#Zuko’s efforts to save his men at the North Pole

[comradekatara]

here's your excuse to tell about arnook and pakku if you still want to, you're welcome. there isn't much discussion about these two for some reason. i will devour everything and anything you have to say, your blog is a blessing

lol this message is 7 months old (and i received multiple others like it) in response to something i offhandedly mentioned in a tag on a post i can no longer find, but yeah the gist of it is i think about the northern water tribe a lot. we only spend 3 episodes there (the first season is more about getting there than it is about exploring the nwt itself; it’s the journey not the destination or whatever), but those 3 episodes are some of the most compelling in the entire show, at least to me. of course, i’m biased, because katara & sokka are my favorite characters (shhh don’t tell aang & toph), not to mention yue is my favorite minor character (shhh don’t tell mai & ty lee), and these episodes allow them to shine in really special ways. so i often find myself contemplating what would happen after the war ends, in terms of katara & sokka’s relationship to arnook, pakku, yue, and the tribe as a whole. 

as you probably know, i am a big proponent of #fuck them comics (to be clear, because the themes presented are antithetical to what draws me to the show in the first place, not because the art style is ugly. i repeat, it is not because the art style is hideous and makes sokka look like a buffonish cheshire cat. obviously), and book 2 of lok is just.... a whole mess, so i choose not to consider these instances of – ahem – paratext canon. i am well aware that colonialism and industrialization are forces that cannot simply be stopped by the efforts of a couple of angry [indigenous] kids, only wait. katara literally did that already. time and time again. i find it hard to believe that she would allow colonialism in her southern water tribe. so excuse me if i’m not buying it! 

i think that instead, if katara and sokka are going to be in conflict with the northern water tribe, it would be at the source. as de facto world leaders (katara as (future) chief of the swt, sokka as .... holistic problem-solver), they would have to visit the northern water tribe eventually, as much as they would be reluctant to return to this site of injustice and trauma. not to mention that aang and zuko both experienced great traumas here as well (aang becoming the ocean spirit and causing mass destruction against his own volition, zuko nearly dying and watching zhao die) so upon their visit they too would be provoked to confront their demons. since sokka would naturally have reservations about the man, i think they would first approach arnook wrt striking an alliance between nations, since it would (ostensibly) no longer be in their best interest to remain isolationist (i doubt they’d be changing their minds on that without the avatar’s influence, since they didn’t even send aid to the south during the entirety of the war. no shade tho lol).

realistically, i don’t think that katara being allowed to train with pakku would herald some overnight feminist shift. certain women being granted exceptions is not productive feminism, and it’s certainly not equality. upon returning to the north pole for the first time since the war’s end, katara would witness this and be outraged. unlike her first visit, she would no longer have any compunctions about “causing a scene” (not that she had many to begin with), and i like to think know to be true that she would incite feminist revolution. because, that’s what she does. i really don’t buy that pakku read his bell hooks and finally won his way into kanna’s heart, because, while most of the time i laud the nuanced representation of gender in atla, that shit was written by men! (by “that shit” i specifically mean the scene in “sozin’s comet: the old masters” when katara congratulates him for marrying her gran gran. bc uhhhhh.....fuck no.) even if pakku had traveled all the way to the south pole, found kanna, proposed to her, and she accepted out of some resigned loneliness (an extremely bleak thought), the second her babies (katara, sokka, hakoda) return home she is dumping his raggedy ass, and he is returning to the north pole in shame (when asked, he says he helped with the rebuilding effort, but his home is here. no one questions it). so pakku proves kind of a roadblock for katara, as well as pretty much all the other men in the tribe, who make it their mission to passive-aggressively demean and belittle her. but the women of the nwt band together, and many of them become katara’s first waterbending pupils, returning to the south pole with her after katara is thoroughly satisfied with the progressive legislative change she enacted. 

as for sokka, his unfinished business with the north is more internal. i think arnook would really respect sokka, constantly showering him in paternal affection and placing in him unconditional (and (what sokka considers to be) unearned) trust. which really, really bothers sokka, because in his eyes, arnook gave him one (1) job, and he failed spectacularly. no matter that there was nothing sokka could have done differently, that it was zhao’s action, and yue’s choice (not that she really had a choice, but still); in “the swamp” we see that sokka carries that guilt of not having protected yue, and arnook, a father figure much like hakoda in many ways, tasked sokka with protecting her, similar to how hakoda told sokka it was his mission to protect katara. we know that is not a request sokka takes lightly. yue sacrificed herself because sokka could not save her, period, end of story. at least in his eyes. sokka has a debilitating fear of disappointing father figures, despite father figures historically adoring sokka, so his relationship with arnook would be.....extremely fraught, to say the least. especially if, on the offchance hahn survived (doubtful. he probably drowned in frozen water immediately), yue’s bitter ex-fiance is in the picture, and steamed as hell that he was forced to give up his opportunity to become the future chief (which begs the question, who does become chief? does arnook have another viable heir?). and of course, there’s sokka’s relationship with yue herself, which, as i have mentioned before (on many an occasion) is not (necessarily) the relationship one has to a dead loved one. we see aang talk to yue in the show, and we have no reason to believe that sokka wouldn’t find a way to communicate with her again. but you know what? that’s for another time... 

as for aang and zuko (respectively), their relationship to the northern water tribe has less to with the people and culture there, and more about the traumatic events that transpired. i think setting foot in the north pole (which is ultimately unavoidable, unfortunately) would be pretty triggering for both of them. aang becoming a vessel for mass violence, and literally everything that happens to zuko in the “siege of the north” episodes, are extremely traumatic events that would resurface in their psyches once they returned there. (i think sokka would also apologize to zuko for voting to leave him for dead, even though zuko would be like “don’t be stupid there’s no need to apologize for that.”) ultimately, i think the northern water tribe—its politics, cultural & spiritual worldbuilding, characters, and all the nuances in between—is really compelling and ripe for further exploration. but no i don’t think abt this a lot why do u ask

[turtle-paced]

A:tLA Re-Watch: Fine-Toothed Comb Edition

Warning for a heavy episode. This brightly-coloured family show full of optimists and strange critters has a setting built on a genocide.

Book 1, Chapter 3 - The Southern Air Temple

(0:55) Previously on Avatar, Katara and Sokka found Aang in an iceberg. They realised he was there for a hundred years, making him the last known airbender. Katara and Aang decide to go to the North Pole to learn waterbending, Zuko in pursuit.

(1:43) The establishing shot here tells us that we’ve come a decent distance from the South Pole already. There’s no ice in sight.

(1:50) However, Katara is still in a thick winter coat. Partly this has got to be because she doesn’t have other clothing. This is still worth keeping track of, as the recurring cast often change their outfits (according to the weather and cultural demands), usually while keeping the same general ‘look’. There are, however, exceptions.

(1:59) Katara gently tries to manage Aang’s expectations. She still has more information than Aang does about recent history, but what she says here in the face of Aang’s excitement is, “A lot can change in all that time.” This episode will get into showing us the double-edged nature of Katara’s greatest virtue and deepest flaw. Which, in the tradition of many excellent characters (and definitely in keeping with the main cast of the entire series), is the same character trait.

Meanwhile, poor Aang. What an optimist he is - his reaction to learning that he woke up a hundred years in the future is to race home and see how everything’s changed, because it might be really cool and he wants to show his home off to his new friends! In some ways it’s really easy to look past how well Aang handles waking up a hundred years in the future. He’s not openly preoccupied by the fact that it’s likely that everyone he knew and loved is dead, but concentrating on the good stuff he has right this minute.

Like Katara, Aang’s greatest flaw is an extension of his greatest virtue. Aang is fantastic at focusing on the here and now, on the positives of his situation, on keeping his spirits up. Though as we’ll see, this is vitally important in how he stands up under incredible pressures, we’ll also see him ignore real and potential problems coming down the track. Like right here, when despite knowing how shocked everyone was to see an airbender, he ignores Katara’s hint that he’s not going to like what he finds here.

(2:17) Sokka is definitely a teenage boy. Lots of sleep and lots of food required.

(2:27) “There’s a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!” What I’m taking from this is that the fauna of Avatar world was still a work in progress at this point, because they’re not talking about echidna-snakes or porcu-snakes or hedgehog-snakes.

(2:36) We pan over a shipyard full of clearly Fire Navy ships. Even before the details of the flag come in view, there’s the industrialisation, there’s that harsh colour palette, there are those spiky, spiky ships. Plus there’s the horn. The production team is training us to associate these things with Fire Nation.

(2:39) Then the pan across hits Zuko’s ship. This is some brilliant recontextualising of the threat Zuko posed in the previous two episodes. The ships in dock at this timestamp are to Zuko’s ship what Zuko’s ship was to Katara, Sokka, and Aang last episide. It’s also visibly more battered than the others. Yet Zuko is a prince! Three seconds, not a word spoken, and the show’s visually raised some questions about Zuko’s relationship to his nation’s war effort.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that in this episode, Zuko’s ship is a noticeably lighter shade than Zhao’s black metal fleet. Still the bad guys, but that one’s a solid tip that Zuko is the less bad guy. Combined with the aforementioned beat-up ship, this recontextualises Zuko himself. Katara later says that when she thought of the face of the enemy, it’s Zuko she thought of - but the viewer’s got more information than she does, and can see he’s not the operator of the war machine.

(2:48) Zuko orders Iroh not to discuss the Avatar in Fire Nation territory, thus indicating for us that the Fire Nation characters are not all working together for the same goals.

(3:00) “Captain Zhao.” “It’s Commander now.” Another quality introduction! Zuko’s address of Zhao by the incorrect rank shows he’s out of the loop. Zhao’s correction shows us the upwards movement and the importance of his own power to him, the pleasure he takes in this emphasised by the acting. Five words!

The show follows this up by giving some context on Iroh. Zhao greets Iroh as a general and “great hero” of the nation, but where pretty much the first thing out of Zhao’s mouth was “Commander Zhao,” Iroh says that he’s retired, deflecting the praise of his previous career. Zhao also helpfully exposits that Iroh is the Fire Lord’s brother, so we’re clear that Iroh is Zuko’s paternal relation. We haven’t had the same signalling that the Fire Nation is patriarchal that we’ve had with the Water Tribes thus far (we haven’t actually seen a female Fire Nation character yet, and won’t for a while), so it’s still a little hard to know where Iroh stands vis-a-vis inheritance.

(3:10) Zhao refers to the harbour as his harbour. While it saves the writers having to come up with a disposable place name, it again goes to indicate Zhao’s possessiveness of authority.

(3:21) In something that will eventually provide an excellent contrast with Azula, Zuko shows himself to be a terrible liar. Iroh’s not much better. Not in this situation. Man can keep his secrets, but I suspect the real secret is never being asked difficult questions.

(3:47) A rare instance of Iroh hauling Zuko up short and flat up telling him what to do. Show respect. A bigger deal once you know Zuko got a fireball to the face for being disrespectful/‘disrespectful’ in a meeting with military figures. However, given that Zhao controls the harbour, probably necessary for Iroh to step in.

(4:10) Sokka complains about a lack of food supplies. We don’t always need to know where the gAang is getting food, because the show reliably brings up supplies when they’re an issue. We’ll also see this as an issue more in season one, when Katara and Sokka are still getting used to travelling. By the time we hit season three, the group is much more confident in their ability to secure supplies even in areas they don’t know well.

On top of this, Aang’s use of Sokka’s jerky as kindling is the first part of the understated running gag that Aang just does not like Southern Water Tribe cuisine. Vegetarianism aside.

(4:40) Katara gets a bit more blunt about what’s likely at the Southern Air Temple. This is the first mention of the fact that Katara and Sokka’s as-yet-unnamed mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid. Remarkably for a kids’ show, they actually say that Kya was killed and discuss the fact that the Fire Nation might have killed all the airbenders.

For Aang’s part, this is a bit repetitive, but the new info about Katara’s family situation keeps the plot and character development moving along.

