemblance of something most people have never seen in their lifetime.

Peace

And then the army drags a young boy with tattoos in, claiming that he is the Avatar...and Firelord Ursa is absolutely unwilling to lock a little boy in some dark cell...and instead she now looks after the Fire Nation and three kids.

I love the idea that Azula is first very unpleasant with Aang...till the more open Ty Lee finds out how much the boys likes to pranks people and the trio now haunts the palace, much to the chagrin of Zuko, who is often on the receiving end...but also several of the grumpy old generals, who fall victim to a precise airstrike of fruit cakes.

I like this version, plus points for a giggling Firelord Ursa, who allows herself to enjoy the prank her daugther and adopted son played on these old militarists, who always try to undermine her authority...of course only after strictly reprimanding the culprits. "Get to your room, both of you and play something harmless till dinner"

#azula #zuko #ty lee #aang #ursa #avatar last airbender #firelord ursa #Au #mommylord

[empressofthesunwriter]

Yin and Yang

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Book 1.05: The King of Omashu

Water. 

Earth. 

Fire. 

Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished. 

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua. 

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone. 

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

Hua felt her heart fill with joy, as she saw the familiar pyramide-like city of Omashu!

Oh, how she had longed to visit it again and see Bumi!

Sadly, she was 100 years too late.

Who knows what had happened to her, and Aang's, dear friend?

Of course, Jaiyi noted the solemn aura around her girl, so the nine-tailed fox snuggled against her legs, like a cat.

Thankful Hua reached down to give her trusty kyuubi a good rub between her ears.

Meanwhile, Aang presented the other Omashu in all her glory.

The Watertribe siblings were in awe since they had nothing similar in the South Pole.

"Wait, Aang!", calls Katara out to him, who was ready to just run into the city. "It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."

"You need a disguise.", added Sokka seriously.

"Why does Hua not need one?", the Avatar wondered.

"Maybe because I'm clearly Earth Kingdom and not an air nomad?", said Hua with a raised eyebrow. "No one would look at me and go: Aah, it's the legendary Daimon!"

Aang raised his finger as if he wanted to argue, then he frowned and put it down.

"Okay I see your point, but what I'm supposed to do? Grow a moustache?"

Oh, this gives Sokka an idea!

A few moments later Aang stands before them, wearing a wig and a large moustache made out of Appa fur.

Irretaited the last airbender scratches his head under the wig.

"Ugh. This is so itchy. How do you live in this stuff?", asked Aang his flying bison.

Appa slowly turns his head toward Aang and snorts at him as if he were scoffing.

"Great! Now you look just like my grandfather.", praises Sokka, happy how his idea worked.

"Technically, Aang is 112 years old.", reminds Katara.

"Just like me.", nods Hua in agreement and fixes her low-side ponytail. "I'm just glad I still look young. Would be really traumatic to wake up one day and be turned into an old lady."

Nimbly Aang kicks up his staff and spins it rapidly around before placing it upright on the ground to be used as a walking stick. 

He hunches his back and leans heavily on his staff like an old person.

"Now let's get to skippin', young whipper-snappers.", he says to them in his best grandfather voice. "The big city awaits!"

The Avatar shuffles towards Omashu, while the others stare at him.

At least he played his role.

So they followed behind him.

Appa and Jaiyi stayed behind. 

Since kyuubi’s seemed to be extinct and people know the Daimon had one, it was for now better to leave her with Appa.

As they are nearly at the gates of Omashu Aang tells the new visitors: "You guys are going to love Omashu. The people here are the friendliest in the world."

It's like the universe wants to prove him wrong because a guard doesn't let a cabbage saler into the city, telling the poor man, how his products are rotten and earthbends the cart off the bridge.

Team Avatar-Daimon just looks on in shock.

Exspecially Aang and Hua.

They didn't remember Omashu being so strict!

"Just keep smiling.", advises Aang his friends nervously.

"Smile and wave, guys, smile and wave!", mubles Hua, as they walk towards the entrance.

The earthbender guard steps to the front and raises a boulder out of the ground before Aang and levitates it above his head.

"State your business!", he growls aggressively.

Quickly the disguised Avatar runs from underneath the boulder and toward the guard; he halts right in front of the surprised man.

"My business is my business, young man!", scolds Aang the earthbender in his grandfather voice, poking his chest. "And none of yours!"

This surprises the guard so much, that he lets the boulder drop beside the water tribe siblings and Hua, who just look on in total disbelief at what Aang is doing.

He is either really brave or utterly stupid!

"I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!", continues Aang his spiel.

Strangely it works on the guard, who pleads the fake old man to calm down and just tell him who he is.

"Name's Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis, the Third, and these are my grandkids."

Smiling and waving, Katara and Hua step beside their "grandfather".

"Hi. June Pippinpaddleopsicopolis.", introduces Katara herself.

"And I'm April Pippinpaddleopsicopolis.", says Hua.

"Nice to meet you.", choruse the girls together.

Pensively rubbing his beard, the guard eyed the two children and one old man before him, before he pointed at Katara and Hua.

Or June and April apparently.

"You seem like responsible young ladies. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!"

The guard steps aside and motions at the city's entrance.

"We will!", promises Katara, while Hua nods.

"Of course, sir."

Team Avatar-Daimon starts to pass the gate to Omashu, before nearly having a heart attack because the guard seems mistrusting of Sokka, only to reveal that he thinks Sokka should show his "grandfather" some respect and carry his bag.

Bonzu aka. Aang doesn't waste a moment and throws his bag at Sokka. The bag bounces off his head to drop into his arms. 

Sokka shoots Aang an annoyed glare over his shoulder.

The quartet stands before a big Earth Kingdom emblem on the wall before them. 

Then the giant earthen wall splits open in the middle of the emblem, opening up to let any passengers through. 

The guard opens up the gate walls. 

As the first wall slides open, a second and third are bent aside as well. 

Katara and Sokka watch in awe at the spectacle while Aang and Hua are smiling behind them. 

They walk through as the walls already start to move again to close right after them. 

100 years may have passed, but Omashu was still as beautiful as Hua remembers.

It was comforting.

"This is the Omashu delivery system.", explains Aang in his normal voice to Sokka and Katara the intricate system of chutes. "Miles and miles of tubes and chutes."

They watch as four earthbenders stand beside a platform where one earthen cart slides out and another one filled with vegetables comes into view. 

As the cart passes one earthbender, he uses his bending to change the cart's direction and pushes it to the front, where another earthbender bends it up a tube to two other earthbenders standing at the ready to receive it. 

One earthbender quickly bends stone lintels underneath the cart so it would not fall down again, while the other one thrusts it off the platform, where it slides down a chute at high speed.

"Earthbending brings the packages up, and gravity brings them down."

Unimpressed Sokka states: "Great, so they get their mail on time."

"They do get their mail on time, but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes.", tells them Aang with mischief in his eyes.

Hua can't help but laugh as she remembers.

"Oh, this was an adventure."

***

Hua was so glad that the monks allowed them to leave the Southern Air Temple for a while to visit Aang's friend Bumi in Omashu.

It was her first time in Omashu and the Daimon was enthralled by the beauty of the city.

She loved Ba Sing Se, it was her home, but Omashu had something special about her.

So while Monk Gyatsu enjoyed some tea with Bumi's parents, the three kids were walking around the city.

Since it was Hua's first time here, Bumi wanted to give her a sightseeing tour.

The young girl had to admit, that even if Bumi had a crazy look in his eyes, he was super nice to her and threatened her like she was an old friend.

Their friendly earthbending spare had helped also. 

Bumi had shown her some new cool bending moves, which she was thankful for.

Currently, they were on one of the many panoramic views points of Omashu, looking down at the city and her mail system.

"Look around you! What do you see?", asked Bumi with excitement in his voice.

"Um ... The mail system?", answered Aang unsure.

"Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you got to open your brain to the possibilities.", lectured the redhead.

 "A package-sending system?", tried Hua her luck.

What was Bumi getting at?

"The world's greatest superslide!", revealed Bumi cheerfully.

For a few seconds, Hua and Aang stared at their friend, before realizing, he was indeed right!

"Bumi, you're a mad genius!", declared Aang.

Bumi made his odd snort-laugh and the three friends rode the mail system like a crazy rollercoaster.

It was one of the funniest afternoons Hua had in her entire life!

***

Now, 100 years back in the present, find Aang and Hua with the water tribe siblings sitting in a mail cart, ready to again enjoy the wild ride the mail system has to offer.

The Avatar and Daimon are full-out excited, while the siblings look around them, unsure and slightly frightened.

"One ride. Then we're off to the North Pole. Airbender's honor."

"And earthbender's honour.", adds Hua.

Katara is telling them their second thoughts about all this, but it's already too late as Aang and Hua lean forward, making the mailcart race down the slope at a tremendous speed!

Momo, who has been hiding in Aang's wig the entire time, hold on tight to his master's head, chittering away.

Aang and Hua shout happily, Hua even raises her arms up in the air!

Sokka and Katara just pray that this ride is over soon, both are seeing their life pass before their eyes!

The chute they are riding pulls up next to a parallel one, where a cart with a rack of six spears is racing down. 

