#koi Ursae

[benetnvsch]

kunikida plushie quite literally the reason yesterday wasn't the worst day of my life LMAO

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 23

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Chief Arnook isn't happy to see her in the war room, but Sokka stands for her.

"My sister is very familiar with the workings of Fire Nation ships. The layout, the crew, all of it. Her knowledge is invaluable."

Hahn snorts. "I bet she does, the filthy ash maker."

Katara narrows her eyes, and flicks a wrist. A shard of ice cuts through the mans cheek. Her gaze is deadly. "I don't care what you think of me. But your arrogance will cause you to fail, and that will endanger everyone in this city. Especially the women you have left defenseless with your backwards teaching. So you will listen, and you will be silent."

She doesn't give them any time to speak, simply pointing to the uniform stood in the corner. "That is an early Azulon era uniform, back before they optimized the areas below deck. They don't use shoulder spikes anymore, as the narrow hallways below don't have room for it.

"Their commanding officer is likely Admiral Zhao. Middle-aged, somewhat short, with large side-burns and a very short temper. He likes the sound of his own voice, and will be easy to identify, since he'll likely start shouting as soon as he realizes there are intruders.

"He'd be in the command tower, in the top room with all the glass windows. The easiest way to get there would be to sneak on through the stern, where an emergency ladder is. From there, enter the door on the back of the tower, and you should be able to make it up from there. If anyone stops you, asks you what you're doing, walk with purpose and say 'reporting to the admiral for special instructions'. It should be enough for them to overlook you. Try not to deviate from that phrase."

The gathered war council murmurs, taking in the information. She listened, annoyed that Hahn was put in charge. Sokka would have been a better fit. As much as he hated the Fire Nation, he did not let his hatred blind him when there was a job to be done.

"Are you sure?" Sokka whispers, when they begin to disperse for their various tasks. "That it's Zhao?"

She didn't have to ask who else it could be. "Bato told me something, back when we saw him. I'm... optimistic that we're wrong about what he's been doing."

Sokka eyed her, but didn't argue. He squeezed her shoulder, and gave a sharp nod. "I trust you, sister."

He leaves, going to join Hahn and the rest of the infiltration team. Katara wishes she would be allowed to go, since she was at least somewhat familiar with working the communications equipment. Zuko had once discussed the possibility of putting a comm tower in the village, if they got access to the proper equipment, and gave her a quick lesson.

Instead, she stays with Yue and Aang. She listens as the two talk, and follows them into the palace. She gapes at the warm, almost tropical oasis. Removing her coat, she sits by the pool, watching the two koi circle each other. It almost felt... She felt like she was back in the Fire Nation, sitting with Ursa and Ilah, by the turtleduck pond...

She barely hears Yue and Aang as they talk about spiritual things. Instead, she breaths deeply. She could almost smell the mangos that they would eat there.

"Is he okay?" Yue asks her suddenly.

Katara looks up, finding Aang sitting beside the pond, his eyes and tatoos glowing. "He's crossed into the spirit world. We just have to make sure that he doesn't get moved. His body links him back to the physical world."

The princess eyes Aang nervously. "Should we get help?"

"No. The fighting will be more at the wall. It would take a while for anyone to reach us here. I should be more than enough."

"You're wrong," a gruff voice cuts in, sending a chill through her veins. She turns, Yue gasping, as Zuko steps out from around the corner.

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[inkwardspots]

my path to destiny (leads to you)

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M, Gen

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Ursa & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Ozai (Avatar), Azula & Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda/Kya (Avatar), Ozai/Ursa (Avatar)

Characters: Aang (Avatar), The Gaang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Iroh (Avatar), Appa (Avatar), Ozai (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Azulon (Avatar), Kya (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Kanna (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar)

Additional Tags: Betrothal Necklace (Avatar), Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Marriage of Convenience, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Iroh is a Good Uncle (Avatar), Firelord Iroh (Avatar), Zuko-centric (Avatar), Katara/Zuko-centric (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, it starts with Lu Ten's death, Fluff and Angst, 100 Year War Ends Early (Avatar TV)

summary:

Uncle Iroh is kind and grieving. Firelord Iroh is tactical and peace-seeking.

Zuko, whose father still lives, is heir.

The ultimate snub, the palace maids had whispered, Lord Ozai's fall from grace.

Cousin Lu Ten is lost to war, Grandfather Azulon to illness, Father to power and Mother to forces unknown...and, in the end, all that is left is Zuko, clutching his domineering little sister's hand.

But, before all that, there is good: there is his friend Katara, bossy and kind. There is his friend Sokka, who always teases when Zuko falls during sword practice. There are summers in the Fire Nation with Sokka and Katara and the Earth Kingdom Ambassador's niece, Toph. There are winters in the South Pole, huddled under ancient blankets and kept warm by loving hands and soft-spoken words. There is political tension and plague and crisis. But there is also the promise of future.

Now, if only Zuko could find his own future, one separate from the Fire Nation's vision.

And to do it, he must do one thing:

Find the Avatar.

Chapter 3: Forgiveness

chapter summary:

Come, child of Agni. They seem to call as they wade deeper in the pond, the moon revealed once more as Zuko steps into the water, as if in a hallucinatory trance. Come, they demand, swimming deeper and deeper, Follow us and fate.

I can’t! Zuko wants to say, the pond-water already up to his calves, not when I will drown if I go further!

The koi fish evolve around each other, perfectly in sync as Zuko dares to follow them further. They disappear soon after, and Zuko feels as if he has been made a fool, as always and forever. 

He looks at the luminescent moon and wishes something that he dare not voice. 

