#and didn't wait for iroh to answer

[goldenavenger02]

you'll be alright (no one can hurt you now)

For @badthingshappenbingo Prompt: Hiding An Injury

Hakoda wasn't going to bring it up to any of the teens, but he had a sinking feeling that the week would not be as fun-filled as Aang was hoping.

If Hakoda was being honest with himself, he wasn't completely sure when he started seeing the former prince, now Fire Lord, not as an adversary but as one of the kids.

It would make sense if it had started after he accompanied his own son to save him, as well as Suki, from the Boiling Rock; Hakoda, who had to fight the urge to reprimand the then sixteen year old for putting himself in danger after finding out about the cooler.

But to him, he was more confident that it had been around the time of the coronation; when he saw just how broken Sokka's leg was and heard the tale of how the young Fire Lord had nearly died in order to save Katara's life.

Hakoda knew that he could not stay in the Fire Nation forever, nor did he want to when he finally had the chance to be with his children after the long, miserable years without them.

But he would have been lying if he had said that the reason he had postponed his return to the South Pole wasn't so he could be confident that the teenager wouldn't reinjure himself within a few days of that crown being nestled into his hair.

He should have known that he would be promoted to Head Chieftain upon his return to Wolf Cove, which ended up taking away more time from Katara and Sokka then he would have liked; it didn't make him feel any less guilty that they were simultaneously being pulled across the nations and into more danger then he ever wanted them in again despite the war being over, all with Aang by their side.

Hakoda liked Aang, it was hard not to get along with someone so happy, kind and understanding as the Avatar himself who also made time to play with the other kids in between all of the stuffy meetings that the teenager was subjected to, but he just wished that he would stay put.

And so, maybe that was why he bit the bullet and sent the letter to the new Fire Lord, extending his invitation to the South Pole; while the rest of the higher ups would want to extensively question the teenager about his priorities, he knew he was being mildly selfish in hoping that the response he received about the visit being confirmed and scheduled would be enough to get his children to stay put for more than a few days.

"Do you think Zuko has ever been penguin sledding?" Aang asked one night at the dinner table while sneaking some of the pieces of his bread to Momo, who had refused to be kicked out and curled up next to Aang's ankles at every meal.

"Do I think Zuko, former prince of the Fire Nation who had a stick so far up his as-" a nudge to Sokka's ribs from Katara, seemingly keeping him from swearing. Sokka skipped over the profanity as if it had never left his mouth, "who spent three years of his life hunting you down and is now so busy as the Fire Lord that I'm lucky if he talks to me for more than five minutes whenever I'm there, has been penguin sledding? Yeah, that's gonna be a hard pass, buddy."

"Gonna put it on the list, then."

"Aang, he's coming for work. Like Sokka said, he's been really busy."

"I know," Aang muttered, seeming more like the thirteen year old that he really was rather than the all-powerful Avatar whose very name made grown men tremble in fear, "but he's going to be here for an entire week. He has to have some free time, right?"

Hakoda could tell by Katara's nod, followed by a quick peck on Aang's cheek, that it was more of a hope than genuine confirmation.

They wouldn't end up waiting a long time for Zuko's arrival, however, when the single airship arrived in the South Pole just a few days later and out walked the Fire Lord along with two guards following behind.

"Fire Lord Zuko, welcome to the South Pole."

"Chief Hakoda," the teenager greeted with perfect posture and a professional smile, "thank you for the invitatio-ooff."

It had been going well until the Avatar himself wrapped the Fire Lord into a bone-crushing hug, followed closely behind by Katara while Sokka went around behind him and dumped the fresh snow down the back of his shirt.

To Hakoda's surprise, however, the guards didn't move despite the onslaught of "Fire Lord Hotman" from Aang, belly laughs from Katara and the snowball fight that broke out between Sokka and Zuko.

"I'm not going to tell you two how to do your job," he started, gaining the older guard's attention before pointing at the group of teenagers, "that being said…"

"I'm just glad it's snow and not leaves this time, Chief Hakoda."

"The autumn equinox in Ba Sing Se was a nightmare for the royal stylist." The younger guard added, still firmly in his post.

He had been a parent for sixteen years, and he knew that sometimes, it was not worth asking for more context.

After a few more minutes, however, the group of four seemingly remembered just why Zuko had arrived and helped him off the ground while he brushed off the excess snow from his clothes.

"My apologies, Chief Hakoda." Zuko bowed in his direction with a bright flush on his cheeks; whether it was from impromptu snowball fight or embarrassment, he couldn't tell.

"Well, that is the most I have seen my daughter laugh in a long time, so consider yourself forgiven." Hakoda was smiling as he wrapped his arm around a still giggling Katara while the Fire Lord stood up, but he could feel it morph into a frown as he noticed just how pale he seemed to be, "anyway, why don't we get some lunch?"

"Yes, I'm starving! You are going to love seal jerky, Zuko!" His son insisted as he wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulder, nearly knocking his knees out from under him due to the lack of tread on the Fire Lord's boots.

Hakoda made a mental note to review how the ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe was supposed to behave in the presence of royalty with Sokka later.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to," Katara added which resulted in a disgruntled sound from her brother, "where's Toph?"

"Oh, she wanted to be here, but then she found out about the climate and I told her that we needed her to keep all of her body parts, and she said, um…" He trailed off, but Hakoda had only needed to speak to the earthbender one time to have a guess what her direct quote was, "well, let's just say she made some very creative threats towards me if I dared to make her wear shoes."

Yeah, Hakoda definitely had an idea about the profanities that had escaped Toph's mouth in response to needing shoes.

"So, I know you have work to do while you're here. But, I've been working on some firebending techniques that I want to get your feedback on, and I've been making a list of activities to do in our free time!"

"Sounds like a plan." Despite the nod and Aang's whoop of excitement, Hakoda winced at just how exhausted Zuko sounded as he spoke.

He had always been more moody and reserved than the others, but now his voice had none of its usual bite now that the adrenaline from the snowball fight had ebbed away. Hakoda wasn't going to bring it up to any of the teens, but he had a sinking feeling that the week would not be as fun-filled as Aang was hoping.

…

Hakoda didn't want to be right.

The meetings had gone better than expected, with Zuko promising that he was doing his best to return all of his military personnel to the Fire Nation as soon as he could without draining the already dwindling economy, as well as helping build up the beginnings of the new trade routes.

In fact, aside from the brief moments of him rubbing at his eyes, Hakoda thought he looked as though he had been able to get some sleep the night before, which ended up being the reason why he allowed Sokka and Katara to postpone their meeting with him and the rest of the council about their specific duties to the tribe.

It wasn't like all of them had been given enough of a chance to relish in their teenage years just like he had done with Bato and Kya at their age. If they wanted to take Zuko penguin sledding that badly, then Hakoda was going to let them.

It even gave him a chance to get to know the guards of the Fire Lord better as they gave him advice about how to better security while he tried, and failed, to pry into any misadventures that his kids had pulled Zuko into.

All in all, as the sun was starting to set over the peaks, Hakoda was about to pat himself on the back for handling this head chieftain promotion pretty damn well, at least until he heard the chatter approaching the house.

"For the last time, let go of me."

"You're still bleeding, Fire Lord Hotman."

"And would you quit it with that? I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

"We don't even need Toph here to know you're lying," Katara's grumble was the loudest as the door to Hakoda's hut swung open to reveal the disastrous consequences of penguin sledding, "hey, dad? A little help?"

Katara, Sokka and Aang had snow on their shoulders and boots and flushed cheeks, but what was more concerning was the Fire Lord sandwiched in between the three of them, with snow caked on his clothes and the red-tinted snow that covered his forehead.

The guards were up before he was, the older one pushing Zuko's snow-covered hair out of the way to get a closer look at the gash on the right side of his head and the younger one asking him various questions to rule out a concussion.

"Qiang, Tao, I'm fine! Seriously, I've gotten worse than this from the turtle ducks."

Hakoda held back a snicker at the whine that interspersed itself with the Fire Lord's voice while he tried to fight off the attention of his guards.

He busied himself with grabbing a clean rag and running it under the warm water from the sink, listening in as the group of three wrangled their friend to sit down in one of the dining chairs.

"The turtle ducks made you smack your head into a tree limb?"

"Sokka, for the last time, it was a branch and all it did was take some of the skin."

"That's still a lot of blood, Zuko."

"It's a head wound, they bleed a lot more. Hold still."

"Katara, don't pull at it!"

"Okay," Hakoda finally spoke up while turning around, getting all six sets of eyes on him despite the fact that his daughter was still trying to get Zuko's hair out of the bloody gash where it had stuck, "unless you are currently in charge of part of one of the four nations, step outside," Hakoda commanded, cutting off his son's question before his hand was even fully in the air, "no, ambassador does not count."

"Damn." Sokka muttered under his breath as he, along with Aang and Katara walked out.

He really needed to review the behavior expected of someone with Sokka's position sooner rather than later.

"Your majesty?" The older guard, Tao, asked, "would you like us to stand guard outside?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Zuko agreed, waiting until his guards were out of the building to practically slump onto the dining room table in exhaustion.

"Are you alright, Fire Lord?" Hakoda asked as he finished wringing out the rag before bringing it and the first aid kit to the dining room table.

"Please just call me Zuko."

"Alright then, but the same goes for you. I wasn't exactly pleased to find out I had been promoted without my knowledge," Hakoda explained before using one hand to tilt his chin upwards and using the other to gently press the cloth against the sticky hair, "sorry if that stings, I just want to get any hair out before it's disinfected."

"It's fine."

"I take it that the penguin sledding didn't go as intended?" Hakoda asked after a few moments.

"What gave it away?"

Hakoda couldn't help but smile at the sarcasm as he deposited the dirty rag onto the table, "well, between the blood and my children along with the Avatar himself holding onto your arms as they brought you in here, just a hunch."

As he spoke, he soaked one of the gauze pads with the disinfectant and pressed it to the gash, unsurprised to see the teenager's knuckles turning white from the strength that he was clenching his fist, "you doing alright?"

He nodded, and stayed silent as Hakoda pulled the gauze away to replace it with a fresh, dry pad that he taped in place; he'd mention something to Katara later, but for now, he knew that he just needed to get Zuko dry now that the snow was melting off of him.

"I'll be right back," he insisted, shutting the first aid kit and picking up the dirty rag, "just gonna get you some dry clothes."

"Thank you, for all of this. If there's anything I can do to repay-"

"None of that," Hakoda insisted, cutting him off with a raised hand, "you are in my territory and you are a friend of Katara and Sokka's. More importantly, their shenanigans put you in this position in the first place. If anything, this is an apology for their actions. No need to repay me."

He quickly went into Sokka's room and grabbed a spare set of clothes before bringing them back to the dining room table only to see Zuko resting his head on his arms.

"Zuko," he called out, setting the folded outfit on the table, "I've got dry clothes for you."

No response.

This had happened with Aang too, the first night he came to the South Pole after the war had ended, only Zuko hadn't fallen asleep face first into a bowl of seaweed stew. Hakoda tried again, his voice a little louder.

"Zuko, you really need to change before you fall asleep for the night. Also, it might be best for your neck not to sleep at the table."

No response again. Hakoda sighed and laid a gentle hand on his left shoulder, "Zuko-"

He didn't expect him to sit up quickly and pull his hand away in sheer determination with golden eyes glowering right at him and fire shining bright in his right palm.

But Hakoda was unable to speak before his wrist was let go and the flames dissipated, the anger turning into deep regret as he stood up and backed away with his hands raised in surrender.

"I am so sorry-"

"Zuko-"

"I've been unprofessional. You have been nothing but welcoming and kind and I nearly-"

"Zuko, it's okay-"

"I nearly killed you."

And Hakoda wasn't going to deny that yes, he could have hurt him, but the seventeen year old had tears in his eyes as he backed himself into the corner over being woken up unexpectedly.

"Zuko, take a deep breath," Hakoda instructed, managing to lock eyes with the teenager while taking a step forward, "It's okay. No one got hurt."

"I almost-"

"Almost, not did. I'm fine, you are fine and everyone else was sent out. We're all okay," he wasn't surprised by Zuko slumping to his knees on the floor with a nod while he extended his hand towards the teenager, "you need to change and get some real sleep. Can you manage that on your own?"