(4:58) At the same time, for all the flack he gets about being naive, Aang’s rebuttal isn’t “people wouldn’t be so cruel!”, he’s arguing that the Air Temples are literally inaccessible without airbending in some form and that therefore death on the scale Katara thinks might have taken place is logistically impossible.

(5:20) The setting design in this series is amazing, and the Southern Air Temple is actually kind of meh by the series’ later standards (Western Air Temple is where it’s at, IMO). That said, you wonder how much pre-war architecture outside the North and South Poles was a joint effort between different types of benders. In a really nice detail, you can see the airball field from this shot.

(5:36) “And by year’s end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule.” Zhao implicitly puts the series on a timetable here, even before we get the details. 

Tellingly, when we pan out, Zuko is not engaged in this assessment. He’s literally got his back turned. He’s doing bad things for bad reasons, but it’s not naked imperialism fuelling his determination. We’ll get into what Zuko thinks about the war effort a bit more in season two, when he starts actually thinking about the Fire Nation’s war, more critically and carefully than he expresses in his next line.

In the meantime, a) it’s the height of privilege that Zuko can turn his back on this and b) I do wonder if Zuko’s criticism of his father here wasn’t some early instalment weirdness, with the writers not having quite nailed down the dynamics between Zuko and his parental figures.

(5:48) “Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue.” So! First, more timeline for us. Second, the implication here is that Zuko was known to be outspoken. Imprudently outspoken.

(6:03)  Once again Zuko can’t lie very well, but unlike that moment when he was just getting off the ship, this isn’t played for laughs. Zuko can’t lie very well, and that’s serious. Also, Zhao confirms the Air Nomad genocide over here in the B-plot, while over in the A-plot we’re still waiting for that painful shoe to drop. Builds tension - it’s not just Katara’s suspicions anymore, but straight from the mouth of a Fire Nation commander.

(6:19) Can’t help but notice that Zhao is a firm believer in the Avatar’s power. The man has done his spirit research.

(6:23) “If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you’ll tell me what you found.” More implications that Zuko is not perceived to be totally on board with broader Fire Nation goals. If he was, why would his loyalty be in question?

(6:38) Zhao halts Zuko here as his men report that they interrogated Zuko’s own soldiers offscreen. So this entire thing was never about how well Zuko could lie, but Zhao giving Zuko enough rope to hang himself. Zhao ends up being lower stakes and lower competence compared to the endgame villains, but man, even now, the villains of this show do not mess around.

(7:06) Speaking of early-instalment weirdness, not sure the writers worked out quite what to do with Sokka this episode. He’s basically a running gag in this episode, almost entirely lacking in depth and nuance. Almost entirely - I’ll point out those moments when we get to them.

(7:22) For all Aang believed his people might be alive, he can’t deny the emptiness of the temple.

(7:33) There we go! There’s the depth from Sokka that repeated “I’m hungry” gags don’t get through. Sokka sees that Aang is depressed, and asks a question about something Aang genuinely enjoys. Followed by the cut to Aang thoroughly kicking Sokka’s ass at a sport designed for airbenders.

(7:53) Sokka let Aang kick his ass at an airbending sport for seven rounds.

(8:06) More nuance from Sokka as he and Katara find evidence of Fire Nation soldiers on temple grounds. He says that he and Katara should tell Aang, but when Katara decides otherwise, he doesn’t overrule her and force the confrontation. He respects that Katara’s got the better relationship with Aang. At the same time, his call-out of her failure to tell Aang is a pretty gentle one that recognises why she doesn’t want to tell him.

This is what I mean by Katara’s greatest strength also being one of her most severe character flaws. She’s so driven to help and protect the people she cares about - but this occasionally veers into being overprotective.

(8:49) Sokka continues to argue that Katara should tell Aang after the cut. Goes to show some of the differences between the siblings. Katara puts her friend’s feelings first, Sokka prioritises truth and facts. Handled badly, I’m sure we can all see how this could be extremely sexist storytelling. 

Here, though, the story appreciates that the harsh truth of what happened to the Air Nomads is unimaginably harsh, and should be broken appropriately. Aang needs to know the truth, and Aang deserves emotional consideration for the impact of that truth. Katara’s not wrong to be sensitive about a sensitive subject; she’s just wrong in taking that last step in lying by omission.

(8:57) Aang introduces Monk Gyatso via statue, so we have some idea of Aang’s family situation. Note the outfit.

(9:06) Cut from the solemn and wise statue to Gyatso imparting important cake-baking airbending techniques to Aang. These are some priorities I can get behind. And frankly you can see the similarity between the teacher who uses airbending to help with baking, to Aang who uses airbending to get bison snot out of clothes. Practical, everyday use.

(9:22) “The only mistake [the monks] made was telling you before you turned sixteen.” More implications! Aang was told about being the Avatar very young. Reasoning left obscure. It’s also giving some texture to the Air Nomads; they’re not idealised, but capable of making ordinary human mistakes right off the bat.

(9:29) “We must act on what is,” Monk Gyatso says, which is also clearly something else Aang took to heart. The pan over the Southern Air Temple as it was a hundred years ago is also pretty heartbreaking, with all the greenery, and the bison, and the people.

(9:47) Next plot flag, guide for Aang in the inner sanctuary.

(10:08) I strongly disapprove of wasted cake. Though as we see, Gyatso was trying to maintain Aang’s sense of fun and improve his aim, both of which are legitimate goals.

(10:54) Aaaaand Sokka’s back to being a food joke.

(11:58) More hints at Zuko’s status given that Commander Zhao feels pretty safe calling the Fire Lord’s son pathetic.

(12:10) This gives us another layer of complexity in Zuko’s plot this season. He’s now competing with Zhao to find the Avatar. More than that, he’s the underdog here, compared to the much better resourced Zhao.

This is some vital positioning to maintain audience engagement in the heel part of Zuko’s slow heel-face-turn, where the risk is people turning off Zuko as he does bad things for bad reasons. We don’t meet Zhao from Aang, Katara, and Sokka’s point of view, where he’d be pretty similar to Zuko in some important ways. We meet Zhao from Zuko’s PoV, so we’re clear on how Zuko is better by comparison, and so we barrack for Zuko to continue to show those better qualities.

(12:30) In a rare background detail failure, not many of these Avatar statues appear to depict female Avatars.

(13:07) A characterisation detail for Aang I like. Upon realising that every statue here depicts one of his past lives, he doesn’t appear to feel it as an oppressive weight - no, he treats it as a Cool Thing. 

Meanwhile, Sokka doesn’t believe in reincarnation. While hanging out with the Avatar.

(13:21) Our first look at Roku. (Next to him, it’s Very Definitely Not Kyoshi. Early instalments!)

(13:31) And the exposition! Now we know who it was vanished from that spire in the intro.

(13:45) The show frames Aang’s knowledge of Roku’s name as a sign of their connection, past life to reincarnation. Personally, I would have thought that especially in Aang’s time, people would have been quite likely to know the name of the previous Avatar. Given that Katara and Sokka were both born a hundred odd years after Roku died, and grew up in a very isolated place, I can believe that they wouldn’t have known Roku’s name.

(14:00) Even in the middle of the Southern Air Temple, the kids immediately hide when they hear footsteps and see a shadow, assuming it’s a firebender approaching. That’s how cautious they are already.

(14:17) Introducing Momo!

(15:23) What starts riling Zuko up here is Zhao treating him as inconsequential. Kid covers up his deep-seated self-worth issues by insisting on the external validation.

(15:33) Aside from Zhao emphasising the disparity in his and Zuko’s respective resources, Zhao also tells us that Zuko is formally banished.

(15:38) But then Zhao gets to the heart of Zuko’s issues. “Your own father doesn’t even want you.” We’ve seen this episode that Zuko’s got the one battered little ship. We know from the previous episodes that Zuko needs to capture the Avatar, and heard his desire to return home. Now we get the concrete info that Zuko’s dad kicked him out.

Again, this is all important in setting up Zuko’s long arc. This kid is being treated horribly by a representative of his own nation. The viewers are already being given reasons not to want to see Zuko defeated, but to want him to get out.

(15:47) When Zuko maintains that his father will welcome him home with honour if he just captures the Avatar, Zhao immediately undermines that idea by telling Zuko that if his father really wanted him, he’d’ve just rescinded the banishment without conditions. He’s Fire Lord, he can do that. This is another case of both sides being right here! Ozai does eventually welcome Zuko home with honour for ‘killing the Avatar’ - but by then Zuko’s got an inkling that Ozai’s acceptance is 100% conditional, and his father does not truly want Zuko back or care for him as a person. Because if he did care about Zuko as a person, he’d never have done any of the things he did in Zuko’s backstory.

(16:01) Zhao says that Zuko’s scar proves he’s a failure and a disgrace. Details left out. It’s enough to connect Zuko’s scar with his banishment, though.

(16:07) The introduction of Agni Kai, which is clearly a duel.

(16:17) Iroh asks Zuko if he remembers the last time he challenged a master. Zuko replies in the affirmative as we pan from the unscarred side of his face to the scarred side. Again, implications. Combined with Zhao’s earlier comments about Zuko’s time at sea not tempering his tongue, we actually have a decent picture of the events leading up to Zuko’s banishing, here in episode three. We definitely have the implications that Zuko said something, fought a duel against a master, lost (or he wouldn’t be a failure), and was scarred.

The show won’t confirm this for another ten episodes. But the backstory’s there.

(16:32) Meanwhile, back in the A plot, Aang chases Momo around the ruins of the Southern Air Temple.

(16:41) And comes across a rather grisly sight for a kids’ show. There are a lot of bodies in the room Aang walks into, arranged so it’s clear this was no accident.

(16:49) Gets worse as Aang spots Gyatso’s distinctive necklace (which was in focus on the statue earlier). There’s no good way to find this out, but Aang stumbled into the scene of his parental figure’s violent demise. Again, with the context of ‘The Storm’, this is way, way worse. It was already bad.

(17:07) Aang is understandably distraught, and unfortunately distraught untrained Avatar = Avatar state.

(17:22) As Katara wanders through the sanctuary and its depictions of past Avatars, she sees the eyes of the statues light up and knows that something’s up with Aang.

(17:26) Cut to elsewhere (definitely Earth Kingdom), followed by what must be the Northern Water Tribe, and the Fire Nation, where their depictions of Avatars are also lit up. Note that the Earth Kingdom’s mural definitely looks more like Kyoshi.

(17:35) The sages at the Fire Nation temple spell it out - this is inarguable proof that the Avatar’s back. Again ups some tension for us. The Avatar’s return is now public knowledge, and we know more people than Zuko and Zhao will be after our protagonists.

(18:03) When not reduced to a running gag, Sokka is already super quick on the uptake - he put together that Aang discovered his mentor’s corpse from the outfit, too, it seems.

(18:35) Iroh instructs Zuko to remember his firebending basics. We’ve already heard one - the breath.

(18:50) This fight scene helps us do some assessment of how dangerous Zuko and Zhao are in straight fights. Initial threat scaling - we’ll get more information over the course of the season. In the meantime, enjoy the choreography! One of the reasons the fight scenes are great is because the writers and animators did their research into the martial arts styles that bending is based on; another is because they don’t lose sight of the fact that characters are involved, with differing temperaments, goals, and skill sets. Avatar fight scenes convey character as well as progress plot.

Over the brief course of this fight we see Zuko start very aggressively, lose breath control, and get reminded to break Zhao’s footwork. That is, he’s not paying attention to Iroh’s basics. When Zhao counterattacks, Zuko’s defensive work is noticeably weaker than Zhao’s, basically tanking the fireballs on his forearms and torso while he gets pushed backwards (Zhao manages to break fireballs apart or split them well in front of him and away from his core, without losing ground).

