#like the part where aang hits the rock

[lyriumsings]

ngl atla live action looks mid as hell im sorry but the animation is just inherently better. i need hollywood to understand just bc you make something live action doesn’t mean its better.

[deadghosy]

ੈ🎐༄˖°.〰˚✩彡

BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH AANG:

prompt: being the same age as Aang, mostly the avatar has it perks considering you two are polar opposites

🐚 ྀ࿓it’s dead ass funny seeing two 12 years argue who sheds more, momo or appa. Katara would have to pull you off of Aang before you slap this little Mr clean head ass boy.

🐚 ྀ࿓for shits and giggles, you have definitely got launched in the air. You were begging Aang to just launch you in the air. Because you always dreamed of it since you met this airbender.

🐚 ྀ࿓Aang is pretty much protective of you if you can’t bend. So if you are a non bender, you better believe this boy makes sure you are by his side at all times of the traveling. Even after he finishes the Hundred year war. He’s the avatar, of course there’s still petty ass people after him.

🐚 ྀ࿓now if you weren’t a non bender and had a bending skill of some sort, he is still protective of you. You could be a master at bending, and this dude will still make sure you are behind him in danger. You two are such a powerful duo when bending, now a good trio is you, toph, and Aang at all once.

🐚 ྀ࿓you two are basically platonic soulmates who are always found by each other. Like that one time you went to go shopping at a market, and Aang followed you secretly since it’s his job to protect you at all time. Or that one time you lost Aang in the crowd and he immediately found you by your voice in an instant.

🐚 ྀ࿓”I’m gonna kill that asshole…” “please don’t.” Those words basically describes your friendship with Aang. Literally after Aang got his grow spurt and he was taller than you, you better believe this now wise boy would put you on his shoulder to drag you away from fights.

🐚 ྀ࿓you are the chaos in the peace and he is the peace within the chaos. You two are two peas in a pond, yin & yang. You have your moments where it’s the opposite sometimes. But where’s the fun when you create the problems whilst Aang has to drag you away from causing more problems.

🐚 ྀ࿓smack his head…he dares you. He knows you do it for jokes. But this boy is tired of having red hand marks on his head and feeling the painful burn.. if you did one more time, he is actually putting you in rock time out. You could try to get out. But this airbender is making sure he is having a kick out of this.

🐚 ྀ࿓when training with Aang, he tries to go easy on while you don’t. Of course you care about Aang deeply like he does for you, but you ain’t no pussy. You literally used chi blocking on him cause he hesitated blasting you away with his airbending. At the end you had to smack his head for trying to not blast you. And of course he still didn’t learn his listen as he just dodges.

🐚 ྀ࿓Aang is very affectionate person, everyone knows that. So of course he is holding your hand, waist if you allow it, wrap his arm around your shoulder. He might not be that much of a touchy person, but it feels nice to have the person that’s like his other half by him.

🐚 ྀ࿓cuddles is a must if you or him have a bad day. Yes you once snored while trying to move away from the airbender in your sleep. Aang wasn’t letting that happen at all cause he pulled you to his chest as he falls asleep.

🐚 ྀ࿓random arguments with Aang is also a must as you two argue over the most stupidest things ever. Say for example, your favorite book was gone. So you accused Aang of using it for something actually dumb. Aang got offended as he dramatically gasp and blamed you instead for being so dense for not keeping up with your stuff. And that’s where you would tackle him and start hitting his head. Mostly smacking his bald head cause it’s funny😭

🐚 ྀ࿓this sweetheart of an airbender will teach you about his culture. Now if you are part of one of the nations, you teach him your nation of course. It’s like trading Pokémon cards for more Pokémon cards. He will probably do something so you can wear an airbender outfit, just so people can see you two are best friends for life. Literally.

🐚 ྀ࿓I can see you trying to ignore Aang for something petty, and Aang is not having it as communication is key. He will literally pick you up over his shoulder and put you down so he can talk to you face to face. He’s serious about you, so of course he’s not letting you be this petty.

🐚 ྀ࿓yk how Aang had his hair grown out, yeah you actually liked it grown out like that. It was cute and you told him that in confidence. At first he thought you were lying so you can make fun of it. But when he saw how you kept playing with his hair. He actually was thinking about keep his hair grown out like this. His darkish brown hair was suiting on him. He’d actually fall asleep with his head on you as you play with it.

🐚 ྀ࿓Aang will never forget the moment he almost went avatar state for you. All because you wanted to be reckless and almost died. A fire nation soldier tried to burn you alive, but you were quick to dodge it. While for Aang, he didn’t get a clear view to see if you dodged it or not. So this man’s tattoos glowed scared and worried. Mostly angry if you died as he was about to burn the solider. Kyoshi was telling him to. But that all stopped when you grabbed his shoulder. Aang stops to look at you and hug you tightly, his heart went back to normal sped.

🐚 ྀ࿓to end this off, you guys are practically platonic soulmates who are made to be by each other’s side. Aang agrees and you, you just nod while you stuff your face in food. And Aang eats calmly compared to you. So if you choke on your food, he is smacking the shit out of your back worried if you actually choke on your food.

[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.

[zukkaart]

For the ships prompts 5 and 14

Y'all are being Tyzula WHORES today (I love you anyway)

Couple #5: Ty Lee x Azula

Prompt #14: “You’re hurting me!”

For the prompt game!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An untold meeting with the gaang, the Spring before Sozin’s comet

The three young women peered over a rock, the Avatar and his little group were seemingly setting up camp for the night.

“Alright ladies here’s the plan,” Azula side eyed them both as she spoke, “It seems like they each have tasks, we’ll wait for them to split up, then pick them off one by one,” The two women nodded in acknowledgment.

“Mai, take the water bending peasant, Ty Lee, you take the boy. The avatar is mine” With that, they parted ways.

~~~

Ty Lee crept along the tree line- staying silent and patiently waiting for the avatar and girl to leave.

“Okay, I’ll find something for us to eat, Aang do you want to get fire wood?”

“Sure thing Katara!” The Avatar zoomed off in to the woods, seemingly lifted by nothing. Ty Lee had never seen an air bender before- well- almost no one had nowadays. She was mesmerized.

Soon after the bender (Katara?) left as well. Finally.

Planting her signature dazzling smile she all but waltzed in to their camp. No need to be stealthy when her charms worked just as well.

“Hey cutie, long time no see,” She leaned over him where he knelt- laying out his sleeping bag,

“Aaah!” He yelled and turned around, reaching for that weird weapon he kept strapped across his back. She did always wonder what it was, it looked like someone attempted to make a sword, but did it very wrong.

Ty Lee danced around him casually as he tried to pin her down.

“You never told me your name cutie,” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, he wiped it off but didn’t look entirely appalled. She noted that,

“It’s Sokka, water tribe”

“Well Sokka water tribe. I’m Ty Lee” she cartwheeled a safe distance away from him. “Nice to meet you”

“I wish I could say the same, what are you doing here? I thought you were after that pony tailed freak,”

“Oh we are,” She folded her arms behind her casually, Sokka held his…knife? In a defensive position, “But the avatar is an even better prize”

“We?”

“You think I’m here alone? I’m just the distraction silly!” Realization passed across the dark boys face, he turned on his heel to take off in the direction that the avatar left, but Ty Lee stepped in front of him. “I don’t think so Sokka,”

With a few quick jabs she disabled his dominant leg, he collapsed to one knee.

“Sorry about that gorgeous, I can’t have you interrupting her highness, can’t we just sit and chat?”

“In your dreams circus freak,”

“Yes,” She replied with a giggle, “since we’re here, why don’t you tell me what that is?”

“What what is?” He glanced at the blade still in his hand, “You mean boomerang?” She saw a thought pass across his features, and before she knew it- he threw it towards her. She simply side stepped and it missed her.

“Well that’s not terribly effective, is it? I expected more from the Southern Water Tribe” She taunted. What a ridiculous weapon. “But dont worry, you’ll get your leg back in a few hours. We’ll be long gone by then, but hey, if you’re ever in the Fire Nation look me up,” She winked

“Ty Lee!” Azula’s voice came from the edge of the woods. She ran up to her as smooth as ever. “The Avatar got away, I couldn’t follow him without setting this whole forest on fire, Zuko is too close- we can’t risk tipping him off,”

“Okay Azula!” But just as she turned to leave, the world went black

~~~

Azula watched in horror as that weapon the boy was so fond of came seemingly out of nowhere and slammed right in to Ty Lee’s back. She crumpled, blood quickly beginning to run down her back.

“Ty Lee!” Azula rushed forward and caught her before she could hit the ground, pressing their fronts together, The smaller girls head lolled on to her shoulder.

“Sokka!” The water tribe girl came rushing from the tree line, seemingly to her brother’s aid, but froze in her tracks when she took in the scene before her.

“Sokka, what did you do?” Katara had yet to fully grasp the reality of war, she of course wasn’t dumb enough to think they had never caused any casualties, but she did her best to avoid it when possible, and Sokka always made a point to shield her from the direct kills. So seeing this… she didn’t know how to react in any way other than her nature.