He nodded again and wrapped his left hand around Hakoda's right, giving him the chance to pull him to his feet only to frown yet again when he saw the sharp wince that crossed Zuko's face.

"What happened to your shoulder?"

"I just need to get some rest."

And Hakoda so badly wanted to push further, the parental side of him desperately wanting to pull the teenager into a tight hug.

But Zuko wasn't one of his kids and, with what he had heard about Ozai over the years, he had a sinking feeling that touch would only result in the young Fire Lord spiraling further.

So he used his best judgment and let go of Zuko's hand before passing him the clothes, "there is an empty bedroom on the right. I'll let your guards know where you are and I suggest having Katara look at your head tomorrow."

"Thank you, Chief Hakoda."

Having been a parent for sixteen years, Hakoda had also learned when to hold his tongue, especially around someone who was easily startled and just nodded in response while saying, "Sleep well, Zuko."

He went outside as soon as he heard the door shut behind the young Fire Lord to be met with three sets of frantic eyes and two sets of raised eyebrows.

"The Fire Lord is getting some sleep," he started, his eyes locked on the two guards, "he's in the third room on the right." He waited until the two guards walked in, a nod given by Tao, before he turned to the three teenagers, "his injuries aren't severe, I don't even think he's going to bruise."

Aang's sigh of relief wasn't lost on Hakoda, but he continued to press on.

"Sokka, you and I will be having a very long discussion in the morning about how the ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe should act around royalty, even if they are one of your friend's. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Sokka nodded, the tone being known by his son that it was time for him to turn in before he had a chance to do something else that would be frowned upon, "come on, Aang. It's late."

The young Avatar followed with Momo settled firmly on his shoulder, leaving Hakoda with just his daughter in the snowy wind.

"You said injuries."

And in that snowy wind, when Katara looked into his eyes, he could only see Kya for a few moments as she seemingly looked right into his soul.

"I advised Zuko to come to you in the morning, so you could heal his head wound which is why I'm also going to ask you a question," Hakoda stopped to take in a deep breath, because even if he wasn't one of his, the fact that someone may do this to a child who hadn't even reached eighteen yet…"has he mentioned anything about assassination attempts?"

"For Tui's sake," his daughter cursed as she pinched his nose before a shout tinged with sadness escaped her lips, "he promised to tell me if it happened again! That no-good, jerkbending-"

"Katara," Hakoda scolded, his hands on her shoulders, "regardless of what he said, it would be best not to insult him while he is in our territory."

"He's lucky I don't go in there and ask him what-"

"Katara, that is enough. He had his reasoning, no matter what it was. More importantly, he needs to rest," he stopped to push a strand of hair out of her face, not surprised that it was wet with tears, "and so do you, my child. It has been a very long day, for all of us."

"Y-you're right," she said, wiping her arm on her sleeve before pulling him into a tight hug which Hakoda instantly returned, "goodnight, dad."

"Gp get some sleep."

She let go and made her way to the campsite she had made with Sokka and Aang when they had arrived in Wolf Cove which left Hakoda standing outside of the chieftain building in the snow and his swirling thoughts about how to speak to the Fire Lord in the morning.

…

"So, what do you think, Sifu Hotman?"

"I think your posture needs more work than your use of outdated Fire Nation slang. Straighten out your back and extend your arms, you'll get more force in it."

Hakoda couldn't help but observe the three of them from where he had exited his meeting with Sokka. It had gone well, but he couldn't help but think it would be the first of many.

Aang was eager to continue firebending, showing off the different ways he could bend the flames, waiting for Zuko's advice as he sat next to the fire pit while Katara healed the gash on his forehead.

He was confident that she had already taken care of his shoulder and probably yelled at him a great deal as well while he had been talking to his son.

It didn't take long for Sokka to join the group with Momo on his heels as he carried their breakfast to them on one of the trays and soon enough the entire group was laughing about something that Appa had done the day before.

Hakoda wasn't sure when his parental instincts had spread from just Katara and Sokka to now involving Aang and Zuko as well, but what he did know was that the biggest thing they needed right now was to be kids.

And he was going to do his best to make sure that it happened.

(Want to read the Gaang penguin sledding? Part 2 below)

[zukosdualdao]

to leave the sun behind

summary: the gaang is about to leave the sun warrior civilization after aang spends a few weeks learning there. katara has a goodbye to make. she really doesn't want it to be goodbye.

other notes: didn't come up in the fic itself but this is an au in which ozai never gave the stipulation that zuko could be un-banished if he captured the avatar, which is why he did not do All That. instead, iroh took him to the sun warriors. also, yes there is a work study joke in here. if atla can make jokes about not qualifying for vacation time then i can do this also! (i think i am much funnier than i am.)

It's their final night staying at the ruins of the Sun Warriors—not so ruined, as it turns out. They had planned to stay for longer, and Katara still thinks maybe they should—Aang has been training every day, with the warriors and with the dragons, but there's still so much more he could learn. With the comet still months away, though, Sokka had finally pointed out that there were people searching for them, and if they didn't want this secret, ancient civilization to be destroyed for real as Azula and company pursue the Avatar, then it’s time for them to leave.

There's a banquet being held in honor of their departure tonight. They pull out a large table of stone and set with golden and orange gems, and the rice and kimodo chicken is piled high atop it.

It's genuinely a lovely evening—she smiles as she watches Sokka and Aang try their best to pretend the spices aren't getting to them, and as Toph answers questions about badgermoles from Iroh—but Katara can't help but notice someone missing and ducks out a little early, making an excuse out of an imaginary headache.

Really, though, Katara is making her way to a familiar room of stone, preparing to say a final goodbye to the Sun Warriors' apprentice.

When she and the others first arrived, it was him that found them stranded after Aang first set off a floor of spikes and looked back at the rest of their group with alarm.

The apprentice had looked at them with an unimpressed, quirked brow but didn't seem otherwise perturbed, reversing the trap and leading them to the warriors and to his uncle. From there, Aang had been judged worthy to study under the dragons and the warriors themselves.

Zuko trains with them, too, every day, diligent. All these weeks, he'd barely said three words in front of the others, but the second night, unable to sleep, Katara had stumbled across him late in the evening, practicing on his own. When he'd spotted Katara, she had reeled back at first—he seemed like too much of a loner to want company—but he'd raised his brow again, like a challenge. They'd spent the evening sparring with their respective elements, water meeting fire blow for blow, the blood in her veins soaring as they did.

After, they'd spoken until the sun was nearly risen. She'd regaled him with the stories of her travels, and he was mostly quiet, still, but when she asked questions, he answered.

Yes, he and his uncle used to be royalty, and his father was the Fire Lord as the Warriors said. No, he didn't leave home because he wanted to; he was banished. No, he no longer wanted to go back. No, he didn't want to talk about it. Yes, he'd been training with the Warriors for years.

Katara didn't ask about the scar, but her thumb ran gentle circles over it when she first kissed him.

Things have gone on like that for a handful of weeks they've been here, sparring and learning new moves from each other, talking, and kissing, sneaking away moments in the dead of night or when the others are distracted.

And now...

"I'm going to miss you," she sighs against his lips after he lets her in. His eyelashes flutter open.

"Don't say that," Zuko says wryly. "You'll give me the wrong idea." He leans back down.

"Maybe it isn't so wrong," Katara says, a little breathless as he kisses down her neck. "You could come with us, you know." She pauses. Wait. That's brilliant. Then, Aang could keep learning, and it wouldn't feel like half her soul was being torn in half as she left. (How did things happen this quickly? How does it feel like she aches wherever and whenever he's not touching her?) "You should come with us!"

Zuko freezes, looking into her eyes searchingly.

"What? Why?"

"I'm serious," Katara insists, placing her hands against his chest. Maybe he doesn't want that. "Aang's learned a lot while he's been here, training with you and the other sun warriors," she adds, feeling a little pathetic even as she hopes the argument convinces him. Zuko now looks unsure and rigid.

"I'm not a teacher," Zuko insists, his voice sounding sort of hollow. "I'm not even officially a Sun Warrior yet."

"Oh, you are in everything but name; all the elders say it," she points out. "You're just not old enough yet. You'll be of age soon, and then you will be." Katara purses her lips as he takes in her words. "Maybe this will help. You know. Hands-on experience. Like a work-study?"

Zuko laughs, some of the tension bleeding out of his gaze as he does. The sound of it is light and breathy and lovely. Katara likes that she can make him laugh. She's only ever seen his uncle accomplish it, otherwise.

"You can teach Aang," Katara promises. "You're better than you know."

His eyes don't quite meet hers, but they haven't let go of each other's embrace. "Don't say things you don't mean."

"Zuko?" She uses her fingertips to tilt his chin up, though he still avoids her gaze. "I mean it."

His eyes swim with an emotion she can't name. Katara waits for his answer, hopefully seeming more patient and less desperate than she feels.

"I'll come," Zuko says finally, the words wrapping around her like a promise. "I'll teach the Avatar. If that's... if that's what you want."

She sighs. Oh. He thinks that's all she wants. That's easily solved, then.

Katara leans her forehead against his. Time dwindles down. It is just them in here. "I want you with me," she admits as his hands tighten ever so slightly against her waist. "That's what I want."

Zuko captures her mouth in a long, gentle kiss before pressing their foreheads together again.

"I'll go wherever you are."

[nono-bunny]

Here's something to consider: Do you think Bryke were kicked out of Netflix's LA ATLA because they were toxic during the whole set? I saw an article on Instagram saying they were fired because they were unproductive, hard to deal with, and were rude most of the time. I sincerely BELIEVE that this is what happened to cause them to leave, because of how you heard all of Mike's jerk ramblings on things (Zutara) and how he and Bryan were praised for the show. I'm thinking Bryke couldn't handle the criticism and Netflix wanted something different to the story but still wanted to keep the story of Avatar intact. Which makes you think...what could make Bryke so adamant about not wanting to change anything? Was it scenes, moments...relationships? Ever since the trailer came out, everything looks fantastic. So WHAT could be so different that made Bryke act like the way they did?

Something to think about. ;)

Thank you for the ask, some interesting points here!

So first of all, I haven't really been active on Instagram since they killed the chronological feed a couple of years ago, so I obviously have no clue what the article you're talking about is and how true it is, but. Yeah, I'd believe that lol, wouldn't be in any way out of character for what I've heard of them and for the rep they've built up over the years

As much as the guests on the podcast are constantly talking about how good at managing the show they were, you also get a very real sense of how rigid they actually are in terms of listening to other people's ideas when they go against their initial ones, even if they would make the show better. Something that really stood out to me is how many times other people are credited for all of the best parts of the show- Zuko's arc being great had nothing to do with them, Iroh's personality was different from what they initially wanted, Toph being a blind girl rather than a huge dudebro (I don't remember if he was also blind or not but like. Regardless they weren't the ones to come up with the Toph we know and love at all)... All of these are things that they've basically admitted to be changes proposed by other people, which they initially resisted. Like!!! They legitimately cannot take the credit for the show's best parts, because they're shit writers- but they have a massive ego because they've been constantly getting praise for shit they didn't do for years. Genuinely they sound like nightmares to work with!!! The cavalier way they dismiss people all the fucking time whenever they disagree with them is just. Really weird for show creators imo, and the way they keep milking the franchise even though they've long since run out of any good ideas- or, really, the ability to execute them in a way that works... Those two fuckers barely worked on anything else worth remembering/noting, so they just keep coming back to the thing that worked once and wondering why they can't get it to work again- and the answer is that they were never the reason why it worked, and they refuse to accept that

As much as I love the original show, it's also incredibly flawed and imo needed many many changes to be deserving of the perfect image it seems to have, and like? I'm genuinely hoping that the changes Netflix make are along those lines rather than like... Sensationalizing it with gratuitous violence or whatever. Zutara would be great, obviously, but... Yeah mostly I just don't want Kataang, and like. I'm being 100% serious when I say that I'm gonna wait for other people to watch the show first so I know if it happens or not, because if it does- I'm just not gonna bother with it.

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 12

First / Previous / Next

True to his word, Katara wakes just before dawn to find the Fire Nation ship buzzing with activity, already pulling out of the make shift dock. She sees Zuko standing near the bow, watching her as she races out onto the snow.

Inhaling, she calls out, hoping the ship isn't so far out that the icy wind snatches her voice away.

"Come back soon!" She shouts, waving her arm, just in case they can't hear her. "Be safe! I'll be waiting!"

