#so when katara says it's not his fault do you think she's talking about her own scars or zuko's fukalfjlakfk

[pineapple-frenzy]

For your post finals art request, how about something from your Zutara scars au? Maybe Zuko gently kissing the scars on Katara's hands, with Katara looking absolutely flustered.

Thanks for your consideration and time.

I love soft scar kisses so much, I hope you don’t mind that I added a touch of angst to this

I saw something recently that was like what if Zuko thinks he’s the one that burned Katara’s hands, and I really like the idea so I wanted to incorporate it into this au. So here’s a little comic about Zuko apologizing for burning Katara’s hands (which he did not) insipired by your request :>>

[yandere-avatar]

My Jealousy, Jealousy Started Following Me

Characters: Avatar Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Zuko, Toph Beifong, Ty Lee, Avatar Korra, Asami Sato, Tenzin, Kya II, Lin Beifong, Suyin Beifong, Opal Beifong [Might do another with Azula, Mako, Bolin, and Kuvira if yall want] Had this in the drafts for a while. Just had to finish it up. Holy shit this took forever. Kept debating if it was worth it...

Avatar Aang

Aang likes to think he doesn't get jealous

He's calm and collective

But that all changed when one of the girls at Toph's Metal Bending Academy tried hitting you up

He likes to give them the benefit of the doubt and thinks maybe they don't know you're both dating

"Hey Babe! Come look at this sculpture Toph made!" [He'll call you nonchantly, hoping they'll get the hint]

But when the other person also walks over, still flirting with you, that's when he gets angry

He'd want to confront them, but honestly he's to nice for that

He might ask Katara for help

Katara will tell you how Aang feels

You'll confront Aang, but he'll pretend he doesn't know what you're talking about

"You know, you can tell me, Aang. You trust me, right?"

He'll sigh and admit and you'll comfort him, even confiding in him that sometimes you get jealous when people hit on him

Katara

HAHAHAHA

Oh, I really feel bad for whoever is flirting with you

Katara is a very jealous woman

She doesn't like people taking what's hers

She might lightly bend them, but she'll do it nonchalantly

She'll justify it by saying that it's not a big deal and you're blowing it out of proportions

She gets really frustrated with herself, because she hates this feeling

She's very powerful, so she's not someone you want to mess with

She gets irritated and will roll her eyes as someone tries to flirt with you

Very passive aggressive

You better be prepared for a fight

Sokka

He's so confused

Did that person not know you were taken?

He already has insecurities, so this doesn't help

He knows you're great, one of the MANY things he likes about you, so of course people would want your attention, but the point still stands

He'll probably do something stupid to get your attention

It's rather ridiculous

You'll look away from the person flirting with you to see your boyfriend about to get hurt

"Hey, I have to leave, my boyfriend is about to get himself killed"

Suki

She's very confident, so she's not worried about this person at all

Though, she is annoyed, because who did that person think they were?

She will probably call your attention to her and do something to impress you, so you focus on her

She smiles when seeing you turn your attention away from them [Flirter]

It's a huge win for her

There is a slight part of her that is insecure because she sees you as incredible and she knows other people see it too

What if you end up leaving her? It really bothers her

So she's always doing crazy stuff to impress you so you never leave

Zuko

Probably the easiest to anger and get jealous

He has no control over his emotions what so ever

He WILL start a fight with the guy hitting on you

He does NOT care who they are or what was say, he's going to put them in their place

But before he does that, he'll express to you that he's upset, but you think it's nothing

He tries to win your affection by beating that guy up

You're just annoyed because you think he overreacted. He says he didn't [He did]

Will gaslight you, saying it's your fault

"Why were you even talking to him!?"

He's so angry and he'll break the closest thing to him

He wants to control his anger, but you really bring out this side of him. He makes sure you know it too, because he tells you

So, when he's done throwing this temper tantrum, you both leave the party; Mad af

You're mad that the party and good vibe was ruined and he's mad that you're mad, because he was just trying to get that dude away from you

Toph Beifong

She can feel the other person's heart beat pick up as they continue to hit on you

She's annoyed, but doesn't know how to express it healthily

She might use her bending to push that person away from you

She'll give them a show, so that they can have something to talk about

Might even crush them

The thought makes her smirk

She'll send little earthquakes to the person

Treated thems like a ball and and bounces them with the earth, without making it obvious

She'll forget about it when you come over to her and talk to her

Ty Lee

She's the least likely to get jealous because she's also a player

Though she does get upset when seeing that you're uncomfortable

She'll glare and excuse herself from whatever conversation she's in, even if it's with Azula, and walks over to where you are

Her tactic is to come in hot, just like the person flirting with you

She'll aggressively flirt with them to try and make them uncomfortable

But if that doesn't work, she'll be very direct and say that you're together and that they need to stop

They'll think it's a joke but Ty Lee is dead serious

She's willing to fight them if it comes to that

She might also grab your hand and drag you away, if you ask her not to make a scene

She'll keep an eye on you for the rest of the night

Avatar Korra

Korra gets extremely jealous

If someone even LOOKS at you in a way she doesn't like, she'll get angry

She's possessive over the things that are hers

Anyone approaches her and they are pushed into the wall

She's pissed and can't control her bending

She'll apologize to the person she hurt, but she doesn't really mean it. She's still focused on you

You're HERs, so why are they talking to you

Everyone knows you belong to the Avatar, so why even try?

She's thinking of all the ways she could kill them

It kind of makes her feel a little better, but not much

She is slightly insecure though, because what if you do like them better than her? No, you can't... You just can't like them more

Asami Sato

She'll roll her eyes and glare at them

They've got some balls talking to you, everyone knows you have a girlfriend, so why is that person flirting w/ you ??

She'll come strutting over & flip her hair

"Who's this babe?"

She's smiling, but anyone with eyes can see that's not true

Man if looks could kill

You tell her that they were telling you about some acomplishment they achieved

"Oh, did you tell them how we work with the Avatar and have saved the world?"

She's deadass going to shove her accomplishments in their face

She's so pretty too so she knows that they don't stand a chance

She's already won this fight, so they might as well give up

Tenzin

Haha? Him? Jealous? No of course not-

Okay, he's extremely jealous, but it doesn't show at all

He has mad stern resting face- No emotions

But inside he's steaming

You probably have a little bit of an age gap, so he's worried you'll leave him for someone your age

[But you've liked Tenzin for a long time, so you weren't letting him go anytime soon]

He's trying to preoccupy his attention

Though, it's not working

He can't get it off his mind

Will definitely start a fight over it later

Kya

She's confused. Why is someone flirting with you?

She's not insecure, just annoyed

Because who the hell did they think they were? Did they not know you were taken. No, they had to have known

She's pretty easygoing, so she won't act irrationally

Instead, she'll continue doing her thing and allowing you to do your own thing, because you're your own human being

She'll probably bring it up, like... offhandly, so you don't get suspicious

"Hey, who was the person you were talking to? You know, the one who had talked to Tenzin?"

You don't even think about it and are like "Oh! Yeah, they were so annoying. I think they were trying to hit on me."

She laughs it off, but she's not happy

Thankfully, you complain about it, annoyed af

Lin Beifong

We know how she acts when she's broken up with [Hence her destroying ATI]

Try her and see what happens

She's a cop and she's willing to play dirty and arrest the person or frame them for a crime

She's going to ruin their life

And she doesn't even care if it destroys that person

The only person she cares about is you

She wants to hurt them

And she will stop at no means necessary to make sure it doesn't ever happen again

Suyin Beifong

She, like her daughter, is passive aggressive

She'll glare and crush whatever is in her hand

She'll fantasize about all the ways she would kill the person flirting with you

She wants for it not to bother her, but it really does

Maybe because there is a part of her that is scared you'll leave her [Like Tenzin did to her sister]

She'll take a deep breath, before smiling, and approaching you

She'll try and join the conversation, but the person who was hitting on you cuts them off and pushes her out of the conversation

She gets pissed

How dare they do that to her

She wants to throw hands with them, but holds herself together

She'll grab your hand, capturing your attention

"Yeah?"

She then tells you she wants to go back home

Opal Beifong

She feels very strongly about you and doesn't know what to feel when seeing someone flirt with you so openly

She knows it's not your fault, but god does she hate watching it

Though with her outgoing nature, she'd walk up and join the conversation, switching it to what she wants

She's easy going, so she doesn't really exhibit jealousy, because she goes with the flow

Though if you look closely, you can see her eye twitch and her mouth frown ever so lightly

She's quite passive aggressive and can be quite mean with her words

[comradekatara]

You are one of the few people on this app who understand Katara’s character. Your takes on her never miss

thank you. i think that katara lends herself to being a site of projection due to her presentation and the function she performs in the narrative. it’s not that people don’t also do this with aang, zuko, sokka, toph, etc., but people mold katara to the standard of feminine ideal (simultaneously viewing her as an embodiment of motherhood and maidenhood) in a distinctly misogynistic way. of course patronizingly idealizing katara in this way is only side of the coin, and many others can only fixate on her flaws as the locus of their dislike for her character (these people belong to the school of “if a character is noticeably flawed, then that makes them a bad character,” because apparently they never graduated eighth grade mandatory reading of catcher in the rye), but in my experience, i’ve hardly ever seen people outright claim that they dislike her character.

however, viewing katara as the site of a projected feminine fantasy is equally harmful imo, because it erases the agency of her character, and she is, fundamentally, a character packed with agency. i think the show itself is liable to participate in this erasure of agency whenever they frame her through aang’s pov through a distinctly romantic lens (which is probably why i’ve never been fully on board w katang), but if the show occasionally falls victim to this framing, the fandom magnifies that by 1000. and to be clear, im not saying that aang is at fault for viewing katara in this way, a) because aang is fully allowed to have a crush on his friend and b) because aang isn’t fucking real lmfao, he is but a facet of a constructed narrative, and it is the framing i am taking issue with, not the characters (because they aren’t people, and talking about characters as if they are real people is almost always inane).

anyway, this is all to say that whether by defining katara solely by her flaws, or through manifesting a projected ideal out of a collection of her virtues, or simply by interpreting her through a racist/colonial/misogynistic framework (many such cases), reducing katara to a singular caricature or trope is extremely prevalent among fans (although katara is hardly the only character they do this with, either), which is such a shame—particularly because she is such a rich, complex, layered, multidimensional, agentic character. the portrayal of a (teenage, indigenous, brown) girl who is both visibly flawed and undeniably heroic is so important within our media landscape, and i know i am not alone when i say that since childhood, she has left an indelible mark on my psyche.

[heinzpilsner]

Hmm, while there is a grain of truth in the popular zutarian take on "Southern Raiders" ("Aang is preachy and Zuko cares for Katara's feelings"), reading this episode as an evidence that Zuko is a right partner for Katara still doesn't sit quite well with me (and I'm a zutara trash, mind you!)

The problem with this ep in general is what it mixes too many complex topics together, and it becomes difficult to entangle the mess.

Basically, Aang was wrong talking in terms of "revenge" and "forgiveness" and "Jet" and "Appa" instead of "Katara's mental health", but he was right in his general concern. Hatred is not some precious right a person needs to hold on. It's a destructive feeling which is better to manage adequately for the sake of a person's own well-being.

But wait, someone may ask, isn't that exactly what Zuko was offering? To help Katara manage her hatred?

Well, yes and no. Yes, he was trying. No, this wasn't a good way to achieve it.

What many people don't seem to understand is that you don't need to confront the actual physical person you hate to deal with your hatred. Quite the opposite, actually. It's the person's imprint within your psyche what keeps destroying you from inside, and facing the person himself doesn't dissipate this imprint magically. It will only make things worse (*the only exception is when the both sides are genuinely interested in fixing things between them). You need to work with the imprint, and it's much easier to achieve when an object of your hatred is physically distant. No matter what kind of person you are, or what your moral/religious beliefs are, this is universal.

(It's a complex psychological topic I'm not really an expert on, so I'm not gonna go into much detail here. I'll just say what therapists have their ways to work with it).

I suspect Aang intuitively realized the problem, but with him being a 12-year-old monk and not having the needed skills or categorical apparatus, "forgiveness" was the best approximation to a right solution he could think of (I have no way of proving it though, so take it with a grain of salt as well as this whole post in general, lol).

While some idealization (and a lot of preaching) on Aang's part may have taken place, he saw "Katara's inner darkness" for what it was - a self-destructive tendency. She may think confronting Yon Rha is what she needs (although before Zuko introduced the idea, she didn't even think of the possibility), but it wouldn't be good for her. Sometimes, your loved ones are not right. Sometimes, they're about to hurt themselves. And it's not disrespectful to try and dissuade them from this (You'd think post-redemption Zuko of all people would agree with the sentiment).

