#because Aang only did all that because it was him and the ocean spirit working together

[robinthisbank]

Y’know what gets my fucking goat? What pisses me off? When people say “well if Aang is a pacifist, why did he do [names something he did in the Avatar State]?”

Aang loses control over himself when he is in that state. In fact, Aang is TERRIFIED of the Avatar State. He has active nightmares about it OFTEN. Part of his character is learning to embrace the sides of himself that he fears make him evil or a bad monk. He hates the fact he wants to hurt and destroy things, he more so hates the fact he can.

When he looks back at what he did during the Northern Siege, he feels fear, and hurt, and regret. He is a pacifist, he’s terrified of himself. He hates the Avatar State, he hates firebending. He has to learn to embrace these sides of himself, to love them, so that they can be harnessed for good.

He learns the Avatar State is a beautiful part of himself that connects him to the universe, to his past. He learns that fire isn’t just destruction but life and warmth. Only then is he a realized Avatar.

So yes, Aang is capable of killing, and hurting, but those are the times he despises himself the most. But he’s disgusted by what he can do, what he finds himself wanting to do while in that state.

Aang is a pacifist, but he was also a child who’d lost everything in a war he missed 100 years of. He has to learn to understand his pain, to love it. And when he knows he doesn’t have to kill or injure, he doesn’t. Because he’s a pacifist, he believes in the sanctity of all life

[lovegrowsart]

tui & la, yin & yang, and zuko & katara (+aang)

okay. i'm not interested in shipping slapfights, but i came across a specific pro-k/a argument and my mind simply won't let me rest until i write these thoughts down, so here's some meta about zutara symbolism and how, even if it was bryke's intention or retcon or whatever tf, symbolism related to complementary and interconnected opposites and balance, simply doesn't work with k/a's canon relationship dynamic.

first of all, the argument i saw that tui and la in the show are somehow not meant to be taken as yin and yang (or at the very least a representation of it) is... a very interesting one, considering they're designed to look exactly like the yin yang symbol, and koh literally describes them as such. he isn't just bringing up yin & yang because tui and la are, like, similar to them? but because that's what they are.

koh says tui and la are push and pull (the literal translation of tui and la from chinese) to describe what they are, and then says they are good and evil, life and death, yin and yang, to furthur describe the inherent nature of their relationship. this is a kid's show. the symbolism is meant to be this easy to parse. who is watching the koi fish merge into the literal yin yang symbol, quite possibly one of the most recognisable symbols in the entire world, and thinking "oh, but they're not really meant to be yin & yang!"? some k/a shippers, apparently.

now, you might say, but yin & yang aren't good and evil? isn't that a simplification or misconception of the concept? and yes, actually, i would agree with you, good and evil isn't exactly how i would describe yin & yang to someone (though there are schools of thought that do assign a moral dimension to yin & yang!), but if i was writing, again, a kid's show and wanted to get my point across with simple yet evocative language about the relationship between these two spirits symbolised by an complex and abstract real life spiritual and philosophical concept, i can see how "good and evil" works to explain yin (la) as negative and yang (tui) as positive. the text and visual language of the show intentionally links the ideas inherent to yin & yang to tui and la. you can't just retroactively separate them because you want tui & la to represent k/a, but you know that doesn't work if they're yin & yang because canon k/a just doesn't fit with that kind of symbolism.

the k/a argument that tui & la represent katara and aang just fundamentally doesn't work with how both are presented in the show. tui (the moon) is the white koi fish - the light side, representing yang, which is active, masculine, postive, fire etc. la is the black koi fish (the ocean) - the dark side, representing passivity, feminine, negative, water etc.

katara as the moon and aang as the ocean just doesn't map onto the specific symbolism evoked by how tui & la are presented visually and thematically in the show. tui & la are specifically described to balance each other, which just... isn't how k/a's canon dynamic is written. "aang gets angry like the ocean spirit and katara as the moon spirit pulls him back and calms him down" isn't how i would write or describe a balanced relationship, it's what i would call katara being aang's emotional crutch for three seasons with little support in return to "balance" them. k/a's canon dynamic is notably imbalanced, so if even symbolism pertaining to balance was meant to represent their relationship, bryke and the writers did a pretty piss poor job of making that symbolism present in their actual relationship. it's also a complete mischaracterisation of the yin & yang symbolism that is, again, explicitly tied into tui & la per the text and visual language of the show. not only is "katara and aang balance each other and when they're apart, they act recklessly and have to pull each other back from the brink" a reading of their relationship not particularly supported by the text of the show, that's also just... not how tui & la/yin & yang are actually characterised in the show or in real life.

furthermore, the argument that "good and evil" as it relates to tui & la and yin & yang doesn't work for z/k because "zuko isn't evil in the end" or "katara isn't evil at all" completely misses the forest for the trees in how the symbolism ties into the show's overarching themes and z/k's relationship specifically. the storytelling here is much more metaphorical and psychological than it is literal.

the whole point of yin & yang is that they are interconnected opposites, simultaneous unity and duality - zuko is as capable of bad as he is of good, and in turn, so is katara. this is true of every other person and character, of course, but zuko and katara specifically have important story beats in their respective arcs where they are shown the "light side" (zuko learning from the dragons) and "dark side" (katara learning bloodbending) of their respective elements (and their elements only compound their yin & yang symbolism, since fire and water are regarded as physical/natural manifestions of the yin & yang cosmological cycle). one of the most notable story beats of katara's arc is when she explores her "dark side" by going after yon rha (ymmv on how "dark" that really is, but i'm going with how the show presents this part of katara's journey), which is something the other members of the gaang (besides zuko ofc) don't really go through in their arcs - aang, sokka, and toph aren't written to confront the duality of their nature, their worldview, their moral character, their bending, the way that zuko and katara are.

part of me is struggling to even explain this because it's just, idk, really obvious to me. zuko and katara are fire and water, "evil" and "good" (they literally face off in the b1 and b2 finales! either of their literal and actual morality isn't actually all that relevant to how the symbolism works), of course they're yin & yang? and since tui & la are how yin & yang in the atla universe is presented to the audience, then that means they are tui & la too (symbolically, obviously, not literally).

yin & yang fundamentally transform each other the way zuko and katara do. for every advance, there's a retreat; for every rise, there's a fall. book 1; zuko falls, katara rises. book 2; katara falls, zuko rises. book 3; zuko falls, katara rises. you rise with the moon, i rise with the sun. an eternal dance as the both of them learn and grow and confront their own false dichotimies, learning how a world of seemingly opposing and contrary forces is, in fact, interconnected and interdependent.

like. c'mon.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

What about the Aang antis who say his trauma is not important because he lost the air nomads a 100 years ago or when they lost Appa?

I swear to God, this fandom is so fucking stupid when it comes to understanding how trauma works, that if Zuko didn't literally have a physical reminder of it on his damn face, fans would claim Ozai did not abuse him (they already to it to Azula after all).

IMAGINE thinking that "You lost everyone you ever knew and loved at once" is something that stops hurting EVER. And while yeah, they died 100 years ago, Aang was frozen during all that time, and only found out about what happened when Katara and Sokka accidentally freed him. He did NOT have 100 years to process what happened, he literally had this massive trauma to deal with while having the new burden of "If you don't master all the elements, something that took every other Avatar years to accomplish, in just a few months, everyone is gonna fucking die."

Seriously, people are constantly giving Aang shit for being immature or acting too much like a kid (spoilers: HE IS ONE, YOU DIPSHITS!), but considering the trauma of, again, LOSING LITERALLY EVERYONE HE KNEW AND LOVED IN A BLINK OF AN EYE, that kid is super well-adjusted. I would have spent a whole week crying, then walk into the ocean because what's the point of anything anymore?

As for the Appa thing, I've said it all once, and I'll say it again.

1 - Appa is literally meant to have a spiritual bond with Aang that cannot be broken even in death (see Roku and his dragon, who not only chose to die with him but also is still helping him out in the spirit world).

2 - Appa is one of the few things Aang did NOT lose. Literally the only other living reminder of his "old life" is Bumi - who was being held prisoner by the Fire Nation at the time.

3 - Appa is one of the few surviving things from the air-nomads. Losing him is a tragedy not just to Aang, but to the whole world.

4 - APPA WAS LITERALLY CAPTURED! Who the hell would be okay with hearing "By the way, someone you love was kidnapped and you might never see them again. In fact, they could be dead right now"

Trying to act like Aang was overreacting when he lost Appa or when he found out about the genocide of his people is pure bad-faith reading. It's like being mad at Zuko for falling for Ozai's trap on the day of the eclipse, like he would not be extremelly vulnerable in such a position - Ozai has been his abuser for years AND Zuko, naturally, was desperate to find out what the hell to his mother.

It's assuming that the characters daring to show EMOTION is a bad thing because "it affects the plot", as if "trauma informs a character's decisions" is not the point in the first place. Nope, the story would totally be much better if Avatar was pure exposition all the time instead of having anyone CARE about anything ever, and we especially can't have the protagonist be emotionally attached to anything and thus be sympathetic to us - just look at how well that worked in the Shyamalam movie!

[piratefishmama]

Everything wrong with the liveaction Avatar and WHY.

in my own personal opinion that nobody need agree with me on.

Zuko fought back in the Agni Kai against his father.

Okay so, so far, there's been a lot of people trying to explain why this was wrong with the very limited space on twitter, i'm going to do it here, on tumblr, where i have unlimited space, whee. In the original show, Zuko, with pure terror in his heart, got down on his knees, begged, and pleaded for forgiveness that his father would not give, before being burned and banished for his weakness and disrespect. This gave the audience the impression that Ozai was fucking terrifying. His power was beyond comprehension, and he was so scary that his own son, his own progeny, would still be TOO AFRAID of him, to even dare cross him. Even at the cost of his honour. Ozai wouldn't even grant mercy to his own terrified son, scarring his face, a part of Zuko that he could never hide, so everyone would forever see the proof of Zuko's dishonour and shame. Ozai was awful. In every single way, but he was also terrifying. The Live Action version had Zuko fighting back. Not only did it have him fighting back, it also had him obtain an actual chance to win that fight. Now, an Agni Kai, is a fight between firebenders where the first person to be burned, loses. Undoubtedly, Ozai had many oppportunities to burn his son from the get go, but for a brief moment, Zuko has the upper hand, right here

It's right here, that Zuko could have won an Agni Kai against his father, the firelord, and big bad of the entire series, right out of the gate, before he'd even hit adulthood. Pathetic. Dont get me wrong, it's a cool scene, but it greatly diminishes how scary Ozai is supposed to be. Zuko has the strength to fight back, he's scared, but he's not paralyzed with fear, he's able to fight back, and damn near almost WIN. Shit's pathetic. Ozai almost got his shit rocked by a teenager. Who isnt even the avatar. Cartoon Ozai was a terrifying monster who had the actual avatar so scared he was having recurring nightmares about rocking up to the big fight without pants, this dude's just a terrible father with superpowers.

The Face Stealer Koh

In the original cartoon, Koh was introduced as a spirit old enough to know who and what the real world forms of the ocean and moon spirit were. A creepy stealer of faces who hunted by causing reactions in people. Stealing their faces wouldnt kill them, they just. Wouldnt have a face. In the live action, he appears in the 'Hei Bai' episode and hunts in the fog of lost souls, y'know, the place in Korra where lost souls get stuck in their worst memories? Then he cocoons them, and eats their faces. Like, full on eats them. And for some reason he was the one who grabbed the lost villagers in the Hei Bai episode, not Hei Bai. It's weird. Pretty sure one of them maybe got eaten, idk. Unclear. Gross and unclear.

Hei Bai plothole

Not so much a plothole as just... something missing. Hei Bai is seen in his 'distressed spirit' form, he's seen, his pain and distress is acknowledged multiple times, and the reason why he's distressed is seen, but he's never shown to be soothed. Aang buries an acorn in the ground near his damaged statue, but it never shows Hei Bai being soothed. In the cartoon he had to be handed the acorn to see it, to understand the implication and be calmed, if just burying an acorn in the ground would have worked, he'd have never been upset, because he'd have been able to see it himself in the ruins of the forest with there being acorns all over the place.

Wan Shi Tong cameo in Hei bai's foggy spirit forest

Dude why tf are you out of your library? Your foxes venture out into the world to find you things, get back to your library, what the hell r u doin out there?

WE DIDNT NEED TO SEE THE AIR NOMAD GENOCIDE

WE DIDN'T NEED TO SEE THE AIR NOMAD GENOCIDE

Gyatso's underwhelming skeletal remains.

In the cartoon they found him surrounded by dead firebender soldiers, having solo'd a ton of them by himself, an old man, a monk, all on his own. Giving the impression that either he fought them off until he fell, or he removed out the air in the room suffocating them all and himself. Both entirely badass ways to go. In the live action the firelord walks through his frankly impressive wall of airbending in a cool 'oo i'm on fire' trick, and burns him alive in front of a bunch of air nation children. The fucking dishonour on your whole goddamn family whoever decided upon that scene, jesus christ.

Azula wasn't scary

She was just... meh.

The Only Good Thing About the Avatar Live Action series.

Big spirit fish go brr.

[watchmakermori]

thoughts on the live action avatar

spoiler alert: I thought it was bad. if you liked the show and you don't like reading negativity, just skip out on this one.

the overall quality of the show was about what I anticipated, but some specific aspects were better/worse than I first expected. from the trailers alone, I knew the effects looked bad (I don't know why they get so much praise). I wasn't expecting amazing acting from a bunch of child actors either, though I was pleasantly suprised by sokka's performance.

the biggest and worst disappointment is the writing. it's really bad. the og cartoon does have some ropy dialogue, especially towards the beginning of book 1, so I'm not going to pretend its perfect. but the live action is relentlessly clunky and expository. I don't need aang to tell me, the viewer, how he's just a normal kid and all he wants to do is play with his pals. I don't need yue to tell me that the ocean spirit is full of vengeance and rage when it's literally destroying a city. show me. and trust me to understand the story beats without having them explained.

a lot has been said about katara's actress, and I agree that her performance is weak, but I think she wasn't helped by a) bad dialogue and b) bad direction. The direction as a whole seems so uninspired and most of the actors give middling performances. I would rather these kids overacted than underacted. The Harry Potter kids were not good actors, especially not at the beginning of the movie series, but they still managed to give charismatic performances because they went all in on it.