Katara took a hesitant step forward, reaching out a hand. “Azula I can help, please let me,”

“Get away from her!” Azula snarled, tears beginning to flow freely down her face. “Ty Lee, Ty Lee wake up!” She began to shout desperately. She reached for the thing sticking out of her back.

“Azula don’t!” Katara moved closer, something like genuine concern splayed across her face. “If you just rip that out you could hurt her more, even sever her spine. You could kill her,”

“She’s already dead!” Azula screamed, slowly losing grip on her rational thoughts,

“No. She isn’t, but she will be if you don’t let me help you,” Azula could do nothing but hold her friend tighter as Katara hesitantly inched forward. She brought water to her palms. Azula braced for an attack, but she couldn’t bring herself to let go of Ty Lee.

“I’m not going to hurt her,” Katara said, finally kneeling in front of her. The water tribe boy hadn’t moved behind them, she wasn’t unaware of him but she was too distracted to ponder too much why he wasn’t attacking. She took the small mercy from Agni as the water benders hands began to glow.

“What are you doing?!” Azula yanked her away, the water splashed around them,

“I’m healing her, please don’t move. You could make it a lot worse.” Azula was hesitant, but she would take any chance for her friend right now. Katara then grabbed the object in one hand, glowing water in the other. She slowly edged it out as she supposedly “healed” her as she went. Azula did her best to keep her breathing steady, which was surprisingly easy due to her training.

The object was finally removed, and a couple of moment later Katara stood and quickly backed away. “There, she’ll be fine,” Azula didn’t have to be told twice as she scooped the still unconscious Ty Lee in to her arms and sprinted back off in to the woods without even a word.

Once she deemed them a safe distance she fell back on to her knees, tears beginning to wane just slightly. She was still hopelessly worried, but she took solace in the fact that at least there wasn’t a weapon sticking out of her and the bleeding had stopped.

Still, she held Ty Lee in to her chest as tightly as she could, and began rocking back and forth and muttering, “please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead, please-“

“Azula?” Came a broken voice, the princess sucked in a sharp breath.

“Ty Lee? What is it? What do you need?”

“You’re hurting me”

Azula noticed her crushing grip and half-laughed half-sobbed in relief as she loosened her grip.

“For Agni’s sake Ty Lee I thought you were dead!” Once she was sure the little acrobat wasn’t in fact dead- her worry was quickly replaced with anger and frustration.

“What? Why? Were you… crying?” Ty Lee reached up from where she still laid in Azula’s arms to brush her wet cheek with the back of her hand.

“Yes you idiot! I thought I lost you!” Ty Lee should have been startled at Azula’s anger- but she was used to her concern coming out as aggression.

“Hey, I’m okay. I’m right here. I don’t know what happened- but I’m okay,” The next thing she knew- the princesses lips were on hers. She pulled away for a moment, “Now I’m really confused, what is happening right now?”

Azula huffed and rolled her eyes, “Just shut up,” Were Azula’s only words before her lips crashed on to hers once more

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eeek! This one was definitely short and sweet but I kind of love it. I hope you do too!

Xoxo

[highfantasy-soul]

Moments I loved from NATLA Episode 4 - Into the Dark ❤️️❤️️

Aang and Iroh interacting more - love that they're not friendly to each other, per se, but it builds a foundation that makes their later respect make sense

The Earth Kingdom being harsh with their 'fallen foes' is nice to seed in here as in the animated version (season 1), most of the 'bad' stuff was relegated solely to the Fire Nation

The Earth Kingdom is no pushover and it's nice to see that early

Sokka defending his dad "My dad would have never done what you did" even after he commiserated with the Mechanist about his dad 'not valuing' what Sokka could bring to the table.

Though Sokka is frustrated that his dad doesn't see "him", he knows his dad is an honorable man doing his best and when Sai tries to use him as an example of 'doing the wrong thing just to survive', love that Sokka calls him on it

SECRET TUNNEEELLLL!!!

Like them introducing this now - all old buildings have secret passages - it's just a law

Teo's "its time to fight!" attitude - love it. He's so ready to stop cowering and wants to hit back

Flopsy statues!!!!!

Rolly ball throne? Nice touch

"Bumi? BUMI!!" :D

"You did 🤨" Love how Aang keeps his "I'm just gonna say the truth and I don't care if that's 'not allowed' I'm gonna do it anyways because your social rules are stupid" attitude

Katara's water pouch!!

Love the shake in Jet's voice as he tells Katara "I am nothing like the firebenders"

Katara's assessment is shallow on her part, but the core has a ring of truth - no, freedom fighters aren't the same as their oppressors, but when you start harming your own people to hurt the enemy, then you really have lost sight of what's right and wrong - why you're fighting.

FREEZE JET'S ASS!

I love Jet, especially this version of him, but yeah, no touchy

And Katara is absolutely right: Jet might have helped her through her block, but her power, that's all hers.

What are you going to do, Zuko?? What choice will you make!!??

Love that we're getting this choice of his here in Omashu

Bumi's puns 😭 kill me now - though very canon accurate

Like the vibe that everyone just has to laugh as to not anger him - there's less of a whimsical madness vibe to Bumi here and a more serious - yeah, this guy is our leader vibe that's quite unsettling

The tonal shift with Bumi did give me pause, but I like how the writers kept the jokes, the games, his eccentricities, but shifted the vibe to make them darker

In the cartoon, whimsy might work, but if you think about it realistically, that leadership style would NOT work during a war - a 100 year war, at that.

HIPPIIEESSSS!!!!

Sokka getting into that maraca - you let your little musical heart fly

"What are you doing here?" "We're doin' what we're doin'" :)

Oma and Shu lesbian supremacy!!!

Always get chills when this story is told

Lol Sokka's "There's no such thing as angry spirits." Right before the episode where they're kidnapped by an angry spirit XD

Love the switch up of the rocks not really being the path out - keeping us animated show fans on our toes as to what the lesson will be this time

Everything about the Earth Kingdom soldier's interaction with Iroh - all of it is just so good.

The cartoon glossed over Iroh's warmongering past - but he did do terrible things that hurt so many people. No, 'it was war, I was a soldier' is not an acceptable excuse (we didn’t accept it with Jet, so why the double standard for a ROYAL MILITARY GENERAL??)

The funeral scene

Leaves from the Vine

Zuko offering a soft and kind memory of Liu Ten instead of just talk about him being a soldier

Zuko sitting next to Iroh so he won't be alone!!!!!!!!!

The conversation between Katara and Sokka in the cave where she talks about how Jet helped her and Sokka how Sai helped him - then Katara reminding Sokka that when he was forced into a leadership position for the Southern Water Tribe, he didn't have anyone to help him through that

The concept of us all needing people to help us through our journeys is so important and really comes around at the end of the episode and just through the entire series

BADGERMOOOLLLEEE!!!!

Is it bad that all I could think about was how cute it was the entire time it was on screen?

Dallas Liu is so. Freaking. Good. At. His. Stunts!!!!

And the first mention of the theme Zuko struggles with of compassion being weakness!

Sokka's little 'thanks!' as Katara saves him from the badgermole XD

Seriously, all the little touches in Ian Ousley's performance are great

Idk why Sokka assumed the badgermole was a man, that's clearly a dignified lady

The power of sibling love guiding the badgermole was a great alteration from the OG - if they can be controlled through music, they can definitely respond to emotions

Bumi's whole speech here - and his willingness to get crushed - is what brought me around on this portrayal of him

He's right: it's a game where you have to make impossible choices - you have to fight even when you don't want to (a much more poignant message for Aang than 'look at things a different way')

The power of friendship saves the day!!!

"You CAN rely on your friends - and that's the only way I'm going to save the world: with my friends"

"You think like a child" (derogatory) "Is that really so bad?" (genuine)

Bumi made Appa's whistle!!! 😭😭😭😭

One last time Zuko chooses protecting his uncle over capturing the Avatar 🥲

"Everything I need is right here on this boat" 😭😭😭

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

[piandaoist]

Story time…

Every time I think about Sokka's Master, it always triggers this stupid memory.

A long time ago, I had a dream about Sokka's Master. It was the fight scene between Sokka and Piandao…

It goes as it does in the episode until I get to that part where Fat throws Piandao's scabbard. Piandao spins around, sheathing his sword while he's got sand in his eyes? Remember that?

...

Yeah, that didn't end well in the dream.

The scabbard hits Piandao in the head *THWACK* and knocks him unconscious. Piandao drops like a rock. And Fat looks like… He just stares like "Wut?", and then he quietly slinks off out of sight.

Sokka looks back at the others and then at Piandao's unconscious form, and he is still just trying to be super quiet as he backs away.

And Toph shouts "Why are you sneaking? He's literally unconscious!" And Katara is like "We should go." Aang is like, "We can't just leave him there." But Sokka is like "Look what happened when we didn't leave Zuko behind at the North Pole. Let's go!" :O

Then Sokka stops and looks back at the castle, and then he looks back at Piandao's body, and then he looks back at them. No shit, Toph is picking her nose. And then he's just like "But first, let's raid his kitchen."