On the ship, Zuko seems to stiffen, though it's hard to know for sure with how far the ship is quickly getting. Behind him, soldiers call back, a cacophony of sound, a few waving their own arms. Katara smiles, watching as Zuko turns, seeming to snap orders at them. He always had difficulty controlling his temper. It seemed the position of authority on a ship had done little to temper it.

For a while, Katara watched as the ship disappeared into the distance. Then, she watched the smoke trail slowly dissipate, waiting until there was no sign left of them.

She was determined to make Zuko know he was welcome in the South. Even if the village as a whole would always be wary, she would welcome him. He would have a home in the South, if he ever decided he couldn't return to the Fire Nation.

It was only three months before Zuko returned. The black snow was still fresh in the tribes mind from his last visit, and many looked to Katara as she beamed. There was no panic, only caution, as the ramp came down and Zuko led the way down.

Katara ran out to meet him, giving him a tight hug, noticing how the soldiers behind them were nudging and elbowing each other. They stopped as soon as she stepped back, acting as if it had never happened. She would have pointed it out, only...

Zuko had an odd look on his face. It was a bit red, and a bit pinched. For a moment, she wondered if something was wrong, but then her father and Bato were coming forward, distracting the prince. Iroh came forward to join them, and Katara tried to follow, only for the hopeless medic to come begging for help. Apparently there were a few injures that the man just didn't know what to do with.

She spent a good portion of time sitting in her hut, absently healing minor injures and peering out into the village. A few boxes and barrels were taken off and put in the tribes storehouse. In turn, a few barrels and sacks were taken out and moved to the ship. She asked one soldier about it, but all she got was a shrug and a vague answer about some kind of deal having been made between her father and Zuko.

When the soldiers are patched up, and Zuko is done with whatever secrets he and her father were sharing, she trudges through snow to find her wayward firebender.

"What were you talking about?" Katara demanded, as Zuko was left standing in the snow by the village gate. "And what was with all the boxes?"

Zuko wasn't a very figity sort, but he looked close to starting. "We have a trade agreement. Apparently, before... the raids made it difficult to, Earth Kingdom merchants would travel down to trade. Apparently most of the parts from things like octopus whale and whale walrus are very valuable in the Earth Kingdom. So he sends me with a bit of their excess, like the extra lamp oil and bones, and then I take it to Earth Kingdom and trade it for things your father says the tribe needs. Food, equipment..."

The odd look was back, and she wondered if there was something more. For now, not sure how long she would have, Katara was fine with letting it go. There would be time for more later.

First / Previous / Next

[ruisversion]

who are you? || burdened with fire (part 1)

disclaimer: pls pretend her eyes are red and her hair is reddish-brown, theres a good reason why she's suddenly in water tribe clothing

word count: 1874

masterlist all parts

"Hello, sweetheart, how did you get here?" a lady asks with a gentle tone, bending down in front of me. "It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to help you get back to your family."

"My family is gone," I tell her, tears in my eyes.

"Oh. I'm sorry," she apologizes. "Do you trust me?"

"My mommy said not to trust anyone."

"Your mommy is-"

"Was," I correct her.

"Your mommy was smart then. I promise you won't get hurt if you follow me, is that okay?"

"Where are you going to take me?"

"To my home. I can be your new family if you are okay with that," I nod my head and take her hand. "Thank you, Lyra. You did the right thing," she tells the Fire Nation soldier.

"Where will you be taking her, Princess?" the soldier asks, her eyes shifting from the woman to me then back to the woman.

"She will be in safe hands, I can assure you," the Princess tells her. Lyra leads us out of the ship. "May I have your name so I know what to call you? I'm Ursa,"

"Kazumi,"

"Okay, Kazumi. We're going to make some friends first, okay?" I nod my head. She walks me to a boy who was standing in front of a gate to a big place.

"Mom, who's she?" he points at me.

"I'll answer later. But now, we must sneak her into your room without anyone noticing her, okay?" she asks the boy.

"How do we do that, mom?"

"When I say 'go', Zuko, run through the gates and then into the castle grounds into your room, just keep running. Kazumi, chase him. As fast as possible. I'll tell the guards that Zuko has made a new friend," we both acknowledge her instructions. "Okay... go!"

Zuko starts running in, and I chase him into this huge room.

"Woah," I say in awe, looking around the room.

"Here, hide here. Someone is coming," Zuko ushes me into his closet upon hearing footsteps. "Azula," I can hear him say.

"Who were you chasing outside?" she asks.

"I made a new friend. We're playing hide and seek now. Go away,"

"I didn't want to play with your stupid new friend anyway," she scoffs.

"Okay, you're good. You can come out now," he opens the closet door," he opens it out. Soon after, Ursa comes back, but with food.

"Here, you must be starving after your little adventure," she offers me the plate. I take it. "Zuko, can you sit down beside Kazumi so I can tell you two the plan?" Zuko sits down next to me while I still eat.

"What about Azula?" Zuko asks.

"Don't worry about that right now, okay? Kazumi, I am Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation. This is Prince Zuko. But you can call me 'Ursa' and him 'Zuko'."

I will be staying here until Ursa can find me a nice family for me to live with. No one can know I'm here for the duration of my stay. She leaves us moments later to attend something urgent.

"So..." Zuko trails off.

"I'm Kazumi. Where are we?"

"I'm Zuko. And we are in the Royal Palace,"

"You're a prince? Oh wait, your mom mentioned it already," he nods his head. "That's so cool!"

"Sometimes, it is. Not always though," he says sadly. We get to know each other more since we are sharing his huge bed for some time.

Six years later...

I'm 13 now. Ursa disappeared when Zuko and I were 9, and Iroh adopted me, out of a promise he made to Ursa. Now, I'm just watching as Zuko goes to have an Agni Kai with one of the Fire Nation generals.

"That's not one of the Generals," I say to Pa.

"No... that's Ozai,"

"Please, Father. I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn," Zuko begs.

"Fight for your honor," Ozai tells him, but Zuko continues begging, his knees and hands now on the ground.

"I meant no disrespect. I'm your loyal son,"

"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" Ozai walks closer and closer to him.

"I won't fight you," Zuko shakes his head.

"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher," Zuko starts crying. I close my eyes, hoping it was all just a dream. Then I hear screams, Zuko's screams.

"You need to go," Pa tells me as we are in my room. "You know why, and you know what to do," I nod my head. "Here, this should last you some time," he gives me a good amount of money then hugs me.

"I'll do you proud, Pa,"

"I know you will, my daughter. Pack your bags and go, don't turn back and go," he pulls away from the hug and leaves me to pack. I put on a cloak to hide my face and allow me to sneak out.

"It's just me," I say softly as I open the door to Zuko's room, then close it behind me.

"What are you wearing? Where are you going?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I just need to leave, but I wanted to see you again," I smile at him.

"So you're leaving me? You're leaving me like everybody does?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay here. The Agni Kai was just a wake-up call that they won't show me mercy once they know of my ancestry," I explain to him.

"What do you mean?"

"I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay in your room when we were younger and playing with me. Hopefully, I will see you soon. Thank you, and goodbye, Zuko," I put my hood back on and sneak out of the palace grounds.

---

"Soon? What does 'soon' even mean? Well, it means 'in or after a short period of time,' but there's no specific timeframe for that. It really depends on your perspective, as for mine. I don't actually know, but I've been looking for the Avatar for 3 years, and it's been a hard time. Currently, I'm staying in the Southern Water Tribe, helping them out any way I can.

"Sokka, seriously. Go easy on them; they're little kids."

"Fine," Sokka crosses his arms. "You guys can have a potty break."

"Thank you, Kaz!" they all run to go to the toilet.

"You're welcome, kids..." I smile. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Well, we're not going to get any food if we just stay here. Katara and I will be going to find food out there. Think you can handle the village while I'm gone?" he asks.

"Yeah, good luck," he leaves, and a few moments later, the kids come back. I teach them a few things, then I let them go back. They're little kids. When Katara and Sokka come back, they brought a little boy with them. Tattoos, tattoos that are all so familiar.

"Where'd you find him?" I ask, rushing to them.

"In an iceberg with the animal. His name is Aang," Katara tells me.

"Let's put him in a tent," I suggest. They help me put him in a tent. Sokka keeps watch.

"Aang, this is the entire village and Kazumi. Entire village and Kazumi, meet Aang," the kids move back to their moms, scared.

"What? What's wrong? Did Appa sneeze on me again?" he asks, worried.

"No, it's just that no one has seen an airbender in over a century; we thought they were all extinct," I tell him.

"That is, until my grandson and granddaughter found you," Kanna, Katara and Sokka's grandmother, adds on.

"Extinct?" Aang asks in disbelief.

"Aang, this is my grandmother," Katara introduces Kanna to Aang.

"Call me Gran-Gran," she tells him. Sokka looks at the staff Aang is holding and snatches it from him.

"What is this? A weapon? You can't stab anything with this!" Sokka says. Aang uses a small air current to get his staff back from Sokka.

"It's not used for stabbing," Aang continues explaining how it works. He opens the staff to make it a glider. The kids awe in fascination.

"Magic trick! Do it again!" one of the little girls claps. He demonstrates how he uses the glider while explaining how it works, then he crashes into Sokka's watchtower. Sokka is obviously upset. Aang and Katara venture off while I help Gran-Gran with other stuff. There's a loud sound, and I go outside to check it. A Fire Nation flare. Soon after, Aang and Katara come back. The kids cheer as Aang is back.

"Who put out the flare?" I ask.

"It was an accident!" Katara says. Sokka and Katara start going back and forth on whether Aang should stay since he was the one who took Katara with him to the ship.

"Okay, both of you, enough," Kanna interrupts them. "Katara, I think it's best if the airbender leaves,"

"No, Gran-Gran!" Katara protests.

"Katara, you knew going on that ship was forbidden. Sokka is right," Kanna replies.

"Fine! If he's banished then I'm banished too!" she grabs Aang's arm and starts walking away from us. I leave to hear what happens next, to pack up, and get ready to defend the tribe, plus prepare to escape.

"Where are you hiding him?" I hear Zuko's voice.

"He's not here, Zuko. You need to leave," I tell him from behind the crowd, my voice deeper so it's not so recognizable, and half my face is covered. He throws a wave of fire at us, but I disperse it before it can hurt anyone. Sokka throws a spear at me. I put the tip of the spear at Zuko's throat. I pull down my mask as the soldiers come closer. They all stand down once they realize who I am. I put a ring of fire around them.

"Attack the tribe again, I'll know and I will rain fire on you," I warn them and turn around to the villagers. "Go back to your homes; they'll be on their way soon," one of the little Water Tribe girls runs up to me, and I carry her up.

"Kazumi, what about you?" Fontanna asks.

"I need to protect Aang; he's the Avatar," I whisper to her. Tears start streaming down her face. "Don't worry, I'll be back," I bring her to her mother.

"Bye, Kazumi," she waves at me before the two of them go back into their home. I wave back. I go into my set-up tent and take my things before going to find the rest.

"Come on, Avatar. We need to go,"

"What about-?"

"Hey!" Katara catches up with us.

"We're following," she announces.

"Fine, let's go," we all get on Appa as Aang says the magic words. 'Yip Yip'.

"Woah," Sokka says in amazement.

"Hey, Kaz... the ship is still following us," Katara tells me. I see Zuko and Pa throw a big fireball at us. We all duck, and Aang uses his airbending to push the fireball toward the nearby glacier. The ice falls onto the tip of the ship.

"Good job, Aang," I say.

the avatar (part 2)

[ssreeder]

Suki: I can't believe you didn't tell me about you and Zuko this whole time 😔

Zuko: I can't believe you lied to me about the otter-penguins 😠😔

Anyway, I loved the newest chapter. Katara and Aang are so sweet and love Sokka so much and they are so worried, I'm gonna die.

Iroh, Jee and Rasu reuniting with Zuko kind of reminds me of the time when Hakoda reunited with Sokka. Just two fathers (and Jee and Bato) finding out about the horrible, terrible things their sons went through. Fun! Sokka must be feeling just as left out as Zuko felt in the Water Tribe camp.

One of my favorite things about this story is that Zuko, one of the main characters, never has a POV! What is going on in that kid's head! I love the mystery.

