#i want to give sokka suki and toph a huge hug they deserve it

[atla-suki]

please I am begging you, please speak every aspect of your mind on Sokka Suki and Tophs battle, I need someone to appreciate how traumatizing that would have been as much as I do

like when watching the finale I had no worries that Zuko Katara and Aang would be ok because this is a kids show.

but two nonbenders and a blind girl who can't see past the airship she is on? I was convinced that one of them would die

ok before i start i just wanna say i spent like half an hour writing out my thoughts in my notes app and then the whole fxcking app crashed randomly and i lost 70% of what i wrote. so yeah just gotta share that frustration. worth it tho bc atla<3

anyways here we go (under the cut bc it’s LOOOONG)~~

sokka, suki, and toph vs the airship fleet is so underrated. i know it doesn’t have the iconic imagery of the final agni kai, and it isn’t the climax of the whole show like aang vs ozai, but it’s so very underrated.

this fight has such a different tone compared to the other two (sorry white lotus but the ba sing se fight isn’t gonna be included). aang vs ozai and zuko vs azula both have one crucial thing: an element of hope. although the outcome of each fight isn’t spelled out for us, we as an audience can pretty much gather that our main protagonist (aang) isn’t going to die. it’s unlikely that zuko or katara will be killed too, considering how significant they are to the story and their strength as benders (and the fact that it’s been established that azula is clearly not sound of mind. zuko and katara are at an advantage in their fight.)

but for sokka, suki and toph? there’s no element of hope here. there’s no definitive plan they’re following like there is for zuko or for aang. if they fxck up, they’re DEAD. and that makes this specific battle SO tragic and traumatic.

straight off the bat, sokka, suki and toph are at a disadvantage. it’s just like you said - they’re two non-benders and a blind girl completely out of her element. and they’re surrounded by firebenders who have comet-enhanced abilities. they’re the characters that, if this weren’t an animated kids show, would most likely be the ones killed off. they’re extremely vulnerable in this battle. and what happens to the extremely vulnerable children during this battle? they get separated.

this immediately opens up so many more possibilities and outcomes of what might happen. will sokka and toph be okay? will suki be the only survivor? it’s only once suki returns and everyone is confirmed to be safe does the audience experience a moment of relief. the anxiety levels (as an audience watching this scene) are HIGH.

also fun (but not really fun) fact the scene where sokka and toph are hanging off the edge of the airship and sokka says it looks like the end ABSOLUTELY WRECKED ME the first time i watched it. i was literally numb afterwards. had to pause the show and have a breather for a moment because it was SO FXCKING INTENSE. can you even imagine what it would’ve felt like for them? for sokka, knowing he can’t do anything else to protect the people he cares for (which is such an important theme and important element of his character throughout the whole series, stemming from way back when hakoda tells him to look after katara and their tribe. this is a rant for another time tho). and for toph, not being able to see or sense anything other than sokka’s grip on her hand and his (potentially last) words. it’s so sad.

as well as all of this, sokka directly addresses the possibility (and likelihood) of that moment being their last - see: “i don’t think boomerang is coming back, toph. it looks like this is the end.” no other character expresses concerns regarding their safety in the same way during their respective battle. this specific battle is so real, so raw, so intense, and it’s easy to gather that even the characters themselves are lost. sokka, who usually has a plan, is playing everything by ear. he has no idea what he’s doing, which just adds to the uncertainty in the scene and for audiences. this doesn’t apply to either of the other battles we see, where the characters’ destinies and the general plot of the show have been leading up to these battles for a quite a while now. audiences don’t know what to expect with sokka, suki and toph.

also the sukka enthusiast in me wants to add that by having sokka and suki in a relationship, there is yet another thing at stake here. there’s a common theme in film media of lovers being separated (whether by death or by some other circumstance) and this just adds to the intensity and anxiety surrounding this battle. it’s not a significant point but i did notice it and do feel strongly about it.