(19:40) We can see Zuko’s fear as someone aims a fireball at his face. But with that, he turns the tables, gets up, and starts a counter-counterattack. Aimed at Zhao’s feet, as Iroh said to do. Zuko does not win this fight on skill alone - he wins because when he gets knocked down, he gets back up and tries again, applying the lesson of his previous mistakes. Could this be Zuko’s arc in miniature? I think it might be!

(20:15) Given a free shot at Zhao, Zuko declines to so much as scorch one of his earlobes. A gesture Zhao was not willing to make bare seconds ago, and going by the scar, also not a mercy extended by Zuko’s previous opponent. This is why he’s the less bad guy right now - Zuko’s not hurting people, not even his enemies, just because he can.

(20:29) Cheap shot from Zhao there, so we know he’s not one to accept when he’s lost.

(20:32) Completely cancelled by Iroh, out of fucking nowhere, who effortlessly knocks Zhao on his ass. Like I said, initial threat scaling. Early season one, the extent of Iroh’s abilities are hinted at rather than showcased.

(20:52) “Even in exile, my nephew is more honourable than you,” Iroh says. He also thanks Zhao for the tea.

(21:03) “Did you really mean that, Uncle?” Zuko asks, once they’re out of Zhao’s earshot. There speaks a young man who does not often get positive feedback from anyone, and who can’t believe someone was sincere about their public praise.

(21:08) Iroh implies that he meant it, without explicitly saying so. It’s graceful - gives Zuko that confirmation, but doesn’t put Zuko in a place where he has to accept a compliment he’s not ready for or equipped to handle.

(21:15) Meanwhile, back at the A-plot, we’re seeing Katara at her best. It’s true that her desire to protect Aang didn’t work and didn’t help. We don’t leave off on the ‘greatest weakness’ part, but on the ‘greatest strength’ part. She empathises with Aang’s pain and offers of herself to help Aang. “Sokka and I - we’re your family now.” Without hesitation.

(21:38) The Water Tribe siblings step closer to each other for reassurance once the threat of being blown off the mountain has receded. Little things like that show you how close Katara and Sokka are.

(21:46) Again, Sokka’s got Katara’s back in her decision that Aang is now family. He doesn’t initiate like Katara does, but he’s on board.

(21:53) The first thing Aang says is “I’m sorry.” I can’t help but think that the uncontrolled Avatar State must really, really suck for Aang. It’s not gone into in any detail, but how bad must he feel that he endangered his new friends and further damaged the temple? His first words here are to apologise to others, rather than continuing to manage his own grief.

Aang is a very thoughtful person in many ways.

(22:03) Not stupid, though, as he can see that if the Fire Nation targeted the Southern Air Temple, chances are good they got to the others as well. Katara hugs him as he tries to deal with the fact that he is the last airbender.

(22:17) Aang emphasises the fact that he’s going to need some help from Roku. Just throwing that out there for future plot.

(22:44) “You, me, and Appa are all that’s left of this place,” Aang says with what seems rather likely to be a faked smile. He and Katara laugh at the newly-named Momo’s theft of Sokka’s fruit.

(23:04) But the fact that this doesn’t erase Aang’s grief is emphasised by the end of episode, where he silently watches the ruined and empty Southern Air Temple recede into the distance.  Even though he’s good at putting up a front and focusing on the good things that are, the loss of his home and people will underpin Aang’s character for the rest of the series.

This episode is a damned important one, and the importance comes out more when looked at holistically rather than my running commentary above. For Katara and Sokka, this episode gives the key detail of their mother’s death, and gives them that solid and explicit emotional commitment to Aang that will provide them with motivation for sticking with him all series, but this isn’t their episode.

This episode kicks Aang out of his past and locks Aang into the hero’s journey in the A-plot. Meanwhile, in the B-plot, it sets Zuko up not as a primary villain, but as a deuteragonist, catching us up on how he too has been kicked out of home and left to quest. This episode shows us why neither protagonist nor deuteragonist can go home again.

[thelastspeecher]

Spirit Touched - Chapter 5: Nephew

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5   Chapter 6   AO3

Whoops it took me longer to update this than I planned, but it turns out that moving states takes time and effort.  Hopefully I’ll be able to update every other week for the last two chapters, but we’ll have to see.  In the meantime, enjoy the crew fawning over sick Zuko and a sudden appearance from a certain beloved uncle.

Again, this fic is inspired by @muffinlance‘s fic Salvage and fanart that @agent-jaselin did of it.

——————————————————————————————

              It started with a sneeze, the day after they fished Zuko out of the ocean for the second time.

              “Aw, you sneeze like a raccoon-kitten,” Toklo cooed. Zuko glared at him.  Then sneezed again, louder.  A few sparks appeared with the second sneeze.  “Uh, little firebenders sneeze fire?”

              “I’m not little,” Zuko growled. “But…yes.”  He sneezed again.  Toklo hurriedly stomped out any sparks that landed on the deck.

              “This won’t end well,” Panuk said quietly.

----- 

              The sneeze progressed to a full-body cough, one that was so obviously agonizing it made the crewmen wince in sympathy.

              “We need to follow you around with a bucket,” Aake rumbled, watching Panuk and Toklo rush to put out yet another fire. It appeared that accidentally producing flames wasn’t something reserved for sneezing.  Zuko sat down on the deck, even paler than usual.  He coughed again.

              “That might be a good idea,” Panuk agreed, hurrying to stomp out the new sparks.  Zuko let out a low groan.  Aake pressed the back of his hand against Zuko’s forehead.  He quickly removed it.

              “You’re sick, kiddo,” he said to Zuko.  His voice had more affection in it than he’d realized he had for the boy.  Zuko looked up at him, eyes already glazed over with fever.  “Someone better take him to the healer right away.  When someone this young gets sick, it can go bad fast.”

              “Come on, little brother,” Toklo said, scooping Zuko into his arms.  “Wow, you’re warm.”

              “No, ‘m cold,” Zuko mumbled blearily.  He let out another hacking cough.  Toklo carried Zuko to the infirmary while Panuk stayed behind to put out the third accidental fire of the day.

----- 

              As Zuko’s condition worsened further, he became less and less willing to leave his pile of furs.  Eventually, he could only leave the infirmary if carried out.  The crewmen checked in near constantly.  At first, it was just Toklo, Panuk, and Hakoda. Then Bato.  When Aake began to stop by to inquire as to the toddler’s health, Kustaa knew it was official.

              Zuko had wormed his way into the heart of every crewman.

              “I’m surprised by how frequently you poke your head in,” Kustaa remarked to Aake.  Aake stroked Zuko’s hair.

              “He reminds me so much of Sitka, especially when he’s wearing blue,” Aake said, keeping his voice soft so as to not wake up the sleeping toddler.

              “All Zuko had to do to win you over was be turned into a four-year-old.”

              “Hmph.”

              “And don’t think that I haven’t noticed you only stop by when he’s asleep.”  Kustaa smirked at Aake.  “You don’t want him to know how much you’ve come to like him.”  Aake rolled his eyes.  “Maybe once he’s better, you can be another uncle of his.”  The door to the infirmary opened.

              “Come on, Kustaa.  Let a man miss his son in peace,” Bato said, entering.  “Aake, you’re needed on deck.”

              “On my way.”  Aake’s hand lingered on the crown of Zuko’s head for a moment before he got up and left.

              “How is he?” Bato asked Kustaa.  Kustaa sighed.

              “Sick and getting sicker.”

              “Any idea what it is?”

              “Not yet.”  Kustaa looked at Zuko.  “The kid should wake up soon, and once he does, I’m going to ask a few questions about his symptoms.  I’m starting to wonder if it’s something only seen in the Fire Nation.”  Bato frowned, concerned.

              “If it’s a Fire Nation illness, would you be able to cure it?”

              “Depends on what it is.  I have the instructions for treatments of a few Fire Nation maladies,” Kustaa said.  “Not as many as I’d like, though.”  Faint stirring came from Zuko’s pile of furs, along with a weak groan.  “Are you up, nephew?”

              “I’m up,” Zuko mumbled, fighting his way free. He sat up and stretched.  “Did you want something, Bato?”

              “I just wanted to check in on the sick little pygmy puma,” Bato replied.  He ruffled Zuko’s hair.  “Feeling better?”

              “I’m not feeling worse.”  Zuko let out a hacking cough.  “Never mind.  I am.” Bato raised an eyebrow.  “What?”

              “No sparks?”

              “He hasn’t produced fire on accident for a few days now,” Kustaa said, coming over.  He put the back of his hand against Zuko’s forehead.  “Hmm.  Your fever’s getting worse.”

              “Can he firebend on purpose?” Bato asked.

              “He is right here,” Zuko grumbled.

              “Zuko, would you mind trying to create a small flame?” Kustaa requested.  Zuko held out his hands.  His brow wrinkled in concentration.  The only thing emitted, however, was a weak puff of smoke.  “Hmm.”  Kustaa stroked his beard thoughtfully.  “Bato, could you get him something to eat?”

              “Will do.”  Bato gently lifted Zuko.  “Candy and sea prunes, right?”  Kustaa frowned at him.

              “Tummy hurts too much,” Zuko said blearily. “Not hungry.”

              “Broth it is,” Bato said.  He carried Zuko out of the infirmary.  Kustaa took down his most thorough book on illnesses.

              He can’t firebend…maybe that’s the symptom that will allow me to finally diagnose him.

----- 

              Hakoda knocked gently on the door of the infirmary.

              “Come in,” said Kustaa’s calm voice.  Hakoda entered, closing the door softly behind him.

              “Any luck?” Hakoda asked.

              “Some,” Kustaa said from his spot by Zuko’s side. He gently draped a blanket over the sleeping boy.  “I’ve figured out what he has.  It’s called bender’s burnout.  It’s an illness only firebenders can have, caused by the bender’s inner flame being stifled.” Kustaa got up and walked over to his desk.  He pulled out a book.  “According to this, hypothermia or a near-drowning are the primary means by which an inner flame is stifled enough to cause bender’s burnout.”  Hakoda swore softly.

              “This happened because he went overboard again?” he asked.  Kustaa eyed Hakoda.

              “Before I identified the illness, I knew that was the cause,” Kustaa said.

              “Yes, but-”  Hakoda shook his head.  “He didn’t get this specific illness when we fished him out the first time.  Why now?”

              “Apparently, bender’s burnout is most common in the very young, because their inner flames tend to be weaker.  As a teenager, Zuko’s inner flame was strong enough to hold his own in a firefight.  As a child, well.  You’ve seen how much effort it takes him to even make sparks.”

              “What’s the cure?”

              “I don’t know,” Kustaa said softly.  His lips flattened into a thin line.  “None of my texts have information on afflictions that only affect firebenders.  I was lucky to stumble across what I did: symptoms and the cause.”  Zuko coughed weakly from his pile of furs.  Hakoda looked over at the boy.  Zuko’s already pale skin was corpse-white, his forehead shone with a thin sheen of sweat, yet he was shivering intensely.  “If we hope to cure him, we’ll need to find a healer who has expertise on firebenders.”

              “Where would we find one of those?”

              “We could try the next port,” Kustaa said with a shrug.  “People believe us when we say Zuko is a war bastard for a reason.  There’s a lot of them.  And where there are firebenders, there are healers who know how to treat them.”

              “There’s no other way to help Zuko?” Hakoda asked softly.  A long moment passed.  Kustaa shook his head.

              “Bender’s burnout doesn’t go away on its own.  It needs to be treated.  And I don’t know how.”  Zuko tossed fitfully in his sleep.

              “How long does he have?”

              “I’m not sure,” Kustaa admitted.  “But my nephew is far more stubborn than anyone else I’ve met.  As long as I can continue to manage his symptoms, he should hang on until we make port again.”  Hakoda walked over to Zuko.  He brushed sweat-drenched hair out of the boy’s face.  Zuko leaned into the gesture with a faint smile.  Hakoda’s heart ached.  Zuko was so young, too young.