Bato likes Chang! And they're going to Ba Sing Se?? Yess. Zuko's uncles will meet each other?? Ara will find out about Shen's death? Sokka will find out about Jet ratting them out to the Earth Kingdom? What are Quon, How and Long Feng up to???? This story is so good I love it so much!!!

Also started rereading LIAB because it's been awhile and I might have forgotten some stuff so... Ara is making me sad 🥺.

Thank you for being a wonderful writer and just giving this stuff to us for free...

I mean… Suki has the right to be upset

but Zuko should be FURIOUS! how dare Sokka lie about the great otter-penguin wars?! Come on dude get it together!

Haha I’m sorry but you’re probably going to die even more next chapter because yeah… they love him but it’s like hugging a cactus haha.

at least Zuko got to see Sokka in the SWT camp iroh is like “sorry Zuko can’t come out to play and no you can’t come in to see him go home…”

OMG BATO IS LIKE CHANG IS FUNNY - & hakodas like damn it he kind of is……

Hahaha iroh and Chang in the same room together is terrifying can we throw jee in there too just to make him uncomfortable?! I love to see that poor man suffer.

You’re amazing & I love you for leaving me this ask and I’m sorry I’m horrible and take forever to answer. You’re amazing & yes Ara is sad and it gets worse ha poor girl. Wait until she finds out Shen is dead *cue emotional music*

[seyaryminamoto]

Given what we know about Tiang (that he was friends with Lu Ten, is respected by Azula and respectful towns her, is married to a very nice Earth Kingdom woman and doesn’t look down on her because of her background and is a reasonable authority figure) I can’t wait to see how he’ll react to the attack on Ba Sing Se.

Well, I'm extremely late answering this... but I hope you enjoyed seeing his reactions and his thought process across the battle of Ba Sing Se :'D

I always wanted Tiang to be a conflicted, troubled character who firmly believes he's living on borrowed time. Who may not necessarily believe in Fire Nation supremacy any more than, say, Iroh does (they basically faced the same tragedy when Lu Ten died, just, reacted differently to it), but he feels trapped into having to fight for it when it comes to enemies like Sokka, while trying his best to subvert it when it came to governing Ba Sing Se. Ultimately, he's always believed his retribution would arrive eventually, and he honestly didn't expect to survive the battle...

Guess he's pretty lucky he was facing Sokka, of all people :'D

[diadoodledump]

Posting this wip cause this rad as hell. credit to my older brother <3

(bit messy and a lil rough since this was copied from our text thread)

_________

"You knew."

Zuko whispered, staggering backwards.

Ozai didn't turn to face him, continuing to gaze up at the tapestry.

"you knew what Grandfather was planning. that's why you survived. why didn't you warn anyone? Iroh-"

"Was meant to perish like his son." Ozai finally spoke.

Zuko's eyes widened.

"Why?"

"you already know why."

Zuko tasted bile, "Because the people would've never worshiped you while iroh remained."

Ozai Nodded levelly.

"but mother? Azula?"

"I if i had protected you, Azulon would've realized i was a step ahead of him, out coup would have failed." Ozai said. his voice flat, his face stone.

"yes i could have saved her."

Zuko couldn't choke out the next question, but his father answered all the same.

"and yes, i was prepared to lose you and your sister."

zuko clenched and unclenched his fists, "why?"

Ozai's frown deepened, confusion passed over his face like a shadow. his gaze did not leave Sozin's tapestry, in the fading daylight it's threads flickered like live flame.

"what do you mean?"

"why? why didn't you stop him? why did you let him do it?"

finally his father looked at him, Zuko fought to hold his father's gaze.

"the people loved Azulon. Until their fear of him outweighed their love, they would never defy him. i needed the people to rebel and Azulon himself would give them their rallying cry: 'The Emperor murders his own kin."

"I did stop him. I burned him and his wretched heirs to ash - but I waited until they had built their own pyre."

Ozai and Zuko were standing very closely. Zuko's eyes searching his father's face for a hint of emotion.

"And what if we burned too?" Zuko asked quietly

it was gone in an instant, but he was certain he saw it: water in his father's eyes.

"then you would have been added to the price i paid to fulfill my destiny. Instead the Stars favored us. Iroh Survived - a cripple but alive. You and your sister were preserved - favored! You have become heroes to our people, and before the first snowfall, you will prove again that our family are the chosen-! out of all others: us."

Zuko's eyes flickered to the tapestry of Sozen, which framed his father's figure from behind. The comet framing his father's head, a scarlet crown.

"Did Lu Ten know?"

Ozai seemed surprised.

"What?"

"was he going to warn Iroh?"

Ozai actually smiled at his son, impressed.

"yes. And if he had Iroh would have inherited the throne. It wouldn't have mattered if I beat him in combat - the people would never support the sone of a second wife over the blood heir of the Emperor."

Ozai continued "but heirless? Crippled? He would have shamed himself by claiming his birthright"

"But- he treated you like a brother! you told me you admired him!"

The pride in Ozai's face faded at that remark

"Zuko," he placed his hand on his son's shoulder forcing him to meet his gaze "have you never killed and enemy whom you admired?"

__________

working on a fanfiction that's sorta an avatar AU, based around the concept of Ozai being an actual character rather plank of wood with a flamethrower attached to it. this is the rough draft of the prologue.

for context:

this fic is about Ozai's ascension to the throne with a lot of changes; the biggest change being that Ozai is the only son of Azulon's second wife.

Iroh is Ozai's half brother in this, and Ozai has eight older siblings born to Azulon's first wife.

[peony-pearl]

Welp I made my own new personal headcanon that Jee was born to a girl from a Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom that was razed and destroyed and she was forced to marry an Earth Kingdom noble if she wanted to survive.

She was 16 when she married and gave birth and she didn't survive the delivery.

Jee was raised mostly by maids and butlers until his father remarried and he started showing Firebending abilities, and he was quickly disowned and taken to the closest Fire Nation village and given over as an orphan with the story that he was trying to steal from the wealthy family. Jee was young, but remembers this moment perfectly.

After aging out of the orphanage system and working to support himself, Jee decides to join the Fire Nation military, but not before confronting his father.

He goes back to the village and sees his younger half siblings who resemble him greatly. He tells them he's there on a business venture with their father and they invite him inside to his office to wait.

When Jee's father enters, he knows exactly who the young man is. They're mirror images of each other, but Jee has the shape of his mother's eyes, although they're the same color as his father's.

Jee finally learns the truth; his mother's name was Kenza, and she was forced to be a bride for his father.

While Jee's father speaks about the plight of the Earth Kingdom and how the Fire Nation is overtaking the world, the trauma he subjected onto Jee, and the fact that Jee was raised within the Fire Nation don't support his case. Jee is heartbroken for his young mother, of whom his father only has one portrait from their wedding - she was just a girl.

Jee exacts vengeance for his mother, burning his father in his fine mansion, watching it smolder to the ground until he finally takes off for the nearest Fire Nation dock.

That night. However as he holds the pilfered portrait of his mother's wedding, he tears his fathers half, burning it, and in front of the eyes of his mother, he cuts off his top knot; he doesn't feel worthy of it anymore, and he mourns the young woman that gave him life.

He enters the military with questions about his hair, and he doesn't answer. The first person who really gives him his first big break is General Iroh, who sees Jee's dedication and ferocity, and he makes sure Jee is given his just accolades.

In time, Jee is a Lieutenant, and no one ever questions his shaggy cropped hair from then on out, as it's obvious from the way he carries himself and the respect from General Iroh that his honor comes from a place he has had to build on his own.

[twilightangel83]

Change in Perspective: Chapter 2

Iroh sat there for a long while after his nephew had fallen asleep against him. He did take the time to shift the young man to have him laying with his head in Iroh's lap, but otherwise didn't really move. It spoke a great deal of Zuko's exhaustion when he didn't do more than stir slightly at the moment and that Iroh was able to calm him again with a few quiet words. Once they were settled Iroh turned his gaze back out to the waters while one hand stroked through his nephew's hair in a soothing fashion. He was honest enough with himself to know that he was trying to soothe himself as much as he was Zuko.

This day had been...a lot. First, their crew was taken away, under threat of being labeled deserters, then for several horrible minutes he'd thought Zuko dead, and now it seemed Zuko had finally come to understand the truth about his father, Iroh's brother. Iroh wasn't entirely certain how he felt about that last part. A part of him was relieved that his nephew had realized the truth and would likely stop striving for the impossible, but a larger part worried about what Zuko would choose to do next. The last thing he wanted was for him to lose purpose entirely. Thinking the boy he considered his son was dead once was more than enough. He certainly didn't want to risk Zuko giving up on life due to this. Iroh had a couple of thoughts on where they could go from here, but he would wait for Zuko to wake again and see if he has any plans.

Zuko stirred awake to the feeling of someone gently shaking his shoulder and the sound of his uncle's voice calling his name. He groaned and reached to try and grab his pillow so he could pull it over his head, but winced as pain flared at the movement. Why did he hurt? With another, more pained groan he opened his eyes and blinked several times in confusion. Above him was his uncle, frowning in concern. The angle was wrong though. He wasn't standing, he seemed to be sitting overly close. And past him, he could see the night sky. Then the memories hit him and he bit back another groan, reaching you to rub his face. Lowering his hand he answered the question on his uncle's face.

"I'm fine Uncle," he said as he sat up "Just sore." Iroh looked uncertain for a moment, but smoothed his expression out and nodded.

"Alright Nephew," he replied, "I apologize for waking you, but we should probably make plans before the sun rises."

Zuko nodded slowly, turning to look out at the water, frowning in thought. His mind whirled for a while before he glanced at his uncle hesitantly. Seeing the calm, encouraging expression on his uncle's face allowed him to gather himself.

"Did you...mean what you said earlier?" he asked after a moment, voice faltering slightly.

"I very rarely say things I don't mean," his uncle asked, frowning slightly "But which instance are you referring to?"

Zuko grimaced and turned to look back at the water uncomfortably. He wanted to change subjects, but he needed to know. So, face flushing in embarrassment, he pressed on, not looking at his uncle.

"You said you couldn't lose another son," his voice was quiet and he easily heard how his uncle's breath caught slightly but made himself finish "You...consider me your son?" There was a pause and his shoulders hitched up protectively "Sorry. That was stupid. Forg-" He cut off as a gentle hand touched his shoulder firmly.

"Zuko," his uncle's voice was fond, but firm "Look at me." Zuko hesitated, but slowly did as he was told. His breath hitched slightly as he met his uncle's gentle, reassuring gaze.

Keep reading Here

[cabbageslost]

Live Reacting to Live Action AtLA - ep 4

Nothing about this is spoiler-free. You have been warned. Skip til after you've seen if you're worried.

..

Okay, just like with the first three, this will be my space to blather my way through the 4th NAtLA episode. Almost to the halfway point. Here's hoping this one brings it, cuz if there's a Bumi who is "toned down" I will be just screaming into the void. Firing it up now...

..

Well. At least they let Katara be the one to be out looking for Aang. I feel like she hasn't gotten enough "umph" in this version.

Secret love cave is turning into secret haunted tunnels. *sigh* Gonna guess this change won't be one I like.

Wait, what? They're skipping WAY THROUGH a ton of Bumi lead up. Straight to instant knowing. *deep breath*

Yay, she gets a water skin now an-- oooh, Jet's back. Kick his ASS, girl! One hope speech then his stubborn ass goes down. YES! Yes that WAS you!! woohoo.. okay, favorite part so far. LOL

Pun game is strong with Bumi.

At least we still get the nomads, but.. this bit isn't even a book 1 thing. And it being here is gonna probably mean skipping a fairly iconic part from the OG.

Wait, Iroh dropped a pai sho tile? But that stinky sandal turned out to be an MVP later.. lol..

Okay, still having crazy Bumi trials of a sort.

Sokka's instincts showing up to lead them out of the cave. I kind of love their sibling fights. Giving me hope for Katara getting better writing as we're going on, because she clearly acts well (and her imperfect, layered self was always my favorite and I want none of that toned down.)

Guard/Iroh exchange is actually a pretty standout scene, acting-wise. And Iroh's expressions.. oh man, if those expressions didn't hit you in the feels enough, here's the flashback. Shades of Leaves on the vine..

Ah, sibling love. Um, okay. Yeah, still don't like it. This adaptation already has so much they cram in, no reason for them to try and reach out for more season 2 stories to shove in.