They eat all of Piandao's food. Piandao's unconscious and Sokka is chomping down on a giant leg of something while he just stares at Piandao's body.

Sokka: "This is some good meat!"

Me: crackfic: "Sokka's Master Disaster

Tags: #no beta we die like piandao

[likeabxrdinflight]

What is your take on Azula's relationship with Zuko? There's a lot of talk about her rivalry with him, but I find it more intriguing to talk about their other facets, like the implication that Azula deep down actually cares about her brother.

There's this odd phenomenon that's been happening in what I'll call ATLA fandom 2.0 (the post-netflix revival) where it seems like you have to pick a side- Zuko or Azula. If you stan one, you can't stan the other. And I haven't cared for that since, frankly, those two (alongside best girl Katara) are easily my favorite characters. So I'm not all that interested in "picking sides" and I'm not all that interested in them as rivals either. That said, it's important to note that their position in opposition to each other is important to the story the show is telling.

Azula is a character in her own right, but she's also a narrative device. As an antagonist, Azula is Zuko's most direct foil. She's his dark mirror, his evil twin (narratively speaking.) So when she's on top of the world, he's hit rock bottom, and vice versa. She represents the worst of the Fire Nation and is everything he could become if he were to give into his worst instincts (again, this is all speaking symbolically, their personalities are quite different). But because of this, she had to fall for him to rise. It's very effective storytelling within the three seasons of the show. Unfortunately that meant there wasn't much room within those three seasons to showcase any more nuance in their relationship.

I'm always torn on this decision by the showrunners, because on the one hand, it's a huge part of why Zuko's story arc is as effective as it is. And all my biases aside, Zuko's arc is very effective and, for a children's show released in 2005, pretty smartly written. It gets a bit overblown by the fandom, it's a pretty basic redemption arc at the end of the day, but it's still a well executed one and I think it's dishonest to pretend it isn't. On the other hand, it came at the cost of actually developing the relationship between Azula and Zuko and, arguably, of Azula's character as a whole. She isn't allowed to have her own arc independent of Zuko because she really only exists (from a writing standpoint) to be that dark mirror. She's not Aang et al's main antagonist. She's Zuko's. She doesn't really get to do much outside that role.

All that said I do think it goes without saying that Azula cares for Zuko. I think it also goes without saying that Zuko cares for Azula too, but he's ironically worse at expressing it (within the main series at least). Because of the way the show was written, however, none of this can be explored except in supplemental material or fanworks. And supplemental material has been...lacking, I think, in that department.

There's some awesome fanworks out there that explore their dynamic, though. I really do encourage people to go back into the archives and find stuff written years ago because stuff written at the time the show was airing/right when it ended are some of the best. The show hadn't yet been lionized as much and fandom opinions of the characters hadn't yet crystallized into what they are now (and also the comics and lok didn't exist so no one had to deal with that.)

[elkian]

Avatar: The Last Airbender is still a masterpiece, but recently I was reminded of some of the core plot beats in Avatar Aang, and I think I’ve figured out how to smooth the lumps out.

First, that part where he hits a rock that just happens to hit the exact spot Azula zapped and reconstitute his connection to the Avatar State is just... well, it’s just kind of random. I remember a commentary on writing about how “Random events that get your characters into trouble are interesting, random events that get them out of trouble are deus ex machina“ (paraphrasing). It’s not a bad moment for him to whip out that power, but I think it could be improved.

You know what else could be improved? The equally spontaneous-seeming sudden overtake of Ozai’s energy and firebending. I do think this was a great scene, but for something so pivotal and climatic, it had functionally 0 lead-up. A lot of the time, especially in shows like ATLA with its established but non-stating bending rules, being able to guess - or at least follow - the choices characters make and the results they get makes it a lot more fun.

So, how do I fix this?

Well, let’s go back to the Lion-Turtle (my beloved). Our friend here was actually foreshadowed in Book 2 and has enough screen time in the finale to feel fitting - especially given their spiritual bent. Aang is an Avatar, the Avatar, and given that the series’ final episode is literally his title, it really wants to drive home that this climax is, for him, coming into his own as the Avatar. Maybe not being perfect at it yet, but owning it in a way that has been understandably very difficult for him from the moment he found out.

So, the Lion-Turtle coming in and taking him on a semi-literal spiritual quest works well enough.

I think, when the LT touches Aang’s head and heart - or even before that, give them a moment to actually talk things out. Maybe when Aang hears from Yangchen and becomes disappointed, a new, fifth voice breaks in and asks him if he truly wishes to know another way.

And that’s how the LT actually introduces itself to him. We’ve seen the dragons send people psychic messages/context, so for someone as spiritual as the LT is implied to be, should be no problem. It talks to Aang, shows the audience a few scenes of something stylized, that’s not instantly understandable, laying the groundwork. Maybe Aang even says he doesn’t understand, and that’s when the LT beckons him down to the waterline, to talk face-to-face.

Then, when he’s been thus educated and awakened, he faces Ozai. He’s still having a hard time with everything, struggling to stay alive without killing Ozai, redirecting lightning, all of that. He hits the ground hard and is stunned for a second, and Ozai advances on him, grinning and sadistic, and Aang has a(nother) moment where he considers deliberately killing this man.

Maybe he tries to activate the Avatar State himself and, when it fails, he realizes he doesn’t need it. But, by focusing on his power like that, he gets a Tremor-Sense style of read on the world around him - including Ozai’s energy.

We see a brief flash of him remembering something the LT told him, and then he dashes forwards, grabs Ozai, and we see the stylized scenes overlap with his actions now, with the energy-struggle between them.

THAT is how I think that the two weaker parts of Aang’s final arc could be shored up together. We get the otherwise same ending and roll credits.

(And, honestly, the idea of Aang not being able to go into the Avatar State now, or ever again, is kind of intriguing? He doesn’t stop being the Avatar, but he loses that part of himself - which might even be a relief - and has to go on being an Avatar without it and come up with solutions that don’t lean on it.

IIRC there’s a bit in Korra where she loses the AS too for a time? Idk but it could be interesting for Aang to regain the AS later in life, after coming to terms with it and being able to respect but not fear it anymore.)

[angelwritess]

The Five Man Band

Recommended Video -> OSP - Trope Talk: The Five Man Band

What is it?

The Five Man Band is a trope that is one of my favourites. In essence, it's when the story focuses on an ensemble cast of around five characters. Five works well as it provides plenty of unique character interactions without making the narrative feel bloated. Typically, the band get together for a variety of reasons - maybe they all face the same big bad, maybe they're all part of the same organisation and get paired up. In terms of power-balancing, think of it like an RPG where each member exists to fill a specific niche within the group, adding strengths and covering the weaknesses of the group overall. There are plenty of great examples - from the five ranger teams in Power Rangers or Super Sentai, the Gaang from A:TLA, the Teen Titans, and many more. Each of the five members can be further sub-divided into specific types, but I'll save that for a future post.

The Leader

The Leader is a pretty self-explanatory role. They're the ones in charge, pushing the group forward and basically being the centre of the team. They also tend to be the most generically heroic out of the group and have a strong tendency to be the protagonist of the story, but not always.

They tend to be fairly well-rounded, with other members occupying specific niches. Good examples tend to be Robin from the Teen Titans (TV Show) - the team's serious, no-nonsense leader who commands everyone else's respect. Another fun example is Star Lord from the MCU's GOTG. Despite the group being less stereotypically heroic than most other superhero teams, Star Lord still stands out as the more grounded and heroic one, seeming to hold something of a moral code, fitting the leader's role.

The Lancer

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. The Lancer is the Leader's foil, existing to contrast and highlight different qualities in the Leader via their dynamic with the Lancer. There will be points of similarity between them, but certain key traits of the Lancer are antithetical to the Leader. If the Leader is a hot-head, the Lancer will be calm. If the Leader is a ball of sunshine, the Lancer is a pessimistic raincloud. If the Leader is a Paragon, well the Lancer may be the token 'morally grey' teammate.

There are also several types of Lancers, ranging from a challenger who questions every decision the Leader makes and pokes fun at them, to a right-hand man who exists as their loyal second in command. The relationship between them varies from mutual resentment to deep, undying respect and loyalty. It's important to understand that the Lancer isn't wholly the opposite or wholly the second-in-command - they're a foil, a hot-headed Lancer and a level-headed Leader can clash as much as they get along (see: Aang and Zuko from A:TLA).

The Big Guy

The Big Guy is more defined by what they do, rather than by who they are. Oftentimes, the Big Guy also serves as the team's powerhouse. If everyone has a complex set of abilities with nuances, drawbacks and conditions behind them, the Big Guy is conversely more simple and reliable.