              “I’ll tell everyone we’re changing course. We’ll head for the nearest port.”

----- 

              The Akhlut finally arrived at a bustling Earth Kingdom town.  Hakoda carried Zuko, buried in furs, off the ship.  Kustaa followed close behind.  They approached the first person they saw.

              “Excuse me, but we need a healer,” Hakoda said urgently.

              “Ryo is-” the man started.  Kustaa stepped forward.

              “We need one specializing in firebender ailments,” he said softly.  The man’s eyes widened.

              “I hope we can trust you,” Hakoda said.  He put as much weight into the words as he could.

              “Of course,” the man said.  “My son’s best friend is a war bastard.  The boy goes to Healer Lee, on the outskirts of town.”

              “Thank you,” Hakoda said gratefully.  He reached into his pockets for money.  The man shook his head.

              “Save your money for your…”

              “Nephew,” Kustaa said.

              “Save the money for him.”

              “Thank you,” Hakoda repeated.  Zuko let out a weak cough.  “Hang in there, Nuktuk.”

----- 

              This town was lovely.  Iroh enjoyed the friendly townspeople.  But he couldn’t help being disappointed.  It was yet another dead end.  He had yet to find any sign of his missing nephew anywhere.

              In a sea of green and brown, there was a sudden burst of blue.  Iroh looked curiously at the two Water Tribe men rushing through the crowded town square. His eyes widened.  They were the same men he’d seen shortly before he arrived at the North Pole.  Iroh’s heart sank as he realized that one man wasn’t just carrying furs; a young boy was hidden within them.

              What was the boy’s name?  Nuktuk?  Nuktuk looked deathly ill.  Concerned for the boy’s health, Iroh followed from a safe distance.  They had just exited town when Nuktuk began to thrash in his father’s arms.

              “Lemme down, lemme down!” Nuktuk whined loudly. “I gotta-”  Nuktuk’s father (step-father, more likely – the boy seemed to be a war bastard) hurriedly set the boy on the ground.  Nuktuk stumbled forward and vomited.  His father knelt next to him, rubbing his back.

              “Are you okay to be carried again, Zuko?” the man asked.  Iroh’s breath caught in his throat.  The boy straightened.  Now close enough to see him well, there was no doubt as to who the child was.  Iroh would recognize his nephew anywhere, with or without the horrid scar on his face.

              What have the spirits done?

              “Zuko, we need to go to the healer,” said the second man.  Zuko nodded. “Can the chief pick you up again?”

              “I…”  Zuko trailed off.  He had caught sight of Iroh.  Their eyes met.  “Uncle!” Zuko sprinted away from the men, directly for Iroh.  Iroh dropped to his knees.  He held his arms out.  Zuko collided with him.

              “Prince Zuko,” Iroh croaked, embracing his nephew as tightly as he could.  He could feel Zuko’s fever through his clothes.  “Nephew, what are you doing?”

              “Seeing a healer,” Zuko replied.  Iroh held him out at arm’s length.  Zuko’s beautiful golden eyes, normally sharp like a hawk’s, were unfocused and cloudy with fever.

              “You certainly need one.”

              “Excuse me?”  Iroh looked up.  The tribesmen had walked over.  Iroh stood. He kept a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “Are you really his uncle?  General Iroh?”

              “Yes, I am,” Iroh said.  Zuko smiled at him.  “I have many questions, but I think they can wait until my nephew has seen a healer.”  The men looked relieved.

              “That would be best, yes,” said one.  “We got directions from someone in the village.”  Iroh picked Zuko up.  Zuko nestled against his chest.

              “Lead the way,” Iroh said firmly.

----- 

              Iroh and the tribesmen sat outside the healer’s house.  Zuko had been treated, but needed to rest for a while before the healer would let him leave.

              “We should probably introduce ourselves,” one of the tribesmen said abruptly.  “I am Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe.  My companion is our healer, Kustaa.”  Healer Kustaa bowed his head.

              “Why did you need to bring Zuko to a different healer, if you had one?” Iroh asked.

              “I’m not well-versed in firebender ailments,” Healer Kustaa replied.  Iroh hummed softly.

              “By the way, thank you, General, for not attacking when you saw Zuko,” Chief Hakoda said.  Iroh leaned back.

              “You don’t get to be my age as a soldier unless you learn to take stock of a situation fast,” Iroh said.  “The immediate concern was my nephew’s health, not you.”  He chuckled softly.  “Not to offend you or anything.”

              “No, I understand,” Chief Hakoda said.  He leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees. “But I still appreciate it.  To be frank, we wouldn’t have stood a chance against you.”  Iroh chuckled again.

              “I know.  So, how did you come to have my nephew with you?  I received a letter from a friend in the Northern Water Tribe telling me you had Zuko, but the letter didn’t provide many details.”

              “We pulled him out of the ocean, half-dead,” Healer Kustaa said.

              “Thankfully, the spirits stepped in, ensuring you rescued a young boy.  If you had come across a Fire Nation teenager, you would have had a drastically different reaction.”  The tribesmen looked at him, bemused.  “I have seen firsthand the realities of war; I know what would have happened if you stumbled across someone old enough to be a soldier for the opposing side.”

              “He wasn’t a toddler when we rescued him,” Chief Hakoda said slowly.  “That particular…situation is more recent.”

              “Then you are bigger men than I would have been in my days as a soldier,” Iroh said.  The men exchanged a look.  Clearly, they were holding something back.  But Iroh knewit would be best to wait patiently for further information, rather than immediately pry.  “Thank you for taking care of him.”

              “Well, the kid’s more endearing than he realizes,” Healer Kustaa said.  “Our youngest crewmen befriended him quickly.  Once he had them on his side, it was all over.”  Iroh beamed.

              “I’m very glad to hear that he has been working on his social skills.  My nephew tends to struggle to make friends.”  Iroh adjusted his seat slightly.  “How long has Prince Zuko been like this?”

              “A handful of months.  He’s actually spent more time with us as a toddler than as a teenager,” Chief Hakoda said.  “And before you ask, we don’t know why the spirits did this to him.”

              “Zuko might know,” Healer Kustaa said suddenly. Chief Hakoda and Iroh looked at him. “The incident that made him fall overboard, which caused him to get so sick?  He’s been talking about it in his sleep.  Most of what he says is nonsense, since he’s been so feverish.  But every now and then, he mumbles something about talking to a young woman in the moon.”

              “The young woman…”  Iroh leaned forward.  “Prince Zuko wouldn’t happen to be calling her by name, would he?”  Healer Kustaa raised an eyebrow.

              “He’s called her Yue.”

              “A Water Tribe name,” Chief Hakoda remarked.

              “Yes, but also the name of the new Moon Spirit,” Iroh said.  Chief Hakoda and Healer Kustaa sobered immediately.

              “We heard about that,” Chief Hakoda said. “Like everyone else, we saw the moon go dark.  When we crossed paths with our sister tribe, they informed us of the tragedy that happened during the Siege of the North.”

              “Yes.  It was most distressing,” Iroh said solemnly.  “I was there.”  The door of the healer’s home opened.

              “He’s awake now,” Healer Lee said.  Zuko toddled out of the house.  “Kustaa, come inside, I’ll go over the continuation of his treatment.”  Healer Kustaa nodded.  He got up and followed Healer Lee inside, ruffling Zuko’s hair on his way.  Zuko sat between the two men.  He beamed at Iroh.

              “I thought I had only dreamed that you were back,” Zuko said happily.  Iroh rested the back of his hand against his nephew’s forehead.  The boy was still feverish, but whatever the healer had done clearly put him on the mend.

              “No, Prince Zuko, I’ve found you,” Iroh said warmly. A strange look crossed Zuko’s face. He looked down at his adorably minute feet.

              “Just Zuko, Uncle,” he mumbled.  Iroh hid his surprise at the request.

              “If you insist, nephew.”  The enormous smile was back.

              “Are you going to join the ship?” Zuko chirped. His grin broadened.  “You could get a fake name, too!”

              “I was hoping that the Water Tribe would be kind enough to let me accompany you, yes,” Iroh said with a nod.  Chief Hakoda grimaced.  “Chief Hakoda, I recognize that you would not be comfortable with two firebenders aboard your ship, but-”  The chief was already shaking his head.

              “You seem a sensible man, General.  As such, you should understand that it’s not my comfort I need to think of, but the comfort of my men.  They would not want the Dragon of the West on our ship.” Iroh’s heart sunk.  He bowed his head.

              “Yes, I understand.”

              “What?  But- Uncle!” Zuko whined.  Iroh put a gentle hand on his nephew’s shoulder.

              “Nephew, what is right may not be what I want to do. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it. What is right is that the men who have helped you so much stay comfortable.  I cannot be on the ship.”  He squeezed Zuko’s shoulder, his heart heavy.  “And what is right is that you continue to be treated for your illness. You need to stay with Chief Hakoda, so that Healer Kustaa can take care of you.”

              “But-”

              “Chief Hakoda,” Iroh said abruptly.  “Is your ship headed for a specific destination?”

              “Yes.”  Chief Hakoda eyed Iroh.  “Can I trust you with it?”

              “Pakku trusts him,” Zuko piped up.  “I trust him.  Isn’t that enough?”  Chief Hakoda wavered for a moment before sighing.

              “Fine.  We’re headed to Chameleon Bay, to help the Earth Kingdom Army protect Ba Sing Se.”

              “I’ll meet you there.”  Iroh smiled at Zuko.  “Maybe during my travels, I’ll stumble across a way to return you to your appropriate age.”  Zuko’s eyes widened.  Healer Kustaa emerged from the house.

              “Come on, nephew, you need to lay down for more rest,” Healer Kustaa said, taking Zuko’s hand.  Iroh tensed.  “Oh.” Healer Kustaa managed a wry smile. “When he was feverish and ill shortly after we brought him on board, he mistook me for you and called me ‘uncle’. Since then, I’ve called him my nephew.”

              “…I see,” Iroh said slowly.  He stood.  “I should leave.  It will take me longer to arrive at Chameleon Bay, given I won’t be traveling by ship.”

              “Before you leave,” Chief Hakoda said, standing as well, “would you please tell me what happened at the North Pole?  Our sister tribe didn’t inform us of any of the specifics, just that the Avatar had been involved in the battle and that the Moon Spirit was killed and revived.”

              “It may have been too painful,” Iroh said. “I am more than willing to share with you what I witnessed.  But if you don’t mind, I’d like to say goodbye to my nephew.”  Chief Hakoda nodded.  Iroh turned to Zuko.  He knelt on the ground.  “Nephew…” Zuko pulled free of Healer Kustaa’s hold and rushed forward to embrace Iroh.

              “I don’t want you to leave, Uncle,” he whispered. Iroh rubbed Zuko’s back.

              “I know, Zuko.  But remember what I said.  I can’t do what I want.  I must do what is right.”  Iroh removed something from his pocket, an item he had been holding on to since Zuko was lost at sea.  “Here.” He handed the knife to Zuko.  Zuko took it from him with awe in his eyes. “Do you remember this?”

              “Never give up without a fight,” Zuko said softly. Iroh smiled.

              “That’s right.  You are waging many battles right now, young nephew.  But keep fighting.”

              “I will, Uncle,” Zuko said, holding the knife close to his chest.  Iroh ruffled his hair.

              “Good.  Then I will see you soon.”  Iroh stood and watched Healer Kustaa lead his nephew away.  Once Zuko was out of sight, he turned to Chief Hakoda.  “I am willing to share my stories, but I would like more information as to my nephew’s stay with you in return.”  Chief Hakoda nodded.

              “I expected as such.”  The men began to walk together.  “Where would you like me to start?”  Iroh sighed, glad to ask the question he’d had since he saw Zuko.

              “Why is my nephew dressed like a Water Tribe child?”

----- 

              “Hold that pose,” Toklo instructed.  Zuko wobbled slightly.  “C’mon, little brother, just a bit longer!”  Zuko’s legs gave out.  He collapsed to the deck, coughing.  “Maybe we should go back to the basics.”