Now, Zuko. While it's not his fault by any means I'm looking at you royal family, the way he dealt with the problem wasn't exactly the healthiest (or most selfless, as some people insist). He meant well, but offered a wrong method, and held on this specific method because it was something he personally could help Katara with. "It's the same as doing nothing!" - these are the words that kinda gave him away. I suspect it's not Katara's revenge or justice he was so passionate about, but his own chance of action. He was desperate for it. He didn't even stop to listen to her brother's and best friend's perspective, because it was interfering with his opportunity to be helpful, to be on the same side as Katara. In general, when your partner is too eager to side with you against your loving family, it's not a good sign, even when the family isn't perfect. (Well, okay, Aang's spectacularly poor choice of words had something to do with it as well. And where were you, Sokka-with-the-beard, when you were most needed?)

No one really offered a better practical solution to Katara's problem than Zuko though, that's the sad truth. And to be fair, after Katara had agreed to his plan enthusiastically, where was no better option for him than to go with it, I guess.

But... The bar was so low that offering nothing in the first place would be a better solution than this, honestly. Because no matter what the actual script of the episode says, I don't think this "life-changing field trip" would realistically do much good for Katara and result in her forgiveness. I think it would only hurt her more and would add to her list of irrational reasons to hate Zuko.

It may hurt, but as Katara herself made clear, there was nothing Zuko really could do at this point to help her or earn her forgiveness. It was something out of his control. He had to accept this and keep trying to do the right thing, simple as that.

I'm still a zutara trash, but not thanks to their interaction in this episode, I have to conclude.

(I guess what I'm really saying is that all those kids just need their therapy, lol)

Still typing on my phone and ignoring tumblr notifications. I wonder If anyone reads this at all lol

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine dating Team Avatar

Incluidng: What they do when they realise they like you, how you get together, how they act when you start dating, what they’re like as a partner, what others think of your relationship, how they defend you, the L word, how they react to compliments, family, how they celebrate your birthday, careers, fights, working out together, pets and more!

Dating Ozai’s Agels version here​

Katara

The lovely Katara, she's an overthinker and so when she realises she likes you she overthinks big time! Sure the two of you have great chemistry but what if you're just like that with everyone? You might've told Toph she was your ideal type but does that mean you're really interested in her? Yes she can't seem to get you out of her head but what if she ruins your friendship by telling you?

She's a mess and so enter her loudmouth brother (I say that with love) to the *rescue*

Sokka of course knows Katara likes you and teases her anytime you enter the room. This makes Katara very angry and she nearly always ends up exploding. You somehow never noticed though, you just assumed it was siblings being siblings and had no clue you were anything to do with it.

One day however Katara was in a bad mood and so when Sokka started teasing her about you she lost it. Sokka was also in a bad mood and he snapped back. You witnessed the siblings getting worse and worse and tried to stop it when Sokka yelled "well it's not my fault you're too much of a coward to tell y/n you like her!".

*Silence*

Katara was as still as a statue and that scared Sokka. "Katara...Katara" he said "yell at me or slap me with water. Just say something". In response Katara just ran from the room. Sokka went to follow but you asked to go instead. You found her crying nearby and went to comfort her. Katara assumed it was because you were a nice person until you told her you liked her too. Then Katara beamed up at you, her beautiful blue eyes still shining with tears which you wiped away gently. "Want me to help you get back at Sokka?" you asked. That’s how Katara knew you were perfect for her. 

So the two of you started dating and it was bliss. There’s something called a honeymoon period when a couple starts dating which is where the first few weeks/months are complete bliss and happiness. Well Katara gave you the most honeymoon of honeymoon periods. She is a caring and romantic person so you got special treatment. Every morning she'd compliment you or tell you something new she'd noticed about you like that speckle in your eye or the way you pronounce a word. She'd create adorable well-thought-out nicknames for you and would bring you random gifts like flowers just because. She'd leave small love notes and poems around for you to find to show how much she cares for you. For your one-month anniversary, she creates a small ice sculpture of your favourite animal.

Even after the honeymoon phase Katara remains a caring partner. She's always there if you need to cry or rant about how your day was. She never forgets a single thing you tell her and always smiles when you walk through the door.

Of course she's also always there with her extraordinary healing powers which she uses anytime you get injured or even just for massages sometimes when you’re stressed.

Katara's friends and family love you. Sokka claims he's the reason the two of you got together and calls you his family pretty much from the start. Toph says the two of you were too lovey-dovey but even she has to admit you're perfect for each other.

Aang...has nothing but nice things to say about you two! Of course dating the Avatar's ex-girlfriend is terrifying to say the least. If Aang wanted to he could just drop you down a volcano or air-bend you to Ba Sing Sei but this is Aang we're talking about. He'll always care about Katara and if you can make her happy in a way he couldn't...then he's thrilled. He’d probably even thank you one day for making her smile so much. Honestly he’s the best ex-partner you could ever have!

Katara might seem like the loving caring motherly figure but the quickest way to anger her is to hurt you in any way. Katara is one of the most powerful benders in the world so obviously protecting you physically is a piece of cake and she won’t hesitate to use her bending to lightly knock someone away from you or smack anyone being rude to you. She’s also not afraid to verbally defend you and hell hath no fury like a waterbender scorned. Once you had to physically drag her away from a man she was trying to fight because he made an unsolicited comment about your appearance. He totally deserved to go one-on-one with Katara but you didn’t want her getting into trouble with the authorities again so let him get away with it...this time.

Katara would say "i love you" pretty quickly. She'd probably already have strong emotions for you before you even started dating so when you actually got together it didn't take long for her to fall in love with you. Katara would be nervous to tell you but also wouldn't be able to wait for long. So she'd probably just take you to one side on a random evening and explain she has something to tell you. Her hands would shake while she said it and she'd be watching you to look for any hint of disapproval but when you gasped and smiled she melts.

Katara always blushes when you compliment her and no matter how long you’ve been together she still gets butterflies in her stomach when you do. So of course you do it even more seeing the affect it has on her. Katara isn’t one to big herself up. She just gets on with things and (like a lot of women) never expects any credit for it. So you make sure to always compliment her and try to tell her something you like about her every single day. 

Katara takes you to her tribe pretty quickly because her culture is of course very important. You are a nervous wreck and recruit Sokka for help. You want to learn all the customs and every bit of history so you can leave a good impression. Sokka loves his professor role and takes to it a little too well...he basically becomes mad with power. The night before your journey Katara can't find you and wanders the house you're staying at trying to find you. She hears Sokka's voice coming from the library which is weird because he went to bed hours ago. She steps inside to see Sokka yelling questions at you. "What is going on?" she asked and you both freeze. "Katara...hey" you said and Sokka glared "who dares disturb my lesson?". "Lesson? What lesson?" Katara asked and Sokka shrugged "the lesson to make y/n a master of water tribe history and customs, duh? Now get out! Y/n isn't allowed to leave until she can recite all our past tribe leaders". "Is this why you've been so tired lately?" Katara asked you "you've been sneaking here to study at night?". "And at dawn too" Sokka said "and sometimes in the day if I feel like giving y/n a quiz". "Woah that's a lot" Katara said "y/n you know you don't need to do this right?" Katara asked. Sokka went to argue that of course you had to do this when Katara kicked him out of the room using water bending. "I know I don't have to do this but I want to" you told Katara "I want to know everything I can about your culture so I can respect it and honour it properly. Plus I want your family and tribe to like me so there's that too...I just want to make this visit as perfect as possible". Katara shook her head "that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard but it still doesn't excuse overworking yourself like this". "It doesn't?" you asked and Katara shook her head "not at all! Plus y/n your dedication to being respectful and your willingness to learn new customs is already a huge indication you're going to do great. I think it's really sweet how much you've thought about it and I know my whole tribe will think so too, they’re going to love you!". "You really think so?" you asked and Katara nodded "of course! Plus I'll be beside you every step of the way to help".

Katara LOVES birthdays and always makes yours as special as she possibly can. She’d have things planned from start to finish. You’d wake up to breakfast in bed and do your favourite morning activity together like baking or reading. Then in the afternoon she’d take you out for a nice lunch and you’d open up your presents from her (which are always amazing because it’s Katara). Then you’d go home and do something fun like watch your favourite movie together or play a new game she got you. In the evening, she’d invite all your friends and family around to celebrate. She’d have all your favourite food and drinks and would make sure everything was exactly how you liked it. She’d also be constantly checking up on you to make sure you were having a good time and if anyone and I mean anyone caused a scene or made you unhappy they’d be out of there before Aang can say yip yip. You’d be exhausted by the end of the night but would feel so loved and appreciated.  

Katara might be a little inclined to go overboard supporting you with your career just because typically in her tribe one person worked and the other supported. So you’d have to keep an eye on that and ensure she wasn’t putting your career ahead of her own. You’d encourage her to use her skill as the greatest water bender in the world and she’d set up a school specifically for female benders. Katara would be shocked when you told her career-wise, you’d follow her lead because she hadn’t ever expected a partner like that. You’d work out a balance where you’re both supporting each other and it’s a beautiful partnership.

When the two of you have a fight it's very emotional and intense...but is over pretty quickly. We've seen Katara has a temper and so she'd snap and go from 1 to 100 pretty quickly. You'd both scream at each other for like 10 minutes but then one of you would get upset or say something you didn't mean and you'd both calm down and realise how silly the fight was. Katara always apologises after an argument and then it's like nothing ever happened.

You and Katara do not exercise together. You tried once and Katara got too competative. She’d notice how far you’d ran on the treadmill and want to beat you, so she’d increase her speed. You’d noticed what she was doing and also pick up speed, which made Katara increase her speed again until you were both running far too fast. Long story short you fell of the treadmill, Katara had to heal you and you were asked not to come back to that gym anymore. So exercising seperately works for you! 

I can't see Katara with pets just because she seems a lot more kid-focused than animal-focused. However if you're not kid-focused that doesn't mean you can't get a pet! Katara would be tending to the neighbours' kid while you're busy playing with their dog or something. "Y/n come look at the new baby" Katara called and you nodded "yeah one second...who's a good girl? Who's a good girl?" you asked stroking the neighbour's polar bear dog. You didn't end up getting around to holding the baby and that was just fine with you.                      

Katara is just an incredibly kind and considerate partner. She makes you feel loved and special every day and she really does have the biggest heart in the world. You’re a lucky person. 

Zuko

Zuko doesn't realise he likes you until someone points it out to him and it would probably be Sokka too. He'd see you and Zuko just enjoying each other's company and ask Zuko why he hasn't asked you out yet. "Y/n? Because we're just friends!". "Are you sure about that because you smile every time she comes around". Zuko snorted "I think i'd know if I liked y/n..." then he thought about it for a few seconds and his jaw dropped. "There he goes" Sokka smirked.

Once Zuko realises he likes you he panics. He becomes the most awkward person in the world around you and blushes pretty much anytime you speak to him. You notice something weird is going on and ask Zuko if something's wrong. "Everything's completely fine! Why would you think anything's wrong?" he replied his voice getting higher towards the end. "Just you seem really tense and nervous, you keep pacing around and staring at your feet". Zuko's breath began to speed up and he was in full panic mode. "I have no idea what you mean!". Zuko was getting ready to rush out of the room when you smiled "would you maybe like to go out with me sometime? Like on a date?". Zuko paused "pardon?". "A date?" you repeated "with me". "Sokka told you didn't he!" Zuko cried and you shook your head "not at all...I just heard you talking about it. I didn't overhear the whole conversation but from how you've been acting I think I can guess what you said so...how about it? Would you like to go on a date?". Zuko nodded I'd love to!" and that was that.

You thought once you started dating Zuko would be less awkward but no. He was just as unsure and bashful but he got more confident with time. His only other relationship had been with his childhood sweetheart so of course this was all new to him and you had to show him the ropes a little. He really enjoyed all the stereotypical dates and the first time you got him flowers he nearly cried.

Zuko isn't the most intuitive partner but he has the best intentions. He's not good at sensing what you need or being able to tell your mood from looking at you but he's a fire bender not a mind reader! So communication is really important and the second you tell him you need something, he won’t hesitate to give it you.

Zuko’s friends are happy the second Zuko tells them he’s found someone. Being the Firelord at such a young age can be really lonely, especially seeing as he has no family around…but lately they had noticed a change in him. He’d been smiling more and his shoulder were more relaxed. The pressures of the throne hadn’t been affecting him as much and they all wondered why…until he introduced you.

For Zuko to tell them about you they know he must really like you and when they see you together that becomes very clear. Zuko just brightens around you and for good reason, you’re kind and caring and clearly want the best for him. So they all pretty much accept you into the group right away.

Zuko’s ex Mai is an impressive member of the Fire Nation society, not to mention one of Zuko’s few childhood friends so she’s always going to be in Zuko’s life. Your first meeting Zuko is terrified and has guards at the ready in case Mai decides to play target practice but Zuko should know by now Mai isn’t dramatic. She brings Ty lee as a middle person and greets you formally but warmly. “Welcome to the Fire Nation! Don’t worry we’re not all obsessed with honour like Zuko or permanently peppy like Ty lee. Some of us are normal…or well normal-ish” Mai says “this is the Fire Nation”. You smile at her joke and ask her about her skill with knives and combat. You talk for a good few minutes (which for Mai is like an hour) and then both move on. Zuko lets out a breath as he sees you step away from each but he didn’t need to worry. It takes a lot to make Mai angry and her ex moving on and being happy sure isn’t going to do it.  