They pull up next to the cart with the spears and they all stare at it, no one making a sound. 

They race past it and both tracks join together. 

Sokka and Katara scream as the two chutes merge into one chute with the spear-cart behind them, but quickly gaining. 

Sokka hears it coming and turns around. He gasps and ducks just in time to avoid being skewered by the spears. 

Katara turns around and screams in fear as she sees the weapons so close. 

Aang, smiling excitedly, and Hua turns as well to see what the commotion is all about.

"I'm on it!", yells Aang.

The Avatar begins to rock the cart. 

Hitting each side once, the cart flies out of the chute and onto a roof, where it continues its descent.

They smash into what seems to be the middle of soldiers and warriors going off to war, which shocked the Omashu forces before they descended down further.

The cart with the quartet and one lemure breaks through the railing closing off the other chute and crosses the track, knocking over one of the supply carts, spilling a load of pumpkins all over the ground. 

The knocked-over cart lies on the track, where another incoming cart crashes into it.

The waterbender yells at Aang to use his airbending to avoid a crash, however, he thinks it's about to make the cart faster.

Whatever, he uses his airbending and they pass by a restaurant, where a couple is eating together. 

The couple looks up in surprise at the kids flashing by while the waiter dashes over to see what is going on. 

An earthbender soldier is waiting for the arrival of the next cart. As a cart of scrolls stops in front of him, the cart with the Team Avatar-Daimon flies down an incredibly steep slope. 

As the slope flattens out, the kids cry out in alarm as they are moments from colliding with the motionless cart in front of the bender. 

The earthbender on duty at that station sends it on its way, briefly relieving the quartet of the speeding cart. 

Much to the riders' horror, another cart instantly pops up from the tube below the bender. 

Before it can be moved, the kids' cart crashes into it, catapulting them and their cart into the air, high above a lower level of the city. 

Aang airbends the cart in front of them as they fall, making them drop back into the cart. 

The kids ride down several roofs, leaving damaged tiles in their wake. The cart flies through one window, ricochets off of the floor where a big vase is, smashing it and making the riders grunt, and flying out the window opposite. 

The craftsman peers out the ruined window as a dust cloud emerges, revealing that the cart has crashed against something else.

They land on a balcony and slide through another house. 

Emerging on the other side, a bearded cat chases Momo around Aang's wig until the lemur pushes it off. 

The cart smashes through a parapet and drops vertically out of sight. 

Their ride ends drastically as they smash against a cabbage cart.

Aang, Hua, Katara, and Sokka are in a tangled heap by the remains, while Momo elegantly floats down.

"My cabbages!", screams the cabbage merchant in outrage. "You're gonna pay for this!"

Guards walk up, surrounding the still-dazed kids. 

Aang is the first to sit up, his disguise pretty much gone, revealing his youthful face and airbending arrow.

"Two cabbages please.", says Aang sheepish, to make light of the situation.

Yeah, it doesn't help at all.

They get dragged to the ruler/king of Omashu, to be the judge about their property destruction.

The cabbage merchant demands that they get beheaded for his precious cabbages!

If Hua did not try her hardest to look apologetic and sweet to the king, she would ask the cabbage merchant if he was right in the head.

No cabbages destruction justifies a beheading.

The king of Omashu stares at them, he has a kind of crazy aura around him before he declares that they should throw a feast for Team Avatar-Daimon.

Not only are the kids shocked, but everyone from the guard to the cabbage merchant is.

This is how Team Avatar-Daimon finds themselves sitting on a rich table, filled with a lot of tasty food and the king of Omashu as their host.

It was so crazy, that Hua thought, she hit her head during their impro rollercoaster ride and was dreaming this all up.

But pinching herself didn't wake her up, so it was all real.

"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts.", tells the King, leaning over Aang's chair, grabbing the chicken leg that is on his plate, holding it in front of him. "So I hope you like your chicken with no skin."

"Thanks, but I don't eat meat.", explains Aang.

 "How about you? I bet you like meat.", asks the king, who stuffs the chicken into Sokka's mouth, who eats it appreciatively and walks over to his own seat.

"Is it just me, or is this guy's crown a little crooked?", whisper-shouts Katara to Hua and Aang.

"No I'm with you.", agrees Hua. "I noted it too."

"So tell me, young bald one, where are you from?", wants the king to know.

"I'm from ... Kangaroo Island!"

"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping!"

A moment of silence occurs, and someone coughs. 

The four children looked straight at the king with blank faces.

Suddenly Sokka bursts out laughing. 

Katara, Hua and Aang look at him, still with a blank expression.

"What? It was pretty funny.", mumbles Sokka defensively.

"Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay.", yawns the king tired.

The king eyes them with a weird expression as he leans to the left on his chair. 

Out of nowhere, he hurls a chicken leg at them. 

The meat flies through the air as Aang nearly tumbles off his chair in reflex of catching the chicken leg in a small airball. 

The guards gasped in surprise. 

Uh-Oh!

"There's an airbender in our presence, and not just any airbender. The Avatar! And the Earth Kingdom girl is surely the Daimon!", announced the King in triumph.

Oh spirits!

"Now, what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. and Miss Pippinpaddleopsicopolis?"

What should they do now?

Aang and Hua looked at each other, hoping the other had an idea of what to do.

The Avatar mouthed: Follow my lead, before he stood up from his chair, raising his hands into the air.

Hua mimics him.

She hoped he knew what to do.

"Okay, you caught me.", said Aang. " I'm the Avatar and she is the Daimon."

If they had discussed this spiel before Hau continued: "Yeah, you know Doing our Daimon/Avatar thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out."

"No firebenders here."

"None there."

"So, good work, everybody!", chorused the Avatar-Daimon due together.

Each wrapped an arm around one of the water tribe siblings, Aang with Sokka and Hue with Katara.

Slowly they all walked backwards, in hopes they could just leave.

"Love each other.", told Hua.

"Respect all life.", advised Aang.

"And don't run with your spears. We'll see you next time!", they said as one again.

As they near the guards at the exit door, the two men cross their spears, effectively blocking their paths.

Of course, it wouldn't be that easy!

Damn it!

"You can't keep us here!", shouted Katara. "Let us leave!"

Unimpressed the king waved around with a lettuce leaf.

"Lettuce leaf?"

Then he took a bite out of it.

"We're in serious trouble. This guy is nuts.", whisper-shouted Sokka to the others.

"Tomorrow, the Avatar and Daimon will each face a deadly challenge and then together a final one.", decided the king for them. "But for now, the guards will show you to your chamber."

One of his guards leaned towards the mad king and asked him in which chamber they should put Team Avatar-Daimon.

They got a bit back in forth because the bad chamber was newly renovated before it was made clear that the king wanted them there.

Not having a choice the kids followed the guards and were brought into the chapter.

It was a nice room, with four comfy-looking beds, only no windows and doors.

"This is a prison cell? But it's so nice.", said Katara astonished.

Momo was the first to jump in one of the beds before the others each chose one to sit down.

"He did say it was newly refurbished.", reminds Aang.

"Nice or not, we're prisoners!", pointed Sokka out.

"I wonder what these challenges are going to be.", though Hua out loud worried. "That guy is so crooked, it could be anything."

Katara stated that they shouldn't stay put to wait it out. 

She asked Hua if she just could earthbend them out of the room, but the Daimon was pretty sure there were guards around them. Even if they got out, they would sure get apprehended.

Aang had then the idea of using the air vents, showing Momo into it and asking him to get Appa and Jaiyi.

Sokka wondered what this should bring them, as Aang explained how Appa was ten-ton flying bison and Jaiyi could turn into a big, fighting Kyuubi, they surely would break them out somehow.

Sadly Momo seems stuck.

Well, so much for that.

The waterbender advises all to go to sleep, especially Aang and Hua since they have to face these challenges of the king.

It's not like they had another choice.

So all called it a night and got to sleep.

***

The next morning Hua gets woken up, by Aang who is shaking her awake.

"Huh, what? What's up?", mumbles the Daimon sleepy, rubbing her eyes.

"Hua, wake up! Katara and Sokka are gone!", shouts Aang worried.

This wakes Hua up fully.

Frantically she scans the room.

Indeed!

Their friends are gone!

"What's going on?", she aks Aang.

He shrugs his shoulder, being lost too.

"I don't know."

"If you two are ready now.", calls a guard over from a created passage. "The king will free your friends if you complete your challenges."

Together Aang and Hua face the guard.

Rightfully Aang ask what happens if they fail. The guard has no idea and asks in turn for Aang staff.

Reluctantly the Avatar hands it over.

With a tiny escort of guards Hua and Aang are brought into the throne room, where the mad king is already waiting for them.

"First, Avatar and Daimon, what do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinions.", this is the first thing the kings say to them.

Erm, what?

Hua blinks blankly, while Aang just stares blankly.

Someone coughs again.

"I'm waiting."

"I ... guess it's fine.", tells him Aang, scratching his head.

"It's a nice colour.", adds Hua, crossing her arms.

"Excellent! You passed your first tests."

"Really?", choruse the Avatar and Daimon together.