[oriionz]

2, 5, 12

2. what's your feel-good movie?

would it surprise anyone if i said right now it's the lego ninjago movie? 😭 watching the silly legos say silly things makes me very happy

5. who do you feel most like you around?

THE BESTIES like everyone from big server. especially koi and ursa. and also my siblings idk i they all just let me say shit with very little judgement and i appreciate that. it's gotten especially a lot easier since i came out to them.

12. how are you?

i'm okay!! thank you for asking :] been kind of a stressful day and it's probably going to be a stressful 4 days as well. tomorrow im gonna be on the road for 11 hours straight so looking forward to that. i'm sure it'll be fun but also it's always a little daunting being on the road for that long yknow?

[hopeamarsu]

Hi M! Hope your Friday is going good, for the soft asks 1, 3 and 7 🥰💕

Bee, my darling ❤️✨

My Friday is good, I had a good, long talking date with one of my dearest friends and I’m now just lounging at home which feels perfect after a long week. How has your Friday been so far? I hope good!

1. your favorite constellation?

Hmm. Probably the Ursa Minor, because it has the North Star within it and I find the North Star to be so beautiful. Also Little Bear just sounds adorable as a constellation name.

There is also the memories of figuring these out when I was a kid. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were the first ones I could pick on my own during bright winter nights and I always remember those feelings when I see them in the sky 🤗

3. What's your favorite mythical creature?

I think I have too many to choose! But maybe…

Dragons.

Though maybe not for the most obvious reasons. I was born in the year of the dragon which connects me to the creature but also I have a tattoo of two koi fish in my back which tie back into dragons and I’ve always loved that origin story.

The story goes that koi fish swim upstream and if they can manage to get on top of that, they become dragons. The tattoo reminds me that I’m not yet done, I’m still evolving and making my way into becoming a dragon and being beautiful and powerful like them.

But also dragons are so cool 😉

7. What's a song that makes you happy?

I could list so so many but I’m going to pick this one. Ed has a special place in my heart and I’ve traveled to many amazing places because of him and his music. This is one of my favorites from Divide album and it never fails to make me smile!

Thank you so so much for asking ❤️

[koiotic]

AU where Ursa kills Azulon, then kills Ozai and sets it up to look like he died assassinating the Firelord and then ascends to the throne herself

[au-wannabe-the-very-best]

A report on how my PLA replay as Akari From Our World is going!

So, I went out to find Arezu, but almost immediately after that, instead of going to find Adaman to quell the frenzy of their noble, my ADHD took over and I got supremely sidetracked.

A few things came to my attention during this.

1, I realized that if I were to complete enough tasks, I might actually be capable of... reaching the ninth rank. Before even making it to the coast. So, obviously, I took this as a challenge and decided I would fucking do it. Haven’t reached the goal yet, but steadily getting there!

2, Akari seems to be... really in touch with ghost type Pokémon. A lot of her team rotates with a few ghost types. We got Bunsen, her Typhlosion. We got Muscadine, her shiny Ghastly-now-Gengar. And she’s recently been lucky enough to catch an alpha Drifloon. That, added with the future members of her team that she is DEFINITELY going to have (namely, her army of Rotom, Jing her alpha Zoroark, and the Litwick she’ll obviously acquire in her Best Wishes adventure), tells me that Akari is probably going to be a bit of a ghost type specialist in this AU!

Anyways, back to the accomplishments our dear protagonist has done!

So far, she’s perfected Wurmple’s Pokédex entry, which is her first perfected entry. 

She’s evolved two alpha Scythers into Kleavor and Scizor! Kleavor is Hook, and Scizor is Knight.

Managed to do some game-breaking maneuvering in order to attract the attention of an alpha Magikarp and catch it! Also, did you know that regular Magikarp come up close to shore for you to feed them? It’s like feeding koi fish. It’s adorable. I want to pet all the Magikarp. 

Ursa Major has evolved into an Ursaluna! Kept checking every passing night to see if the peat rock was “compatible,” and eventually it was! We’ve got a rocking alpha mama Ursaluna now!

There’s several other alphas that Akari catches, like a Pikachu, a Sneasel from the distortions, Starly, Buneary, Buizel, and more. Akari tries to use some of these alphas to complete requests. It’s really interesting to see people’s reactions. Some people outright reject the alphas, since they’re too big for the job or they don’t feel confident handling them. Sorry Alpha Wurmple, Alpha Geodude, I worked so hard to find you, and yet...

Anyways! Next order of business, find a special Petilil! Either a shiny or an alpha, because Akari’s Petilil and subsequent Lilligant HAS to be unique! 

Oh yeah and also quell the Lady of the Ridge’s frenzy.

Best not to forget that.

... Let’s see if we can reach the second to last rank first.

[thebeedleboat]

Why Bosco is Ursa

Stop laughing, this is a very, very serious fan theory!

I’m going to get the name thing out of the way now, because there is more to this than ‘Ursa means bear, and names are meaningful to ATLA’, it’s a solid point, but there is more...

Firstly, the few spirits we see have a connection to non-hybrid animals:

[ID: Hei-Bai, in panda form. Tui and La as koi fish. End ID]

Secondly, the other non-hybrid animal we see is Miyuki. According to the wiki, Miyuki is 28 years old, and it is unusual for a cat to live past twenty. Also, cats are carnivorous, which makes the herbalist feeding Miyuki a diet of herbs and leaves questionable, especially for such a long-lived cat. There is also the throwaway joke that Miyuki ‘has been getting in trouble with the Fire Nation again’, which has more meaning behind it if Miyuki was once a human rebelling against the Fire Nation forces and, for one reason or another, spirit-cursed into a cat. Maybe to protect them, maybe as revenge, who knows?