Zuko is one of the youngest Firelords in recent history and so he puts up with a lot of people questioning his decisions and he himself as ruler but one thing he does not tolerate is anyone trying to debate his relationship with you. Of course his advisors try the second he announces your relationship and he gives them a strict warning that the next time someone wants to speak ill of you or to pry into your life they will be off the council. He can become a big scary Firelord at times.

Zuko would have no clue how to tell you he loves you. He's so awkward and unsure he'd be a mess. You'd be able to tell something was going on because you'd catch Zuko just quietly watching you or sometimes he'd trail off midsentence. Whenever you asked him about it he'd go bright red and come up with some fake excuse like you had something on your face. Then finally it gets to be too much and he just kind of...yells it at you? It explodes out of him at some random moment and it takes a few seconds for you to work out what he's saying. "You love me?" you asked and Zuko nodded "yeah...unless you don't want me to". You laughed "of course I want you to Zuko and I love you too!". Then Zuko would do that really happy smile (see the photo above) and he'd go around the palace grinning for weeks.

Zuko. Cannot. Take. Compliments.

Even with a gun to his head, Zuko just cannot accept compliments. His brain freaks out when someone tries to pay him a compliment and he will deny all of them. You could literally say “your hair is nice and dark” and he’d disagree. This is a problem because Zuko is a guy worthy on many compliments and you cannot refrain from complimenting him. So your solution is the psychological technique for phobias called flooding. You basically just bombard Zuko with compliments until he begins to accept them. Slowly but surely it works! You’ve get him to stop verbally disagreeing with your compliments and instead he just shrugs slightly which is an amazing improvement. 

Zuko's family is complicated...half of his family adores him unrealistically the other half barely tolerates his presence. Things with Azula and Zuko are still tense but better now they're older and after hearing all his sister went through, you really want to become friends with her. Zuko is shocked because most people run from his sister but not you. At the next family gathering, you notice Azula by herself on the side and go right over to her. You introduce yourself and ask how she is. She seems shocked and gives short answers awkwardly. You do this at every event, just small regular conversations until Azula begins accustomed to your presence. When you and Zuko arrive late to Ty lee's birthday party she sweeps over to you practically sighing in relief. "Thank god you're here! You're the only person at these things I can stomach sober". You chuckled while Zuko frowns "erm Azula? I'm here too". "Yes hi Zuzu, good to see you. Now can I borrow your partner, she’s my emotional support at these things". Zuko seems surprised and looks at you to see if you're fine with it but you're smiling and nodding perfectly happy. "Okay..." he nods and watches as the two of you disappear together. You help Zuko and Azula grow closer and your kind gesture of including Azula in your lives is greatly appreciated by the princess. The two siblings become regular fixtures in each other's lives and it's all down to you.

Being a member of the royal family Zuko doesn’t understand birthdays. In his family each year of a successful reign was more important and only big birthdays really meant anything. So he doesn’t get what you do to celebrate a birthday and at first is opposed to it. “Doesn’t it get boring year after year?” he asked you the first year you celebrated his birthday and you shook your head “not at all!”. Then slowly Zuko started really liking a day only for him. He’d get so excited the days leading up to his birthday while you were secretly planning events and wrapping up his presents. He tried to pretend he doesn’t care but he struggles to sleep the night before because he can’t wait. You notice the subtle changes and when he gasps at having a whole cake just for him he knows the cat is out of the bag. “Okay so I might really like this birthday thing” he admits blushing and you smiled “I’m glad you like it Zuko”.  

Dating the Firelord would make finding a job hard because you never know if they actually want you or the Firelord's partner. So Zuko would make sure to really separate himself from your work so you can tell your company when and if you want to. Alternatively Zuko is totally cool with using his power to get you stuff so if you want to take advantage of dating the sovereign he's all for it! You want a job in your favourite flower shop? He clears a space in the palace gardens for you to practice. You want to become a doctor? All the palace doctors are your tutors. You're interested in geology? Let him just send a message to his friend Toph Beifong to explain everything she knows about rocks to you. Zuko will give as much or as little as you want.

Now Zuko is extremely hot-headed (his element is fire) so fights with him would be pretty explosive and can get heated. This is especially the case when Zuko feels insecure or hurt. He tends to lash out, saying things he didn't mean to say and then instantly regrets it. Afterwards he is distraught and pretty much does everything to make it up to you. He's really mopey when you're angry at him and when you finally forgive him he'd probably cry. He's an emotional boy our Firelord but we love him.

Working out with Zuko would be funny because he has no idea how hot he is when he works out. He has no clue he looks amazing when firebending and so just wonders why you’re staring at him. “What do I have something on my face?” he asked. “No more like you’re not wearing a shirt” you reply and Zuko blushes. “Oh...i’ll put one on. I didn’t realise”. So while you do enjoy exercising with Zuko, you don’t get much exercising done so have to work out on your own. 

Zuko already has a pet...A DRAGON! So he's got the coolest animal companion you could ever want and you'd quickly become involved in Druk's life. Meeting Druk would honestly be a pretty big deal because dragons are so key to Zuko's heritage and his nation’s future so you'd be pretty scared. But the second you touched Druk's nose with your hand you'd feel the warmth radiating from him and you'd feel the bond he has with Zuko making you feel right at home. After that Druk is a huge softie for you and often goes to you when he's done something wrong so you'll protect him from Zuko. He knows Zuko can never say no to you so you're Druk's biggest protector. You also have lots and lots of dragon rides with Zuko which make the most amazing dates.

Zuko is a passionate and emotional partner. He might sometimes do things without thinking but his intentions for you are always good and the second he feels that connection with you that’s it. You’re his everything and he’d do anything to make you happy be that opposing his council or changing the mind of his people. He’s not afraid to make hard decisions for you because at the end of the day, you make it all worth it for him.

Suki

Suki is a boss so when she realised she has feelings for you, she would be pretty upfront and just ask you out. There would be no skirting     around it or awkwardness either.

She'd of course have it all planned though, she's not the leader of the greatest warriors of all time for nothing. She'd have meticulously     organised what she wanted to say and deliver it perfectly. A little too     perfectly...you were intimidated as she made eye contact the entire time     and didn't stutter once! However after she finished she shot you a big     smile which made you relax and of course tell her you liked her too.

That's how you get together! As simple as that.

When you start dating, Suki is amazing from day one. She knows     exactly how to play it and is very cool and relaxed while also making you  feel special. She's the type to leave small gifts with handwritten notes     just because. Also flowers! She will buy you flowers and leave them in a place she knows you’ll find but not bouquets, a single rose or lily because it's less showy and more intimate.

Suki is the best girlfriend ever! As a partner she is intuitive, thoughtful and makes you smile all the time. She's not one to go over the top with lovey-dovey stuff but she always makes you feel safe and wanted. She has a pretty demanding job but she always makes time for you and keeps her promises. You know you're important to her.

Suki always smiled and makes a joke about how right you are when you compliment here but you notice quickly she doesn’t really believe you. She typically brushes away your words hiding behind her smug smile and jokes. Being part of an elite team, she doesn’t know how to admit she, individually has done something right and you aim to change that. Any time you compliment Suki and she brushes it away you stop her.

“You’re so thoughtful” you said one day when Suki bought you some blueberries on her way home just because she knew you liked them. She shrugged “I’m just amazing i know”. You smiled but shook your head “you are Suki, you’re a wonderful thoughtful person who I fall for more and more each day”. That would leave Suki silent and emotional. Slowly but surely she was starting to belive your compliments. 

The warriors would love you! They're all very supportive of one another so would be pleased to see Suki happy and welcome you with open arms. This was a little intimidating considering they were all highly skilled warriors who could kill you in seconds and there were a rather lot of them. So you were more than a little overwhelmed which Suki noticed. She dialled back her excited friends and started introducing you to them in smaller groups instead week by week. She did this gradually and never     got annoyed with you but went completely at your pace. The way Suki     handled your social anxiety made you fall for her even quicker.

Suki's ex Sokka did not handle your new relationship as well. Sokka     can be pretty immature so even though he and Suki parted on good terms he was jealous when he heard you were dating. More so because it made him feel like Suki was completely over him and had left him behind. He basically thought she'd won and he'd lost.

Sokka handled this by being rude to you. He'd make sarcastic     comments about you and anytime Katara or Aang spoke to you he'd huff and pout. However this didn't last long because Katara exploded at him and told him he better not make you feel bad just because he was insecure.

Suki happened to overhear the conversation and she took Sokka to one side and they had a talk about how they'd always be important to one     another and no new relationship could erase all the good memories that they’d had together. After that Sokka was lovely to you and he actually     officiated your partnership ceremony years later.

However when anyone who isn’t her old friend insults you Suki goes all Kyoshi Warrior on them. Suki prefers shows of force so will fight anyone who disrespects you. You had to stop her coming into your work once because you were worried she might put your manager in a chokehold. She’s very  protective of you and won’t hesitate to bring down the full force of Kyoshi on anyone. 

Surprisingly Suki would struggle with the L word. Not because she feels uncomfortable with the emotion but just because she’s not sure how to tell you. She’s quite physical so being verbally vulnerable is scary to her. She’d probably ask her sisters or Ty lee for help and they’d tell her to just take you someplace nice and be honest. 

So she takes you to a place in the Fire Nation where you had your first date. It’d be a nice quiet evening and there were only a few other     people around. Suki is good at hiding her emotions so you’d have no idea how nervous she is. She would eventually build up the courage to tell you she loved you and then reassure you it’s okay if you’re not there yet with your feelings for her. She’d finished her perfectly crafted speech and waited nervously for your response. You of course tell her you love her back and she’d smile so brightly. Then you go on to tell her everything you love about her and she’s a blushing mess. It takes a lot to make your girlfriend blush but you can do it.

When you've been dating for a few months Suki takes you to her home     on Kyoshi Island. It's a pretty big deal considering this place has shaped    her whole life and everyone in the community idolises her but she’s     mindful of what happened with her sisters previously and makes sure you're not overwhelmed. She shows you the training halls and the beautiful beaches. Of course she also goes on for like an hour explaining everything Kyoshi ever touched and you just let her talk. "Sorry..." she     says realising she's been giving a lecture not a tour "am I boring you?". You couldn't resist how happy she looked talking about Kyoshi so you shook your head "not at all, tell me more about Kyoshi's girlfriend Rangi" and Suki beamed more than happy to.

Suki is one of those people who just designs the perfect birthday. She seems to be able to guess exactly what you want and act accordingly.     So one year she throws you a big party sensing you wanted to make it a big event. The next she senses you want this one to be a quieter one so the two of you stay in the house all day and don’t even open the blinds. She’s also amazing at buying presents and always gets you exactly what you want without fail. So much so, you’re sure she’s got someone to follow you or you must’ve said what you wanted in your sleep or something. Suki insists she’s just that good.

Despite Suki having a pretty self-defining career she never let that stop you from pursuing yours. You both agreed that nobody's career comes first and when you were offered a great training opportunity in the Water Tribe Suki encouraged you to take it. You'd be gone for  around a year and would only be able to visit every month or so but Suki told you to go for it. She was so supportive sending you weekly letters and gifts. As her boss was also her friend Zuko, he brought Suki with him every time he visited the Water Tribe and allowed her free time to be with you. Being in a long-distance relationship was hard but the two of you put in the work and get through it.

When the two of you fight it’s not very serious. It takes a lot to make Suki angry, especially because she knows you'd never mean to hurt her and intent matters a lot to her. However we're all human and of course there would be times when you upset her. She'd go quiet and thoughtful and when you ask her what's wrong she tells you. Suki believes in honest  communication and the two of you would always try and talk out whatever  was happening for as long as it takes. You try to never let arguments     fester and handle them as quickly as possible. Suki is nothing if not     efficient.

Working out with Suki would be...hilarious. We've all seen that scene in the Boiling Rock episode where she takes out all the guards, runs up a wall and is basically just amazing. That's her on her morning jog each day. Suki doesn't pull her punches so you realised very quickly working out together wasn't a couple’s activity for you. Instead you go to the park or gym with her and sit at a nearby cafe and wave to her as she does her laps. You read or draw or whatever you like to do and she exercises. Then when she's done you go home together.

Suki is very busy so she wouldn't have time for a high-maintenance pet. I can see her with a cat that the two of you adopted when you moved in together. Suki would be the responsible good parent while you're the     chaotic pushover. "Suki she's hungry, I think I should feed her"  you said as your cat stared up at you. "Y/n we fed her an hour ago, she's just being greedy" Suki replied. You sighed "fine..."  and sat back down. A few minutes later you left to go to the bathroom and made a bee-line for the kitchen...only to find Suki already there. "What? How did you get past me?" you cried and Suki smiled "through Avatar Kyoshi all things are possible...now go sit back down".