before I go onto the next thing I do want to circle back and focus again on toph’s experience during this battle. she is probably the most helpless of the three of them since she can’t see and the entire thing happens in the air (IN. THE. AIR. i’ll come back to this next). she is LITERALLY out of her element. and there is something so tragic about her not being able to do anything or sense anything when she’s just holding onto sokka’s hand. that shit breaks my heart. i’m sorry but like no way any other fight/battle is this emotional and intense. no way.

okay next point is the setting. like i just said, they’re in the GODDAMN AIR. i need to mention the sheer amount of fxcking brutality that occurs during this battle. so many people (more than likely) died as a result of sokka crashing that airship into the others. why? because of the setting of the battle. they’re practically trapped. they’re in the most unsafe situation of any of the characters. i mean, look at how suki got separate from sokka and toph - that’s EXTREMELY dangerous. it’s honestly surprising she survived that. the three of them are jumping from airship to airship and none of said airships are stable. at the very least, if zuko or katara or aang were in terrible danger, they have the last resort of escape. sokka, toph and suki do not. yet another thing that makes their battle so traumatic.

the setting of their fight is very unique, leaves them with little space to be creative in their fighting (no running, no hiding. just a metal airship and lots of firebenders). i don’t have a clip of it but if u watch the moment when suki returns and saves sokka and toph, you can see sokka drop toph onto the airship suki’s on before he jumps down himself. and i CANNOT for the life of me get this thought out of my head: toph had no idea what was going on in that tiny moment. sokka tells her it’s the end, she hears a crash, and next thing she knows is sokka’s dropping her. how fxcking scary would that be? that should be enough evidence alone to confirm that the airship fight is the most tragic and traumatic.

all in all this fight scene is sooooo underrated and also SO not suitable for a kids show. shit’s tragic as hell. thank u for the ask i hope this satisfies your wants. sorry for the insanely long post lmao i got carried away. anyways pls send more asks like this i love overanalysing the smallest things in shows! v fun :)

[tiny-katara]

hi cilla! i’d love to know your thoughts on 7 & 30 <3

aahhh hi again <3

7. What's your favorite Zutara moment from the show?

i would say the final agni kai bc it just gets me every single time and i am weak and it makes me sob, but... something about the crystal catacombs is just reaaaallllyyyy good. you can just feel their connection hanging around in the air when you watch it, or i can at least. the way that katara just took that plunge is just crazy??? like girl what are you thinking??? i love it. i also love the way zuko reaches out for once and the fact that katara is on the receiving end??? brilliant.

i know that sokka and katara went through the same thing since they both lost their mom, but i've mentioned before that it's not the literal same thing since their mother died because of katara. at least that's how katara sees it. if katara wasn't a waterbender, her mother would still be alive. sokka lost his mother because of an attack on his village. both are horrible and completely valid, but they would definitely be processing that experience differently. which leads me to claim that zuko's loss of his mother is more similar to katara's than sokka's is to katara. it sounds kind of stupid, but zuko's mother left to protect him and katara's for her. they both fully understand sacrifice as a result (not to say the others don't, but you know what i mean). this all builds up to the final agni kai where zuko sacrifices himself for katara and it's just extra impactful because they've established that they both understand exactly how much a sacrifice costs everyone involved and zuko does it anyway. that's just art.

30. If you could rewrite one episode of A:TLA, which would it be?

this is a tricky one and i think the obvious answer is the final episode but!!! i kind of want to say ember island players.

just as a warning, i am a huge sucker for slice of life episodes. that being said... i would kill for momtara and dadko trying to round up the kids for the play. like the chaos. aang and toph are trying to smuggle snacks in and zuko is trying to desperately convince them not to because "it'll bring attention to us and we have enough pilfered money from my dad to buy them anyway!!!" and sokka gets involved and is like "it's the principle zuko, the principle." katara is also trying to reason with the three and suki is just fighting to keep a straight face. it's a mess and it's beautiful. we can even have a nice little "i am so glad i forgave you/so glad we're friends" zutara moment. everyone wins. except kata*ng but i hate kata*ng so i win.

i would also remove the part where aang gets irritated about being played by a woman bc it's stupid. give me toph making jokes about it and getting more and more desperate as aang laughs along and has 0 issues with it. that's infinitely better.