I really just hate how the scenes are sort of...placed? It's hard to even put my finger on what it is, but it feels like the characters just suddenly appear in scenes as if they spawned there, with no thought as to how they arrived. There's one scene in the final episode where Azula is standing atop a rock outside Omashu and removes her mask to address all of the Fire Nation forces, and I couldn't stop thinking about all of the troops shuttling into place outside of the destroyed city, while Azula taps her foot on the rock and waits awkwardly to address them all. tl;dr scenes often feel staged and inorganic.

speaking of azula, I fucking hate that she was shoehorned into the story this early. she had no good reason to be here, and the portrayal of her character just does not work. I vehmently dislike that we see her struggling to win Ozai's approval, because that is not the point of her character at all. when she is first included in book 2, she is the golden child. she is a firebending prodigy who was 'born lucky', who succeeds in every way that zuko fails. she is a complete perfectionist, but she also has the incredible entitlement of a person who has never failed in her life, which makes her the perfect foil to her disgraced, exiled brother.

azula seeming perfect is integral to her character and her relationship with zuko. it explains why zuko is so desperate for ozai's approval, and why azula completely cracks and breaks down in book 3 when things stop going her way. she is not used to failing, she is not used to being tested, she is not used to anyone telling her no. making ozai belittle her and play her off against zuko completely changes the dynamics of the family, and it makes her a weaker foil to zuko. I potentially hate this more than any other change in the live action, even though it's a minor one overall

out of all the characters, I think the only one they really successfully captured was sokka. they toned down his comic elements, which I think was a sensible choice, but he still has the jokey sarcasm that gives him the spirit of the character. I do have to give credit where it's due for this, because I honestly thought sokka would be one of the hardest ones to get right.

I do think it was a bad move to remove all of his sexism, though. I could accept them making it less overblown, but taking it away entirely gives him less growth as a character.

they did an okay job on zuko and iroh, though I don't think iroh has the right balance of humour and sage wisdom that makes him such a beloved character. zuko is okay, if maybe a bit too emotionally mature at times. I didn't really like that he and aang had a full conversation after the blue spirit kidnapping. in the cartoon, zuko immediately fucking blasts him, and that feels truer to how short-sighted and reckless he is at that stage in the story. but overall, zuko isn't too bad.

katara sucks. she really sucks. she's not bossy, she's not snarky, she's not got a temper. she doesn't have that overly responsible, maternal side to her personality either. her entire character is distilled down to her...wanting to waterbend. and help aang, I guess. we don't get to see her make proper mistakes or rob pirates or scream at sokka for being an ass. she's literally unrecognisable compared to her cartoon counterpart, and live action katara doesn't have any other personality traits that make up for the ones she's lost.

aang is almost as bad, though people seem to be talking about him less. he's so goddamn passive, and it's a complete joke that he doesn't do a single bit of waterbending in the whole series. I get that his arc across the season is about facing up to the responsibility of being the avatar, but I think they could've still had that and also included his motivation to learn waterbending. in the original cartoon, he's still very flighty and avoidant of his problems, but he always takes action to help others when he can.

I think it was a bad choice to not have aang run away from the air temple at the beginning of the story. having him just go flying and accidentally get caught in a storm removes a very core point of motivation and guilt for his character, and it has a big impact on the rest of the story.

I do like yue better in the live action than the cartoon, though. she's a pretty meh character in the original and the voice actor is very wooden. she isn't the best character in the live action either, but more of her personality shines through and she feels less like a plot device. her wig is fucking terrible, though.

the action scenes almost all suck shit. they feel turn based and the dynamic martial arts basis to bending doesn't come through in the same way. the final episode did a better job on the fight choreography, but I still wouldn't call it good.

the cgi landscapes and bad lighting make me all too aware that most of this series was probably shot in a warehouse against a greenscreen

yes it is better than the 2010 movie. no this is not saying very much

It did at least make me want to rewatch the original series again tho so I'm gonna go do that

[chocomd]

ATLA rewatch thoughts, Book 1 (eps 17, 18)

How did I end up writing metas for each episode I rewatch?? I just want to sit back and rewatch ATLA but I guess I have thoughts 🥲😂 

17) The Northern Air Temple: This episode is memorable to me because of how heartbreaking it is for Aang. He’s the last airbender who lost his entire world, and he discovers that people have moved into the Northern Air Temple. It’s heartbreaking to see Aang get excited that maybe some of his people survived, only to discover that the people gliding around the temple aren’t airbenders at all. Then he finds that every part of the temple, one of the few remnants he has left of his heritage, has been desecrated or destroyed. The fact that the temple provides a home to refugees softens the blow, until he discovers that the Mechanist has been making weapons for the FN for years. Even though at the end, Aang comes to terms with the refugees living in the temple, it’s all still so profoundly sad to me. I really hope that after the war, Aang can work with these people to teach them about the Air Nomads and the history of the temple and show them how to care for and respect the place that his people had once called home. (hey look a fic idea 👀)

My favorite part is the beginning, where Aang challenges Teo to a fly-off 😂 Also loved Sokka and the Mechanist getting all excited about inventions 😌

18) The Waterbending Master: WHAT A GREAT KATARA EPISODE!!! “You can’t knock me down!” Also I forgot how rude and sexist Pakku is omg. KATARA YOU GO GIRL FOR PUTTING HIM IN HIS PLACE!! LOL the look on her face when she realizes that Pakku could have been her grandfather 🤣 But you know...in a strange twist of fate, if Pakku hadn’t sent Katara to learn healing from Yagoda, she wouldn’t have been able to bring Aang back to life after CoD 🤔

One little thing I never noticed before...in Aang’s first waterbending lesson, Pakku scolds him: “You're moving the water around, but you're not feeling the push and pull.” Waterbending is all about push and pull! Foreshadowing the moon and ocean spirits in the finale (whose names literally mean “push” and “pull” in Chinese), but also how fitting is that for Kataang?? Aang and Katara often practice waterbending together, and when Aang waterbends in fights, he usually does so in cooperation with Katara. Tui and La, push and pull, yin and yang...this is Kataang 😍

[juniperhillpatient]

The Avatar State Re-Watch

Watching this episode is really stressful because I have to pretend I care about what's happening in the plot & with all the characters as if it's not the episode when my personal Blorbo of All Time is introduced.

(Yes I got excited about the flashback, & the end of Book 1 as well. Her Royal Highness Princess Azula is just that special that she gets three Offical Introductions™ okay)

Anyway...

Okay, so, the Gaang is heading for Omashu where Aang is planning to learn earth bending from King Bumi. That's when we meet one of the most unpleasant side characters of the show. Boo, Fong, me & all my homies hate Fong. Right after we learn about the nightmares that Aang is having about the power he wielded during the Siege of the North Part 2 while in the Avatar State/soul bonding with the ocean spirit, this asshole uses peer pressure to try to force Aang into the Avatar State again to defeat Ozai.

I had honestly forgotten that the show does a decent job of exploring Aang's fears regarding his own power. This episode is where we see that he's becoming affected not just by the burden of his responsibility, but by fear of what he's capable of. A big criticism I've had so far along this re-watch is that the Gaang is continuously responsible for the deaths of Fire Nation soldiers - 'Imprisoned,' 'The Northern Air Temple,' & 'The Siege of the North Part 2,' are the biggest examples so far, yet Aang is shocked & horrified at the thought of killing Ozai in Book 3. This is not because I'm on team "Aang should've killed Ozai," again, I just think the show can be hypocritical about the whole "no-kill" rule. That said - I think this episode comes close to handling the issue well, & it certainly does a good job of exploring Aang's inner motivations & fears. Aang is terrified of the amount of power he wields, & not just because of this great responsibility he has, but because the Avatar State can be quite destructive. He's having nightmares about what he did during 'The Siege of the North Part 2,' he's struggling with reconciling this scary destructive force with his own nature as a pacifist, & also just a kid.

Katara & Aang's conflict in this episode is pretty engaging because both sides make sense. While Aang ultimately realizes that 1. Fong is an insane asshole & 2. Fong is wrong that the Avatar State is the only way to win this war - it makes sense for him to consider Fong's arguments at the start. After all, on a logical basis, they are running out of time for Aang to learn the four elements. On Katara's side, we have her knowledge that discipline & hard work are the way to master the elements & her care for Aang as a person, not just the Avatar. It's a well-done conflict & we ultimately realize that Aang needs to master the elements on his own. Oh, & we get the fun little info from Rokku about the Avatar's potential destruction. I'm sure that won't be important later! I'll be honest, I don't love what they did with Sokka in this episode. After a lot of development in Book 1 & experiencing a devastating loss in the season finale, Sokka is back to being the comedic relief with no real inner conflict of his own as of this episode which is a bit disappointing. I did like him bonking Fong on the head though.

So, Book 2 has a new villain to be More Eviller & Scarier™ than Zuko & Iroh now that Zhao has been sucked into Hell where he belongs. I'm sure this is a villain I'll be completely normal about. But she sure does have an iconic introduction!

I just feel like Azula's level of badassery can never actually be underappreciated.

The Fire Hazard Siblings reunite in this episode & it's crazy to think that 2 years ago I was watching this cartoon thinking "this is a kinda interesting dynamic, hm" & now I still care a completely normal amount about these dysfunctional evil siblings in a kid's cartoon & I definitely don't spend 28 hours a day 366 days a year thinking about the stupid imperialist family of assholes.

Anyway, Azula shows up & Zuzu is filled with joy to be reunited with his baby sister. Not. Zuko greets Azula with disdain even without knowing her intentions, which is interesting because he's pretty ready to trust her. Iroh is mistrustful from the get-go, which makes a lot of sense because he knows his brother & he knows this probably isn't the reconciliation mission Azula is claiming. Zuko's attitude toward Azula is unrelated to whether he trusts her. We saw in 'The Siege of the North Part 2' that Zuko has a hate boner for *ahem* is harboring a hell of a lot of resentment for his sister. He thinks everything comes easy for her. He sees her as having taken his father's affection, something he is desperate to obtain. So, right off the bat, we have some extremely complicated & fascinating family dynamics at play.

Azula gets a lot of praise for "do the tides command this ship" & she absolutely should because it's an iconic & terrifying introductory speech BUT I think MY personal favorite Azula moment in this episode is when the wool is pulled from Zuko's eyes & he yells "you lied to me!" & she responds "like I've never done that before?"

This is where the mask is lifted - but only partially. Azula isn't one of my favorite characters of all time for nothing - this girl has so many layers to explore. There's the calculated politician who is always playing a mind game & never telling the truth - that's who we see at the start. Then there's the mean & twisted bully who immediately starts insulating & belittling Zuko once the gig is up, playing at his worst insecurities to get under his skin by reminding him that their father sees him as pathetic & a failure. Later, we'll meet the scared & lonely girl hiding deep down, but she's buried pretty deep, so not yet.

Azula & Zuko's fight is just iconic. We get to see both of their fighting styles & how they work against each other as well as Azula using her keen ability to get under Zuko's skin, something only a sibling could do so effectively even after years apart. Zuko is an aggressive fighter, while we see Azula deftly dodging his attacks more often than fighting back, even choosing to scratch him rather than burn him - which is a tiny hint at something more going on under the surface - Azula doesn't want to kill her brother. This claim doesn't come with some great declaration that Azula is actually a softie, I just think that she's an incredibly skilled fighter & it's impressive to see the way she maneuvers to avoid doing worse damage than necessary to Zuko. She wants to take him prisoner, but not strike a killing blow herself.

At the end of the episode, we get a pretty significant moment from Iroh & Zuko. They severe their hair & their ties with the Fire Nation, cutting off their royal headpieces. This represents a pretty huge shift in their role in the story & I'm so excited about re-watching their journey & where they go from here!

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

atla - an older then dirt topic

Here is a list of atla pairings I view from best to worst in my own personal opinion. This list might infuriate some people and I apologize for it.

1: Sukka. Probably the most unproblematic and well-developed pairing period. Maybe we could know more about Suki, but she has enough characterization outside of Sokka and vice versa.

2: Yukka. Also fantastic. Just imagine how poetic it be if Sokka gave his soul to become the ocean spirit.

3: Azulaang. It deserves to be with the big leagues such as Kataang and Zutara. Aside of it giving Azula her well-deserved redemption. Aang and Azula have the potential to be more spiritually connected and bonded due to Azula being a descendent of Aang’s past life Roku. This bond can begin right after Aang let’s go of Katara and opens his last chakra gaining true freedom, mastery over the avatar state. (Before you ask, this’ll be after the season 3 finale, not season 2 where Azula zaps him because while he did open it that time, it ended up getting reblocked again.) I’ve read multiple Azulaang AUs where Aang is temporarily a guru and he gets Azula to open and master her chakras, adding strength to there already strong bond. It doesn’t have to be just Aang helping her, it can be the other way around. Azula can give proper insight on her experience on the fire nation, she can teach him the advance forms of firebending and give him pointers about strategy, calculation and charisma. I imagine these two will take up nomadic roots and roam the earth but unlike Aang’s ancestors, they will serve people of all nations, working wherever there is corruption and discord to restore balance and peace. Aang being the avatar, he and Azula can draw wisdom from many different places as possible as Iroh recommended and Aang shares his crazy freelancing avatar adventures with Azula. It’s well balanced, unique and they help each other grow. What’s not to like?

4: Zutara. It shouldn’t come as a surprise it’s this high on the list. I’m sure every ‘pro zutara’ person has listed every reason and meta better than I could. There is one downside though. Not enough screen time. I’ve seen fan-art of agni kai where Zuko and Katara smooch it up after she heals Zuko. As heartwarming as it looks in concept, if it happened in canon, it’d come off rushed and out of nowhere. That’s one of the reasons why atla deserved a book 4: Air. I know that I’ve jotted down headcannons about Ozai being the dark avatar and harmonic convergence arrived in Aang’s time, but alternatively, the comet finale and happy ending can be cut and moved over to the end of season 4. What goes on in season 4 can just consist of tying up all lose ends until there’s absolutely nothing left but the final battle at hand. Aang could learn nuanced and maybe dark secrets of the air nomad culture, including one of his past lives learning to fly due to Guru Lagima's teachings because we've seen Aang fly whenever he was in the avatar state, he then can also discover more about lion turtles and the secrets of energybending, all by himself without the help of a random lion turtle. Perhaps, Oza be rewritten to take Sozin’s place in time of birth. He’d betray Roku, he’d destroy most of the air nation and he’d start the war. But, unlike Sozin, Ozai lives through 100-year-war and all the atrocities, experiences, and firebending levels from the 3 fire lords will all belong to Ozai only. Iroh would need to be Ursa’s older brother for this to work. As Aang masters energybending, he uses it to purify all of Ozai’s chakras and restore his internal balance for good. What happens to him afterward can vary. Other than that, Zutara is iconic and makes the best sense. Katara is the daughter of the chief which gives Katara a level of authority and royalty. Right?