You wanted to name the cat Kyoshi but Suki vetos that and you name it Yun instead

Suki is an intuative cool partner. The type you can take to any event because she will get on with the people there and enjoy it. She’s a     delight to be around and at times it feels like she’s your everything. She’s the thing keeping you going each day and the two of you make a very happy partnership. 

Sokka

Sokka takes that typical macho approach to love. When he realises he     likes you, instead of small kind gestures or just telling you, he would     tease you constantly. He'd talk to you every chance he could get and would constantly be joking or messing around. Katara can read him like a book and would just sigh "when are you going to ask her out?". "Ask who out? Y/n! That's crazy! You're crazy Katara!" Sokka cried. Katara just smiled and shook her head. 

Eventually though Sokka would realise imitating your accent or     laughing at your hairstyle (shockingly) wasn't the great flirting     endeavour he thought it was. So he'd ask you to do an activity together     and you'd say yes.

Sokka would have some pretty incorrect stereotypes about dating     which you'd have to help him unlearn. He'd been taught very traditional     things about what the role of a male and female should be in a     relationship and so might not understand what a more liberal view of that   is, but through trial and error (with a LOT of mistakes) he'd learn.

As a partner Sokka is pretty damn adorable. He'd notice every little thing about you and would bore all his friends by telling them things he found fascinating. "Do you know y/n can read things upside down? How cool is that?" he cried making Zuko and Aang frown."See that is pretty cool but maybe not relevant right now..." Zuko said glancing around at the assembled council as this was a council meeting. Sokka nodded "oh yeah got it! I'll tell you about it later". His friends would all sigh about how soppy he became anytime someone mentioned you but it was sweet really and they totally used it to their advantage...

Katara and Aang walked into the room and approached. “Hey Sokka how  are you?” Aang asked. “Fine, what do you need i’m really busy” Sokka     replied. “Oh nothing we’re just stopping by” Aang said and Sokka grunted  in response. “Hey so y/n’s arriving tomorrow isn’t she?” Katara asked.     Sokka immeidately changed. His body language relaxed and he smiled     widely “yeah, I can’t wait!”. “What time is she getting here?” Aang asked and Sokka began to tell them all the details. “That’s good...we were thinking of taking a trip next week. Would you be okay handling stuff on your own?”. “Sure no problem, also did I tell you what y/n said in her letter yesterday? She said the funniest thing...” and that was pretty much how they got Sokka to do anything. 

You got him to reduce his meat intake just by telling him it’d be nice for the two of you to try something new together. Sokka the self-proclaimed     lover of meat gave that up because you asked him to. 

Sokka's friends all liked you pretty instantly. Katara thought you were a saint for putting up with Sokka's dumb ideas and sense of humour.     Aang thought you and Sokka were very compatible and found it funny both Appa and Momo liked you more than Sokka. Toph was of course a little jealous given her crush on Sokka but even she had to admit there was nobody better matched for him than you. So she slowly got over her     jealousy. Zuko liked you because you always treated him like a friend and not like a Firelord. They all thought you helped Sokka be a better person    and made each other happy. What more could you ask for? 

Suki ironically also really liked you. At first Sokka thought she'd be jealous and was wary of the two of you meeting. He even had a whole     elaborate scheme when it was Katara's birthday so you wouldn't meet. Then he saw the two of you chatting by the refreshments and nearly died. He gasped and ran to help you "I think you should go see Katara" he     said to you forcefully trying to pull you away. "Why?" you asked pushing his hand off you "Suki and I are getting acquainted". Suki nodded "yeah we're having lots of fun discussing all the silly stuff you say". "Wait you know who each other are?" Sokka asked and you both laughed. "Duh!" Suki smiled "I'm a trained warrior, I can pick up on things". You nodded "and she's literally wearing her captain's uniform...so that made it pretty     easy". Sokka blinked "and you're...okay with one another?". "Why wouldn't we be?" Suki asked and you nodded "just because Suki's your ex doesn't mean we have to hate each other". "Yeah we're above all that sexist crap" Suki said and Sokka nodded "okay then...carry on" and left you to it. The idea of even being near your ex made Sokka furious so he found this very odd but you and Suki became good friends which was nice. He realised he didn't have to banish Suki just because they'd broken up and that this was a really healthy relationship.

Sokka is protective so if anyone and I mean anyone dares to say a bad thing about you, he’s ready to fistfight. There are 2 problems with this however 

1. he doesn't take into account how badly he could lose a fight. For example when he said your name one day and Appa happened to be passing gas at the same time he took offence. He began yelling at the sky bison and then jumped on Appa, messing up his fur. Appa simply swatted Sokka away and put his paw on him, keeping him rooted to the floor. 

2. Sokka's second problem was he tended to imagine insults where     there were none. Once they were at Kyoshi Island and Aang wanted to go Elephant-Koi fish surfing but the fish weren't there. After waiting an hour Katara suggested calling it quits and Aang sighed "let's just go and meet y/n in Omashu". Sokka didn't like Aang's tone and immediately bristled. "Oh I'm sorry is it such a chore to see y/n? Do you not enjoy visiting her? Has she not always been an amazing friend to you?" he cried. "Of course not I love seeing y/n! She’s a great friend to me!". "So why did you say her name like that?" Sokka asked and Katara sighed "Sokka you know Aang didn't mean it like that, leave him alone!". "I will not stand by while someone insults my partner!" he cried and Katara rolled her eyes "Aang     wasn't doing that!". "I promise I wasn't!" Aang said and Sokka paused "you weren't?". "No I love y/n!" Aang said. Sokka narrowed his eyes inspecting him before he sighed "okay my bad" and moved on, leaving a very relieved Airbender and angry waterbender.

When Sokka realised he loves you he'd plan a whole evening to tell you and of course because fate does not favour Sokka everything would go     wrong and he'd get really upset. 

"Sokka...are you okay?" you asked he continued to angrily beat the curtains which had stopped being on fire quite a few seconds ago. "Yep I'm fine!" he said but you could tell by how high his voice was going that he wasn't. "No you're not Sokka stop!" and you pulled him away from the curtains "I know our date got messed up when it rained and we had to come inside...and when our food got burned accidentally...and when the curtains then caught fire destroying all the beautiful decorations you put out...but that's no reason to get upset". Sokka sighed "but I wanted tonight to be special!". "Why?" you asked chuckling and Sokka slumped into his seat hanging his head "because I wanted to tell you that I...that I love you". You paused "you did?". Sokka nodded "yeah and I wanted it to be a real special occasion we'd both remember for years but I messed everything up!". Sokka you didn't mess anything up!" you said taking a seat next to him "I will remember this night forever and not because of all the fancy things or decorations but because of you...you saying those words are more than enough to make this memorable". Sokka looked at you "really?". "Really" you smiled.

Sokka LOVES compliments and he’s not humble either. He will happily     accept them and agree with you which makes it rather funny. “Sokka     that was so cool!” you cried when he successfully disarmed Zuko in     combat. “I know” he smirked. “Don’t encourage him y/n” Katara     whispered but you just smiled. You knew Sokka just wanted to feel loved  and that’s why he enjoyed compliments so much. However you didn’t want him to get a big ego so you treated compliments with Sokka how a person might handle treats with a dog. Only on certain occasions when it was warranted and that worked pretty well. 

Sokka might be nervous to introduce you to his family at first because he cares a lot about what his tribe thinks of him and doesn't want them to be disappointed he's dating an "outsider". This would be a really big test for you and Sokka because he has to decide what's more important, tradition or you. At first he'd try and keep the two separate however that can't continue forever and eventually he brings you to the WaterTribe. He's hyperaware of everything as you walk to his home together. "Is it just me or are people watching us?" he asked and Katara frowned "nobodies watching us and even if they are they're probably just intrigued about y/n". Sokka nodded but that didn't reassure him. 

Then around his family he got nervous all over again. He was a ball of nerves as you chatted to his father and gran gran. "So y/n what do your parents do?" his gran gran asked. "My mother is a mechanic and my father is a stay-at-home dad". Sokka anxiously watched his elders and saw them pause "so your father stays at home and your mother works?" Hakoda asked. You nodded "yep! In my home couples choose who should stay home and my father wanted to. "That's so cool"  Katara said and you smiled. "It's certainly...different" gran gran said and Sokka nearly choked. "Yes in the best possible way" Hakoda smiled "we're trying to improve the gender equality in our tribe and your home sounds like a wonderful place for us to learn from, please tell us more". Sokka dropped his fork in shock. "Sokka table manners!" gran gran said before turning to you "now dear tell me, how many of your girls are educated". Sokka couldn't believe it. He'd assumed his tribe would hate your ideals but they were more progressive than he thought. After that, he brought you home with him any time he could and even flew his father and gran gran to your home so they could see it all. Your families got along wonderfully and Sokka never underestimated his tribe again.

Sokka also LOVES birthdays but not just his own he adores your own     too. Sokka is a big kid at heart and so he gets more excited for your     birthday than you do. He wakes up extra early and tries his best to make     you, your favourite breakfast in bed. Then he drags you to the living room so you can open your presents. He watches you excitedly while you unwrap them, so thrilled to see what you think of them. He prefers for you to spend your birthday just the two of you and gets jealous when your other friends and family want to see you too. He adores you and so having a whole day where he just gets to celebrate you is amazing in his eyes.

Sokka wants to make it super clear your career is just as important  as his. Growing up that wasn't the typical attitude between males and     females but he wanted it to be. When he was offered a high-ranking role in the Water Tribe he asked for time to discuss it with you and considered  your job. He never assumed to know what you were thinking and listened to you. He put off accepting the job for several years so you could finish     studying and then you made the joint decision to move there. He even     looked into all the careers you could have in the Water Tribe and only     agreed to move once you had one you were really passionate about. Just  liking the sound of it wasn't enough he wanted you to really want to move  and wouldn't accept anything less.

Fights with Sokka are hilarious. He might be one of the brightest minds in the four nations but he also had an immature side and that comes out when you argue. His logic went right out the window and you'd verbally destroy him. This would make Sokka very mardy and pouty which you     found adorable. He’d sulk for a little while but after half an hour or so he wouldn’t care anymore and would be back to normal. 

You quite enjoyed working out with Sokka because he was a big fan of     rewarding yourselves for good behaviour. So you would hardly do any work and then take a nice break. It was basically just an opportunity for you and Sokka to spend some time together while possibly doing a little bit of exercise. Sokka is also totally that partner that likes to set up on the machine next to you. You don’t go around attached at the hip but if he sees you on one treadmill he will come and take the one next to you because he likes being close to you. Sokka would also be a huge hype     man and so you love getting him to spot you when you do weights. He cheers you on constantly and makes exercising easier in every way. 

Sokka would claim to hate animals because of all the mess, smell and noise etc but he would adore the pet you got together. He'd of course     complain the whole time you were buying the pet but he'd slowly start to     melt. You'd catch him covering up the little animal with a blanket at     night or waking up early so he can feed and play with it. He'd even take     it with him on his rounds as councillor and soon they're inseparable.     "Do you remember when I said I wanted a pet and we got one for me?". Sokka looked down where your pet was curled up against him asleep "yeah well they chose me, don't be a sore loser y/n".

Sokka is a fun, unique and witty partner. There’s never a quiet moment when he’s around and nobody can make you laugh or smile like he can. He’s not only hilarious but can be serious and sweet in ways that  send shivers down your spine. You have no doubt he’d go to the end of the     earth for you and no matter your differences, you’re perfect together.

__________

Requested by: @angrypolicetimetravel

So obviously I didn’t include Toph and Aang because they’re both 12 but I really loved writing this for Katara, Zuko, Suki and Sokka! They’re all so fun but have such different personalities. 