"Well, not one of the deadly tests.", the mad king waves his finger from side to side, emphasizing his words. "The real challenges are much more, uh, challenging."

Having enough of this crazy king's mind games Aang and Hua run up to him, demanding that he hand over Katara and Sokka since they are leaving.

To the misfortune of Team Avatar-Daimon, the king is much more cunning. He expected that they wouldn't cooperate, so he "gifted" the water tribe siblings each with a jennamite ring, also known as creeping crystal. 

It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast.

By nightfall, their friends will be completely covered in it.

The king could stop it, but would only do so if Aang and Hua played his games.

Left with no choice, they agreed.

All to save their friends.

So they followed the king to Aang's first task, a cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites and a waterfall.

A key hangs from the ceiling and a ladder is also there.

Aang's task seems simple, fetch the king the key to his lunchbox, however, the waterfall is so strong that he doesn't have a chance to grab it just.

After he cut with his airbending a stalactite and used it as a spear to fetch the key, he can give it to the king.

Now it's Hua's turn.

They are now a large sunken enclosure in a new room.

The kings ask Hua to fetch him his pet Flopsie.

So Hua looks around and finds a cute lop-eared bunny.

"I found him.", she calls over to the king.

"Bring him to me. Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsie!"

Slowly to not startle the bunny Hua walks towards him, when suddenly something lands behind her, scaring the bunny away.

"Flopsie, wait!", she calls to the bunny, as she hears the loud huff of an animal.

She turns around and sees a huge goat gorilla.

"Oh spirits!"

Goat Gorilla chases now her, while she tries to get Flopsie.

After a few minutes of running around, the Daimon notes, how the goat gorilla seems always to stop when she calls for Flopsie.

Could it be...?

Testing her theory she turns to the goat gorilla addressing him with Flopsie.

It seems she was indeed right.

Flopsie turns out to be the goat gorilla, who picks her up and licks her cheek, before running to the mad king, getting a belly rub.

So she passed her test also and now it's the final one, Aang and her have to take it together.

They are now in an earthbending arena on a balcony, while the nearly fully enclosed water tribe siblings are on another with a guard.

"Your final test is a duel. You fight together as a team. And as a special treat, you may choose your opponent.", explains the mad king.

Two tough-looking men come out, standing next to the king. Aang and Hua look at them uncertainly.

"Point and choose."

"So ... you're saying whoever we point to, that's the person we get to fight?", wants Aang to make sure.

"Choose wisely!"

Hua and Aang look for a second and each other before they point at the mad king.

"We choose you!"

This makes the mad king cackel.

"Wrong choice!"

The king straightens up and removes his outer robe, proving himself to be a powerfully built old man!

Oh no, this was just their luck!

He earthbends Aang and Hua off of the balcony, making them fly into the arena. 

The king jumps down right in front of them and still laughing.

"You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see."

"Can we fight the guy with the axe instead?", pleads Aang with Hua rapidly nodding in agreement.

"There are no take-backsies in my kingdom.", makes the king clear, before telling the guard, who has Aang staff, to throw it to the Avatar.

The fight is on!

Hua bends a stone wall before her, while Aang avoids the rocks the king launches at them.

"Typical airbender tactic: avoid and evade. And typical earthbender: endure and not back down.", musses the king. "I hoped the Avatar and Daimon would be less predictable."

He keeps attacking them with flying rocks, as the two young benders stay with their tactics.

It was going nowhere like this.

"Aang!", calls Hua over. "Let's try to attack together, we can't just avoid."

"Finally trying something new, he?", musses the mad king, still happily throwing big boulders at them.

Hua bends a huge earth avalanche and surfs on top of it towards Aang.

"What is your idea?", shouts Aang, jumping away from a boulder, that would have knocked him down.

"I will attack with my earthbending when you see an opening strike!"

"At least you kids seem to work together.", chuckles the king.

He sends a huge earth plate towards Hua, who counters with her own, then she twirls around like she had Katara see with water and sends a stream of rocks towards him.

A bit surprised the king stops the rocks, while Aang jumps over Hua and his head to be behind him.

The Avatar raises his staff and air blasts him towards Hua.

She sends a huge boulder towards the king.

He can break it, but now is surrendered by Hua and Aang. 

The avatar holding his staff against the back of the neck, while the Daimon is ready to smack his face in with a boulder.

This makes the king chuckle again, but this time it's quite friendly.

"Nice teamwork, like an Avatar and Daimon should have."

He bends up to the balcony where the two water tribe siblings are almost completely encased. 

Aang and Hua join him.

"You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question.", says the king.

The Avatar and Daimon protest, reminding him that he promised to release Katara and Sokka when they passed their test.

He just tells them what are tests if they don't learn anything.

So he asks them a simple question.

What is his name?

Leaving the Avatar and Daimon with their friends, the mad king would wait for them in the throne room, when they had the answer.

Frantically Team Avatar-Daimon brainstorms his name.

Sokka bets his name is Rocky, because earthbender=rocks.

Katara says they will keep it in mind and ask Aang and Hua what they learned during their task.

The answer was there.

Both admin how it wasn't what it seemed at first and they had to think differently than normal.

Like lightning struck them, they have the answer!

***

They are all back in the Throne Room, as Hua begins: "We solved the question the same way we solved the challenges."

"As you said a long time ago, we had to open our brains to the possibilities.", continues Aang.

The king lets out a familiar weird snort-laugh, which brings happy tears to Aang and Hua's eyes.

"Bumi, you're a mad genius.", choruse the Avatar and Daimon together.

With tears and happy shouts, they ran up to their old dear friend, who was now an old man.

The three hug each other tightly.

Happy to be finally reunited.

"Oh Aang, Hua, it's good to see you two. You haven't changed a bit. Literally.", states Bumi and you hear the emotions in his voice.

He had thought long ago, that he had lost both his dearest friends at the same time.

Never in his long life, he guessed he would see them again.

Their happy reunion has to stop because Katara and Sokka are nearly engulfed by the crystal. Bumi breaks the crystals using earthbending, making pieces fly everywhere. 

He catches one of them.

"Jennamite is made of rock candy. Delicious!"

"So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?", ask Katara to be sure.

This guy had a weird way to welcome back his old friends in his life.

"Who are you calling old?", grumbles Bumi. All just stare at him. "Okay, I'm old."

"Why did you do all of this instead of just telling Aang and Hua who you were?", wonders Sokka.

"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people.", snorts Bumi before he turns serious to Aang and Hua. "But I do have a reason. Aang and Hua, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years that you've been gone. It's the Avatar and Daimon's duty to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord. And when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius. And it looks like you're in good hands. You'll need your friends to help you defeat the Fire Nation."

Momo joins them, by climbing Aang's shoulder.

Bumi laughs.

"And you'll need Momo, too."

"Thank you for your wisdom.", exclaim Aang and Hua together.

"But before we leave, I have a challenge for you."

"I think, I know what Aang is getting at and I'm fully supporting it."

The king blinks.

Sometime later the habitats of Omashu see their beloved and crazy king Bumi ride the mail system with the Avatar and Daimon.

The three having fun, just like old times.

Time may have passed, but the three would always be friends.

They knew it in their hearts.

#own character #ocs #ao3 writer #fanfic writing #avatar the last airbender #aang #sokka #katara #toph beifong #zuko #suki #zutara #sukki #aang x oc #bisexual #bisexual oc

[linnoya-writes]

Zutara “Childhood Friends and First Kisses” No-War Canon Divergent AU

Katara and Sokka spend six weeks of every summer at the Fire Nation palace after their father becomes the newly appointed head chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe.  The trip is mainly for a summit -- for the worlds’ leaders to meet and discuss civics and trade and foreign policies... but it was also Fire Lord Iroh’s idea to invite the children of these heads of state, so they could all go to school and interact together... children who would one day be expected to set a strong example of peace along with the young prince Lu Ten.  Hakoda agreed , as he believed it wise for his children learn about another part of the world.

When they begin these travels, Katara is 10 and Sokka is 11, and the harsh waters on the journey to the Fire Nation capital make the siblings unpleasantly seasick.  When the open sky and the sun compels them to remove their thick parkas, and they notice the first peak of a volcano in the distance... Katara gets apprehensive about this new place they must call home for six weeks.  She becomes particularly uneased by the pristine the open space of the Fire Nation Palace in general, as she is so used to the comforting, cool, very lived-in quarters of her huts in the South Pole.  Nevertheless, she is polite and smiles courteously to every kid she meets -- especially the 8-year-old boy from the Southern Air Temple, with glimmering silver eyes and the joyous smile that paints his entire face... the one her father points out “is to be the next Avatar.”

It only takes a week into settling into their summer trip for Sokka to start getting chased from girls from various parts of the world, it seems -- Yue, from their Northern WaterTribe... Suki from Kyoshi Island... Toph from the Earthkingdom city of GaoLing... Ty Lee from the Fire Nation’s capital of Caldera.  Katara rolls her eyes at this kind of attention, but cannot help but admit it’s tough not having her brother around to talk to between tutoring lessons.  She manages to talk to the boy with the silver eyes, the future Avatar, only on the handful of moments when he too is not being bombarded by the attention of so many other kids, and adults, and councilmen about the cool air bending tricks he can do.