5: On Jaang. A criminally underrated pairing that deserves more love.

6: Korrasami. The best gay ship there is. Despite what others might say, I think they had built-up and the pay-off was done in a more plot-twisty way. Enough teases to where it makes sense but not too much where you’d predict it happening. It’s what a “will they or won’t they” should be.

7: Korvira. Gives an Azulaang vibe but not as impactful but does get me interested.

8: Wuko. Would be the best male gay ship and I don’t think we have enough of those.

9: Sokkla or Azukka. Another fascination of mine that can easily exist in the kataang timeline.

10: Maizula. It makes the best sense. They get along best out of everyone, there similar personalities seem to match perfectly, they seem to understand each other the best, Mai was the only one who was never afraid of Azula and Azula has never had to use manipulation or fear tactics to control Mai.

11: Ty Luko. I can’t help but be drawn to this. I’ve been wishing constantly that they have positive screen time together. The way she says “I know you” sticks with me. Zuko hired her along with the rest of the kyoshi warriors as guardsmen, or as Ty puts it, “gaurdswomen.” This gives them plenty of chances for them to bond and raise the possibility she could be the mother of Zuko’s daughter Izumi. Zuko has a thing for women who express there emotions as well has be self-sufficient. Which is why Zuko was frustrated with Mai even if she herself is self-sufficient. Since Ty Lee is like the polar opposite of Mai and harbors a similar personality to Aang, whom by the way Zuko seemingly gets along with the best, Ty Luko seems logical and at least the next best thing compared to Zutara.

12: Zuki. Almost the same reasons as Ty Luko. The chemistry was fascinating and there seems to be a lot of trust between them. This leaves me conflicted with Sukka as it I said it was the best of the best.

13: Taang. I’ve been intrigued on this for quite a long time before Azulang and I used to think that Aang seeing her from the swamp meant something considering that the swamp shows people visions of of loved ones and that it would easily coexist with Zutara. Some fans speculated that Toph may have been the reincarnation of Ummi who was the love of Aang's past life Kuruk. Many felt that Ummi losing her face would explain why she was born blind in a future life. While I’ve grown to like Azulaang more, I can see this being a well thought out match.

14: Tokka. It’s been slowly growing on me and it’s very clear Toph has a thing for Sokka. A lot of fans hoped that Sokka was Lin's father and were disappointed when it was revealed that she dated Sokka's nephew, Tenzin. However, when it was revealed that Toph had another daughter with a different father, the fans regained hope. I personally don’t mind if Sokka was Su’s father.

15: Katoph. Makes sense to me, they seem to get along best and complement each other. Even though Katara acted motherly to Toph.

16: Mailee. Not a bad idea. Mai and Ty Lee both betrayed Azula and were both willing to help the gaang. They’ve never tried controlling or manipulate each other.

17: Kainora. While I had my issues with Kai. He and Jinora look pretty cute, and Kai managed to change his ways so it’s all good.

18: Kataang. It had its moments, they had the most screen time together, Aang and Katara do express some teamwork and its canon, congratulations. But they used almost all of that screen time framing Katara as an authoritive, coddly, big-sister type to Aang and Aang himself just simping for her like crazy, to the point that Aang ended up coming off too strong and his simping often clouds his judgment. He hasn’t gotten much growth from her aside teaching him waterbending and inspiring him to regain his faith in humanity, he also sees her as this perfect angelic figure and gets scared whenever she shows her more flawed side. During Aang’s chakra sessions, we’re given a clear explanation on how Katara is the only to calm Aang down from the avatar state, because she’s the reason why Aang has little control in the avatar state in the first place. Katara is an earthly tether and the only way to better protect her and gain full control over the avatar state, he has to let her go. But the love chakra showed Katara to Aang. Which means two things can happen if Aang opened his last chakra. He can love Katara in a healthier and more balanced way, realize that she’s not the perfect princess Aang made her out to be and actually falls for her harder because of it. Or he could realize his romantic attraction was never real, he lets it go and settles for the family-type of love. You’d think it went the route of the former but...it didn’t. Aang found a random and cheap way to end the great war, he never got around to opening his chakra and still needs Katara to hold his hand so he doesn’t go “incredible hulk” with the avatar state. Aang wasn't really asked to sacrifice much of anything, he blew the whole thing out proportion, making his job more difficult than it needed to be, and Katara could have better things to do then constantly babysit him.

19: Zucest. As strange and taboo as it is. I was indeed drawn by this. I can kinda see why. Azula takes the most risk for him. Saved his life and saved his reputation, the way she acted when Zuko barged into her room but wasn’t fully asleep and somehow knew he was there. With Aaron Ehasz planning on getting these two to reconcile, some may take that as a sign. But the saner side of me says it’s just them acting like the loving siblings they deserve to be.

20: Masami. I felt they hit off to fast in season 1 but when they did hit off, they looked surprisingly good. Season 2 made them look even better. That said, I’ve been conflicted between this and Korrasami.

21: Ty Lokka. Maybe, if Suki doesn’t mind a threesome. Doubt it though, and I wasn’t really feeling it with this one.

22: Urzai. It would honestly add more depth to Ozai as Zuko once stated that their family was once happy.

23: Ozhao or Zhai. It would explain why Zhao gets special treatment from Ozai and he overhypes himself. I theorize Ozai arranged his own nephew to die and Zhao was the shooter.

24: Zukaang. Interesting but has parallels with that of Kataang. As Katara was mother-like, Zuko is father-like, and they appear to be good as friends.

25: Zukka. Meh. Sokka may likely steal some of Katara’s characterization for this to work, and that just kills any originality. They have proven to work well together though.

26: Azutara. Same thing with Zukka. Just use what it is that made Zutara and Azulaang special and this is what you get.

27: Makorra. Season 2 ruined this for me, but even season 1 they didn’t seem all that great. Mako and Korra didn’t seem to have that many sparks between them, Mako from season 1 was framed as level-headed version of Zuko, that infamous love triangle didn’t make anything better.

28: Maiko. Nope. We’ve seen firsthand the dysfunction Maiko has wrought. Zuko tries to be kind and supportive, but Mai just doesn’t appreciate it. Zuko tried pouring his heart out to her, but she basically just told him to shut up. Zuko was already soaked with insecurities and guilt and Mai, intentionally or not, made them worse and that’s when Zuko started getting more impatient and possessive over Mai. Mai intimidated Zuko into never breaking up with her again and yet she felt entitled to do the breaking up herself. Mai is way better off and more likable without Zuko in her life and vice versa.

29: Tyzula. I can’t help but cringe every time I see this. Everything about this just rubs me the wrong way. While Azula wasn’t a threatening control freak towards Mai, she was towards Ty Lee.

30: Boleska. Absolutely not. Eska was nothing but abusive and possessive towards Bolin. He deserves better.

[atlabeth]

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

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

part 5 | masterlist | part 7

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

wc: 3.5k

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Fire Nation was coming.

-

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-

Things were so much worse than she had been anticipating.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-

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

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

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

“Is he okay?” Yue gasped.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-

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

perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77

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

atla: @marianne1806

[passable-talent]

i love your works! could i request a zuko x reader scenario where the reader and zuko first meet at the northern water village (reader saves zuko from drowning during that full/blood moon) and sees zuko again when he joins the gaang? they’re training and the reader heals a cut on his face and they kiss👀? thank you!

oooooo I haven’t gotten a water bending reader request yet 👀 this’ll be fun

also thank you! I’m definitely enjoying myself

When you saved Prince Zuko’s life, you’d had no idea who he was.

Okay, to clarify, you did know he was a firebender. That much was obvious, from the fact that he was under the ice of the northern water tribe, melting his way through it.

You’d been wandering down toward one of your favorite hideaways, a little platform closer to the water’s surface that doubled as a pipe’s drainage point. You’d been sitting there, legs dangling so that you feet almost touched the water, when you heard a thump behind you. You turned, and saw nothing, and so ignored it. But a moment later you heard sizzling, and turned to see red-hot hands pressed up against the thick ice.

At that moment, it didn’t matter that he was a firebender. It mattered that he was trapped under the ice.

You shot to your feet and skidded to your knees over top of him, just as you watched his hands detach from the surface of the ice. He’d lost his air- and was sinking downward.

Immediately you split the ice open and used water bending to create a current upwards, spitting out enough of his torso that you could drag him from the water. He was lucky, and hadn’t yet taken a lungful of water, and so when you dropped him on his back he took a big, gasping breath.

“Are you okay?” You asked him, concern in your eyes for a moment before you asked something else. “What in Tui’s name were you doing under the ice?” You demanded, honest concern for the safety of this clearly insanely brave individual in your tone. But he looked up at you with a cold expression, and you sat back with a sigh as realization clutched your heart.

He was a firebender. The city was under siege. There were likely soldiers like him everywhere, crawling in like elephant rats through any holes they could find.

“Oh. Right.” You looked over his shoulder and with a hand motion, resealed the hole you’d pulled him from. He made no attempt to move, and made a few puffs of flame to try to warm up.

“You don’t look like a soldier,” you told him, and his fire began to turn from the cooler red flame to the hotter orange.

“I’m not,” he answered, which soothed your fears a slight bit. The night was eerily silent, but the movement of the water at the mouth of the pipe echoed through its length and past the two of you. There was an odd sense of peace- a firebender and a water bender, at a truce, within a pipe. His nation was laying siege to your capital city, but you wouldn’t hold that against him. Forgiveness, and unconditional love. That’s what you loved about your people, and you would let it guide you. You wouldn’t let someone drown- not even a fire bender.

You only hoped that you wouldn’t discover that he killed Princess Yue or something, you decided, as you watched him sneak off into the streets of the city. But you had faith in him. After all, he could’ve killed you.

When three months later you were a part of Team Avatar, you still hadn’t known that the boy you saved was indeed Prince Zuko. You’d joined Team Avatar late, only for the eclipse invasion, and so had only heard tales of the angry banished prince who caused so much harm. The two were definitely not the same person, it hadn’t ever even occurred to you that they could be.

So when Zuko turned up at the Western Air Temple, your first response was unbridled joy.

“It’s you!” You’d shouted before he could say a word, and rushed forward to hug him even as he stood stalk still in surprise. You turned back to Aang with a huge smile, relieved with this turn of events.

“Guys, this is perfect! He’s a firebender, but he’s good. I met him back at the Northern Water tribe, on the day of the lunar eclipse. He’s good, he’s-“ you turned to Zuko, a sheepish look of embarrassment on your face.

“I’m sorry, I never knew your name,” you said, before Katara spoke from behind you.

“That’s Zuko,” she spat, and your shoulders dropped. “Y/N, step away from him. I don’t know what you know, but he’s not what you think.”

You found it easier to accept him then a lot of the gang did. You had only ever seen the good side of him, and even though you’d heard of the bad, you just remembered that shivering teenager you’d rescued and the honest thankfulness in his eyes when he saw you.

You saw the relief on his face every time you sent him a smile, because you wanted him to know that you were supportive of his change of heart. He began to gravitate toward you, knowing that conversation with you wouldn’t feel awkward or forced.

You’d seen the good in him, and now you were sure of it.

When he wasn’t training Aang, he’d gotten into the habit of sparring with you. Hand to hand combat, without bending, had been a focus of yours ever since the lunar eclipse back at the North Pole, and even moreso after the Day of Black Sun. Both eclipses made you realize that it was easier than you expected for a bender to lose their ability, and illustrated just how much your fighting relied on your bending.

So the two of you started sparring together. You’d learned how to convert some of your waterbending into close quarter combat, and he began to do the same with his firebending. It made you better fighters, benders, and made you a better team.

Sometimes, though, it got a little rough.

On the beach in front of the Fire Lord’s vacation home on Ember Island, you both stood with bare feet in the sand. He’d taken off his shirt, and you any layer you could spare, as the physical activity warmed you both up. The sun was setting, turning the sea all sorts of blood red, and Katara was in the process of making up dinner, which was why the two of you were free to do this. You were both standing with your fists up, tense and ready for the other to make the first move.

As soon as you did, he ducked his torso out of the way and attempted to jut his fist into your sternum, which you caught with your wrist and shoved it downward. Your opposite hand made use of the opening left by his fist and you tried to get a jab into his chest, but he blocked it out to the side, opening up your torso for a kick that thrusted you backward. You stumbled but got your balanace, giving him a soft, playful snarl before rushing back toward him with a flurry of hand movements that he skillfully blocked. You grew frustrated and, without thinking, slashed with your left hand, palm up and open, away from your chest. It sent water up and to his face, centralized into a small enough stream that it gave him a shallow cut along his left cheek.

The sparring match stopped dead as you covered your mouth with your hands.

“Oh spirits I’m so sorry,” you said, one hand gently reaching out to cup his face. “I’m going to heal it, it’ll be fine, you won’t even notice. I’m so sorry.” With a light laugh he wrapped his hands around your wrist, his eyes locked on to you.

“It’s fine, I’m okay,” he said, and yet still you felt horrible.

“I didn’t mean to, I swear,” you said, your right hand drawing water from the ocean and quickly you purified it by letting the salt fall out. Your left hand pulled from his cheek for just long enough to cover it in water, and slowly you pressed your hand back onto the cut. You didn’t quite touch his skin, but let the water soak onto his face, and though you focused on making the water glow with healing, you vaguely noticed that he’d closed his eyes, and let out a small puff of air.

The water’s glow faded, and you lifted your hand to check that the cut was gone. Once you’d confirmed it was, you took your right hand to discard the water, leaving your left hand still cupping his cheek.

“I’m sorry,” you said again, this time whispering. The waves crashed on the shoreline, but he’d heard you. His eyes opened slowly and your breath caught, for a moment astounded by the gold that shimmered behind his eyelids.

You told your whimpering heart that he hadn’t been this pretty when you first met him.

His left hand slowly detached from your wrist and reached out toward you, first tucking back a strand of your hair that had fallen into your face, then letting it fall to the back of your neck. From there, he slowly brought you in, as though giving you time to pull away.

You wouldn’t.

As much as you wanted to keep your eyes open, to watch him, for as long as you could, instantly you’d closed your eyes and let him guide you into his lips. He was warm, beyond the warmth of exercise, and you realized you’d heard somewhere that firebenders were naturally warmer just as waterbenders were naturally cooler. Zuko was exceptionally warm- you felt almost as though you could fall asleep with his arms around you the way they were, the comfort of his heat and his contact soaking into your bones.

And his lips. Though they were chapped, they still managed to feel so soft, and he tilted his head in just the right way so that the two of you fit together, perfectly.

