#prep katara

[stardust948]

Prep Katara x Punk Zuko picrew

[the-badger-mole]

Kindness of Strangers

Please pick up

I'm busy

I know, but this is an emergency

With shaking hands, Zuko found Mai's number and pressed the call button. It rang twice before her voicemail picked up. Zuko groaned and almost started crying.

Mai, pick up Seriously, it's an emergency I don't got out that often zuko. You can't let me have ONE night? Mai I think i need to go to the hospital My stomach. I think it's food poisoning or something Your stomach ache? Seriously? You're a big boy. You can handle an upset tummy Drink some tea

Zuko groaned again. It felt like something solid and hot was burning through his intestine. He tried calling Mai again. This time it only rang once before he was sent to voicemail.

Leave me alone! If you call again, I'm blocking you

Zuko dialed Mai once more. Sure enough, it went right to voicemail this time. She'd done it. Zuko felt bile rising in his throat along with panic. His uncle was out of town. Haru, his only other friend didn't have a car. An ambulance was out of the question. His father had removed him from the family insurance policy, and though his uncle was working on the details to add Zuko to his own insurance, that wouldn't kick in until the following month at least. All Zuko had in the meantime was the student insurance the university provided, and it didn't cover ambulance rides. That left just one option.

The unsteadiness of his legs was a bad sign. As was the way his stomach roiled in protest at the movement. The hospital wasn't far, though, Zuko reasoned. He made it to his door, then he stumbled out into the hall, not even bothering with his shoes. He heard a gasp, and realized his neighbor across the hall was there.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Zuko shook his head. Then, he doubled over and puked onto the tile floor. The neighbor-Zuko recalled he'd heard someone call her Katara.

"My stomach," Zuko groaned, clutching his side. Katara rushed over and tried to help him stand, but the pain wouldn't let him stand upright. He felt a cool hand against his forehead. Then is jerked away with a gasp.

"You need to go to the hospital!" Katara said. She pulled out her phone, but Zuko groaned and tried to stop her.

"No ambulance," he insisted miserably. "Can't afford it." Katara hesitated, and Zuko knew she was debating calling anyway. Finally she sighed and slipped his arm around her shoulders, and helped him into the elevator and into the parking lot.

"Don't you dare throw up in my car," she muttered, strapping him into the passenger seat of a small, blue sedan. She slid into the driver's seat and reached into the back. Zuko was vaguely aware of some rustling, but he didn't know what it meant until Katara passed him an empty plastic bag. She peeled out of the parking lot and raced the two miles to the hospital. The large, white building was in sight when Zuko made good use of the plastic bag. He was still clutching it minutes later when Katara helped him out of the car and into the emergency room.

The next bit was a blur. He was brought back to triage almost immediately where it was discovered he had a ruptured appendix. The words emergency surgery were the last words he heard clearly before he was being stripped, shaved and prepped for the OR. This, he would later decide, was a blessing. He hated hospitals, and this visit would've sent him into an anxiety spiral. As it was, he still had a moment of panic when he woke up attached to an IV and several upsetting sounding monitors, but the panic fizzled into confusion when he realized he wasn't alone in the room. Across from him, in the chair, his neighbor sat curled up under a thin blanket.

She must have felt him staring because she stirred, and then looked up at him. She blinked in confusion, trying to understand where she was and why, Zuko guessed. Then she smiled at him sleepily.

"The doctor said you'd be out a while," she told him. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I...yeah," Zuko said. He was fine, at the moment, though, he could feel the dull ache emanating from his side from where they'd taken his appendix out. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't know who to call," Katara explained. "I thought you would probably prefer not to wake up in a hospital room alone. They said it was fine if I stayed."

"Oh..." Zuko eyes fell to his hand, to the needle and tube stuck into his skin. Whatever the IV was delivering seemed to be working. He was already feeling the haze of sleepiness creeping back in. "Thank you."

"No problem." Katara smiled warmly. "Is there someone you want me to call? I have your phone."

"Did..." Zuko swallowed hard. "Did anyone call me?" Katara glanced down at his phone and shook her head.

"No," she said. "You've only been here about three or so hours, though." Zuko sighed and let his head fall back. Mai hadn't called. He was irritated, but also a bit...relieved? That surprised him.

"Can you call my uncle?" he asked. He told Katara his passcode. As he drifted to sleep, he heard her telling his uncle that he was fine, and had already come out of surgery.

The next time he woke, the sun was up, and he was once again not alone. Iroh sat in the chair across from him, worry lines etched deep in his face. His entire body unclenched with relief when he saw Zuko open his eyes. He was, Zuko surmised, thinking of the last time he'd sat in a hospital room with his nephew.

"How are you feeling, Zuko?" he asked. He came up to Zuko's side and placed a hand on his wrist, careful not to disturb the medicine drip.

"Like lukewarm garbage," Zuko sighed. The events of the night before caught up to him and he jolted up, looking around. "Where's...?"

"That lovely young woman who brought you in?" Iroh chuckled. "She offered to stay, but she looked like she could use some rest. Very kind of her to sit with you."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed. Iroh cast him a sly look, one that Zuko was too heavily medicated to take heed of.

"She's very pretty, too," he commented offhandedly. "Even after spending the night sleeping in a hospital chair."

"She's too young for you," Zuko snorted.

"Indeed!" Iroh agreed emphatically. "But...she is just the right age for a handsome young man who happens to be studying at the same school and lives in the same building as her. One who now owes her a nice thank you dinner. One into whose phone I took the liberty of programing her number, and who should definitely call and let her know how he's doing."

"Uncle," Zuko groaned.

"I did tell her you would let her know you're okay," Iroh said. "I'm just saying."

"I'm dating Mai." That brought back the earlier portion of the night. Zuko looked around and grabbed his phone. Surely Mai had called him at some point. There was nothing from her. He tried calling her, but it still went straight to voicemail.

"Something wrong?" Iroh asked. Zuko sighed and shook his head.

"No, uncle. Nothing at all."

Zuko didn't hear from Mai until the following day. He hadn't tried to reach out to her again, so he didn't know when she had unblocked him. Suddenly, his phone started ringing and her name and picture showed up.

"Hello?" Zuko said groggily. He had been taken off the pain medication, but the effects hadn't worn off yet.

"Why is your door unlocked?" Mai asked. "Where are you?" Anger boiled up in Zuko's body, unhindered by the lingering drugs.

"The hospital," he told her dryly. "My appendix ruptured." He had at least the satisfaction of hearing her gasp.

"What hospital are you at?" she asked. "How long have you been there?"

"I've been here since I called you to tell you I needed to go to the hospital," Zuko snapped. Mai let out an irritated huff.

"Well, I would've come if you'd told me it was that serious," she said. "It just sounded like you were overreacting about a stomach flu! Where are you? When are you getting checked out?"

"They're discharging me tomorrow," Zuko told her.

"Do you need a ride home?" Mai asked.

"It's taken care of," he said, shortly. "Uncle's coming to get me, so you don't have to bother about it."