also the sexualization of katara just bugs me. it's played of a joke rather than concerning. that needs to go. it's so disrespectful to women in general, and especially so to women of color. no one needs that. regular teen katara who just flirts with boys but is still doing her stupid speeches. i find that normalish and acceptable. later she is upset about the speeches and zuko is like "but... they're actually good when you do them" and she blushes or something-- subtle stuff.

sokka is the same. he needs no changing. except!!! he and suki get to actually have a conversation about yue and they come to an understanding and suki is like "wow your type really is women who are sooooo much cooler than you" at the end to lighten the mood and bring them closer :)

zuko and toph get their moment. they deserve it and it's cute.

aang does run off but it's bc he's scared (the thing he really should've been worried about since he low key died in ba sing se lol). he and katara talk and she's like "we're all here for you aang" and they hug-- NO KISS!! the stupid non-con kiss is gone, deleted, non-existent. everyone is happy and if they're not we need to have a long talk about consent.

play ends the same bc propaganda and then we have a similar scene of everyone leaving and complaining. suki gets more lines. it's just what she deserves.

and that's a somewhat outlined idea of my more wholesome ember island players before everything falls apart and the world is ending.

[katcadecascade]

Reuniting Strings (Zuko’s Scar oneshot)

Summary: 

Toph asks, “What were you in for?”

“You can’t just ask that!”

“I just did, Sugar Queen.”

Chit Sang laughed over them, “Are you sure you all want to know? It’s a long story.”

An array of emotions is on everyone’s faces. Toph, Aang, The Duke, and Teo are genuinely curious. As fellow ex-prisoners, Hakoda, Haru, and Suki don’t seek an explanation but like Sokka and Katara, they want the topic to get away from Azula. 

Zuko knows that the people who end up in the Boiling Rock are people the Fire Nation wants to ignore. It could be for any reason, politics or crime or revolts be it violently or nonviolently, he doesn’t know where Chit Sang categories into.

“Oh that sounds intriguing,” Toph answers for them, “Yes please.”

Chit Sang looks around the circle, mentally preparing his story. His eyes land on Zuko. The older man doesn’t appear nervous but there is something hesitant in the way he unlocks the tension in his jaw.

“I used to be a guard in the royal palace, tasked with escorting generals in and out of their meetings.”

Immediately, Zuko freezes.

Because they used a fishing trip as their cover story for doing a prison break, Toph bullied Zuko and Sokka into actually fishing for dinner.

Toph was craving fish.

She also punched both boys’ arms because she cares.

Fortunately they have Hakoda, an expert fisherman, to help. Unfortunately Katara tagged along because she wanted family bonding. She shooed Zuko away as the family headed to the nearest river.

He doesn’t complain about that so he reviews Aang on his homework.

Zuko never really imagined himself as a teacher, that was Uncle’s role and honestly Zuko was not the best student. While Aang would occasionally whine or stumble through a kata, the kid wasn’t as near temperamental as Zuko once was, thank the spirits.

It’s a bit relaxing to focus on Aang’s training after the adventure Zuko and Sokka just did. Zuko just needed to get his mind off of Azula. There was a lot to unpack there, especially her supposed case with Suki, but Zuko believes a good hour of not thinking about his sister is deserved.

The Water Tribe family gets to have time together, being happy that they’re all alive. Zuko can’t help but notice that only the siblings have ever talked about parents. 

So after Zuko ends Aang’s bending review, the Avatar does his cool down stretches and says, “I wonder what number of prison breakouts this is. We did a lot.”

Zuko doesn’t blink at this fact, too used to the hectic stories they vaguely explained.

“Well, be prepared for Sokka to retell this break out or maybe the Chief will?”

“Yeah, Hakoda and also Bato are great storytellers,” Aang nods enthusiastically. As they leave the temple’s training grounds, Aang comments, “Gotta say, Sokka’s the last person I thought would spontaneously do a prison break.”

“What. Is Katara more revolutionary?” Aang just stares at Zuko. “Okay yeah, she is but Sokka really wanted to do this. He risked it all to save his dad.”

