#not to be that girl but it has big zutara energy

[mal3vol3nt]

https://www.tumblr.com/longing-for-rain/755847912227028992/here-we-observe-the-aang-boymom-in-its-natural?source=share

Hi! I'm curious on your thoughts of this meta.

hi anon! so sorry for keeping you waiting with this response, i know it’s been months. unfortunately this probably isn’t gonna be the response you wanted to hear—me breaking down this zk brainrot rant and subverting their claims with canon content. please allow me to explain though (this is gonna be long sorry):

the reasons i’ve been slow to answer this ask and others that have sent me zk rants are:

since joining atla twitter (@arrsapphics if you’re cool) i’ve been exposed to a lot more zk coke-fueled rants and just do not have the energy to torture myself by willingly reading their shit

a lot of these zutara stans on tumblr are a lot more deranged and genuinely horrible people now that i’ve been exposed to the twitter zks. of course, zks are stupid and ship-obsessed on every platform and some of them (one in particular comes to mind—if you’re on twitter then you know) are genuinely just as bad, but i feel the ones on here have a special type of hatred considering they can tag their posts to ensure their hate stays within the echo chamber

CONTENT WARNING: RAP3

the second reason is the biggest part of why i will no longer entertain posts from longing-for-rain. i have recently found out via twitter that they write rape fanfiction of katara. being a chronically online shipper is one thing but to write fanfic of katara being raped so that zuko can save her is truly where i have to disengage. they have also posted rants of them analyzing katara’s body in the show, measuring the size of her breasts and hips to support the delusions in their head about this 14 year old girl. i truly cannot engage with this person’s rants as if they’re just regular shipping war bullshit. this person is a sick individual who not only projects onto a 14 year old brown indigenous character but also sexualizes and adultifies her

for these reasons, i refuse to read a rant posted by her and other big zk blogs on this app. people who take their obvious fetishes and racism and project them onto underaged asian and indigenous characters have gained too much attention from me on this blog. i can’t continue reading rants from these people and analyzing them because i know these people are not treating this show and its characters under an appropriate lens and arguing with their points will do absolutely nothing but enrage me, other people in the ka fandom, and fuel their delusions with our anger as “proof” their arguments hold any weight. on twitter, i’ll continue interacting with what comes up on my tl from my atla moots and if that includes shitting on a deranged zk then fine. but on tumblr i refuse to engage, especially since this app has a tagging system that i use religiously

and i would like to encourage anyone who reads this to also refuse to take this person’s rants seriously and look at them as nothing more than cope-hatred by a sick individual with sick fantasies and thoughts about these minor characters. of course, if you choose to still engage then i won’t stop you and will probably like and reblog your posts 😭

i will just no longer willingly click on links to their rants and subject myself to their bullshit. however, if you’d like for me to argue against zk claims then you are more than welcome to send me a summary of what they’ve said and i’ll do my best to organize a response! i absolutely do not want to discourage anyone from sending me asks because i truly do enjoy answering yalls questions and i love knowing that people like hearing what i have to say on these things lol. please, send me asks about anything and everything! just please understand that i won’t be clicking any links to their posts and blogs or be entertaining anything that comes from the three main delusional zk blogs 🙏

i hope this has made sense and again, i’m sorry anon for taking so long to answer this ask and for not giving the expected response 🫶

[izloveshorses]

i just !!!!!!!!!

bellamy's arc this season is and has always been so beautiful to me idk!!!!

it's about that unconditional love it's about understanding the other so well how can you not reconcile it's about being better ~together~ it's

[jetsteelyourheart]

My top 5 Crackships

Inspired by my top 5 8 characters thing going around, I want you all to vote on your favorite of my Top 5 Questionable Rare pairs

I will be providing excuses reasoning excuses below the poll, so if you feel like roasting me properly seeing my justifications, do that - or don't!

And remember, they're fictional characters, so it costs nothing to be normal about this and have fun

*Not all of these are controversial, but those that are? watch out!

Excuses:

Zuki:

If you follow me then you know I'm an OG Zutara fan, but on the rare occasions I'm feeling Cannon Compliant, Zuki is my go too ship. This has all to do with the comics, where basically Zuko's only confidant is Suki and you get wild panels of them looking at each other like this:

I was devistated when Korra came out and it seemed like Sokka and Suki didn't last, but if the above is why, then I'll take it.

Stobin:

I am going to get so much flack for this one I think. BUT. Consider: The cannon ships in the show are generally not well written. I like Hopper/Joyce, I like Max/Lucas, but Nancy/Jonathan and especially Mike/Eleven do literally nothing for me, they are so bland. I do see the irony that one of the things that makes Stobin well written is because its one sided on Steve's part because Robin is gay. But their interactions are literally the reason to watch the show if you ask me. Pushing past these excuses though, I just kinda dig the ship. In my head its an open poly situation for certain, but sexuality is so wild and fluid and weird, and Gold Star status is gatekeepy at best anyway, so like, why the fuck not. I had a great aunt who had an open marriage with a gay man, (big beard behavior) and they had kids and did everything together. Its like... Platonic soulmates + if you will. And that's what I want for Stobin. Platonic soulmates + and a big ole polycule surrounding them. Or maybe its just my incoherent bisexual ass talking

(If I could put fan-art with the polycule in it I would but I wouldn't repost someones art like that... so I'm stuck with cannon images)

Zacknei:

No one has played this game. When people think Zack, they either ship Cloud or Aerith, and honestly I ship both those as well (though ClAerTi will always be my top for them). But I love Cissnei. She has big Sydney Sage energy for me, and all of Zack's emotional beats in the second half of the game surround her (...or cloud) not Aerith (just for the record). Also if you join all the fanclubs and work hard you get invited to your own fanclub and I'm pretty sure there's evidence that Cissnei is the president which is hilarious. I just love their interactions and was DEVASTATED at the end. Analytical Girl & PuppyDogHimbo is a beautiful ship dynamic. Also Rick Gomez will always be my Zack Fair VA. I hate the new guy so much (and its not his fault!! Sorry man!)

Aquarella:

So the section is really short. But my god. Cinderella and Aqua have the most chemistry of any character in that game series bar none. I'm including Riku and Sora in this. I'm including Roxas and Axel. Ok, not really this is not the hill I want to die on. BUT. At least in Birth By Sleep, this is the emotional high-point. Aqua taking her hand like a gentleman at a ball? The way Aqua saves Cinderella from getting run over by her demonic carriage??? The way she lovingly protects Cindy's body with hers? Did you see Prince whats his face doing any of that ? NO. And then. If Aqua were a guy everyone would've seen it when this game came out (but I guess gay people weren't invented until 2015 or whatever.

look how devastated Aqua is when Cinderella goes to Charming at the end. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THEM.

Sorayla:

I really do like Raylum, but this is a poll on my hot take rare-pairs, not cannon compliance. Let me start off by saying, no, I haven't seen this season yet, it only came out twelve hours ago whats wrong with you? This pair grew on me starting in Season 4 after the time skip. I think it goes along side my preoccupation with tough smart girls and their dumbass golden retriever himbos. They have a nice trajectory, and with Callum going a lil dark and edgy on us recently, I like their banter a lot. Especially in Season 4 I was surprised by them and I crave more adventures with the two of them alone. I don't think it will ever happen, but I like it none the less. They bring a certain... Sokka & Suki vibe to the party that I'm here for.

Anyway, I tag @ebbilayart @retiredficwriter & anyone who decides to do it!

And if no one feels like setting themselves up as a target, that's good too!

[francesderwent]

Okay, I'm guessing some of the list, since this now looks like a guessing game: 13 is Jess and Rory from Gilmore Girls. 2 is Irenedes, Queen's Thief. One of those films is Steve and Peggy. And I *want* to say Zutara's on the TV shows list but I don't think it is, I think it's in the Honourable Mentions.

oh wow I totally did not intend for number 2 to trick you like that!! Irenides comes in at #7 (it's not an OTP until someone loses a limb)

JESS AND RORY

given the fact that I actually screamed and grabbed whichever brother was sitting next to me when I saw it the first time, it's gotta go to the time when he chases her down in the town square and rory says "fine, let's hear it. I've thought a lot about this: what would jess say to me, what could he possibly say?" and jess says "I love you" and then walks away. he's crazy

all gilmore girls ships are, at best, fucked up (affectionate), with the possible exception of lane and dave, but jess and rory do definitely achieve (affectionate) status.

"All You Had to Do Was Stay", by Taylor Swift, because "I think I may have loved you, but I have to let it go" = "it could have been easy / all you had to do was stay"

they've got a little of that good good Han/Leia energy?? because he's always leaving and yet he is really getting better, and she has all these expectations on her but he really sees her.

I live for Jess and Rory in their friendship era, so my preferred AU is always one which gets rid of Dean early but keeps them in their friendship and lets that grow

they didn't make the list! I was extremely picky with my tv show ships, because a lot of them get poisoned in the long run (and not in a fun way) so if specific moments make me insane but the big picture leaves me cold, I left them off

STEVE AND PEGGY

my favorite moment of theirs is actually that last shot of Endgame of their dance!! truly a non-verbal MOMENT, so much is communicated!!!!!

it's Captain America we're talking about, obviously they're wholesome (affectionate)

maybe it just came on my shuffle or maybe it's the perfect song for every good ship out there, but "This Love" by Taylor Swift. "these hands had to let it go free and this love came back to me"

they have that rare thing that is first love and true love at the same time!! who else?? this is a slight cop-out because the boys are identical but Carrot and Angua, of course!!!!

no more of this bullshit separation. they both get sent to 2012 AU

alas they are not on the list

ZUKO AND KATARA

if I didn't say the moment when he took the lightning strike for her...would I even be me? special mention to the bit in ember island players where zuko sits next to katara and then aang whines but zuko refuses to move >:)

this is maybe the hardest couple to categorize yet???? they're so freaking dramatic that it seems underwhelming to call them wholesome but they're not exactly fucked up either?? I'm calling them wholesome but know that I am dissatisfied with my own system

I am going to be extremely annoying and say "All I Need" by Within Temptation because "can you still see the heart of me" has those good good "you were going to heal my scars in the caves and then I betrayed you and I'm just trying to get back to that place where you thought you could maybe trust me" vibes.

I am sorry. (reylo)

stick those kids in a regency AU. zuko is upstart new money he inherited from his father's trading and katara is from an old family with no money at all. they still both have their bending because DUH

you are right! they are in the honorable mentions!!