"Why are you being so bratty about this?" Mai demanded. "I said I was sorry!" She hadn't, but Zuko chose not to point that out.

"Where were you?" he asked instead.

"Out with friends." That answered absolutely nothing, but the tone of her voice told Zuko that was all the answer he would get.

"Whatever," he huffed. Mai was silent on the other end for a long moment.

"You want me to bring some food?" she asked. She sounded unusually subdued. "I can bring you something at the hospital, or I can make something for when you get back, tomorrow."

"It's fine," Zuko sighed. "I'm staying with Uncle for a few days."

"Are you going to be all mopey about this?" Mai demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Zuko turned his head to scowl at his phone.

"You're doing that woe-is-me, kicked puppy voice you do," Mai said. "I'm sorry I didn't rush over when you called, but I had been drinking, so it's not like I would've been able to take you anyway."

"So instead of saying that, you blocked me?" Zuko's grip on the phone tightened, and he resisted the urge to hurl it across the room. Surely it shouldn't be this hard being in a relationship. Surely it shouldn't be a battle to get his girlfriend to be sympathetic to him after he almost died and needed emergency surgery. The machine monitoring his heartrate started making an alarmed beeping noise, and Zuko forced himself to take a deep breath.

"You know what?" Mai said quietly. "I'm going to let you go. Clearly you need some rest."

"Mai-"

"See you later, Zuko."

The call dropped. Mai had hung up on him again. Zuko's heartrate dropped to it's normal pace.

Mai didn't call again after that, and Zuko didn't call either. She sent him a few texts during the time that he was at his uncle's house recovering. He sent her very short responses. He was fine. He would be home after his stiches were removed.

A day or two into his stay, another message came through.

Hey Just wanted to see how you were doing This is Katara, by the way. Your neighbor Your uncle gave me your number Hope that's ok

Zuko was fine with it, it turned out. More fine than a man with a girlfriend should be, maybe.

When he finally returned to his apartment, his first call was to let Mai know hie was home. She didn't live far, and she wasn't busy. Fifteen minutes later, she was at his door, looking sullen and bored.

"Glad to see you're okay," she said.

"Yeah." Zuko led her into the apartment and sat at the table. Uncle had left him with cookies, among other assorted reheatable dishes. He offered one to Mai. She declined. Then there was nothing else to stall with.

"Why did you block me?" he asked Mai. There was no heat in his voice, no anger. He genuinely wanted to know. Mai scowled at him.

"Seriously? You're not over that yet?"

"I just want to know why," Zuko pressed.

"You were bugging me," Mai shrugged carelessly. "I was out with friends, and I thought you were just trying to get me to leave early."

"When have I ever done that to you?" Indignation flashed through Zuko, hot and bright. Mai just shrugged again. She sat back in her seat and folded her arms.

"I'm sorry, alright?" she huffed. "Can you just drop it now?" Zuko leaned back and studied Mai. He had been with her for five years. She was his first ever high school girlfriend. Had she always been so dismissive?

"I needed you," he said. That made Mai roll her eyes skyward.

"I promise it won't happen again," she said. Zuko shut his eyes and shook his head.

He had other questions. Lots of them. For one thing it occurred to him that she might be cheating, and the reason she refused to answer or come to him when he called was because she was busy with some other guy. It wouldn't have been the first time. He could ask and give her a chance to lie about it. He could even pretend to believe her. Or she might be telling the truth and he was wrong about her cheating. It didn't matter, he realized suddenly. Her answer didn't matter, so he wouldn't ask.

"It won't happen again," he agreed at last. "Mai... I think we should break up."

Zuko's next call was to Katara. The day after his messy break up with Mai, having cleaned up the remains of his cookies and the plate they were on, Zuko dialed Katara's number.

"Hello?" she said, sounding uncertain.

"Hey...um...Zuko here." Zuko's face flushed hotly when he heard her giggle on the other end.

"I know," she said. "I have your number, remember? How are you doing? Are you back?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm back. I'm feeling a lot better. A little sore, but I can get around."

"I'm glad to hear it." And she sounded genuinely glad. "You didn't have to do all that to meet me, though. You could've just knocked on my door and said hi."

"And waste an opener like puking my guts and almost dying in your car?" Zuko was rewarded with another giggle. She had a nice laugh, he thought. It was so easy to talk to her.

"It was a memorable opener, I'll give you that," she said, laughing again.

"Yeah." Zuko swallowed hard against his suddenly dry mouth. "I was actually calling to thank you. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't been here."

"Don't worry about it," Katara said. "I'm just glad I was able to help."

"Yes, well..." Zuko chided himself for being such a coward, and he forced his next words out. "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me. To thank you! To say thanks for saving my life."

"Zuko, you don't owe me anything," Katara said gently. Zuko's heart fell into his stomach.

"Oh...I just thought I'd offer." He tried to keep his tone even and friendly as he hit his forehead with his other hand. Stupid. This was a stupid, stupid idea. "If you're not interested, I understand."

"I didn't say I wasn't interested," Katara said quietly. "Just that you don't owe me. I-I wouldn't mind having dinner with you. Just...you know, not as an obligation you think you owe me."

"Oh..."

Oh!

"What if it's not an obligation?" Zuko asked. "What if-I'm asking because I think you're kind and pretty and I'd like to get to know you better?"

Katara went silent for what felt like a nerve-wrackingly long time, but was likely just a few short seconds. Then she said the three sweetest words Zuko thought he'd ever heard.

"It's a date."

[punkeropercyjackson]

Punk culture is fundamentally misunderstood in fandoms because the most popular modern Atla headcanons are that Zuko would be a teenage dirtbag who's an outcast because he's a rebel against society,Aang would be an everyday boys boy and Katara would be a perfect traditionally feminine prep who's snooty and has no time for 'losers' but in the actual show Zuko's the son of the most politically powerful man alive that he did everything to please with the point of his redemption arc being learning TO rebel for what's right,Aang's a cutesy soft uwu ray of sunshine who only represses his femininity because he's gotten made fun of for it and it hurts his feelings and Katara is an instigator who breaks laws to help out struggling communities,refuses to fit into the box of what femininity is 'supposed to be' to reclaim her girlyness for herself and commits anti-imperialist war crimes nonstop starting at the age of 14

[adriancatrin]

a day late but it’s Modern AU and Family Drama (sorta) for @zukkaweek !!!

sokka brings zuko home to meet the family, forgetting they’re the most embarrassing people ever

[image ID: bato, hakoda, sokka, zuko, and katara stand behind a countertop or table with food on it, as though they were prepping food. they are all in modern attire. bato says, “remember when sokka interrupted our meeting with the elders to ask if he “wiped good?” hakoda says, “and when he hid all the dirty laundry under katara’s bed and said he’d done it?” sokka, grimacing and blushing with his face in his hand, says to zuko “PLEASE don’t listen to them.” his hand is on zuko’s shoulder. katara is standing with her arms crossed and a smirk, with a little “heh.” zuko, lastly, asks sokka “but DID you wipe good?” / end ID]

[aanglican]

[T]here were certain logistical factors of making an epic fantasy drama of this scale that forced [Albert Kim, showrunner] to account for the possibility of more seasons: one, his core four actors are aging up on screen before his eyes, and two, it takes time to both film and produce a single season of Avatar.