“Hey, Y/N, Zuko, Katara’s got-“ Sokka, who had appeared over the hills, stopped dead in the middle of his scentence to turn around and walk back to the house. “Dinner,” he called over his shoulder, giggling a bit, and as you pulled from Zuko’s lips with a smile you could already imagine the kind of comments the two of you would get during the meal.

With a single look to Zuko’s face, his expression soft and caring, you decided you didn’t mind.

-🦌 Roe

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

we have all eternity (to love the dead)

As a child, Katara had always dreamed of meeting her soulmate, of being swept off her feet by some dashing stranger, of hearing her name fall from their lips like snowflakes fluttering down from the pink sky above. She’d found solace in this perfect person, and she’d used their unlimited potential to distract herself from the horrors of war ever surrounding her icy home.

The day Katara learned she didn’t have a soulmate, she’d wept for hours.

For Katara and Aang, fate works in mysterious ways.

(Written for Day 7 of Kataang Week 2021: The Sea & The Sky/Soulmate AU, hosted by @kataang-week. Read here on AO3 or continue reading below.)

Soulmates were everything a person wanted and more, or so the legends told. As a child, Katara had always dreamed of meeting her soulmate, of being swept off her feet by some dashing stranger, of hearing her name fall from their lips like snowflakes fluttering down from the pink sky above. She’d found solace in this perfect person, and she’d used their unlimited potential to distract herself from the horrors of war ever surrounding her icy home.

Sokka had teased her about it, her tendency to drift into dreams, but she knew he longed to meet his soulmate, too. As such, his barbs never dug deep.

The day Katara learned she didn’t have a soulmate, she’d wept for hours. Her mother’s words of comfort had fallen upon uncaring ears, because what did it matter that a rare few were born without soulmates, what did it matter that she could lead a happy life without one, what did it matter that she had such a unique opportunity for freedom in her passion, why, why did it have to be her? How was that fair?

Deep down, Katara suspected she’d always known. The name of one’s soulmate was the first word spoken on a child’s first birthday, oftentimes the first word they’d ever say. Sokka had known the name of his soulmate for as long as Katara could remember, and he would express his excitement about meeting her on only the quietest of nights.

Yue, he’d say, breathless, the word but a whisper slipping from the tip of his tongue. Have you ever heard a more beautiful name?

Katara would always giggle in reply. No, Sokka, I haven’t.

Sokka would then stare up at the star-dotted, moonlit sky, his face and body washed over with a pale silver glow. You know, I bet the moon doesn’t even hold a candle to her.

Every time, Katara would rest her head on his shoulder and agree. Every time, Katara was unable to offer up a name of her own. The signs were there, they’d always been there, the nagging terror that on her first birthday she had been—

“You were silent, sweetie,” her mother had told her on her eighth birthday, holding Katara’s face in her hands as Katara screamed and cried like a child whose future had been ripped away from her. To eight-year-old Katara, maybe it had been. “But Katara, listen to me. Just because you don’t have a soulmate doesn’t mean you won’t find love.”

“Yes it does, Mom,” Katara had sobbed, shaking her head and trying to pull away from her mother. “It means there’s no one out there who’s perfect for me!” Years of fantasies, years of hopes and dreams, the possibility of freedom and the end of this war were gone, destroyed, torn to pieces, and there was no putting them back together.

“Shh, sweetie, I need you to take a deep breath,” her mother had crooned, thumbing a tear from beneath Katara’s eye. “I need you to listen very closely to what I’m about to tell you, okay?”

It had taken a minute, but Katara remembered that she’d managed to do as instructed, because even—or perhaps especially—at her lowest points, she would always turn to the advice of her mother. When her sobs had faded to quiet hiccups, her mother continued.

“I know it hurts to not have a soulmate, Katara, and it is more than okay for you to let yourself feel that hurt. But in some ways, I promise your life is better this way. Do you want to know why?”

Katara had nodded, doubt riddled in her bones.

“Because without a soulmate, sweetie, it means you get to have a choice. Some soulmates are destined to end in destruction or pain, others in tragedy, but you, Katara?” Her mother had placed a gentle, teary kiss to Katara’s forehead. “You get to choose if that love is worth it. And the power of choice is something hard to find these days.”

At the time, Katara had barely processed those words, instead letting her mother pull her into the tightest of hugs as she began to cry all over again. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair.

But what was truly unfair, Katara now knew, was just how right her mother had been. Some soulmates were fated to end in destruction, in pain, in tragedy.

A week later, the Fire Nation navy had taken her mother’s life before Katara’s own eyes. That same day, her father had lost his own life, his spirit shattered and torn apart into a million little pieces that might never find their way back together. Not another week had gone by before he’d left. Left to fight, he’d told her and Sokka, but Katara had never been so certain.

Destruction.

Now, eight years later, Katara could only watch in unspoken horror as the life faded from Princess Yue’s delicate body, her form slumping weakly against Sokka’s chest as he buried his face in the fur of her coat and screamed. There was no return from such a sacrifice.

Pain.

Katara found Aang later that night, after the Fire Nation’s navy had been turned away from the Northern Water Tribe when he’d channeled the might of the Ocean Spirit. He was sitting atop an icy railing, feet dangling off the edge, either not cold or uncaring of the North Pole’s frigid nature. Katara joined him, resting her elbows on the same railing. Together they stared out over the city, up at the moon, away into the stars.

Tragedy.

Aang sucked in a sharp breath, and Katara suspected she knew what question was headed her way. “They were… They were soulmates, weren’t they?”

Katara nodded. She didn’t need Aang to specify to know the two star-crossed lovers he was referring to. “They were.”

Aang grimaced, eyes closing as he exhaled slowly, a reaction of distress and defeat. “Spirits. Poor Sokka.”

Katara nodded again. She’d tried to get her brother to talk about it earlier, but… he needed time alone. As much as she wanted to be there for him, the way silent sobs had been wracking Sokka’s body spoke for itself, and she’d let him be. Which was how she’d ended up out here, night nearing dawn, standing at Aang’s right.

“You know,” she said after a pause, bitterness seeping into her tone before she could stop it, “for all the eternal bliss soulmates are supposed to bring each other, I don’t know of any two in my life that have ever been lucky enough to be granted a happy ending.”

Her mother and Yue, sacrificing themselves for the sake of others, leaving her father and Sokka behind to mend gaping wounds in their hearts that no stitches could close. Gran Gran’s husband had died long before Katara was born, yet she knew now that her grandmother’s soulmate had never been someone in the Southern Water Tribe but instead a stubborn man on the opposite end of the world. And yet all that time, all those years, her grandmother had held on to Pakku’s necklace, passing it down to Kya and then to her.

Tragedy, destruction, heartbreak.

Aang nodded glumly. “I know what you mean.”

Katara blinked, wincing as his words sunk in. Aang was a kid a hundred years out of time—spirits, of course he understood her sentiment. How callous had it been, no, how egregiously cruel had she been to even mention it?

But it was too late to take the words back.

“Monk Gyatso never told me who his soulmate was,” Aang continued before Katara could apologize. He was staring up at the moon but, Katara suspected, seeing something else entirely. “Just that… they could never be together. And Bumi—”

“The king of Omashu?”

“—yeah, him.” Aang swallowed hard, shaking his head. “I remember that his soulmate was killed in an earthbending accident before either of them turned nine years old.”

He stopped there, but Katara could tell there were words still hidden behind the cloak of silence. Aang’s own soulmate, presumably, a person now lost to time. And seeing as Katara had been the one to bring it up, it was only right she offered to share his burden, too.

Katara placed a hand on top of Aang’s. A beat passed, and he turned his hand over, palm upwards, before gently lacing their fingers together. “Tell me about them,” Katara whispered, and a ghost of a smile flitted across Aang’s lips.

“His name was Kuzon.”

Soon Aang was regaling her with stories of all the mischief they’d gotten into together, how once upon a time it had been only natural for an Air Nomad to have a best friend from the Fire Nation. They’d protected a dragon egg from poachers, taught each other the dances of their respective nations, stayed up until sunrise seeking out their own constellations in the stars, and now—

“And now,” Aang whispered, his grip on her hand slackening as his shoulders fell, “it’s been a hundred years. I don’t know…” He trailed off, but Katara heard the final word, unsaid though it may have been.

Anything.

What fate had met Kuzon, if he’d missed Aang after he’d vanished, if they ever could have been something more than what they were.

“I’m so sorry,” Katara said, and she was.

Aang nodded. “Thank you.” His voice was hushed, fractured, heartbroken when he added, “I’m sorry, too.”

And she knew he was.

Katara gave his hand a gentle squeeze, moving closer to Aang’s side. Their shoulders brushed, and her heart fluttered for a reason she couldn’t quite and maybe didn’t yet want to discern.

“I don’t even have a soulmate,” she admitted after a pause, keeping her eyes glued to the stars. They glittered the same way every night, didn’t they? Unchanging. Permanent. “Naturally, I was devastated to learn that as a child. I cried so much they could have made a sculpture with my frozen tears.”

Aang chuckled at her attempt at humor, or maybe just at her dry tone, but hearing the warm sound made a smile tug at Katara’s lips all the same.

“My mother told me that I was lucky, in some ways,” she continued. “Without a soulmate, she said that I’d get to choose if the love I pursued was worth it.” Katara licked her lips, hesitant, but powered through. “I—I know it’s not exactly the same for you, Aang, with what happened to Kuzon, but if it helps at all—”

“Don’t worry,” Aang said, and he smiled at her as he turned around to jump off the snow-coated railing. “I understand what you mean.” He gave her hand a final squeeze before releasing it. “Thank you, Katara.”

For a moment, all Katara could do was stare. In front of her stood the most powerful bender in the world, able to channel the might of ancient spirits far more powerful than any mere mortal could ever dream to be. This was the man who would end the war and bring peace, harmony, love to the four nations for the first time in a hundred years. But all Katara saw was…

Aang.

Her best friend.

And in his eyes was a silence, an ache, an affection so deep it rivaled—no, it reflected her own.

You get to choose.

Katara met Aang halfway, wrapping her arms around his shoulders while he closed his own around her midsection, embracing each other like it was the last hug they’d ever share. He fit so naturally against her, like a puzzle piece Katara hadn’t known she was missing.

And if Aang inhaled a shuddering breath to hold back tears, and if Katara hugged Aang just a little bit tighter in return, well… that would stay between them and the moon.

[beifongsss]

playing with fire pt. 1 [sokka]

Pairing: Sokka x reader

Summary: You’re a Fire Nation citizen who saves Sokka and Katara from some angry villagers. Aang "convinces” you to come along with them, finding your knowledge of the nation useful. Not everything is smooth sailing though as both Water Tribe siblings have their doubts about you.

this will be a series :D this takes place when they’re at the northern water tribe

prologue

.masterlist.

~

The air around you was cool, a lot cooler than you were used to. Shivering, you curled up into a ball, grasping at the thick blankets that covered you.

“I see you’re awake.”

Your eyes shot open at the unfamiliar voice and you immediately began to sit up.

“Careful, you took quite a nasty hit,” the person spoke again. “Our healers did all they could but you’re going to be a bit sore for a while.”

Bright blue eyes burned into yours as you winced and sat up slowly. You turned to face the unknown man, a wary look on your face as you addressed him.

“Who are you? Where am I?”

“I am Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe,” the man said, his eyes never leaving you. Almost immediately, you got off the bed and kneeled, bowing your head in respect.

“It is an honor to be in your presence,” you said, head still bowed. “Thank you for opening your home to us.”

The man stood but stayed silent, causing you to look up at him. “I know who you are and I know that you ran away from the Fire Nation. I don’t know why you are here but the Avatar told us how you saved his life and the life of our sister Tribe’s members so out of respect for him I will not do anything to you. There’s some Water Tribe clothes laid out for you. The people here do not take kindly to the Fire Nation.”

“Chief Arnook,” you said as the man headed for the door. He paused. “I hope you know how much I appreciate you taking me in. I hope you know that I am here to help the Avatar, not cause trouble for you. There’s a reason I fled the Fire Nation.”

The Water Tribe chief gave you a tight nod before exiting. You moved around the room slowly, changing into the warm clothes as fast as you could before exiting the room yourself. Almost immediately, you were knocked down.

“I’m sorry!” a soft voice exclaimed. You found yourself staring at an extended hand before you shook your head slightly, taking it and lifting yourself up.

“it’s alright,” you said, brushing yourself off. “I should’ve been paying more attention to my surroundings.”

Your eyes widened as you looked at the girl in front of you. She was pretty; tan skin and bright blue eyes accompanied by a soft smile. The feature that stood out the most however, was her white hair, which was styled elaborately.

“No, it was entirely my fault,” the girl replied, the smile still on her face. “You’re the Avatar’s friend, yes? I am Princess Yue.”

You bowed deeply, causing Yue to squeak and pull you up. “That isn’t necessary. Come with me, I’ll help you find your friends.”

You walked with Yue, introducing yourself as you went outside. The two of you continued on with your quiet conversation until you felt someone crash into you, again.

“(Y/N)!”

A pained whimper left your mouth as Aang hugged you tightly. You slowly wrapped your arms around the younger boy, smiling down at him as he grinned up at you. “You’re okay!”

Sokka and Katara came running up behind him, both of them panting lightly as they came to a stop. Sokka glanced at Yue, blushing brightly before averting his gaze only to do a double take when he saw you wearing Water Tribe blue. Standing next to Yue, you almost looked like royalty, were it not for your distinctive Fire Nation features.

“Aang, let go of her,” Katara said sharply, giving you a harsh glare. “Remember she’s F-”

She cut herself off when she glanced at Yue, knowing that she couldn’t risk revealing your identity. Not here. “She’s injured.”

Aang smiled sheepishly and let you go. “Right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” you mumbled, looking around at the city. “How long have I been out?”

“Only a few days!”

“A few days?” you squawked, eyes widening at his words. Aang nodded and grabbed your wrist, leading you away from the three Water Tribe teens as he told you about everything you had missed.

“...and then we got caught and Katara had to apologize to Master Pakku but she dueled him instead and now he’s teaching both of us!” Aang finished. Your eyes widened at his story.

“Hey Aang,” you began, wringing your hands nervously. “Thanks for rescuing me back in the colony. You didn’t have to.”

“Of course we had to! You saved our lives!” Aang said, staring at you in disbelief. “We couldn’t just leave you there to be captured.”

“Yes, we could’ve,” Katara interrupted. “Aang made us go back for you but don’t think for one second that any of us trust you. I’m keeping an eye on you.”

You nodded silently as Katara stomped off before turning to Aang once again. “So how did you convince Chief Arnook to not put me in jail as soon as we arrived?”