“Sokka really loves his dad, Katara too of course, but for him it was about proving himself as a warrior.”

“Yeah, he told me something similar,” Zuko said.

“They’d do anything for their family,” the young boy smiles. In the slow sunset, a shadow lingers over Aang as he glances over to a temple mural of nomads. “The first time I went into the Avatar State was back at the Southern Air Temple.”

A huge amount of dread burns low in Zuko’s gut.

“Oh Aang,” he trailed off, thinking of the century old skeletons.

Aang stood in front of the mural. It depicted monks shaping clouds. “Katara calmed me down, said that I was a part of their family now. And when we met Bato, he said I was a part of the Tribe too.”

Zuko moved to Aang’s right side, “The Water Tribe is all about community, right?”

He nodded, “Monk Gyatso and the others were my people but they taught me that anyone could be my family.” A conflicted expression flickers over Aang. “I met a guru. He said that in order for me to master the Avatar State I have to let go of my love. I couldn’t accept that. All I had was love and I don’t want to give that up.”

There is so much about the Avatar that people will never know. Their sacrifices and decisions and mistakes, it is influential to the world and the spirits. Only a selected few will be able to see how each Avatar lives and dies.

Zuko is lucky to know the depths of two Avatars.

“If there’s one thing I know,” Zuko places a hand on Aang’s shoulder, “is that the Avatar will always find love and family. Like Roku.”

Aang smiles brightly, “Yeah, like Roku. He showed me his past.” The smile dips into a loopy hopeful tone, “He got married to a girl he had a crush on.”

Zuko knows that he’s thinking about Katara but Zuko can’t help but latch onto something else, “Was that all of his family that you learned?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Aang questioningly stares at Zuko with that Avatar wisdom, “Why, is there something you know, Zuko?”

Feeling targeted, Zuko quickly weighs the consequences of telling Aang.

Is he prepared for dealing with an energetic all-powerful kid?

In the corner of his eye, the sunset shines fading pinks and oranges on the faded murals of a nearly gone nation.

Yeah, there’s no harm in telling Aang he has a bigger family than he thought.

“So Roku is my mom’s grandfather.”

Immediately, Aang is hugging Zuko. No doubting, just clear acceptance and joy. In return, Zuko slowly hugs back, gently butting his head against Aang’s. Whatever is going on in that bald noggin, Zuko hopes that this helps him.

When they reach the main temple area, the sky is still that warm orange tone. Everyone has rounded up for the hefty amount of fish the Water Tribe has brought. A fire is already up with fish skewers roasting.

Sokka waves Zuko over for the empty spot next to him and Suki. As for Aang, he normally sits with Katara who has a vegetable meal readied but Aang takes his sweet time before that.

The Avatar’s super big grin is the only warning of Zuko’s misery.

“We have another family reunion!”

“I regret telling you.”

Zuko covers his eyes, not ready to see everyone’s confusion shift into amusement.

“What are you on about Twinkle Toes?”

“Aang stop.” Zuko is ignored.

“I’m Zuko’s great-grandfather!”

Unlike Aang, there is casted doubt and confusion so Zuko explains shortly, “Uncle told me that Avatar Roku is my ancestor.”

“The Dragon of the West?” Chit Sang, their impromptu prison break escapee, specified in the only context he knew.

“Yep.”

Back to the main topic, Sokka laughs, “So wait that means Aang has parental authority over you.”

“It does not.”

“Come on Zuko,” Aang elbows him jollily, “Learn to respect your elders.”

“Maybe after you master firebending I will,” he huffed, moving away to sit by Sokka.

“Don’t turn your back on me mister!” Aang poorly used an old man impersonation.

At least the jest ends there as dinner gets served.

That’s when Toph points out, “That also makes you Azula’s great-grandfather.”

Everyone gets quiet, preferring to chew on their fish kabobs.

“Huh,” Aang says around his fried eggplant, “I’m not ready for that family reunion.”

“I think she’d be elated,” Suki said, “Azula loves drama.”