The Big Guy can be big in size (see: Louis Armstrong from Full Metal Alchemist) or just metaphorically, and are usually trusted to turn a bad situation around if the Leader or Lancer are unable to. They tend to compliment the Leader in some way (if the leader can hit hard, the Big Guy may be a damage sponge). For example, Toph in A:TLA. Katara is a waterbender who is also the team's healer, Aang is the chosen one who's also a pacifist, Sokka relies on skills outside of Bending. Toph? She hits people with rocks and is probably the most skilled Bender in the group when we meet her. Reliability is key for the Big Guy - even if they're not the strongest of the group, they're a strong pillar of support.

The Smart Guy

The Big Guy is a strong pillar of support, but it's not uncommon to make them an absolute idiot and just dumb muscle for the sake of balancing, as I mentioned toward the start. Well, if the Leader and Lancer are the ones who push the group forward and the Big Guy handles the power side of things, the Smart Guy covers the intellectual side of things.

They usually occupy a non-combat role, being the planner and strategist of the group. If they do enter a fight, they appear to rely on their smarts and strategises to win. They tend to be paired up with the Big Guy since it makes for a great contrast: the brawns and the brains. In Sci-Fi settings they're likely to be a tech-obsessed hacker, in fantasy they're likely to be a highly competent mage or alchemist. They can be street-smart or a walking encyclopedia. Due to the fact they tend not to occupy a physical role, they're often the member given some sort of physical disability. It's also not uncommon for them to be coded/written to be on the spectrum, although this is done with varying success and it's important to do your research before doing this, lest your characters come across as weirdly ableist.

The Heart

Historically speaking, this role has often been designated as 'the Token Girl', but these days it's expanded to be much more. The Heart is the emotional centre of the group, the passionate and empathetic member that keeps everyone grounded. They're often the glue of the group, without them it's unlikely the group would stay together - sometimes a story might even play out a scenario where when the Heart disappears, everyone falls apart. (See: How Long is Forever - Teen Titans).

They're defined by their empathy - this can lead to the group sticking together because they all like the heart in some way or everyone becoming better people because of the heart's deep caring nature. The Heart is usually the first to admit that they stick around because they genuinely like everyone else and not because of some shared goal. Some great examples of the Heart can be seen in Tanjiro from Demon Slayer, who's marked by his utter kindness toward anyone he meets. Wally West (one of the many characters to be called the Flash) is another great example from DC's Justice League Animated.

Flexibility

A fun thing about this trope is that - we don't have to be as strict with these roles as we want. Sometimes The Big Guy might also play the role of The Lancer on occasion, or sometimes there's only four characters in our 'band' of characters (such as the Gaang from ATLA) and one character may play two roles (Toph and Sokka both alternated as Aang's Lancer until Zuko joined the cast, alongside their other roles as The Big Guy and Smart Guy respectively). You can play around with the roles the characters fill based on the situations they're in.

A three-dimensional character will act differently based on the situation. A normally kind Heart may clash and contrast with the Leader if they both want to make different choices in a difficult situation, The Big Guy might actually be very smart in one subject area and get their time to shine and lead the group. You can even have villainous twists on these characters - Lust from FMA:B fulfils the role of the Heart amongst the Homunculi, and her death marks them becoming less organised and cohesive.

The Sixth Ranger

But I thought the five-man band had only five members? The Sixth Ranger is the official trope name for that new character that joins the ensemble after we've had enough time to get used to the current characters. They can range from being a former villain-turned good guy like the original sixth ranger Tommy Oliver from MMPR or a former cast member that was on the side-lines now joining the main roster. They can sometimes also act as another role - usually a Lancer meant to foil the leader in some other way. They tend to resist joining the group for whatever reason, and carry a level of coolness or charisma to make up for the lack of group dynamics. But, eventually they come around.

Oftentimes, their power and coolness is inversely proportional to the number of episodes since their début, so it's important that your audience doesn't feel as if they become less cool or interesting as the story goes on. Define their key characteristics, and although they'll change and develop as they integrate into the group, those core characteristics stay and they don't feel like a less interesting character after joining the group.

Ending Thoughts

This was a fairly lengthy post and I have so much more I want to discuss - I'll probably post a lengthy breakdown of each member soon enough. The Five Man Band, in many ways, is a great way to have a solid ensemble cast, with each member filling a necessary role within the group and feeling equally as valuable. The flexibility is important to remember - a good, three-dimensional character is not a static stereotype that doesn't bend or act differently when tested. Allow your characters to have some overlap with the other members of the Band when it counts.

[coolest-beans]

I remember when the first live action (that doesn't exist) was being made and the ads had everyone hyped. I was so excited! The whole fandom was. All the previews were encouraging, all the movie promotions looked good, I genuinely couldn't wait. By the time it came out I was ecstatic to see it. I'm not even sure I actually watched it the first time I sat down to. I was just so pumped, admiring every piece of the show that I could find in it, that by the end it took me another rewatch to realize how disappointed I was.

Beyond getting the names mispronounced or the terrible bending, the whole story just fell flat. I wouldn't even know where to begin with how, except that I think where it started to mess up was when it tried to make the movie plot heavy rather than character driven, and then fumbled the whole plot too. The plot for season one, which the movie was based on, was meant to be get to the North tribe. The rest is world and character exploration, but the movie just seemed like a fanfic trying to be a bit hand wavy with the finer details so it can get to the interesting stuff, only it never got there.

One of my least favorite scenes (aside from the ten earthbenders moving a single rock after doing a whole dance routine) is when the kids start planning how to defeat the fire nation and the plan is basically "tell everyone to fight". Like, even my first, most generous watch it gave me pause a second, because the show literally explains, multiple times, that actually yes people are fighting even still, but if they aren't they have good reason to keep their heads down, and no, neither option, fighting or not, can work forever and the only way this ends is by stopping the war directly. The war isn't about to be solved by three kids on a bison dropping by and being like, "hey, you ever think about not letting the fire nation attack? Just sayin'." And then flying off.

Anyway. I hope the new live action will be better. Idk why people feel the need to make a live action of a cartoon so badly, but here we are. So far Aang has been a little too serious from what I've seen and honestly that was one of the most off-putting things in the other live action. Also Sokka's sarcasm hits different in live action so I wonder how that'll go. I probably won't watch at first. It takes me years to get around to things, but here's hoping on behalf of those who will, that any part of this live action will be worth it.

[atlabeth]

warmth - zuko x fem!reader

summary: the two times he notices her shivering and the one time he does something about it. 

a/n: lmaoo we have been in a DROUGHT my people. i have barely given you any content this whole month and i feel bad. i wrote this out over the course of a few hours after getting the idea in the shower. i did not proofread. i am not sorry. enjoy.

and NO that end part is not dirty it is simply two kids sharing a bed for warmth bc they got cute lil crushes on each other 🔫🔫🔫🔫

wc: 1.6k 

warning(s): this is pure fluff bbbbbb 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three times. 

It happened three times before Zuko was finally able to get over himself and have a real, face to face, one on one conversation with the one person he hadn’t been able to get out of his head. 

Y/N. It was a name that had made a home in his mind, belonging to a girl that had made a home in his heart. He knew that she was a waterbender from the Northern Tribe and that she had joined the team after the Siege of the North, but apart from that, her life was a mystery to him. She was a mystery to him. 

It was pathetic. How could he become so enraptured with a girl when he didn’t even know the first thing about her? When he had spent the past couple of months fighting against her, trying everything in his power to hurt her? When she had no idea he even thought about her that way? 

Sometimes Zuko questioned himself, but then he caught a glimpse of her — the gleam of her hair, the way her eyes crinkled at the edges when she laughed, the fierceness with which she fought rivalled only by the way she cared for her injured friends afterwards — and he laughed inwardly. 

There was no way he couldn’t feel that way about her. She was simply enchanting. 

But there was only one thing he questioned more than his affections — why in the name of Agni could he not just walk up and start a conversation with her? There was no one else in the world that made him as nervous, as flushed, as completely incapable of basic speech as Y/N, and it drove him insane. 

It drove him insane that it took three times. 

~~~

The first time he noticed her shivering, it wasn’t on purpose. 

Zuko was serving tea to everyone as they gathered around the campfire, chuckling as Aang recounted one of their earlier adventures, back when he was still trying to capture the Avatar. Thinking about his past, who he used to be, was painful, but it gave him all the more reason to be thankful for where he was now. 

He wasn’t as focused on Aang’s story as he was on Y/N, though. She could hardly keep her thoughts to herself, interrupting every couple of seconds to add a detail that Aang forgot or give her own input on the events that he was describing. He started to frown as he noticed her shivering despite sitting right next to the fire — Zuko didn’t even realize how distracted he was until he felt someone hitting his arm. 

“Hey!” He was snapped out of his reverie by the harshness of Katara’s voice, angrily gesturing at the broken teacup and now spilled tea all over Haru. 

“Oh— I am so sorry,” he stammered as he crouched down and started to pick up the pieces on the ground. “Are you okay?” 

“It’s just.. really hot tea,” Haru muttered with a small wince. “No big deal.” 

“You’re right. It’s not a big deal.” Y/N raised her hand and with a small, fluid movement, she bent the liquid out of the fabric and formed it into a tiny sphere in the air. “See? Good as new. And you’re not even burnt.” 

Haru chuckled and pulled at his tunic, giving Y/N a grateful nod. 

“Can a sky bison drink tea?” She mused as she moved the liquid orb around in the air. 

“I don’t think so,” Aang said with a small laugh. 

“Shame we have to waste it.” Y/N bent it away from the group and let it fall to the ground, sinking into the rock below them. “Zuko can always make more though, right?” She said with a hopeful smile. 

“Uh, yeah. Of course.” 

“See, guys? No harm, no foul. You’re the best, Zuko.” She gave him an overexaggerated wink then began to pester Aang to get back to the story, leaving Zuko to continue handing out tea and keep his shaking hands as steady as possible. 

She really had no idea the effect she had on him. 