“I just told him the truth,” Aang replied. “I told him how you had helped Sokka and Katara and how you had risked your life for us. He seemed a little wary at first because he said he recognized you but I managed to convince him that I was telling the truth. Katara and Sokka also told him what happened so that helped. Now come on, I want to show you around!”

Aang bounced away, you trailing behind him until you felt someone begin to walk next to you. You glanced next to you to see Sokka staring at you.

“Where’s Princess Yue?” you asked, not seeing the girl anywhere near you.

“She had some duties to attend to,” Sokka replied. “Who are you?”

“W-What?”

“Chief Arnook said he recognized you. Why?” Sokka asked, his stare burning into you.

You sighed softly before coming to a stop, Sokka doing the same. You avoided the boy’s eyes, shifting uncomfortably. “Look, I used to be the daughter of a really well known Fire Nation general.”

“Used to be?” Sokka asked. You nodded.

“He did...unspeakable things in the name of the Fire Nation,” you explained, hoping that the Water Tribe boy would believe the words you were saying. “He was ruthless, harsh. He trained me to fight, to conquer, he said. He wanted me to take his place when I grew old enough. When I turned fourteen, I ran from home. I couldn’t bring myself to do the Fire Nation’s dirty work.”

Sokka’s gaze didn’t change as he took in your words. He studied you closely, noticing your downcast expression and the pained look in your eye. You weren’t telling the whole truth, but he could also tell that you weren’t lying. He was about to say something when Aang came running up to them

“(Y/N), what’s taking you so long? Hurry up!” this time, Aang pulled you along with him, leaving Sokka to look after the two of you as you hurried off.

~

A few hours you found yourself walking by the river with Aang, Momo flying lazily around the two of you. He had finally introduced you to Appa, and you had spent a good amount of time playing with the sky bison in order to thank him for helping Aang save your life. The sky bison took quite a liking to you and you found yourself damp with bison saliva long after you had left him alone. Aang had smiled widely the whole time, knowing that if Appa liked you, then he had no reason not to trust you.

Another great thing that came out of meeting Appa was finding out that your sword had been safely hidden in his saddle. You immediately fastened the weapon around your waist after looking it over, making sure that it hadn’t been damaged. Your sword was the only thing that you had kept from your life in the Fire Nation. It was one that you had crafted yourself after years of mastering the way of the sword.

“So Aang,” you began. “How has waterbending been?”

“Pretty good. Katara is doing great!”

You noticed the faint blush on the Air Nomad’s cheeks and smiled, ready to tease the boy. The remark died on your tongue however, when the snow falling around you turned dark.

“What’s going on?” Aang asked as Momo spit out the snowflakes he had caught on his tongue. This time it was you who grabbed his wrist and pulled him along as you sprinted to the palace.

“It’s the Fire Nation!”

You made it to the palace in record time and burst through the doors, throwing yourself at Arnook’s feet.

“Chief Arnook,” you began, voice trembling slightly as Aang watched the scene unfold. “I promise you that it was not I who led the Fire Nation here.”

“It wasn’t!” Aang cried out. “She’s been with me the whole day.”

Arnook stared at you for several seconds before speaking. “I trust the Avatar and so I believe you (Y/N). However, I’m afraid I cannot have you running around during the invasion. You are to stay by my side the whole time, just as a precaution.”

You nodded quietly. It seemed fair; he wasn’t blaming you but he wasn’t fully trusting you and honestly, you couldn’t ask for much more. Within a few minutes, the palace’s hall was filled with all the citizens of the Northern Water Tribe. You were sitting in the front row as Arnook gave his speech, feeling the burn of Katara’s glare the whole time.

“Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits,” Arnook said, his speech coming to an end. “Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission.”

Sokka was the first one up, drawing panicked glances from you, Aang, and Katara. “Count me in.”

The glare Katara was sending you softened, and the two of you found yourselves looking at each other with concern.

“Sokka,” Katara whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder. He brushed her off and stood up, making his way towards Arnook. You sent Katara and Aang a nod before standing and joining Sokka in line.

“What are you doing?” Sokka hissed, making sure to keep his voice low.

“Paying my dues,” you whispered in reply, nudging him when you realized it was his turn. He turned and walked up to Arnook, who marked him with three red line marks before turning to you. He marked you as well, giving you a deep nod before you stepped out of line and took your place next to him. You didn’t miss the disbelieving looks from Sokka or Katara.

~

“Men, you'll be infiltrating the Fire Nation Navy,” Chief Arnook spoke, standing in front of all the volunteers. “That means you'll all need one of these uniforms.”

A handsome boy walked forwards, wearing an old Fire Nation uniform. Almost immediately, Sokka burst out laughing as you dissolved into giggles.

“What’s your problem?” the boy asked angrily, stepping towards Sokka.

"Fire Navy uniforms don’t look like that,” Sokka retorted, his face bright red from trying to hold back his laughter.

“Of course they do,” the boy said irritably. “These are real uniforms captured from actual Fire Navy soldiers.”

“When? Like a hundred years ago?” Sokka asked mockingly.

“Eighty five, actually,” you stated, stepping in between the two boys. You put a hand on the unknown boy’s chest as he lunged forwards slightly, pushing him away from Sokka. Chief Arnook stared at you quietly, motioning for you to keep talking. You faced the boy, staring at the pointed shoulders on the uniform before placing your hands on them and brushing them off. “The Fire Nation doesn't wear shoulder spikes anymore.”

“Yeah. The newer uniforms are more streamlined,” Sokka added from behind you. The boy stared at you for a second too long, causing you to flush underneath his gaze. He had the trademark blue eyes of the Water Tribe and a strong jawline, his handsome face being framed by strands of hair that weren’t pulled up in his half-ponytail. A smirk appeared on his face as he took in the color of your cheeks.

“How do we know we can trust this guy?" the boy asked, looking away from you and glaring at Sokka. “Such bold talk for a new recruit.”

Your blush immediately faded at his words, and you resisted the urge to scoff at his condescending attitude.

“Sokka is from our sister tribe, Hahn,” Arnook replied, looking at the boy. “He's a capable warrior and I value his input. Now, our first objective is to determine the identity of their commanding officer.”

“His name is Zhao,” Sokka said smugly.

“Zhao?” you asked, eyes wide. Sokka nodded, looking at you curiously.

“What about him?” Arnook asked you, looking slightly concerned. “You know him?”

“He’s middle-aged,” you replied as you nodded. “Has big sideburns, but an even bigger temper. He’s not exactly the nicest person to be around; there’s a reason he rose through the ranks so quickly.”

Sokka gaped at you, wondering how you knew that information. He thought back to your earlier words, wondering if the father you had been talking about was Zhao. He definitely fit the description; ruthless and harsh and willing to do anything for the Fire Nation.

Arnook looked at you for a few minutes, deciding whether or not he could truly trust you. He looked at you as you panicked slightly, afraid now that the Fire Nation was here. The Avatar had vouched for you and you had been nothing but respectful since your arrival. He sighed deeply as he came to a decision.

“Alright. (Y/N), I want you to stay here with Sokka, I want the two of you to tell Hahn everything you know. He's leading this mission. Hahn, show them your respect and keep an eye on (Y/N),” Arnook began to walk away, wanting to check on the city. “I expect nothing less from my future son-in-law.”

“I won’t let you down, Chief Arnook,” you whispered as he passed you. He looked down at you and gave you an unreadable look.

“I hope not.”

It was silent after Arnook left, a slight awkwardness settling upon the room.

“Princess Yue’s marrying you?” Sokka finally asked, pointing at Hahn.

Shooting you a glance, Hahn answered. “It’s an arranged marriage. What of it?”

“Nothing, congratulations,” Sokka muttered, causing you to give him a sympathetic look. You remembered the way he had blushed in the princess’s presence.

“C’mon boys,” you spoke, bringing their attention to you. “We have a mission to plan.”

~

“So, Zhao is ruthless,” Sokka’s voice was loud and clear as he tried to speak to Hahn. “He’s smart and patient, so he probably won’t attack at night because of the moon...”

Across from him, Hahn wasn’t paying attention to anything he was saying. His gaze was focused on you as he slid closer to you, brushing up against you as he reached for a map. You shivered uncomfortably before glancing up at him, a smirk present on his face.

“Are you even listening to me?” Sokka asked exasperatedly, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Why did Arnook tell me to keep an eye on you?” Hahn asked, ignoring Sokka. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Sokka’s eye twitched irritably before he noticed the uncomfortable expression on your face. You glanced at him briefly and he tilted his head, motioning for you to come to his side. Your expression morphed into a relieved one and you swiftly ducked away from Hahn.

“It’s because I’m Fire Nation,” you admitted, hoping that the statement would get Hahn to stop talking to you.

Hahn’s eyes widened before his usual smirk reappeared on his face. “Ah, that explains it.”

“Explains what?” Sokka asked.

“It explains why she’s so hot.”

Both yours and Sokka’s expression changed into angry ones. You stepped forwards, a hand on your sword as you prepared to yell at the boy before Sokka beat you to it.

“Leave her alone!” Sokka exclaimed, approaching the boy. “Aren’t you engaged to Yue?”

“Yue’s nice and all, but the real treat are the points I gain with the Chief,” Hahn replied casually. You frowned at his words, remembering your brief interaction with the princess.

“Princess Yue is wasted on a self-absorbed weasel like you!” Sokka yelled angrily.

“Whoa, hang on. What do you care? You're just a simple rube from the Southern Tribe. What would you know of the political complexities of our life?” Hahn said sharply, his voice mocking. “No offense.”

“Leave him alone!” you replied, repeating Sokka’s earlier words. You began to walk over to the boy angrily, stopping when Chief Arnook silently walked into the room. The two boys were facing you, remaining oblivious to the presence of the Chief.

“Why are you defending him?” Hahn scoffed, looking at Sokka with disdain. “You would have a much better time with me.”

Arnook’s eyes widened at Hahn’s words, his jaw dropping when Sokka tackled the boy. You rushed over to the two boys, trying to pry Sokka away from Hahn.

“You're just a jerk without a soul,” Sokka quipped, pulling Hahn’s hair. “No offense!“

“That’s enough!” Arnook hollered, pulling the two boys apart. “Sokka you’re off the mission. Hahn, we will speak later.”

Hahn flushed as he exited the room, closely following Arnook. You stood in silence for a few seconds before facing Sokka, looking him over for any visible injuries.

“Are you okay, Sokka?” you asked, placing your hand on his arm.

“I don’t need your help!” he yelled, pulling his arm away from you and causing you to flinch. His face dropped at your reaction and he opened his mouth to apologize only to be cut off when Arnook walked back in.

~

The ride back to the palace was silent.

Sokka was lounging on Appa’s saddle as you sat behind the reins, watching you as you fawned over the sky bison. After Arnook had returned, he had tasked Sokka with taking care of Yue and you had been sent along with him. Sokka had tried to apologize but you had ignored the boy, taking the reins in order to avoid being near him.

“(Y/N),” Sokka suddenly said, his tone urgent as he leaned over the saddle. You didn’t answer, but you did turn your head to acknowledge him. “Bring Appa down, I think that’s Yue!”

Your eyes widened as you caught a glimpse of white hair and you immediately guided Appa down, hopping off of the sky bison as you reached Yue. Sokka copied your actions, frowning as he noticed the distraught look on Yue’s face.

“(Y/N)!” Yue cried, throwing herself into your arms. You didn’t miss the sour look from Sokka as you wrapped your arms around the girl.

“Yue, what happened?” Sokka asked, still glaring at you.

“W-We were in the Spirit Oasis,” Yue began speaking. “Aang had just entered the Spirit World when a boy showed up!”

Sokka stiffened and you sent him a questioning look.

“He fought Katara and I ran,” Yue continued, looking ashamed. “He was a firebender and he had a large scar on the left side of his face.”

“Z-Zuko,” you gasped, saying his name along with Sokka. Sokka gaped at you for a few seconds.

“How do you know his name?”

“This isn’t the time!” you said, already rushing Yue towards Appa. Sokka frowned for a few seconds before he realized you were right. He could interrogate you later. He joined Yue in the saddle as you once again took the reins, making Appa fly in the direction Yue was guiding you.

You reached the Spirit Oasis within a matter of minutes, the three of you hopping off of Appa just as Katara was gaining consciousness. Momo chittered sadly as he came up to you, leaping up and landing on your head.

“What happened?” Sokka asked, helping his sister up. “Where’s Zuko?”

“He took Aang,” Katara said miserably. “He took him right out from under me. I can’t believe I lost him.”

"You did everything you could, and now we need to do everything we can to get him back,” Sokka said, hugging Katara. “Zuko can't have gotten far. We'll find him. Aang's gonna be fine.”

Katara and Sokka whirled around when you whistled sharply. You were back on top of Appa, Yue at your side. “Well are you coming or not? We have an Avatar to find.”

Exchanging surprised glances, Sokka and Katara sprinted towards Appa. You paused for a second, glancing up at Momo before speaking. “You stay here, Momo, in case Aang comes back.”

The winged lemur let out a soft sound and flew down to the koi pond.

“Yip yip, Appa.”

~

Appa had been flying for a while, his speed a little slower than usual due to the blizzard.

“Don’t worry,” Yue finally said, noticing the worried looks on everyone’s faces. “Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather.”

“I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard,” Katara said softly. “I'm worried that they won't.”

“They're not going to die in this blizzard. If we know anything, it's that Zuko never gives up,” Sokka stated, causing you to snort at his words. “They'll survive, and we'll find them.”

All of a sudden, a bright flash of light whizzed by.

“That’s gotta be Aang!” Katara said. You immediately had Appa follow the light. You landed soon enough, seeing Aang trying to crawl away from Zuko even though he was bound. You took a deep breath as your eyes landed on the banished Fire Nation prince, lowering yourself down on Appa to try and hide yourself from view. You struggled to stifle your laughter when you noticed his ponytail.

“Here for a rematch?” Zuko asked as Katara slid off of Appa.

“Trust me Zuko,” Katara snapped. “It's not going to be much of a match.”

Katara waterbended Zuko into the air before letting him fall, knocking him unconscious. You winced slightly before noticing that Sokka and Aang had climbed back on Appa.

“Wait, we can’t just leave him here!” Aang exclaimed, looking at Zuko’s body.

“Sure we can,” Sokka drawled before nudging you. “Let’s go.”

“Aang’s right,” you said, smiling at the Air Nomad. “If we leave him here, he’ll die.”

“You just want to bring him because he’s Fire Nation trash just like you,” Katara hissed as she glared at you. A hurt expression made its way onto your face at her words, even though deep down you understood her hatred. Without another word, Aang airbended himself and Zuko onto Appa.

The flight back was silent until Yue gasped in pain and grabbed her head.

“Are you okay?” Sokka asked, grabbing her arm gently.