[zutara]

heyyo this is a response to the person who asked about the zutara book. I read predominantly YA (high fantasy) books so the answer to that question will skew that way.

idk if anyone outside the YA (Young Adult) book community knows this, but there are SOOO many YA authors who are zutara shippers and/ or had their first book inspired by them. I've never seen the panel but I'm guessing this is about Tomi Adeyemi's children of blood and bone series (the author has said many times during the lead up to the release that the main ship is based off zutara). Roshani Chokshi (author of the gilded wolves series, the star touched queen series, and the pandava quartet (this is an MG book tho)) is a zutara shipper. I heard that Audean and Isulet from the Witchlands series by Susan Dennard is also inspired by zutara, but i never heard to author say that.

there are other books by other authors that give MAJOR zutara vibes, but i've never heard the author say anything about them shipping zutara. i.e. The Tiger at Midnight series by Swati Teerdhala. The dude is from a sun imagery country. the girl is from a moon imagery country. they're on the opposite sides of the war bc they sun imagery country attacked the moon imagery country 10 years ago. the dude is chasing the girl, but the girl is trying to stop the war. dude starts to learn that his country isn't all good like he learnt in school while he is chasing after the girl. the girl is haunted by the memory of a soldier from an elite squad that killed her parents. like i can go on about this series (literally filled the zutara whole in my heart. THIS SERIES IS PERFECTION. swear to god im planning on rereading this series soon bc i read it WAYYY too quickly even tho i finished the series 3 months ago)

there is also the daughter of smoke and bone series by Lani Taylor. its been a while since i read it but it has omashu/ zutara feel.

heartless by marissa meyer (kinda??). its kinda like a forbidden romance book???? the boy and the girl kinda sorta have feelings for each other, but the king of hearts (this is a prequel to how the queen of hearts became who she is) has his eyes set on the MC and wants to marry her. The girl doesn't want to, but he's the king so she's in a delimma . PLUS the king of hearts asks the love interest for love advice to win her over (geee why does this remind me of a very famous zutara fic????? 😂 😂😂)

Anyway there are WAYYYY more but this is all that i can think of the top of my head???? im planning on making a post about all the books that give me zutara vibes so ill send you more when i finish if you want.

WOW!!!

First of all, thank you for taking the time to write this and leave us all these recs. You are an absolute treasure. I had no idea any of these authors were shippers! Thanks for leaving this for the anon that asked and for the rest of us!

As for me, the biggest Zutara energy I've seen in a book is for Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. It is YA, but I've read it once a year for the past like 13 years or so, and it holds a very special place in my heart. Even if the author isn't a Zutara shipper herself, the whole book is big Zutara energy throughout!

[sokkas1mp]

I gonna break in this acocunt with me being angry about something that doesn't really matter (very fitting for tumblr if you ask me), this article.

First: "And I’m sorry to open with this, but part of that is due to the age difference between them. Two years is hardly worlds apart (I’m personally working with four), but a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl are. Especially the way these two are drawn. Not to be too voyeuristic about Y7 cartoons, but Katara has clearly gone through puberty, while Aang hasn’t. There is something just…off, about a sixth grade boy having a full on make-out sesh with a high school girl."

This argument is one of the most stupid ones if you ask me, because it blatantly ignores the culture we have been presented by the show. I can understand why people find this weird, but we have to try not to look at it as if its our society, because its not. In A:tla, specifically the water tribes, 16 is marrying age. Right there, our "age norms" (idk what else to call it) are very different. And there are no divisions between ages in their world like we have with middle and high school. To me, two people are fit to be together based on their maturity, not their age. That's why 45 & 40 is not the same as 15 & 10, or 20 & 15. This is the same for Kataang. They have very similar life experiences and matured together, literally side by side, so a two year ago gap is irrelevant.

Second: "...Katara took on a very maternal role with Aang. Sure, she’s a caretaker and sort of a “mom friend,” but it’s a bit more than that. She served as his literal guardian during the show’s run—there’s just no other way to look at it. By the third episode, she called herself his “family,” and later even went on to role play as his mother to get him out of trouble at school. Aang, meanwhile, was… Well, I wouldn’t say “immature” for his age, […] However, Katara is 14 going on 25, while Aang is just, Aang."

There's a compilation of Katara doing thing with Aang that if someone saw a mother doing with her son they would call it incest:

Katara definitely acts motherly towards Aang, but that is just her nature. She is more than just motherly with him. And some people like to call the check kisses familial (which is kinda weird imo), but we know Katara herself doesnt think that:

"Easy there, big brother" She pushes Sokka away. Not to mention, this was about a scene or two before she kisses Aang on the check.

Calling someone close to you your family does not mean you see them in the same way you see your parents/siblings. And Sokka played Aang's father in that scene, but we aren't sitting here using that as evidence to call him Aang's paternal figure.

Something Aang haters forget (or chose to ignore) is that being lighthearted and goofy does not equal immature. Yes, Aang does some juvenile things, but that shouldn't take away from his growth and maturity.

Third: "In fact, in the last season, Katara was shown to be uncomfortable each time Aang kisses her, and even went as far as to tell him to back off with the romantic stuff in the episode before the finale, because she was confused about how she felt. [*new paragraph*] Yet, in the end, she just trots up and blushes at Aang, than happily makes out with him when he goes for it,"

Katara initiated 2/4 of the kataang kisses (not including the check kisses). The kiss in The Cave of Two Lovers and the kiss in the finale. Yes, she's the one that "goes for it" in the finale (she also initiates the hug). She only pulls away once out of the 3 times we see a kiss end (this would be excluding the kiss in The Cave of Two Lovers). She wasn't confused about her feelings, she didn't want to have to worry about a relationship when they were nearing the end of the war.

Fourth: "The post-canon comics only furthered the lack of exploration of her feelings in this relationship"

Fifth: "[referencing a scene in The Promise in which Katara is jealous of a fanclub being around Aang] "I'm sorry, this amazing, adult communication is blowing me away"

The are both still teenagers, who have zero previous relationship experience. Also, Aang had no ill intentions and Katara recognized it.

Sixth: [refencing Katara's role in The Legend of Korra] "Did Katara want to do anything other than sit in a healing hut and be known for having Aang's kids?"

This is another argument that just pisses me off. You can not use Katara's lifestyle in her 80s (she is 85 in s1) as judgement for her adulthood. It's purely assumption based. Constantly this author assumes that because she is in a relationship with Aang, Katara would drop her whole personality. What? Katara would not and could not be forced to do something or conform to some label and Aang wouldn't let it get to that point either. He would squash any idea that she is just "The Avatar's wife" or "The mother of the Avatar's children" the minute he heard it.

Seven: [comparing Katara's reaction to Aang The Desert to Aang's reaction to Katara in The Southern Raiders] "You'll spend a long time looking for her condescending tones. "Anger won't help, Aang," Katara never said, because she got that he was processing something painful and needed to sort it out himself. This difference in behavior is something that would be really fitting for a twelve year old boy to learn and understand. There's just no indication that he ever did."

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I don't remember Aang being condescending towards Katara. He was offering his advice because he knew her and knew that she would regret doing what she thought was right when her judgement was clouded by anger. And guess what. He was right. He never forced anything on her, either. Sure, he was a bit more pushy than he could've been, but in the end he let her go on the trip with no complaints. He even agreed that this was something she had to do.

Eighth: [referencing The Ember Island Players] "When the actor says 'Wait! I thought you were the Avatar's girl', Aang agrees. Katara is his."

You know damn well Aang doesn't see Katara as just his. And she's give him PLENTY of reason to believe that his feelings are reciprocated (which they are).

Ninth: "It's the story of a woman who swallows everything lest the man she's interested in has to learn anything about his behavior that violates her boundaries."

Ha! You said she was interested in him.

But in all seriousness, you mentioned how Katara stood her ground and told Aang that she was confused, but apparently now she's swallowing her feeings.

Tenth: [talks about the cloud babies daddy issues]

I don't disagree with what is said here, for the most part, but I don't think it is a reflection on Aang and Katara's relationship.

Eleventh: "... given what what we got with Kataang, it's completely unsurprising that Aang and Katara's parenthood/adult life was defined by a lack of communication and availability, at least from what we can tell. This also puts Katara's choice to immediately moved to the South Pole once Aang died in perspective; perhaps the city he poured all his energy into, at the cost of his family, held some bitter memories."

Once again with the lack communication. We can't use the early years of their relationship to determine their whole relationship. Also, there wasn't consistently a lack of communication, you just pointed out one time and ran with it.

We don't know at what point Katara moved back to the South Pole, but there are plenty of reasons for Katara to leave Air Temple Island:

a) Her son moving in/or planning to move in with his family.

b) She was no longer needed in the city and thus had no need to stay.

c) She wanted to go back to her native home for comfort after the love of her life died at a relatively early age.

d) The next Avatar was discovered and she came home to train them.

That's all. Thank you for reading my unnecessary rant if you made it this far, and I just want to close out with a few things:

- There were some things in the article that I did not include for the fear of this becoming a novel of me repeating myself.

- I agree with most thing said in the final segment of the the article. Most, not all.

- I appreciate the author for not trying to shove Zutara in just because Kataang wasn't there. That is becoming increasingly uncommon, so it was nice to see.

[tiny-katara]

hey i just wanted to say i love your blog! and thanks for finally helping me get into taylor swift music with the zutara lure lol - anyway i wanted to ask, i could've sworn there was a zk comic of a TSR incorrect quote where zuko's freaking out about how he could've died so many times after katara makes friends with him and he's seen her bloodbending and stopping the rain - can you help me find it pls? i've scoured all the zk blogs i follow but to no avail oof -

It makes me so happy to hear you say that you're so sweet omg. I am glad I'm someone you enjoy following! I also can't believe that I was the final push into Swiftie-ism. I don't think you ever truly leave lol. If you're curious, I do have a couple favorites from each album!

Debut: I am not a big Debut fan for no particular reason but I do quite enjoy an angry listen to "Should've Said No" and "Picture to Burn"

Fearless: I was obsessed with "You Belong With Me" when I was younger and my favorite now is probably "Mr. Perfectly Fine" bc its just so good. If you haven't heard that one yet you need to. I also quite like "Breathe." The emotions that one gives me are so strong.

Speak Now: Speak Now is one of my favorite albums from her-- as it should be. She literally wrote it herself. It is very difficult to just pick a few, but i will say that "Back to December" is not overrated at all, "The Story of Us" is criminally underrated, and "Ours" is very sweet and cute.

Red: Red is a very good album. I also struggle to just pick a few here. My absolute favorite from it is "I Almost Do" but I do think "Red" is overshadowed by "All Too Well" which is good, but I just like "Red" more. "Begin Again" has gotten me through some rough patches and I also love "Holy Ground." The bonus tracks are all very good too. ("Ronan" is a very beautiful but extremely tragic song and I don't know if you're aware of the story behind it so I just want to warn you that it is a heavy listen).

1989: I love this album too lol. "Clean" is good for the soul, "All You Had To Do Was Stay" and "How You Get The Girl" are both so good and somehow I mix them in a lot lol. "I Wish You Would" is also one I love.

reputation: This one was not one I liked initially but it grew on me a lot. "New Year's Day" and "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" are beautiful masterpieces. "I Did Something Bad" has badass Katara written all over it though. Cannot recommend that enough for her.

Lover: Solid album, not my favorite tho. I love "The Man" and that also has badass Katara energy. She would listen to that every day. "Death By A Thousand Cuts" and "Cornelia Street" are also both ones I like a lot. I love the live from Paris (I think) version of "Cornelia Street" especially.

folklore: I don't know why, but I've been in a folklore mood recently. I enjoy "the last great american dynasty" and "betty" and "the lakes" but "peace" is my very favorite from folklore, somewhat bc its like the Zutara song.

evermore: This album is so good too! I love "coney island" a lot but I'm not sure why. "champagne problems" is a good one and "tolerate it" is tragic and beautiful. I also adore "no body, no crime" and will not apologize for it.