“She loves reactions,” Zuko specified, “thrives off it really.”

“Oh and then she’ll do that scowl before forcing a smile.”

“It’s not forced. She’s just instantly thinking ten steps ahead where she’s winning.”

Suki taps her chin, “Okay, that makes a lot more sense.”

Being in the middle, Sokka was constantly whipping his head back and forth. Eventually a look of recognition passes through Sokka, Toph, and Aang. Yet out loud, someone else comments on this.

“It’s you who the Princess always visited,” Chit Sang concluded as if he solved a big mystery. “We heard rumors that she was interrogating a prisoner but no one really knew who.”

“Well she can’t visit me anymore,” Suki chirped and bit fiercely into her fish. She probably senses Sokka’s distress because she automatically leans into his side.

“What about you?” Toph asks, “What were you in for?”

It’s like Toph knows she’s the only one who can appall Katara without any consequences.

“You can’t just ask that!”

“I just did, Sugar Queen.”

Chit Sang laughed over them, “Are you sure you all want to know? It’s a long story.”

An array of emotions is on everyone’s faces. Toph, Aang, The Duke, and Teo are genuinely curious. As fellow ex-prisoners, Hakoda, Haru, and Suki don’t seek an explanation but like Sokka and Katara, they want the topic to get away from Azula.

Zuko knows that the people who end up in the Boiling Rock are people the Fire Nation wants to ignore. It could be for any reason, politics or crime or revolts be it violently or nonviolently, he doesn’t know where Chit Sang categories into.

“Oh that sounds intriguing,” Toph answers for them, “Yes please.”

Chit Sang looks around the circle, mentally preparing his story. His eyes land on Zuko. The older man doesn’t appear nervous but there is something hesitant in the way he unlocks the tension in his jaw.

“I used to be a guard in the royal palace, tasked with escorting generals in and out of their meetings.”

Immediately, Zuko freezes.

He escorted generals to war councils. That detail lights something on fire in Zuko as Chit Sang continues.

“These old generals get a little too comfortable in the palace, thinking that they’re rubbing elbows with the elites. One day I escorted a group of generals out. One starts badmouthing something that went down in the meeting, how his speech or whatever got interrupted.”

No…

Oh no.

Everyone around the campfire is quiet. Zuko can’t run off without any of them noticing. Spirits, Sokka is right next to him too. Zuko tries to ignore Sokka glancing at him, likely sensing the distress Zuko is keeping at bay.

“The general complained about the naivety of a kid. How if soldiers enlisted for war, they should be prepared to die for whatever plan they and the Fire Lord approves of.”

Subtly, Zuko takes a deep breath.

No, he decides, he has to stay seated. Zuko owes that to the victims of this story. He also ignores the numb feeling in his legs, shackles of shame rooting him.

Somehow Chit Sang is a part of this three year old tale. It feels alarmingly similar to another man Zuko knows.

“That’s when I recognized this general.” He rolled his eyes with fond amusement, “My brother complained all about him in his letters.”

Hakoda laughed, instantly getting it, “New warriors just love to rag on their captains, don’t they?”

“It’s the best way to make friends in your fraction,” agrees Chit Sang but his lighthearted tone is gone as he states, “My younger brother and cousin were of the 41st Division.”

(“I have a daughter, a little older than you. She joined the army and hoped to later transfer over to the navy unit. She really wanted to serve under my command but first she was sent off to with the other new recruits.”)

A weight drops in Zuko’s stomach as two conversations are overlapping, one around the temple’s fire and another from the past. It brings back cold sea air with its words.

“Anyway, the general keeps yapping. The interrupter is sentenced to fight for his honor. In my head I can’t understand why this went to such extremes. That is until the day of the Agni Kai match.”

“What’s an Agni Kai?” Teo asked.

“A traditional firebending duel of honor,” the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe answered much to everyone’s surprise. “I always heard stories but it’s usually about soldiers, not generals.”