Season 1 finished filming in British Columbia in the summer of 2022, and the crew have been entrenched in postproduction since. Gordon Cormier, who stars as Aang, auditioned for the part at the age of 11 and is now 14. Kiawentiio, who plays waterbender Katara, started her Avatar journey at 14 and is now 17. And so on.

“All three seasons of the animated series essentially take place in the course of one calendar year,” Kim says of the original Nickelodeon animated show. “There was no way we could do that. So we had to design this first season, especially, to accommodate the possibility of some time elapsing between the first and the second season.”

Part of that strategy involves Sozin’s Comet, which fans of the original series are already familiar with and newbies can spot cutting across the night sky in the trailers. “The comet was their ticking clock,” Kim explains. “We removed that particular ticking clock from our show for now because we couldn't know exactly how old our actors would be for the subsequent seasons. We definitely thought about that going into season 1 so that we can accommodate for puberty, adolescence, time passing — all of those fun things that happen to real-life human beings that don't happen to animated characters."

Perhaps it's something Kim and his team can revisit in a future season, but first things first: finish season 1 and see how viewers respond to it.

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 34

First / Previous / Next

They get as far from Gao Ling as they can, as quickly as they can. It's hard, since Toph definitely isn't taking well to flying. They have to stop a few times just so she can have a few minutes out of the saddle.

When they stop for the night, Toph flops to the ground, hugging the dirt, and pulling an Earth tent around herself. Katara frowned, seeing the younger girl not helping set up camp. She would normally refuse to feed such a freeloader, but Toph had a rough day.

"Here," Katara says, moving to sit by the entrance of Toph's tent. "I made you a bowl. But tomorrow, you'll need to help out."

"Help out?" Toph scoffs, even as she took the bowl from Katara. "What, your brother needs help unloading his weird smelling sleeping bag? I pull my own weight."

Katara's eye twitches, but she forces a smile even if Toph can't see it. "If you're going to pull your weight, then we won't have a problem."

Toph didn't stop Katara from walking away. Sokka, trying to convince Zuko to let him take seconds, took one look at his sister's face and fled. Aang made nervous laughter, and got up to 'find Momo', who was definitely in Appa's saddle. It was only Zuko who didn't flee, still at his spot by the cooking pot, using firebending to keep the pot warm without over cooking.

"Food or water?" Zuko asked, even as he ladled out a bowl for her.

"I'll meditate later," Katara grit out, though without as much bite as it would have been, and took her bowl. "I'm starving."

Zuko nodded, only serving himself once Katara had her own food. It was a show of respect, Katara had realized, a few days into their journey. Zuko had seen how she did all the cooking, and then only got what was left after making sure everyone else ate, so he made sure that Katara was never the last to be served.

"It looks like the bison might be shedding," Zuko said, conversationally. "When we have a moment, I think we should wash him. We don't want to leave a trail."

Nodding, Katara felt herself relax, and fell into easy conversation as they ate. She'd deal with Toph in the morning.

Except, she found that Toph was extremely stubborn.

When morning came, everyone set about to do their morning chores. Aang and Sokka would pack up camp now, at least most of it, while Zuko helped Katara with cooking. Toph, despite being asked to help move supplies, ignored every. "Not my stuff, not my problem."

And then, they started dishing out food. Aang and Sokka got their share, Katara got hers, and finally, Zuko got his. They doused the cooking fire, and set about eating.

"Hey!" Toph said. "Where's mine?"

"Your what?" Katara asked, eating.

"My breakfast."

Katara hummed, taking a bite of her food. "Sorry, but... Zuko and Sokka hunted for meat in it last night. Aang gathered the vegetables. And I made the food with Zuko's help. And... you didn't contribute."

Toph was gaping like a fish. "What, so you aren't going to leave any for me?"

"No, Toph. If you don't pull your weight, you don't eat. There's exceptions for when training Aang during meal prep, but... Aang wasn't training this morning. He was clearing camp so we can leave once we're done."

Toph fumed, but rather than cave and try to do something now, she huffed a whatever and plopped down on the ground turned away from them. When Sokka and Aang finished, they washed their dishes, and set to washing the cooking pots. When Zuko and Katara finished, they gave Sokka and Aang their bowls to wash, and started loading the cooking supplies onto Appa.

They climbed on, and Toph joined them, refusing to talk to anyone.

When they got off, Toph was clearly starving, eager to eat, but got a repeat of that morning. Aang unloaded Appa and set up tents, while Zuko and Sokka went hunting and gathering. Katara was busy prepping dinner, rinsing plates and setting up rice, and making sure that no meat touched anything Aang would want to eat.

And Toph did nothing to help. So she got nothing that was a team effort. She could slam dirt walls up as much as she wanted, but Katara wouldn't feed her.

It was much later, when Katara was laying down in her sleeping roll, tucked into one end of her tent, that she heard it. Zuko, walking across their campsite. She heard him plop down onto the ground, around where Toph's dirt tent was.

"What do you want?" Toph's grumpy voice asked.

Katara heard Zuko hum. "Just to talk."

"I don't want a lecture."

"Even it means I give you some food?"

Katara grit her teeth. Zuko knew what she said. How dare he decide to ignore her?

"Katara mentioned you said you would pull your own weight," Zuko started, then quickly said, "Just listen for a second." He took an audible breath and pressed on. "I understand pulling your own weight when you're alone. I'm sure you could. But we're part of a team. We need to help each other, so everyone is ready for what could come next, and so camp can run smoothly. If you're fine with a dirt tent, that's fine, but there's other things to do besides setting up tents. There's cooking, hunting, washing, unloading gear so Appa can rest. There's so much that needs doing, and we all benefit when it gets done."

"Except Queen Prissy won't let me eat. So I'm not benefiting from any of that."

"Did you cook?"

"No?"

"Did you hunt?"

"No..."

"Then why should you benefit from our work?"

"Because! I'm part of-" Toph cut herself off.

Zuko, sounding satisfied, replied, "You're part of the team?"

Toph didn't respond, but Zuko must have been finished. Katara heard him stand, and heard something touch the ground. "Here. Thanks for talking with me."

She listened as Zuko returned to his tent, the one next to hers, and then the camp was quiet.

In the morning, as Katara and Zuko are cooking breakfast, Toph uses Earthbending to lift supplies and Sokka, so the boy could toss bags into the saddle. When everyone comes back to eat, Katara makes a bowl for Toph, who scarfs the food down. Katara catches Zuko smiling, and she knows there won't be any more problems.

First / Previous / Next

[markedmage]

the night was all you had

Pairing: Zutara

Rating: T

Summary: “You love the ones with scars because they earned it with nothing to gain and everything to lose.” She tells him. "You love the ones with scars because they showed that they fought, and they won, because the people they protected are still here. The people you protected are still here Zuko. Your scar protected people Zuko. That's who you are. That's who you've always been."