Anyway, Bosco. Bosco is also shown eating human food (pies and cakes); is dressed in human clothes (tunic and hat); and is the close and trusted ally to the leader of a Nation. (okay, Ozai wasn’t Fire Lord when Ursa was around, but she’s close to some very powerful people).

Some spirits can already turn themselves into animals. It doesn’t feel like a stretch to say some could also turn humans into animals too. Especially when the shows goes to great lengths to highlight the absurdity of a single bear’s existence.

(Sidenote: I came up with this theory before realizing the similarities to the Disney film Brave, featuring a princess who has a complicated relationship with a mother who struggles to appreciate her skills in combat and reluctance to pursue more feminine interests. The mother is then turned into a bear. Then I found this image and thought it was funny.)

 [ID: A young Merida from Brave chasing a will o' the wisp but it looks like she's shooting a blue fireball from her hand. End ID]

[subtleshenanigans]

ATLA AU idea:

After the Agni Kai that marks his face, aboard The Wani, Zuko doesn’t survive.

But Agni has other plans for him.

He gets turned into a dragon to become a guide for Aang, and help stop the war.

Some specific points:

He spends about three years in the spirit world, in his ‘human’ form, which does age

His uncle finds him there soon after

He wakes up in one of the Air Temples as a dragon, when Aang is released from the iceberg

He does not have a scar but he does have distinctive coloration where his scar would have been. I’m debating him having a koi-like coloration on his scales, just not sure what colors.

Obviously he had to get used to this body.

He’s probably the size of Appa because he’s a young dragon

It is Zuko joins the gang early, because he died and that really hammers in that Ozai doesn’t love him

Maybe him coming across Ursa

Look being a dragon when supposedly they were all hunted is dangerous

W a r m cuddles

Obviously he has the mind of a human kid in the body of a dragon. Shenanigans ensue

Azula is pretty messed up, afraid of losing her father’s ‘love’

Look the heir, the young prince, was murdered and Iroh makes sure everyone knows it. There’s discontent in the Fire Nation

Big Brother Zuko (TM); he adopts the Gaang

Yes they eventually find out he was human before

[benetnvsch]

Cringetober Day 7: Pinterest Art Base

DMNBDJk this isn't a base but I just had to do it with my favorite guys :> so today introduces two new ocs :>

so first image left to right

Kitson Alkaid, Koi Ursae (that's,, actually his father's name,, he doesn't have a last name yet), and then Diesel (he ,, doesn't have a last name either)

love em all so much,,

so a suuuuper tldr of the current au I've been working on (left image outfits) is that Kitson and Koi are trying to track down Koi's father for different reasons, both of them have committed crimes in their past (vigilante work from Koi and just Crimes from Kitson), and Diesel is an undercover agent sent to arrest them both :> somehow they all end up growing close though and end up having to all work together to save the world (or,,, rather just umm,,,, kill koi's father)

in the like,, Main / nothing happens they're all just sad college students AU Kitson and Diesel just bully Koi (jk they love him)

[secretfandomrambles]

Actual Sun and Moon Spirits Zuko and Yue

1. Zuko is stillborn. When Ursa realizes this, she pleads with the spirits to return life to her son. The Sun Spirit hears her prayer and pours some of his own essence into the child and revives him. Rather than an obvious mark, such as turning the hair a different color, Agni simply brightens the already gold eyes, until they are like miniature suns. Some time later, Tui gives some of her own life force to revive a stillborn (not just sickly) Yue. This makes it so that, rather than having human souls alongside the spirit essence, Zuko and Yue are literally part of the Sun and Moon spirits.

2. As their essences and minds are divided between the Great Spirits and two mortal bodies, Zuko and Yue sometimes have troubles recognizing where they are and when. They meet each other in their dreams, which eases the ache inside them that nothing helps to fill. They do not conciously remember the dreams during their waking hours.

3. Zuko grows up with the sense of something missing in his daily life, like he is meant to watch out for, to protect someone. He always feels as if he needs to hold back when firebending, for he could scorch the earth with his power, so that it would never recover. Despite her protests of being stronger than him, Azula becomes the focus of his inherent Big Brother Energy. It becomes a little more bearable for Azula once Mai and Ty Lee are introduced to Zuko, and he is able to spread out his protectiveness toward them as well, rather than focus solely on Azula.

4. Yue is drawn toward the Koi Pond, and sometimes feels as though she is the white Koi, that she can feel the movement of the moon, the feel of water on her scales. The love she has for her husband and brother (what husband? Yue wonders in confusion. And what brother?). Her father claims it is simply the connection she shares with the Moon spirit, and discourages her from coming to the Spirit Oasis.

5. Their Mortal families believe them to be humans blessed by the Spirits, and not the Spirits themselves incarnate. Yue chafes in only being allowed to use her waterbending to heal, and Zuko struggles with Sozin’s style of bending, as it is so far removed from the original ways of firebending.

6. When Zuko is burned in the Agni Kai, his spirit seeks to return to Agni. However, the Great Spirit instead channels the rest of himself (his essence, mind, and will) into Zuko’s body, thereby making it so that Zuko is truly his incarnation. He is still scarred, but the burned skin turns gold and red in apparance, rather like dragon-scales. His eyes change as well, changing from mortal eyes to twin pools of fire.

7. Yue senses something is amiss, but she only discovers what has happened after falling asleep and finding Zuko’s burned form in their dreamscape. He reveals the truth of their natures to her. In the North Pole, the top of the koi pond freezes, layers of ice built atop one another until it would take multiple firebenders to melt through. Spikes of ice erupt around Princess Yue’s sleeping form.