One particular afternoon, at lunchtime, Katara watches the Fire Nation princess Azula pinch Sokka’s ear affectionately and chase him around the courtyard with her fire-bending.  Katara ignores the yelping of her brother (knowing full well he’s eating up this attention like fire-flakes) and decides to pack up her lunch to eat somewhere else around the Palance.  She wanders into the Fire Princess Ursa’s private garden... seeing a set of willows draped over a turtle-duck pond.

Water.

Katara had never been more happy to find a pool of water, with the bonus of little turtle ducklings bobbing and quacking on the surface.

She makes her way to the edge of the pond, drops her lunch basket... bends a knee forward, pulls up the sleeves of her robe just past the wrist, closes her eyes... breathes deeply... and through joyous muscle memory makes the same tai-chi movements taught the moment she’d been able to walk.

The little waves of push and pull soon appear at the edge of the pond, and Katara smiles with her eyes closed, hearing the little ducks quacking in reaction.    She imagines them having fun with these unexpected waves in their---

“HEY!”

The unfamiliar voice of a boy promptly opens Katara’s eyes.

She locates that voice immediately to a young boy with a pony tail, jumping out of the willow tree shade, golden eyes frowning appallingly at her.

Katara freezes in movement.  The boy is probably Sokka’s age, but wearing Fire Nation royal garb.

“What are you doing!?” is the second thing he says, his breath panting as his face turns over to the ducks.  “They’re ducklings!  They’re not strong enough to swim against currents like that!”

Despite his royal garb, the boy crouches down to the level of the quacking turtle-ducks, one of his hands held out-- as if to lure the ducklings back to shore and assure them that they are safe.  The little waves fade on their own, and the turtle-ducks quiet down.  All Katara can do is watch.

When the boy stands back up and faces her, his frown is not there, but his stern face remains.

It’s as if Sokka were giving her that look-- the ‘I can’t believe you did something stupid’ look, and Katara returns a frown back to this boy, despite the royal garb.

“I’m sorry!” she retorts, arms crossed in defiance. “But I wasn’t going to hurt them. It was just ripple movements.”

The boy stares at her, then at the pond with his unharmed little friends, then back at her.  He sighs.

“Fine. Whatever.”  He then heads back towards the shade of the willow tree, and it’s then that Katara notices his basket of lunch-- the same food served to all the children in the royal palace.  

Except lunch is always served in the dining hall with all the kids, and the boy is eating his here, in the royal gardens. Alone.

Now she needs to ask.

“What are you doing here?”  She doesn’t say it accusingly, but rather, curiously.

“What’s it to you?” he snaps back while he picks up a dim sum with chopsticks.

Katara is once again taken aback by this kid’s manners, despite the royal garb.

She pictures Sokka, getting chased by so many girls... and Katara cocks an eyebrow. 

“Are you... hiding from someone?”

All it takes was the boy’s golden eyes to blink fiercely at her, his cheeks blushing mid-bite.  Katara laughs.  She can’t remember the last time she has laughed so hard.

“Who is it?” she snorts in laughter, forgetting herself.  “One of the pretty Earth Kingdom girls?”

“No...ugh..” the boy sinks his head into his shoulders. “Could you please not be so loud?  I don’t want her to know I’m here!”

“Okay-- I promise, your Majesty.” Katara manages in her last giggle. 

“That’s not my name.”

“What is it then?”

“Zuko.”

Katara’s voice quickly gets quiet.  She knows that name-- the name of the other Fire Nation prince-- the one Fire Lord Iroh had sadly mentioned was occupied training in complex fire-bending techniques this summer, so much so that he might not have time to interact with the other children in the palace.  This whole time, Katara had imagined Prince Zuko to be an older, mature-looking teenager, like Prince Lu Ten.

But no; Zuko was a kid, too.

Katara didn’t know what to say next, but nervously, she smiled.

“Um...” Zuko swallowed under the shade.  “What’s your name?”

And that’s when her smile widened, and she approached the tree.

“I’m Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe.”

The boy grins, then shifts his seat a little to make room for Katara to sit under the tree, too.  She obliges sweetly, picking up her lunch basket before meeting him there.

“I liked your bending,” he mutters awkwardly as she opens her lunch basket for some fruit.

“Thanks,” Katara says simply and sweetly.  No hard feelings, indeed.

And the secret little turtle-duck pond becomes their refuge at lunchtime, always ending the hour with crumbs on their palms to the ducklings.

It’s only two years later... in that same turtle-duck pond... that Katara asks Zuko if he’s ever kissed anyone.  She already had to hear the dramatic retellings of Sokka’s first kisses all summer-- from two girls, nonetheless.  Considering that her brother was the same age as Zuko, well, Katara could only be curious.

“Um… yes.” 

Katara blinks under the tree. “What!!?!? Who? When!?”

“It doesn’t matter!”

“Tell me!” her face inches closer to his while he’s chewing on rice.

“Why? So you won’t shut up about it?”

“No, because I’m your friend, you idiot. I just wanna know!”

The boy grunts, looking away.  “Promise you won’t make fun of me?"

“Promise.” Katara takes a bite of her chicken skewer.

After a short pause, the name softly comes out of him.

“...Mai.”

Katara blinks, staring at him for a long second.  Mai?  The gloomy girl he’d been trying to hide from, that day?  ...Did something happen when she wasn’t here?  Did Zuko actually come around, and start to notice Mai... differently?  

She can feel her eyes glimmering, so she looks away, towards the pond.  As if indifferent. 

“I see,” Katara smiles, swallowing her chicken quietly. “When?”

“Two months ago.  She snuck up behind me from a pillar, in the Great Hall.”

She bravely turns to him again. “Was it nice?”

Zuko’s looking at the pond, his shoulders shrugging. 

“I guess.  It was pretty quick. I don’t know.”

“Hmm. She must really like you to have thrown herself at you like that.”

“She needs to get a life.”

The girl can’t help but laugh, and when Zuko grins at that, Katara takes another bite of her chicken to ease tingling sensation behind her ears.  

She looks down at her food,  when she bravely and nervously but casually speaks again.

“Would you… um… would you ever kiss me?”

“…What?”

Zuko speaks with rice in his mouth.  Katara feels the blood draining from her face, and she speaks again, quickly.  Urgently.  Defensively.

“I’m just curious!  I’ve never been kissed before. I’d like to know how it feels.” 

“…oh. Probably not.”

There’s a frown on his face when he looks at his food, and Katara’s lips thin.

“Oh-- Never mind, then!” She snaps, getting up. “Sorry I asked.”

Zuko doesn’t waste a moment as Katara takes her stance in front of the pond.

"Excuse me that I wouldn’t want to kiss anyone just to know how it feels!”

"Good to know!” she closes her eyes, takes small breaths and proceeds to move her gracefully. “Kissing you would probably be gross anyway.” 

“Forget it.” Zuko mutters from the tree. “Good luck with that first kiss.”

She fights the urge to say anything else to him while she concentrates... breathing in and out... hearing the little quacks of turtlenecks in the afternoon.

It takes another four years for Katara to finally know how it feels to kiss Zuko, under that tree, near the turtle-duck pond, in the middle of a quiet lunch.

It wasn’t her first kiss, but still... it was theirs.

#zutara #zutara fic #zutara au #zutara fanfiction #zuko #prince zuko #katara #katara of the southern watertribe #zuko is an awkward turtleduck

[heavenboy09]

TODAY IS THE DAY

WHEN THE WORLD 🌎 WILL NOW WITNESS

NICKELODEON'S GREATEST ANIMATION OF ALL TIMES

RETURNS.....

ON FEBRUARY 22ND,  2024

NETFLIX PRESENTS

In a world where human civilization consists of four nations, named after the four classical elements:

the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads.

In each nation, certain people, known as "benders" (waterbenders, earthbenders, firebenders, and airbenders), have the ability to telekinetically manipulate and control the element corresponding to their nation, using gestures based on Chinese martial arts.

The "Avatar" is the only individual with the ability to bend all four elements.

The Avatar is an international arbiter whose duty is to maintain harmony among the four nations, and act as a mediator between humans and spirits. When the Avatar dies, their spirit is reincarnated in a new body, who will be born to parents in the next nation in a set order known as the Avatar cycle: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth.

By tradition, the new Avatar will travel the world to learn all four bending arts, after which they will begin in earnest their role as global peacekeeper. The Avatar can enter a condition known as the "Avatar State", in which they temporarily gain the skills and knowledge of all their past incarnations. Although this is when they are at their most powerful, if the Avatar was ever killed while in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle would be broken and the Avatar would cease to exist.

A century ago, young Avatar Aang, afraid of his new responsibilities, fled from his home and was forced into the ocean by a storm. He encased himself and his sky bison Appa in suspended animation in an iceberg near the South Pole.

Shortly afterward, Fire Lord Sozin, the ruler of the Fire Nation, launched a world war to expand his nation's empire. Knowing that the Avatar must be an Air Nomad, he carried out a genocide against the Air Nomads, which he timed with the arrival of a comet that gives firebenders tremendous power.