Anyways! Those are just my favorites if you wanted to know or some recommendations. I also hunted down that post for you! I knew exactly what you were talking about and could have sworn I reblogged it, but alas. I looked on Tumblr for a while and wondered if I could find it faster on Google... somehow that worked. Sorry for rambling so much lol <3

[firelxdykatara]

Ugh you know, I really hate to say it cause I’m all about ship and let ship but... zukka shippers are really starting to annoy tf out of me?? Like I’m sure there are plenty of nice ones out there but literally all I ever see is them either turning Sokka into Katara, copying the Zutara fandom’s head-cannons/art for their ship, or jumping on Zutara posts just to scream about Zukka?? Like I didn’t have a problem with the ship itself at first but, idk man... now just the sight of it pisses me off??

Honestly, like, I 100% cannot blame you. There’s a reason I have zukka blacklisted (and, incidentally, it would be nice if people would stop posting untagged ship stuff, blacklists only work if there’s something in the post or tags to block), and while a big part of it is a certain really popular blog which popularized some spectacularly bad takes (including the infamous hypocrisy inherent in ‘katara doesn’t fuck colonizers’ while shipping her brother with that very same ‘colonizer’ lmfao), the rest of it is just... how I’ve seen the shippers act.

Say what you will about the zutara fandom, but we’ve been largely sticking to our own corner. I’ve never gone into the zukka tag looking to start a fight, but boy howdy have I lost count of the zukka shippers in the zutara tag pretending to be ‘just joking’ when we all know they wouldn’t have made those posts if they didn’t fully believe them, and it’s like... why? What’s the point? To lord your ship’s newfound ‘superiority’ over us? Why should we care?

And it really is funny that so much of zukka is rebranded zutara meta and AUs (and then whatever the can pull out of the boiling rock in between Sokka being nuts about his girlfriend, whom they usually conveniently shove out of the picture) because it’s incredibly obvious that they want what zutara has, they just don’t want it between a boy and a girl. Combine that with the way Katara gets treated so often (her best traits being stripped away and given to her brother, hated for every little thing she may have done wrong, shuffled off into her canon ship or paired with Suki to get them both conveniently out of the way, etc) and the misogyny is clear, but there’s also the sense that, because zutara is ‘straight’, it inherently lacks value, which is also absolutely ridiculous.

Like, of course, there is something to be said for shipping noncanon pairings when the canon ships are lackluster or poorly written and developed--this is largely the foundation of zutara’s enduring popularity, after all--and, in the broader fandom scope, these relationships which were not canonically romantic but had the greatest emotional energy in the series, the best tension and development, are often between male characters, leading to many of those slash ships eclipsing canon in popularity. But zukka breaks apart the only well-written canon romance in atla, and Katara is frequently left to languish in her on poorly written canon romance, because it often seems like zukka shippers just don’t care about her.

And I guess, as a Katara stan first and a person second, I just can’t understand that. Approaching fandom without first thinking about how Katara deserved better and how fics should be fixing that as their first priority? Couldn’t be me. But seeing it so often does bother me, and yeah, the fandom wound up turning me off the ship completely to the point where I need to keep it blacklisted for the sake of my enjoyment of fandom.

[casualdadnomad]

modern hc for every possible atla ship

Alright, I said I’d do it and now I’m doing it. We will not be arguing over ships because it’s impossible to argue if I include..... all of them. I’ll include some nice ship things and then rate the likeliness of the ship happening in my au.

Kataang: my babies. soulmates. they would be that adorable couple that has been together since the eighth grade. they work well together because they’re both kind hearted and care about each other deeply. they hold hands in hallways, call each other pet names (the infamous “sweetie” that makes sokka want to die), and always try to give each other little surprises to brighten each other’s day. they’re very into valentines day. would it happen? yes. 100/10. 

Sukka: my babies part 2. sokka comes to every football game to cheer her on during halftime. he also goes to every winter guard competition. Suki goes with him when he does his graffiti. she insists it’s to be a lookout in case the cops find them, but she just loves watching him make his art. they don’t go out much, and are just as happy watching anime in suki’s room as they would be on a date. would it happen? YES. 10/10.

Zukka: the hottest ship of the ATLA renaissance. probably the best ship of all time. they just have this perfect dynamic. sokka is a genius with terrible ideas and no impulse control. zuko is just a guy with anxiety. sokka would definitely help zuko come out of his shell a little bit. and iroh loves his nephew’s boyfriend. sokka helps out for free in the jasmine dragon if zuko is working. would it happen? maybe. i do love them a lot. 8/10.

Zutara: okay. everyone has an opinion on zutara. my opinion is that i don’t like it unimportant. they stay up late on facetimes and talk until like 3 am. they play a lot of games and katara is super competitive, so zuko lets her win a lot. she’s cute when she’s convinced she’s the king of gamepigeon 8 ball. would it happen? unlikely. 4/10.

Taang: i don’t hear about this ship a ton. it’s not one i ever thought about. they’re both super protective, even though neither of them really need to be protected. aang is definitely more affectionate than toph, but toph can and will beat the shit out of anyone that hurts aang. would it happen? they’re the only two freshmen, so maybe, but still unlikely. 5/10.

Tokka: i’ve always thought toph’s little crush on sokka was adorable. they would skip school, go break the law for fun, that kind of nonsense. this is one of those rare instances where sokka has the most common sense. they would be more of a “what’s up you ugly idiot” kind of couple than a “hey baby! :)” kind of couple. would it happen? I could see them getting along. it would be pretty chaotic. 6.5/10.

Mai Lee: MY GIRLS. they’re perfect for each other. Mai is peak alt girl. She’s a goth queen, eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man, chains, little shirt big pants, and a nose piercing. ty lee is the exact definition of cottagecore. strawberry dresses, lots of blush, makes her own earrings. ty lee even gave mai a pair of earrings she made to look like knives. they walk down the street holding hands. if anyone throws them a weird look, mai throws a knife right back. would it happen? HELL YES. 1,000/10.

Tyzula: here’s the thing. azula never did get that sweet sweet redemption arc, so in my au she’s still a bit of an asshole. if they got together, i can see azula really trying to improve herself as a person for ty lee. i see ty lee really trying to sell the idea of including azula to the rest of the friend group. i’m really into the idea of instead of ty lee “fixing” her, having azula work on herself with ty lee as some extra motivation. would it happen? if azula put in effort to be a better person, sure. 7/10.

Maitara: what, did you think i was going to forget maitara? i did say every ship. katara vibes with the softgirl aesthetic while mai is on the egirl side, and honestly i am living for it. would it happen? this one is definitely a rare ship. but i think it could work. 5/10.

Maiko: ah yes, the canon one. zuko’s not quite as edgy as mai is. he’s like, if you diluted the eboy aesthetic a little. but i think it would maybe work between my two emo babies. they’re a couple that you never really see engaging in any pda so you just assume they’re friends until someone tells you otherwise. they’re very cute together, but dare i say kind of boring...? would it happen? goth x goth solidarity is cool, so maybe. 6/10.

Azutara: dude, there’s not a lot to say for this one. it’s been a little while since i’ve even seen an azutara shipper. are they extinct? (azutara babes pls tell me if ur not extinct). yeah so if this happened i think it would be because azula put in the work to be a good person and was welcomed back into the group. once she was in the group, katara would have gotten to know her real personality and liked her. but katara also holds her accountable for her actions. she puts up with no bullshit because she knows her worth. would it happen? i don’t think so. 2/10.

Sutara: this seems like chaos. these ladies would be the power couple of the century. i think with two women so strong and powerful, they’d butt heads a lot. they would be out in the world and actively changing it. would it happen? they’re both badass awesome women, but i’m not sure. 3/10.

Zukaang: uhh... i can’t say i ever thought about zukaang before now. but i guess you would have this bright ball of energy and a dark brooding type, so i can see how it could be cute. would it happen? um... no. i’m not sure if opposites attract that much. 0/10.

Tophko: another one that has literally never crossed my mind! i’m not sure how i feel about angry + angry as a dynamic. i think they would make great friends. okay, i think they would be a couple you mostly wouldn’t want to mess with. they can mess with each other, but no one else is allowed to mess with them. would it happen? no. i’m a slut for height differences, but not at the expense of a good personality match. 0/10.

Jetko: ah, the infamous jetko. the thing about jet in my au is that he’s kind of a sports boy. jock vibes. i guess i haven’t thought about his personality much except that he’s, well, a cocky sports guy. even if mans was bi or gay, i think he would have too much internalized homophobia to openly be in an gay relationship. would it happen? here’s the thing. i could maybe see them having kissed once or something, but not together currently. 4/10.

Jetka: okay i see a handful of people saying jetka rights so i thought i’s include it. i think the most likely scenario would be, maybe, they kissed once or twice and then sokka got ghosted because jet was closeted and scared. since jet obviously didn’t try to burn down a village, maybe that could be the reason sokka doesn’t like him. would it happen? maybe they never got together but jet could have been sokka’s first dude crush or something. 2/10.

Jetara: my immediate thought was that jet asked her out and they went out for like a week but katara quickly realized hey, he’s an asshole. ALTERNATIVELY, katara recognized him as the guy who hurt her brother or zuko and never went out with him at all, because hey, i don’t need all that drama. would it happen? maybe awkward exes. 3/10.

okay these took soooo long! if you have another ship, questions, or headcanon ideas, my ask box is always open!

[electricbluebutterflies]

Zutara + “would you just hold still?”

First time writing the new babes, so... here we go. Post-series, pre-relationship, PG-ish.

She signed up for this, Katara reminds herself. Almost everything before this point could be blamed on circumstances well beyond her control, but staying here, staying with him…

It has been a month since the war ended, a month of patience as she tries to figure out how to be a decent whatever-she-is. She’s fifteen, a little young for courting, but she knows this is her place in the world. Someday down the line, in five or ten years’ time, a nice respectable Water Tribe girl will become the next Fire Lady and that clash of cultures may end the world but whatever. She’ll worry about that when she needs to.

Right now, her worry energy is on her sorta-boyfriend, who has a long road yet ahead of him.

“Would you just hold still?” she murmurs. She didn’t have to say this a week ago, she remembers, but things have gotten more difficult as her efforts start to show results. Zuko is too much like her, too stubborn for his own good. Now that he can fidget, he does. In another few days he’ll be able to walk without help, and then her peaceful life is probably over, and-

“What are you doing, ‘Tara?”

Every time, twice a day for the past month when she’s tried to work her healing on him, he’s asked her to explain. Every time, to comfort him and get him to shut up, she talks through this side of her waterbending. She’s stronger in battle than she is as a caretaker, but she’s learning well. The big issue here is the sheer amount that needs done. The latest set of damage, though dramatic, is just the most recent of many layers. Zuko is a survivor, yes, but he’s also a reckless boy who thought he was damn near immortal until his crazy sister tried to kill him.

No, Katara reminds herself. Until said crazy sister tried to kill her, and he took the hit for her because at least he’s a protective reckless boy.

She opens her mouth, about to say the same things she always does about how her powers can work through his body, but then he squeezes her hand. “Not that, ‘Tara. What are you… why are you still here?”