              “No, those katas are for babies,” Zuko snapped.  He coughed again.  Hakoda, who had been observing Zuko’s practice, crouched next to him.

              “You’re only four and recovering from an illness. Pushing yourself right now would do more harm than good,” he said, his voice gentle but firm.  “Once you’ve stopped coughing so much, you can move on to the more complicated forms.  But for now, I agree with Toklo.”  Zuko scowled.

              Zuko’s treatment involved him actively practicing firebending.  The healer had informed Kustaa that Zuko developed bender’s burnout in large part due to Zuko restricting his firebending to simple meditations.

              “He said to me, ‘Water Tribe people might not be very educated, but that’s no excuse for making a young bender suppress his art.  No matter the element, if they avoid bending, they’ll become ill,’” Kustaa vented angrily once Hakoda had returned to the ship.  “I tried to tell him that the kid didn’t want to bend, but he wouldn’t hear it.”

              “Zuko needs to practice firebending, then, to get better?” Hakoda asked.  Kustaa nodded.

              “And to stave off future bending-related illnesses.  He gave me a scroll with forms for children Zuko’s age.”  Kustaa handed Hakoda said scroll.  “My nephew probably already knows most of these forms, but I guess we could use them as a reference to make sure he’s doing them right.”

              Hakoda took the scroll from Toklo and looked over the forms for the easiest.

              “Turtle-duck pose,” he instructed.  Zuko scowled, but did as he was told.  “Good work, kid.”  Zuko’s scowl was replaced with a grin that stretched ear to ear.

              Initially, Zuko had brushed off any compliments he got on his bending forms.  Hakoda had a feeling that Zuko’s reaction was because he didn’t believe them. Thankfully, it only took a week for the boy to shift gears from doubt to exuberance at being told he had done a good job.

              “Chief?” Bato called from his spot at the ship’s bow. Hakoda ruffled Zuko’s hair, handed the scroll back to Toklo, and walked to his second-in-command.

              “What is it?” Hakoda asked.  Bato handed him a spyglass silently.  When Hakoda looked through it, he swore.  “Fire Nation.”

              “Yes.”  Bato’s face darkened as he stared in the direction of the ship he’d spotted.  “And they’ve definitely seen us.  We won’t be able to avoid battle.”

              “You’re right.”  Hakoda swallowed.  “Hopefully, Zuko will sleep through it.”

              “He’s a light sleeper.”

              “Not lately.  Being sick can make you sleep like the dead.”  Hakoda handed the spyglass back to Bato.  “I’ll inform the crew to prepare for battle.”  Hakoda looked back at Zuko.  The toddler was unsteadily working through the basic firebending forms for Toklo.  “And I’ll see if Kustaa can put him to bed earlier than usual, so that he misses the fight.”

----- 

              Zuko did sleep through the entire battle. Better than that, however, was that no one on the ship had fallen.  Any blood stains or scorch marks on the deck were hurriedly scrubbed away before Zuko could see, though he did get told the day after.  Like before, Zuko sat watch with a small flame in his palms.

              The rest of the trip passed by without incident. Not just Hakoda, but the crew as a whole felt a swell of pride as Zuko became more confident in his bending practice, progressing from the basic steps to the intermediate ones quickly.  Well, the ones considered intermediate for his age. The boy was eager to begin the advanced movements, but Hakoda felt they were still beyond his ability.  Not to mention, the advanced katas seemed more likely to accidentally set the boat on fire.

              “Finally!” Zuko whooped as they landed at Chameleon Bay. “I miss dry land.”  Scattered chuckles sounded among the crew.  Bato stopped him from rushing down the gangplank after Hakoda.

              “Hold on, little warrior.  Before we come ashore, the Chief needs to meet with whoever’s in charge.”  Zuko cocked his head curiously at Bato.

              “Isn’t Chief Hakoda in charge?  I thought he was the leader of the entire Southern Fleet.”

              “He is, but it’s still important to announce ourselves to the person that has been running things.  Once we’ve settled in, the Chief will take over.”

              “The Chief also needs to let the other men know we’ve got a Fire Nation brat on board,” Aake added.  Zuko frowned at him.  “Otherwise, you might get a chilly welcome.”

              “I guess,” Zuko muttered, crossing his arms. Bato ruffled his hair.

              “Go help Kustaa take stock of the infirmary supplies while we figure things out, okay?” Bato said.  Zuko sighed and toddled off.  Bato shook his head, hiding a smile.  “Damn kid really weaseled his way into all of our hearts.”

              “I’m taking bets on how quickly he does the same to the tribesmen already here,” Panuk drawled.  “So far, no one’s put anything down on it taking any longer than a month.”

              “Well, yeah, those odds are too slim,” Toklo said. “My little brother’s gonna have everyone eating out of his hand in a couple weeks at most.  Especially with his lingering cough.”  According to Kustaa, Zuko was no longer ill.  His occasional coughs were just the result of his sickness irritating his throat.

              “I agree,” Bato said.  “‘Nuktuk’ has a very endearing backstory.”  He looked at Panuk.  “Put me down for twelve days.”

[azenkii]

Sokka Headcanons

because he is CRIMINALLY underappreciated

he taught Katara to swim (which might be weird, seeing as she's the waterbender, but it's how things turned out)

his boomerang is his father's (actually canon)

he made his necklace himself, with whale bone from the first hunt he ever went on. as he grows, he adds more pieces of bone to it from various different hunts

as we all know, his art skills could use a little work. BUT he’s freakishly good at drawing things like schematics and blueprints and plans? he draws perfect circles and straight lines like it’s nothing and everyone is a little bit terrified of him

he's also good at face paint. he's not good at normal paint, but he's a goddamn master with face paint. it's weird

really good at math (also pretty much canon)

his favourite colour is not, surprisingly, blue. it’s white. he is locked in an endless debate with zuko over whether or not white counts as a colour

accidentally invents things on the daily

he's scarily good at rote memorization

can crack his knuckles really loudly

he has opinions on things that shouldn't be opinionated. for instance: he has a favourite cardinal direction (surprisingly, it's not south. it's north) and a favourite kind of cloud (cirrus)

he has really long fingers. they're long and thin and spindly and sokka no stop sokka stop making the spider hands–

Because of the aforementioned long fingers, he's the best at making shadow puppets

he's good at recognising faces, but not names

he dreams a lot but he never remembers it

he can whistle. when he left the south pole, he wasn't very good at it, but by the time he was made southern water tribe ambassador he could whistle like a bird

when the war was over, the first thing he bought was a thick leather journal and a ton of ink. while everyone recovered, he went off into the wilderness surrounding the fire nation capital and documented every animal and plant he thought looked cool

he went back to look for his boomerang and space sword in the forest. he found them!

he visits and trains with master piandao regularly, and is now considered a swordfighting master

he does actually know how to sew. his mother taught him. he just doesn't like doing it because he always pricks himself with the needle, and after his mother died it felt a bit like sacrilege

whenever he goes out on a trip with someone from the original gaang, and they end up on the road, he insists on stopping so he can go hunt something. It's become a tradition by now

when he was eight, he got a fishhook stuck in his hand. it was Not Fun

when he's nervous or stressed, he bites his nails. if he's really nervous or stressed, he taps out rhythms against his necklace

he can keep up a beat pretty well, but dont try giving him an actual instrument to play. It doesn't matter what instrument it is, he will break it somehow

the first time he grew a beard, he grew it all the way out until it looked exactly like his wang fire beard. Zuko threatened to burn it off. Katara threatened to freeze it until it got so heavy his head fell off his neck. Sokka kept it for a grand total of one week before he caved and shaved it

he has a surprisingly high heat tolerance (as opposed to katara, who only ever visits the fire nation in winter)

he can jump really high. actually, in most cases, it's easier for him to jump than to climb

he can cook, but he's not very good. He can make something edible, but not tasty

he holds the record in the southern water tribe for most sea prunes held in mouth at one time

he snuck into ba sing se university for a day and taught nonsense history under the guise of being a guest professor. when he was discovered, he simply bowed and announced, "and that's why you always check your facts for yourselves, kids!"

similarly, he once posed as a philosopher named Wan Fai-Ah. he had almost two hundred people listening rapturously to one of his spiels when katara climbed onto a nearby roof and yelled "SOKKA STOP MANIPULATING THE PUBLIC"

he once went searching for wan shi tong's library again. He didn't find it.

he's bisexual and i'm not saying jet was his sexual awakening but jet was his sexual awakening

(psst his taste in men is just as bad as his sister's)

suki's the only person in their group who likes men and has decent taste, because zuko's got garbage taste in men too and aang likes everyone

he gets really bad morning breath

he shaves his own hair (also canon!)

despite his best efforts, he never develops anything more than an average tolerance for spicy food

he and zuko constantly compare their height. when sokka grows taller, he doesn't stop gloating for three days

he's really good at braiding hair

he can't sing or dance to save his life

he decided to get into poetry after the war. it didn't work out. At all.

he once worked at the jasmine dragon for a month, just to unwind. it was mostly relaxing, except for the entitled upper-class customers who came in every now and again. Sokka may or may not have 'accidentally' dumped a cup of tea over Lady Huamei's dress.

he regularly takes zuko to the theatre for no reason other than to force him to watch horrible, terrible plays. Sometimes toph tags along too. Zuko's suffering is the best entertainment they've got.

He and katara have a running Sibling Thing™ where, instead of greeting each other like normal people, they step on each other's toes. this sometimes results in a five-minute long tussle as they fight to be the first one to step. yes, they once did this in front of a delegation of national officials. yes, sokka ended up on the floor with katara standing over him triumphantly.

after the war, he learned how to use every weapon he could get his hands on. He also learned that he's terrible at scythes and war hammers.

he prefers night to day. Especially when there's a full moon out.

In conclusion, stan sokka

[redrobin-detective]

relieved, with honors

A Fire Lord’s duty is to his people; Zuko seeks out the last Fire Nation soldiers of the Hundred Year War to send them home

__________

“The candles, my Lord,” Uncle said, bowing reverently as he presented the beautifully crafted red candles atop a silver platter with golden silk. Zuko squirmed a bit in his formal robes, aware of all the eyes on him, both friendly and hostile; still trying to orient to the bitter cold of the North.

“You don’t have to-,” Zuko began softly but Uncle silently chastened him with a look. Zuko was the Lord of Fire, he was above every Fire Nation citizen, including the uncle who made him into the man he is today. This was a solemn event, long overdue, and he needed to give the moment the ceremony it deserved. Three long difficult years have passed since the War’s end. Peace was here, on shaky lamb-fawn’s legs, but holding steady thanks to the collective efforts of the World. The North Pole was hosting their annual celebration for the sacrifice of Princess Yue to become the Moon Spirit. 

While he mourned and thanked the white haired Princess he’d regretfully only seen in passing; Zuko’s heart couldn’t help but ache for the men and women just miles away; lying cold at the bottom of the ocean with no way to reach Agni’s light. He’d brought it up, hesitantly, during the first celebration and was barely spoken to the following few days. The second he’d managed to get Aang involved and they’d wrestled a bitter acceptance for the following year. Now it was the last night of the celebration, the Moon had received her tributes. Finally, Zuko was allowed to lay his nation’s soldiers to rest.

He untucked his hands from his long, cumbersome sleeves and gripped the sides of the platter as he carefully walked up the steps to the top of the main wall of the North Water Tribe. From there, he could look out into the vast ocean where hundreds of his countrymen had met their watery end at the hands of the Ocean Spirit. Aang’s delicate, barely there footsteps could be heard following him only because the air was so stagnantly silent. They’d both debated if Aang should participate or not, if it was disrespectful for the power that killed them to be present. In the end, they both agreed that Aang was the Avatar, the man who was to bring balance to the whole world, and that included the Fire Nation. 