[teaandcrowns]

I have so many thoughts on Sokka during TSR, because why did katara talk to aang at the end but not Sokka? I understand why her and Aang spoke, but it made no sense for Sokka not to be more involved. This is Kataras episode, and for that reason I would've thought there would be more Sokka because he is one of the biggest parts of her life. What she said to Sokka about their mother, I understand it and don't blame her, but it was cruel and you can't tell me that Katara didn't feel horribly guilty after, that she wouldn't apologise. Throughout the series they don't have really a positive conversation regarding Kyas death once (not that the topic is positive, but by that I mean it is always either brought up in an argument or katara isn't talking to sokka about it) and the way Katara is shocked when she overhears Sokka talking to Toph kind of implies she and Sokka haven't spoke about it, which does make sense. Sokka tends to shut his deep feelings away, and wouldn't want to 'burden' Katara with them bc of his whole protective thing, which is a reason I agree Sokka probably would've argued further to stop Katara going more than Aang, because in regards to his character, he sees Katara when he thinks of Kya because she sacrificed herself for her. Katara feels the need to honour this sacrifice, whilst Sokka feels the need to keep Katara safe, and Hakodas words encouraged those thoughts. From a plot standpoint I get why he didn't fight it, but I would've thought he would've. He has always been vocal against Katara putting herself in danger, so the time when she is about to put herself in the MOST danger, he's just.. weirdly quiet about it. This episode missed a big opportunity to focus less on Aang and Katara in the background, and more on Sokka and Katara. Having a conversation regarding their mother's death; regarding Kataras survivors guilt and her need to feel worthy of that sacrifice, Sokkas repression of her memory despite remembering the raid clearly and feeling a need to keep Katara safe, would've helped them both, and given a lot more insight on their characters, esp Sokka who has never really been a focus in the series. In my dreams, they talked to each other after the episode ended. I think all of the faults of this episode lie within the writing tbh (Zuko bluntly asking Sokka about his mother's death which was.. insensitive, Aang saying about Appa instead of the death of his people) but yeah.. this has gotten way too long 😭 I just have lots of thoughts about Sokka & Katara

Yeah, I think it would have been a lot better if Katara and Sokka had an actual conversation about this, because I think you're right. I don't think they ever talked to one another about it. Katara was too busy trying to fill their mother's shoes (at eight!) and my guess is that Sokka was too busy trying to emulate their father so he could fast track becoming a warrior to help protect the remainder of the tribe. I honestly think that if the episode had put Sokka and Katara as the secondary focus instead of Aang and Katara, it would have made it so much better. I feel like Sokka would have tried to stop her at first, but then they would have argued and Katara would lash out and then Sokka would realize just how much this means to her, to be able to do this, and how no matter how much he wants to, he can't protect her forever (and hasn't been in a lot of senses, for a while), and it would have just been such a good growth point for both of them. I imagine he'd have this revelation and instead of the scene starting with Aang saying, "I forgive you. Does that give you any ideas?" we have Sokka saying, "I'm coming with you." Katara could tell him no, this was something she had to do herself, to keep the primary relationship reconciliation between her and Zuko, and Sokka would feel bad, but understand and not push the point.

Everything else doesn't have to change—I even understand Zuko bluntly asking Sokka because he doesn't know the extent of what happened, just that Katara said the Fire Nation took her mother away from her, and nobody else in camp would know the answer. Forefronting Sokka and Katara as a secondary relationship that grows and is repaired would have made so much more sense than Katara and Aang's fracturing with no on screen resolution after.

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

Forgive me if you've already talked about this, but tumblr search being what it is I couldn't find for sure. Have you ever posted about the potential Drama that might have occurred when Bato rejoined the water tribe warriors and told Hakoda he did Sokka's ice dodging trial? It feels like something a father might at least feel sad about, if not a bit resentful, that someone else had to take on that ritual for his son. We only really see Sokka and Katara's side of that odd situation. Since you've talked about these characters a lot I was wondering what your thoughts on it were.

i feel like i've mentioned it before but idk if i've directly discussed it and if i have oh well. another post be upon ye

i think hakoda would be Fine with it. by which i mean he totally wouldn't be but since it's bato he doesn't want to Say he's not fine with it. and he thinks he Should be fine with it bc bato's always been fatherly to the kids and really, he's glad they got to do the ritual with someone who loves them. really bato. it's fine.

he feels guilty, mostly. shouldn't he have remembered sokka's 14th birthday? couldn't they have tried to make it back? bato shouldn't have HAD to step in! if it were some random other warrior he wasn't as close to, or (heaven forbid) someone from the northern water tribe, it'd be very straightforward. he'd be upset at that person for usurping an important father-son moment. he could externalize it. but he can't blame bato bc bato's his friend. so he just blames himself, and doesn't say anything about it.

i'm not sure if bakoda happening would help or not. it would legitimize bato's claim to being sokka's father, and that could make hakoda feel better about the whole thing OR it might make him feel like his feelings are irrational and make him shove them down even harder.

eventually, it would burst out - as repressed things do - in an "i know it's not your fault bato but i can't help but feel like a bad parent and resent that you got to do that and i didn't" kind of way. a little bit like katara in "the awakening". and bato, who probably suspected that hakoda was feeling more than he let on, accepts it gracefully and lets hakoda cry on him for a bit.

speaking of "the awakening", the hakoda of that episode seems to have thought a lot about the way he left his kids and how they might resent that. he immediately picks up that katara's also talking about him when she talks about aang and says all the right things to her. it seems like he has worked out some issues offscreen.

while writing this i'm now starting to think i addressed this in my bakoda fics. or maybe i saw it in a bakoda fic once? idk. definitely a good bakoda dynamic

[gaybananabread]

Hii! For the fruit shop, could you do lemon for ATLA? Maybe Sokka is being a brat and Aang, Toph, and Katara pin him and tickle him? Maybe have them use raspberries and focus on his belly button? Finally, since I hc that Katara sits on top of Sokka when tickling him because he HATES it, could u integrate that as well? Thanks!

Fruit(s): Lemon

Sure! I’m loving that I left room for hcs; the ones I’ve gotten so far are so fun and cute! These goobers need some more attention from me, especially Sokka. Thank you for requesting, I hope you Enjoy!

Lee: Sokka

Lers: Katara, Aang, Toph

Summary: Sokka is being more of a brat than usual. Katara decides to teach him a lesson, the others joining in to help.

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

“What? It’s not my fault I’m smarter than you.” 

Toph launched a rock at his head, making the boy yelp and duck. It was game night for the Gaang, trivia being their first segment. She could swear he was cheating; she just hadn’t figured out how he was doing it. Yet.

“I’ll show you smarter, you little-” Katara cut in before Aang’s innocence could be spoiled any further. “Oh-kay! Sokka, quit being you. Toph, watch what you say, even if he does deserve it.”

Aang just sighed, pulling the next trivia card. Sokka had been stirring trouble the whole night. “Uh, who was the oldest confirmed Avatar to have lived?” He had made most of the cards, that one included. Sokka looked down for a moment, twisting his sleeve before answering. “Avatar Kyoshi at 230, easy!”

At that moment, Toph growled and sent a pillar of stone for Sokka’s head. It narrowly missed him, his coat slipping off as he struggled to dodge it. There, written on his arm, were the answers to all the trivia questions. Oh, that little- “I KNEW IT! No way you could get all those questions right!”

Sokka just chuckled as his friends surrounded him, backing closer and closer towards the wall of the tent.. “Ehehe…uh, we can talk about this, right?” His back hit the cloth, the exit flap over behind his friends. “R-right…?”

The teen had been a brat the entire day. Not in his usual “I’m so funny” way, but in a “I’m arrogant and need to be taken down a peg” way. Cheating was the final straw, and his friends were more than happy to be the ones to bring him back to Earth.

Katara was the first to attack, lunging at him like she had so many times before. She tackled her brother to the floor of the tent, making sure his head hit his bed roll before pinning him. Sokka kicked and squirmed underneath her, hating how she got the upper hand. “Get off! C’mon, it was just a little advantage!”

Toph sent a pebble at his head, making him whine. “A little advantage?! You had all the trivia answers right in front of you! That’s blatant cheating!” 

She had a very fair point. Sokka, looking for any way out of his predicament. He tried calling out to Aang. “Aang! Y-you’re all about second chances, right? Help me out here!”

The Avatar just sighed, trying to keep his growing smile at bay. “Well, that’s normally true. But cheating at my trivia game? I think that deserves some punishment.” He squawked, trying twice as hard to get out of his sister’s hold. Toph chuckled, cracking her knuckles. “Katara, show him what happens to cheaters.”

Then something none of the kids, besides Sokka, were expecting. The boy squealed before bursting into loud, bubbly laughter. She was…tickling him? Toph groaned. “Awe, c’mon! Where’s the waterlogging? The ear-pulling? Literally anything besides this?!” 

Aang just chuckled, smiling as Katara tormented her brother. “I think it’s a much better alternative to violence. We don’t need to hurt each other every time something annoying happens.” 

The jerk in question was squirming, twisting, bucking and kicking to try and get Katara off him. She was barely even doing anything, but his pride was being stomped on and pulverized. “K-Kahataraha! I- Ihi’m gohonaha kihihill youhuuhu!”

She skittered her fingers across his navel, smiling down at him. “Maybe someone shouldn’t have been such a skunk-bat the whole day. You guys mind helping instead of bickering? It’s a lot more fun than it looks.”

The bubbly boy needed no further convincing. He knelt down by Sokka’s flailing arms, bending some stone to hold them in place above his head. “I gotta try this.” Smiling wide, Aang dug his fingers into Sokka’s hollows. The boy screeched, thrashing in the rocky restraints. “NAHAHAHO! YOUHUHU AHALL SUHUHUHUCK!”

That was enough out of him. Toph chuckled darkly, taking a seat on his shins. “It’s a sissy way of doing things, but fine; boomer-boy seems to hate it, so it’s good enough.” She dug into the undersides of his knees, letting her calloused fingers do most of the work. That did the trick. “GYAAAH! TOHOHPH NOHOHO!”

Aang felt a bit bad, easing up his touch to one finger per hollow. He didn’t wanna overwhelm his friend, though the two girls had no problems with it. Katara was feeling extra evil, slowly lifting the hem of Sokka’s shit up to his ribs. “Hmph. You gonna apologize?” 

He could’ve just said sorry right there and survived. Sokka, doing the obvious, smart thing? Nah, not his style. “G-GOHO CLEHEHEAN APPA’S TOHOHOES!” 

That was all Katara needed to be cruel. Taking a deep breath, she aimed for his navel and blew a raspberry straight on it. Sokka was gone.

“GHK- GAHAHAHAHA! KAHAHATAHRAHAHA!” Aang’s eyes widened as he saw Sokka’s crazed reaction. “Wow Sokka, I never knew you were so ticklish…”

The water tribe warrior would have yelled at him, but Katara blew another raspberry before he could get another word out. Sokka squealed and kicked, reminded of all the times Katara had done the same thing in their youth. Be it in retaliation to something, or just to cheer him up, his sister could always get him laughing. 

“Ohokay. As much as I’m enjoying the show, we can’t kill the dork. I think he’s learned his lesson.” Backing up the earthbender, Sokka forced out an apology. “IHIHI’M SAHAHAHORRY!” 

She sighed, pulling his shirt back down. “Fiiiine. You guys are no fun.” She climbed off of her brother, patting his chest. He groaned and kicked at her, curling into himself as he giggled the phantom sensations away. “See? Perfectly fine.”

His friends chuckled, Toph releasing his arms from the stone cuffs. “Welp, I’m entertained. I think we should add “Tickle the Life Outta Sokka” to game night. Makes things way more fun.” 

“G-glahad you’re all hahaving fun with my misery.” Sokka apparently still had the energy to sass them, though it was clear his extra brattiness was gone. Aang nudged his side, making the warrior slip into his sleeping bag. “I’m going to bed, ya buncha jerks.” 

“Love you too, Sokka. Night.” Katara chuckled, bending a bit of water into his cup before turning back to the others. Game night continued, though they did keep things down for the grumpy fighter’s sake. Sokka turned away from them, his sleeping bag closed up to his mouth. Toph just smirked, knowing that underneath it was a small, happy smile.

[attackfish]

Could I ask for another part to the Lin adopts Mako and Bolin AU? I really enjoyed reading what you had.

Continued from: [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], and [Link].

1. Katara gives Korra two weeks worth of homework (mostly on deep breathing and meditation, which she needs to be doing more of anyway) and turns her over to a Southern Water Tribe traditional dance teacher, who is overjoyed to have the young Avatar participating in this year's first sunset festival dance with the other children. Korra is skeptical, but Katara wants her doing something movement related while she's gone, or she will be bouncing off walls by the time Katara gets back. Besides, Korra is isolated from her people and kids her own age too much. But anyway, with her student seen to, Katara makes a trip to visit Suyin and her family.

2. Suyin is no fool. She knows Katara showing up so soon after Zuko expressed his concerns probably has something to do with those concerns. From her point of view, Katara shows up like, "I'm here to-" (whips out a pair of sunglasses) "◇~☆Question your parenting!☆~◇" And to be fair, Katara is absolutely there to question Suyin's parenting, but she's trying to do it in a loving nonconfrontational way, in which she offers Suyin support if she needs it. But Suyin has a lot of ego wrapped up in having saved Kuvira and set her on the right track. But at least the fact that she thinks everything is fine, means she's all too eager to show everything off to Katara. And as long as Katara keeps making appreciative noises and complementing Suyin, Suyin feels like Katara isn't a threat.

3. When the tour is all over, Katara asks to speak to Kuvira for a little bit alone. Oh, don't worry, Suyin dear, I just know Zuko would feel a lot better of I do. I want to put my old friend's mind at rest, that's all. So Suyin leaves them to it, and Katara immediately sits Kuvira down and tells her that Zuko sent her because he saw things he thought were wrong with things here, and Katara agrees, and she knows Kuvira doesn't have anybody to talk to who won't tell Suyin and Bataar, so here's her phone number and her address, and here's how to contact Zuko. It's a little harder, because he's always traveling, but she knows he would love to hear from her, and neither of them will tell Suyin or Bataar anything she tells them. Then she puts her finger to her lips and says goodbye. She smiles at Suyin, and tells her she feels much better about things now, and heads off. That of course is a blatant lie, and Katara feels helpless to fix anything, so she resolves to go track down Toph and yell at her. This might not actually be Toph's fault, but it will make Katara feel better.