Aang and Bumi fight.. I wish that they would have Aang explain that he didn't "leave", not in this version. He and Appa were out for a midnight stroll when stuff happened to go down. What's the point of making that change if he's still letting the world think he left them? (Which, I mean, he was 12 and understandable.)

Yes!! A (very brief) mail chute ride AND a MY CABBAGES!! Some of my prayers have been answered.

Okay, and I approve the addition of this Zuko/Iroh flashback. "Everything I need is on this boat." Uncle Iroh, you and these ninjas-chopping-onions moments.

Ah, ending on Zuko ignoring an Appa sighting. Guessing that's why they were making Bumi completely hammer on Aang having run away (though he didn't) - because they were trying to get a couple points from The Storm in.

..

Alright, well. This one was a roller coaster for me. I actually did love the added scenes (the Iroh/Zuko flashbacks), and they seemed to start writing Katara better (please keep it up), and I got my tiny glimpse of a fun ride. Also got to see Katara put the smack on Jet, but the awesomeness was dampened a bit since she was immediately making excuses for him in the cave with Sokka. And then a lot of the rest of it was disappointing. Putting Cave of Two Lovers in there for no reason was a big L, and I remain frustrated by the repeated "you ran from this" stuff that is getting tossed at Aang - including by his own past life who would 100% know that didn't happen (in this version). It was a decision to change it to make it not a running away, but then there's no decision to have Aang reassure the world he never chose to leave them? Bonkers. I mean, it was frustrating enough in the original, since when he ran was when they were removing him from Gyatso.. he had been still around the temple after being told he was the Avatar, he wasn't running from that alone. But at least he was choosing to run, so I kind of "got it" then. But they changed it and now he hasn't even run and just.. meh. I'm also frustrated at the pretty big lack of showing the Gaang actually forming a close bond. It's all the little "fun" things that they cut out that just don't let us see how they're close friends.. we just have to be told at the end of the fight, I guess.

[ragnarssons]

in the new behind the scenes video we get a small peek at what seems to be a brand new scene unique to the live-action where zuko threatens aang and attacks him at some food stall/market, most likely in omashu. in the cartoon zuko never tracks him there but it's safe to say that now he will in natla canon.

there are theories aang is having a vision/hallucination of zuko or that it's a dream sequence but i disagree. we'll just have to wait and see!

i'm glad we're gonna get more interactions like this! i am definitely not going to turn down the show giving me more moments with these two!

hey! sorry it took so long for me to answer actually i was sitting this one out because i was really curious about this footage. but then the other anon from this morning sent me a video and there's a little extension of this scene in it. seems like it's a zuko/aang fight, and zuko for the few seconds we've seen, does not use firebending in it. so while i was like, thinking it would be hella dangerous for zuko and iroh to chase the gaang to omashu, i guess it could still happen?? 👀 now if that happens, i'm curious to see what iroh would have to say about such a move hum hum. it could be tho, a nice little tease to the blue spirit, showing us that zuko does not particularly need firebending to handle some stuff. also it makes me lean more and more into omashu will probably have some big scenes, maybe some firebenders trying to conquer it or something, thus the introduction of azula maybe idk. i would believe azula is in flashbacks only, if mai and ty lee hadn't been casted. my guess is, the live action does not need the "surprise!" effect the cartoon had for omashu being taken over by the fire nation, so they might decide to actually show us the fire nation taking omashu, or at least trying - as a deviation to the northern air temple/mechanist storyline. it would create a rather tricky situation for zuko and iroh, and could explain potentially why iroh gets captured, if we trust zuko and iroh's clothes, it does seem that his new scene with aang is connected to him rescuing iroh from the earthbenders. i don't think it'll be a dream sequence either, but hey, the more zuko/aang scene, the happier i am. there really are footages i didn't expect to see, stuff that do surprise me (in a good or bad way, i can't tell yet until i have full context of how they do things) and i'm really glad, because i usually watch these thinking i'll get... not surprised and get all the references, but they really are giving some new spin to some events! 🔥 (same goes with the footage from this morning, really showing us kyoshi and all, daaamn)

[seeingteacupsindragons]

I think characters that just go through the plot at their own pace while everyone else is rushing around trying to figure stuff out immediately can be pretty fun.

These characters a bit tricky and usually can't be the protagonist in Western works because...the protagonists should be doing something or having some agency on the plot--which means the plot runs at their speed.

This makes me think of King Bumi from A:TLA. Sometimes, the best course of action is to wait for an opportunity, and he does so, and he causes problems for our protagonists by not taking action when he could. And Iroh later does something similar, when he could have easily broken out of prison in the Fire Nation sooner, but simply...waited, and trained, for the correct opportunity. Could they have both helped our major characters by doing something sooner? Maybe. But they didn't, and they had to find better, different answers, and their waiting paid off in different ways, too.

So I think it's interesting to see how characters who are methodical and patient can really impact the story, since they're maybe not taking quick action or any real action to affect what's happening.

There's another flavor if this where the character is kind of oblivious and doesn't realize something is urgent or doesn't care. You get these sometimes with immortals with mostly mortal casts. For instance, in Order of the Stick, a lot of the gods are not really doing much of anything because they're immortal and they can just kill everything and start over. So they're also only so invested in helping the protagonists, even their own head clerics or other clerics, because, well: it doesn't affect them the same way, and they exist on much different time scales than the other characters.

[evienyx]

Can I introduce you to conniving Iroh? The uncle that played everyone? Get rid of Zuko, Defeat his brother and niece, Convinced the Gaang that he wants the war to end. But Azula finds out after finding Zuko imprisoned. The Gaang is displeased to learn the truth but doesn't trust Azula. Zuko is just laying in grass.

This is what happens when you hand me a vaguely interesting concept.

Enjoy this new AU, everyone. It got a bit out of hand. Feel free to send asks if you want to, maybe I'll write more for it if you're interested.

I'm gonna shove this onto Ao3, too. Maybe tomorrow.

- - -

Word Count: 7478 (my god what is wrong with me)

- - -

On Azula's fifth escape, she realized that no one was home.

Well, that wasn't particularly accurate. Rather, it was only the staff there. The Avatar, her uncle, and their little friends were all gone.

The first servant she asked was shaking. She must've been new, being that nervous. The servant stated that they were to be back within the hour.

Azula went into the city. She didn't make it out of Caldera before they caught her again.

They weren't there the eighth, sixteenth, or twenty-first times that she escaped, either. Every time, she tried to get out of Caldera. Curse her and her kind heart for doing her best in their fights not to destroy the homes of her people. It wouldn't do to have a revolt happen the moment she took the throne.

On the twenty-fourth time, she didn't even make it out of the Upper Ring of the city before they caught up to her.

Azula wasn't an idiot. That was obvious, but it seemed to be a fact that was ignored often by her uncle and his little allies. They hadn't outright told her, but Azula knew what they had done to her father. She knew that the Avatar had reached inside of him and snuffed out his Fire. Like it was nothing.

Azula sat in her cell after the twenty-sixth escape attempt and wondered, vaguely, why they didn't just take her bending too?

Having more time for thoughts was... interesting, at the very least. Up until the Comet, Azula had been so busy that she hadn't done anything but think about what was coming next. It had been one thing after another, finishing one order from her father and then moving onto the next. Now, when she wasn't escaping, it was just her and her mind.

(She remembered, through the haze that had fallen over the summer months, that the only times she had rested were when Ty Lee, with Mai's help, had forced her to.)

(For the first time in a long time, Azula felt a pang of worry, and tried to push away the surprise she felt at realizing that she was hoping her friends were all right.)

One of the things that Azula thought about the most was her father. Surprising no one. Or, at least, it would surprise no one, if anyone else was there to know about it. No one came to visit her, though. Not the Avatar and his friends. Not her uncle. Food and water were pushed through a slot. It was as if she was a common prisoner.

Regardless, she thought about her father. It was after the thirty-third escape attempt, though, that she came to a terrifying realization. A question that she didn't quite know the answer to.

Did her father actually love her?

He'd always said he had. Or, at least, he had always seemed like he had. Azula, for her whole childhood, had known that Father's love was hard to earn. That had been normal. She had been sure of it.

When the guard came to drop off the food for the day, she called out to them.

"We are not permitted to hold conversation with you, Princess Azula," the guard responded immediately.

Azula snorted. "I don't care. I have a question that I need answered."

The guard was silent for a moment, and if Azula's hearing hadn't been honed by combat, she would've thought they'd left. Instead, she waited patiently in the quiet until the guard spoke again. "Yes, Princess?"

"How long is it supposed to take to earn the love of your parents?"

The guard paused again. "What?"

Azula huffed and repeated the question. She just needed an answer. Was it supposed to happen when you're a teenager, and she was just overthinking things while she was stuck in this cell? Was it supposed to happen in childhood, and she was right? She had to know.

"Princess, children aren't supposed to have to earn the love of their parents at all."

Azula couldn't help it. She laughed. "Don't lie to me."

The guard let out a shaky breath from behind the door. "I'm not lying, your grace. Parents are supposed to love their children, unconditionally. It is one of the things that the Great Spirits themselves have stated."

Now, Azula knew that there were more spirits than just Agni. More Great Spirits than just Agni. It had been left out of her education by her father, but she'd learned about it on her own after realizing there was something missing. She knew from Mai and Ty Lee that, at the very least, the Great Spirits were all spoken about in most Fire Nation schools. There was simply an emphasis on the might and power of Agni, the superiority of their God. As there should be.

Azula never really heard many people talk about the other spirits, though. She didn't ever care to look into what they did, and no one ever said anything about them, so clearly it didn't matter all that much.

During her thirty-seventh escape, when her uncle and his friends were absent from the palace once more, she did not attempt to make her way to the edge of the city. Instead, she went straight to the Fire Temple. She walked right past the Fire Sages, not caring as they called after her, and into the Archives. There was another Sage sitting behind a desk, there. Behind him, there were endless shelves of scrolls.

"I need to see things about the statements of the Great Spirits," Azula said. The Fire Sage stared up at her. He opened his mouth to speak, an eyebrow raised, and Azula added, "I will gladly burn everything in this place to the ground." Her reputation preceded her as the Fire Sage led her back into the rows of shelves.

The guard's statements from a few days previously rang true as her eyes scanned over the words. She'd explained to the Fire Sage on the way what it was that she wanted proof for, and the Sage had delivered. The scroll in front of her told its truth.

'And the Great Spirit Agni, echoed by his equals, set the next Law of Family: A parent is to love their child completely and wholeheartedly. A child is not required to love their parent in the same, for they had no choice in the matter of their conception. However, a parent is to have no restrictions or reservations in the love they hold for their child. Should they, there shall be a special place held in the Beyond for their soul.

'The Great Spirits spoke the words, and the People heard them and knew them. And so it was.'

Azula hummed and pushed the scroll back into the hands of the Fire Sage. She took his lamp from his grasp, then, and walked back down the way they had come, leaving the Sage in the darkness. She was barely a block away from the Temple when she was recaptured.

So. Father was, for all intents and purposes, wrong. He'd told her for her whole childhood, that she was the golden child, she was his favorite, she was the one who was proving herself worthy of his love. And yet, he was meant to give it to her without any complaint. He was meant to give it to her brother, too. Father cited the words of the Great Spirits, of Agni, often, in order to further his advocacy for his plans. Yet he ignored these Rules. It was as if he was picking and choosing to fit his argument. Azula never thought her father would stoop so low.

(During all this thinking, it crossed her mind that she didn't think of Father as 'Dad' anymore.)

On her thirty-ninth escape, she caught wind of where her father was being kept.

On her forty-second, she went to speak with him.

"Azula," Father spoke as she slipped inside after knocking out the guard. "My daughter. I am so glad you're here. Come, come, break me out, and we can leave this place. We can take back our nation from your treacherous uncle and brother."

Azula ignored his words for the moment. "Why did I have to earn your love?"

Father's grin didn't falter, to his credit. "What are you talking about, Azula?"

She repeated herself, this time making her words even firmer.

"That's how it is, Azula," Father said. "My time is valuable, as you very well know. I cannot be wasting it on a child that does not deserve it."

The question of his time hadn't really been what she was after, but she continued on either way. "That's against the Word of Agni."

This time, he did falter. "What?"