A hundred years later, siblings Katara and Sokka, teenagers of the Southern Water Tribe, accidentally discover Aang and revive him.

WATER 💧

EARTH 🌎

FIRE 🔥

& AIR 💨

ONLY THE AVATAR MASTERED ALL 4 ELEMENTS TO PROTECT US FROM THE RUTHLESS MIGHT OF THE FIRE 🔥 NATION

100 YEARS LATER

I BELIEVE  THAT THE AVATAR WILL RETURN ...

TO SAVE THE WORLD 🌎

NETFLIX PRESENTS

A NICKELODEON PRODUCTION

BASED ON THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON

AVATAR : THE LAST AIRBENDER 💨

MASTER YOUR ELEMENT 💧🌏🔥💨

#AvatarTheLastAirBender #Aang #Katara #Sokka #PrinceZuko #WaterTribes #EarthKingdom #FireNation #AirNomads #Nickelodeon #AnimeMonth

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Aang #Katara #Sokka #Prince Zuko #Water Tribes #Earth Kingdom #Fire Nation #Air Nomads #Nickelodeon #Anime Month #Spotify

[justsomewritingblog]

Avatar: TLA  (Part 7 of many)

Request:  None

Requested By:  Nobody

Pairing:  Zuko x reader

Summary:  Bato of the Watertribe

Warnings:  none?

A/N:  It’s an oofer!

Word Count:  5K+  (Oh, my)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, look!  A sword made out of a whale’s tooth!”  Aang exclaimed excitedly, picking up the weapon.  You walked over, just as Sokka took it from the boy.

“Let me see that.”  He studied it for a moment before coming to a conclusion.  “This is a watertribe weapon.”  He announced, looking back at you and Aang, who shared looks.  “See if you can find anything else.”  Sokka instructed.  Everyone split up, digging in the bushes.

“Did someone loose something?”  Katara asked, walking over.

“No, we found something!”  Aang told her, still excited.

“It’s burned.”  You heard Sokka say.  You looked over as he held an arrowhead up examining it.  He rubbed his fingers on burn marks on a tree.  “There was a battle.  Watertribe warriors ambushed a group of firebenders.”  He declared.  You raised an eyebrow.  “The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill.”

“You got all that from a few stray weapons and marks?”  You asked, chasing him down the hill.  “I’m impressed.”

Sokka heard you, though he didn’t show it, as he came to a stop on the beach, you smacking into his back, knocking you off balance.  Aang caught you under your arms, and stood you upright again.

“So then what happened?”  He asked, not breaking his focus.  Sokka’s shoulders slumped.

“I don’t know.  The trail ends here.”

“Wait, look!”  Katara shouted.  You all looked to where she was pointing and you saw a ship, washed up on shore.

“It’s one of our boats!”  Sokka said, he and Katara running towards it.

“How did we miss that?”  You asked yourself.  Aang shrugged at you, following them over, you right behind him.

“No, but it’s from his fleet.”  You heard Sokka say as you ran over.  He turned to his sister.  “Dad was here.”  He declared.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was dark, the only light coming from the moon.  You watched it’s reflection on the water, entranced by its beauty.  The camp was made by the ship.  Aang was laying on Appa’s leg, asleep.  Katara was in her sleeping bag, also asleep.  You turned, and noticed Sokka staring into the fire, poking it with a stick.  His unblinking eyes told you he was deep in thought.  He suddenly turned and drew his boomerang.

“Who’s there!?”  He demanded.  A figure stepped out of the shadows.

“Sokka?”  It asked.

“Bato?”  Sokka questioned back.  You could see the grin on his face.

Aang stirred from his slumber.

“Who-the-what, now?”  He asked.  Katara also awoke.

“Bato!”  She shouted quietly.  She stood and she and her brother ran toward the man.

“Sokka, Katara.”  He greeted.  Hey hugged him.  “It’s so good to see you two.”  He chuckled.  “You’ve grown so much.”  He noticed.  Aang walked forward.

“Hi, I’m Aang.”  He introduced, bowing.

“Where’s Dad?”  Sokka asked the man.

“Is he here?!”  Katara questioned, excited.  You and Aang shared a confused look.

“No.  He and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now.”  He answered.  Sokka and Katara both hung their heads before they shuddered, feeling the cool breeze.

“This is no place for a reunion.”  Bato noted.  “Let’s get inside.”  He wrapped his arms around the siblings’ shoulders, before turning slightly and signaled you and Aang to follow.  You put out the fire with waterbending before chasing after them.

~~~~~~~~~

“After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey.”  Bato explained, entering into a small village.  “The sisters have cared for me ever since.”  He walked up to a group of three women.  “Superior.”  The women turned.  “These are Hakoda’s children.  They’ve been traveling with the Avatar, and a new friend from the North Pole.  I found them by my boat.”

“Young Avatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence.”  One woman said, stepping forward and bowing.  “Welcome to out abbey.”

“Thank you.”  Aang said, bowing back.  “It’s truly an honor to be here.  If there’s anything-”

“What smells so good, Bato?”  Sokka asked, cutting the Avatar off.  He smelled the air.

“The sisters craft ointments and perfumes.”  Bato answered, gesturing to some barrels sitting a few feet away.

“Perfume?  Maybe we can dump some on Appa; because he stinks so much.  Am I right?”  Sokka joked, pointing at the big beast.  He was met with silence.

“You have your father’s wit.”  Bato told him.  He led you all to the place where he was staying for his recovery.  He slid open the door.

“Bato, it looks like home!”  Katara exclaimed.  You all walked in.

“Everything’s here.  Even the pelts!”  Sokka added.

“Yeah.  Nothing cozier than dead animal skins.”  Aang mused, a weary look on his face.  He cradled Momo in his arms.

“No way.  Stewed sea prunes!?”  Katara asked.  You turned, and saw a pot over the little fire.  Katara held a lid.

“Help yourself.”  Bato instructed.

“Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things.”  Sokka remembered.  Aang was handed a bowel.  He smelled it and made a face.  You choked yours down, somehow without complaint.

“Bato, is it true you and Dad lassoed an arctic hippo?”  Katara inquired, curious.

“It was your father’s idea.  He just dragged me along.  Well, the hippo did the dragging.”  Bato answered.  Momo began lapping up Aang’s untouched stew, only to spit it back out.

“Hey!  I ride animals, too!”  Aang exclaimed, as Katara and Sokka were happily gulping down the ‘meal’.  “One time, there was this giant eel, and I-”

“Who was it that came up with the great blubber fiasco?”  Sokka asked.  Bato laughed.

“You knew about that?”

“Everyone does.”  Katara said.

“What’s that story?”  Aang questioned.

“It’s a long one, Aang.  Some other time.”  Sokka told him.  You raised an eyebrow, but brushed it off.

“You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures.”  Katara commented.

“Not all of which were hilarious at the time, but everything’s funny with hindsight.”  Bato said, chuckling.  “Aang, please put that down!  It’s ceremonial and very fragile.”  Bato informed.  Aang had what looked like an animal head atop his own.  You crossed your arms.

“Do you have to touch?”  You asked.  Aang frowned and put it back, leaning against the wall.  You turned back to the people from your sister tribe, interested in their stories.

“Was it you or Dad that put an octopus on your head and convinced Gran-gran you were a water spirit?”  Sokka asked.

“Your dad wore the octopus, but I did the spooky voice.”  Bato explained, dropping his voice down at the end of his sentence to give them an example.  They talked for a while, as you listened to their stories, laughing at the stupidity at some of them.  It had gotten very late when Bato spoke again.  “There’s something I should tell you kids.  I’m expecting a message from your father.”

“Really!?”  Katara exclaimed.

“When?!”  Sokka asked.

“Any day, now.  Your father said he’d send a message when they found the rendezvoused point.”  Bato explained.  “If you wait until the message arrives, you can come with me, and see your father again.”  Bato offered.

“It’s been over two years since we’ve seen Dad!  That would be so incredible!”  Sokka exclaimed.  You suddenly became nervous.  Would they want to see their father?  Would you have to travel with Aang alone?  Of course, you were happy for them, and you would understood if they wanted to go see their dad.  That didn’t mean you couldn’t worry or be disappointed.  “Katara-”

Katara cut her brother off.  “I do really miss him.  It would be great to see Dad.”

“It’s been far too long, hasn’t it?”  Bato asked, softly.  “I’m not sure when word will arrive, but when it does, I’ll let you know.”

You turned, hearing the door.  You noticed Aang must have left.  You bit your bottom lip, thinking.

“It would be great, but we can’t.”  Sokka told Bato.  “We have to take Aang and Y/n to the North Pole, first.”

“Even if we had time to wait for the message, who knows how far we’d have to travel?  We don’t have time for a long detour.”  Katara added.  You smiled, glad that they thought of others, not just themselves and their own happiness.  At the same time, you felt terrible that they couldn’t see their father.  You huffed a breath of air and leaned against the wall.  Aang walked in, a few minutes later.

“Sorry I was gone so long.”  He apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hey, Aang.  I didn’t notice you left.”  Katara voiced.

“Yep, but now I’m back.  Sure…could….go for some delicious sea prunes.”  He said, sitting and taking the bowel, and eating what he could.  You watched him suspiciously.  Something was off.  Something was definitely off.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Bato led you all to the boat you’d discovered the night before.  “This ship is sentimental to me.”  He informed.  “It was built by my father.”

“Is this the boat he took you ice-dodging in?”  Sokka asked.

“Yep.  It’s got the scar to prove it.”

You smiled.

“How about you, Sokka?  You must have some good stories from your first time ice-dodging.”

Sokka frowned at this.

“He never got to go.  Dad left before he was old enough.”  Katara explained.  You frowned and placed a comforting hand on Sokka’s shoulder.

“Oh, I forgot, you were too young.”  Bato recalled.

“What’s ice-dodging?”  Aang questioned.

“It’s a rite of passage for young watertribe members.  When you turn fourteen, your dad takes you-” Bato paused his explanation, looking towards a still frowning Sokka.  He placed his hand on his other shoulder.  “You know what?  You’re about to find out.”