The question throws her. They haven’t had that conversation yet, likely won’t for another few months. And yet there is an assumption around them, an unspoken understanding of what happens next. The rest of their group were given rooms in what is being turned into the diplomats’ wing of the palace; she, for reasons she didn’t question at the time because she was so very tired, is in the wing reserved for the royal family. It’s been convenient, but she wonders… if she stays…

“You need me,” she murmurs.

“What about what you need?”

She’s quiet for a few moments. What she needs? At what point has that ever been a priority? Other things have always mattered more, and she suspects always will. Finding her place here was unplanned but still fits with her patterns, still-

“Maybe I want to stay with you,” she murmurs, a little too quiet. “You don’t expect me to be anything I’m not. I… I like that.”

She leans down and kisses his cheek, the edge of his scar. Last week she asked about taking that too and oh, that was the first time she’s seen him angry at her since he switched sides. The scar stays as part of his identity, period. She won’t ask again. She won’t-

“I’d like… if you want…”

Katara shifts her hands, finishing for now. She’ll work more later, try to find a few more knots in him to undo. And again tomorrow morning, and every day for a long time yet, and-

“I want,” she replies. And she wants so much.

“Good.”

[plainvanillapotato]

the 100 diaries S2 E5

quarantine diaries: may 28 2020

season 2 episode 5: “Human Trials”

i guess a mother always recognizes her daughter even through all that dirt. ngl i cant help but think about how much clarke stinks. Literally was in a pile of bodies and was covered in blood and mud. yet her mother is there hugging and kissing her. 

side note: what if clarke was just a salty bitch and the first thing she said to abby was ‘im still not talking to you. because do you remember when you killed dad?’ i would die  

i love how they are flipping this stereotype of mountain men as in you know how we generally associate mountain people/hillbilly’s as poor uneducated lower class citizens but in this show it’s the opposite. im pretty sure this wasn’t intentional tho. i just watch the documentary “hillbilly” it’s just been on my mind recently

wow kane be doing the important work out here planing a tree. rebuild the ecosystem. side note is climate change/global warming still an issue in this universe or nah?

clarke you just escaped mount weather, survived being hunted alive, survived that fight with anya, survived being shot at. all within a day?! you need to rest. but i guess if you have solar radiation blood you just operate at a different level

bellamy!!! with a new girl around his arm and wearing bellamy’s jacket

nvm. its back to bellamy and clarke. that hugg was like....ok i feel it. i feel the zutara energy. octavia even ships it. but her eye also be saying ‘bitch if you hurt him i swear...’

i swear if finn dies before reuniting with clarke. this show would tho. or like clarke find finn in his final moments

what tf are they doing to lincoln?!

why the hell is bryne in this meeting? is she not going to face any repercussions for shooting at two innocent kids one of whom she killed?! you cant just shoot and kill innocent people without facing consequences? (let me remind you abby was lashed 10 times for less) im not going to get deep into this rn because this blog was not meant for this stuff and i know this show takes place in a different time but with everything that is going on right now in the u.s. i just have to say that pulling out a gun and shooting a person should not be an automatic response and police abusing their power, abusing their authority is not okay.

bellamy bringing up some good points. fight abby! run away with clarke!!

now would have been a good time to bring up your father clarke but maybe shes just waiting to use that one.

raven is the real one with the guns and electrical fence. why was it so easy to escape the camp. like too easy.

maya causing a rift between monty and jaspers. noooo! did we not learn from what happened with Octavia?

maya and the radiation. a bit much. how does this show keep out doing themselves. scene after scene. just when you think that it is safe.

jasper really is a simp giving that blood. octavia? jasper doesnt know her. 

clarke’s face when bellamy told her that finn killed for her. she was like ‘wow. really. i love him more now.’ i know it wasnt meant to be taken this way but clarkes doey eyes don’t lie. 

finn really just threw some fire into the villages whole food supply. woah finn is going crazy here. he really just turned this into a hostage situation. i guess when you hang out with murphy you turn into murphy.

“this one is thoroughbred.” a thoroughbred of what? the British Royal Line? i swear if they tell me that lincoln is a descendant of queen Elizabeth ill die (if you’re wondering about my thought process on this...the best explanation i can give you are those memes about queen Elizabeth being immortal)

monty out here asking the right questions. monty straight up put his hands and sat down. staying right by his friend’s side. we stan a loyal king. monty really shined in this scene. you have to agree. this is my favorite moment of the show thus far.

abby slapped a one legged girl. abby she is a kid and you is an adult. yeah abby just lost some points in my book.

preach raven preach. yeah these kids loss their sense of innocence a looooong time ago. get with the program abby

jaha and kane reunited!! I guess my ship hasn’t been sunk yet. but also wasnt he just in the desert?

woooow this is full on hostage situation? is finn gonna go full anakin? and just embrace the dark side?

murphy suddenly a good guy?? 

now lincoln is a drugy? waht?

also what with the veins on these mountain people. please tell me they’re vampires and thats the real reason they don’t go to the outside in the sun. plus all the blood transfusions a bit suspicious if you ask me

aahh daddy. nepotism. fun fact about me absolutely no one asked for: “nepotism” is one of my favorite office episodes

but also that son be looking like he don’t listen to daddy. i swear the son is gonna turn on him. bet.

yep finn really killed kids and woman. this boy went full anakin. but i guess the writers be planting this plot point: spacewalker more like skywalker. yes this is a dumb theory but what if this is what the writers were actually thinking when they wrote finns character...

finn out did himself. i think he has highest body count out of all those from the 100. i think the real turning point in his character development was when he killed that reaper in the mines with clarke. it was right there and then that the knew he was willing to kill for clarke and hes not just gonna stop now. love really makes people do crazy things. big yikes when clarke caught him in the act. but ofc the show would have clarke appear 5 minutes finn goes ballistic. 

but also finn is joe from you. literally doing the most for the one he loves even tho his love never asked for any of it. and not feeling that bad about it. the boy literally massacred a village but the first thing he says to clarke is “i found you” ...yeah finn really did a 180 in the worst way possible

side note: to anyone who thinks im being hypocritical about bryne/the guard and finn. let me remind you that finn is a kid whose brain has not fully developed. he also has been through a lot shit since since being sent to earth so he is bound to be unstable. now im not saying that finn doesnt deserves any repercussions because believe me i do. i will get mad if he faces no consequences. but the fact of the matter is that byrne and the guard, people who are entrusted with power and authority cannot just abuse their power and authority shooting at random on the whim that anyone and anything is a threat.

[onigirisuna]

i’ll be your shelter

a contribution to @zutaramonth​, quarantine edition, day 18: comfort (with a hint of day 2: family). view my other work for zutara month (quarantine edition) here. 

this is a gentle reminder to hold your loved ones a little closer today.

cw: character death. au. long fic ahead; barely-there zutara + fire nation family. cues inspired by rent.

Katara found herself smiling at the sight of Zuko, Azula, and Kiyi enjoying their dinner with Ikem and Ursa. 

Eight years ago, their family was in shambles. When Zuko was crowned as Fire Lord, he only had Iroh by his side – the only family he had for many years. She remembers the pride that swelled in her heart when Zuko stood from the Fire Sages, presenting himself as the leader of the new generation of peace; but she also remembers the sadness that came crashing in right after, when Zuko had a distant, lonely look in his eye.

He has the whole world, Hakoda told her. Yet he is so alone.

I’m here, Katara told him, shifting her eyes away from the platform. He has me. He has Iroh, too; he has all of us.

Hakoda smiled. He does, he said in agreement. But his sister’s in an institution, his father’s locked up, and his mother is gone with the wind.

He doesn’t just carry our world, Katara. He carries theirs, too.

Katara shakes the memory as she picks up another rice ball and hands it to Kiyi. “Here you go,” she says, pretending to hide the sneaky rice ball from Ursa. Kiyi giggles at the motion, then taps Azula’s hand. “Lala,” the girl says. “May you pass me the fire flakes?”

Azula stiffens for a moment, not used to the little girl nor having someone tell her what to do. Through her discomfort, she forces a smile as she pushes her free hand to deposit the bottle of fire flakes onto the little fingers that are waiting for her.

Katara’s heart aches for her. She took it the worst, she thinks.

Seeing a little girl around her mother’s arms, a girl who seemed far more like Zuko than she ever will be, shattered Azula; she felt replaced, unloved, and more like a monster than she had ever felt her whole life. If Katara and Zuko hadn’t caught up to her before she reached Forgetful Valley, she would’ve been gone forever.

Azula! she remembers Zuko yelling. Father lied to us!

No! responded the broken girl. He didn’t lie, he just lost the war. He– he promised me– it’s your fault he lost, this is– this is all y-your fault– Father loved me–

He never promised anything, Azula, Zuko said. And he never loved anyone but himself.

Katara’s knuckles whiten for a moment as she tries to shove the memory down the depths of her mind. She forces herself back to the present, where she sits with her new family, and pushes herself to enjoy her meal; after all, it is rare for them to dine in complete attendance. Zuko was far too busy to eat, especially with Unity Campaign slowly coming into fruition; he often skipped meals and endured late nights, trying his best to keep the world together.

She looks around the table, taking in the sight of her husband smiling at her mother-in-law’s new anecdote about the latest play she saw on Ember Island. “This play was more of a tragedy, really,” Ursa said in between pieces of spiced prawns. “But it was so strange, because the songs sounded so happy. You wouldn’t be able to tell how tragic the story was until you read the program.”

“What’s it called?” Zuko asks from across the table just as he takes a bite off a spicy rice cake.

“Seasons of Love,” Ursa responds. Zuko makes a noise and a face at the title, saying, “The title sounds as corny as Love Amongst the Dragons.”

Azula nods in agreement. “I have to agree with Zuko on this one, mother. You have quite the penchant for sticky sweet titles.”

Ursa laughs. “If you’d watched the play with me, you would be surprised at how fantastically heartbreaking it is.” Ursa let out a rough cough as she finished speaking.

Zuko shoots her a worried look.

–

with a thousand sweet kisses

–

Ursa’s cough progressed into bouts of wheezing and gasping. Four months later, she became bedridden as she began to cough out blood and the disease began to take over her lungs. It’s called pneumonia, my lord, the family physician told Zuko. It’s a new disease that we have yet to find a cure for. We only know that the kind that Her Highness has is non-communicable.

Will she survive it? Zuko asked tentatively, even though he already knew the answer. All he needed to see was the grim look on the physician’s face.

Since then, Zuko resolved to keep his family as close as to their mother as he could. 

He would bring Kiyi to their mother every day, sharing as many stories as they could. He and Ikem would take turns watching over Ursa, with Ikem attending to her during the day and Zuko keeping her company at night; the little sleep that he had left before his mother’s disease was gone as he spent the rest of his nights tending to her.

Azula would visit her mother sporadically; when Zuko broke the news to her, Azula ran off and burned the chest that contained all of Ursa’s unsent letters. You’re leaving me again, like you did all those years ago. 

Despite Azula’s outbursts, Zuko still continued to gather all his strength to convince her to visit their mother. On the best of days, all three of them would spend time with her together; Kiyi would create flower crowns that she would place atop Azula’s and Ursa’s heads, while the two older women would have their nails painted. Zuko would discuss the latest theatrical productions with all three girls, gathering as much intel as he could from the the Ember Island Players. 