8. Zuko almost immediately drops Iroh off at the first convenient port so that he won’t be implicated in treason, and goes to save the 41st division. He can’t save all of them, but he saves quite a few. And those who he isn’t able to save…their bodies spontaneously burst into flame, and their souls are drawn to Zuko, before he gently sends them into the Spirit Realm to heal from their traumatic deaths.

9. Finding Zuko’s burned form is the first time Yue actually remembers the dreams consciously. She presses Yugoda to show her how to heal even the worst wounds, and accidentally learns she can create spirit water by touch alone. This allows her to learn that she can use this new (old) power to heal old wounds. But she keeps the ability to herself, fearing that if word got back to the Fire Nation somehow, they would attack her people (they would).

10. As he has Awakened, Zuko/Agni uses his time in banishment to try and mitigate the Fire Nation’s destruction both within the army’s ranks and how they are toward the people they’re attacking. Iroh is confused, but as he is busy committing treason he just lets the kid do what he wants.

11. Eventually, they find the Avatar, a water-bender and a boy who has been blessed by La. Zuko and his crew join them on their way to the Northern Water Tribe in hopes of gaining help to overthrow Ozai.

12. That night, the Sun and Moon come together in their dreamscape, and the first thing the Sun says is “I am coming Sister.”

[is-that-another-soulmate-au]

Please imagine modern AU Aang having a big dog named Appa who thinks he's a lap dog but isn't. Please imagine Aang laying on a couch and Appa just plopping ontop of him, and they both pass out and take an accidental couch nap together.

Please give me Zuko with 4 cats named Druk, Lee, Mushi, and Ursa who love to cause chaos. Please give me a food motivated Mushi who knocks over Zuko's antique weapons display at least twice a week. Please give me a very social Lee but Zuko tells people he doesn't really like people too much and so when they get this cuddly cat in their lap they just cry because omg he likes me? Please give me a lazy Druk and Ursa being cuddle buds all day every day and only waking up when they hear the treat jar or the cat nip bag.

Please give me Toph with her seeing eye dog Badger just being chaotic together

Give me Sokka with a big Koi tank with three Kois named Tui, La, and Yue. Guve he him talking to them to sort out his problems

Give me katara with a cat named Momo who loves Aang and his big dog Appa. Give me cat momo being talkative and noisy, especially at 3 a.m. give me Momo being a household criminal who knocks things off of high shelves and then manages to convince Katara to give him catnip.

Give me Suki with a tank of 2 eels that she lovingly refers to as "Una" and "Gi" give me her threatening people that piss her off with the possibility of being fed to the "great Unagi" and it actually scared people because they don't know what she's talking about and she's got a really good poker face.

[5lazarus]

Dragon Eyes: an Avatar-The Last Airbender Fanfic

Dragon Eyes

On a diplomatic mission to the Fire Nation, Katara leaves the children with Aang to have tea with Zuko and Mai. But the two of them have something they want to talk about. They've lived enough of fathers neglecting one child for the other, and they have seen enough.

Katara wishes they had propositioned her, rather than bring this up. Read on Archive of Our Own here.

Years of travel in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation have not made handling the heat any easier. Katara rejoices in shedding her layers, showing off some skin. Aang is entertaining all the kids—all of them, not just Tenzin, and Zuko’s daughter, too. She is relieved to have them out of her hair, to have the time to sit down and comb through her hair. She twists her hair into her old Fire Nation fashion and grins at herself in the mirror. She loves her hair loopies, but it’s nice to shake things up a bit.

Aang is taking the kids through the palace and tormenting the tour guide Zuko sent them with Ty Lee. Katara is taking advantage of the break. Zuko told her he’ll be in the garden with Mai, doing a tea meditation. Apparently they do that every morning, to keep a finger on each other’s pulse. At first Katara was nonplussed, wondering if that was a euphemism, and was slightly alarmed when he invited her to join them. Aang has talked about how the Air Nomads practiced polyamory. The Water Tribe does not. Katara does not.

It is terribly, terribly hot, humidity a caress on the skin, and she bends it cooler around her limbs, swiping the sweat away. Barefoot she walks down the tile path into the courtyard. Mai and Zuko are sitting by the turtleducks, drinking tea. Mai sees her first and raises a small cup in welcome.

Zuko says, “I told you she’d come.”

Mai rolls her eyes. “Hot tea on a hot day? Only offer this to Katara, not any other officials from the Water Tribe.”

“Fair,” Zuko says. He smiles at her. “Aang’s got the kids?”

Katara settles down at the tea table, one of those elegantly-carved pieces of wood that look deceptively simple and thus cost a fortune. Zuko uses wooden prongs to place a small porcelain cup before her and Mai. She touches it, eggshell thin. It’s warm.

“The tea tastes better that way,” Zuko says. Mai looks at him fondly. “Easier now that I don’t have to hide the fire bending.”

Katara smiles. “I really am surprised we didn��t run into each other earlier. Your uncle’s tea shop was so popular!”

Zuko hides his face behind his hair, and Mai puts her hand on his arm. Iroh’s death is still raw on him. She takes the tongs from him and begins pulling thin, silvery green leaves from a jar. She places them in a scoop made from bamboo.

“Bai hao yin zhen,” Mai says. “Early spring.” An eagerness underlays her usual drawl. Katara raises an eyebrow. She really likes the tea. Mai says, “Here. Smell.”

Katara leans forward. “The things I do for diplomacy!” She grins, and takes a cautious sniff. Her eyes widen, and she inhales deeper, drunk on the scent. “That’s like the sun!”

Mai smiles, and Zuko shakes himself out of his reverie to say, “Uncle always said the tasting notes were honey and sun fruits, after the rain. This is the new buds of a tea tree. There are other white teas, just as exquisite, that include the leaves, but I’ve always loved this one. It’s a treat.”