They reached the top far too quickly and it took all his concentration to keep his hands from shaking and spilling the sacred candles everywhere. In a way, it’d been easy to debate the morality of Aang’s involvement so to distract him from the legitimacy of his. He was the 21 year old Fire Lord, the youngest by far for almost 2 centuries, who’d betrayed himself and his nation several times throughout his life. He was scarred, he was awkward; still lashed out sometimes when he ought to hold his tongue and still cried when he ought to be strong. Most importantly, he had borne witness to the Ocean Spirit’s rampage, had seen the ships fall victim to the waves and disappear from sight. The Fire Lord was said to be the father and protector of the entire nation, would the restless dead respect his slightly ill-gotten authority? Why should they when he had been unable to save their lives in the first place? The crown had never felt so ill-fitting on his head. He swallowed down bitter, haunting memories that remind him of the lost 41st division and carried on.

Zuko knelt to the ground and gently plucked one candle and placed it on the cold, hard ice. Each candle bore the name and number of a ship that had gone down, 15 large candles for the Imperial class ships and 9 smaller ones for the battle cruisers. He turned the writing towards the open ocean his rough fingers lightly ghosting along the wax, blessed by the Fire Sages prior to the journey, before moving on to the next candle. 

“Should we help him?” He heard Aang whisper to Uncle off to the side. The three of them are up near the front while 28 Imperial Fire Benders stand at attention behind them. He’s sure the rest of their friends are down below in the crowd somewhere but only fire benders were up on the wall.

“No, this is something Zuko must do alone. The Fire Lord was once the head sage, though we have since forgotten our roots, Zuko still has spiritual blood running through him.” Uncle answered, sounding far more confidant than Zuko felt. “Besides, every Fire Nation citizens answers first to their lord, Only the Fire Lord can properly lay them to rest.” If Zuko weren’t so focused on making sure each candle was perfectly aligned, he’d snap at them to stop gossiping but thankfully they became quiet afterwards. Soon, all the candles were laid out. The last rays of sunlight were sinking into the sea, that magical time of day between light and dark, life and death. 

“Today,” Zuko pronounced loudly with his back to the audience still facing the ocean, “we lay to rest the loyal members of the Fire Nation Navy who lost their lives during the Hundred Years War.” No one said a word, no one shuffled or sighed, all ears on Zuko’s next words. “We cannot condone what they were here to do but we respect the love they had for their country and the loss of their fire in pursuit of what they believed was right.” He took a deep breath and forced his hand still to light the first candle.

“We light these memorial candles not just to honor of their sacrifice but also to tell them their fight is over; with these flames I give my thanks and relieve each of their duty. For them, the war ends today.” At last the final candle is lit and in the fading light of the sun, they cast eerie shadows against the ice and his robes as they twist in the wind. He gazed one last time at the ocean and bowed at far as was appropriate which still felt so inadequate. Behind him, there was the confused whispering and the quick rustle of the Fire Nation citizens seeking to bow lower than their Lord. 

“I, Fire Lord Zuko, 47th Fire Lord of the Modern Age, Keeper of the Eternal Flame and Agni’s representation on Earth here by release the souls of the dead. May the candles guide them into Angi’s light where they may burn forever in the realm of our ancestors. Go with peace and go with honor, you are relieved.” Still in his half bow, Zuko kept his eyes squeezed shut, hoping that his words (practiced for hours and hours and hours in a mirror because he just had to get them right) were enough. That he was enough. 

“Oh,” he heard Uncle choke out behind him and Zuko hesitantly raised his head. At first he thought he was seeing things but it seemed as if there were dozens of little stars floating above the water. Soon more followed, floating upwards towards the setting sun. Mixed in the unnameable colors of the sky was an immeasurable amount of little lights, little clusters of souls leaving the ocean and flying towards the sun where they belonged. He pulled his eyes from the sky to turn and see both Uncle and Aang openly weeping with silent awe, even beyond the wall he could see the faceless people below him wiping at their faces. He turned back to the beautiful image of light returning to light, to burn and be reborn into new Fire Benders, this time, who would live in a war without war. The familiar pain in his left eye told him he’d started crying as well but maybe that was alright. They had been sentenced to die by a Fire Lord who hadn’t cared whether they made it back or not and laid to rest by a Fire Lord who wept for them. Maybe there was hope in this world after all.

Aang approached him from behind and laid a hand on his shoulder. He said nothing to Zuko but the monk was muttering something under his breath, a prayer or perhaps an apology. Either way he thinks his friend’s shoulders will be less tense the next time they come to the North Pole. They stay like that for a long while, past the setting of the sun and the disbursement of most of the crowd. They stay watching the candles burn down to the quick, to the very last light making its way towards the sky. Their leader and balance of the world, watching and blessing their journey the whole way. 

[araeph]

I think Sokka's quest for identity is one of the most interesting things about him. What it means to be a man, to be useful and to be acknowledged is an interesting central conflict for a supporting character. What do you think S3 Sokka believes it takes to be a man. I think he's learnt to intercede and mediate issues in his family and to make tough choices. What else can you think of?

Sokka: Now men,it’s important that you show no fear when you face a firebender. In the WaterTribe, we fight to the last man standing. For without courage, how can we callourselves men?

Anotherexcellent question! Sokka’s quest for identity is intrinsically linked to hisquest for manliness, because if you’ll recall, Sokka was not able to become aman by Water Tribe custom before he was nominally put in charge of the tribe:

Bato: How aboutyou, Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice-dodging?Katara: He never got to go. Dad left before he was old enough.Bato: Oh, I forgot, you were too young.Aang: What’s ice-dodging?Bato: It’s a rite of passage for young water tribe members.

But while Katara was helping with the chores, keeping her familytogether and helping to deliver babies, Sokka was left adrift, without apaternal example to emulate for two of his teenage years. War never came to hisdoorstep, so he resorts to “training” the kindergarten crowd. And notice thatKatara (and likely the other members of his tribe) don’t take this seriously:

Katara: Ugh, I’membarrassed to be related to you! Ever since Mom died I’ve been doing all thework around camp while you’ve been off playing soldier!

Playing soldier.Katara’s right: that’s exactly what Sokka has been doing, because therigid gender expectations of being a man don’t allow him to do anything else.Once Aang arrives and upends Sokka’s world, his identity as a would-be mancollides with the reality of the war and the people around him.

The Four Partsof Being a Man (by Sokka)

1. Leader

Sokka : Iknow you all want to fly, but my instincts tell me we should play it safe thistime and walk.Katara: Who made you the boss?Sokka: I’m not the boss—I’m the leader.Katara : You’re the leader? But your voice still cracks!Sokka: I’m the oldest and I’m a warrior. So…I’m the leader!

Katara: You’rehurt. Badly. You can’t fight anymore. Hakoda: Everyone’s counting on me to lead this mission, Katara. Iwon’t let them down.  Sokka: Can’t you heal him any faster? Katara: I’m doing everything I can. Sokka: I’ll do it.Katara: No offense Sokka but you’re not exactly Mr. Healing Hands.Sokka: No.  I’ll lead the invasion force. Katara: Don’t be crazy, Sokka.Sokka: Maybe I am a little crazy but the eclipse is about to start andwe need to be up that volcano by the time it does.Hakoda:  You can do this. I’m proud of you, son. Katara: I still think you’re crazy but I’m proud of you too. 

Sokka’s father is the chief, so it makes sense that being a man impliesbeing a leader. But before his adventure, Sokka has only a nebulous idea ofwhat that really means. Worse, he seems to think that being a man makes him aleader, instead of being a leader making him a man. When he first tries toassert his authority in “Jet”, he is met with ridicule:

Aang: Walking stinks!How do people go anywhere without a flying bison?Katara: I don’t know Aang. Why don’t you ask Sokka’s instincts—theyseem to know everything.Sokka: Ha ha. Very funny.Aang: I’m tired of carrying this pack.Katara: You know who you should ask to carry it for a while?Sokka’s Instincts!Aang: That’s a great idea! Hey, Sokka’s Instincts, would you mind—Sokka: Okay, okay—I get it.

As so often happens, Sokka has to adapt to the situation. “Jet” is abouta boy who, although a good leader in most senses, leads his team astray intomurder and mayhem. Sokka, even though he is a novice, realizes innocent livesare on the line and warns the townspeople before the dam explodes. He didn’texpect to be a leader at the moment, but he didn’t fail when it really mattered.Throughout the series, his tactical and strategic successes accumulate untilthe entire GAang relies on him to plan their missions. And on “The Day of BlackSun”, despite his fumbling speech beforehand, Sokka takes the reins of themission and performs admirably.

Aang: It’s over.The Fire Lord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he’llbe safe during the eclipse.Sokka: No. My instincts tell me he wouldn’t go too far. He would have asecret bunker. Somewhere he could go so it’ll be safe during a siege but stillbe close enough to lead his nation.Toph: If it’s an underground secret bunker we’re looking for, I’m justthe girl to find it. 

No one’s laughing at Sokka’s instinctsnow.

2. Protector

Katara :Sokka, you’re making a mistake. Sokka: No! I’m keeping my promise to Dad. I’m protecting you fromthreats like him! 

Illusion Yue: You didn’t protect me.

Sokka’smother was murdered when he was very young, and there was nothing he could doabout it. He knows from how devastated his father was and how driven he becameto help the war effort that being a man must mean protecting people—especially the women in your life. Sokkaprotects Katara on multiple occasions from threats real (Jet, Mai) and imagined(Aang, Appa). Protecting Katara is his way of protecting the mother he couldn’tsave as a boy. And his inability to protect Yue from sacrificing herself cutshim deeply. He overcompensates by trying to shield Suki from everything:

Suki:  Look,I know you’re just trying to help, but I can take care of myself. Sokka: I know you can. Suki: Then why are you acting so over protective?Sokka: It’s so hard to lose someone you care about.  Somethinghappened at the North Pole, and I couldn’t protect someone. I don’t wantanything like that to ever happen again.

In the end,Sokka learns how to be protect the people he cares about without stifling them.His shielding of Toph in the finale is very similar to his protecting Katara inthe pilot:

But there’sone key difference: in the pilot, Sokka thought of Katara as someone who ismore in need of protection as a girl. In the finale, Sokka recognizes that Tophcan’t see the falling shards of metal, but respects her fighting ability overand over:

Sokka: Did Imention how sweet it was that you invented metalbending?

Sokka: I am soglad we added you to the group!

3. Warrior

Even morethan being a leader, being a warrior defines being a man in the Water Tribe.And no wonder; with decades of being raided by the ruthless Fire Nation, andwaterbenders being increasingly scarce, the South would have had to rely moreand more on brute strength to drive off the invaders. A warrior is also the onething Sokka is most insecure about because it implies a certain skillset thathe was too young to receive full training in. Not to mention, his sister is awaterbender and he is not. Witness this exchange from “The Warriors of Kyoshi”:

Sokka:  Whoare you? Where are the men who ambushed us? Suki:  There were no men. We ambushed you. Nowtell us, who are you and what are you doing here? Sokka:  Wait a second, there’s no way that a bunch of girls took usdown. 

Althoughgender roles are fairly rigid in the Southern Water Tribe, the Sokka from thevery beginning of the series feels an especially constant need to reinforce being awarrior as a “manly” pursuit and puts Katara down for being a girl. I am remindedof Iroh’s speech to Zuko:

Iroh: Prince Zuko,pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source.

Iroh: Truehumility is the only antidote to shame.

Sokka’s status as a nonbender is oftena source of shame for him. He is treated differently by bending masters:

Master Pakku: Sokka. Take care, son. 

And even his own teammates:

Toph: We can take‘em. Three on three.Sokka: Actually, Toph, there’s four of us.Toph: Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t count you. You know, no bending and all.Sokka:  I can still fight!Toph: Okay. Three on three plus Sokka.