Notes: Hi everyone, Mage is back! With the recent resurgence of ATLA, I got a little motivation to begin writing again, so of course I gotta start off again with another monster. Honestly I don't even really know what this fic is, I started it like 3 years ago, forgot it, and then finished it over the past couple weeks in like a dreamscape if I'm being honest. If you guys are confused at all by the flow or just in general, please, join the fam. But either way, enjoy!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54856117

(Excerpt below the cut)

She can’t stop noticing these things about Zuko. Little things, perhaps insignificant to others, but they stand out to Katara like an iceberg floating in crystal clear water with nothing in sight. 

The first thing she notices is that Zuko never touches anyone unless covered by clothing. Even when training Aang, she watches as he adjusts the airbender’s stance by a light tap on Aang’s cloth covered shoulder, a gentle rap at the back of the knee. Swordplay with Sokka goes similarly- gentle taps using the play swords or a clasp on the back over their shirts. When he carries Toph, she watches as he carefully hoists her up by the back of her legs, gently holding her, hands poised carefully over her clothed thighs.

He touches her though. Gentle touches; a brush of his fingers across her shoulders, touching her hand during meal prep, massaging her legs after a rough practice session; calloused yet soft fingers gently working out the whorls of contorted chi paths down her legs.

(Healing runs through Katara’s blood, as thick as the whitewater of her soul. It’s a waterbender’s calling- as ancient as the moon and the ocean. Water is life giving you see. But perhaps there’s another element that breathes life as much as the rain- or perhaps it's just the rush of heat that floods her veins, like licks of fire curling around her heart and setting her soul ablaze.)

[highfantasy-soul]

Things I LOVED from NATLA Episode 5 - Spirited Away

Katara creating a water version of the earth disks!

Small moment, but Sokka and Aang don't jump until Katara is there and grabs their hands to lead them off in the jump onto Appa

Love that Momo's the one who picks up the acorn to give to Katara - he's so cute!

Katara calling on Gran Gran's teachings <3

"Seeds for the future, not past mistakes" - bringing back up the themes around needing to let go of past guilt so you can step into the future

Big brother Sokka 😭😭😭😭

Pipenpadalopsikopolis!!!

Zuko is such a sassy dick to Lt. Jee XD but like, kinda deserved atm as a girl with ice is kinda, really, something that should raise some flags.

But damn, Jee's face - it makes the next episode all the more satisfying

"Water the most promising seed" ooooohhhhh

"Not self-serving flattery and coy whipers" oooohhh BBUUUURRRNNNNNN

Though it burns all the more as we know that children want the approval of their mentors/parents and it's unlikely Azula has ever gotten that organically, so she feels the need to prompt it.

tHiN pLaCeS????? Sorry, Bruce from Dungeons of Drakkenheim has just primed me to fear that phrase and what it will bring.

Jumpscare where I really thought Sokka had just been yoinked into the Spirit World by that tree branch XD

Aang and Sokka bickering because Sokka can't stop talking and Aang is trying to concentrate - love the group dynamic here

Sokka's little "sshhhhhhh" in the back

Katara practicing her forms!!!

Blue Aang!!

Sokka being absolutely not here for a Spirit World journey and Katara quickly accepting it and just enjoying the ride

"When have I ever caused trouble?" 🙄 "When indeed." 😐

The most AWKWARD and NOT SLICK questioning by Zuko 😩 failing to smoothly slide the money pouch over the counter, just…he's SOOO BAD at being 'nonchalant'! He wants to just scream at you and demand you obey his orders, damn it!!!

Just Dallas' whole performance here - so fucking funny

Pirate mention! Canyon guide!! Stopped the volcano from erupting!!!

All those side quests get nice little mentions <3

Iroh's little run as he chases after Zuko throwing his tantrum 😭

JUUUUUUNNNNEEEEEEE!!!!! NYYYYYLLAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

Omg perfect. So perfect. Perfection. Gorgeously perfect. Did I mention perfect?

Zuko and Iroh's little slap fight XD

June noticing Iroh is cute 🙌

And Zuko's disgust at that 😂

Love Aang always mentioning Gyatzo and all he taught Aang - and Katara really wanting to soak in the knowledge

I like that they brought the entire Gaang into the spirit world here so we could have a natural in-road to deep character work

WON SHI TOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGG!!!

Nice birdie!!!!

Also great touch with only Aang being able to understand him here, humans just can't

Pretty eye shot!!

Azula's blue fire!!!!!

Really like the choice to let us see her progression to the blue flame - more character development is always a good thing in my book

"Everyone knows you're perfect" "That's not good enough" - smash cut to Zuko

SOOOOO GOOOODDD - seeding her fear that if she doesn't prove herself adequately, her father will treat her like he did Zuko

Showing not telling, people! This is what that means!!!

Zuzu!! Being disgusted - love it

Love Iroh trying to seed his lessons in with pai sho anecdotes

I'm sorry, this scene is hilarious and I cannot unsee it being Iroh trying to prep Zuko for the news that he and June are a thing XD "I know it's unexpected, and she's much younger, but open up your mind to new ideas! There's much you (I) can learn from a dommy mommy."

Again, reinforcing that Zuko has a strong sense of right and wrong - right now, that's leading him down the path of following the Fire Nation's rules, but that very same integrity will be what makes him change sides

Ugh, Iroh's lessons wrapped in pai sho terminology are soooo gooooddd

Creeeeeepy spirit world!!

HEEEIIIII BBAAAIIIII!!!

Who's a cutie patootie panda bear?? YOU ARE!!!!

Oh no, Sokka!!! He went flying.

Suspicious 3-tailed fox!

Her talk about pain right here is so poignant not only for this storyline, but the future one with the ocean spirit

"Do you always make jokes when you don't want to talk about something?" - cutting right to the heart of a lot of Sokka's humor as a coping mechanism

Just… everything with Katara's spirit vision

Her getting to see her mom again and hug her, the women joking around about braiding and Kya encouraging Katara with her waterbending

The absolute gut-wrenching horror as Katara knows what's about to happen, the viewer knows what's about to happen, but the helplessness you feel as you have to watch it play out

Katara trying to save her mom but not being strong enough - it's so well done and we see why the trauma is so very deep when it comes to her and waterbending

Omg Koh's introduction was sooooo terrifying

The sounds, the way he senses despair - it's everything I love about the spirit world

Hakoda!!! DX

Bato!!!!!

I like how we're getting to see that Sokka's feelings of inadequacy as a leader and warrior aren't unfounded - he DID struggle, it didn’t come naturally

I don't blame Hakoda in this moment - he knows the war is coming and he's going to have to leave Sokka in charge - he knows it's not fair - he knows it's an impossible situation, and he's desperately trying to exert some control over the uncontrollable

It makes sense that he'd want Sokka to be magically perfect, that way he could feel marginally better about abandoning him and the village - it's not like he has a choice to stay, everyone is in impossible situations and wishing your kid could be the perfect leader when you know it's going to be forced on them anyways is totally rational

Love that Aang immediately clocks the vision as not real

Despite wanting nothing more than to go see his home and people again, he's a master of the spiritual side of his nature - he knows how to rein it in.