"I read one of the Proclamations of the Great Spirits within the Fire Temple Archives. It says that Agni himself, echoed by the rest of the Great Spirits, stated that, regardless of a child's view of their parent, a parent must love their child unconditionally, without restrictions or reservations." She paused. "You haven't done that."

"Says who?"

"You."

Father didn't have a response to that.

Finally, he muttered, "I should've burned those scrolls when I had the chance."

Ah. So he was a coward, too. Not owning up to his own mistakes, not facing them like he always told her she had to with her own. No, he was simply thinking about what he should've done, dwelling in the past.

(Your mother is gone, Father said to her. Don't think on it. Don't dwell in the past, Azula. It's the sign of a weakling, and I didn't raise a weakling.)

"Parents who give their children love without them doing anything to deserve it raise nothing but weaklings," Father said, then. "Look at your brother."

She ignored the end of his statement. "Bold of you to speak of weaklings, Father, when you're the one who needs my help to get out of here."

"I don't need your help. I presumed your loyalty would ring true."

"Go ahead, then. Escape on your own. I'd love to see you do anything without your Fire to back you up."

There were footsteps coming down the hall, then, and Azula spoke one more time before the door to the cell slammed open.

"Even Zuko would've been a better Fire Lord than you were, Father. Only cowards hide the truth, and he never did. That's far more than you can say."

Being compared to her brother seemed to be the tipping point for him. Father pushed off of the ground and surged forward with a roar right as the door behind her blew open. Azula took a single step back, away from the bars that her father slammed into from the momentum, and her arms were gripped by rough hands, which pulled them behind her back.

"I'll walk on my own," Azula said, gritting her teeth.

"We're not inclined to believe that, Princess."

Azula huffed and allowed them to lead her out of the cell. She didn't look back at her father once.

Back in her cell once more, she couldn't help but think. Azula had gone her entire life believing every word that her father said. The glaring proof that he had been lying to her, as well as the fact that he had been actively defying their God... It was a lot to handle.

The next morning, as she was rearing herself for her next escape, the door opened. That hadn't happened, ever. Azula never got visitors.

A strip of metal flew through the cracks in the bars and wrapped around her wrists, tying them together. Ah. She didn't need to look up to see who was there. Azula leaned back a bit to rest her head against the wall that the top of her cot was next to. She stared up at the small slivers of sunlight that fell through the tiny window at the top of her cell, watching as the bright light illuminated particles of dust floating through the air.

One of her visitors cleared their throat.

"Ask what you want to ask," Azula said. "Maybe I'll think about answering."

"Why did you visit Ozai?"

It was the Avatar who had spoken.

"I had questions for him. Don't worry, I won't be going back. I got my answers."

"You won't be going back my ass," one of them, the Water Tribe boy, muttered under his breath. She cocked an eyebrow.

"My father won't be escaping. Not on my watch. He's a coward." She paused. "He directly disobeyed the words of the Great Spirits. A Proclamation of Agni. You can do whatever you wish to do with him. I couldn't care less." She ignored the ache in her chest as she said it. She wondered how long it would take for her to stop loving her father.

"People disobey the Proclamations of the Great Spirits all the time," the waterbender girl said. "I think the only nation that has ever followed them almost completely was the Air Nomads, and even then I don't think they were infallible."

Azula grit her teeth, but she was sure they couldn't tell. "He used other Words for his own benefit, while actively ignoring ones that went against him. He is a coward who refuses to admit to what he has done wrong. I have no respect for him." Especially not without his bending.

"You have to stop trying to escape," the Avatar said. "We might have to resort to different methods of containment if you don't."

Azula snorted. "I'd like to see you try." Her father being out of the picture, now, made her much more confident in her ability to give Zero Fucks Whatsoever.

There was silence, and then the group began to move out of the cell. After a moment, Azula's throat stung and she called out, "Wait."

Her voice was strained. She did not want to ask a single thing of them, but she had to know.

"What?"

"Why hasn't my brother visited me, yet?"

There was a pause. Then, the Avatar spoke once more.

"Zuko isn't with us. I don't know why you thought he was. We haven't seen him since Ba Sing Se." He paused. "Iroh says he's on the run, though, and that he's sure that Zuko is safe, at least."

Azula's heart stuttered, but she said nothing, and the door began to close again.

Information for information. They'd tell her more in the future if they thought they'd get something out of it.

"Water Tribe," she called out. The door stopped moving. Both the waterbender and her brother poked their heads in. She turned her head to look at them, and locked eyes with the boy. After a moment of staring at him, watching the nervousness swimming in his eyes, she said, "Your girlfriend's in the Boiling Rock."

The boy seemed to stop functioning. The waterbender said, "The Boiling Rock?"

"Yes, yes, our best prison. She's there. If you want her."

There was silence. Then the door slammed shut.

Azula made a face and leaned her head back, moving a bit too quickly and smacking it against the stones of the wall. She set her jaw. A headache. Wonderful.

She thought for a moment about what she had actually just done.

…Damn, she was going soft.

So. Zuko wasn't on their uncle's side. Another thing her father was wrong about, then.

She wondered where Zuko was. Maybe Mai and Ty Lee were with him, that would make sense. Zuko and Mai were dating still, she was sure. They were always so gross with one another after coming back from the Earth Kingdom. Azula was surprised she managed to make it through those few months.

On Azula's forty-fifth escape, she went straight to the kitchens of the palace.

"Princess Azula?" The Head Chef asked, clearly surprised. "Uh, I thought Prince-, er, Fire Lord Iroh had you imprisoned?"

Azula didn't respond to that. Instead, she said, "I want spice rice."

She got what she asked for, as well as a small bundle. She raised an eyebrow at the chef, who bowed and turned away from her without a word.

The bundle was warm, and lumpy. Azula made her way back to her cell quietly, nibbling on the rice as she went, and set the bundle down on her cot. Inside, there were four rolls, clearly fresh. Azula hummed, placed the bundle inside of the near-empty pillow case shoved into the corner of the bed, and sat on the foot of the cot, continuing to eat the rice until the cell door slammed open. She was silent as her uncle watched over the guard moving into the cell to take the half-eaten rice cup from her.

The next day, they forgot to give her food. Or maybe they didn't forget. She wasn't sure. She wouldn't be surprised by either one.

Azula's forty-ninth escape had her wandering through the palace. She wanted to see if things had changed. It had been over three months since the Comet.

She went to her quarters, first. They had been ransacked, it looked like, and then left there. No one had cleaned them. Azula avoided looking in the mirror as she moved to the closet. She ignored all of the clothing strewn across the floor and instead reached into a drawer, pulling out a small hair-tie. Azula pulled her hair back, ignoring how dirty it felt, yanked another few ties onto her left wrist, and left her room, the door hanging ajar in her wake.

She went to the Royal Bathhouse, next. The servants there looked a bit surprised to see her, but also seemed far too tired to call any guards to come and deal with her. They drew her a bath, and somehow remembered the exact temperature that she preferred. Of course they did. They only hired the best for the Fire Nation Royal Palace. At least that was the same, still.

Azula grabbed every unscented soap she could find and spent far too long scrubbing every inch of her body. As soon as she slipped into the bath, a servant girl appeared, took her prison clothes, and was gone. The same girl returned twenty minutes later with the clothes, washed and dried, along with a towel.

Her hair was all she had been really caring about, but being clean in general was a big perk.

The servants bowed their heads as she left, and Azula was surprised to find that her uncle and his allies were still not back. The halls were empty of guards looking for her.

Her hair damp and tied back once more, Azula continued to wander. She watched with a wary eye as guards turned away from her, as if they didn't see her. She could work with that.

The secret entrance to the dungeon was right where she remembered it being. The only person who was supposed to know about it was the Captain of the Royal Guard (and the Fire Lord, she supposed), but Azula knew about it. Of course she did. She easily picked the lock with a hairpin she'd swiped and made her way into the dungeons, curious to see if Mai or Ty Lee were there. The dungeons were only really meant to be holding cells, as being without access to the sun for long enough could be disastrous for a firebender, but her friends were nonbenders, and these were special circumstances. It wouldn't hurt to check.

She doubted they'd be on the first floor of prisoners, so she went lower. The dungeons didn't go low enough into the earth to be anywhere near the magma that rested beneath the city, but the rock of the walls did change a bit the farther down you went.

She was in the staircase moving to the bottom and final floor of cells, which were never used, but she had to check, when she heard footsteps roaring down the steps above her. Azula hopped over the rest of the stairs and pushed through the door. She had to know if they were there.

She was three cells down the twenty cell line when the staircase door burst open again. Azula growled, threw back a wave of bright blue flame to slow them, and ran down the hall, glancing at each cell to her left and right to ensure her friends weren't there.

She was glancing over the eighteenth cells, another wave of fire being thrown back from her hands as she did, and was prepared to move on when she paused. The thunderous pounding of footsteps, the calls of the guards and Uncle's men, and the roaring of flames in the air all fell silent in her ears. Her gaze focused on the cell in front of her, the eighteenth one on the left, and felt everything go still.

Her heart in her throat, her chest empty, her blood cold, Azula breathed, "Zuko?"

He didn't look at her. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she could be certain it was him. He was curled toward the wall, his hair thin, obscuring his face from view. His arms were wrapped around him, and Zuko always had been too thin. His hair shifted a bit as he took a shaky breath, and Azula caught a glimpse of the scar marring his face.

That was it. The proof she needed.

Her brother wasn't working with their uncle, wasn't on the run.

He was right here, right in front of her. The only thing between them was a set of iron bars. That was nothing.

Then, though, earth was locking around her wrists, pulling them behind her back, and hands were grabbing her, dragging her away from the cell.

For the first time in weeks, Azula fought back.

She screamed and thrashed, managed to bite at least three separate people. "No, no! Let me go! Fucking traitors, cowards, let me go!" She opened her mouth to let out a stream of fire, and another band of rocks flew forward, bending around her mouth and holding itself in place on her face. It didn't hurt, but she felt the inexplicable urge to sob anyway.

When she was back in her cell, nursing her jaw with the bag of ice they had been generous enough to give her, Azula felt her heart beating harder and faster than she had ever remembered.

The next morning, after her food was delivered, she took out the last of the rolls from days prior and ate it. She tested her flames, allowing them to curl over her fingers, dancing in the air. Finally, as the late morning sun peaked over the walls of the palace and flowed into her cell at last, Azula was ready.

Her fiftieth escape, Azula went straight back to where her last one had ended.

She wasn't running, but people jumped out of her way anyway. They looked at her with more fear than anyone had in a while. She couldn't care less. She stopped only once, to enter the kitchens. Silently, the Head Chef packed her another bundle of rolls. She liked the chef.

"I need scissors," Azula said as she was handed the bundle. The chef stared at her for a moment before opening a drawer and pulling some out. Azula slipped them between the folds of the bundle and moved on.

She walked through the dungeons to the bottom floor as if she was being controlled by an outside force. She knew she had to go to the eighteenth cell on the left, and so she did.

She had been wondering overnight whether the image of her brother had been just that: an image. A hallucination. A fake.

Here he was, though, sitting in the same spot he had been when she was pulled away the day before.

There would've been no way out for any ordinary firebender. Thankfully, Azula was no ordinary firebender. She wasn't the Wielder of the Blue Flame for nothing. Her fire melted the bars with ease, and she stepped through into the cell, allowing the glowing liquid metal to cool behind her.

She stood over her brother. He hadn't moved beyond the incessant trembles that rocked his body.

"Zuko."

Nothing.

She sighed. Azula sat down, the bundle being placed down next to her. She grabbed a roll and held it in front of his face.

Nothing.

Azula huffed. In any other circumstances, she would say he was acting like a child. These weren't normal circumstances, though. Azula broke off a piece of the roll, forced open her brother's jaw, and slipped the bread into his mouth.

He was still for a moment before he began chewing. Azula settled back a bit. Zuko always wore his heart on his sleeve. He was so easy to read. With his face so obscured, though, she couldn't see his eyes, which were always so expressive. Azula hated not knowing what he was thinking.

She grabbed the scissors, then, reached forward, and started snipping off thin strands of hair. His hair was dirty, just like hers had been before yesterday, and it was uneven, the ends frayed, as if he had been pulling at it in some places.

Zuko jerked as she began cutting his hair. Azula scoffed. "Calm down, Zuzu."