~~~ 

The second time? It was definitely on purpose. 

The night was unusually cold, even with the bonfire blazing in the middle, and he found his eyes trained once more on Y/N. This time she was the storyteller, giving them all a taste of Northern Water Tribe culture as she recounted a bedtime story she was told as a child. She had a whole arsenal of character voices at her disposal, keeping everyone thoroughly entertained despite the numerous lines she forgot. Zuko didn’t even realize he was staring until Sokka elbowed him in the elbow, gesturing at her with a nod of his head and a cocky grin. 

“What are you doing, just gawking at her like that?” 

“Wh— gawking? I am not gawking. I’m— I’m just listening to her.” 

“Yeah, sure. But I’m pretty sure Appa could start talking right now and you wouldn’t notice because you are hopelessly into her.” He gestured at Zuko’s eyes with his hand then in Y/N’s direction. “Gawking.” 

“I— I am not!” He protested, tearing his eyes away from Y/N’s animated face to give Sokka one of his signature glares. He lowered his voice to a whisper to ensure that no one would hear them. “I’m not into her, I’m not gawking, I am appreciating her storytelling.” 

“Uh huh, yeah.” Sokka looked at her and grinned before glancing back at Zuko. “If you’re not into her, then I can ask her out, right?” 

Zuko didn’t respond, simply kept glaring at him in hopes that it would intimidate him into backing down so he wouldn’t have to say anything and risk embarrassing himself. 

Sokka chuckled and held up his hands. “Alright, geez, I’m just joking. But maybe use some of that fire to keep it going? Looks like she’s cold.” 

Almost immediately, he broke eye contact and fueled the fire with a simple blast. Y/N shot him a grateful smile and nodded as she continued her story, and Zuko noticed her hands falling back down into her lap from their former place on her arms. 