~~~~~~~~~

The next thing you know, you’re all on the boat, going through the water.

“Ice-dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust.”  Bato started.  “In our village it was done by weaving a boat through ice-bergs.”

“How are we supposed to ice-dodge without ice?”  Sokka asked.  You looked to the rocks sticking up out of the waves.

“Great.”  You mumbled.

“You’ll be dodging…..those.”  He paused for affect, pointing to a large cluster of rocks just ahead.  “Sokka, you steer, and call the shots.”  Bato informed.  “Lead wisely.  Katara, you secure the main sail.  The winds can be brutal, so be brave.  Aang, you control the jib.  Without your steady hand, we all go down.  Your position is about trust.”

“I know that.  Why wouldn’t I know that?  I’m the Avatar, I know about trust.”  He said, crossing his arms.  You crossed yours as well, sending him a look of uneasiness.

“For this to be done right, I cannot help.  Y/n, come sit with me.  There are only three open positions.  I’m sorry you don’t get to participate.”

“It’s fine.”  You admitted, sitting next to him.

“You pass or fail on your own.”  He told the others.  The boat glided effortlessly above the sea.  It would have been peaceful, if not for the very large rocks you were supposed to be sailing through.  You focused on your breathing while Sokka shouted orders.

“Aang, ease up on the jib.  Katara, steady.”  He instructed.  “Aang, less sail.  Katara, give him room!”

They did as they were instructed, the boat turning this way and that.  At one point, you’d been thrown into the side of the ship.

“There’s no way through!”  Katara said, noticing a large cluster of jagged rocks.

“We can make it!”  He insisted.  Bato stood.

“Sokka, you’ve already proven yourself.  Maybe we should-”

“Aang, I’m gonna need air in that sail.”  He declared.  The boy nodded.  “Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks!”

“We’re gonna die.”  You muttered.

“Now!”  Sokka yelled.  They did as they were told, and the boat rose.  Your eyes widened in a mix of terror and amazement.  The boat made it over, and Aang and Katara stopped bending, the boat sliding down the remainder of the wave, and returning to its normal duties.  Your jaw dropped.  You spun around quickly.

“Sokka, that was amazing!!”  You complimented, crushing him in a hug.

“Thank you.”  He barely breathed out.  You let go of him, and he inhaled deeply through his mouth.  When the ship had landed back on shore, you all got out and Bato had a bowel of paint, you guessed, in his hand.

“The spirits of water bear witness to these marks!”  He put an arch on his forehead, with a dot below it.  “For Sokka, the mark of the wise!  The same mark your father earned.”  He turned to Sokka’s sister.  “For Katara, the mark of the brave!”  He painted a crescent moon on her forehead.  “Your courage inspires us.”  You stood next to Bato, smiling, as you didn’t take place in the test.  “And for Aang, the mark of the trusted.”  He painted a simple line across Aang’s forehead.  You saw Aang’s eyes grow big.  It wasn’t amazement, though.  It looked like alarm.  “You are now an honorary member of the watertribe.”  Bato informed.

“I can’t.”  Aang said, looking down.

“Of course you can!”  Katara said.  Aang wiped the mark off with his sleeve and the back of his hand.

“No.”  He insisted, backing up.  “You can’t trust me.”  You frowned, eyebrows pinched together.

“Aang, what did you do?”  You questioned, a tone in your voice the boy had never heard before.  It was almost…..threatening.

“I-” He started.

“Aang?  What are you talking about?”  Katara asked.  He reached into the flap of his shirt.

“A messenger gave this to me for Bato.”  He said, pulling out a crumpled up paper.  You pieced two and two together.  Your eyes widened before narrowing.

“You didn’t!”  You hoped.  Oh, how you hoped you were wrong.  Katara took it, unrumpled it and gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.  Sokka stepped up behind her, looking over her shoulder.

“You have to understand.  I was afraid you wouldn’t-”

“This is the map to our father!!”  Sokka shouted.  “You had it the whole time!?  How could you!?”

Aang squeezed his eyes shut, no doubt not wanting to see Sokka’s fury.  But he could still hear it.  Sokka wasn’t finished.  “You can go to the North Pole without me!  I’m going to find Dad!”  He determined, stomping in the other direction.  Bato started to speak.

“Now Sokka, I think you should-”

“Katara, are you with me?”  The boy impatiently asked, turning around.  Katara looked to Aang before frowning and hanging her head.

“I’m with you, Sokka.”  She determined.  You crossed your arms, sick of their behavior.  You watched Sokka, Katara and Bato all walk away.  You ran a frustrated hand through your hair, messing it up.  You wanted to scold Aang.  To yell and scream at him, but he was much too fragile for that right now.  You instead, bit your lip and pulled him in for a hug, though he didn’t reciprocate until he started crying.  Your currently frozen heart melted, and you felt bad for the boy.

“They told him, no, ya know.”

Aang sniffled.  “What?”

“After you left, when Bato told them about the letter, they said they couldn’t.  They said they had to go with you.”  He fell silent.  “And I’m disappointed in you for lying, and behaving in such a childish manner, but I realize you were scared.”  You whispered, rubbing his back.  “You didn’t want to lose them.  You couldn’t lose them.  But I’m afraid you just might have.”  You paused, thinking.  “Aang, I’m going to go with you.  Not just to the North Pole.  I’m going with you when you learn earth and fire.”  You gave him a squeeze.  “You’re gonna need all the help you can get.”  You teased, trying to lighten the mood a little.  He remained silent.  “Come on.  Let’s go get Appa ready.”  You told him.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When you got back to the abbey, Katara, Sokka and Bato were getting their things together, prepared to leave.  Aang floated in the air and landed on Appa’s head, hugging his knees, watching them.  You saw Katara approach Aang and you walked over to Sokka and Bato.  You bowed at Bato.

“It was very nice to meet you.  Thank you for all of the stories you shared.  Even if it was mainly for their benefit.”

“My pleasure.”

“You’re not coming with us?”  Sokka asked.  You shook your head.

“There’s no reason to.  He’s not my father, and Aang needs help.  Besides, he’s going to my home, remember?  Just as you’re going to find yours.”

Sokka frowned.  You smiled softly at him, stepping forward and pulling him into a hug.  “It was nice to get to know you, Sokka of the Southern Watertribe.”  You pulled away and bowed slightly.  “Till we meet again.”

“If we meet again.”  He mumbled.  You turned and hugged Katara, as she was approaching.

“Goodbye.”  You whispered.

“Take care of him.”  She whispered back.

“I will.”  She pulled away and jogged to catch up with her party.  “Good luck!”  You yelled, waving.  Katara and Bato waved back, though Sokka still looked sullen.  You turned and climbed atop Appa, running your hands through his fur as you settled down into the saddle.

Aang turned the giant bison, and he slowly walked out of the abbey.  Aang pulled him to a stop so he could watch the three figures in blue disappear among the trees.  “I’m an idiot.”  He muttered to himself.  You frowned.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“What are we waiting for again?”  You asked.  Appa was stopped by the shore, next to Bato’s boat.  Aang was laying between Appa’s horn, and Appa’s head.  Aang was about to answer when one of the sisters walked over.

“Avatar, you must leave.”  She said.

“Okay, I get it.  Everybody wants me gone.”  Aang replied, pulling on Appa’s reigns.  He must be tightening them, you thought.

“A group of people came to the abbey looking for you.”  The sister informed.  You quickly sat up, as you were leaning on the saddle, seeing as there was so much more room now.

“Who?”  Aang asked.

“A fierce looking woman with a horrible monster.  And a young man with a scar.”  She explained further.  Your eyes widened.

“Zuko.”  Aang determined, a scowl now on his face.

“The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you.”  She alerted.  You turned to Aang with a panicked look.

“Katara and Sokka!”

Aang gasped, grabbing his glider.

“Get on!”  He instructed.  You did as you were told, and he rose into the sky.  You flew back to the abbey, clinging onto Aang for dear life, when you saw a large, brown figure, with figures on it.  You saw blue stick out from the more muted colors, and recognized them as Sokka and Katara.