“I feel faint,” the princess replied.

“I feel it too,” Aang groaned. “The moon spirit is in trouble.”

“I owe the moon spirit my life,” Yue said quietly.

“What do you mean?” you asked curiously. Yue looked up at the sky before explaining how she had been born sick. Chief Arnook did all he could to protect his only daughter, eventually calling upon the moon spirit to save her. It was the reason why she had white hair. It was the reason her name was Yue.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka all jumped off of Appa when they reached the Spirit Oasis, seeing Zhao trying to fight Momo. The three of them readied themselves to fight, Momo flying over to Aang and perching on his shoulder. You watched the scene unfold with Yue, keeping an eye on Zuko to make sure he didn’t wake up.

“Don’t bother!” Zhao roared, lifting up a sack that held the moon spirit.

“Zhao, don’t!” Aang exclaimed, a fearful look on his face.

“It's my destiny,” Zhao cried. “To destroy the moon and the Water Tribe.”

“Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe,” Aang said desperately. “It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world.”

You whimpered softly as you felt fire land between your shoulder blades, causing Yue to gasp. You moved in front of the princess, ready to protect her no matter what. Your hand fiddled with your sword as you faced your opponent, eyes widening when you met gold irises.

“Y-You,” Zuko stuttered, staring at you. “(Y/N), what are you doing here?”

“Helping the Avatar,” you replied. Zuko’s gaze hardened before he lunged at you, sending the two of you toppling over Appa’s saddle. Your breath was knocked out of you as you hit the ground, the snow digging into your burn as you felt Zuko land on top of you. “Get off of me! Spirits, you’re heavy.”

Zuko shot a fire blast at you and you easily dodged it, unsheathing your sword and running at him. The two of you fought for a minute or two, neither one of you putting in the maximum effort. The fight came to a stop however, when you heard Iroh’s voice.

“He is right, Zhao,” the once general said strongly, drawing your attention. Zuko took that opportunity to shove you to the ground before sprinting, easily making his way out of the Spirit Oasis unnoticed.

“Are you alright?” Yue asked, peering over the edge of the saddle.

“Just peachy,” you grumbled, rolling your shoulders and knowing that there would be a large bruise on your back to accompany the burn. You helped Yue down onto the ground, the two of you finally joining the group.

“General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?” Zhao spat, staring at Iroh with hatred.

“I'm no traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon, too; we all depend on the balance. Whatever you do to that spirit I'll unleash on you ten-fold. Let it go, now!”

Zhao hesitated for a second before turning and preparing to walk away. Panic seized you and you rushed forwards, dodging Sokka’s pathetic attempt to grab onto you.

“Zhao!” your sharp cry made the admiral stop, the oasis going silent as he turned around to face you with a fierce smile on his face. You didn’t miss the shocked look that Iroh sent your way, finally noticing your presence. “I command you to let that spirit go!”

“Uh (Y/N)?” Aang whispered, stepping up next to you. “What are you doing?”

“You heard the girl, Zhao,” Iroh stated firmly, still staring at you. “You know that you cannot refuse an order from her.”

Zhao’s face twisted into a snarl before bending down and letting the koi fish fall back into the pond. You all collectively let out a sigh of relief, Sokka and Katara sending you a shocked glance as Zhao listened to you. The relief was short lived however, as Zhao suddenly struck the fish with fire, killing it.

The moon disappeared from the sky, casting the world in a dull grey hue. Iroh immediately jumped into battle, easily taking down Zhao’s guards. During the chaos however, Zhao had escaped, leaving you all alone with Tui and La. You all crept closer to the pond, Iroh bending down and gently picking up the dead fish.

“There is no hope now,” Yue said sadly. “It’s over.”

“No, it’s not over,” Aang stated, entering the Avatar State. You all watched in awe as he entered the pond, La circling him as their energies merged. Within seconds, a huge amphibious-like creature stood in the Spirit Oasis, Aang in the center of it. He took off, ready to help the Northern Water Tribe defend their home.

“It’s too late,” you muttered, being the first one to draw the attention away from Aang. “It’s dead.”

“(Y/N),” Iroh whispered, trying to figure out what to say to you.

“It wouldn’t be if your nation hadn’t attacked,” Katara snapped, interrupting Iroh’s words. You bowed your head in shame as Yue stepped up to you.

“Fire Nation or not, (Y/N) had been nothing but helpful to our tribe during this time,” Yue snapped back. Giving Katara a burning glare.

“You have been touched by the moon spirit,” Iroh said suddenly, staring at Yue. “Some of its life is in you.”

“Yes, you're right. It gave me life, maybe I can give it back.”

“No!” you and Sokka screamed together. You gave each other an understanding gaze before you turned to face Iroh. “Iroh no, what are you saying?”

“You don’t have to do it,” Sokka added, giving Yue a pleading gaze.

“It is my duty,” Yue replied, glancing at you before smiling softly at Sokka.

“I won't let you!” Sokka cried, grabbing her hand. “Your father told me to protect you.”

“I have to do this.”

Everyone stepped aside as Yue approached Iroh and placed her hand on the koi fish. The fish began to glow and her eyes began to shut as she gave it life again. She slumped over a few seconds later, Sokka rushing forward to catch her. You watched silently as he checked her pulse, tears falling when he shook his head.

“No!” Sokka cried. Holding the princess close. “She’s gone!”

Iroh placed the fish back into the pond and stepped back as it swam around. Yue’s body began to fade from Sokka’s arms, causing the entire oasis to fill with an ethereal glow. An image of Yue formed in front of you, the princess smiling at you as you tried to stop your tears.

“Goodbye (Y/N),” Yue said, smiling widely. “Thank you for helping us, even when you were meant to be our sworn enemy. Remember, only we can decide our own destiny. Your past does not determine your future and don’t let others bring you down just because of where you come from.”

Katara looked down im embarrassment at Yue’s words. You sniffled as Yue approached you and wrapped you up in a hug. “Goodbye Yue.”

She approached Sokka next, gently cupping his cheek as she smiled at him. “Goodbye Sokka. I’ll always be with you. Don’t be afraid of change and don’t be afraid to love. Your time will come sooner than you expect.”

The two of them shared a kiss, causing you to look away out of respect for their privacy. Yue faded as she floated up into the sky, the moon reappearing when she finally disappeared. When you looked back at the pond, Iroh was gone. You assumed it was for the best; you had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time you ran into him, or Zuko.

A while later, you found yourself overlooking the Water Tribe with Arnook and Sokka. Your eyes were still puffy, shame heavy in your heart as you realized your nation had done this.

“The spirits gave me a vision when Yue was born,” Arnook said, sighing heavily. “I saw a beautiful, brave, young woman become the Moon Spirit. I knew this day would come.”

“You must be proud,” Sokka said, his heart also aching.

“So proud. And sad,” Arnook said before turning to you. “Thank you, (Y/N). It is safe to say you have earned the trust of our tribe. We owe our lives to you, the Avatar, and your friends.”

You bowed your head deeply and kneeled before looking up at the man. “Thank you so much, Chief Arnook. I am so sorry this happened.”

“I am too,” he said quietly, giving you a bow in return. “But you did the right thing. You have a good heart. The Fire Nation didn’t deserve to have you; fate has other plans for you.”

You and Sokka left a little while later, both of you walking sluggishly as exhaustion took over. You found Aang and Katara easily enough and Sokka wasted no time in walking up to them and wrapping his arm around his sister. You stood awkwardly off to the side, gazing out at the ocean before you felt Sokka wrap his hand around yours and pull you into him. Just this once, his sister could ignore her disdain for you.

The four of you huddled together, Aang coming in to close the group hug as he stood next to you. You whimpered softly when his hand brushed against your back, breaking the peaceful silence as you remembered that Zuko had burnt you.

“(Y/N), you’re injured!” Aang gasped, turning you around and exposing the burn to everyone else.

“Hehe, yeah,” you chuckled weakly, avoiding their glances. “Zuko and I kind of fought and I forgot about it.”

The group rolled their eyes at your words before guiding you to the healers, relishing in the rare calmness that surrounded their group for once.

~

taglist!

atla: @musicalkeys, @mywigglybaby​, @bubblebars​, @iguessthefloorislava​, @dekahg​, @boxofteenageideas​, @costcobottledwater, @butterflycore​, @coldlilheart​, @the-firebender-girl​, @ajediherowitchrunner​, @lammello​, @astroninaaa​, @samsmultifandomblogs​, @sadskater25

playing with fire: @ilovespideyyy​, @binaryssunsets​, @a----rag​, @existing-but-nonexistent​, @milk-n-cheese​

sorry to anyone who tumblr wouldn’t let me tag! :(

[captain-azoren]

Avatar: Spirit Forging

Something that I haven’t really seen categorized or analyzed in the Avatar ‘verse is instances of spirits possessing, fusing, or otherwise combining with humans. These fusions however have happened in in every main era, with many varying results. I’m going to explore the possible mechanics and methods of these fusions, or spirit forged humans, and try to theorize how it all works.

1.) Possession

Chronologically, the first recorded and most basic of fusion would be what the franchise calls “Possession.” This is where a spirit inhabits a human’s body, whether willing or unwilling. Most possessions that are seen or described have been only temporary, usually with the spirit just phasing through the human, but the effects on the body are almost always drastic;

First seen is Yao, Wan’s friend, though we only see the after effects. He was presumably possessed by a tree spirit, which transformed his body into a misshapen, asymmetrical mix of wooden and human parts. We then see this happen to a hunter when the Aye-Aye spirit possesses him;

During the possession, we see traits of the Aye-Aye form and replace parts of the hunter’s body and features. The Aye-Aye and later Raava claim that a spirit staying too long inside a human body would kill the human, though how that happens is unclear. It is possible that if a spirit stays inside a human too long, the spirit completely takes over the human’s body. Essentially, the human would cease to be, as if the spirit consumed their body, or possibly took over their mind. 

Apparently, changes in appearance are not the only effect of possession. In Rise of Kyoshi, it is mentioned that the son of a governor during the Hao Dynasty was transformed by a dragon-bird spirit flying through him. In addition to growing feathers and a beak, the boy developed unusual abilities. These abilities were not elaborated on. Corrupting possession like this would not be seen again until the era of Korra, where the full effects would be demonstrated;

Tokuga was an ambitious criminal who was transformed by the Dragon-Eel spirit flying through him. One effect was his arm being changed into a tail or tenril like appendage which could stretch great lengths. Tokuga could lift and constrict others with his new appendage, and claimed that his strength and speed were enhanced by his transformation. He was even immune to poisonous gas. It can be inferred that a human possessed by a spirit obtains attributes of said spirit outside of outward appearance.

What should be noted is that in each of these instances, the human was unwilling to be possessed. However, in cases where the human was willing, a much different transformation occurs, one in which the human’s physical body and appearance are mostly unchanged.

2.) Energy Transfer

When a human and a spirit are both willing, the human does not suffer any permanent physical transformation. This could possibly mean that physical transformations are done purposefully by the spirit while inhabiting the human’s body, as a direct form of harm or punishment, though this is unconfirmed, and may have more to do with the nature of the spirit. More animalistic spirits may cause a more directly physical transformation.

We see that Wan did not change physically when Raava passed through him, but he did describe feeling a rush of power from it. This could mean that a spirit can give humans a boost to their chi and strengthen their bending. This may be similar to how the Avatar State works, as it taps into Raava’s spirit energy latent within the Avatar. In the battle against Vaatu, Raava outright possesses Wan to allow him to bend all elements, but it put great strain on his body and would have killed him eventually.

In The Siege of the North, we see when a spirit simply gives a human its life energy. When Yue was born almost lifeless, the Moon Spirit gave her some of its own life energy to save her. It worked, and one side effect was Yue’s hair turning white. Whether or not this could be considered possession is unclear, but it may be safe to assume it is a case with a positive outcome for the human. This could be due to the spirit itself not inhabiting Yue’s body, just leaving her its energy

Another non-permanent, unharmful combination we see is Aang and the Ocean Spirit, La, to create an immense and powerful being. This form was a mixture of Aang, Raava, and La, and was only temporary, leaving Aang exhausted. This form was only created when Aang entered the Avatar State, and like other instances of possession, would likely have killed him if he stayed in the form for too long. Interestingly, Aang’s own body did not transform, and the Ocean Spirit transformed instead.

3.) Permanent Fusion

A much more rare transformation is a complete, permanent fusion between human and spirit. The first was Wan fusing with Raava to create what would become the Avatar, a being that would be reincarnated until Raava was forcefully separated from Korra thousands of years later. Raava was only able to combine with Wan temporarily in order to allow him to bend all four elements at once, but using the power of the spirit portals during Harmonic Convergence, they were able to fuse permanently. Unalaq repeated this process with Vaatu to create a Dark Avatar, and Korra did the same with Raava to recreate the Avatar.

What this could mean is that when two different sentient beings, or “souls,” try to inhabit the same body (the human soul and a foreign spirit), the body becomes overwhelmed by too much conflicting energies at once, with the more powerful one, the spirit, eventually winning out. The soul could be seen as a battery that energy or chi comes from, and a physical body can only accommodate one.

It requires a specific set of circumstances in order to create a permanent and stable fusion that leaves both parties alive. The process likely involves having to not just balance but also harmonize the two souls. This way, the two souls can share the same “will” and fuse into one soul that the body can handle. Harmonic convergence itself is a supernatural event that rebalances and harmonizes the whole planet’s spiritual energy, so tapping directly into it is likely what allows new Avatars to be created. That said, there are at least two instances of permanent, empowering fusions outside of Raava/Vaatu.

When the Moon Spirit Tui was killed by Zhao, Yue gave the energy that she was given. While this appeared to kill Yue, she instead became the Moon Spirit itself. Indeed, her physical body seems to dissolve in Sokka’s arms. The body of Tui glows and Iroh places it back into the pond, where it then rises from the water and takes the form of Yue. She speaks to Sokka and kisses him goodbye. Tui was not really brought back to life, rather Yue seemed to fuse with it and both were essentially reborn. How much of Yue remains human though is unclear.

What this could mean is that a human can take on the energy of a spirit IF that spirit has been killed or sufficiently weakened. Yue having lived so long with Tui’s life energy may have also made their fusion easier. Because Tui had died, it could be deduced that Yue’s will was not overcome by Tui’s, allowing Yue to keep her human form even after the transformation. It’s also possible that somehow Yue’s entire soul was absorbed into the physical body of the Moon Spirit, as if she were possessing it instead.

The final example of a human being reformed or “reforged” by a spirit is the most rare and most drastic, with its effects still unclear.