Katara says, “Well, thank you for sharing with me. If it tastes anything like it smells….”

“Uncle always served you red tea, right?” Zuko takes an open pot and closes a hand gently around its handle. The water begins to bubble. “He thought you’d like a deeper flavor. It’s good for the cold. But white tea cools me down.”

Katara leans back on her haunches, raising her face to the sun. She listens to the burble of the koi pond behind her, where Zuko has placed a shrine to Yue. Reparations, she thinks. Not enough: Sokka and Suki broke up, of course, and he has never quite been able to settle down since. She’s there, silent in the bright sky, and while it is not enough, at least the world is whole.

The courtyard is gritty under her hands, and she wipes at them, wincing at the soreness in the joints. She’s been stressed. These family trips are always stressful. Aang, for all his meditation, never seems to be able to focus on packing and he makes Bumi’s inattention worse, and then Kya gets upset that Bumi is bothering her and kicks up a fuss, and then Tenzin of course cries, and Appa covers him in slobber trying to comfort him, which makes him cry worse, and then he needs a bath, and then Bumi and Kya get upset, because the baby is the baby and the Airbender and everything, as Kya once screamed. She sighs. It is good to have some time in the sun, while Aang takes care of the kids, and have some intelligent conversation besides when she was having her next baby. She wasn’t. Three and a husband were enough.

Mai says, apropos of nothing, “Dragon eyes.” She slides the tea from the scoop into a gaiwan, shaking the leaves to spread them on the bottom.

Katara opens her eyes. “What?”

Mai says, “It means the water’s boiling. When the bubbles are that large, like dragon eyes. It means it’s the temperature that’s good for this kind of white tea. Though some brew it cooler—with crab eyes, rather than dragon eyes.”

Zuko takes his hand from the pot and skillfully pours the boiling water into the waiting gaiwan. He places its lid on the top, and pours it swiftly into another exquisite porcelain pitcher, almost translucently blue. Like blood, Katara thinks, and then banishes the thought. Hama wouldn’t like her here. The honeysuckle smell fills the garden. Zuko pours the tea, almost silver-green, into her cup.

He says, “Don’t drink. Just smell.”

Katara looks at him doubtfully. It seems like such a waste of such wonderful-smelling tea. The Fire Nation court has always struck her as excessive, though she is leery of people who prattle on about decadence.

Mai says, “You can drink it. But it’s the rinse, you rinse leaves like this the way you do rice.”

Katara says, “You ever cooked rice?” Zuko laughs, and Mai rolls her eyes.

“Very funny,” she drawls. “When we searched for Ursa. Eventually I got it right.” Zuko grins in a way that makes Katara think that perhaps she never did.

He points to the figure, painted in blue, sitting serenely at the center of the tea table. “Or you can offer it to her.” Katara picks up the porcelain figurine. It’s of a woman, a mother, holding a child close. She catches Mai’s eye. Zuko still hurts for his mother, for his father, for his cousin and his sister and his uncle. It manifests in such obvious ways, how he grieves his family. She doesn’t even need to hear it, but Zuko says it anyway. “It was my mother’s. Noriko, I mean.”

“Have you spoken to her recently?” Katara says carefully. She places the figurine back onto the table and unceremoniously dumps her cup over it, hoping it scalds through the paint. Families are complicated, Zuko’s insanely so. Mai gives her an amused look and does the same.

Zuko shrugs. “I just wish she’d talk to Azula. She hasn’t visited her once. And I know it’s hard, and you never really know when the lucid period will end, but—“

Mai says, “Loving Azula isn’t easy. It might get better when Ozai dies.”

Then they are silent as Zuko picks up the pot again and flash-brews the tea. It is hard to be sour with such a sweet smell filling the air. They don’t need to say it. It would have been better if Aang had killed Ozai. It is easier to come to peace with the dead father than the living disposed king and his mad daughter.

Zuko pours the honey-sweet tea into her little cup. She sips it, lost in its clear light taste. This is what the dew hidden in a flower tastes like, she thinks. She tries to slow down sipping at this minuscule cup, but too fast, the tea is gone. Zuko is smiling.

“Another cup?” he says, and she nods eagerly. “This was one of my uncle’s favorites. One of the many things he loved from the Earth Kingdom.”

They drink, reveling in the sheer loveliness of it. It’s like drinking light, Katara thinks. Earth and fire and water, in one cup. The warm porcelain soothes her aching hands. A muscle relaxes in her neck, and she lets her shoulders down. She rolls them, happy in their mobility.

Mai looks at her with an acupuncturist’s eye. “Pinched nerve?” she asks. “I can look at that. If you’re comfortable.”

Katara stops, cup halfway to her mouth. She’s going back to her original thought that they were hitting on her, which is flattering, but no. Absolutely not. She’s got enough going on, even if Aang wouldn’t mind, or even be into it. No.

Zuko leans forward. “There’s something we’ve been wanting to ask her.”

Katara’s heart stops. She puts the cup down, a little too hard. “I—uh—“

“Have things been alright with Aang?”

Mai’s mouth twitches. “I think she thought we were going to ask her something else.”

“Everything’s fine!” Katara blurts. Mai can be such a troll sometimes. “I mean. Traveling with the kids is always…a lot, but—why?” She’s irritated now. She has not been pleased with Aang, but three small children take a toll on communication in a marriage. She’s embarrassed that it has been that obvious. She fiddles with the figurine on the table.

Zuko and Mai exchange a look. They look like they’re waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Mai heaves a sigh.

“Bumi wrote Izumi something in a letter,” Mai says. She folds her hands in her lap. “You know how they’re friends. And it made her very upset.”