No amount of fire could’ve caused as much warmth as her smile. He was sure of that. 

~~~

There was no way he could miss it the third time. After all, she was the only one there. 

Zuko hadn’t been able to sleep so he ended up outside, and there she was — sitting there, all alone in the middle of the temple grounds, shivering quietly with a moonless night sky as her backdrop. Before he could second guess himself, Zuko started walking over. 

“Hey.” Y/N greeted him without even looking up as she pulled her arms around herself, bringing her legs up to her chest in an effort to conserve all the warmth she could. 

“Hey.” Zuko took a seat on the ground next to her and crossed his legs. “Are you cold?” 

She let out an airy chuckle and nodded. “Strange, isn’t it? I grow up surrounded by snow and ice and I’m perfectly fine, but after a few months away a couple of breezes are tearing me down. I don’t get it.” 

“You’ve been shivering a lot lately,” he said after a beat of silence. Y/N raised an eyebrow and gave him a wry smile. 

“What, have you been looking?”

That sent him stammering. “I-I— yes? I mean— no, I’ve noticed, but I’m not actively looking at you, that’s weird, I’m not— I mean—”

Y/N threw her head back and laughed, the same laugh that sent flutter bats through his stomach and made his heart burst with happiness. She set her hand on his and squeezed, giving him a gentle look that almost immediately ceased his rambling. “Zuko, it’s alright. It’s… nice that you’ve noticed. Like you’re looking out for me or something.” 

He opened his mouth to respond but couldn’t find his voice — he was sure his cheeks were as red as his tunic, just at the simple touch of her hand — and it only got worse as she placed her other hand on top of it. 

“You’re warm,” Y/N muttered. “Like… intensely warm.”

“Is that bad?” He wondered aloud, preemptively panicking. “Do you want me to turn it off? I can’t turn it off, but I could find a way somehow—” 

“Thank you,” she interrupted with another small laugh, “but no. I don’t need you to uh, turn off your firebending. That already happened once. But you’re adorable to think of me like that.” 

The two of them stared into each other’s eyes, the air between them heavy with something she couldn’t quite place. Y/N pursed her lips and bit back a growing smile as she glanced at the ground. 

“This is, uh… really helping. With the cold, I mean. And I was… I guess I was just…” Another laugh. “I was just wondering if you’d maybe want to spend the night with me? Just because my room is especially freezing, and you’re so warm, and I think I would sleep a lot better if I—”

Now it was his turn to interrupt her rambling. There was something about her getting so flustered about him in the same way he did around her that made this easier. “I’d love to.”

“Great,” she breathed, the same smile from before returning just a little bit brighter. Y/N stood up and they began their walk back into the temple, hands still intertwined, warmth emanating between the two of them. 

Three times. 

Two strikes. 

One success. 

And that was all he needed.  

[babypandawrites]

hello! can i request a sokka x reader fic? maybe an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers continuation of the team avatar one you just posted, and they get together shortly after the sokkas master episode? thank you!

I Care!

Pairing: Sokka x GN Reader Warnings: Slight Angst? Word Count: 1,392 Summary: You could have jumped for joy when Sokka finally came around to not hating you- How much he worries on the other hand, is going to take some getting used to.

Note: The Request: A continuation of the Team Avatar fic you just posted The Team Avatar fic: 6+ Months old I am… so sorry it took this long- But thank you for the request! I really do love me a good enemies to friends to lovers moment with Sokka. I also realize I'm very bad at establishing relationships, and endings, so it's kind of ambiguous sfgnj

-Navigation- | -Part One- | -Atla Masterlist-

Sokka did not like you.

Really, he’d go as far to say that he hated you and your Fire Nation guts.

Words couldn’t explain how much it bothered him that you got along so well with Toph, that Aang forgave you so easily, that you worked so well with Katara. They were off fraternizing with the enemy and he just could not understand why.

He also couldn’t understand why one night he actually felt bad when he saw you sitting by yourself, away from the warmth of the fire. He realized he felt bad because he was the reason you were sitting over there, cold, alone and without dinner. Everyone else already worked out their problems with you, and he was just too stubborn too despite the fact you proved yourself time and time again.

He kept a careful eye on you since you joined them after the fall of Ba Sing Se, and he noticed how hard you tried to prove that you weren’t against them anymore. Seeing you fight with them rather than against them, he realized you were always pulling your punches when fighting against them. He noticed you were the first person to agree to his plans, even the ones that were kind of ridiculous and he noticed how self sacrificial you were.

Well, he noticed that before you joined them.

You’d taken his boomerang to the head so many times so Zuko or Azula didn’t, he was sure you had brain damage at this point. There were so many times you took bone breaking hits from Toph, got blown to the other side of the battle ground by Aang, got waterlogged by Katara, just so those stupid royals wouldn’t.

Now you were doing it for them- Though these days that mostly consist of getting burned or almost blown up. None of them had fought against anything but firebenders since they got to the Fire Nation- obviously so.

Deciding to suck up his pride and shove aside his stubbornness, he got up to approach you, offering a hand to help you off the ground. It was the start of a uh… Well Sokka wouldn’t exactly call it a friendship, but it was the start of something. You were obviously more comfortable in the group now, and Katara stopped bothering him about it, a win-win situation!

He learned that you weren’t even that bad, either. Just set on the wrong path for a while. You were also a pretty good sword fighting teacher, taking over to continue his training after they left the town that Piandao resided in.

Well, you were really good at kicking his butt at least.

-

For probably the twentieth time that day, you’d de-armed Sokka and knocked him to the ground, your sword and his own mere inches away from puncturing him like a kebab. Heaving out a sigh, he collapsed onto his back and sprawled his arms out across the ground. Aang snickered from where he stood on the other side of the field, before getting aggressively shoved by a rock Toph sent at him.

“You deserved that!” Sokka shouted to him, getting up once he was no longer at risk for a kebabing. He held his hand out, silently asking for his sword back- But you hesitated.

“Maybe we should take a break.”

“What? But you haven’t even taught me anything yet- All you’ve done is beat me up!”

You shook your head softly, sheathing your sword and handing his back. “I can’t teach you any more than you’ve already learned. You know the skills, you just have to apply them.”

Sokka grumbled to himself, but sheathed his sword as well.

“You aren’t going to become a Master after only a few weeks, Sokka. I know it’s frustrating to not see immediate results but trust me you are getting better.”

He wasn’t convinced, eyebrows furrowing together. “I’m still nowhere near beating you, though.”

“Well, yeah. I’ve been training for years to get where I am though, and you only picked up a sword for the first time last week. But fighting against people who are stronger than you-” Moving quickly, you pulled your sword back out, swiping it at him. Just before the blade could cut into his neck, he managed to pull out his own sword and sloppily block. “-makes you better faster.” You smiled, satisfied, before putting away your sword once again. “See?”

Dumbfounded, he blinked a few slow times. “Huh?”

“Don’t you remember? That was the first thing I did to you once we started training together- That was barely a week ago and then you hadn’t even comprehended what was going on until my sword was pressed against your neck. This time, you were able to stop it. I mean your blocking could use some work but you're faster. Being fast like that can make the difference between life and death.”

“Oh.” He stood silent for a moment, before offering a grin. “Hey! You’re right. Okay-” He raised his sword, taking a fighting stance. “I’m ready to go again.”

-

Despite how well he’d been getting along with you, there was still one thing about Sokka that he just couldn’t stand.

It was after a very close call with Sparky Sparky Boom-man that he decided to bring it up, waiting until Katara finished healing you before approaching you with his arms crossed over his chest and his lips pressed into a thin line. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”

You froze while in the middle of rolling your shoulder back, raising an eyebrow at him. “Uh… doing what, exactly?”

“Being so stupid and reckless! You’re going to get yourself killed- Or worse!”

Offering a lopsided grin, you tipped your head to the side. “What could be worse than getting killed?”

“Oh I don’t know, getting caught by the Fire Nation?! Spirits, do you ever think before you act?”

“No, not really.”

He heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You are infuriating.”

“No need to get so annoyed Sokka.” You gently nudged him with your elbow. “I’m just messing with you. Of course I think before I act.”

“Yeah? Then what were you thinking when you got yourself blown off a cliff earlier?! If not for Aang, you would be dead!”

You shrugged, baffling him at how unbothered you were at a near death experience. “I was thinking ‘better me than you’? I wasn’t expecting you to thank me for that but wow I really didn’t expect you to lecture me over it.”

“You-” He let out another sigh, before grabbing you by the shoulders. “Look, you’ve just got to stop with the whole self sacrificial thing. You're part of our team, not some kind of bodyguard, you don’t need to keep pulling this.”

“I really don’t see the problem here. I’m still alive, and thanks to Katara I’m fine. Even if I wasn’t then you would still be alive so… who cares?”

His grip on your shoulders tightened. “Me! I care!” He paused for a moment, to clear his throat. “And I know everyone else does too.”

Shocked, your eyes widened. “You do…?” Your voice was soft, filled with disbelief.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”

Your moment of vulnerability was short lived, as you offered a grin and gently punched him in the chest. “Because it feels like it was just yesterday you hated me and my Fire Nation guts. D’aw, you’ve grown so much since then!”

Eyebrows furrowing together, he spoke with a soft tone. “You… do realize we all care about you, right?”

“Yeah, yeah… of course I do.” You waved him off, though he didn’t seem convinced, your grin faltering for a moment. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because Azula and Zuko obviously aren’t the most caring people.”

Grin turning bittersweet, you averted your gaze, the ground suddenly being a very interesting thing to look at. “Actually Zuko wasn’t that bad-”

“Y/n.” Sokka cut you off, the assertiveness of his tone catching you off guard. “We all care about you, okay? I care about you. So stop recklessly throwing yourself in front of danger, we’d all be upset if something happened to you.” He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I would be really upset if something happened to you.”

You kept your gaze locked onto the ground, offering a slight nod. “I’ll try.”

[zukka-dyke]

Alright, so imagine a Zukka soulmate au, but it’s the one where you feel any pain that your soulmate feels.

So, Sokka learns to hate the fire nation even more than he already did, because they killed his mom, and then they tried to kill his soulmate. (he’s friggin pissed)

And Zuko gets concerned for his soulmate, because, contrary to popular belief, soulmates can feel each other’s emotional pain too. So he feels the deep anguish at the world, and he can feel the dull ache of sobs rattling through his chest late at night, but he also feels the bumps on the head from boomerang, and the cuts along his upper arms from off-balance hunting spears, and he wishes that he could do something for his soulmate, lessen his own pain so that they didn’t have to feel both their own and his.

When they first meet, and Sokka hits Zuko in the back of the head with boomerang, he feels a dull ache in the back of his own head for days after, but thinks nothing of it.

Sokka meets Yue, and falls in love with her before he can stop himself, but he watches as she collapses with pain when Zhao kills the moon spirit, and knows that they’re not meant to be.

He meets Suki and sees her wince in pain when another warrior across the room get’s knocked off her feet, and he knows that they’re not soulmates, but he still likes her a lot, so he decides to go for it anyways.