(Spoilers for Rise of Kyoshi and Shadow of Kyoshi)

4.) Consumption

During the era of Kyoshi, Kyoshi’s friend Yun was captured by the ancient spirit Father Glowworm and taken to the Spirit World. While there, the two battled each other to a stalemate until Glowworm proposed a deal; it would grant Yun some of its power, allowing Yun to create passages between the realms if Yun would bring Glowworm more victims to feed on. While it is possible that Glowworm was bluffing, it stands to reason that he would be able to grant Yun this kind of power, similar to how the Moon Spirit granted Yue life.

Yun appeared to agree to this, but instead, he attacked Glowworm, crushing the spirit down small enough that Yun was able to physically eat him. This gave Yun all of Glowworm’s power. It is repeatedly mentioned in the novel that Yun acted of his own will and not due to the influence of the spirit. From this is can be assumed that Glowworm was effectively killed when Yun ate him, too weak to impose his will over Yun’s. In essence, consumption is the inverse of possession; the human absorbs the spirit, rather than the spirit absorbing the human as is usually the case.

With Glowworm’s power, Yun was able to tunnel his way out of the Spirit World and into the Physical world. He also gained the ability to sense where the Avatar was, as Glowworm had formed a connection to the previous Avatar, Kuruk, though an intense battle in the past. It is unclear what other changes Yun underwent, though Kyoshi described something human was missing from him.

It could be assumed that absorbing Glowworm’s power amplified Yun’s already impressive earthbending skills to incredible levels, as he was able to liquify earth without the use of heat, something that not even Toph has been seen doing, among other feats.

(End of Spoilers)

And there you have it, all instances of “Spirit Forging” that occur within the Avatar universe, at least as much as I can find. From this, I think I can determine a few ground rules;

1.) Spirits, humans, animals, and plants all posses energy and souls. This energy is essential to life and can pass between beings, whether willingly or unwillingly. The soul is the source of this energy, or chi.

2.) Humans, plants and animals require a physical body to harness their souls and energy. Bodies can harness and unleash almost limitless amounts of power and spiritual energy if it is given to them. A spirit’s body is corporeal and a physical manifestation of their soul.

3.) The soul is the source of energy and willpower of a being, whether within a physical body or as a corporeal spirit. A body can harness limitless energy, but it cannot carry more than one soul for long without harmful after effects. The more out of syn or opposed the two souls within a body are, the more harm is done to the body.

4.) Energy can be taken by force through consumption or possession if the will of one being can overcome the other. If fully overcome, one soul can completely destroy the other. It can also be given freely with lesser side effects and with both souls remaining intact.

5.) Under specific circumstances, two souls can fuse into one soul by achieving a willing harmony and balance. This essentially causes the two souls to share the same will power and prevents the body from being torn apart. This fusion can be achieved with an immense outside energy source that acts as a harmonizer. Soul fusion is also possible if one or both souls are sufficiently weakened enough.

I hope that all makes sense. I haven’t seen much discussion on the topic, and I hope people find this as interesting as I do.

[itsmoonpeaches]

The Ocean Meets the Sky

Chapter 8: Meeting (FINAL)

Please note: Every prompt for this Kataang Week connects into an over-arching story.

Prompt: Free Day

Story summary: After his battle with Fire Lord Ozai, something lingers within Aang's spirit. Katara is the one that pulls the seams back together. No matter what, Aang and Katara find each other.

Chapter summary: Katara remembered watching him being taken away, his back to her as he stumbled up the steps and through the archway.

-

Or, Katara wakes up.

Written for @kataang-week

Read on ao3 or ffn.

---

It started with a promise on a solemn night, under the light of star-studded heavens. Katara remembered that she had been alone, a completely different person, in a period so far behind her that the edges of it blurred into oblivion.

She recalled copper skin, glistening whitecaps rolling gracefully against the coastline. The stench of caught fish baking in their baskets in the sunlight, and how the two of them would crinkle their noses at them.

Most of all she remembered the months, the year, she had tried to save him. It had been the year the life she wished for them became an unfeasible one.

The elders found them sparring in the maze of the stalks of bamboo around the estate. It had been the dead of night. They had never been spotted before. However, once they caught the eye of a single earth element sage, it was all over and there was no turning back.

They separated them with force, boulders of earth rising between them. She could not bend it back for she was not a user herself, but Kun did. He tried, but there was a knife to her neck.

Katara remembered watching him being taken away, his back to her as he stumbled up the steps and through the archway.

The sages tried to kill her that night, but she found a way. She tossed, she toiled, she threw dirt in their faces. It should have been impossible, but it felt as if there was someone looking out for her as she ran through the forest. Stripes of bamboo shadows ran across her body as she sprinted through to the other side.

Gales whistled at her back, urging her forward, and she heard a whisper like a charm. She knew the spirits guided her.

She only looked over her shoulder once when the moon was high in the sky and the night was old. She could never return to their town, lest she risk her life and his.

So, she did the best thing she could.

“I promise I’ll find you,” she vowed unto the wind. “I’ll find you again and again, and I won’t let the world break you.”

She was the only one that could bring him back, and the spirits listened.

-

There was something hard and uncomfortable digging into Katara’s back. If there was roaring in her ears, there was pounding in her skull. Pain spiked behind her eyes. She groaned and shifted her weight. She heard someone let out a surprised gasp above her, and at that moment her eyes snapped open.

She blinked a few times, attempting to get the blurred shape above her to sharpen. The outline of her brother’s concerned face came into view, and then everything slid into focus. His azure eyes were wide, and he frowned. She could just make out other shapes emerging around her.

“Katara?” Sokka asked, voice sounding smaller than she remembered. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Katara sat up gingerly, placing a hand on her forehead. She grimaced. “I’m fine Sokka,” she grumbled and batted away Sokka’s waiting hand. She glanced around what looked to be the same palace courtyard she had been in a while ago. It felt like days, weeks even. But, as she saw her friends flit between her and another person that that fallen onto the ground, she realized that that could not have been possible. She saw the thin streaks of blood on her bare arm and the half-moon crests where the spirit in Aang’s body had pierced her with his nails.

It had only been minutes since she was last here.

Her breath stuttered when she noticed exactly what she was doing there, why she was where she was. Without warning, she scrambled to her feet. She ignored Sokka’s protests and the way that Suki yelped from his side as she tried to lend her assistance.

Both of them hastily followed her the few feet it took to reach Toph and Zuko, the latter of which was patting the cheek of the unconscious figure they were trying to awaken. She saw dusty yellow robes, a wooden beaded necklace with an Air Nomad symbol that was askew. Her heart dropped.

Katara broke through them, and she did not even bother to acknowledge the annoyed huff Toph sent her way. She saw him…Aang. Just there, lying boneless on the cobbles. He was pale, his lips partially agape, head tilted to the side. It was as if he had been sapped of all color, as if he was gone.

Katara sank to her knees.

“Aang,” she whispered as the name hitched in her throat. She placed her hands on his face, caressing it between her shaking palms. She pushed her ear to his chest, trembling harder when she could hear nothing. Not the steady thump of a heartbeat, not the rise and fall of breath.

She lost him. She lost him, and all she could think of was the fact that she had failed.

“No,” she choked out. The tears came, dripped to the bottom of her chin, and dribbled onto his cheek. “This isn’t fair.”

She barely registered the silhouettes of her friends crowding around her, the way they shuddered too. After a hundred years of war and now with the peace they had worked so hard to achieve, it ended with a catastrophe anyway.

She bent over and gathered Aang close. She held him and her hold on him grew tight and desperate.

It was so silent and there was nothing, and she wanted more than anything else to turn back time.

“Hm,” a soft tone came. It was next to her.

She felt a murmur of a gasp against her skin, just close enough to the shell of her ear so that she heard it too. Katara stilled. She did not dare peel herself away, for fear of breaking the cautiously hopeful spell.

The words flowed out of her mouth without any thought. “Are you there?” she called wistfully for him, just above a whisper, just enough so he could hear. “I’ve missed you.”

Only when Aang muttered back, “I’m here,” did she pull away. Only then did she look into his starbright eyes, the same radiant silver as a galaxy shining on a clear midnight. She looked at him and he looked at her, and she knew that they understood. That they were souls that remembered.

There was laughing and obnoxious crying, clapping, and yelling, but they were together at last. The throngs of people did not return until Fire Lord Zuko commanded them to, and the questions only arrived if they wanted them to be answered.

It was time for rest, for peace. No silence would break them apart, and no more impending threats. For now, at least, it was their moment of freedom to be themselves.

And as the days went by, as the preparations for true reconciliation and unification were well underway, Katara found herself staring out onto the black sand beaches of Ember Island. She watched as the waves crashed against the sandy shore, as the waters smoothed out the stones. A familiar warmth crept up her toes as she waded through the sea water. Even when much of the world was preparing for autumn, she marveled at the fact that the Fire Nation remained in a perpetual summertime.

“It’s just a short pit stop,” Zuko had informed them. “I figured we needed a break…you know…before we have to head out to Ba Sing Se to speak with the Earth King. We’re staying with Uncle. I can’t wait to see how his tea shop has been doing since he went back.”

A ‘pit stop’, as Zuko called it, was really a bit of a vacation. Katara did not mind though, and neither did the others, especially Sokka. (“Finally, some time to relax and order some servants around to make me an all-you-can-eat buffet!”) She supposed that he had not had much time to enjoy himself for a while because of his recovering leg even if she did heal him as much as she could. Toph’s additional enthusiasm did not help. Though, she was grateful that Suki was there to rein them in if things got too out of hand.

Katara admired the way the grains of sand trickled in between her toes. She had taken off her shoes and left them near a palm tree, opting to walk on the beach in her Water Tribe clothing.

Twilight bloomed on the horizon, light blue with flecks of orange and yellow decorating the undersides of feathery clouds.

She could not help but think of a different sky she had seen back when she was entrapped in the world in between worlds, where there was a sunset and a balcony and Iroh’s tea shop. She wondered if perhaps, that could be real.

“Do you want to go inside?” asked Aang from behind her. She blinked when she saw him appear at her side. He was only wearing a pair of dark trousers. “It’s been a long day of traveling here.”

She giggled then at the absurdity of it all.

Aang tilted his head. “What is it?” he asked, confused.

Katara shook her head. “Nothing,” she replied. “It’s just that…I feel like you’ve said something similar before.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, but all she did was take his hand and bring him closer to her so that they were both standing in the shallows of the cool water.

Katara stared at the way their fingers intertwined, the way he seemed to flush at her touch. She tried not to think about how she was probably pink with embarrassment as well. She felt it in how her face heated.

She cleared her throat. “You saw something too,” she started with some hesitancy, “You saw something when you were trapped there, didn’t you? A vision?” She knew that she did not have to explain what ‘there’ was.

He looked at her now, his gaze intense. He did not let go of her hand. “When I switched places with Vaatu in the Tree of Time I saw visions of the past…things I regret that I couldn’t stop,” he said. “It was all the things I thought of when I was taking away Ozai’s bending. It’s the reason why Vaatu could take over. A tiny part of him is in my Avatar spirit, like a tiny part of my Avatar spirit is in him.”

She squeezed his hand. “But you overcame it,” she remarked.

Aang let out a slow breath. “I did,” he agreed, “but only because of you. You saved me.”

Katara smiled and turned so that they were both fully facing each other. The current swished at her feet. “We saved each other,” she said. For a moment, she paused, thinking of how to word what she would say next. But she felt the surety in the way his hand pressed against hers. It was all she needed.

“Do you think…do you think those visions we saw…do you think that some of them could’ve been the future?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.

When Aang studied her, it was as if he had a certain realization settle over him, a composure that Katara longed to feel. Perhaps, she wondered, if this was only something a person who had many past lives could be so confident about.

“I think that place showed us different parts of our lives,” he said. “I was told once that time is an illusion. Maybe what the tree showed me and what you saw…maybe they were the past, present, and future. Maybe whatever you saw is something that will happen.”

Katara found that Aang was most beautiful to her when he was himself, when he was telling his truth and no one else’s. And at that moment, as the humid breeze wavered through her clothes, her hair, she saw his truth right in front of her.

She had not yet told him what she had seen, and perhaps she never would, but it was the way he spoke to her. It was the kind words and the gentle gestures. It was the way he tried to understand what she was asking.

Aang did not know what she had seen, but he could tell that she wanted what she had seen to be true, and that was what mattered the most.

Katara cupped his cheek and her lips brushed against it. She moved with all the quietness in the world until his lips were on hers. They melted into each other.

On the sands of the beach and the sands of lifetimes, they finally met again. It was a meeting, a wish fulfilled. Life after life, until then. They found each other once more in a place where the ocean met the sky, and where their hearts remembered their promise.

[listless-brainrot]

imprisoned but from haru’s perspective is THE funniest thing.

like imagine you’re practicing your bending (as you always do in secret) and then some girl and her friends come out of nowhere to say hi so you immediately run away because what the hell. what the hell were they doing there. are they gonna snitch on me for bending??

and so you run home and try to forget that happened but turns out that SAME girl and her friends FOLLOWED YOU HOME and they rat you out to your mom so you’re stuck trying to bluff with a reasonable excuse and the only thing you can think of to save yourself is point out that their clothes are weird. then the fire nation comes and your mom is spilling hints of you and your family’s tragic backstory (to these complete strangers) and THEN the girl says your name when saying they can do something against the fire nation in your village. you never even told her your name. you don’t even know her friends’ names.

then everything seems to sort itself out (apparently your mom was cool with letting a bunch of strangers and their GIANT SKY MONSTER stay in your HOUSE) so you decide to bond with that girl and you both learn you have shared parental trauma and share a quiet mutual mourning moment at the edge of a cliffside (despite the fact that neither of us have even properly introduced ourselves to each other. let’s maybe do that next time).

then you both head home and there’s some old guy trapped in a collapsing mine and you and your new friend run over to save him but turns out, the only way to save him is to earthbend (there’s no one around to see you, seems Too lucky to be a coincidence, but you don’t get time to think about that), so you save him and start feeling good about your bending again after years of seeing yourself as nothing but trouble. but THEN the SAME old guy SNITCHES on you. what the HELL. this Only happens after that girl and her friends came but you don’t get time to dwell on that because now your ass is thrown into the middle of the ocean.

your worst fears of getting taken away and leaving your mother behind just came true and this is much worse than it’s shown. but it’s okay because your dad you haven’t seen in five years is there! hooray! except now he’s a totally different broken spirit and you don’t know how to feel about that.

but then. guess what happens. guess.