It hurts all the more when we get to Gyatzo and there's the initial distrust - completely founded

Koh's lair!!!

Creepy centipede boiii

Love their chat and I like to think that Aang's past lives subtly let him know not to show emotions with Koh

The whole situation around Koh's face that opens and closes - thanks, I hate it.

It's well done. And I hate it. Please get it away from me. I do not like. Please, kill it with fire. Thank you.

But Gyatzo!!! He waited for Aang for 100 years!!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna say it again - everything with Gyatzo is pure gold. I'm so glad they expanded more with him being Aang's first mentor, even after his death

Gyatzo trying to relieve Aang of his guilt over not being there for the fire nation attack ): It's something Aang really needed to hear and I'm glad it was someone who was present who told him that, not someone just trying to make him not feel as sad.

Aang leaving Appa and Momo in charge of watching over Katara and Sokka!!! So sweet

Gyatzo's monologue is great - how sometimes it feels like we'll always be alone, the only thing keeping you company is your own pain

It ties into every single character of the series and it's such a great through line - they're all suffering in different ways. They NEED people (even Azula) 

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

[alchemyne]

the idea of katara being a "good girl" or a prep in modern aus is so jarring to me. my girl is the face of the resistance. so here's her in a thursday top 🕊️ should i give her tattoos?

[azulaang-chakras]

[stardust948]

Zutara being dorks

[the-badger-mole]

If you were to expand on southern water tribe culture, what sort of traditions would the people have?

I've written a few traditions into my fics. Off the top of my head, here are a few:

All the Things That Are and Will Be

The death rites of the SWT don't involved burial in the ground. Instead a the body is washed and prepped by the family, and the body is laid to rest under stones piled around and over top the body. The ceremony involves a song commemorating the deceased for becoming one of the ancestors.

Traditional

To mark engagements in the SWT, the potential husband presents his intended with tools and supplies that will be useful to her in married life. This is usually sewing needles, knives, beads and furs, but the intended bride is allowed to make special requests. For Katara, this included fancy pens, new waterskins for formal and everyday use, and a crown. In With the Changing of the Tide, she also made special requests for a talking mirror and the skin of a camel seal. The potential husband also presents his intended's family with furs, skins and tools, and also, he joins the men in the family on a hunt for what will become the engagement party meal.

Uncharted Waters

In the SWT, villagers will gather frequently to share stories about a lot of things. Sometimes they're historical accounts. Sometime they're folk tales. Sometimes they're about how they got their various scars, like Katara tells Zuko in chapter 8.

Summer Bloom

When a SWT girl has her first period, there's a celebration among the women. They go into the mountains to the thermal springs and have what essentially amounts to a spa weekend. There she has a formal introduction to the "polar bees and otter penguins", the older women share their advice on dealing with period symptom, and there's a feast. The girl is welcomed into womanhood with gifts of needles, knives, combs and beads.

Some traditions I've been thinking about, but haven't actually written down yet: Siblings share a sleep cot until they're old enough to complain about it. When that happens, the family homes get bigger to accommodate more sleeping space.

There's a strong musical tradition within the tribe. Their instruments are limited. They have a drum, a hand drum, and a pipe for their major instruments, but they mostly sing. The SWT goes on to popularize acapella in the ATLA world.

The Southern Water Tribe is made up of several small villages lead by locally selected chiefs who then come together to choose one overall representative for all the villages. Hakoda is the third nonconsecutive member of his family chosen as the head chief, and Sokka is chosen after him. After Sokka, the next chief comes from an unrelated family and a different village entirely.

[punkeropercyjackson]

'Modern au Katara would be a prep/pastel/indie/a fucking hippie?????'SHUT UP‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️My girl is a teenage archanist who does activism after school and mouths off to racist teachers yet always gets good grades and dresses like this

And is like THIS with Aang

I'll accept nothing else,i'm objectively correct

[745voiceofthepeople]

Hello, @745voiceofthepeople !!!! Since I’m finally getting around to writing your amazing prompt I thought I should send one to you as well.

A high school AU where Azula is your typical snobby rich girl who is always spending daddy’s money, drives the best car and is always decked out in jewelry, the most expensive clothes, etc. Katara has an after school job, two actually, drives to school with her brother in a run down old car that’s seconds away from breaking down, and wears clothes until they are about to turn into dust. The two are aware that the other exists, but not much beyond that.

Then, one day, while she’s driving home from a job, Katara sees police cars and ambulances driving through the street. She ignores it until she hears that Ozai, some rich CEO in their town or something, had a freak accident and died. According to Suki, who’s pretty good friends with Ty Lee, Azula and Zuko, still being minors, were sent to live with their mother, who is very much not as rich as Ozai.

For a few weeks, Katara just watches Azula from the sidelines as she has to sell her car, clothes, jewelry, and anything else she got from Ozai to make ends meet. Katara ends up buying a pair of her earrings and gives it back to her as a kind of peace offering, feeling bad for her. That’s what gets the ball rolling and gets the two talking more and more. They’re not dating but they’ve become friends now.

Then, during some party, Katara sees Azula getting basically harassed by Chan and his friends for not being rich anymore. Azula had to take a job and Chan starts sharing around pictures of her. The final straw is when Chan loudly yells that no one will want her now that she’s poor. Seeing that Azula is either about to cry or smash something into his skull, Katara steps in and says she wants Azula then kisses her, loudly proclaiming that they’re dating.

Thus begins a long con of Azutara fake dating and slowly developing real feelings for one another.

I really like this idea @waterfire1848 !!!

Sorry for taking a while to answer, finals prep is kicking my behind.

Before Ozai’s accident, I can see Azula and Katara simply casually passing each other in the halls. What With their social circles simply not interacting all that much. With the notable exception of Suki of course.

There are moments when Azula and Katara have wandering eyes. Appreciating the other girls beauty, her wit, and her personality. Of course neither Azula or Katara dares to act on these feelings. These crushes. And so they continue to pass one another in the halls. With Katara giving lingering glances at Azula. When she thought the other girl was noticing.

I wonder if Azula and Zuko’s inheritance from Ozai was put into a trust or something secure. Preventing access until they turn eighteen and become legal adults. Or even if he left anything for them at all. I can easily see Ozai being a prick and not allowing either Azula or Zuko to inherit his money.

Ursa must live at least somewhere close by for them to attend the same school. Perhaps Ikem and Kiyi exist in this Au?

I can see Katara’s compassion in buying the earrings. Perhaps that price of jewelry has some sentimental value for Azula? Like say it’s a last gift of a relative (maybe her grandmother Illah) and Katara’s returning of it kick starts their friendship.