“Well,” Katara says. “If he was nasty to her, I’ll speak to him, but I don’t see what this has to do with my marriage. Bumi is—“ She stops. Bumi is always in the middle of things, fussing around, crashing into walls just like his namesake. She loses patience with him too often, she knows that, but Kya’s easy to distract with a waterbending lesson, and Tenzin just sits with his scrolls when Aang isn’t putting him through his paces. He’s so much like his father, an absolute whirlwind of energy. She’s privately thought it’s a shame he didn’t inherit his father’s bending, rather than Tenzin, but that is something she can not let herself think for long.

“He says he doesn’t think his father loves him, because he’s not a bender,” Zuko says. “Which I know is not right. But I have been in that position before. And he told her that Aang is never around, that he just travels from temple to temple with Tenzin, and he and Kya are just left at home. And that he’s worried about you too. It was a very…” He trails off, and looks at Mai.

Mai finishes, “The ink was smudge. He’d been crying. So we wanted to talk to you, because it scared Izumi. Because we both know what it is like to be ignored by our fathers.” She smiles thinly. “And the toll it took on our mothers.”

Zuko says, “I’m sorry if we overstepped, it was just—hard to read.”

Katara says, “Why didn’t he tell me? It’s—he does his best to present for the kids, but Aang has his Avatar duties, and as the last airbender, there’s so much he needs to teach Tenzin, so it’s just easier for him to bring only him along. Have you tried to move three children around the world on bison-back?”

Zuko looks wry for a second. “Well,” he says. “It depends if you count Sokka as a child.”

Mai puts her hand on his arm: not the time.

Katara says, “I wish it was better, but I knew I wasn’t walking into something that was easy. From the start. He could be a better father, but what can I do? What can I do?” She’s furious now, tears rising to her eyes, and she looses a ragged breath, surprised at her own fervor. Wordlessly Zuko pours her another cup. She downs it, barely tasting it.

Mai says, “If he’s not being a good father to your children and a good husband to you, you can leave. We’re not our mothers, Katara.” Zuko looks at her warningly. “Sorry. I don’t know how it was in the Southern Water Tribe, but for my mother, she thought she had no choice. But there is always a choice. Even if it isn’t easy. I don’t—“

Zuko says firmly, “You deserve better. Bumi and Kya deserve better. And Tenzin too. That sort of resentment between siblings is poison. I should know.”

Katara would have preferred that they proposition her. She closes her eyes. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispers. Louder, she continues, “I know Bumi deserves better. From both of us. I know it hurts them. I can see it in the way they treat Tenzin. Kya already barely speaks to Aang. But. Tenzin is my son, too. And of course he and Aang would be closer. It’s just—if I take my children and go, I’m taking Aang’s family away. And I know the Air Nomads were different, he wasn’t raised to stay in one place, if you were a bender and a boy you’d be sent to the temple and that was it, but—“

“Bumi is Southern Water Tribe,” Mai says. “And even if his father is an Air Nomad, only his brother counts as one. Because of bending. And that isn’t fair for him. For Kya either, because they are both. And you know you need to do something about it.” Katara looks up, surprised at the emotion in her voice. Mai stares at her steadily. “Katara, you saved the world. You’re the hero of the Fire Nation, the Painted Lady, the chief of the Southern Water Tribe. You deserve a husband who is a coparent to all your children, not just one.”

Katara says, “You don’t—“ and then there is a crash and a scream and the sound of raucous laughter as Aang comes running in on an air ball, Tenzin nipping at his heels.

“C’mon,” he yells behind him, “faster, you snail sloths!” He and Tenzin pause, perched on the air they so effortlessly bend. Tenzin looks a little harried. Bumi comes running in, panting, then Kya, and Izumi at a more sedate pace.

“That’s…cheating,” Kya says. She grips at the wall. “That wasn’t fair!” She is genuinely angry, almost at the brink of tears, and Izumi bumps her reassuringly. Bumi throws himself on the ground.

Tenzin says pedantically, “You didn’t say no bending.”

Izumi snaps, “Maybe it didn’t need to be said!”

Aang jumps onto his feet, and Tenzin follows. Kya is crouching over Bumi now, muttering to him. Mai’s face is a stone. Zuko is blushing.

“What’s up?” Aang says, grinning. “Did I miss anything fun?”

Katara pours herself a cup rather than answering. She considered the heat and sweetness in the air. With a flick of her risk, she bends it over the mother figurine, washing her clean.

“Oh, you know,” she says. “Diplomacy. We’ll talk about it when we get home.”

[whattheheehaw]

Lately I've seen a lot of discourse on the Zutara fandom about the cultural mashing in the series but am I the only one who feels like it's ok? And yes there are parts of it than need to be criticized but I don't think people are focusing on the important ones. Maybe that's just me who knows?

My opinion on the cultural mashing in Avatar is somewhat mixed. On the one hand, I totally understand why some cultures had to be mashed together. I mean, Avatar takes place in a fictional universe after all, and many times fantasy worlds have certain things based on real-life cultures. But on the other hand, I don’t understand why Mike and Bryan made some specific culture combinations.

I mean, there’s some really small, minute things that kind of feel off for me. For example, I’m somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of basing the Fire Nation off of imperial Japan and imperial China and then having the geography and some cultural aspects of said nation resemble those of Southeast Asian countries. It’s easy to lump the cultures of many nations into one, especially if they’re roughly in the same geographic location. It’s not uncommon to see Japanese, Chinese, and Korean culture lumped together into one giant one, especially since Avatar is a Western cartoon, but it just... feels weird if you think about the broader historical context of this cultural mashing. I’m not saying that it’s ok for people to group different cultures under one giant umbrella, because every culture deserves to be respected on its own. But like, I’m not going to send Mike and Bryan to the electric chair for doing this. Media has a tendency to group certain cultures together, and at this point, I’m a little desensitized by it (which is quite sad if you think about it).