YOUR FRIEND FOLLOWS YOU. AGAIN. SHE GOT HERSELF ARRESTED. SHE THREW HERSELF IN JAIL. FOR YOU.

do you have any time to process this?? no. this is just what’s happening now. but she did say rescue and all that stuff about freeing your village so you think that if anyone could break your dad out of his funk, it’ll be her. it’s worth a shot. but apparently the shot gets taken too far because now she’s giving every single person on the rig a motivational speech. that no one responds to. like maybe you thought it was a really good one but no one else seems to care. your dad doesn’t care. what the hell. so you just resign yourself to being stuck here while your friend goes off to god knows where. now you’re both stuck here.

then the morning comes and what the hell is going on. a little bald boy just shot up right out of the vents along with a metric ton of coal. your friend comes back and tries the inspirational speech thing again and damn if you don’t wanna take that chance, it’s laying right there on the ground, but your dad won’t let you. he just stops you and everyone else backs away. no one is doing anything. it seems like it’s the end- no one is fighting back.

well. except for you. that’s your friend, god damnit! and if your friend got herself arrested to save you and everyone else then that’s more than worth doing something for. so what do you do??

you throw a rock at the warden’s head. you know, the guy in charge of the entire prison. the big guy himself.

then there’s fire and suddenly your dad is shielding you with the coal and the rest of the prisoners join in and it’s a fight! it’s a whole ass prison break! you fight with your dad and the other earthbenders and work together to drown several soldiers, including the warden! it’s great! those guys are are definitely dead now! you just inadvertently started the first successful earth kingdom rebellion!

so now you and your dad and everyone else are on their way to free all the other villages like yours, because that’s what you’re doing now. you offer the same mission to your friends cause, hey, you wouldn’t be outta there if it wasn’t for them, but they say they gotta get aang to the north pole. you don’t really know which one of them is aang, but you figure that bald kid from before is probably the avatar. how do you know this?? you just do. it’s not explained. but it’s cool. everything’s cool now! you got your dad back, you’re gonna fight against the fire nation like you always wanted to, you're Free

and then your friend realizes she lost her mother’s necklace back at the rig and there’s no way in hell youre going back there even though you could probably turn around but do you ever really get any, and i mean ANY time to dwell on all of this?? the answer is no every single time.

basically, you just met god. and god + his friends broke you and your dad out of prison. this is your life now.

[the-last-cuddlebender]

I straight up check your profile daily for the southern raiders analysis you’re working on. 👀👀 where IS IT 😩

bRUH I am so excited to drop this analysis you have no idea (It’s creeping up to 22k+ I am gonna cryyyyyyyyyyyy). The only problem is that my TSR analysis and “Moon theory” are so incredibly hard to structure and articulate. I’m happy you’re so excited for it, though!!! Truly, it’s an honor. I’ll give you a taste of my madness and what’s to come, but be warned: it may be a bit hard to follow because TSR (from how I’ve come to understand it) is about the vagueness of beginnings, endings, and cycles, so there isn’t really a starting point for me to begin with. (So it may seem a tad bit like a ramble in some points that I haven’t fleshed out yet/am summarizing for this ask)

This analysis has me on trails like THIS brilliant nonsense, and I am 1000000000% here for it:

Roku: “The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him The Face Stealer.”

Katara: “We’re going to find the man who took my mother from me.”...“That’s him. That’s the monster.”

Lion Turtle: “To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed.”

Roku: “When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face.”

Hama: “Congratulations, Katara. You’re a bloodbender.”

(If Katara had killed Yon Rha, she would be giving up her identity--her face. Not only would she have become a killer, but she would be killing what made her Katara)

Aang: “Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Forgive him--approach him for what he is, not the faces your memories or your heart are having him wear. See him for the pathetic man he is in that moment right in front of you.

Aang’s forgiveness is seeing someone for the sum of their parts. It’s judging them and seeing through into their very soul, just like the Firebending Masters saw through Zuko being the Crown Prince and Aang being the Avatar. That meant nothing to the Masters. What did matter to them was who the boys were right there, right then, right in front of them.

“Why should I hold a grudge against you for something you did in a past life? After all, you’re a different person, now. You’ve come to me with a new face.”

But anyways...

If I can give no other take-away from my analysis and moon theory, it’s that Yin and Yang are not two entities; they are three. I think the fandom’s misunderstanding of it may be why the discourse on TSR (and Aang, Katara, and Zuko) is so black and white (pun intended lol). 

“But Yin and Yang are obviously two things. Don’t you know the symbol?” I hear some people already saying.

Wrong, sir.

It has never been just Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang have never existed as just two things.

They are Yin and Yang and Wu Wei.

(Aunt Wu has her name for a reason, and she has the mark of the wise in her hair for a reason, too...AND she is at odds with Sokka in The Fortuneteller for a reason, too!!!...but that’s for the analysis😉)

Balance isn’t good triumphing over evil. Balance is good and evil. Balance is standing on the flow between two opposites--it’s the compliment that connects them. (The koi fish live in an oasis for a reason.)

I’ll explain what Wu Wei is later in the full analysis (like many things in here), but here’s some of my evidences and proofs for the “Yin Yang trio”:

The Tibetan “Wheel of Dharma”

(I’ll also explain the Wheel and Dharma and etc. later because it has everything to do with Koh and the moon) Long story short, the wheel and its spokes are representative of the 8 steps to enlightenment and the cycle of rebirth. 

Look at the hub of the wheel. It’s a swirl made of 3 parts.

It is also a white lotus

Here’s the colored version of the wheel (as an alter):

Recognize the colors?

BLUE, WHITE (or gold, depending), & RED

These are the “THREE TREASURES” OR JEWELS.

They symbolize DHARMA, BUDDHA, & SANGHA respectively. 

KATARA, AANG, & ZUKO

water, air, & fire

T H R E E

Bato: “Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust.

Bato: “The spirits of water bear witness to these marks...”

Why does Bato say spirit(s) plural? The Ocean and the Moon are only two spirits. The Ocean can’t be two things. Right?

WRONG

Yue: “The legends say the Moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

The Moon--singular. The Tides--plural (push and pull)

Lion Turtle: “In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within our senses.”

The moon pushing and pulling the tide is the moon bending the energy of its world. 

Katara finding balance between “being too weak to do it” or “strong enough not to” is her bending the energy within herself.

It’s two solutions written as a question but said as a statement.

Yue: “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves”

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ABOUT AANG AND ZUKO LEARNING FROM KATARA. Katara had already learned from Aang and Zuko all leading up to TSR. That was her studying. TSR was her test.

TSR is Zuko’s and Aang’s studying. Sozin’s Comet is their test.

Bato: “For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

Aang - Wise (”you’re pretty wise for a kid”)

Katara - Brave (the same mark her mother earned)

Zuko - Trusted (”I was the first person to trust you”)

Sokka - Bato ("I am to have no part in this--you pass or fail on your own.”)

Yin and Yang are nothing without their dance. The Avatar and the Firelord mean nothing if they don’t have a world to rebuild.

The valley means nothing if there isn’t anyone to live in it.

Fighting is useless if there isn’t someone to fight for, otherwise it is “selfish and stupid”

Katara had to have a reason to return from Yon Rha. She needed to have Aang waiting for her. If she didn’t have a reason to stay, then she wouldn’t have a reason to go.

To have a reason to sleep, a person has to have a reason to wake up.

Katara: “Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone; that it's all his responsibility.”

Hakoda: “Maybe that's his way of being brave.”

(Bato: “For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us.”)

Katara: “It's not brave! It's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him! And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!”

(It was, in fact, not easy for Aang to ‘do nothing’)

Katara: “I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry...and hurt.”

Hakoda: “I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.”

(AND YUE IS ONE OF THE ONES TO SAVE AANG IN THE OCEAN FOR A REASON)

Thinking and missing: a matter of mind (who) and heart (want). 

Iroh: “Who are you? And what do you want?”

Sokka: “We need to go back. I wanna see Dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most.”

Mai: “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

BUT YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE MOON FOR A HOT SECOND???

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOON

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT 2 MOONS

OH

OH REALLY???

OH REALLY, ZUKO

A FEW HOURS YOU SAY?

THEN TELL ME, ZUKO

WHY IS THE SUN GOING UP

WHEN IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT A FEW HOURS LATER

AND KATARA IS SLEEPING SO YOU CAN’T TELL ME IT’S BECAUSE YOU RISE WITH THE SUN OTHERWISE SHE’D BE WIDE AWAKE DURING THE FULL MOON THAT SHE USES TO BLOODBEND NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES LATER

THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS A HARVEST MOON

WHICH IS THE LAST FULL MOON OF THE SUMMER 

(and looks off color when it rises/falls because of the angle of the rise/fall in the atmosphere...it’s normal once overhead)

AND SYMOLIZES HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

“We’re going to find the MAN who took my mother from me.”

“That’s him. That’s the MONSTER.”

8 spokes on the wheel

Katara was 8 when Kya was killed

8 steps to enlightenment (the “Eightfold Path”)

8 phases of the moon

8 faces of Koh

“One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Be it 8 or 9 hundred years ago” (but time is an illusion, so hundreds mean nothing)

THE OTHER TWO MOONS THAT ARE CONSUMING MY EVERY WAKING MOMENT???:

1.) The WOLF MOON--the first full moon of the new year (a love between the wolf and the moon in the harshest winters...connection is kindof obvious lmao)

2.) THE THUNDER MOON

The Thunder Moon is the full moon of July. It is also known as the Buck Moon--for when young buck regrow their antlers.

Yue: “My hair turned white.”

Zuko: *cuts and re-grows his hair*

Aang: “I have hair?”

The Thunder Moon--the full moon of July--is also the beginning of a certain Buddhist holiday.

DHARMA DAY

WHICH CELEBRATES THE BEGINING OF BUDDHISM AND THE FIRST OF THE 8 STEPS (the first spoke of the Dharma Wheel) TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT

AVATAR IS ALL ABOUT CYCLES

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ALL ABOUT BREAKING THEM

I haven’t even touched Jung, Koh, Hinduism, and Buddhism yet

or the fact that Katara and Kya are the only characters in the entire series to wear moons on their clothing and that, together, they form an actual lunar phenomenon

or why the spirit oasis isn’t a complete circle

or the fact that this thing that Aang is told to chase is just like Whaletail Island:

or how important the Great Divide and the Solstice are

AND I’M JUST GETTING STARTED

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS--RIGHT DOWN TO THE SOUND DESIGN--IS ABSOLUTELY MONUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING THE SHOW, ITS MESSAGE, ENERGYBENDING, AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE

TLDR: Idk how the heck I’m going to arrange or articulate this analysis because it is WILD. Be warned: There is literally no exact beginning and ending to this analysis because the whole point of Yin and Yang is that is has no beginning or ending (...kindof...), so you’ll have to bear with me once I’m done editing it into something that’s somewhat coherent.

These are just SOME of the things I’ve been able to answer with my moon theory and analysis of The Southern Raiders as it currently stands:

Why “letting go” isn’t really letting go (as we understand it...see: Aang’s confrontation with Koh)

Why Lake Laogai and the Spirit World are symbolically the same thing.

Zuko’s advice to the bullfrog is actually a summary of the show, energybending, the origin of bending, and the definition of Aang’s “forgiveness” I stg

Why “Sokka’s instincts” are the reason Katara yells at Sokka

Believe it or not, every time Katara mentions her mother, it is at specific times for specific reasons.

^^^same thing for the moon, lack of moon, moon positioning, etc.

Katara’s mother’s necklace is more important than we realize.

Who the faces of Koh are and WHY they are there.

The true meaning of Jet’s sacrifice.

Why Jet’s episode about the dam explains the entirety of TSR as it pertains to Katara (all the way down to the little girl who runs to get her doll after the dam breaks)

Why Katara actually DID forgive Yon Rha, and the fact that she doesn’t even know it is proof that she did

^^^^^Aang’s definition of forgiveness is completely misunderstood by the fandom, and the way he “forgives” is sososo much deeper than “moving on”, and it is DEFINATELY by no means “doing  nothing” or “excusing” past actions.

The importance of lightning, Zuko, Aang, and Katara.

The absolutely monumental and not nearly talked about importance of Jeong-Jeong like holy crap.

How Katara and Azula are just as much of a Yin and Yang as Zuko and Aang but not in the way we think they are

Why Koh has the Blue Spirit’s face

Why Koh DOESN’T have the Painted Lady’s face.

Who Ni-Ni from Katara’s campfire story in The Puppetmaster is 

How and why Iroh was able to learn firebending from the Masters even though he didn’t have a partner. 

How/Why Azula had her breakdown and why she saw her mother in the mirror

Why “Leaves from the Vine” and “Four Seasons” are the same song, explain Azula’s downfall, and explain the Yin and Yang of TSR.

Why Katara and Sokka are so often mistaken for parental figures.

Why Aang’s flashbacks to the Air Nomads are so important in understanding TSR.

Why Toph and Suki disappear after the campfire in TSR.

How Hakoda, Gyatso, and Kya are all connected.

Why it is so dang important that Azula shows up in the beginning of TSR.

The importance of the Spirit Oasis.

Energybending, healing with waterbending, Aang’s trauma, and Zuko’s scar.

Why Zuko gives Katara the exact opposite advise in TSR that he gave her in the catacombs. 

How everything could be predicted and read by the moon.

WHY YIN AND YANG ARE THREE THINGS AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THREE THINGS.

HOW ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THIS TIES BACK TO THE MOON AND BUDDHIST BELIEFS--AND YEAH THE MOON AND BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM ARE MORE CONNECTED IN ATLA THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.

AND HOW IT LEADS INTO OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF--BECAUSE JUNG TOOK GREAT INFLUENCE IN HIS DEVELOPING THEORY OF THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS FROM THE HINDU/BUDDHIST RELIGIONS 

^^^^AND ALSO THE THEORY OF THE SHADOW AND THE PERSONA 

The ocean is a deep, dark, unknown place with a lot of hidden monsters (like Yon Rah). Katara needed a light to find her monster, but she also needed somewhere she could breathe when she came back up for air.

If she didn’t have both Zuko and Aang, Katara would have drowned. 

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a thesis, and what I’ve said and listed here isn’t even all that I have.

btw This all does line up on the traditional Yin Yang symbol we know and see in the show, but I don’t have enough space here for that lmao. That’ll be in the analysis

I hope you enjoyed this little taste, my friend, because I need to sit down for a hot second before my brain leaks out of my ears. Sorry for the ramble. I promise the analysis isn’t like this lol. This is just me trying to summarize as best as I can. 

***Disclaimer: My points are always subject to change since I am still researching. These are the facts as I’ve found and applied them to the evidences I’ve noted from in the show. I’m always open for friendly discussion or any directions to better sources on Buddhism/Tao/Jung!***