Of course, I can also see some sort of conflict existing between them at this moment. While Katara’s actions come from a place of empathy, Azula despises being pitied in any form. And she may the. View Katara giving her back the earrings as a form of pity. Though once this misunderstanding is sorted, Azula and Katara become friends in earnest. Friends with a deep and all consuming (and unspoken) attraction towards one another. But friends nonetheless.

I can also see Azula being completely surprised and probably overwhelmed by Katara’s kindness in this case as well. Having grown up with Ozai, that kindness is probably foreign to her.

Azula and Katara become close friends after the earring affair. With Azula joining in on Katara’s friends group (the Gaang). I can see that being slow goings at first though. With Azula gradually making friends as she begins to cope with their situation.

I don’t know what exact job Azula would get to bring a supplemental income to Ursa’s household. In a modern Au… I can history see being a librarian of some sort. Perhaps an assistants job at a local library? Or perhaps Azula’s circumstance would force to do some sort manual labor. Which she would hate at first, but frowns to love eventually. Maybe she gets some sort of fishing/boating job with Hakoda. Azula working for her (future) girlfriend’s dad is bound be a most humorous aspect of life.

Azutara falling in love while fake dating is a concept that I’m in love with myself!

I think Azula and Katara would initially decide to keep up the rise for a month or so. But end up falling for each other along the way. Of course, neither confessed their feelings at first. Believing that the other is still just pretending/could never truly love them. Until their friend group, frustrated with constant pining and longing looks, lock the two girls in say a janitors closet. Where theyd both confess that somewhere along the way their (Azula and Katara) feelings developed from pretend to real. From Iron to steel.

[ok-boomerang]

I wanted to write something for @hneyteacup in honor of EJ Day (her birthday), so I wrote a fanfic…of her zk fanfic. You can consider this a pre-canon AU of Den of Dragons, a very fun zutara nightclub AU you should read on ao3.

HBD EJ!!!!!!!

Take My Hand, Wreck My Plans

a zutara fanfic

Nightclubs weren’t really Katara’s scene—at least, she didn’t think they were. She’d never been to one until her brother’s girlfriend, Suki, had insisted they take advantage of the free drinks Sokka could get them as bartender at the Dancing Dragon. And Katara was on vacation after all.

So even though she’d only known Suki for two days, she’d let the other girl prep her for a night out, which involved a scandalous outfit and too-high heels with hair and makeup to match. That’s how she found herself on the dance floor, surrounded by sweaty bodies including that of Suki, the air in the Dancing Dragon crisp from the air conditioner but still humid from the swarm of turning and gyrating people.

“Isn’t this great?!” Suki shouted as she ran a hand through her already-damp auburn hair and then used it to wave to Katara’s brother, Sokka, at the bar. Sokka smiled too wide for his face before turning back to pour another drink. He was lucky—he didn’t look sweaty at all.

“Totally!” Katara cried to Suki, only half truthful as she jumped up and down in time to the music.

However, if Katara was being totally honest…she was checking her phone roughly every ten minutes to see if she’d spent an acceptable amount of time at the club. It’s not that it wasn’t fun—she did like dancing, and the Dancing Dragon seemed a perfect place for it—but the scent of sweat in the air was strong, and Suki kept muttering about fixing her up with one of Sokka’s friends. Yes, she was on vacation, visiting Sokka for a week as respite from her seasonal job—but Katara was not exactly interested in a night with a random stranger eight hours from home.

That was until she saw him.

Katara had just turned away from Suki, away from her brother at the bar, when she locked eyes with a tall man several paces away. He wore long black hair in a neat topknot slick with pomade. The top buttons of his shirt were open, revealing a shiny, golden chain sitting on his collarbone. A small black comb peeked out of the suit pocket where most men would keep a pocket square. Most striking of all was the harsh scar that stretched across his left eye, which could have made his appearance menacing if not for the thoughtful tilt of his mouth and the curious gaze of both golden eyes.

“Let’s dance,” she heard herself say to Suki, her eyes not leaving the stranger’s face. Perhaps he had abnormally good hearing, or perhaps he could read lips, because for some reason his face twisted into an amused smirk as he watched her.

Katara finally tore her eyes away from the man, immediately latching both eyes and arms onto Suki, pulling her next to her so that Katara was in perfect view for anyone standing where that man was standing. Her new friend, delighted at Katara’s sudden interest in dancing at the club, reciprocated immediately. The two of them danced along to a fast-paced beat, Katara trying to mimic Suki’s movements whenever she could, considering that sexy dance moves were not usually part of Katara’s repertoire. But she tried to let herself go, tried to exaggerate each lunge of her hips or sway of her shoulders. It was as if a spirit had possessed her, even though she had no plan for what would or could happen if she indeed caught the man’s attention.

After her and Suki’s display, when the song took a second to fade into another, even faster tune, Katara turned, breath heavy, toward where she had known the man was standing.

He hadn’t moved at all. If Katara was a betting woman, she’d place odds on the possibility that he hadn’t even shifted his gaze from her, so rapt was his attention on her, his expression urgent and downright hungry.

The look on his face made her bold. She crooked her finger in his direction and gestured for him to join her, nerves aflame.

But instead of the man closing the distance between them, he smiled sadly, held up his hands in a gesture of apology, and turned away.

Katara could feel her face flame. Perhaps she hadn’t been as sexy as she had thought. She bit her lip and turned back to Suki, ready to finally flee this club, before she noticed that Suki was also watching the man with interest—Suki had clearly seen everything. Katara felt another wave of embarrassment hit her and opened her mouth to ask the other girl if they could please forget this particular humiliation ever happened, but Suki spoke first.

“Were you just flirting with Zuko?” her brother’s girlfriend asked, something like delight on her face.

Katara’s jaw dropped a bit in her flustered shock. “Oh—um—” she said, struggling to form words. “His name’s—Zuko?”

“Yeah,” said Suki, turning to look at Katara fully, her eyes dancing. “He owns the place—”

“He owns—”

“So if you’re wondering why he didn’t run over here and beg you to grind on him, that’s why.”

“Suki!” Katara hissed between her teeth. “I didn’t—I wasn’t—”

“I wondered why the sudden change of heart, though I wasn’t about to question it,” Suki said thoughtfully, a sly grin forming on her lips. “But “Because Zuko” makes sense.”

“That’s not why—”

“Sure it is!” said Suki, wrapping an arm around Katara’s shoulders and steering her out of the middle of the crowd. “But if you’d like to dance with him, the center of his club probably isn’t your best bet.”

Katara could just see the top of Zuko’s topknot bobbing as he talked to someone else—likely a worker—on the edge of the club.

“People would talk and all,” Suki continued, leaving no space for Katara to contribute to the conversation. “You know, the owner of the club threw himself on an out-of-town beauty”—Katara made a noise in her throat to interrupt, but Suki ignored her—"making a wanton spectacle of his need, that kind of thing.”

Katara was so focused on her rising indignation that she didn’t think to consider where Suki was taking her. In the back of her mind, she must have thought they were going to the bar to refuel, talk, and bother her brother. But Katara barely knew Suki—and this was her downfall.