4. Now that two old friends of their mother have turned up trying to find things wrong with how Suyin raises her children, Suyin knows there must be a reason, someone whispering nasty things in their ears, and she has one suspect. So she calls up her sister to yell accusations at her. And that's how Lin learns Zuko and Katara don't necessarily think everything is fine and grand with Suyin's family. She has no idea what to do with this information, but it's nice to have. She hangs up on her sister without comment. The tragedy, not that either Lin or Suyin can face this, is that Suyin isn't trying to be a bad parent. She's trying to give her children what she and her sister needed and didn't get. And Toph was trying to give her children the freedom she didn't get, and everybody keeps making new mistakes, trying to avoid the old ones.

5. It's a terrible irony that just as Suyin's own attempts at parenting are unravelling because she can't admit she's wrong, Lin's adventures in parenting are forcing her to admit she might have been wrong about everything, about her job, about how people work, about her city. And that how things go, with Lin learning to reevaluate the world at every step, while Mako and Bolin learn to do the same. And then, several months down the road comes that bane of every parent of a "problem child's" life, parent-teacher conferences.

[poeticmoonspirit]

These Things I've Done - Part III

Title is based off this song. (You can listen to it while you read if you want lmao, I'm just having fun with this.)

Part I Part II Part IIII Part V Part VI

It had been a few hours since Aang had fled, leaving his comrades in bitter resentment. They all knew they had to train him, to beat the Fire Lord and end the war. But if they were being honest with themselves, they didn't want to anymore.

Aang had shown his true colors, unmasking a selfish and irresponsible boy who didn't understand what accountability was and never hoped to. Whether he apologized wouldn't matter because regardless of his intentions, he still hurt them deeply.

The airbender made his way back to Ember Island on his trusty glider before perching on a nearby rock, searching for the rest of the group. The sun was setting, yet he didn't see anyone.

Where were they?

He knew they'd be furious when they saw him return. He knew that. He left them in a spout of anger and bitterness, leaving them to tend to their wounds he inflicted. All of this was his fault, after all. After he left them the day before, his past lives were so upset with him that they made sure he knew it. Their voices rang in his head, clammering about until he couldn't take it anymore and caved in.

"What do you guys want? I'm not really into the mood to talk right now." Avatar Kuruk scoffed.

"You've got some nerve—!"

He was cut off. "Avatar Aang, you are most disgraceful. You have much to learn about the world, but especially about yourself," said Avatar Kyoshi.

"I thought I was doing the right thing! Katara killed someone! And if it hadn't been for Zuko—"

"When will you stop judging others for what you see as a wrongful deed? Look within yourself to find the problem!" Roku snapped. Finally, Avatar Yangchen came forward, her expression tainted with disappointment and shame.

"Aang, our people have long since been gone from this world. I understand that you want to preserve the ideals of your ancestors, but you cannot expect others to feel and believe as you do. What you believe is right may not be someone else's belief of righteousness, but that doesn't make them wrong either."

"Your views of our teachings have been skewed, Avatar. As an Air Nomad, I thought you would understand this, but it is clear you do not." Aang stuttered, not believing what she was saying.

"Before you respond, have you ever stopped to consider what your friends were feeling? Their stories? Their experiences? They experienced this war much longer than you have and have seen far worse than you. I think it is you who needs to learn from them, rather than them learning from you."

Aang stopped to think despite his unwavering irritation at them. He knew Katara's and Sokka's mother died because of the man Katara killed, he also thought about the abuse and mistreatment Zuko endured at the hands of his cruel and twisted father. With the exception of him, they had all been through the war for more than a decade, something Aang never experienced. He hung his head low in shame.

He'd never been so disappointed in himself before. And he's even more ashamed that it took this to make him realize just how warped his views on righteousness were.

All of the past lives faded away in a wisp, but not before Yangchen said one last thing that made Aang freeze in his spot.

"As a punishment for your actions, your new abilities to take away bending have been severed. You will find your own way to end the war, or you will not at all."

"Wait! Come back! I need those powers!"

But it was too late, Yangchen then disappeared with a satisfying smirk, one that Aang had never seen on her before.

Perhaps this was karma's way of restoring the balance. Aang sighed.

He was about to summon up the courage to make his way inside the house until he heard footsteps from the side of it. Curious, he glanced in his peripheral and saw Toph crossing her arms, her milky eyes glaring at him.

Venom laced her words. "Well, well, well. Look who decided to finally show up."

Aang hung his head low, unable to meet his earthbending teacher's eyes.

"Toph, I'm really sorry." she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Aang stepped closer. "I am."

She huffed, turning around and making her way back to the doorway, but not before stopping to say something.

"You really hurt Katara and Zuko today, Aang. They're the ones you should be apologizing to."

The airbender stood there, shame filling his entire being. His nerves frazzled.

•~•~•

Katara sat on her bed, twirling her fingers in circles, bending a puddle of water to calm her nerves. They were depending on Aang to end this war. A child that only came to know about the world of war a few months ago. She was tired of leaving her fate at the hands of others. She'd kill the Fire Lord himself if Aang wasn't going to do it. And she refused to leave that option to Zuko. He'd been through enough with the man. It was evening time and although it wasn't completely nighttime yet, she could still feel its power running through her veins.

She was about to wash up when she heard a sudden knock on the door.

With an annoyed sigh, she yelled, "Come in!"

A wave of relief washed over here when she saw Zuko's shaggy black hair, his amber eyes peeking through the crack. "Are you sure? I can come back later."

She nodded, patting the spot next to her. "I won't bite." He came all the way in, holding a bowl of food and a small cup of some kind of juice.

"What's that?"

"Watermelon juice. Made it myself. Wanna try?"

Katara took a look at the dark pink liquid. The aroma was sweet-smelling and refreshing. She picked up the cup, taking a small sip. Her thirst got the better of her as she gulped the rest of it down, unaware of the playful smirk that graced the prince's lips.

"Someone's thirsty." Katara wiped her mouth with her hand, picking up the bowl of rice and grilled fish. "Yeah well, I haven't been drinking much water lately. This is as close as it gets."

Zuko frowned. Katara hadn't left her room all day, claiming she needed to be left alone to think. He hated leaving her alone with her thoughts, as they sometimes led to awful mental breakdowns. But he respected her privacy and trusted that she'd be okay. At least for now.

"You wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head, groaning at the headache she now had. He noticed, carefully making his way behind her so that he could softly rub her temples and massage the knots in her back. She almost moaned at the feeling when suddenly the door bursted open, pausing the firebender's ministrations. Katara narrowed her eyes at the person in the doorway.

It was Aang.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Vicarious (Part 5)

She is hurt. 

He only has to look at his arm to see that much.

And he is making things worse. Digging himself deeper and saying the wrong things. 

She is in such terrible distress and he is being insensitive, yelling at her and making accusations when she could use some words of comfort.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I woke up to…” he gestures to his bandaged arm. “And I got scared. I need some time to think about everything. I shouldn’t have asked you to tell me such personal stuff.”

But what about him. 

He could use some comfort. 

However unintentional, she almost killed him.

In some regard he thinks that she should give him at least a small reason as to why he had to go through what he had. But that isn’t fair to her, not when she hadn’t intended to drag anyone into her own mess. Not when it isn’t her fault.

What’s fair for her isn’t fair for him. He rubs his hands over his face. What a mess they have somehow managed to get in.

Azula doesn’t speak but her body language is much easier to pick up on. He knows how his jaw works when he is trying to come up with something to say. He knows how his brows furrow and his expression tightens when the words refuse to come.

“It hurts a lot.” He tries. 

“No more than everything else did.” She mumbles more to herself. 

He knows that he ought not, he has already asked his share of invasive questions but he can’t seem to help himself. The question isn’t even helpful because he is certain that he already knows the answer. “Why didn’t you tell us that it hurt so badly?”

That sneer does not fit his face well at all. It looks so ugly twisted and contorted like that. “Would you have cared? I know what all of you think of me.”

“How can you know that?”

Azula shrugs. “Simple; all I have to do is march right up to your friends and say something like, ‘she’s crazy isn’t she, what kind of person…?’” She makes a slashing gesture across his wrist. “I have a feeling that I will get a very honest answer.”

“I wouldn’t say that!” He insists. “I wouldn’t talk about you or anyone like that.”

“Well then I can just ask what everyone makes of the whole situation.” The idea sparkles in her now blue eyes with a sort of malice that he had never imagined that he’d ever see on his face. “They have no reason to withhold their real opinions.”

“Azula…” What can he say? If he tells her not to do that to herself it’ll only cement what she already believes. Truth be told he isn’t sure what kind of answer she will get if she does make her inquiry.  “We don’t really talk about you too much.” He tries instead. He isn’t sure if that is a good thing either. “And when we do…” it is admittedly a mix. Sometimes they have more tact than other times. “People say a lot of stuff behind people’s backs. Stuff that they wouldn’t say to their faces.”

“Well maybe they should.” Azula crosses her arms. 

“What I mean is that I’ve said some awful stuff about Katara when I was mad at her. I overheard Aang talking badly of me. And you don’t even know how many things we said about Zuko when he first joined us…” 

.oOo.

“It’s alright.” Azula dismisses. “It won’t be anything that I don’t know already. I’d just like to know for sure.” It is better than wondering, speculating. Better than clinging to hope that she ought not have. The very hope that has her feeling compelled to ask in the first place on the off chance that they might speak kindly of her. On the off chance that Sokka is right, that they don’t hate her as much as she thinks they do. 

That they don’t laugh at her and celebrate her downfall as much as she thinks they do. 

Sokka tries to sit up. She imagines that he feels faint.  

“Don’t try to get up, the last thing I need is for people to see me stumbling about.” She pauses. “What do you need?”

“Water would be nice. Something to eat. Raava’s tendrils, when was the last time you ate!” 

“Sometimes I forget.” She admits. Most of the time she simply can’t be bothered. “I didn’t exactly think I’d be needing food…” The rumbling in her stomach says otherwise.

“Can I have shellfish?”

Azula shakes her head. “Absolutely not.”

“Seriously!? You won’t even let me have shellfish?”

“I’m allergic.” 

“Oh…” his face falls. 

“Any allergies you want to tell me about?” Azula asks. “Persistent medical problems, things that I should be aware of so that there are no surprises?” She supposes that confronting Sokka’s friends will have to wait. “I tend to use a special soap, it is gentler on my skin.”

“What happens if I use other soap?”

“Nothing particularly dreadful. It’s more of an annoyance than anything else; a lot of soaps are harsh on my skin and makes it feel dry. I’m somewhat used to it, they only had one soap option at the institution. But you might not find it pleasant.”

“I guess that we’re really going to get to know each other, huh?” Sokka rubs sheepishly the back of his head.  “Yeah, I guess that there are some things that you should know about. I can’t have really strong spices, they upset my stomach.” He taps his chin and gives her another sheepish look. “I’ll try to think of more stuff while you get me some Azula safe foods.”

Azula flushes if only slightly. 

At least this is giving her something else to think about. Something aside from that bandage wrapped around her wrist and all of the things that had helped put it there. 

“I like oyakodaon with a sprinkle of paprika or red pepper flake. And mochi, the green tea kind.” She mentions. “But go easy on the mochi, okay?”

Sokka chuckles. “Okay.”

She pauses in the doorframe. “Just promise you won’t embarrass me.” Azula mutters. She has been doing that very well on her own. 

“How am I going to…?”

Azula cuts him off. “I’ve had the displeasure of being at the dinner table with you and your manners are horrid; you talk with your mouth full, you don’t wait your turn to grab seconds or salt shakers, and put your feet on the table. Don’t do any of that, not with my body.” She pauses. “And no crying, okay.” They don’t need that kind of satisfaction. They don’t need something else to use against her. 

“No crying?” Sokka throws his hands up. “I’m a sensitive guy. You better cry a lot for me.” 

Azula rolls her eyes. “I’d rather you put your poor table manners on display. Just. Don’t. Cry.” 

Sokka lifts his arms. She wishes that he wouldn’t; every time he does her robes slide down and she has to look at that bandage. At the portion of the gash that they don’t cover. “Alright, I’m just joking. I won’t cry if I can help it.” 

Azula nods. “Have that list of do’s and dont’s for me. I’ll have one written for you you. That way neither of us can pretend like we didn’t know the rules or point fingers over something that we forgot to mention to each other.”

.oOo.

It is truly amazing how quick she is to brush off her own near demise. How she doesn’t seem particularly fussed over it at all. And maybe it is because she isn’t the one dealing with the brain fog and the fatigue. 

Maybe it is because she disregards her own well being that much.

“Yeah sure, Azula.” He says anyhow.

But spirits does he wish that she would give him some time to process everything.

He wonders how much flack she will give him if he nods off instead of writing that list. He can get to it eventually. Her body is so, so tired and spent.