Aang flew in low, as the creature’s tongue lurched out, it standing up on its hind legs.  Everyone fell off, and, seeing as you were close enough to the ground, you let go of Aang and rolled, bringing yourself to your feet.  The creature stumbled and fell.  The woman stood and whipped him, making the creature stand.  She got back on it and charged Aang, until Appa flew in, and knocked them both into a wall.  You grinned and ran over to Sokka and Katara.  You helped the sisters drag them to a corner, so they were out of the way.

“Told you I’d see you again.”  You muttered to Sokka.  He didn’t get to respond, because you had already left.  You turned and saw Zuko shoot fire at Aang, who blocked it with his glider, immediately flinging wind at him.  He also dodged, and they entered a dance, neither getting the upper hand.  Zuko closed the distance and managed to knock Aang’s glider away, but Aang kept dodging, none of Zuko’s hits landing.  You rolled your eyes and went to help, but they both shot fire and air at each other at the very same time, creating an explosion and sending the lot of you flying.

Zuko and Aang both landed on roofs, breaking some of the tiles, while you smashed roughly into a nearby wall, creating a small crater.  You fell and landed on the ground, making the pain worse.  You yelled out.  Your arms were slightly burnt because of the explosion, and your back was sending jolts of pain through the rest of your body.  You pulled yourself to your knees, but while you were doing this, you were hunched over, sending more jolts through your body.  You yelled out again, tears pricking your eyes.

“Y/n!!”  The Avatar shouted.

“Stay focused, Aang!”  You shouted back, not looking up at him.  You felt a presence by your side, and you looked, seeing Iroh.  He helped you to your feet.  You stared at him in shock.

“No tea today.”  You muttered to him, running off.  Aang and Zuko were fighting on the roof.  The creature jumped up as well, the girl on his back, trying to lick Aang.  Though, as you had figured out, his tongue paralyzes its prey.  Aang jumped down, avoiding it, only to be met by Zuko’s fire again.  Aang danced around a well, avoiding the fire, but never shooting back, until he caught a glimpse of Katara’s necklace, dangling from the prince’s arm.

“You’ve got something I want.”  Aang told him.  He jumped forward, Zuko firing at him, while Aang used the well as an advantage, simply moving around in the small space, dodging his blows.  Zuko, becoming frustrated, broke the wood above the stone, getting rid of Aang’s leverage.  They danced around atop it, firing and dodging.  You huffed as Aang leapt into the air, diving into the well.  Zuko jumped atop it, sending a massive amount of fire into it.

“Aang!!”  You yelled, running over.  Your body told you not to, but you wouldn’t listen.  You stood next to Zuko.  “What did you do!?”

He didn’t get a chance to reply.  All the water in the well burst out, sending the two of you flying, Aang coming out and landing on the ground safely.  All the water looked like rain, as you fell to the ground, Zuko landing on your already damaged back.  You hollered in pain.  He scrambled off of you and charged Aang, only to turn and run when Appa started marching towards him, growling.  You bit your lip and stood, seeing Appa fall, also paralyzed.

“Appa!”  You yelled, rushing over.  You placed a hand on his soft fur.  You turned to the creature and glared.  He and Zuko currently had Aang stuck.  He could only run back and forth along the wall.  Zuko was shooting fire, and the creature would dart its tongue out of Aang came too close the other way.  You ran over and tripped Zuko from behind, giving Aang a chance to escape.  Zuko spun around, angry.  He began shooting at you, as you drew water from the puddles that Aang had made with the well water earlier, blocking the blows.

You weren’t moving too much, trying to keep your back pain as in control as possible.  He noticed this.  He shot a few quick bursts at you, and while you blocked them, he had leapt over you, and you bumped your back into his chest.  You held in a groan.  You started to pull away, but he made a dagger of fire, holding it to your neck, effectively keeping you there.  Your eyes widened as you looked at it.  He leaned down, his mouth right next to your ear.

“I’m only going easy on you because of what you did during the storm.”  He whispered.  You could feel his hot breath on your neck, but you swallowed down a shudder.  Or a gag.  You weren’t sure.  “Next time, expect no mercy.”

“This is going easy on me?”  You muttered back.  “I can’t wait to see what full out looks like.”  You mumbled, a hint of sarcasm in your voice.

“I’m one of the most powerful benders alive.”

“You have no control.”  You retorted, daring to turn your head and look at him.  “You’re a hot-head.”  He glared at you, throwing you on the ground.  Wait, what did I just say?  You asked yourself.  Those words sounded familiar.  Powerful bender.  Hot-head.  Your eyes widened in terror.  You rolled over and looked at a mad Zuko.  The words anger, hate and disgust rolled through your mind.  You nearly gagged at the thought.

“What’s wrong?”  Zuko asked, seeing the panicked look on your face.  “Scared of a ‘hot-head’?”  Those words were back.  He took menacing steps forward.

“No, I just remembered something.”  You admitted.

“What did you remember?”  He asked, still taking steps forward, making you back up.

You froze, having no clue how to respond.  “Something a fortuneteller told me.  It’s stupid, naturally.”

“What’d she tell you?  You’d lose?  It’s not stupid.”

“No, it’s not that.  It’s much worse.”  You said, pulling yourself to your feet.  You subtly gathered water together, collecting your strength.  Iroh watched from afar, unbeknownst to you.

“And what’s that?”

Now, you debated this back and forth in your mind, but seeing as you needed some way to distract him, this was about as good as it was gonna get.

“I fall in love.”  You replied simply, feeling yourself gather enough water.  Your words caused Zuko to stop his advancements.

“What does that have to do with-?”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence, as you flung water at him so hard, he flew into the nearest wall.  At this moment, Katara had bended all the barrels of perfume, and dumped it on the creature, its rider, and a fallen Zuko.  The creature shook his head, breathing heavily through its nose.  It moved around violently, striking Zuko with its tongue, making him collapse.  The creature attacked its owner as well.

“June!  No!”  Iroh shouted, catching her.  You cringed.  The creature ran around in circled, finally climbing over the wall and disappearing.  Aang picked up his staff again, and smiled at Sokka and Katara who had went over to greet him.  You bended some of the water, and began healing your back, biting back tears at the uncomfortable position.  When you had mostly healed it, you stood and walked over to where Zuko, Iroh and June lay.  You looked at them, your face a mix of strong confusion and something else you couldn’t place.  Iroh looked up at you, making you take a step back out of surprise.  He smiled kindly at you, making you forget all about your shock and confusion.

“I don’t suppose we’ll ever have that tea.”  You muttered, sitting down next to his head, next to Zuko’s as well.  “I don’t think we’ll ever have the time.  Or the freedom.”  You noted, looking down at your hands, which were playing with the ties on your shirt.  “Which is a shame, because I’d really like to get to know you.  And talk about…..some things.”  You added, quickly glancing at Zuko.  Iroh smiled.

“I’m sure we will, sooner or later.”

“I hope for sooner.  It’s kind of important.  But if my friends-” You stopped yourself, unwilling to think of their thoughts and faces if they found out anything you were withholding from them.  “You really seem like a kind man.  I don’t know how your brother turned out so bad.  But I can already see you have an effect on those around you.”  You said, glancing down at Zuko again.

“Ugh, can we stop with the cheese?  This is gross.”  June remarked.  “Honestly, as if loosing wasn’t bad enough-” You crossed your arms.

“If I’m not mistaken, you signed up for this.”  You stood.  “So next time you come after us, expect to lose.”  You turned to Iroh, your scowl turning into a smile immediately.  “It was very nice to see you again.  And thanks for all your help.”

“It was my pleasure.”

You turned to Zuko.  “Thank you for going easy on me.  You didn’t have to.”

“Just leave.”  He muttered, glaring.  You frowned slightly, for some reason feeling hurt by his words.  You turned.

“June, go rot in a ditch.”  You told her, standing and walking over to your friends.

“What were you doing over there?”  Sokka asked.

“Telling them to go rot in ditches.”  You half-lied.  Sokka smiled, patting you on the back.

“That’s my girl.”  He muttered, pulling his hand away when you winced slightly.  “Sorry.”  He muttered.

“It’s fine.”  You assured.  You climbed on a now recovered Appa, because of his size, he healed pretty quickly.  You flew over the earth at about sunset.

“So….where do we go?”  Aang asked.

“We’re getting you to the North Pole.”  Katara answered.

“Yeah.  We’ve lost too much time as it is.”  Sokka added.

“Don’t you want to see your father?”

“Of course we do, Aang.  But you and Y/n are our family, too.  But right now, you need us more.”  Sokka replied.

“And we need you.”  Katara added.  You were barely paying attention, though.  You were staring at the passing clouds in thought.  Were you really supposed to fall in love with Zuko?

“Y/n?  Y/n!?”

You spun around.

“Are you alright?”  Aang asked.  No.

“Yeah.”  You lied.  “Just thinking.”

“About what?”  Katara asked.  You smiled.

“How glad I am that there’s not as much room in this saddle.”  You said, pulling Katara and Sokka in for a hug.  They smiled and hugged you back.

“I wish I could give you a little piece of home, Katara.”  Aang started.  You knew what he was getting at.  “Something to remind you-”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Still!  Just a little trinket.  Maybe something like…..this?”  He said, pulling out her necklace.