He was still tense, but he didn't moved anymore as she made her way around his head. For someone who had never cut hair before, Azula had to admit that she did a great job. His hair looked just a little bit longer than it had been when he'd joined her side in Ba Sing Se in that (fruitless) bid to defeat the Avatar.

"Better," she said.

His eyes were dull, duller than they had been even after Mom had died, or after the Agni Kai with Father. It wasn't a great look on him, and prison chic didn't really seem to be doing wonders for him either. The combination was even worse.

Azula shoved the roll into his hands. "Eat. Or I'll make you."

He moved slowly, but he did listen. After another three bites, Zuko let the hand holding the roll fall limp and looked up at her. His brow furrowed a bit, as if he was confused. "Azula?" His voice was scratchy and weak, as if he hadn't used it in a while. Azula rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, Dum-Dum, obviously."

"...Why are you here?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"...Why are you here?"

Azula's frown deepened and she leaned back. After a moment, she said, "I didn't know you were here until yesterday. I would've come earlier."

"Why, though?" He asked.

"Cause clearly you're not a traitor if Uncle locked you down here!"

Zuko was silent for a moment. "I was, though. I went up to Father during the Eclipse and told him I was going to break Uncle out and help him end the war."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "Did you?"

Zuko nodded. "I did. It was too late to follow the Avatar, so we went to meet up with his Order of the White Lotus people. When... When we did, he..." Zuko swallowed and fell silent. "I thought... He said that he thought of me as a son, once."

Azula didn't have to ask what Uncle Iroh had done once they had met up with Order of the White Lotus. Looking at her brother now, she had a pretty good idea.

"Well, it doesn't matter that you betrayed Father because he betrayed both of us," she said. "So we're on each other's side now."

Zuko stared at her, confusion once more glimmering in his golden eyes. Azula had always been jealous of his eyes, though she never said that. "How did Dad betray you?"

Still using 'Dad.' Zuko always had been too forgiving. "He went against one of the Proclamations of the Great Spirits. Specifically one from Agni."

Zuko's eyes widened, almost comically. "What?"

Azula nodded. "There's one that says a parent is meant to love their child unconditionally. No... No restrictions, or reservations, or anything like that. It's cause the parent made the choice and commitment to always love their child by bringing them into the world, I think."

Her brother said nothing.

"He said that I needed to earn his love. Didn't seem like he ever gave it to you in the first place. When I talked to him about it, he refused to even own up to it."

Zuko's eyes flicked to the wall and then back to her. "When did you go see him?"

"A few weeks ago. I escaped and visited him in his prison cell."

"And you didn't break him out?"

Azula snorted. "After finding all that out? No way in hell, Zuzu."

He was quiet again.

Azula swallowed forced herself to put on her best Ty-Lee-When-She-Finds-Out-Someone-Is-Sad voice, saying gently, "C'mon, let's go."

Zuko was still. Then he nodded.

"Can you walk?"

It turned out he could. He just couldn't do it well. Azula forced herself to throw out all qualms with what she was doing. The bundle rewrapped and held tightly under one arm, Azula supported her brother with the other. They had a lot of stairs to climb, but he did it without complaint.

Azula, just a few months ago, would never be caught dead helping someone like this. Now, with her father being a traitor and her uncle having betrayed her brother, and her friends disappearing, she truly had nothing left. Might as well hold onto what she could.

They emerged from the secret dungeon entrance, Zuko making no comment on the door that she knew he had no idea about.

"Where do you wanna go?" Azula knew they had no chance at escaping. She wasn't an idiot. She would let her brother pick, because no place would be more safe than another with her uncle's men everywhere, and they would sit there. She would protect him. She had one thing, now, that was hers. She would not let it be taken from her, not like everything else was.

Zuko was silent. "I don't know."

He was even paler now that they were out of the dungeons. How long had he been imprisoned? At least as long as Uncle had been Fire Lord. Had he been in that cell the whole time? The shakiness with which he was walking led her to believe that.

Azula thought for a moment, her head twitching to the side as she readjusted her brother's body against her own.

Most courtyards had many entrances. There was one nearby, though, that she knew only had two, as it was backed against the Bathhouse, so there were no windows or doors on two of the sides.

That would work. They could go to the back area and Azula could stand guard for as long as possible while her brother rested and soaked up Agni's rays in order to get some of his strength back. Once he was strong enough to firebend, they would have a better chance getting out of here.

A lock of his newly-cut hair shifted with his head and brushed against her cheek. She scowled. She'd love to get him to the Bathhouse, instead, but they had priorities. Safety was at the top of the list.

"Leave it to you to be imprisoned and still manage to be heavy afterward," she hissed to him as they walked. It was lie. Honestly, her brother was terrifyingly light. She wasn't going to say that, though. They kept walking.

As they stepped into the courtyard, the sunlight from the midday sun splashing over their skin, Zuko let out a small choking sound. Azula ignored it in favor of moving to that back corner. She released her brother.

"Sit."

He did. Azula tossed him the roll he had been eating earlier.

"Eat."

He did.

Twenty minutes of peace passed. There was movement out of the corner of her eye. Azula watched carefully as a single servant stepped into the courtyard. The woman, who looked to be around the age Mom had been when she left, walked toward them. Azula was on her feet her hands out in front of her. Her teeth glinted in the sunshine.

"Take another step. I dare you."

The woman was silent. Then, she reached into a bag that Azula just now noticed she had and placed down two canteens. Water.

Azula narrowed her eyes. The servant glanced to the two entrances before leaning down again and pouring water from each one into her own mouth. Azula watched as she swallowed without a care. The woman gave her a bow and was gone.

Azula hated charity. This wasn't charity, she reasoned. This was a servant doing her job: serving the royal family. At least some of the staff knew where their loyalties should lie.

Zuko drank the water greedily until Azula told him to slow down. She watched as he did, and then sipped carefully from her own container.

After Zuko had finished with the roll, he took another drink of water and then leaned back to lay down in the grass, his arms out to his sides.

"What are you doing?" Azula asked.

"Laying in the grass," her brother responded.

"Why?"

"...It's been a while."

Azula paused. "Have you been down there since Uncle became Fire Lord? Did you never come out?"

Zuko didn't respond. They both knew that he didn't have to. Her question hadn't actually been a question. Not really.

What she had to guess was another hour passed in relative silence. She kept seeing movement, though, out of the corner of her eye. Every time she turned, there was nothing. The entrances to the courtyard were bare. Still, Azula stayed on guard. Zuko stayed in the grass.

Azula took the scissors at one point and let her hair down, cutting along it until a few inches were gone. She hadn't particularly enjoyed letting it grow out over the last few months, but she hadn't really had any other options, either. She tied it back up when she was finished, her hair back to the length it had been during the Comet. She could work with that.

Finally, after they had been in the courtyard for an hour-and-a-half, something happened.

"There she is!"

The Avatar and his friends ran out from one of the entrances. There were none of her uncle's guards or men in sight. Uncle Iroh wasn't there, either. It was just those four kids she had been fighting against for months, as well as the Kyoshi Warrior, who they must have retrieved from the Rock as soon as Azula said where she was. Well, at least this would be more of a challenge. That had been what she had been looking for when she told them the Warrior's location in the first place.

(If she'd known when talking with the Avatar and his friends in her cell that she would be protecting her brother from the Kyoshi Warrior in a few weeks' time, Azula never would've said a thing.)

"Give it up, Azula!" The waterbender exclaimed. "You've got nowhere left to run!"

"I've been here for over an hour," Azula said dryly. "If I'd been planning on running, I would've done so already."

The Water Tribe boy opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the bling earthbender girl.

"Who's that?"

She felt her heart skip a beat. They hadn't noticed Zuko, apparently, and then the earthbender just had to say something. The way the girl's brow raised and her head twisted toward Azula, she had noticed the tiny heart beat change, as well. Well, shit.

The Avatar leaned forward, his eyes widening. "Zuko?"

Azula growled as the kid took a small step forward. "If you come any closer, I will burn you so badly that there won't be a body to bury."

The waterbender look furious, though. Azula remembered how Zuko had 'betrayed' the girl in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se, and clearly she wasn't over that yet.

The waterbender's hands moved quickly. Water flowed out of the pond in the opposite corner and shot toward them. Azula watched as it soared past her, wrapped around her brother's hand, and solidified into ice, dragging him forward. In a single motion, Azula's foot slammed down and shattered the ice. Zuko fell limp once more, and didn't seem to even want to bother melting the ice encasing his wrist. He shifted in the grass again and stared back up at the sky once more.

The water from the pond raised again, but the Avatar put a hand on his (girl?)friend's shoulder as the earthbender said, "Calm down, Sugar Queen. He's literally just laying in the grass. At least wait 'til we're actually fighting."

"I'm not gonna wait for them to attack," the waterbender said roughly.

"I won't attack unless you attack first," Azula said, and it was true. Before the Comet, she was sure she could've easily taken all of them on. Now, though, she'd been imprisoned for over three months. She was weaker than she had ever been in her life. And she had a brother to watch over.

"Sure you won't," the Kyoshi Warrior said sarcastically, and Azula supposed it made sense that she wouldn't believe that. Still, Azula shrugged.

"I'm not lying."

A few sets of eyes turned to the earthbender as she said, "I can't tell with her. You all know that."

"Even if you don't attack," the Water Tribe boy said, "How do we know he won't? We haven't seen him in months! For all we know, he's just been training and getting even stronger, waiting for the right moment to strike!"

Zuko, with his wrist still encased in ice and decked out in a dirty prison outfit, didn't move from the grass.

"Sure," Azula sneered. "Because it's so easy to get strong when you're imprisoned."

"Imprisoned?" The Avatar asked, and he looked so confused at her words that she almost could've believed it.

"Don't act like you don't know," Azula said.

"No, what are you talking about?" The Avatar cried, and he looked so distressed at the idea that it almost disturbed her.

"I'm talking about how you locked my brother up for months and didn't even do me the fucking courtesy of telling me. You told me he was on the run, you fucking liars!"

"We thought he was!" The Avatar exclaimed.

"For all we know, he could've been," the waterbender said, and Azula wanted nothing more than to punch the other girl in the face, just to get her to shut up. "They're both well-known for lying."

Azula almost snorted. Zuzu was the worst liar she knew.

"Either way, we need to keep our guard up," the Water Tribe boy said, and it was astounding how bad they were at strategizing. How had they managed to invade the Fire Nation and defeat them during the Comet when now they were talking about plans right in front of their enemy? "Even if he was imprisoned, somehow, Zuko's, unfortunately, always been one of the most resourceful people we know. He'll find a way to catch us off guard and burn out backs if we're not careful."

"Yeah, I hate to admit it, but he's one of the best firebenders there is," the waterbender nodded.

"Not anymore."

Zuko's voice had cut through the conversation like a sword through a man's arm. Or a knife through butter. That worked too. Azula couldn't help but turn toward her brother. The others weren't stealthy, anyway. She'd see if they tried anything.

"What?" She asked. "What are you talking about, Dum-Dum?"

"Not anymore," he repeated. "Did you not hear me?"

"I did," she confirmed.

"What does that mean, though?" The Kyoshi Warrior said from off to Azula's left.

As Zuko opened his mouth to speak, a few thoughts flickered through Azula's brain. She noticed the ice on her brother's wrist, slowly melting the sun. The skin beneath it was bright red from the cold. She thought about how Zuko reacted when they stepped out into the sun for the first time. She thought about how he'd been shaking when she'd found him. Not really shaking, though, but shivering, she was realizing.

Like he was cold.

There was a sinking feeling in her stomach. There was a cold in her chest even deeper than the one from the day before when she'd found her brother. He opened his mouth and spoke, and Azula almost didn't want him to.

"I can't bend anymore."

She couldn't breathe.

Then, she turned to the Avatar. "You took his bending?"

The Avatar shook his head frantically, looking pale. "I didn't! I didn't!"

Azula growled, low and threatening, and took a step forward. Her enemies shifted into stances, though the Avatar stayed still, staring at Zuko with more horror in his eyes than Azula thought possible. She couldn't care less, though.

Right before she was about to launch an arc of flames at them, though, her brother spoke.

"He didn't," Zuko said, and his voice was surprisingly calm, given the fact that he was shaking violently again. "He didn't take my bending. That's not a thing."

"He did it to Father," Azula said.