But then there’s the glaringly obvious cultural mashups that don’t make sense. Like, ok, I guess the Sun Warriors are based off of the ancient Maya civilization at least, I think it’s the Maya Empire. It could be Aztec. Or Inca. If someone knows, please enlighten me in Mesoamerica? And I’m just supposed to come to the conclusion that those guys started off with that kind of culture and then developed into pseudo-imperial Japan/imperial China? Yeah, I can’t really wrap my head around it.

And then there’s the Avatar lore itself. It’s just a hot mess. I mean, the basic principles of the four elements being air, water, earth, and fire is from Greek philosophy. If the showrunners really wanted to stick with traditional Chinese elements, they would have used air, water, wood, metal, and fire. So there’s that odd culture combination to think about. And then there’s the whole dragons and phoenixes being a part of the Fire Nation (I’m speculating about the phoenix part solely based on the fact that Ozai thought it was a cool idea). Now, I could see what Bryke and the other show writers were trying to go for by using dragons and phoenixes. Both mythical creatures are featured in Chinese mythology so using them in the show would be a cool nod to Chinese culture, right? WRONG. SO WRONG. IF ANYONE HAS THE AUDACITY TO SAY THAT AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER WAS DEVOID OF WHITE INFLUENCE, JUST BRING UP THE DRAGONS. 

I’m just—I get so pissed off when people say “look at the cool Chinese dragons in the show!” because they’re not Chinese dragons. Sure, the designs might be Asian inspired, but even then, that’s partially wrong because those dragons have wings. If you look at dragons from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean mythology, none of those dragons have wings and they don’t breathe fire. But you know what those Eastern dragons are closely related to? They’re usually associated with earth, sea, and sky. They’re typically seen as guardians of these realms. The concept of dragons being monsters and breathing fire developed in the West. When watching Avatar: The Last Airbender for the first time, I actually expected the first waterbenders to be dragons living at the bottom of a lake or something. But to my surprise, I found out that the moon and ocean spirits are represented as koi fish, which is...ok I guess? I mean, koi fish are typically shown as a representation of yin and yang/fire and water which works in the context of the show. And there are legends in which koi fish can become dragons, so like... it’s close? I think it would have been really cool if they included some sort of Inuit inspired mythos into the Avatar lore for the waterbenders because their whole aesthetic is based on the Inuit, but I digress. I just don’t like how they cherry-picked some design elements of an Eastern dragon and then decided to put all of these other characteristics on it that originated from the West, especially considering that there is no “West” equivalent in Avatar. Like, unless Maya mythology includes fire-breathing dragons, I don’t understand why the writers decided to make this decision.

And the concept of phoenixes in Avatar: The Last Airbender is somewhat weird too. Yes, they show up in Chinese legends, but to my knowledge, they don’t combust. Nor do they get reborn from their ashes (because they don’t combust). Chinese phoenixes are just... immortal. They’re the king of the birds. They just... live. And they symbolize peace, harmony, good fortune, etc. I think the whole concept of a bird combusting into flames and then resurrecting from their ashes comes from Egypt or Greece. So again, weird culture combo that doesn’t make much sense to me. Also the fact that phoenixes are supposed to be another representation of yin and yang with feng and huang really makes the idea of Ozai choosing the title of “Phoenix King” really amusing. Like, I guess he thinks that he’s the bringer of harmony to the four nations but that’s so funny to me. In some old Chinese legends, phoenixes were paired with dragons to represent yin and yang so in that context, phoenixes are female. So like... I guess Ozai is the leader of the feminist movement lmao. Also Ursa is definitely the dragon in this relationship; no I don’t take criticism.

Again, I want to reiterate that we shouldn’t burn people at the stake for writing their fantasy worlds based on a mix of different cultures. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be allowed to criticize when this happens. I’m grateful that there’s a piece of mainstream Western media that features parts of my Asian culture, even if it isn’t perfect or done in the most tasteful way. But I don’t like it when people just slap a “this show is good because of all this Asian rep” or finish watching the show thinking they know a lot about Asian culture, because this is, in a way, contributing to the mindset that there’s no real distinction between these cultures. They’re all just... Asian.

[koiotic]

@kawaiichibiart I hope you don’t mind, but I ended up starting my new writing project based on your role swap atla au! (DM me if you’d prefer I don’t use your ideas!) I can’t seem to find the first post on it (I know I saw it somewhere, but I lost it like an idiot) but I used some of the ideas

•••

Azula’s earliest memory is of Zuko and mother, sitting with her by the turtleduck pond. She doesn’t understand all the words, and they’re mostly meaningless, but she remembers mother holding her and Zuko leaning over to her with a huge grin. Maybe she made that part up. She has no other memories of Zuko smiling like that. In almost every other memory, his smiles are tiny and fleeting, or completely absent. He’s usually good at emptying his face, masking whatever’s behind with careful apathy. She knows she only saw him smile at father once.

She remembers what happens next, though: father arrives, says something to Zuko, then leaves, taking her brother with him. Mother had looked so sad when Azula glanced back, but pulled her close, kissed the top of her head and said “I love you so much, Azula.”.

———

She grows quickly, and learns quicker. She learns that Zuko is father’s favourite, and that she is mother’s. She learns that the best way to annoy Zuko is to call him Zuzu, but he secretly likes it. She learns that Zuko always tells the truth, and that that’s a bad thing. She learns that anything Zuko learns finds its way back to father almost instantly.