Every time her children would visit, Ursa made sure to leave a kiss on each of their foreheads before they left the room.

This routine continued over the course of eight months, until Ursa was too weak to lift her head off the pillow or raise her hand to have it painted. All of Ursa’s energy was reserved for the kisses she would leave on her children’s heads, making sure to kiss them with all of the force that she could to let them know that she was still alive; despite her failing health, she would repeat the same words to her children everyday – 

Know that Mother loves you so.

–

(i’ll cover you)

–

One night, Katara found Zuko crying in their bedroom; without saying a word, she sidled next to him and slowly brought his head to her shoulder as she let her own tears fall.

Between the Southern Restoration Movement and her duties as Fire Lady, Katara also spent her share of time with Ursa; she came in with a basin of water every day, attempting to expel the wretched virus that has taken over Ursa’s lungs. She also closely coordinated with the physician, desperately looking for a cure.

Katara, Ursa told her earlier that day. You are a kind and smart girl; I believe you would know it to be wise to stop healing.

But they don’t have a cure, yet, Ursa, Katara said desperately. This is our best shot.

Ursa smiled and held Katara’s trembling hand and said, I know.

It was Katara’s turn to hold Zuko’s hand as he trembled beside her; without looking at her, he gripped her hand tightly in return. Despite her own shaking and crying, she reached around Zuko and gathered him into a hug, letting him pour his grief into the folds of her robes. She tried to stroke his hair and rub circles on his back to calm him down, but with her own ceaseless crying, her motions comforted him to no avail.

–

five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

–

Ursa’s lungs failed a few days later, one year after her coughing began.

The week that follows is a blur; their friends begin to trickle in, one by one, expressing their condolences and comforting the grief-stricken Zuko, Kiyi, and Ikem. Everyone is too afraid to see Azula, so Katara takes it upon herself to check on the heartbroken girl; she finds Azula asleep in the midst of glass shards and broken mirrors, dried tears stained on her face. Katara leaves a towel and fresh fruit by her bedside table, then cleans the surrounding shards.

Katara leads the funeral preparations, letting Ikem and the three siblings process Ursa’s passing; her own heart, however, continues to break as she falls deeper into her coordination with the Fire Sages and the palace attendants – so on days when she can’t bring herself out of her bed, she lets Iroh take over the preparations.

Amidst the grief that has flooded the palace, Zuko finds himself sitting by the garden; as the attendants fly by him and guests continue to offer their condolences, Zuko blankly stares at the pond ahead. Their words and the flurry that fills the palace are nothing but white noise to him.

He stays in this trance for a couple of days until it is broken by Kiyi, who finds him in the garden and pulls him up to his feet. Taking her big brother by the hand, Kiyi brings him to a flowerbed at the back of the garden. “Mother always made sure to water these flowers, Zuzu,” the little girl said sadly. “I promised to water them for her when she got sick.”

Zuko feels Kiyi’s hands start to tremble, so he kneels to face her. Kiyi’s tears start flowing, her face contorted in grief; she shakes as Zuko pulls her into a hug. “I don’t know if I can water these flowers forever, Zuzu,” she says, her voice shaking. “I miss her. I want her to come back.”

Zuko starts to cry as he holds his sister tightly. “I miss her too, Kiyi. I miss her more than anything.”

At the other side of the garden wall, Azula quietly cries on a bed of wilted fire lilies. Mother’s favorite. 

–

five hundred twenty five thousand seasons of love

–

They couldn’t bear to watch their mother go up in flames.

When the Fire Sages conclude the burial rites and begin to light the pyre that carried Ursa’s body, Azula bolts out of the plaza.

Zuko immediately gets up to follow his sister and, before Ikem could stop her, Kiyi runs after her two older siblings. “Lala! Zuzu!” she yells through her tears. “Come back!”

Katara immediately runs after the little girl, telling Ikem to stay in case Azula bursts into flames. I've seen Azula break before, she tells him. I can handle her; I’ll keep Kiyi safe.

Katara catches up to the little girl just as she’s about to step into the garden; Katara stops her before she could get within the range of Azula’s impending fire. “Kiyi,” she says softly. “Let Zuzu talk to Lala first.”

“What about me, Katara?” she says, her breath shaking from the running and the emotional outburst between her and her siblings. Katara holds the girl and runs her fingers through her hair. “In a bit, little one,” she says. “Give them a little bit.”

–

“Azula,” Zuko says, taking a tentative step towards his sister. His body is tense, ready to move into a defensive stance. “Azula, look at me–”

“No!” Azula yells as she shoots a stream of blue fire towards him. Zuko expertly deflects it; when he hears Kiyi scream, he bends the remaining flames towards the sky. “Don’t touch me!” Azula cries.

“Lala!” he hears Kiyi cry from a distance. Azula covers her ears as she hears the younger girl.

“Mother always thought I was a monster,” Azula says through strained tears. “She never loved me the way she loved you and that little brat.”

“Azula, please–” Zuko starts, but Azula whirls around and grabs him by his shirt.

“Please what, Zuzu?!” she yells at her brother’s face. “What do you want from me? I’m a monster, remember?! A monster!”

A part of Zuko agrees; his father created a monster of his sister, drilling a sense of greed and evil into her as soon as she could talk. In the years since the war ended, however, he realized that all his sister longed for was love and acceptance from her family; it was a feeling Zuko knew all too well.

Her father manipulated her, and her only recollection of her mother was her departure; her only brother made it clear that he didn’t like her from the beginning, and when her mother resurfaced, she was replaced by a child that seemed to be far better than she ever could be. 

Azula was alone – and that was a feeling Zuko knew better than anything.

When she stares up into her brother’s matching golden irises, face contorted in agony and grief, Zuko gently wraps his sister in a hug. “You aren’t a monster, Azula,” he says softly. “Mother knew that; I know it, too.”

The sudden show of affection throws Azula off guard and makes her crumble against her big brother’s embrace; as her brother holds her, she lets out a torrent of tears.

Kiyi wiggles herself out of Katara’s grasp and runs to her siblings. The little girl’s tears haven’t stopped, and she’s shaking uncontrollably as Zuko opens his arm and welcomes her into his embrace. 

Zuko’s own tears begin to form, his cries mingling with those of his heartbroken sisters’; despite himself, he holds them tightly and presses their heads on the crooks of his neck. I’ll cover you.

[elrondsscribe]

No ATLA shipping wars, please. There is room for ALL the ships.

So I’m sure anyone who’s been tracking me lately knows that I’ve been all up in Avatar: The Last Airbender ...

And I must say, after checking out the tags, I am TERRIFIED to speak my mind about ANY of the ships I like!! Like, I don’t want to be thought of as a poisonous Supporter Of That Which Is Toxic And Problematic because I did or didn’t gel with one ship or other. Spoilers under the cut.

See, I’m always the kind of fan that nobody likes: I’m the MCU fan that appreciates Steve and Tony; I’m the Star Wars fan that loved all nine Episodes. So when I say that I sail literally all of the ships because all of them hit me in different kinds of feels, well, y’all know to expect this from me.

(I should say at this point that the only thing I’m considering ‘canon’ for the purposes of this conversation is A:TLA; no LoK or comics is relevant here.)

(Also, can I just say what a wonderful change of pace it is to be in a property where, at least in the generation of our ‘mains,’ there seem to be more named, developed female characters??)

So I’m gonna start out with saying: I like the canon pairings as they stand! Kataang, Sukki, and Maiko being the main ones, obvs. However, I also like all kinds of AU pairings too!

Like Zutara - I mean, I can hardly say anything here that ten thousand others haven’t already said better, but their journeys do parallel each other in a lot of significant ways, and I think that, by the end of the show, they do legitimately share enough to have the foundations of a good relationship, if as a fanwriter you wanted to go there. You could make much of the poetry of their differences (”you rise with the moon, and I with the Sun”), and/or really develop their existing ability to safely be the ‘splash zone’ for each other’s turmoil. Besides, I think Katara’s mothering fussbudget energy would be a great thing for Zuko, and there’s a gentleness to her that he’d find healing.

{Now, I’ve seen a lot of comparisons between Zutara and Reylo, made by people who either want to demean or defend both ships. I’ve also seen these comparisons soundly trashed by people who like one, but not both, of these ships. As someone who never has had strong feelings either for or against Reylo, and as someone who loves Zutara but not exclusively, my response to all of that drama is a big old shrug of my shoulders. So don’t come at me screaming about Reylo, either to stan or cancel. Please just don’t.}

Also I don’t know a good way to say this, but you know how some people just can’t seem to resist reading Zuko and/or Sokka as gay? Well, I can’t stop reading Mai as lesbian; I don’t know why.

I don’t know which pairing Taang is. If it’s Aang/Ty Lee, omg yes!! Kill me with all the sparkles and rainbows! I already want to eat them both up. More seriously, I think Aang’s peaceable temperament would be a really welcome change in her life, after Zuko’s turmoil and Mai’s ice and Azula’s, well, Azula-ness. She’d probably just love Aang’s aura :) 

If Taang is Aang/Toph, well, we’ve observed that our flighty lil’ Aangster could use a grouding influence :) I don’t know who on Tumblr pointed it out, but Toph is the last person in the world to fangirl over Aang, which seems to be very good for him, while also not clipping his wings. While I do believe they’d be the kind of couple to quarrel and, at times, drift apart from each other (she’s incredibly rooted while he’s the embodiment of a free-spirit), for some reason I can easily see them finding each other again. There’s a scene in my head, one where an adult Aang is faced with the necessity of a sacrifice play that he might not come back from, and instead of tearfully trying to convince him not to do it, Toph says, “Go get ‘em, Twinkletoes.”

[And if you ship Zutara alongside Aang/Toph, you could have a fanfic where you did a Parallel, with Two Ships Of Opposite-Power-Benders. I’d be a fan!]

Now I’ve seen Sokkla floating around too, and I must say that this intrigues me, especially the way that this ship is connected to ideas about the redemption of Azula. I’ve seen some people being really upset that Azula never got a redemption arc in the show, but c’mon guys. A redemption arc for Azula would have taken a long-ass time - it would’ve been awesome, but it would’ve taken a long-ass time, definitely longer than a fourth season, I think. But if you were going to go with a combination of a redemption arc and a ship for her, Sokka would be a great idea. I don’t think Azula knows what fun and merriment are, and who knows those things better than Sokka?

[Honestly, that’s the thing about shipping Sokka with anyone: he would bring them laughter.]

But enough about the het AU ships, let’s talk about the gay ones!

Zukka would be the most prominent example, of course. The rapport that Zuko develops with Sokka over ‘The Boiling Rock’ is beautiful to behold (jokes about ‘that’s rough, buddy’ aside), and heaven knows Zuko needs someone to teach him how to laugh.

And remember how I said that I somehow can’t see Mai as straight? Well, I also can’t stop shipping her with Azula (don’t know the ship name for this one, but I know it exists). Obviously this ship would have more than an edge of ownership and manipulation about it, but they’re so deadly radiant and it’s like I can’t look away from them.

And Ty Lee is just so adorable and sincere (even with all the buried sadness) that shipping her with almost any of the other girls just makes my heart melt. Especially Katara, who would just cuddle the hell out of her whenever she’s feeling down. Or even Azula, who would totally own and work her but also, like, dazzle her. Main exception being Suki - for some reason, my head goes all kinds of hot, dirty places when I imagine Suki and Ty Lee sparring.