“It used to be a just soldier thing,” Chit Sang nodded, “or maybe you’re thinking about something we called the Ten Duel Commandments. Anyway, Agni Kai fights eventually became a political power move. This one is different. Only the top elites and highest ranking officers were allowed access. But this was the royal arena, there were guards stationed at the doors outside.”

“Is this where you come in?” Aang leaned in, both impatient and eager to learn more. “You got arrested for stopping the fight?”

“No,” he said with shame, “I didn’t know who was up to fight. I’m not sure anyone really knew until it happened. Even then, I don’t know if anyone had the guts to stop this match.” Chit Sang drew in a deep breath and the campfire mirrored it. “How could a simple guard stop the Fire Lord from burning his… young subject.”

Zuko bit his lip. The need to plead and beg Chit Sang to stop talking is at the forefront of his mind.

Instead when Chit Sang meets his gaze, Zuko nods subtly.

He wants to hear the end of this.

“We all wondered why this happened, how something so disrespectful occurred in the front of the Fire Lord for this Agni Kai. The guards and I tried to piece it together the day after. One guard heard it was a dispute in the war meeting, I knew it was about a plan for the 41st, and another guy remembered how that general was notorious for losing his youngest troops.”

The firebenders could all see everyone trying to piece this together but they needed one last jigsaw to truly understand.

A part of Zuko wants them to never understand, to never know the end of this tale. He has a feeling if he asks Chit Sang to stop he will but Zuko actually prefers his narration over whatever Zuko could attempt.

Zuko nods again. He ignores Sokka’s inquisitive glance.

“Then two guards spoke up, said that General Iroh let the Crown Prince into the meeting.”

He had seconds to prepare himself so Zuko chose to stare at the fire and not the many eyes targeted on him.

“It wasn’t a pretty picture even with the scattered information I had,” Chit Sang filled up the silence, recounting the details, “The Prince spoke against a plan that would send the 41st Division to death. He participated in an Agni Kai for his beliefs but chose to not fight against his father.”

Zuko doesn’t look up, his eyes too captured by the bright whites and oranges dancing. He thinks his eyes are tearing up from the heat.

“I sent it all in a letter to my brother. I had no clue if it reached him.”

(“Months passed and I haven’t received any letters from my daughter. I got worried. She sent me so many letters during her basic training. I thought for sure I’d get a letter about her traveling through the Earth Kingdom.”)

“We don’t know what happened to them and it wasn’t long before I got arrested for leaking news about a royal scandal that could be detrimental for the Fire Lord’s image.”

“That’s why you were arrested?” Sokka barked with so much scorn, “You warned a troop that their general was sending them to die and Zuko, he…”

Zuko wills himself not to look at Sokka. He can’t imagine what is on everyone’s faces.

“Yep,” Chit Sang popped, “I got shoved into the next prison transport and haven’t heard any news of the outside world ever since.”

(“Instead I and other families got silence or were told to wait for any reports. I pulled some favors to get answers but it was unsuccessful.”)

In a small voice, Toph asks, “You don’t know what happened to the division?”

That fact has haunted the prince for years. It automatically had Zuko hopelessly say, “No one does.”

(“An official report said that the 41st Division reached the Earth Kingdom and that was it. Nothing else. No letters ever came back from the general in charge.”)

“Actually,” Chit Sang began and this time, Zuko tears his eyes away from the fire to meet the other bender, “My buddy landed in the Boiling Rock a year later and told me something. At some point, my mom got a letter. It was from my brother. The 41st didn’t believe my info and by then they were already docked at the Earth Kingdom, headed to secure a hill near Ba Sing Se.”

It’s like Zuko’s tongue can’t decide if it’s too heavy to move or impatient to spew words. “And then what?”

He meets Zuko’s eyes, a fateful determination flaring up, “My brother and cousin vowed to keep their division alive, whatever it takes. They didn’t write back what they planned to do. They did mention that they’ll do it for the Crown Prince because he saw honor in them.”

“I don’t, what I did,” the former prince shook his head, his voice raw and cracking, “Are they even alive?”

“I have hope,” he said, “That’s all I got left.”

There’s a heavy emptiness in the temple ruins. Zuko tries his mightiest to not make a noise as tears well up in his eyes.