This leads him to act proud of hismanliness, an attribute that he needs no training or bending to have. He eventries to get Aang to act “manlier” and not answer to “Twinkletoes”. In the end,though, he confesses the truth about how he feels:

Sokka: Look, Iappreciate the effort, but the fact is each of you is so amazingand so special, and I’m not. I’m just the guy in the groupwho’s regular. 

But Sokka isspecial, and as the series goes on, he proves his mettle with a balance ofoutlandish inventiveness and logical practicality:

Sokka: See, theproblem with the old war balloon was you could get it airborne, but once youdid, it just kept going.  You could put a hole in the top, but then allthe hot air would escape. So the question became, how do you keep a lid on hotair? Katara: Ugh, if only we knew. Sokka: A lid is actually the answer. If you control the hot air, youcontrol the war balloon.  Katara: Hmm. That’s actually pretty smart. 

Sokka: I need a plan of this machine. Some schematics that showwhat the inside looks like. Then we can find it’s weak points.��Aang: Where are we gonna get something like that What are youdoing! Someone’s gonna hear us! Sokka:  That’s the point. I figure a machine this big needsengineers to run it, and when something breaks…Katara: They come to fix it. 

He overcomes his insecurities as a warrior by being true to himself.

Piandao: Sokka,when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself.But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lionturtle, and twice as big. And as we trained, it wasn’t your skills thatimpressed me.  No, it certainly wasn’t your skills.  You showedsomething beyond that.  Creativity, versatility, intelligence… these arethe traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that defineyou.  You told me you didn’t know if you were worthy, but I believe thatyou are more worthy than any man I have ever trained. 

4. Father

Sokka can show how brave he is, how creativehe is, and how much of a leader he’s become. But in the end, he measures hisidentity as a man by his father’s example:

Aang:Sokka, that speech wasn’t your moment of truth. That was just publicspeaking and nobody’s really good at that.Sokka: My Dad is. He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone.Like a real leader should. Aang: Look, your moment of truth isn’t going to be in front of some map.It’s going to be out there, on the battlefield. 

Unlike with Zuko, Sokka’s confidence in hisfather is fully justified. As he grows and matures, he becomes, not a copy ofhis father, but his own person. He learns that he can be a warrior withoutputting others down, and he can assert authority without being pigheaded. Hecan trust in his own abilities, regardless of how skilled everyone else isaround him. And Hakoda validates Sokka’s identity in every respect.

As a protector:

Hakoda: Sokka…Sokka: I’m coming with you.Hakoda: You’re not old enough to go to war, Sokka, you know that.Sokka: I’m strong! I’m brave! I can fight! Please, Dad!Hakoda: Being a man is knowingwhere you’re needed the most, and for you right now that’s here protecting yoursister.Sokka: I don’t understand.Hakoda: Someday you will. I’m going to miss you so much.

As a warrior:

Hakoda: Ready togo knock some Fire Nation heads?Sokka:  You don’t know how much this means to me dad. I’ll make youproud, and I’ll finally prove to you what a great warrior I am.Hakoda:  Sokka, you don’t have to prove anything to me.  I’m already proud of you, and I’ve alwaysknown you were a great warrior.Sokka: Really?Hakoda: Why do you think I trusted you to look after our tribe when Ileft?

As a leader:

Sokka:No. I’ll lead the invasion force. Katara: Don’t be crazy, Sokka.Sokka: Maybe I am a little crazy but the eclipse is about to start andwe need to be up that volcano by the time it does.Hakoda:  You can do this.I’m proud of you, son. 

And as a man.

Hakoda: Bato, getthese mines loaded up. The rest of you men, prepare for battle!  Sokka: Uh, what should I do, Dad?Hakoda: Aren’t you listening? I said the rest of you men get ready for battle.

Sokka willbe a fantastic father to his own children someday, no matter what LOK might imply.

[nyangibun]

Zutara: Day 5 - Distance

So this is 1000 years late but I’m determined to do every single prompt so here we go. Better late than never!  This is a continuation of Day 2′s Eve and Day 3′s A New Year. 

Part 1 | Part 2 | Ao3 Link

They aren’t dating. In fact, they aren’t even speaking.

Katara should have known better. One brief passionate kiss on a balcony hardly meant they were going to end up together – yet she had still hoped, still yearned deep into the night that he would sail to the South Pole to beg for her back. He never came though, and the days quickly turned to months as Katara found a bitter sort of acceptance that he didn’t love her anymore. The only thing left to do is move on. Maybe in a few years, Katara would be over the young Fire Lord. Maybe then, she could fall in love with someone more attainable, someone less confusing and infuriating.

Only she has spent nearly three years in love with the man. All efforts at trying to get over him had been pointless. Now that she knows what his lips taste like or how his body feels against hers, how could Katara ever hope to move on?

It’s impossible. It’s absurd. It’s –

“Master Katara?”

Her eyes snap to her right and she blushes furiously when she realises she hasn’t been paying attention to a single thing the council has been saying. Katara bows her head in remorse. “I must apologise. I am simply not feeling… like myself today.”

Chief Arnook nods in understanding and concern. “That is most unfortunate. Why don’t we adjourn for the day? We can reconvene tomorrow and talk about the logistics of this centre then. It has been a long journey and I am sure my men are most eager to eat and rest.”

“Of course,” Katara says, and as the entire council stands, she dutifully falls in line behind her father and Sokka when they exit the tent.

The wind curls deeply around her, nipping at any exposed skin it can find, as soon as the tent door flaps shut behind her. It has been months since the New Year’s party, and although it is July, the frigid temperature seems determined to stay. This isn’t abnormal for the South Pole but it is the coldest summer anyone has faced in a long time. Katara wraps her parka tightly around her body and heads for the cluster of tents in the back where the women are cooking. Although her reputation as a master waterbender has helped open doors for other female waterbenders, deep-rooted tradition and culture is hard to uproot. Most non-bending women are still expected to cook, clean and care for the house as the men deal with everything else. Katara is determined to change that, but she also knows patience is key here.

The walk is thankfully quiet but harder to do against the biting winds. Her braid whips against her face as she tries to trudge on, but when Katara steps on a thin sheen of ice, she loses her footing and nearly goes crashing into the snow. She is saved when a rough hand grabs her forearm and steadies her. Tanned skin and bright crystal blue eyes meet her own as she rights herself back up.

“Are you alright?”

“Um…” Katara breathes out. Every man in the Southern Water Tribe is older than her and usually much older than her. The only one even remotely close to her age is Sokka and he’s her brother. This man staring back at her is certainly not her brother and certainly not middle-aged. “I’m fine. I’m… okay. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” he says with a booming chuckle. “I couldn’t let the legendary Master Katara fall flat on her face. I’d be kicked out of the tribe if I let that happen!”

She chuckles, blushing at his words and hating herself for being so susceptible to a handsome man’s compliment. “I’m not legendary.”

“You beat the Fire Princess and you helped the Avatar save the world. I think that’s pretty legendary,” he tells her seriously, but there’s a twinkle in his eyes that suggests he’s flirting with her. Now that is definitely something she’s not used to. At least not in recent years.

“I… Um, who are you?”

“Oh, where are my manners! I’m Shodo. I came with Chief Arnook,” he says brightly, and offers her his hand.

Katara shakes it and nods. “I see. You’re here to help build the waterbending centre? That must mean you’re a waterbender too.”

“Yes, but I’m sure I’m not quite as good as you are, Master Katara,” Shodo says with a slight bow but the twinkling is still there and she’s beginning to realise these compliments are only there to stroke her ego.

“You wouldn’t be here with Chief Arnook if you weren’t good, Shodo,” Katara says evenly. She may not be used to flirting but she knows better than to fall for false compliments. Besides, Shodo is much too narrow for her taste. Now that she’s really looking, his nose is also too round and his jaw is too wide. He’s not that handsome after all. Definitely not her type.

“I can’t possibly compare to the beautiful –”

Thankfully his words are cut short as shouts are heard from further in the village. Katara doesn’t spare a glance for Shodo before she starts racing towards the noise. The alarm hasn’t been raised so that’s a good sign, but there’s still fear and panic in the eyes of her people, so Katara bends a thin sliver of water to her side just in case.

As she reaches the water’s edge, Katara sees the Fire Nation vessel and skids to a stop. Shodo, who has been running right behind her, stumbles into her back until they’re both sprawled on the snow. Her cheek is resting against the cold ground as she’s kept down by the weight of Shodo on top of her. She tries to move but he’s too heavy. Katara could fling him off with a simple flick of her wrist but that wouldn’t do for the relations between the North and the South.

“Uh, Shodo? Can you please get off of me?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry! Okay, here, let me just…”

Katara feels him shift his body but then he slips and tumbles back on top of her. “Shodo!”

“Sorry, Katara. It’s slippery!”

A pair of black curled toe boots come into view from where she’s lying. Someone coughs roughly before Shodo is being yanked off of her and thrown several feet away. She can tell by the way the snow crunches under his weight and also by the loud yelp of pain as he lands with a thud.

Once back on her feet, Katara glances towards her saviour, ready to thank him, when she jumps away in surprise. “Zuko! What are –”

“Can we talk in private?” he asks, cutting her off.

For a second, all Katara can do is stare. He seems older than when she last saw him. The aristocratic slope of his nose seems more pronounced, his jaw more angular, and that’s when she realises how gaunt he looks. Zuko has lost weight. Even his broad shoulders have slimmed in the past few months. The urge to rest a hand to his scarred cheek and comfort him is overwhelming, but the pained look in his eyes is enough to stop her. Instead, Katara rests both of her hands on either hip and scowls. “Why? So you can kiss me again and leave without a word for seven months? Seven months, Zuko!”

He rubs his face and looks down. “I know. I’m sorry, Katara. I really am but I can explain.”

 “Is that why you’re here? To explain yourself? You know a letter works just as well!”

“Please, Katara, just let me –”

“No, you had seven months to explain yourself! You could’ve written. You could’ve done anything but you let me sit here thinking – well, you know what? It’s too late, Zuko!”

By now, they have gathered quite a crowd and Katara is distantly aware that her father and brother are also somewhere in this crowd. She doesn’t care anymore though. She’s too hurt, too angry to bother with keeping quiet.

“You’re lying,” Zuko points out, as his eyes flicker back to hers. “You still love me.”

“How dare you!” she shouts, incensed by the sheer arrogance of him – even if he is right. “I don’t and I regret ever thinking I was!”

Zuko smirks and takes a step forward. Katara instinctively steps back. This only makes him smirk even wider. “Why don’t I believe you?”

“I don’t care if you don’t believe me. That’s the truth.”

“Katara,” he says as he inches closer. “Do you know how hard it was for me not to jump into that boat with you? Not to commandeer my fastest ship and sail after you?”

“Why didn’t you?” she snaps.

“Because we found another rebel faction,” Zuko explains. “And then I had to go to Ba Sing Se to talk with King Kuei about reparations. Then I had to oversee the creation of another factory mill. Then I had to attend council meetings.” He inhales deeply and shakes his head. “There is so much that comes with being Fire Lord. There is never a moment to myself. I was sleeping three, four hours a night, Katara. I shouldn’t have been able to function as I did. But I suppose I didn’t.

On a routine checkup around one of the poorer districts in the Fire Nation, we were attacked and I was so tired I didn’t see him coming. He had me pinned down in seconds, a knife in my stomach. And as I laid there, bleeding out onto the street, you know what I was thinking?”

When Katara doesn’t respond, Zuko continues with a rueful smile.

“I was thinking about how I should have just gone after you. How it didn’t matter if I made the Fire Nation the most successful nation in the world. At the end of the day, no matter how much I love my country and my people, I love you more.”

There’s a muffled sniffle from behind Katara but she’s too focused on Zuko to really notice. It’s the most she’s ever heard him speak without addressing a room full of diplomats. It’s the most sincere she’s ever seen him. It’s made it hard for her to stay angry. She was so determined to finally push him out of her life once and for all, but Katara should’ve known that she would never have been able to do that. Zuko is as much apart of her as she is apart of him.