However, all this being said, I still have love for the canon ships that we got.

For example, like I said, I do ship Kataang, and I think together they’re incredibly sweet, but I also think that Katara’s tendency to hover and Aang’s tendency to (literally and metaphorically) fly away from/float above problems would jointly become a not-inconsiderable hurdle in a long-term relationship. Now I’ve observed couples in real life with similar dynamics, and I’ll stick out my neck and say that I consider this a workable hurdle, especially if both Katara and Aang grow in maturity and interpersonal understanding as they get older.

Similarly with Maiko: we see that, where Zuko’s emotions tend to run fire-hot, Mai’s tend to run ice-cold; we saw a clear example of these tendencies really clashing with each other. And Mai’s way of showing Zuko affection does seem to have genuinely perplexed some people who watched the show, to the point that they didn’t read it as affection at all. But again, drawing on what I’be observed, some couples really do develop a ‘love code’ that they understand even if literally no one else does. I don’t see any indication of either Mai or Zuko actually ill-using the other; and I will always stan this line from Mai when she made her big choice: I love Zuko more than I fear you.

As for Sukki - well, you already know. Sokka definitely grew and healed a lot from it, but I don’t think the trauma of being unable to protect Yue is one that will ever truly leave him. And as much as Suki understands him, I do think Sokka’s protectiveness will sometimes grate on her. She’s a motherfucking warrior-chieftain. And yes, this can definitely shape into a relational problem, but not one that can’t be worked around.

So ... TLDR, I love all the ships, and refuse to be part of the anti drama.

[mytholora]

do you hear my heart beating

Fandom: Mamamoo

Rated: T

Pairings: Moonsun

Characters: Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, Hwasa

Summary: Yongsun knows she’s an idiot but she’d thought herself to be an idiot with good ideas.

Yongsun knows she’s an idiot but she’d thought herself to be an idiot with good ideas.

They’re in a seedy club at some inhumane hour of the morning. Byulyi has somehow managed to convince her to go even though she’s got a paper due tomorrow and hasn’t washed her hair in 3 days.

“ISN’T THIS AMAZING?” Byulyi yells over the crowd of people wildly bumping their bodies into each other and the blaring music. It’s humid. Yongsun’s sure she’s stepped on something gross. At least 2 people have tried grinding on her, she doesn’t know. What she does know is that Byulyi’s holding her hand tight and she’s about to spontaneously combust.

“It’s really loud in here!”

“WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY?” Byul makes a pained face at her, stretching back to hear her better.

“WHAT Oh—never mind.” Yongsun sighs, realising that no matter how loud she shouts, Byulyi can’t hear her over the loud music. How is she supposed to flirt with Byulyi if they can’t even hear each other? Another body falls on her and Yongsun is this close to biting someone’s ear off. She grunts under the weight of a clearly inebriated body and struggles to push him back on his feet. Of course this fucking caveman has to fall on me, of all the people in this hellcave.

Suddenly, Byulyi appears in front of her and pushes the man off her.

“Hey, watch where you’re falling, asshole!” Byulyi snarls, anger flaring in her eyes, arms holding Yongsun closely, tightly, and Yongsun feels her face heat up as she presses herself closer to Byulyi’s frame.

“Thanks, bodyguard,” Yongsun breathes out.

“WHAT?”

“I said thanks!”

“WHAT?”

“Forget it!”

“...WHAT?”

“LET’S JUST GO!”

“I can’t hear you, let’s just go!” Byulyi pulls her arm to signal her to start moving and they start wading through the swamp of people once more. A light bulb flickers to life above Yongsun’s head instantly. They can barely hear themselves in the noise, much less each other. It’s an opportunity falling on her lap and Yongsun’s damned if she won’t take it.

She clears her throat. “Your hands really turn me on.”

Byulyi doesn’t even turn around to look at her, just keeps pushing forward through the crowd. Yongsun bites back laughter and squeezes Byulyi’s hand. She turns around at that, tilting her head in slight confusion, face sporting a grin. Yongsun shakes her head and they continue moving as glee at the prospect of what she can do in her current situation fills her up.

Walking deeper in still, the club gets louder and darker even though Yongsun didn’t think it was possible mere minutes ago.

“Hey, hot ass lady holding my hand,” Yongsun tries. “Could we go get some drinks before hitting the dance floor?” No reaction.

“You sexy beast. Hold me tight. Grab my tiddies and drag me into a kiss.”

Nothing. If Byulyi can hear her, she doesn’t show any indication that she does.

It’s even better than I thought, Yongsun thinks incredulously. She gives a tug to the hand that’s holding hers.

“Can we get a drink first?” She asks in her normal voice, not even trying to compete against the noise. Byulyi frowns and leans closer, lips forming a ‘what’. Yongsun smiles and gestures towards what distinctly looks like a bar and tilts her head back to mimic the act of drinking. Byulyi perks up, nods, and they head off to a new destination.

It’s a little quieter at the bar, the air still shaking with heavy bass, but Yongsun can actually hear her own thoughts now. A familiar beautiful woman with a smouldering gaze is already waiting for them at the bar, an eyebrow raised, and Yongsun fights back a blush when the woman glances between Byulyi and herself as they walk towards her.

“Surprise!” Byulyi yells and almost leaps across the counter to wrap the woman in a hug.

“How did you manage to find me? I barely started working, like, two days ago!” Hyejin laughs, arms going around to return the hug before pulling Yongsun into another smothering one.

“I have my sources!” Byulyi says and Hyejin rolls her eyes.

“Wheein! Of course.”

“Where is she anyway? She owes me 15 bucks!” Hyejin motions to somewhere behind her and not even a moment later, a young dimpled girl appears beside Hyejin and squeals, dragging all four of them into a group huddle.

“HELL YEAH! The gang’s back together for a night of booze and bad decisions!” She jumps around excitedly and Yongsun feels her heart melt at the sight. She glances at Hyejin and Byulyi and she’s sure she’s not the only one. They are all soft for Wheein and her bubbly energy.

“Making bad decisions won’t be a problem with how fucking LOUD this place is! Are the speakers busted or something?” Yongsun winces as the music somehow gets louder than before, a remix of some top 10 EDM song reverberating in her skull.

“We don’t really know why but the other bartenders tell us it’s the DJ! He always plays the music this loud just cuz it ‘sets him in the mood’!” Wheein explains and Byulyi rolls her eyes.

“What an asshole.”

“Right?! Most of the DJs we’ve met here are really nice but he’s the only one that’s a big meanie! Just earlier tonight he…” Wheein launches into a story and Byulyi listens attentively, straining her neck forward to pick up on Wheein’s excited chatter. Hyejin quickly fills up two mugs with some cheap beer for them and is off to respond to a customer calling for her. Byulyi sends a wink her way as thanks before focusing her attention back onto Wheein and her flailing arms.

Yongsun adores that part of Byulyi that is so attentive and pays attention to details. The one that tries her best to be inclusive. The one with so much kindness and care in her heart. It was a quality that attracted so many of her friends to her and helped her to easily make more.

“I love you so much,” Yongsun stares at Byulyi and the words slip out before she can stop it. A spike of anxiety stabs her before realising that it is too loud for anyone to pick up what she’s saying. “That jacket looks great around you but you know what would look better? Me.”

Byulyi doesn't react. She’s still listening attentively to Wheein’s enthusiastic storytelling. It’s a chance she can’t miss.

“You funky lesbian, why the fuck are you so perfect, huh? Wanna fight? Wanna sit on my face? I dare you. I’m so in love with you. I’m not even joking. I would lay my life down for you like a knight for her queen, except like, I don’t wanna die, so maybe not. I’d fight a man for you, though. I’d choke all the men in the world for you. Fuck, you look so good. Marry me.”

Yongsun is on a roll, spitting out cheesy compliments and flirty pick-up lines. She says it to no-one in particular, keeping her eyes on the hyper duo next to her as she nurses her drink in one hand.

That is, until she realises her phone has been incessantly buzzing in her pocket. It’s enough to get her to take it out and look through her notifications.

Hyegi: oi

Hyegi: im on the other side

Hyegi: bitch dont ignore me look here

Hyegi: are u talking to yourself or smth wat the fuck

Hyegi: who you talking to

Hyegi: oh my god

Hyegi: SKJSHDSJFH

Hyegi: omg u hopeless gay

Hyegi: sit on your face???

Hyegi: yong pls

Hyegi: pls do not start fighting here i dont wanna be fired

Hyegi: im begging you pls stop

Hyegi: o fuk that’s so NSFW im gagging

Hyegi: bicth

Hyegi: thicc byulssy???? UVE GONE TOO FAR

Hyegi: HELLO!! LOOK HERE ASSHOLE!!!

Yongsun is absolutely mortified. Her eyes quickly dart to where Hyejin is leaning against the counter a few metres away, smoothly typing away on her phone, as if she didn’t just ruin Yongsun’s entire night in a few texts. Hyejin glances up to look at her and smirks. Yongsun's fight or flight response is fully activated and screaming at her to somehow knock Hyejin unconscious and make her lose all memory of tonight.

Yong: FUCK

Yong: dkjfhsljdfh

Yong: what the fuck

Hyegi: calm down

Yong: im gonna fukcking

Yong: what the FUCK

Hyegi: CHILL i wont tell

Yong: i will die on the spot if you do

Hyegi: please dont

Yong: DIE you hear me

Hyegi: I WONT I SWEAR

Yong: this whole time

Yong: how

Yong: did you bug me with a mic

Hyegi: what?? no i can lip read

Yong: how? since when??? what the fuck

Hyegi: took a course back in college

Yong: why

Hyegi: i wanted to be a spy

Yong: uh

Yong: ok

Yong: anyway pls dont spill

Hyegi: chillax i wont. I got u babe

Yong: thanks ily

Hyegi: ily too

Hyegi: also u are one giant horndog u know that?? fuckin intense!!

Yong: and what about it? she’s hot. im hot. we’re perfect for each other

Hyegi: LMAO right so why u seducing thin air

Yong: im just

Yong: building up my offense u know

Yong: training to fight fire with fire

Hyegi: by talking to the air

Yong: im TRAINING u fool

Yong: im like zuko and she’s azula because im gonna take her down

Yong: except we’re not siblings and i wanna date her

Hyegi: fuck u dont ruin that show for me

Yong: im not supporting incense im just saying they were both hot

Hyegi: incense im its incest u illiterate

Hyegi: ok look if i give u another drink on the house will u PLEASE shut the fuck up

Yong: a nicer one please

Yong: thanks

Yong: also zutara should have been endgame

Hyegi: dont test me because i will throw this drink in ur face

Yongsun laughs and looks up only to see Wheein gone and Byulyi staring at her and smiling. She feels her heart jump out her chest and tries to not let it show. She raises an eyebrow and Byulyi shakes her head and takes another swig of her now finished beer. Hyejin walks up to them with Yongsun’s drink on the house.

“Hey, how come she gets another one?!” Byulyi pouts, shifting closer to Yongsun and her new drink.