Sokka watches in Ba Sing Se as Katara nearly collapses with pain when Aang is struck by Azula’s lightning, and he understands that his sister has found her match. He only wishes that he had his own.

But then. Then, he sees Zuko at the air temple, and he feels the seer dissapointment when he gets rejected, but pushes it off as nothing. Then, when they do invite Zuko to stay, he can feel a sense of rest, reassurance, like something within has settled. 

He doesn’t read too much into it.

But then. Boiling Rock. He’s just put Zuko into the freezer when he starts to feel a chill settle in his bones, and even once he makes it out to the warm prizon yard, the chill doesn’t dissapate. He tries to shake it out, tries to warm himself up, but nothing works until he takes Zuko out of the cell. 

And that’s when he realizes.

For Zuko, it’s when they’re sparring. He’s got Sokka pinned in between a tree and his blades, and he can sense a gentlely increasing pressure on his throat, that doesn’t go away until Sokka yeilds.

And oh shit.

(part 1/?)

[zukkaart]

Yet another unhinged fic idea

Courtesy of yours truly

Thinking about “I Am the One (Reprise)” from N2N and the line that hit me was “why didn’t you go with her?” When the father is talking to the ghost/hallucination of his son

SO my thought is a fic similar to the plot of N2N where Sokka ends up dying at the boiling rock (he gets found out and sacrifices himself so the rest of them can escape)

Katara decides to go for a walk to clear her head after they break the news to her and becomes ECSTATIC when she finds Sokka wandering around the woods. She grabs him and hauls him back to the air temple to tell everyone, but when she gets there they all just look at her worried until Hakoda finally says. “There’s no one there Katara”

Shortly after, Katara begins seeing Sokka everywhere, even having full on conversations with him when the others aren’t around. He’s there for her and comforts her and helps her figure out problems they same way he would when he was alive. She does her best to convince Aang that Sokka really IS there and she’s not crazy.

As the gaang gets more and more worried about her “Sokka”s advice becomes more and more worry some, telling her that she should just leave the war behind and come be with him, it’s not her responsibility to save everyone and they deserve to be happy.

Meanwhile Zuko is grappling with the fact that he never told Sokka how he felt about him as well as running over that day at the prison a million times to see what went wrong or what he could have done differently so that Sokka could have lived. It eats him alive and he bottles it up until eventually he begins seeing Sokka too.

But he only sees him in flashes, a slice of moonbeam, a reflection in Kataras waterbending, something that moves suspiciously like him in the corner of his eye. He convinces himself that it is a completely normal part of the grief process to think you see them everywhere. (He’s right, but that’s not what’s happening)

After the war is over Katara finally decides she wants to be with her brother who she still sees as clear and real as anyone else in the gaang and tries to kill herself. Aang obviously doesn’t let that happen but Katara feels smothered by everyone thinking she’s crazy. She packs up in the middle of the night and leaves everyone wondering where she could have gone. Everyone grieves for them both.

A week later Sokka walks into Zukos chambers in the fire nation, dressed in clothes he’s never seen and looking a bit older and more war torn the same way the rest of them do.

Zuko breaks down at his feet, arms curled over on himself sobbing and gasping for breath.

“Why didn’t you go with her?”

[muffinlance]

AU where the best firebenders, only the ones most in touch with Agni and their inner fire, are capable of photosynthesis, not needing to eat human sustenance unless they choose to. Except there hasn’t been a recorded case of this since before sozins time. Not even azula or ozai or iroh can. Which is why zuko is so surprised when he just randomly stops feeling hungry one day (please muffin, I’m begging you. I just want to redeem myself after accidentally helping to spawn Kindling AU)

Are you... are you daring me to make photosynthetic Zuko give you feels? Because that's how you get Zuko first starting to realize this while on that raft after the North Pole. That's how you get his hunger waning, and he's reasonably sure that maybe he's dying because he should feel hungry, shouldn't he? Not feeling hungry at all is probably not... not...

But. But Uncle is older than him and already suffering so much from the lack of water, it's been two days since the last rain fall, so when Zuko manages to catch a fish while Uncle was sleeping

(Sleeping or unconscious and he couldn't cross the few feet between them to check because what if this was the time that Uncle didn't wake up when Zuko shook him--)

when he catches the stupid fish he tells Uncle he actually caught two, he already ate his, stupid lazy old man just take it Zuko isn't hungry, no he will not eat half.

(Uncle's stomach can still growl.)

And somehow they make it to the colonies and neither of them are dead. Zuko... still isn't hungry.

He isn't hungry when he's traveling alone, and he meets a boy named Lee and (badly) fixes a roof and accepts only the bare minimum of food at their table, because it's clear that they're hungry.

Other travelers wear layers to keep off the burning sun; he sheds his until he's down to a thin sleeveless robe, and basks.

He isn't hungry again until Ba Sing Se. Until shifts at Pao's tea shop, stuck inside from sunup to sundown, and Uncle finds him out back hunched over his stomach and promises that things will get better, here, have the other half of his lunch, you've barely been eating nephew--

(Zuko hadn't recognized that he was hungry until there was food in his hand, and then he was ravenous.)

When he goes to free the Avatar's bison (how did the Avatar lose a bison) (how did the Avatar not realize the Dai Li were behind every disappearance in this city), when he sees it down in that lightless cave, growling and backing away as far as its chains allow, the revulsion hits him like hunger pains, the kind that stab and twist. How dare they lock it away in this too-small stagnant hole with the darkness pressing down--

He's already freeing it when Uncle shows up, how did Uncle get in here, well good because it's not like he can free a bison and not free all of the actual human beings trapped down in this awful place, if Uncle is here he can help.

(Nephew when I said you were not thinking this through and questioned where you would store a bison, that also applied to all of these people--)

And then they run into the Avatar and his gaggle of combat prodigies including Jet--

Could we not. Try to stab each other. For five minutes?

Anyway, he's done prison breaks with the Avatar before. And Long Feng can drop all the rocks he wants, they have the Dragon of the West with them. Turns out selective parts of Lake Laogai, namely the ones that were never supposed to be there, are highly flammable. With the application of enough fire.

(Most things are.)

Zuko is starving by the time they get out. He doesn't really remember getting ushered on the bison by his Uncle, or the glares and/or bewilderment the Avatar's people shoot at him. (Or the extra toothy smile Uncle has for Jet, who looks away with a grumbled knew you were firebenders.)

"Thank you, Miss Katara," Uncle smiles later, in a much different way, and brings a bowl of rice out to his nephew in the courtyard next to their house.

The Avatar's children (plus some Freedom Fighters) stare out the window as Nephew Grumpy And Mildly Incoherent rolls away from his Uncle's attempts to coax him into eating, sprawling out in a patch of sun.

"Is someone going to explain why Prince Zuko is shirtless in our courtyard?" Sokka asks, because someone has to. "Did Long Feng get him in the head?"

Appa lumbers over for licks and cuddles. Inexplicably Shirtless Prince shoves his giant head away, grumbling about six-ton furballs blocking his light.

"Oh," Aang says, like something just clicked. "He's a Fire Lily!"

"...A what now."

"He gets his energy right from the sun!" There is something both delighted and vaguely threatening in the Avatar's expression when he states, with no regard for the consent of the person he's speaking on behalf of: "He's my firebending teacher."

[beifongsss]

threatened by the blind bandit [zuko]

Pairing: Zuko x Beifong!reader (also an earthbender)

Summary: requested by anon. “ hii 👉👈 could we get a nervous, flustered!zuko going to sokka for advice on how to get you to like him back?”. This also takes place during season three sometime during the Ember Island Players. I also made the reader Toph’s older sister because I thought it’d be interesting 🙊

i also kind of changed it a little too much so i hope you still enjoy it anon! <3 sorry :(

~

The first time Prince Zuko had seen you had been the time that Azula had been tracking you and the rest of the Gaang with her mysterious machine. You had gotten there along with your sister, bursting in to help Aang fight against the royal siblings. As Toph ran off to help fight against the princess, you had cornered the prince, a slightly crazed look present in your eyes due to your lack of sleep. He had exchanged glances with his uncle before Iroh stepped forward, his hands raised in surrender.

“We mean you and the avatar no harm,” Iroh had said softly. You had tilted your head to the side, glancing at him before making eye contact with Zuko. His eyes had widened as they met yours, a faint blush spreading up his neck that was only visible to Iroh. Your gaze had hardened as you looked at the prince, backing up slightly before speaking.

“If it were just you, I’d believe your words. But since he’s here, I’m not taking any chances,” you said sharply. Turning around, you waved your hand behind you, causing the ground underneath them to become uneven and send them stumbling against the wall behind them. With another wave, pieces of rock flew towards them, chaining their hands to the wall.

Zuko’s eyes didn’t leave your form as you jumped into battle, fighting his sister with a grace that admittedly made his stomach flip. He was so caught up in watching you that he didn’t realize that Iroh had freed himself until he spoke. “Maybe you should spend less time looking at the earthbender and more time trying to free yourself.”

Zuko scowled as he ripped his gaze from you, settling on shooting his uncle a glare. “Free me.”

Iroh chuckled at his nephew’s words but did as he said. Zuko wasted no time in going after Azula, trying not to get distracted by the way you made bending seem so easy. You didn’t notice him, too busy making sure that Sokka was safe from any stray fire or falling rocks.

Eventually, you became the last thing on his mind. Once Azula had attacked Iroh, his well-being became the only thing that mattered. When he screamed at the Gaang to leave him alone, he felt your gaze on him and he hesitantly glanced up, his vision blurred by the tears welling up in his eyes. You took a hesitant step forward, only stopping when Zuko flinched and looked away, his tears finally spilling.

“We have to go,” Toph exclaimed, grabbing onto your hand and pulling you towards Appa. “Now!”

You allowed your sister to pull you away, throwing one last glance behind you. You felt your heart clench at the sight of Zuko hugging Iroh. You climbed onto Appa and sat next to Sokka in silence as you flew away.

~

You didn’t see the prince again until Azula and her friends infiltrated Ba Sing Se. You and Katara had stayed behind to plan the invasion into the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun while Aang, Sokka, and Toph each embarked on their respective journeys.

“You’ve got company,” a Dai Li agent called out, tossing someone down next to you. You gasped quietly, turning away from the tunnel you had been creating for you and Katara to escape through.

“Zuko?” you questioned, exchanging an uncertain glance with Katara.

Katara stepped forward, an angry expression on her face. “Why did they throw you in here? Oh, wait, let me guess. It's a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!”

The prince stayed silent as Katara continued her ranting. “You're a terrible person! You know that? Always following us! Hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood!”

You ran in front of Katara, placing a hand on her arm as you noticed Zuko’s expression. “Katara maybe you should calm down.”

She looked at you incredulously before yanking her arm away from you. You flinched out of instinct, stumbling back and landing on your butt next to Zuko, who immediately helped you up and stood in front of you. “Don’t.”

Noticing the way her arm was raised, and how it had implied that she was going to strike you, Katara took a step back. She brought her arm back down to her side, shooting a worried glance at you. She was surprised at the prince’s actions; she had never seen him be that gentle, not even with Iroh. You kept your gaze down, admittedly feeling safe knowing that Zuko was standing in front of you.