“Zuko, I –”

“Oh, kiss him, Katara! If you don’t, I will!”

Zuko’s face flushes a bright red, his eyes going comically wide.

“Sokka, shut up!”

But she doesn’t need to be told twice. In one quick move, Katara has her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her lips pressed up against his. She pours every roll and swell of her emotions into the kiss and delighting when she feels Zuko reciprocate it in every way. When they finally break apart, Katara notices they are suddenly alone.

“I guess we grossed them out,” she says, blushing.

Zuko touches her cheek with a gentle stroke of his finger. “Nothing gross about what we just did.”

“Probably gross for Sokka though. And my dad!”

“Katara, can we not talk about your family while I’m thinking about all the ways I want to kiss you?” he asks with a roll of his eyes. “It’s really distracting.”

She blushes again. “Okay, um... what other ways do you want kiss me?”

Zuko smirks, and this time, she feels only desire curl in the pit of her stomach instead of anger. “How about you accept my job offer and I’ll show you?”

“What offer?” Katara asks, pulling back slightly from his embrace to look at him. “What kind of job?”

“Come back to the Fire Nation with me. Be an ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe,” Zuko says carefully, golden eyes studying her for her reaction. “Be my trusted advisor.”

“Zuko, you’re asking me to leave my home. My people.”

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Zuko acknowledges with a sigh. “But for nearly three years, I’ve wandered around wondering why nothing feels quite right when everything I have ever wanted has happened. I had my honour back, I had friends, I had Mai back, but none of it mattered somehow.”

“Because you still couldn’t help feeling something was missing,” Katara finishes for him. She knows the feeling all too well.

“Yes,” he nods. “I don’t want to be without you again. I need you.”

The answer is on the tip of her tongue. It’s what she wants. It’s what she’s wanted for nearly three years but could she really do it? Could she really leave her home behind for a man? That’s not like her.

“It’s a job offer, Katara,” Zuko reminds her again. “I’m not just asking because I need you. The Fire Nation needs you too. You’ve done more for us than most of my advisors combined. You know how to talk to people. You wouldn’t be going just for me. And think of all you could do for the Southern Water Tribe there too.”

“November.”

“What?”

“I need four months to help finish building the waterbending centre and get everything settled with the new teachers,” Katara says to him firmly. “Four months.”

“Does that mean…”

“I love you, don’t I?” Katara rolls her eyes before she’s throwing herself back into his arms, kissing him as fiercely as she did before. “I’m going wherever you’re going, Fire Lord.”

“Good,” Zuko says between kisses. “Because I love you too.”

[redrobin-detective]

Random ATLA Headcanons

(most of them involving Zuko sorry)

- Zuko's scar ended up very symbolic in the Fire Nation. For most of his life, it was a source of shame and disgrace. But after the war ended, when people realized peace was possible and they learned the true horrors of what the Fire Royals had been up to, that changed. The scar became a symbol of standing up for your beliefs no matter the personal cost. Protesters from all over the world would smear red paint across their left eye to show their support of their causes. Zuko was stunned but extremely touched, his mark of shame became a mark of honor. The practice outlived Zuko and became part of the culture, a lot don't even remember what it was from, only that red paint across the eye meant that they would not let tyranny stand in the way of peace.

- We know Azula was born insanely talented but that almost meant she had a harder time controlling her fire as a child. It was so powerful, it often got out of control. She sleep bent all the time and accidently burnt things far too often. Ursa/Zuko helped comfort her when she was upset but it was Ozai who taught her to channel her fire, to concentrate all her wild energy into a hotter, blue flame. Azula constantly feared losing control, of herself and of her things, because of this and is a major reason why those betrayals hurt so much and led to her downfall.

- Azula never recovered from her mental breakdown, she had good days of clarity in which she cursed Zuko and Team Avatar and swore that she would have revenge. But she also had a great many bad days when all she could do was scream and writhe on the floor. The instability had been seeded in her since childhood, once she started down that road she shattered completely. Zuko made efforts to get her help but also recognized that their father left scars he could not see nor heal. She died young, in her 30's, but Zuko kept her comfortable until the end.

- Azula actually did care for Zuko, she thought he was a weakling and a bit pathetic but she had pleasurable moments with him from her childhood. She was being sincere in her offer for Zuko to come home because she honestly did miss having him around (even if it was just to torment and manipulate him but that's practically how Azula shows affection). Ozai had been highly suspicious and initially wanted to throw Zuko in prision once he was back in the Fire Nation. It was Azula who praised Zuko's ruthlessness and gave him credit for the Avatar's death. Azula had no inkling that Aang might still be alive, she did it to change their father's mind. After Zuko betrayed, the first cracks in Azula's madness began to show, worsened by the fact that Ozai punished her heartily for convincing him to trust Zuko.

- After burning his child, Ozai denied Zuko any real treatment other than was needed to keep him alive. As such, Zuko's burn is much worse than it really should be, physically not just aesthetically. Uncle helped but without skill and materials there wasn't a lot he could do. He can still see out of the eye but not terribly well. He can't open the eye all the way, but he also can't close it right either. He can cry out of it but the tearducts were badly damaged and make tears painful. While the skin is pretty much dead and desensitized, there's a vague low-level hurt that Zuko has become accustomed to. Once he got on better terms with Katara, she bugged him until she let him look at his eye. She was horrified at the unrepaired damage and set on fixing the internal workings. She helped clear his vision a bit, soften the delicate skin around his eye and take away some of the pain. Zuko was so immensely grateful he started, to his embarrassment, to cry and cried harder when he realized it didn't hurt any more.

- Aang's death was a long, slow process. He was only about 70 when he died but he seemed much older. 100 years in suspended animation in the iceberg took it's toll. He went grey long before the others and he started to physically and mentally decline around age 50 or 60. When he did pass, everyone was sad but also a little relieved that the cheerful boy who liked riding penguins was finally free from his degenerating mind and body.

- Katara didn't truly consider Zuko a friend until months after the end of the war. She forgave him and then finally trusted him after he took lightening for her but as an actual friend, her care and affection took longer. The foundation was in the months following his coronation as Katara had to keep healing him and they bonded a lot, by the time the year anniversary came around, she was as close to Zuko as she was with the others.

- Toph never really reconciled with her parents. She felt guilty for what happened and for hurting them but any time she made a (half-hearted, brash) attempt to bridge the gap they insisted that she come home and be a good girl. She became bitter and resentful of their controlling nature and began avoiding them altogether. She continued to use the surname Bei Fong to rub it in their faces. Her daughters only saw their grandparents a few times because neither they nor Toph could accept each other faults.

- Katara became a social activist after the war. She and Aang, now married, travelled a lot together and separately saving whoever they could and spreading peace. Once the kids came along, Katara needed to stay home for longer periods of time but she still travelled when she could and still fought the good fight. When they were older, the kids would accompany Aang and Katara on their travels. This kept up for many years until Aang/Sokka's death in which she decided she wanted to go back to the Southern Water Tribe and devote herself to being a healer. She laughed when she heard the next Avatar was born close to her home and she knew that she could never really stop. 

- One of the many, many reasons Zuko and Sokka became the ultimate best bros is that Zuko also enjoyed tinkering with machines. He wasn't nearly as creative and inventive as Sokka but he was knowledgeable on mechanics from his years at sea and pretty good at math. On lazy days, Sokka would come up with wild ideas and Zuko would do the calculations and begin building.  

- But seriously, Zuko and Sokka are the actual best friends to ever friend. They hang out whenever possible which is never as often as they want but when they do meet up it's like they never seperated. Sokka has so much sway over the Fire Lord that some people joke he should be made a council member, which he eventually is to many people's distain. They remained best friends until the day Sokka died.

- The Gang didn't find out that it was Ozai who gave Zuko his mark until the hearing where Ozai was sentenced for his war crimes. Zuko tried to stop it but Iroh insisted that Ozai be held accountable for, what Iroh considered, his most despicable crime. There was a lot of hugs and tears from the Gang and Zuko was just super uncomfortable. Over the next few weeks, Ozai received quite a few visitors and was taught lesson after lesson one what happened to those who messed with a member of Team Avatar.

- Zuko actually came really close to dying from Azula's lightening. There was a lot of damage and Katara and other healers worked full time on Zuko for days to keep him alive. He almost slipped a few times but Katara (and eventually the rest of the Gang when they arrived) would yell and plead and he'd come back. It was tense for a few days but finally he stabilized. When he was conscious again, he was legitimately shocked at how concerned and relieved the Avatar and his friends (now Zuko's friends) were that he was ok.

- Sokka died fairly early, non-benders don't live nearly as long as benders. I'd place his death a few years after Aang who also died very young for a bender and an Avatar. He was mourned across the world for his heroism and bravery. He was at the North Pole when he died, his friends seeking care from the best healers in a futile attempt to try and save him. When he passed, the full moon darkened for a full minute before coming back brighter than before. They were immeasurably sad but they knew that Yue and Sokka had once again reunited.

- Once they found Ursa (ignoring the Search, Zuko just found and tracked her down and brought her back to the Palace), Katara grew close with her. Katara was immeasurably excited for Zuko to be reunited with his mother but also jealous. She tried to be supportive and wound up really liking Ursa. She was kind and gentle but also strong enough to murder a Fire Lord for her children. Ursa reminded her a lot of Kya and Katara soon looked to her as a pseudo-mother figure to help her when she was struggling.

- Likewise, Hakoda became another paternal figure in Zuko's life. Iroh was great and wonderful, Zuko's true parent who deserves that honor, but Hakoda thinks that a boy needs to learn other things. Whenever Zuko was at the South Pole, Hakoda would take Zuko out on trips, teach him to fish and hunt and do all the things the men of the village are expected to do. It's hard and he's not very good at it, but Zuko learns these skills. More importantly, Hakoda gave Zuko advice that maybe Iroh couldn't give, served as a younger, slightly more accessible adult man for Zuko to turn to.

- Basically what I'm saying is the Fire Nation Royals and the Southern Water Tribe Chief's family basically adopted each other into their families. The world doesn't quite understand but this is the dawn of a new age where anything is possible.

- Ursa was the one who initially introduced Zuko to swords. She was a master swordswoman herself and, as a non-bender, she needed some way to defend herself. Ozai deemed her swords skills unworthy and so she was forced to practice in secret. Young Zuko would watch her fascinated as she danced and maneuvered her sword with all the grace of a dancer. She taught Zuko the basics before she disappeared and he kept up the training as a way to honor her memory.

- Mai and Ty Lee ended up fitting into the group quite well. It was weird at first but once they stopped thinking about it's like they'd always been there. The two girls really blossomed in a healthy, open group and were able to recover from Azula's abuse. Mai and Zuko could be sickeningly cute and they never seemed happier than when they were with each other. Ty Lee spent most of her time with the Kyoshi Warriors but steadily developed good relationships with the Gaang. She became closest to Aang and Katara (and Zuko of course) and Toph and Sokka found themselves drawn to Mai's dry, cutting sense of humor. A gathering never felt complete without the two of them there.

- Ty Lee visited Azula whenever she was in the Fire Nation, apologizing for the betrayal (recognizing that it was a significant reason why Azula broke) and trying to help repair Azula's mind. It never helped and more often than not Ty Lee left in tears but, like Zuko, she persisted in visiting. Mai never saw Azula again after their last encounter at the Boiling Rock. She said she'd suffered enough at Azula's hands and had no desire to see her again. She knows Zuko is a little upset at the curt dismissal but Mai will never forgive the Fire Princess for everything that happened.

- Toph adopted Zuko as her big brother pretty early on. She stomped her foot one day and declared that Azula wouldn't accept him then Toph was going to steal Zuko away. The boy was confused but found he genuinely enjoyed having a younger sister to tease and dote on and carry around again. Toph would always burst into the Fire Nation Palace and demand to see her big brother, even when they were both old and grey.