“What can I say? I’m a natural charmer!” Yongsun shrugs, a teasing lilt in her voice, which makes Byulyi pout even more. Hyejin rolls her eyes and walks away. Yongsun realises that it’s just her and Byulyi now. She clears her throat uncomfortably, unprepared to face Byulyi one-on-one, despite all the ‘training’ she’s undergone.

“Holy shit, I love this song! For a shitty DJ, he’s got pretty good taste in music!” Byulyi perks up. She gets off her chair and sways to the song now playing through the speakers. Yongsun watches awkwardly as Byulyi dances without a care in front of her.

She thinks she’s disassociating. In another dimension.

Byulyi? Sexy dancing in front of her as she sits and watches? Not even trying to escape? Absolutely unheard of.

She’d already be running for the hills on a normal day.

I’m too fucking gay for this shit. Is this happening? Is this really happening? What the fuck.

Yongsun doesn’t budge an inch on her seat, doesn’t even grab her drink. Her eyes watch Byulyi intensely, expression unchanging as the younger girl dances without a care in the world, unaware of the quickly deteriorating mess that is Yongsun’s sanity. Byulyi’s eyes lock with hers and she feels something important escape her body.

Her phone buzzes again and again and Yongsun forces herself to tear her eyes away from the spectacle that is Byulyi and respond to it.

Hyegi: u lesbian

Hyegi: SHUT UP ur sex eyes are so obvious

Hyegi: U look like u are one blink away from pushing her down!! Fuck

Hyegi: i cant deal with this

Hyegi: remember to use protection xoxo hwasa

Yongsun rolls her eyes. Her phone buzzes again. What now?

---

Wheenie: byul-unnie

Wheeinie: i got him to play the song u wanted

Wheeinie: r u sure dis will work

Wheeinie: make sure u do wat we discussed

Wheeinie: unnie u luk v intense

Wheeinie: ya work those sexy moves

Wheein: sway ur hips more!! bat ur eyes!!

Wheeinie: she looks turned on as fUK keep doing it

Wheeinie: lmao she’s looking here?? move closer

Wheeinie: get more in her face!! blast ur hormones! show her ur willing and ready!!!

Wheeinie: wait

Wheeinie: OH FUCK

from this shitpost of mine

after more than a year here i am...... my measly attempt at comedy..

comments r appreciated and criticism even more so because i get turned on by both

[unwiltingblossom]

But then you are contradicting yourself then; if you say that in Japan the woman gets the man she loved not the other way around then Mai did loved Zuko and so did Katara loved Aang. According to that, it worked fine. And about sasusaku and zutara being similar, their similarities just end at aesthetics only. Don't get me wrong, I ship sasusaku hard and perhaps might have ship zutara if the show was stretched, but Zutara is actually pretty dark. There's just too much rift that needs to be ....

cleared that the 100 year war brought. Then differences in lifestyle like Zuko belonging from the imperial lifestyle while Katara coming from tribal land.  That wouldn’t have fit well. And the bond; Sasuke and Sakura knew each other since childhood. They shared the happier times. That wasn’t the case with Zutara. They started off pretty bad to the point that Zuko ended up nearly killing Aang. The piece you wrote was certainly enlightening and very informative but to compare Sasusaku with Zutara             

Side characters don’t count like that. That said, I did account for Mai, as she is the ‘damaged’ and ‘woman of inferior morals’ that the ‘damaged’ Zuko deserves.  This is similar to if Sasuke had ended up with Karin. Basically, the men need to be ‘good enough’ for the girl, if they’re not the paragon of virtue (the hero), they get a woman who isn’t as ‘good’ as the heroine. This obviously doesn’t really apply in a canon that lacks ‘good guy hero, good girl heroine, bad boy rival/support’ element, but you can see it even in unlikely places, such as X-Men (Scott will always get Jean in the end because he’s the boyscout, while Logan is the bad boy whose love will never measure up to Scott’s, due to his looser morals).

As for Katara loving Aang…  e h h. She falls squarely in the ‘hero earns her love by being a good hero’ square. As Aang hits checkpoints of strength or advances on his hero’s journey, Katara has moments of ‘oh no he’s hot’ or similar. This culminates in him confronting her about his feelings right before the end of the series and her rejecting him on the basis of being ‘confused’. Cue finale, where Aang completes his journey and saves the world. Katara immediately seeks him out and kisses him, resolving her confusion offscreen. Conclusion: her confusion was settled because he completed the prerequisites to unlock her ending.

As for Zutara being darker than Sasusaku…once again… e h h.

I can’t really presume to argue with authority against someone who actually knows the fandom, but I’m going to say what I know of it anyway, and if I’m wrong you or others can correct me.

1- Zuko and Katara are not 100 years old, therefore you cannot project the tensions of the entire war on their relationship and simply say it can’t work under those pretenses. It’s an unfair measurement they appear to overcome in the course of their on-screen relationship anyway.

1b- Sakura is a hardcore village loyalist who is never given any reason to question the Leaf dammit kishimoto and Sasuke views - not completely incorrectly - the village as collectively at fault for the total massacre of his family. While he does change his perspective to ‘the shinobi system as a whole is at fault’, the reason they end up on opposite sides for a while is an extremely personal trauma to Sasuke,  and part of the hatred and oppression of the Uchiha that stretched back to the village’s founding.

2- Zuko being royalty and Katara being tribal doesn’t appear to be a real concern? Do they often butt heads and find themselves incompatible with each other due to this difference of raising? Even if so, would this reasoning not equally apply to Kataang, as Katara comes from a hunting and gathering tribal system, while Aang comes from a peaceful and serene temple monk lifestyle? 

2b- If we consider different raising to be important, then we have to consider the differences between Sasuke and Sakura’s raising. Sasuke is essentially the younger prince of the Uchiha and a genius, with incredible talent that everyone (except his father, at least by his perception) believes means he will OF COURSE end up with some legendary or amazing status…until he’s seven, when his beloved older brother inexplicably goes insane, murders the entire clan including their parents, then forces Sasuke to live through watching those murders repeatedly before abandoning him because he’s ‘not worth killing’. He then lives in his empty home where his parents died, all alone, from that point until joining Team 7. Sakura, on the other hand, has completely normal and unremarkable parents no one knows or cares about. She’s bullied as a child because her forehead is big and she’s timid, until Ino befriends her and teaches her to be tough. For the most part, Sakura doesn’t really have a traumatic childhood like Sasuke does, and she doesn’t truly understand the isolation and pain he suffers until he leaves. When it comes to different backstories, they have quite a rift.

3 - It’s true, they do start out as enemies, but Sasuke and Sakura become enemies, and I don’t know if Zuko and Katara are ever seconds away from outright killing each other and need intervention. I don’t deny that Sasuke and Sakura have a deeper bond to begin with, but there is certainly plenty of angst and hostility between them during the time that they are enemies, despite the fact that both of them love each other and are suppressing it. 

4 - Does Zuko almost kill Aang to the tune of puncturing his lung with his fist and leaving him to bleed out, almost call down a giant lightning storm to kill him, poison him almost to death, or get into such a brutal and long lasting beat down that he blows off Aang’s arm and then nearly kills him through sheer exhaustion and (again) blood loss? I legitimately don’t know the answer to this. However, if the answer is no, I don’t think Zuko ‘almost killed’ Aang as hard as Sasuke ‘almost killed’ Naruto. Therefore, this shouldn’t count as a point against him in a debate over whether Zutara is darker than Sasusaku.

Now, I’m not saying that one is better than the other. I’m not saying they’re identical. My only point here, really, is to show that at least from what I can see…Zutara is not particularly darker than Sasusaku. Yes, Zuko and Katara began as enemies and Sasuke and Sakura didn’t, no Sasuke didn’t ever kidnap her and had to be deeply provoked to try to kill her, but considering how much time is dedicated to moving Katara and Zuko to a point where their relationship has grown beyond that (even as platonic friends, the point still remains the same), I don’t see the reason to hold it against them.

I also said in the post itself that they aren’t identical, merely that they ‘have the same energy’ and that there are some direct parallels between them, so that it’s close enough to make this observation.

Your second ask seems to end abruptly, like there should be a third, but I don’t see one and I have waited a bit to be sure.

Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on any Zuko and Katara points, but from what I have seen, addressing your specific points, I don’t see the rift between the ships that you do, and would be surprised to find anyone who strongly OTPs Sasusaku and Kataang and NOTPs Narusaku and Zutara.

[asongstress1422]

A Lady's Warning

Zutara Fanfic – Part 5 of Bride from the Water Tribe

Summary: Katara was taken to the Northern Water Tribe by her grandmother; she was to be protected at all cost, for she was the last of the Southern Water. Once they got there, the North refused to teach her trying to strip her of her worth and turn her into what they wanted, a calm biddable healer to birth the next generation. They failed. And so as punishment they sent her to be a political bride to the Fire Nation.   Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4 AO3

As the dinner wore on, Arnook and the other Tribesmen kept their tablemates entertained,  interlaying talks of economic growth and trade with grander stories of past Hunts. That is, they kept the men entertained, the wives and daughters were too well bred not to be disgusted, or too entranced, to put a stop to the story of a man getting his stomach ripped out by a polar bear dog.  

“And you, Lady Katara,” one of the younger sons of the Kazen House seated next to her asked, amber eyes heated with an emotion that made Katara’s skin crawl, “have you ever been on  hunt?”

A memory floated up, like memories were want to do when triggered; mostly forgotten til suddenly clear. Katara was five, or there about, and father was taking her brother Sokka out for his first hunt and she had refused to be left behind.

It is still early in the season, Hakoda, she remembered her mother's voice laughingly taking her side, one failed hunt will not cause issue. She still remembered the shock on everyone’s faces when her father had thrown the spear in the pristine blanket of snow Katara had indicated and dug out a skewered white rabbit-fox. She remembered being so proud of those mitten’s her father had made for her.

Arnook’s seething voice interrupted her thoughts. “We do not allow our women to go out on hunts,” he told the boy in controlled derision. “Their presence disrupts the prey and makes it harder on the men. Their place is in the home.”

Katara fought a sneer. Her tongue clenched between her teeth as several of the earth nobility nod in agreement to the Water Chief's words. It was something she never understood, this faulty reasoning that denied half a people based on perceived inability. In the South every person had a duty to provide for the tribe in whatever capacity they could. Katara’s own mother’s aim with a spear second to none and before the snows closed in she would go on the last few hunts. Yes it was dangerous but it was no more dangerous then when her father went out. It was how the tribe survived.

The Kazen boy’s eyes rolled over her wishfully once more before he turned back to the other’s conversation, leaving Katara ignored in the room full of people.

After dinner the guests once more mingled with one another.

There was no hiding the main point of all the pomp and circumstance was to see that the Heir to the Fire Nation got a wife. Noble families from all over the world had gathered with the goal of marrying their eligible daughters into the best position imaginable. And while every girl and her family wanted a crown, anyone who had clung to power through the century long war would not let themselves be blinded to the fact that there were twenty other families vying for it as well. So while all the candidates simpered and flirted with the Crown Prince, their parents were cultivating second or even third avenues into high enough noble houses to cut the sting of not nabbing the golden goose.

Chief Arnook was playing the game one step further. Actively seeking a Fire Noble to give Katara too but, as it was not for something as noble as marriage, he did not have to cast his net on only eligible sons.