“You’re much better off grinding on each other upstairs, if you get my meaning—”

“Tui and La, Suki, I’ve never even spoken—” Katara finally yelped, but she was cut off as Suki gave her one last easy smile and then, what happened next seemed to blur together.

Katara was vaguely aware of Suki squeezing her shoulder in an affectionate manner—an apology of sorts, perhaps?—before the girl quickly sidestepped behind Katara, skated her hand from Katara’s shoulder to the small of her back, and shoved.

Katara felt her balance—already shaky on stiletto heels—give out as her feet flew out from under her and she careened forward, screeching in surprise and fear as she collided into something hard, instinctively grabbing it to break her fall.

Katara breathed in relief that she hadn’t split open her head on the concrete floor, and then immediately realized the solid something she had wrapped her hands around was very much a person—a person who was turning around to see what or who was gripping him as tightly as a koalaotter on a tree.

Confused golden eyes met mortified blue ones.

“I am so, so, sorry—” Katara sputtered, trying to ignore the fact that the man smelled amazing. “I, um, I tripped—” she said, standing up straight and glancing behind her to glare or yell at Suki—what was she on about—but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m glad I could break your fall,” the man—Zuko—replied in a low, raspy voice. Katara wanted to scream at how unfair it was that this man’s voice was somehow just as sexy as the rest of him.

“Yes—um—thank you,” she said, heart still beating rapidly in embarrassment as she met Zuko’s gaze—he was so very close—which led to the belated realization that she was still hugging him tightly.

She jumped back with a squeak, which was not the correct move given her stilettos. Her foot twisted as she landed so that one heel slipped out from beneath her shoe and she lurched to the side, sure that she could die from embarrassment as she fell once again in front of the man she had tried and failed to flirt with.

But Zuko was suddenly next to her, grasping her arm and holding her steady as her shoes continued to wobbly. “Careful now,” he said as he watched her, “or you might have to keep me around.” Katara felt her insides freeze up at that line—and then Zuko froze as well before sputtering, “I mean, to catch you if you fall, not in a creepy way…unless you wanted—not that you’d want a creep around you, I just mean—”

But Katara’s inhibitions suddenly died as she melted at the endearingly awkward display, feeling much lighter as Zuko’s own cheeks heated in embarrassment.

“I know what you meant,” she said with a gentle smile that she hoped would calm him, all too pleased that she now had the upper hand—though Zuko was still the one holding her upper arm.

“Cool,” Zuko breathed. “Um, Zuko here,” he said with a small wave with his other hand, before instantly cringing. Katara’s heart seemed to miss a beat at the adorable introduction, her confidence and her want growing in sync.

“Katara,” she said firmly, making no attempt to move from her position in Zuko’s grip.

“Katara,” said Zuko with a small smile. “I know I’ve heard that name before,” he said, crinkling his nose in thought. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, inching herself forward a bit—so that he could hear her over the din of the club, of course.

It was this movement that seemed to clue Zuko into the fact that he was still holding onto her. He jumped and stared at her arm in his hand before his gaze flew to Katara, who grinned and shrugged as if to say, “I’m comfortable.”

The smile slowly returned to Zuko’s face, and Katara could swear she saw the moment his confidence returned as well, as if his presence had actually expanded. “You caught my eye earlier,” he said in that same low rasp he’d greeted her with. “I wish I could have joined you but…I’m sort of working.”

“Sort of?” Katara asked in her sultriest voice, which any other time would have made her wince in embarrassment, but she pushed away those instincts and instead focused on the fact that Zuko’s attention was fixed onto her, that same hungry expression on his face.

“Well, I’m—a little in charge, here—” he said, breaking their eye contact for a second to gesture toward the club at large with a small glance. Katara resisted the urge to snort at “a little in charge”—he owned the place, but perhaps he felt self-conscious about revealing that. She didn’t feel the need to challenge him.

“If you’re sort of working, but you’re a little in charge—perhaps you could take a break?” she suggested, moving that much closer to him so that her chest was barely touching his.

“I think I could do that”—he took a shallow breath—“yeah.”

Katara felt a little high on the power she had to wreck Zuko’s breathing while barely touching him. In the haze of that, she pressed her chest further into him, delighting in the clear restraint on Zuko’s face.

She wanted to watch that restraint falter. “Dance with me,” she whispered.

Zuko only took the time to give her a quick nod before he was using his grip on her arm to pull her into the darkest corner of the club—which, considering the already dim lights, was saying something.

Away from the crowd, just another body in the dark to the clubgoers, it was clear that Zuko felt he could actually let loose, because he pressed her against him as they swayed in time together. Katara, however, quickly turned around and pressed her hips against him, allowing him the perfect opportunity to snake his arms down her sides and clutch at the thin fabric barely covering her thighs. She reached up one hand, intent on running it through his hair, before she remembered the topknot. Without asking, she pulled his hair free, and relished the tiny moan she earned as she combed her fingers through the length of hair that was now tickling her neck. They danced like that for what felt like hours—what may have been hours—but time seemed to stop making any sense at all in the club, which may have been some sort of exception in the space-time continuum, a place where time didn’t exist.

All anger at Suki had mysteriously evaporated. She loved Suki like a sister. The girl was definitely her very best friend.

Katara lowered the hand in Zuko’s hair to curl it around his neck and he slid his fingers repetitively over her stomach, giving Katara the impression that he would very much like to remove the dress covering it. She judged that assessment was 100% correct when she felt warm lips on the back of her neck, hesitant but refusing to stray from her skin. When he opened his mouth to drag his tongue across the dip between her neck and shoulder, Katara inhaled a shaky breath and made one more reckless decision.

“I’m staying very close to here…if you’d like to come home with me,” she said in a low voice, and though the music was loud, she was sure that he heard her by the way he stiffened against her.

“I would very much like,” Zuko whispered in her ear. “But I’ll do you one better—my apartment is just above the club. We don’t even have to go outside.”

Katara raised her eyebrows in surprise and twisted toward him, momentarily dimming the sexy atmosphere. “No way! I’m staying just above the club too—I didn’t realize there were multiple apartments up there.”

Zuko pursed his lips at her, his eyes narrowed in confusion. “There’s—not—” he said, before his eyes widened comically and he jumped back and away from her with a screech not unlike how she had jumped back from him earlier in the evening.

“What?” she bit out, barely concealing the hurt and humiliation at having this man jump back from her—

“I’m sorry,” Zuko said quickly. “I just didn’t realize—you’re Katara, that Katara—”

“What do you mean, that Katara?” she asked in a shrill voice.

“I mean—not that—you’re Sokka’s sister,” Zuko said, wringing his hands and looking around them as if expecting Sokka to pounce on him any moment.

“Is that a problem?” Katara countered, jutting her hands on her hips.

“No—of course not—it’s just—Sokka—well, he’s my roommate, and he’s been very clear about anyone who touches his little sister—”

Katara would have chuckled at the coincidence that Sokka was Zuko’s roommate if not for her rising anger.