She learns that she loves him, and he loves her, but father’s love is the most important type to earn.

Mother says that she loves Azula, and always will, no matter what. Azula secretly thinks that’s the best kind of love, but she’s also learned that expressing that if they’re anything but alone is a bad idea.

She learns later, at the age of five, that if she wants love from father, she has to earn it like Zuko does. Zuko, she learns, will do almost anything for it - he tells father everything, does everything he asks, moulds himself into whatever father wants him to be. He’s a very good actor.

She learns that lying and acting are very different things. Zuko is the best actor, but Azula can lie like it’s her native language.

[fireember345]

War of the Red and Blue Flame Prompt

An Avatar Prompt

Do not own Avatar

Anyone can use the prompt

 Cannon Pairings

When Ozai tried to get Iroh’s birthright, Azulon instead of having Zuko sacrificed, would have Ursa and Zuko as his family, while Ozai and Azula are sent to find the Avatar

Iroh still joins the White Lotus as he wants peace to the world

Ursa enjoys Iroh’s company more than Ozai as friends while Iroh help sneak in Noren, who is Ikem to spend some time together until Azulon’s death, where Iroh helps the couple settled down on Ember Island

Iroh teaches Zuko the values of peace, harmony, and wisdom as Zuko slowly prefers Iroh over his own father

Iroh takes Zuko to meet the original masters of fire, encourages him to learn sword fighting, lets him attend meetings, hoping to instill some knowledge in becoming a ruler

When Azulon died months after appointing Zuko’s father to be Iroh and Iroh became Firelord, Ozai and Azula tried a surprise attack to kill his brother and Zuko, but ended up banished with Azula and Zuko ended up with a burnt scar on his face

This leads the Fire Nation divided and the world more dangerous

While Iroh sided with the rest of the world and wants peace for the world, Ozai had a formidable army and support to keeps his hold on half of the colonies

This causes the war to be called the Flames of Blue and Red, Ozai leading the Blue Flames with Azula as his prime general and Iroh leading the red with Zuko as his diplomat for the nations that are allied to the Red Flames

Iroh blamed himself for Zuko’s injury and vowed to never let him be harmed by Ozai again

Ursa and her family keep close contact with Zuko and Iroh

The Red Flames wear traditional armor they always wore, while the Blue Flames had dark blue flamed armor with more deadly armor to look like fire

Zuko was grant permission to be the ambassador for Iroh as he tries to gain support to the Red Flames with the crew from the Cannon series and an army protecting him

Zuko has a pet Badgerfrog Froggy from his travel to the Original Masters that his brings with him everywhere

Jee is responsible for Zuko as he commands the crew for Zuko

Aang meets Katara and Sokka as in cannon but is hunted by Zhao

Zhao managed to capture Zuko and on his way to Ozai discovered the arura when Aang awoke

Zhao hoped that with the Avatar and Prince, Ozai would make him the Prime General

While Aang was escaping, he discovered Zuko imprisoned and frees him

Zuko helped Aang to the deck as Zhao was ready to take them prisoner but was cornered by Aangs friends with Appa and Zuko’s ship

After escaping Zhao, Zuko properly introduce himself to the Avatar, telling him that the Red Flames were his allies

Aang was shown the mark of the Red Flame, Zuko telling him and his friends that if they need help, find his allies with that mark

He warns Aang that many things have changed, and the Blue Flames are close to winning the war, but the red flames were ready to save the world with the Avatar

Zuko gave Aang and his friend money to for his journey them both parted way as Zuko writes a letter to Iroh about the Avatar’s return

Zuko and Aang encountered each other many times on their journeys

Zuko gains allies with the Kyoshi, Omashu, and many others thanks to the Avatar

Zhao is eager to recapture the Avatar and Zuko but Azula knows he would fail and constantly berates him

When Zhao capture Aang again, Zuko, against Jee’s wishes or notice, dresses up as the Blue Spirit and rescues Aang

They meet again in the North Pole as Zuko meets with the Chief with his uncle to discuss the matters of war and trade

When Zhao attacked the North Pole and Aang entered the spirit world for the Koi Spirits Zuko discovered the Koi are the spirits and tried to get them to safety

With the idea of using a pot of water to keep them safe, mobile and in balance, Zuko and Jee took Aang and the Koi to a safer location

Zhao finds Zuko and Jee, captured them with the spirits as the gang find Aang

The Moon spirit is killed by Zhao like in cannon as Iroh unleashes his rage on his men while Zhao escaped and Zuko chases after him

Like in Cannon, Yue becomes the moon, Aang is possessed by Ocean Spirit and Zhao is dragged by the Ocean Spirit to the Spirit World

When Aang and Zuko meet on their journey, Zuko offers a night stay with food and comfort

Momo and Froggy are good friends

When Zuko enters ba sing se with the Gaang, Long Feng keeps Zuko with Appa, to keep the Avtar from blabbling

Zuko and Appa are soon rescued by Jee, who used Zuko’s Blue Spirit attire to rescue them

Mai and Ty Lee were forced to side with Azula since their families are for the Blue Flame

Mai and Zuko see each other in secret but Zuko stopped it as he didn’t want to get Mai killed using the method, he did in cannon

Katara and Zuko are good friends

When Azula struck down Aang and ba sing se is taken over, Zuko brings the Gaang and resistance to the Red Flame side of the Fire Nation to be welcome as guests while the truth of the Avatar surviving is kept a secret

Zuko soon becomes Aang Firebending teacher like cannon

Mai still helps Zuko and his friends escape the Boiling Rock

After wining the war as Azula is sent to a mental institution and Ozai without his Bending

Iroh Retires from Fire Lord and gives it to Zuko