“(Y/N),” Katara whispered. “You know I’d never-”

Her voice faded as she noticed Zuko’s fiery glare. Her tone changed as she addressed the prince. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Zuko said, his voice gruff and his eyes never leaving you. Katara opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by a loud boom coming from the tunnel you had begun earthbending.

“Aang!” you had exclaimed, running over to the avatar. “Where’s Toph?”

“She went to warn King Kuei about Azula. Sokka’s with her,” Aang replied. Your eyes widened before you began running back out through the tunnel.

“(Y/N)! Where are you going?” Katara asked, stumbling after you.

“To help my sister,” you replied fiercely. “And to make sure that Sokka doesn’t get injured!”

Katara tried to go after you only to be stopped by an enormous wall of crystal. Everyone in the catacombs stared after you as you ran away, amazed by what you had just done. Sure, they had known you were a talented earthbender, but this...this was raw power and it had shocked them into silence.

The silence was broken by Zuko, who was still staring wide-eyed at the tunnel you had escaped through. “Wow.”

Everyone else had turned to look at him, causing his cheeks to burn. Remembering his actions from earlier, Katara’s expression changed into a knowing one as she looked at the blushing prince. He avoided her gaze, instead looking at Aang, who’s face held a wide smile, before finally looking at his uncle, who couldn’t stay silent. “Staring at her again? Prince Zuko, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you are very enamored by the earthbender.”

Unfortunately, Zuko’s response was quickly ignored as Azula entered, two Dai Li agents at her side. Zuko got into a defensive position, forcing himself to stop thinking about the beautiful earthbender.

~

The third time you saw Zuko was when he finally joined the group at the Western Air Temple.

He had received a cold welcome from the group, you and Katara especially. After fleeing from Ba Sing Se, Katara had filled you in on what had happened after you left the catacombs, causing you to feel an ache in your chest for some unknown reason.

Maybe it was because you thought that there was no way Zuko could have been evil, not with the way he had shielded you when you thought Katara was about to strike you. Not with the way he threw himself over Iroh’s unconscious body when Azula has attacked, sobs racking his body. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because a part of you had felt your heart flutter when you noticed the soft way that Zuko had been looking at you in the catacombs.

But he was the prince of the Fire Nation, and you now knew that the Fire Nation could not be trusted. The only reason you were keeping him around was so that he could teach Aang firebending. Other than that, you were ready to throw him off a cliff, especially when you found out he had burned Toph’s feet.

You spent more time with the prince than you expected, especially after finding out that he was the only other bender that had any training in hand-to-hand combat. Before him, Sokka had been your sparring partner, but you were always hesitant to fight him because you were used to using your earthbending as an advantage and you didn’t want to hurt the nonbender. When you weren’t out sparring with Zuko, you spent your time with Sokka, ranting about said prince.

Sokka found the whole situation amusing. He could tell that Zuko had feelings for you. If the blush that coated his face every time you sparred wasn’t enough of an indicator, the way Zuko would stumble and stutter every time you addressed him was more than enough evidence. It also didn’t hurt that Toph could feel his heartbeat speed up whenever you were around him.

The water tribe boy leaned against a pillar as he watched the two of you spar, wincing slightly when you hesitated to strike and were hit with a fireball. Sokka’s lips twitched as you let out a hiss from where you were sitting, cradling your arm to your chest as you inspected the burn. Zuko ran forward, panic clear on his face as he took in the damage he had caused.

“(Y-Y/N), I-I’m so, so s-sorry,” Zuko stuttered out, crouching next to you as he reached for your arm. You glared at him, pulling your arm away from him as you rose to your feet. “I d-didn’t mean t-to.”

You didn’t say anything to him as you stalked away, deciding to find Katara so she could heal the burn. Once you were out of sight, Sokka stepped towards the prince, clapping slowly as Zuko scowled.

“You know, it’s pretty funny to watch you turn into a stuttering mess when you’re around her,” Sokka said, smiling widely. “I can help you with that.”

“Why would I accept any help from you,” Zuko replied rudely, turning to walk away.

“Because I’m her best friend,” came Sokka’s smug reply. “And trust me, if there’s anyone that knows how to deal with her anger, it’s me.”

Zuko paused, thinking over Sokka’s words before turning back around, a defeated look on his face. “Okay. Help me win her over. Please.”

~

Sokka did end up helping Zuko, to an extent. In return, Zuko had helped Sokka break his father and Suki out of the Boiling Rock. No matter how much the two boys would deny it, breaking in and out of the Boiling Rock had helped them grow closer together, something that annoyed you to no end.

Now, whenever you wanted to talk to Sokka, Zuko was right there next to him. It was like you could no longer avoid the prince no matter what you did.

After Zuko had helped Katara track down her mother’s murderer, she had finally forgiven him, leaving you as the only one who hadn’t welcomed him fully into the group. You did all you could to avoid him once the Gaang had reached Ember Island, spending most of your time with Appa.

~

“You have to get over it sometime,” Toph’s voice broke through the silence, startling you slightly as you turned to face her.

“What?” you asked, pretending to not know what she was talking about.

Toph remained silent as she stared at you, or at least as she stared at where she thought you were. In reality, she was staring at Appa as you stood off to the side. You tried your best to stifle a laugh.

“Why can’t you see he’s changed? Everyone else has, even the Sugar Queen,” Toph continued, crossing her arms. “Besides, I’m getting real tired of the way his heartbeat gets when you’re around. I swear you’re gonna kill that boy.”

You flushed at your sister’s words, opening your mouth to reply before you were interrupted by Sokka’s screaming.

“Let’s go see the play!”

“Look,” Toph said, beginning to walk away. “Just think about it okay?”

You stayed silent as you followed her, wondering when the hell she had grown up so much.

~

The play was set to start in a few minutes so you all decided to me your way to your seats. You were about to take a seat next to Toph when she pushed you away before pulling Katara down next to her. “Sorry this seat’s taken.”

You glared at your sister before sitting next to Katara, stiffening up when you looked next to you to see Zuko sitting there. The two of you blushed as you made eye contact.

“Toph’s a genius,” you heard Sokka snicker from behind you, causing you to sink down in your chair. The play began soon after and as far as plays go, this one was absolutely terrible. Hilarious, but terrible. You and Toph were having the time of your life laughing at the way everyone was being portrayed. You had no idea that the Zuko was paying a lot more attention to you than he was to the play.

Intermission came too soon (at least in your opinion) and you found yourself heading to the lobby to buy some fire flakes.

Back near the doors, Zuko was sitting down with his back against the wall and his head buried in his arms. He glanced up when he heard a set of footsteps approach him only to find Toph standing next to him. He put his head back down.

“You’re pathetic,” were the first words to come out of Toph’s mouth, causing Zuko to look up wildly, disbelief and offense visible on his face, not that Toph could see it.

“What?”

“You heard me,” the Beifong girl stated. “I can’t believe you’re over here wallowing in your pity instead of confessing to my sister.”

Zuko opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Toph. “Don’t deny it! In case you forgot, I can feel your heartbeat and I know that it goes crazy whenever you so much as think about her.”

Zuko’s face burned as he noticed the rest of the Gaang coming back.

“Just man up and tell her how you feel okay fire pants?” Toph spoke again before stomping back inside the theater.

Once everyone was settled back in their seats, the play began once again. After a shockingly accurate portrayal of you and the reveal of Toph as a buff man, the play finally got to when you had been trapped down in the crystal catacombs.

You and Katara shifted uneasily as Actress Katara raised her hand, causing Actor Zuko to step in front of Actress You and stop Actress Katara.

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on her,” Actor Zuko growled.

“What do you care?” Actress Katara replied. “This doesn’t concern you Zuko.”

“Yes it does!”

“Why?”

“Because I love her,” Actor Zuko roared. “Because I love her and I won’t let anyone hurt her.”

You tuned out the play when Actress You also professed her love for Actor Zuko, who then proceeded to kiss Actress You. You could feel Sokka’s stare burning into your head and you sunk low into your chair, turning to glance as Zuko only to find him already looking at you. You swallowed uneasily as you maintained eye contact only to break it when Aang spoke.

“Why are you all silent now?”

Katara glanced at the stage and then at the two of you as subtly as she could, not that you didn’t notice.

“Is it because of the confession?” Aang asked adorably. “It’s not like it’s weird, we already knew that Zuko liked (Y/N/N)!”

You heard Toph and Sokka try to stifle their laughs as you and Zuko sank impossibly low in your seats, flinching when you felt your arm rub against his.

~ It was dark out when you decided it was finally time to talk to Zuko. After searching for him in the house, you noticed flashes of light and you followed them to find Zuko firebending down at the beach.

You observed him for a while before deciding to speak up. “Zuko.”

Zuko flinched and whirled around, losing his footing when he saw you and toppling into the sand. “(Y-Y/N)!”

You smiled softly, offering him a hand. He took it, standing up and coming face-to-face with you.

“W-What are you d-doing out here?” Zuko asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I just thought I should tell you that I’m sorry for being so rude to you and not welcoming you into the group,” you whispered, your eyes never leaving his.

“You don’t h-have to apologize,” Zuko breathed, growing nervous under your soft gaze. “I d-deserved it, after everything I’ve done t-to you.”

“No. I was being unfair to you, even after you proved that you had finally changed,” you retorted, closing your eyes before continuing. “The truth is, I was upset that you had chosen Azula’s side because a part of me...a part of me has feelings for you, and I was angry with myself for letting myself fall for you.”

The silence that followed was deafening and you found yourself regretting your words. What if your sister and Sokka were wrong? What if they were just lying to you? There was no way that they could know how Zuko truly felt abou-

Your racing thoughts were silenced when you felt a pair of lips press against yours. Zuko’s hands trembled as they gripped your waist, pulling you closer to him. You returned the kiss, your hands weaving through his hair and your head spinning as you realized that you were kissing someone that had been considered your enemy for the longest time.

“I left the palace to train Aang,” Zuko said huskily, finally pulling away. His hands didn’t leave your waist. “But I know that I also left because I wanted to see you again and I wanted to prove to you that I wasn’t evil and that having feelings for someone as good as you wasn’t wrong.”

You stared at him before speaking once again. “I never thought you were evil.”

Zuko’s gaze changed to surprised before going back to the soft gaze he had been directing at you. Without saying anything, he pulled you into a hug breathing deeply at your words as a weight lifted off his chest.

“I never did,” you continued, clinging onto him. You stayed like that for a while before Zuko pulled back, staring at you for what felt like an eternity before stealing another kiss from you.

“I’m glad we finally talked,” he mumbled against your lips, causing you to chuckle.

“I can’t believe we have my sister to thank. She basically threatened me into talking to you,” you said, breaking the kiss.

Zuko’s eyes widened before he started laughing. Wrapping an arm around your shoulders, he began to guide you back to the vacation house, pressing a kiss to your temple as he smiled down at you.

“Funny. She threatened me too.”

~

hiiii i hope this was good i kind of struggled with how i wanted this to play out but i hope you enjoyed!!