“Aang!  How’d you get that!?”  She asked, putting it around her neck.  Sokka sat up and rubbed his eyes, making sure he was seeing what he thought he was.

“Zuko asked me to make sure I got it to you.”  Aang said.  Your mind flipped back to Aunt Wu, but you pushed that away.  You were currently just having fun with your friends.

“Aw.  That’s so sweet of Zuko.”  Katara said, fake adoration coming from her voice as she placed her hand mockingly on her chest.  “Will you give him a kiss for me when you see him?”

“Sure.”  Aang answered.  You burst out laughing, a snort following.

“Oh my word.”  You muttered.  Katara leaned forward and gave Aang a kiss on the cheek.  His face turned red as he twiddled him thumbs.  He, and Katara were smiling as yours fell.  You turned to Sokka.

“I’m sorry about your dad.”  You whispered.  A frown made its way onto his face as well.

“We’ll see him again.  I can feel it.”

“Are you sure you want to come with us?  I’m sure we could manage.”

“Thanks, but no.  You guys are going to need help.  Where would you be without my charming wit?”  He asked.  You grinned.

“Man, I missed you.”  You muttered, giving him a side-hug.  “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Glad to be back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/n:  Repost

#Avatar: The Last Airbender x reader #Avatar: The Last Airbender #A:TLA #A:TLA x reader #x reader #reader #reader insert #Zuko x reader #Avatar #Avatar x reader #My works #Mara's Works #My Imagine #Mara's imagine

[ourimpavidheroine]

hi! i read all of your fanfics over and over (i love the Hua, Keldena and Goba scenario) and have reread I Do Not Ask The Night For Explanations roughly 12 times, and i look forward to reading it another 12 times! your OC creation is wonderful, i can peruse through it like a library and fix on something to cheer me up, steady me, or make me laugh. it is a feast. which is why it feels a little rude to ask, though i will do so nonetheless, will we ever hear more from Meelo? i would be fascinated by how you would write his state of mind, his relationship to Bumi, him eventually meeting his wife, him assuming eventual leadership of the Southern Air Temple, the list goes on! it feels, dare I say, like a mini-saga akin to Ikki's journey. now that i've sufficiently stuck my oar in, i wanted to say thank you for all that you've created. i will carry your works and the influence they have had on me for the rest of my life. thank you.

Anon, let me just tell you that right now I am desperately trying to deal with my flat of 20 years because there was a leak in the pipes (not my fault) and there needs to be extensive repair work and we cannot be here when it happens so I am trying to pack, engage movers and find a new place during Christmas and it's been a very trying time. So to come here and see this message made my heart, like the Grinch's, swell out of my chest. Thank you so so so much for taking the time to come and write these lovely, encouraging words. You were exactly what I needed right now.

Now then! It's not at all rude to ask about a particular character! I have so many stories in my head and I never mind answering when I can.

I certainly do want to write more about Meelo. I have a lot (a LOT) of feelings and thoughts about the massive PTSD that this little boy must have suffered. This kid, from the age of 5-9 goes through some really horrific shit - Amon, The Red Lotus, Kuvira. Rohan was too young to go through it, Ikki has her own brand of resilience and Jinora is older and has a greater depth of maturity and understanding than the rest of her siblings. Which leaves us with angry little Meelo - and that's canon. We already see that in the show. Man, that kid has some serious PTSD.

I would love to tell his story; how he eventually relocates to the Southern Air Temple for good, how he marries Dolma and together they have two sons as well as create a school for the Deaf there, how he takes on trying to revitalize and rehabilitate what's left of the Air/Sky Bison population, how he continues to paint and draw and eventually travels to the various temples, re-creating murals and repairing a lot of the artwork that has aged. (He'll also be the one assisting Baatar when he takes on re-creating the Air Nomad door mechanisms.)

How much he loves and cares for his Uncle Bumi. How he never stops feeling like he was a disappointment to his father (much as his father felt with his own father). He'll never be a diplomat - that's Kai, and after him, Ikki's daughter Bhuti - but his voice is, as always, strong and proud and he'll always stand firm for the rights of the Air Nation to live in their traditional ways. Because Meelo is very proud to be an Airbender. He's just got to work past all of that fear and anger that's leftover from when he was small first.

One of the things I loved about Tenzin as a character is that you see so much of his mother in him - he's an Airbender, yes, and the last one, and clearly Aang spent so much more time with him than with his siblings. That's canon. But he was raised by a Waterbender - the last Southern Water Tribe Waterbender, in fact - and we see so much of Katara's passion and compassion in her son. We see how deeply Tenzin loves his family, which wasn't an Air Nomad thing at all! They raised the boys and girls separately and they were raised communally, not with parents. Tenzin gets all of that from Katara, and I believe, in turn, it will be Meelo who has the most Watertribe in him, something I think we see in canon as well. Meelo is never the leaf, not really. He feels too much, he holds on too much, he's never able to really detach himself, much like his father. And if I had nothing else to do than write I would genuinely love to write more about Meelo, because (as I think is obvious) I think about him a lot. But I don't think I could manage a few casual references to him in order to really do him justice. He'd need his own novel, really, just like Ikki did.

That doesn't mean I won't ever write about him! But I'm not sure how to do it in this kind of shorter format that is all I'm able to manage nowadays (and I haven't written in ages, the pandemic's been a disaster for me, mental health-wise, I am genuinely sorry to say).

I am so glad the stories and characters have resonated with you. That is all I ever hoped for when I wrote them; to tell a good story that readers would care about and remember. Thank you again for letting me know.

#gosh #this made me tear up #not going to lie #thank you so much

[lizardlicks]

POV: You've traveled for several weeks to visit your sister tribe in the south in hopes of negotiating new trade deals. Rumor is their tiger seal season has been excellent this year, and their engineers have been hard at work developing a new power source that could replace the need for coal.

You were greeted warming, and shown to their meeting hall; a large though rather unassuming round house in the middle of town-- village, more like. Everything in the South is understated and quaint. Quite charming, really. However this… girl entered the round house not long after you did, followed closely by the most ENORMOUS wolf you have ever seen. She introduced herself as Chief Hakoda's Daughter. That was nearly an hour ago, and there has yet to be any sign of the chief himself.

The girl-- the Southern Princess keeps trying to steer your conversation away from now worn out pleasantries and toward business. This is the most frustrating development of your entire trip, and that is including when you nearly lost half your cargo to some shoddy tiedown work in the storm that caught your boat, PLUS the extra week of time that it cost you to dock and make repairs. You tug at the clasp of your parka, feeling altogether too hot in the cozy space with the Princess smiling thinly at you.

"Tell me, where might Prince Sokka be?" you say, remembering that the Chief of the South had two children. The beast, whose great paws Princess Katara is comfortably seated between, starts to growl. She strokes his muzzle, and then the Princess's grin turns more wolfish than that of her guard.

"My brother is right here, but I don't think you will want to negotiate with him," the young woman says. "He's a bit more apt to employ his teeth."

#katara #sokka #werewolf sokka #watertribe siblings #atla fanfic #atla fanart #atla au #avatar: the last airbender #atla #a:tla #mini fic #lizardlicks art #lizard writes stupid things

[sldlovescartoons]

100 Writing Prompt Challenge: Avatar the Last Airbender

4. Rivalry  

  Watching Katara and Sokka have a healthy sibling rivalry was truly one of the stranger things Zuko had seen in his life. For one thing, they seemed to actually like each other well into adulthood, a thing that hadn't happened in his own family before Sozin's time. Hell, sibling disfunction as a result of rivalry is so bad in his bloodline that he has cousins out in the world (children and grandchildren of Azulon's siblings) that they couldn't even track down to establish a royal line if he and Uncle died before he had children. For another thing, they actually apologized when they went too far, a thing that Azula had never done, and that Zuko hadn't done since he was very small. They bickered but never broke, competed with no bloodlust or sinister motivation, there was no crazy power struggle. Katara fully supported Sokka's trying for chief of Wolf Cove, the position their father had held before he was made chieftain of the Southern Watertribe, but gloated when Aang proposed to her before he proposed to Suki like she had won some sort of race. It really was the weirdest to him.

#atla #fanfic #fanfiction #atla fanfic #atla fanfiction #100 atla #Zuko

[milf-harrington]

push up challenge atla edition

final pushup count unknown bc i couldn't be bothered thinking of them <3

#atla #avatar the last airbender #suki #katara #sokka #zuko #atla fanart #avatar the last airbender fanart #suki fanart #zuko fanart #katara fanart #sokka fanart #watertribe siblings #my art

[aangsglider]

The watertribe siblings reuniting with their soulmate again.

#atla #kataang #sukka #watertribe siblings #idk has this parallel been pointed out before but idc I cry for it #the way they both run to each other

[aangarchy]

Katara: don't say a word

Sokka: fergalicious

Katara: what did I just say?

Sokka: oh I see, two weeks ago, when we played scrabble it wasn't a word, but now it is. How convenient for you

#avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar #sokka #katara #watertribe sibs #watertribe siblings #incorrect atla