“She is rather eztotic.” The eyes that raked over Katara were predatory.

The current head of the Kaminari House  was here with his wife and four children. Katara had seen them in passing on several occasions as the they had arrived even earlier then she and her people had. The eldest daughter Lady Sai, who was maybe a year older than Katara, was the clan’s candidate. A quiet, reserved beauty that sadly trailed Lady Choe’s and her entourage. He had also brought two other daughters, the youngest being fifteen, both a bit more outgoing then Sai, in hopes of tempting the prince.

The man’s son and heir had also joined the family in the capital. He had the same look in his eye as his father as he and several other young lords prowled the palace.

“She,” Katara growled cooly, feeling her blood boil, “has a name.”

Arnook grabbed her arm, bearing down with considerable pressure. A warning. “My apologies for her behavior,” he smiled conspiratorially with the other man. “She is spirited.”

“Spirited can be fun,” the man raised his cup to his lips, “if it is controlled correctly.”

Fear burned through Katara’s righteous anger. She could feel the liquor in his cup, feel as he swallowed and it rushed down into his stomach. Asking her, begging her, to shape it to her will. To use it in anyway she saw fit.

Nauseous, she tore herself from Arnook’s hold. Uncaring of the eyes that were on her or the people she ran into, she shoved her way though the crowd. Her breath clawing its way out of her throat in ragged pants, vision cutting in and out. Once second all she saw was the the bright, elegant, fire nation party where people looked at her and thought ‘barbarian’. The next was the cold, dark stretch of ice where she proved she was one.

She had no idea were she was going knowing only that she need to put as much distance between herself and the insidious temptation that rolled through her body.

Outside, the little voice inside her head urged on a calming whisper . The rightness of the idea had her stumbling through an exit.

The soft wind brought with it the tang of salt that centered her firmly in the present. The moon hung big and ripe against the black velvet sky and she was thankful she did not have to spend another one of Tui’s nights on the ocean. Katara could still hear the party going on inside but it was so much easier to ignore, the noise further tempered as she stepped off the wooden porch into the tranquility of the flower garden. Closing her eyes Katara tilted her face up relishing in the stillness after so much sensory input.

The blending of past and present sensations, the coolness of the air and the smell of sea in the dark, helped Katara get the best of her anxiety. Allowed her grab hold of the memories and push them down where they were back out of sight. Where she did not have to remember the monster she had let herself become. Was still tempted to become.

“I thought it was only water-benders that felt the moon’s call,” Katara looked up to see Lady Chou sashaying down the stairs into her sanctuary, “but it seems all you people have ties to it. How primitive.”

She was in an elegant amber dress embroidered with hundreds of blood-red roses that accented the curve of her body and matched the color of the tint on her lips. It was a more modern dress, sleeveless with a delicate scooped neckline that showed her arms and collar bone to advantage. Katara had overheard more than one woman growl over its beauty.

“I’m here to offer you some friendly advice.” Her smile was fake, the fury in her eyes was not, as she came to a stop infront of Katara. “You will never marry Prince Zuko. He will marry a Fire Nation woman. You, and all the other women, are here only as a show of good faith. So do not press your luck.”

Katara was rather surprised that the Hotaru candidate was insecure enough to be issuing threats so early in the game.

The Hotarus were a powerful family well known for their firebending. Lady Chou was not recorded as having the power of her ancestors but she was comfortably in the seventh percentile of bending ranks; strong enough to produce small controlled bursts of flames but tired too easily to put forth the energy required for stronger forms. Not that it detracted from her overall score in the marriage mart. With the ties to her house and potential power pass on to future  conquerors she was still a decent enough choice for the Crown Prince.

Katara frowned. Why would this woman risk showing her weakness when-- then it hit her, “you do not believe the prince will choose you either, do you?”

It was hard to tell if the lady paled in the faint light but she did lose some of her loveliness as her face contorted in a sneer. “How dare you speak to me like that, you dirty little water peasant.”

Katara sighed. She hoped for his own sake that the Fire Prince chose a mate with more control. Shaking her head she turned away. “Go away, little firefly, I do not have the stomach to be the balm for your ego.”

“You dare to turn your back to me!” There was a hiss and the orange glow of fire cast the the bushes of periwinkle flowers in sharp relief.

Katara spun, sinking into a defensive crouch keeping her eyes on her opponent. Reflexively her hands went to her waist but the waterskin she carried for half her life was gone. That brief fumble kept her from destroying all the Water Tribe’s carefully laid plans as a figure stepped out of the shadows.

“Lady Chou!”

“Prince Zuko,” she gasped, quickly dropping her fist and extinguishing the flames as she slapped her gilded mask back into place.  

The prince stepped between the two women, his back mostly to Katara as he glared at his countrywoman. “You know bending is not to be use as a weapon on palace grounds unless you are in an Agni Kai. You also know, as Lady Katara is not a bender, she can not be challenged. What do you have to say for yourself for threatening one of my guests?”

The woman’s mouth gaped like a fish, eyes flickering between Katara and the prince. Any thing she could have said would have only landed her in even hotter waters and she new it.

Katara only wanted this over and done with. Stepping from around his back, she bowed her head to the prince, bringing up her clasped hands inside her trailing silk sleeves. “It was my fault, Fire Prince, I spoke out of turn. Lady Chou was merely defending her honor.”

She turn to the Fire Lily and bowed again. “Lady Chou, I meant no offence with my careless words. I humbly beg your forgiveness.” Katara straightened, a thread of iron lining her voice in a way only another woman would hear. “However if you find the slight too great for forgiveness I would accept your challenge of an Agni Kai. Though I am not a firebender I am skilled in combat. I would bring no shame to either of our names in such a fight.”

As a threat it was well done. Katara was not backing down but giving her opponent the chance to look merciful, while also threatening her with a loss of victory if it came down to it. It could only benefit the both of them if Lady Chou chose to take the white flag and she knew it too.

“No, Lady Katara, the fault is mine.” Though she did not like it, the fire lady accepted the peace flag, her words and smile sickly sweet. “You are ignorant of our culture and I was too quick to anger over an unknown slight. An aspect not fitting to my position as Daughter to the Horatu to a foreign dignitary. Please forgive me.” The fire nation girl bowed, keeping her head a half inch higher than Katara’s, granting herself a higher social rank.

“Without hesitation, Lady Chou.” With a biting smile Katara bowed the exact same height she had done before, showing the girl she saw the shallow bow as the slight it was ment and simply did not care.

“Lady Chou, I’m sure your father is looking for you.” The prince’s voice was coldly proper as he issued the thinly veiled dismissal.

Fire flared in Lady Chou’s eyes. This little bout showed that she was quick to anger and retaliate, a facet not good in a post-war Fire Lady, and her look said she blamed Katara for bring it out in her. She would need to do a lot of back pedaling to recover the ground she had lost this night with the prince. With a properly executed curtsy the Horatu’s bridal candidate left without another word.

Once the other woman had disappeared back into the palace the Fire Prince turned to Katara and bowed, head lower than even her’s had been to Lady Chou.

“I am sorry one of mine thought to bring you harm.” Katara looked over him with cool eyes, hoping to hid her discomfort at having anyone bow to her like that. She watched him swallow and realised he was nervous though his voice did not betray him. “If your people would give me the chance to see that this will not happen again, I would consider it a great honor.”

Oh. He was not bowing as a show of respect, he worried about a retaliation from her people. For some reason it was easier to accept that he was trying to placate her, made the guilty feeling in her chest fade.

“Do as you will, the others will hear nothing from me.” She turned her from him facing once more the ethereally painted gardens. “I am sure your guests are missing you.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him stiffen.

“I am sure you are right.” There was a bite in his voice when he bowed to her again, shallower this time; a prince to a commoner. “I bid you good evening, Lady Kaszka, I mean, Lady Katara .”

She listened to his heavy tread up the wooden steps as he marched his way back to the party. Yes, he was well and truly riled. A joyless smile curled her lips with only the moon there to witness it.

The next day signified the start of the pattern that would become the bridal candidate’s lives.  

Morning and evening meals were to be given over to the Crown Prince, a way to get to know the women on an individual basis. Dinners were the more coveted option as they were the longer, typically more formal, meal. The line up was almost solidly saved for the Fire Lilies a few well connected Earth Kingdom women thrown in for appearances sake. Breakfasts were relegated to everyone else, including Katara who was schedule for two and a half weeks away. The morning meal had the tendencies of being rushed as the bridal candidates were set to meet for as a group activity at nine the morning.

Katara was not keen on it, seeing it nothing more than a waste of everyone’s time, though it would keep Arnook’s showings of her relegated to the not already scheduled times. Either the mid-afternoons, the hottest part of the day when few people wanted to be out, or to the early evenings, when everybody who was anyone already had other engagements. She was hopeful the new time constraints would keep that ship in the bay for a while longer. Though she knew that sooner rather then later it would put into dock and she would need to deal with it.

The Candidates first activity as a group had been a walk through the gardens, for which the palace had a plethora. As the walked through the flowers, the women played one upman games between themselves to keep the prince’s attention, flirting shamelessly when they had it.

Katara had distanced herself from that, more fascinated by the plants. There was a forest deep in the High North but, just like the spirit oasis, it was a sacred place not meant for humans. Here the sheer variety of flowers and of food producing plants was mind boggling.

Nivedita, the serving woman that had first made Katara feel welcome in the palace, was one of the dozen attendants there to fetch drinks and hold umbrellas for the nobility. She was kind enough to trail after answering all of the questions the young water tribe girl had that she could. When one of the other Ladys called her off to run an errand she left her in the capable hands of her cousin, Shanna, who was far more knowledgeable on the carefully tended plots of kitchen vegetables and rows of fruit trees.

The next day was a quick guided tour through the palace led by the the prince himself. And by quick, Katara was sure there were some points where his rapid pace had forced a few of the Lilies into a jog to keep up. He pointed out the sights, spewing historically significant trivia as fast as he could mouth the words. Not that he gave the other candidates time to actually look at the pieces with the pace he set. The few questions some of the more courageous women ventured to ask were curtly answered as he marched them past.

The pieces he brought to notice were all ones Katara had seen before. Tapestries, vases, and few ornate ceremonial pieces of armor and weaponry that were in the main clutch of the very public Entrance Hall. She knew there were more interesting items deeper in the palace, protected more by their obscure locations then any security measure. Like the Dragon Fang blade that held a place of honor in the library. The tapestry that hung above the War Room, hundreds of years old but still so vibrant in color, that told the story of a fallen star that created the Fire Islands and the First People. (The Water Tribe had a similar story passed down in the oral tradition. Though in theirs it was a piece of the moon that fell and gave the great orca’s, animals touched by Tui and La, the ability to transform themselves to live on shore.) Or the jade teapot that was painstakingly carved with the visage of a coiling dragon, the marker claiming it predated the first Fire Lord, that sat in a sheltered alcove in the west wing.

Instead of even hinting at any of these, the prince made a tight circle going only a hallway deeper than the foyer before depositing them in the same place. The women were shocked when after the fifteen minute sprint he bowed himself out claiming urgent business.

Katara was happy with the extra few hours this early breakup gave her before Arnook began to wonder where she was.

Breakfast on the third day came with a note.