After all these years, Zuko gets new information. It’s not the best one, a vague confirmation at best, but it’s still something. A burning part inside rip apart the hovering sentence of the 41st Division seeing honor in their Prince.

Now if only Zuko and the soldiers’ family knew if those kids are alive or not.

Sokka broke the solemn silence, “Hey Chit Sang, what did your brother looks like?”

The Water Tribe boy gets a lot of raised eyebrows but Chit Sang shrugs.

“He looks kind of like me but bigger eyebrows,” he described, “and my cousin, she has a mole under her nose.”

Now that sends an alarmed look between the original trio.

“Wait Sokka, you don’t think,” Katara trailed off.

“What,” Zuko rushed, his body shaking, “What are you talking about?”

“My first firebending teacher,” Aang answered with a peace that Zuko envies, “Jeong Jeong the Deserter. At his camp there were a lot of people, both young and old.”

“One of them, she had a mole right here,” Sokka tapped under his right nostril.

“That’s my cousin,” Chit Sang breathed out heavily. In fact his whole body nearly collapses with that breath.

This man got his resolution but others have not.

“Did you learn any of their names?” Zuko asked with an intensity he can’t contain.

Three heads shook no.

(“What’s your daughter’s name, Lieutenant?”)

(“Jiang.”)

“Jiang,” Zuko repeated, not that any of them knew he was repeating the name, “Did you hear that name at all at that camp?”

Again they shake their heads but Chit Sang tilts his.

“Jiang, right? Wong and Kari mentioned her in a letter,” the older firebender smiled reassuringly. “She’d be with them. They’re all good friends.”

Hope, it’s hard to believe in hope alone because most of the time it is shapeless. At this moment in a temple ruins, surrounded by people who were originally known as his enemies, they gave Zuko hope.

“They’re alive,” he utters between trembling lips.

“Because of you,” The former guardsman stood up and walked over to him. “You stood up for them, burned for them,” Chit Sang bowed to Zuko, his hands in form of the symbolic flame, “You have my gratitude, My Prince.”

(“Thank you for seeing the value in their lives, My Prince,” Lieutenant Jee bowed, his hands formed the symbolic flame.)

Around Zuko there are a million other conversations. Shocked and processing this all, appalment at the war council, disbelief the horrible reality of who the Fire Lord is, and how this is the life that shaped Zuko.

It all burns Zuko. The origin of his inferno was his honor, a subjective identity he burned into his soul. He may have regrets for speaking out of turn, for disobeying his father’s order to fight, and for a thousand other things but Zuko does not regret speaking against the planned death of the 41st Division.

The price of that was not the burn or the scar or the banishment but the unknown if his efforts meant anything.

Zuko stands with shaking knees, still registering the massive amount of information, and bows to Chit Sang, his hands formed as the respected flame.

“Thank you,” Zuko’s throat is beyond dry, his core knocked out of orbit only to rush back to into place.

The silence returned to hear his small words, vulnerable to their sudden new light of Zuko.

Now that Zuko is paying attention, most of his friends look sick as they stare at his scar. He doesn’t mean to avoid their eyes but he faces Toph, her blindness taking the edge away from all of this.

Yet again, Toph is the one to initial the heavy topic, “Your father and your scar…”

He doesn’t want to say it out loud, it would be easier to just nod or do nothing but it’s Toph, Zuko doesn’t want to leave her in silence. “Yes, he gave me my scar.”

That is the first time Zuko has ever verbally acknowledged the rawest truth of that event.

For years he worded around it with verbs of rightly punished, branded as dishonor, or a million other self-loathing ideologies that burned angry, pride, and shame throughout Zuko.

He takes a deep breath and on the exhale, Zuko feels a little lighter.

-

This is chapter ten of my fic Petals in a Storm. It is an abo au of Avatar and I know that isn’t really everyone’s cup of tea. But this chapter is one my favorite things I have ever written since it is my take on the whole Zuko’s scar trope. So I edited out the minor bits about abo and this could be read as just another oneshot about the scar. 

Thanks for reading!