“That sexist pig,” she seethed. “As if I can’t make my own decisions.” She glared at Zuko as if she were challenging him to prove he wasn’t a sexist pig too. “So that’s it then, you don’t want to touch me because my brother said you couldn’t?”

“No—no—” said Zuko, at once bridging the distance between them and putting his hands on her shoulders. He placed his chin on the dip of her right shoulder. “I very much want to touch you,” he said in a husky voice that tickled her ear.

“But you can’t, because your friends with my brother?” she retorted, forcing away the urge to melt into him.

“I didn’t say that,” Zuko said, moving his head back to look at her, and even in the low light Katara could finally see how dark Zuko’s eyes had grown. “You can make your own decisions,” he said passionately. “I’m a feminist.”

Katara snorted at that, ready to roll her eyes at the man in front of her, but in an instant he had gently tugged her to follow him, coursing through the smaller crowds of people in the dark part of the Dancing Dragon and pushing open a nondescript door that led to a dimly-lit stairwell.

“So—speaking of making your own decisions—” he said, a bit of awkwardness returning now that an exit had been revealed.

“Yes, I’ve made it,” she said, all annoyance gone and replaced with gentle encouragement. Katara now took the lead, pulling Zuko along behind her and smiling to herself with satisfaction as he kicked the door closed behind him.

When they finally reached (his) room and he melted back into her, lips kissing her furiously now they had privacy, he breathed “I love women’s rights.” Katara shoved him lightly, but still smiled against his chuckles.

[natlacentral]

VISUAL TALES Presents Actor IAN OUSLEY from NETFLIX’s AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER

Best known for his portrayal of 'Sokka' in the latest hit Netflix series "Avatar: The Last Airbender," Ousley brings depth to the character's leadership struggles with a blend of wit and deadpan humor. As we delve beyond the screen, we uncover Ian's entrepreneurial spirit, co-founding the innovative clothing line KALÓ SOIL, a venture that repurposes vintage items into timeless fashion pieces. From winning championships to gracing the screens of Netflix's "13 Reasons Why" and CBS's "Young Sheldon," Ian Ousley's trajectory is as dynamic as the characters he embodies.

BIBI XIA: Hi fellow Texan! How was growing up in Texas and when did you move to LA? IAN OUSLEY: I love LA and have been here since 2016 when I was just 14 years old. I grew up in College Station, Texas, which as you know is a city built for college students. While most people come from Houston or Dallas for college, it’s a different town when you’re growing up in it. People who grew up there wanted to do team sports like football, but I took a very different path because of my asthma, and being in the grass was terrible for me. This led me to do Taekwondo at 8-9 years old because it was an indoor solo sport. School was very competitive and I knew I wanted to take a different path than going to college. So I took the non-traditional route of an indoor sport, noncompetitive with academics, and then transitioned into an artist career path here in LA.

BX: I’m sure you’ve been asked a lot of the same questions regarding Avatar, so something more specific I had in mind is if you could water bend in your everyday life, what would you use it for? IO: It’s a hard question to answer because in the show, they are at war, and it’s hard to think about applying it in everyday life. Water bending is cool because you can heal people with it. If I was one of the only water benders I’d probably go into medicine. Or, I can just become the most wealthy entrepreneur in the water slide business and open up Schlitterbahns left and right.

BX: What was your most memorable scene from the show and why? IO: I would say the most memorable scene as an audience would probably be the Avatar Kyoshi scene. I especially liked how she showed up when Katara and Zuko were fighting, and how she just appeared. What was yours? BX: Same! That scene was so memorable, that I hit replay as soon as it was over.

BX: Who is most like their character and who is least like their character and why? IO: I think Gordon is most like his character in real life, he’s just this very goofy and energetic kid off-screen. The least like their character is an easy answer because Zuko is this person consumed by power and anger, while Dallas in real life is an angel and a softie.

BX: Would you say you’re similar to Sokka? IO: I think there are a lot of similarities between me and Sokka. We both love humor and use it as a tool more than part of our personality. Luckily both my parents are still in my life and that does fundamentally change. Sokka lost both of his parents and has such a big responsibility to take care of a village. So we are different in that we went through different life experiences even though there are similarities. 

BX: Do you find it more challenging to portray someone more similar to you or very opposite to who you are? IO: I prefer portraying a character that’s vastly different from my own personality. When you’re acting and you have different circumstances to portray that are further away from your own, you have the opportunity to really build out a character. I do a lot of prep before doing something, it’s important that the characters have their own physicalities, their own ways of reacting to things, and ground themselves. I’ve not had a role yet where those characteristics are similar to mine. It’s less vulnerable when you’re not being compared to your character in real life. 

BX: Is there a role or character you’d like to play someday? IO: I’m really looking forward to playing a villain or something fantastical like a creature or motion capture. My number one role would be to play Beast Boy. 

BX: Speaking of Beast Boy, how was the hair and makeup process on the set of Avatar? IO: I was so lucky, my process was fairly short. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I get a haircut, and that was 30 minutes in hair and 30 minutes in makeup. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it was only 15 minutes for hair, and all that was to center the ponytail. Most of the other cast members had a lot longer time like Dallas had spent at least 2 hours every day to get prosthetics for his character.

BX: What was your favorite costume and weapon on set? IO: Costume-wise, it’s definitely the warrior outfit with the chainmail and shoulder pads. Weapon-wise, I really liked the boomerangs and we had it made in various materials. I really liked the aluminum version and enjoyed playing around with it. I have a world championship in weapons for my martial arts. The war club I had was also really heavy on the top and light at the bottom so it was an interesting feel. 

BX: What are you most looking forward to for Seasons 2 and 3? IO: I’m most looking forward to being back with the fam, my co-stars. There’s a different bond you create with people when you’re doing a project together and building a shoulder-to-shoulder interaction instead of face-to-face. We’re all focused on a goal and moving towards that thing, it feels almost like being in a team sport. I’m also looking forward to reading the scripts and specific scenes from the show and how they will mix and evolve the characters. I hope that they incorporate more humor for Sokka.

BX: You started a fashion brand with your friends, KALÓ SOIL. Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of creating the piece you wore to the premiere?  IO: The inspiration behind this piece was white ravens. They’ve been a very important part of my life for the last year and a half. Ravens mean the provisions of God, and the concept of the white raven is a very glorious and triumphant raven. We were inspired by the layers and pleats that represented the raven and we used a lot of different textiles and textures for the piece. We had 7 crosses on the leather sashe and 7 represented the number for perfection.

BX: What’s next for KALÓ SOIL?  IO: It’s been such a beautiful opportunity to work with my business partners. They are really amazing creatives in designing and creative directing. We’re starting to do collections and our goal is to do a runway this year.

BX: Do you have any upcoming projects? IO: I’m working on a short right now with director Tony Tanchney and we’re really excited about it but I can’t tell you too much about what it is. It’s very different from the characters I’ve done before, so it’s interesting to see the contrast. But after that, it will mostly be Avatar for the next two and a half years.