Zuko blinked, his gaze still on the sky. "Oh. Well, he didn't do it to me." Zuko's fingers were pulling small blades of grass out, grasping at them with a surprising amount of desperation. "I just lost it."

"...How?"

Zuko was quiet. "Things happen," he said, and Azula vowed to go back to the Archives as soon as possible. She was sure there would be something there that could tell her what had happened.

"How... What did it feel like?" The Avatar asked shakily.

Her brother was silent. Azula almost didn't want him to answer. She didn't want to know. She didn't want to hear about what she could've stopped if she'd just looked in the right places from the beginning.

"I thought I was dying," he said. He turned to Azula and she felt cold as their eyes locked and he said, "It was worse than the Agni Kai." He turned his gaze back to the sky. "I think death would've been better." He was quiet for a moment before adding, "It doesn't hurt anymore. I'm just... empty, now."

Azula, for the first time in a while, fought back tears. That was her brother. Hers.

A few minutes passed of complete and utter silence. Then, the earthbender said, "Iroh's coming."

Azula immediately was at her brother's side. They weren't going to make it out of there, but there was no way she was just going to let them take her away from him. Not now.

Abruptly, the earth shifted around them. Azula let out a sharp breath of air and gritted her teeth, but instead of being restrained, a dome of rock wrapped closed over her and her brother. She felt her stomach drop from under her as the rock shifted. There was a small hole in the top, allowing a bit of light in, and Azula realized abruptly that they were being moved underground.

They stopped as the blades of grass brushed the top of the hole. One hand tangled in the fabric of Zuko's sleeve while the other found the ice on his wrist. She heated her hand to melt the ice and strained her ears to listen.

"Ah, my friends, there you are. I wasn't sure if you heard: Azula has escaped once more."

It was her uncle's voice. Azula almost cried out in rage, but Zuko's hand was on her arm, then, squeezing lightly. Grounding her.

"No, we didn't hear that." It was the voice of the Water Tribe boy. "Again?!" He was surprisingly good at sounding surprised.

"Lucky number fifty," Uncle Iroh joked, and if they hadn't been in hiding, Azula would've lit something on fire. "Don't worry, we are looking for her. Feel free to relax, though. The White Lotus has this handled. Just let someone know if you hear anything."

"You got it, Fire Lord," said the earthbender, and it sounded like a joke, but it made Azula seethe.

Uncle Iroh chuckled, and there was no more conversation. Another few minutes passed, and then the earth around them shifted again. Azula blinked as she was in the sunlight again, and stood up. Zuko stayed sitting, his hands finding some grass to run through lightly.

"All right," the Avatar said, looking rather nervous indeed. "Let's talk this out, all right?"

Azula grit her teeth and set her jaw, and then was reminded of her brother, just a foot behind her, whose connection to Agni was ripped out of him, snapped like a cord, because of something their uncle did.

Their uncle, who this group just hid them from.

"Fine," she said. "Let's talk."

- - -

Azula and Zuko good sibling relationship for the win! Suck it, canon.

Let me know if you wanna see more, drop any asks, someone please come up with an AU name. Currently I'll be tagging it under 'Corrupt Iroh AU' until we all come up with something better.

This one kinda got away from me. I was glad to write in Azula's perspective, though. Good practice. Hope I did her justice. This one is a lot more canon-compliant than Fractures is, but the conditions for Zuko losing his bending through the (rare) natural process were still fulfilled, so we got to see that!

Yes, there are conditions. I have a list of them, I check them off for situations like this.

Anyway, like I said, I'll post this on Ao3 soon. It's very long, it's a worthy fic, I think.

[electronswrites]

I found an old poem I wrote for a baby, so...

Explain

Bato glared at them, at all of them. "What. Was. That?"

Flippy sword girl (apparently her name was Ursa?) cuddled Zuko (apparently he was her son??) and didn't answer Bato. She held up a hand in the shape of a mouth and filled it with flame. "Oh no! Hungry dragon!"

Zuko shrieked with delight. Ursa brought her face close to him. "Nom! Nom! Nom!" She pretended to bite his nose. "Baby Zukos are delicious!"

Bato sighed in exasperation and then turned to Aang. "Aang! Explain!"

Aang took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. "I couldn't say anything before, because I promised Ursa I wouldn't tell anyone anything that could put Zuko in danger." He looked Bato in the eye. "Ursa is my granddaughter."

Kya looked up from her sewing and raised a brow. "What's that now?"

Hakoda looked up from his waterbending scroll. "Aang, do we need to have a conversation about the batbees and the sparrowwasps?"

Ursa used her fire to create a dragon, moving it back and forth in front of Zuko. "Oh no, the dragon wasn't satisfied with our sacrifice! He's going to destroy the town!" Zuko clapped with delight.

"Okay," Bato said. "I want to know 1) who flippy sword girl really is, 2) who that obnoxious brat with Ozai was and 3) how Ozai found us again!"

Ursa looked up at him. "My name is Ursa, and I'm Avatar Roku's granddaughter. Azulon made my son the ward of the governor of new Azulon so he wouldn't find out that he's Ozai's son. The kid with Ozai was Prince Lu Ten, Crown Prince Iroh's son. Ozai had no idea you were here. He came here because he received a letter from the governor saying his son was missing, and he knew Azulon would blame him if his son was used in a plot for the throne."

Ursa turned back to Zuko. "Wherever will be find a brave warrior to face the dragon!" Zuko giggled as Ursa kissed the top of his head.

Baton frowned. "Wait. Hang on. Wait. That's Ozai's son?"

Ursa looked up at the sky. "Zuko, look! Do you see what time it is? It's time for the I Love You Song!"

Kya frowned. "So Ozai doesn't have some secret way of tracking us?" So gave Hakoda an annoyed look. "I knew there weren't really birds that can follow the scent of bisons."

"No, I'm telling you, Kya, there are. Aang. Back me up."

Aang scratched the back of his neck. "I've never actually seen a bird like that."

Ursa kissed Zuko's forehead. "I love you. Yes I do. I love your eyes and I love your nose. I love your hair and I love your toes. I love you." She picked Zuko up and held him over her face.

Bato groaned. "Can you all be serious for like five seconds?"

"One," Hakoda said.

Bato sighed. "This is ridiculous."

"Two," Kya said.

"Okay, so if Ozai can't really track us, then we should be safe to go north, right?"

"Three," Hakoda said. "I think we should go to Gaoling."

"Four," Kya said. "I agree. They travel by boat. We should head inland. Five."

Ursa continued the I Love You Song. Aang joined in despite not knowing the words. "I love you. Nothing could be more true. I love your laugh and I love your sneeze. I love when you smile and I love when you tease. I love you."

Bato glared at Ursa. "Is this going to be like a consistent thing with you?"

Hakoda smiled at Bato. "This will be great! No one will expect the Avatar to be traveling with a baby. He's the perfect disguise."

Bato just rolled his eyes as Hakoda and Kya joined in with the I Love You Song, despite neither of them knowing the words either.

[hello-nichya-here]

If fire benders get their power from the sun wouldn’t they be the strongest fighting naked?

Short answer: Avatar might look like an anime, but it ain't an anime and it aired on Nickelodeon. Can't show a guy's "fire sword" or female presenting nipples.

Long, serious answer: Bending isn't that simple. While the sun, as in the giant ball of fire in space, is a key element (hehehehe) on how and when firebending is possible, it isn't the ONLY thing that allows is to happen - there is quite clearly a spiritual side to it, and even cultural, biological, and emotional aspects involved. (This answer basically turned into a huge ass meta about how bending affects the culture of Avatar and how it leads to everything)

Let's assume the sunlight itself is a factor in this equasion too, which is basically confirmed since firebenders ARE stronger during the day: people can still get sunburns and even skin cancer due to solar expousure without having to be fully nude during sun baths. The sunlight is so intense that warm or hot nights are common during summer. On the day of black sun, it was still visibly day time because there was still a lot of light, and Azula and Ozai both managed to bend while being hidden underground, no sunlight on either of them. The moonlight is literally reflected sunlight still being visible at night.

Since I brought up the moon, let's think about somethings here: What would have happened if Zhao killed the ocean spirit instead of the moon? Would the oceans disappear or at the very least become uncontrolable? Would something else happen? Either way, it would not be good for the world in general, and it would REALLY suck for the waterbenders.

But wait a minute - killing the moon OR the ocean would screw up waterbending, regardless of which one survives? Why does water have two major things influencing it why fire has just the sun?

Simple: fire doesn't depend solely on the sun either. The big thing everyone was worried about the entire show was Sozin's COMET, and even lightning (which we know IS dependent on the sun not being "blocked" since no one could use it during the eclipse) is generated by creating and separating ENERGY (which also connects it to spirit/energybending) and Iroh found out how to redirect it by watching waterbenders.

In "The Swamp" we are told that humans are essentially no different from anything else in nature (again, tying in with the spirit being something that can be bent like any other element, and explaining why animals are able to bend and why spirits can look like animals, humans, and whatever the fuck Ko had going on) and in "The Guru" we are told that not is the division between the elements an illusion, the same applies to the division between the four nations - but if that is true, how come we don't see things like, say, random airbenders who are not related to Aang or any of the airbenders who died in the genocide being born during the entire century the war lasted? Why is the Avatar the ONLY ONE, both in the human world AND in the spirit world who can bend more than one element? And how the fuck does that connect to why the Fire Nation became the most stylish nation instead of having everyone running around naked so they'd be more powerfull? (I swear I'm going somewhere with this rant)

"How can all the elements technically be one, yet only the Avatar can bend all of them?" The same way the Avatar can technically be one person, but still be a bunch of different people. I would compare a solar or lunar eclipse to Aang letting Kyoshi take over and not remembering what "he" did while she was in charge, like admiting to a "murder." The firebenders didn't lose their bending on the day of black sun because the moon, as in the natural satelite, blocked the sun and didn't let them get enough light, but because the moon spirit was the one in charge for a little while. Again, it ties back to death of the moon - the natural satelite was still there, but without the spirit, there was no bending - and with Sozin's comet only being useful when it's close enough to the earth. Another good parallel would be The Painted Lady, who was temporarely unable to use her powers, despite being in her own domain, because external factors severely damaged her river, the thing she used to let those powers affect the human world.

"Okay, but what about the four nations supposedly being just one?"

In the easiest way I can explain my interpretation: Long before the Avatar, and maybe humanity as a whole, was a thing, the spirits used to bend solely energy (confirmed by the lionturtle). However, as time passed, some spirits figured out that the four elements could also be bent. The animals, due to necessity, learned it from them, either by copying them or actually being taught directly, and the humans then learned it from the animals (confirmed in The Cave Of Two Lovers and in The Firebending Masters) which was probably how animal guides like Appa became a thing. However, for some reason, all creatures, be it humans, animals or spirits, were able to bend only ONE element, if that. Since everyone was cohexisting peacefully, that wasn't a problem... but at some point everyone just decided to stick with the ones that were "like them" and built their cultures based on isolating themselves sticking with "their own kind", so no one could randomly be born bending the "wrong" element, because they didn't have the genes that would allow them to bend any element besides the one the culture they were born into had been based around. That also lead to the mentality of "Our way is the correct way" that made Sozin's plan to "share the Fire Nation's glory with the rest of the world" morf into killing the other nations (which Zhao later took to the extreme of killing even the spirits that led to these nations existing).

However, since nothing is that simple, even the "four" nations aren't that clearly devided. We have two water tribes + the guys at the swamp; we have the earth "kingdom" that was basically a bunch of city-states in a huge trench coat pretending to be a unified thing, we have The Sun Warriors living outside the Fire Nation; and we have the air NOMADS, aka people who were constantly travelling around the world, having temples in the north, south, east and west.

But most important of all, we had the Avatar. The bridge between the two worlds, the only one who could bend all elements, the one who travelled around the world, AND who rediscovered energybending. I don't think the Avatar was some kind of glitch in the matrix or a chosen one who was meant to defeat Sozin/Ozai in a fight that was always meant to happen. I think he was a different kind of spirit created by nature/the universe as a way to fix an abnormal situation that was NEVER meant to happen - the forced "separation" of the elements, that was leading to one (fire) eventually destroying the others.

Either way, no, tits out are not required for firebending, it's just a thing Ozai does to intimidate the 12-year-olds he throws hands at.