[justsomewritingblog]

Avatar:TLA (Part 5)

Request:  None

Requested By:  Nobody

Pairing:  Zuko x reader

Summary:  The Storm and The Blue Spirit

Warnings:  none?

A/N:  Repost!

Word Count:  3K+  (Someone needs to stop me)

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

You were jolted awake by a pressure on your stomach.  You sat upright and looked to your friends, who were all sitting up as well.  Sokka held his boomerang and his knife sleepily.

“Did we get captured again?”  He asked.

“It’s nothing.  I just had a bad dream.”  Aang confessed.  “Go back to sleep.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”  Sokka said, rolling over.

“Are you alright, Aang?”  Katara asked the boy.  He was curled into a ball, laying back on the ground.

“I’m okay.”

“You seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately.  You wanna tell me about it?”

“I think I just need some rest.”

At this, Sokka sat back up.  “You guys wanna hear about my dream?”

Katara shot him a glare.  Sokka laid back down.

“That’s okay.  I didn’t want to talk about it anyway.”

You patted his shoulder.

“Later.”  You assured.  Katara laid back down as well, seeing as Aang wasn’t going to say anything.  You sighed, now wide awake, and realizing you weren’t going to get anymore sleep, stood and packed your sleeping bag, before walking away.

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

When you got back to camp, Katara was walking up Appa’s tail, remarking about how they needed food.

“Guys, wait.  This was in my dream.”  Sokka started.  You raised an eyebrow as you threw the rest of the stuff on Appa’s saddle before climbing up as well.  “We shouldn’t go to the market.”

“What happened in your dream?”  Katara asked.

“Food eats people!  Also, Momo could talk.”  He turned to the lemur.  “You said some very unkind things.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that Sokka’s dreams can’t predict the future.”  You said, sitting down.  Sokka crossed his arms, a sour look on his face.  “Aw, cheer up.  We’re going to get food!”  You exclaimed, hoping to raise his spirits.  Sokka remained stoic.  You rolled your eyes and crawled forward.  “Sokka, don’t make me tickle you.”

“Pfft.  I’m not ticklish.”  He said, arms still crossed.

“Yes you are.  In fact, he’s-”

Sokka rushed to his sister and placed his hand over her mouth, silencing her.  You laughed as Appa rose into the sky, per Aang’s request.

~~~~~~~~~

Appa had landed in a spot where you dock boats.  You all scrambled off in search for food.  The town was small, made in the side of a mountain.  Sokka, Katara and Aang were searching food, while you were wandering around, looking for anything that might be useful.  Finding nothing, you made your way back to where you last saw them.

“Sokka, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”  Aang voiced.  “Look at the sky.”

“I said I was gonna do this job.”  Sokka said, halting his movements.  He was taking things below the deck of a ship.

“Job?  What’s going on?”  You asked.

“Sokka took a job so we can have some money.  But it looks like there’s about to be a storm.”  Katara explained.  You looked up and noticed the dark clouds that were rolling in.

“I can’t back out just because of some bad weather.”  Sokka continued.

“The boy with the tattoos has some sense.”  An old woman voiced.  “You should listen to him.”

“Boy with tattoos?”  The old man on the ship asked as he stopped his movements as well.  “Airbender tattoos.  Well I’ll be a hog-monkey’s uncle.  You’re the Avatar, ain’t ya?”

“That’s right.”  Katara assured, proud.  She and Aang both smiled.

“Well don’t be so smiley about it.”  The old man said, a frown on his face.  You saw where this was going and took a protective step in front of Aang.  “The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years!  You turned your back on the world.”

“Don’t yell at him!  Aang would never turn his back on anyone!”  Katara defended, stepping forward as well.

“Oh, he wouldn’t, huh?  Then I guess I must have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering.”

“Aang is the bravest person I know.  He has done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him.”  Katara informed.  “It’s not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?”

She turned around, but Aang was backing away.

“Aang?  What’s wrong?”  She asked.  Aang said nothing as he opened his glider and flew away.

“That’s right!  Keep flying!”  The old man said.

“You’re a horrible old man!”  Katara told him, climbing on Appa.  “Appa, yip yip.”  Appa flew up, and splashed the old man in the process.  Sokka emerged from below deck.

“Hey, they left without saying goodbye.”  You ignored him and turned to his employer.

“You are awful!  He’s twelve!  Do you think he wanted to abandon people!?  What would that get him!?”  You shouted.  The water around you rocked viciously, splashing against the docks.  “He already has barely any self-esteem, and you’re going to destroy him!”  You shouted.  The water had raised into a big wave that towered above you.  It remained still, however.  The man was silent, with fear, as he stared at you and the water you’ve bended that you were unaware of.

“Sokka, good luck.”  You muttered, turning to leave.  The wave crashed down on the man, soaking him further, before sliding off the dock, back into the rest of the ocean.

~~~~~~~~~

You followed the old woman to the cave where Aang, Katara, Appa and Momo were sitting.

“Help!”  She shouted.  “Oh, please help!”

Katara rushed forward and took her by the arm, bringing her further inside the cave.  “It’s okay, you’re safe.”  She assured.

“But my husband isn’t.”

“What do you mean?  Where’s Sokka?”

“They haven’t returned.  They should have been back by now.”  The woman explained.  Katara had taken her to the fire, but you remained just outside the cave, watching the stormy seas.  “This storm is becoming a typhoon!  They’re caught out at sea!”

You took in a shaky breath.

“I’m going to find them.”  Aang assured.

“I’m going with you.”  Katara told him.

“I’m staying here.”  The woman said, sitting by the fire.  They moved Appa so he was just inside the cave.

“We’ll be back soon.  I promise.”  Aang told the woman.  You all mounted Appa and flew into the storm.

~~~~~~~~~

The rain was absolutely dreadful, and it was painful against your skin.  You could barely see.  You turned.

“Katara, do you think we’d be able to make a sort of water shield around Appa?”  You asked her.

“Maybe.  I’ve never done it before.”

“Neither have I, but it’s worth a shot.”

She nodded and you both set to work.  You and Katara moved your arms in sync, and created a water wall, blocking the rain from Appa.  You both kept moving as you smiled.

“Great job, Katara!”

“We’re doing it!”

“Good job, guys!”  Aang praised.  You and Katara kept working until something caught your eye.  You saw a ship, with smoke emerging from it.  You didn’t see what kind of ship it was, your vision was so filled with water, you could barely tell it was a ship.  You only knew that it wasn’t Sokka.  You lost focus, and the shield you and Katara made faltered and dissipated, water now pouring atop you.  You made a decision.  A stupid decision.  You turned to Aang.

“Keep going!!”  You shouted before jumping off Appa.

“What is she doing!?”  Aang asked.

“I don’t know!”  Katara answered.  They continued to fly anyway, much to your relief.  You bent the water just a tad and landed on the edge of the ship, your hands being the only thing keeping you from plunging into the water.  You pulled yourself up and fell onto the boat, rolling slightly.  You gasped when you saw who stood above deck.

Prince Zuko, his Uncle Iroh, and a few other men, presumably his crew.  You swallowed thickly and quickly stood.  They were clearly taken aback by your presence as well, but you managed to get past your shock and panic.

“Do you need any help?”  You asked, voice shaky.  The entire crew shared confused expressions.

“Why would you help us?”  Zuko asked bitterly.

“Judging by the smoke coming from your ship, you were hit.”

“It was just a little lightning.”

“And you’re in trouble.”

“And you think you’re not?”  Zuko asked, taking a threatening step forward.  You took a small step back.

“It crossed my mind.”  You admitted, but keeping on a mostly strong façade.  He saw through it, you knew, but you didn’t fall apart and that’s all that matters.  “Please let me help you.”  You pleaded.  Iroh placed his hand on Zuko’s shoulder.

“How do I know this isn’t a trick?”  The prince asked, still wary.  You thought for a moment.

“I suppose you don’t.  But judging by the smoke, there’s a fire, and last time I checked, water puts out fire.”  You told him, bending some ocean water into an orb just above your hand.  Zuko watched you for several moments, while everyone else watched Zuko, awaiting his orders.

“Very well.  Follow me.”  He told you.  You let out a breath of relief and took a few steps toward him until he spun around.  “But if you do anything that’s suspicious, do not underestimate my rage.”

“Don’t worry.  I’ve seen it.”  You remarked, crossing your arms, hoping the action would somehow protect you if needed.  He scowled at you before turning around, beginning to walk away.  You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, and jogged lightly to keep up with his long paces.  Iroh watched you follow his nephew until you disappeared from view.  He stroked his beard.

“Very interesting.”  He mused.

~~~~~~~~

Zuko led you into a smoky room, and gestured at the destroyed piece of machinery.  You slowed your breathing and focused on the massive body of water around you.  Water soon came floating into the room, before you splashed it on the fire.  It only took a few minutes before the fire was out.  You shot the unused water back off the boat before turning to Zuko.

“I recommend getting this to shore as quickly as possible.  I would try to help you, but I don’t think my bending’s that strong.”  You admitted.  “Still, I could give it a shot.”  You mused, stepping out and above deck again.  You coughed a few times while walking to the back of the ship.  Iroh noticed this and followed you.

You felt a presence behind you and you whipped around, being met with Iroh reaching out to you.  You barely flinched as he placed the back of his hand on your forehead.

“You’re not afraid of me?”  He asked, noticing this.

“Should I be?”

“Probably.”

You smiled.  “I-I know you were a great General, and still are a great firebender, but you also seem to be a great Uncle.  I’m not frightened of an Uncle who simply wants what’s best for his nephew.”  You shrugged, knowing that your confession was a little odd.  Iroh simply smiled.

“I appreciate the compliments.  You are catching a fever.”  He informed.  You smirked.

“And apparently, for others as well.”

“You have been out in the cold and rain for too long.  You need to get inside.”  He advised.  You backed away slightly.

“I can’t.  You guys are in danger.  It’s just a stupid fever.  I’ll be fine.”  You assured.  Iroh raised an eyebrow, but smiled.  “Where do you want to go?  There was a village, not too far away, but it’s small, and I think they might not take this well.”

Iroh paused.  “I’ll go ask the Prince, and come back with an answer.”  He said, turning to leave.  Without looking behind him, he called out to you.  “Go inside!  You can work when I come back!”

You smiled fondly and made your way inside.  You were immediately warmed by the heated pipes running all throughout the ship.  But the look of the gray metal everywhere did nothing to settle your nerves.  It didn’t help that the corridors and hallways weren’t very big.  You would see a couple firenation flags here and there, but other than that, the ship was pretty empty.

You leaned against a wall, not wanting to sit and let your guard down, and began thinking.  I wonder if they’ve found Sokka, you thought.  I wonder if they’re okay.  You chewed your bottom lip in concern.

~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you mean, you just left her!?!”  Sokka yelled.

“She said to keep going!”  Aang tried to defend himself, still fighting through the storm.

“Keep going?  Keep going!?  You shouldn’t have let her do it!”

“Sokka, she was concerned for you.  She clearly had something she wanted to do.”

“I was on a boat!  She’s probably still splashing around in the water, assuming she hasn’t already died!”

“She’s a waterbender!  I’m sure she’s alright.”

“Is she that strong of a bender that she can stop raging seas?”  Sokka asked, arms crossed.  Aang and Katara shared panicked looks.

~~~~~~~~~~

Iroh walked toward you and told you that they wanted to head in the eye of the storm.  You nodded and emerged from below deck, made your way to the back of the ship again, and began to work.  You moved the water, turning the boat.  Iroh stood and watched you while Zuko was next to him, leaning on the wall, observing as well.  Though, he had a frown on his face.

“Why is she doing this?”

“Because we were in trouble.  She wanted to help.”

“But, why Uncle?  We’ve done nothing for her to deserve this.  Why should she help us when we’ve done nothing but track her and her friends down?”

“Perhaps she cares more about life, than holding grudges.”  Iroh remarked, before heading inside.  Zuko continued to watch as you pushed and pulled the water, giving the ship some speed.  You had been doing this for several minutes when you felt a hand on your shoulder.  You spun around, and startled, you stopped moving the water.

“Are you alright?  You’ve been doing this for almost an hour.”

“An hour?”  You asked Iroh before casting your gaze back out to sea.  “It only felt like minutes.  I guess I was so focused-”

“Come and take a rest.  Have some tea.”

“Some…..tea?”

“Of course.  Come below deck.”

You looked up, pondering your choices when something caught your eye.  It was a big, white object, floating in the dark sky.  Your eyes lit up.

“Appa.”  You whispered.

“What was that?”  Iroh asked.  You turned to him.

“Look.  I have to leave, my friends are here.  Don’t tell the Prince?”  You pleaded.  Iroh smiled.

“When you first passed, he let the Avatar go.”  He informed.  You froze.

“He….what?”  You heard shouting and looked up, seeing Appa was closer.  You looked back to Iroh.  “Can I take a raincheck?  I’d love to have tea with you some time.”

Iroh nodded.  “Of course.”

“Safe trip!”  You wished as you bended the water, pushing you into the air.  You landed on Appa, only to be tackled by everyone in a hug.  You laughed before looking down, waving at Iroh.  He waved back as Zuko came out.  He looked to his Uncle and looked up, watching Appa fly away.  You waved at him too, and using your bending, gave their ship one last push.  They vanished from view.

“Who were you waving at?”  Katara asked.

“Just some people I helped out.”  You told her.

“How dare you jump off!  Do you realize you could have been killed!?”  Sokka scolded.

“I’m fine, Sokka.  I see you are, too.  I was only doing my duties as a decent human being, and helping some stranded people.”

“Who was on the ship?”  Aang asked.  You debated for a short time, before quickly coming up with an answer.

“Nobody we know.  Just some people that had their boat struck with lightning.  I put out the fire, and helped push them closer to shore.”  You informed.

“Just as long as you’re okay.”  Aang said.  You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, relived they bought it.  Heaven knows what they’d do it they found out you’d helped the enemy.

~~~~~~~~~~

You had been flying for about a day when you reached a city carved into a mountain.  Sokka had come down with a dreadful fever because of the storm, and you weren’t too far behind him.  Appa had taken shelter inside an old building, and you and Sokka were laying on the large creature’s legs.

Sokka laid in his sleeping bag, coughing up a storm.  Katara placed a cloth on his forehead.  “This should bring your fever down.”  She told him.  You began hacking up a storm as well as she prepared another cloth for you.

“I’m dying for real.”  You muttered.

“You know what I love about Appa the most?”  Sokka asked.  “His sense of humor.”

“That’s nice.  I’ll tell him.”  Katara assured, placing the rag on your forehead.  Appa made a growling noise in response and Sokka laughed.

“Classic Appa.”  He observed.  Aang walked over.

“How are they doing?”  He inquired.

“Not good.”  She answered.  “Being out in that storm really did a number on them.”  She explained.

“I couldn’t find any gingerroot for the tea.”  Aang informed.  “But I found a map.  There’s an herbalist institute on the top of that mountain.”  He said, looking outside.  “We can probably find a cure for them there.”

At this, you let out a large sneeze.  You groaned loudly.  “Just let me die.”  You pleaded.  “I’m half-way there, anyway.”

Katara turned back to the Avatar.  “Aang, they’re in no condition to travel.  They just need more rest.  I’m sure they’ll be better by tomorrow.”  She had just managed to finish what she was saying when she started coughing.

“Not you, too.”  Aang observed, sounding defeated.

“Great.  Now we’re all dying.”  You mused.

“Relax.  It was just a little cough.  I’m fi-” She informed, before breaking into another fit.

“That’s how Sokka started yesterday.  And Y/n right after.  Now look at Sokka.  He thinks he’s an earthbender!”

You turned and Sokka was, indeed, flailing his arms about.  “Take that, you, rock.”

“A few more hours and you’ll be talking nonsense, too.  I’m going to find some medicine.”  The young Avatar informed, rolling up the map and picking up his glider.  He walked to the edge of the building just as lightning stuck in the distance.  He stood there for a moment before leaning his glider against the wall.

“Maybe it’d be safer if I go on foot.”  He turned to Momo and Appa.  “Take care of them, guys.”  He instructed.  Appa made a little roar and Momo purred, Sokka laughing again.

“You guys are killing me.”  He announced.  You rolled your eyes.  Aang watched with sorrow and pity before jumping off the side of the building and out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Katara was now laying down with you and her brother.  “Katara, please.  Water.”  Sokka pleaded.

“Listen carefully, Momo.  I need you to take this to the river and fill it with water.  Got it?”  She instructed the lemur.  He took her canteen and flew away.

~~~~~~~~~~

You weren’t sure how long you had been asleep, but when you cracked your eyes open, there were several things around you.  Katara was explaining to Momo that they needed water.  You groaned.

“He doesn’t speak English, Katara.”  You muttered, rolling over.

“I know.  But you’d think that-”

“Do you want me to go?  We’re all in agony, and if we keep going like this, we’ll never get water.”

“No, Y/n.  He can do it.”

You groaned and you leaned back, falling asleep again.

~~~~~~~~~

You awoke again and it was dark.  The ruins had become more cluttered, and Momo had just placed a crown on Katara’s head.

“Oh, forget it.”  She told the lemur, rolling over.  You had to laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”  You replied, crawling out of your sleeping bag.

“Where are you going?”  She asked, voice dry.

“I’m just stretching.  It’s so warm in here.”  You noted, dragging your feet to the edge of the building.  You inhaled deeply through your nose, and you silently thanked the cool rain for hitting you.  It was now dark, and there was still no sign of your airbender friend.

“Aang, please hurry.”  You heard Katara mutter.

“Who’s this Aang kid you keep talking about, your highness?”  Sokka asked his sister, noting the crown on her head.  You bit back a laugh.  You were just thankful that you didn’t get delusional when you got sick.

~~~~~~~~~~~

It was daybreak when you awoke again.  You were leaning on the pillar, when Aang trudged in and stuck frozen frogs in Sokka and Katara’s mouths.  He stuck one in your mouth as well.

“Suck on these.  They’ll make you feel better.”  He muttered, collapsing on Appa’s tail.  His clothes where ripped and covered with mud.

“Aang.”  Sokka said, sucking on the frozen frog.  “How was your trip?  Did you make any new friends?”

“No.”  Aang answered sadly.  “I don’t think I did.”  He rolled over, facing away from the group.  You perked up at this.  Had he met someone?  You were just about to ask about it when the frog in your mouth started to wiggle.

“Mm.  These are tasty.”  Sokka noted.  You spat the frog out of your mouth and gagged.  Sokka and Katara did the same, though Katara cried out.

“Great.  Now I’m gonna vomit.”  You muttered.  Sokka began wiping his tongue on Appa’s fur in a desperate attempt to get the slime of the frog off.  “You know frog’s carry diseases, right?”  You asked the airbender.  He didn’t respond.  You got over your disgust about the frogs quickly as you made your way over to him.  You placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Aang?  You alright?”

“I’m okay.”

You didn’t believe him, but didn’t press the matter.  You instead laid down next to him and pulled him into you, hugging him from behind.  He barely moved. You looked down at the boy and gave him a reassuring squeeze, hoping he’ll feel your love and support through such a simple action.

“Get some rest, Aang.”

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

A/n:  Repost!

[suzukiblu]

Start of an in-progress AtLA fic, for @primtheamazing.

“I had an idea,” Zuko lies, which means he thinks Azula won’t listen to said idea if she knew who’d really had it. Azula can’t imagine why he thinks she’ll listen to an idea from HIM either. 

Zuko’s always been so stupid. 

“I don’t care,” she says, tossing her uneven hair. Her voice comes out more terse than dismissive, unfortunately, which isn’t exactly what she was going for. 

They’re both stupid, maybe. 

Every time Zuko comes to her dull white rooms, though, she thinks he’s just a little bit stupider. 

“It might help,” Zuko says, as if anything ever could. 

“I don’t need HELP,” Azula spits with a lick of blue flame. She’s still waiting for the Avatar to walk in and take it away. Zuko looks tired. 

He always looks tired now. The Fire Lord’s crown is weighing him down. 

Always the weak one, even now. 

“You aren’t yourself, Azula,” he says. 

“And you’re the Fire Lord,” she sneers, dreaming of burning his eyes out. She’d do a better job than their father. 

“Yes,” Zuko says, and Azula LAUGHS at him. 

“Some Fire Lord!” she mocks. “Put on the throne by the AVATAR” 

Zuko doesn’t say anything. Azula bares her teeth at him. 

“Katara put me on the throne,” Zuko says, and Azula’s blood BOILS. Zuko looks at her silently. She feels lightning crackle inside her head, but no lightning comes to her fingers. It hasn’t in months. Not since that last Agni Kai. 

If it would, Zuko would already be dead. 

“You’re pathetic,” she hisses at him, nails baring like claws. She’s attacked him for less. He has scratches on his face and burns on his arms from the last time he said that miserable waterbender’s name to her. They’re not even healed yet. 

Zuko doesn’t say anything, again. Azula keeps talking. She wants to BURN him. 

“Pathetic,” she repeats. “You’ve always been weak, Zuzu, but that’s low even for you. Do you ask her permission to run the nation?” 

“There’s an oasis,” Zuko says. 

“What on EARTH are you talking about,” Azula says, genuinely baffled by the non-sequitur. What is WRONG with him? 

Besides everything, of course. 

“An oasis,” Zuko repeats. “At the north pole.” 

“I don’t care about the north pole,” Azula says, lip curling in disdain. She doesn’t care about a single thing Zuko has to say, in fact. 

There was nothing there to care about. 

When has there ever been? 

“The water there has healing properties,” Zuko says. Azula stares at him, then lets out another sharp bark of a laugh. 

“You’re JOKING,” she says. Zuko is silent, and she laughs louder. It hurts her throat. “I don’t need HEALED. I don’t need your PET WATERBENDER putting her filthy hands on me!” 

“It doesn’t have to be Katara,” Zuko says. “There are other healers there.” 

“I hate you,” Azula says. “I wish I’d killed you. I wish FATHER had killed you. Or better yet, Grandfather. My life would’ve been so much better without you around.” 

“I want to help you,” Zuko says, and Azula throws herself at him with fists full of flame and a screech of fury. 

She hates him. She LOATHES him. She should’ve killed him years ago, before he ever had the chance to cost her Mai and Ty Lee and the CROWN. She should’ve burned him to ash the day she first learned how to start a fire. 

The dull white door slams open and four Kyoshi Warriors rush in. The fight is brief and ugly and all Azula cares about is trying to hurt Zuko as badly as possible, and all he does is step back. 

She barely lays a hand on him, but the scratches on his cheek are freshly ripped open and bloody again. 

It’s not enough. 

Some part of her takes a bitter satisfaction in it, though. 

“Azula,” he says. 

“Go DIE!” she snarls back, pinned down by disciples of the Avatar and full of too much rage to direct or contain, too much hatred to work with, too much of EVERYTHING. 

It’s Zuko’s fault. It’s all Zuko and his worthless friends, because of course the first time ZUKO made friends he’d pick the worst possible ones. They did this. They ruined everything. They stole everything that was rightfully hers and everything that she’d spent her whole life fighting for, and they’d given it all to useless ZUKO, or not even cared enough to keep it at all. 

Azula breathes flames. The Kyoshi Warriors drive her down harder, trying to knock the fire out of her lungs. Zuko just watches, because he’s USELESS. Always useless. He’s never done a single thing that mattered in his life. 

He hasn’t even found their mother yet. 

“I hate you, I hate you, it’s all your fault, I HATE you!” Azula screams furiously. struggling so hard she nearly dislocates her shoulder. Zuko’s mouth thins. He stands there in the Fire Lord’s robes and crown with a fresh-bleeding face and burned arms, and Azula refuses to struggle to reach him. Not Zuko. She’ll never, ever do that. Zuko isn’t even worth her attention, much less her struggle. 

He took everything from her. 

He took EVERYTHING. 

“You should leave,” one of the Kyoshi Warriors says. Azula doesn’t care which one. “She’s not going to calm down with you here.” 

“I know,” Zuko says. “I just . . .” 

Azula dreams of burning his eyes out. Of watching him die. Watching him SUFFER. He deserves it. Deserves so much worse. Deserves everything she could ever find the time to do to him, and just that little bit more. 

“You’re worthless!” she screams at him. “You should’ve just DIED!” 

“We’re going to the north pole,” Zuko tells her, and then he turns his back on her and leaves the room. 

Azula is going to DESTROY him.

[comradekatara]

IDK if you're still giving your thoughts on AtLA ships but I would feel remiss if I didn't shoot my shot and pitch yuetara. I know on the surface this is going to immediate read like “yuekka but gay” except I FIRMLY reject the idea that the siblings are interchangable. They bring different dynamics to the relationship! and I love yuekka, don't get me wrong here, but for no fault of its own it suffers from only having a couple episodes to develop and a mostly cishet writing team doing a lot of “he's a guy and she a girl, could I make it anymore obvious?” doing a lot of the heavy lifting. WE know Sokka has a lot to offer as a partner, but from Yue's perspective Sokka is yet another man that vaults into her life and immediately wants [something from] her. 

But Katara. Here she comes, granddaughter of the woman who rejected their status quo that is supposed to be there to keep them safe? And she Got Away with it, went on to lead a happy fulfilled life, and years later that granddaughter rolls right up to their master bender, an elder, A Man, one of the pillars holding up the system, and forming the bars of Yue’s cage as a physical representation that he was Wrong. And this girl spits his authority back in his face, tells him where to shove it, and somehow against every odd, she bends him to listen?? Can you imagine living your whole life being told that every part of you belongs to someone else, that you will never be a person before you're a daughter, wife, mother, princess, and then out of a clear blue sky on the day of your birth, where it's been announced you're about to change hands from one man to another, a girl just like you blows in like a typhoon, and says there's another way. Wouldn't you fall just a little bit madly in love with her?

Yue is shown that she CAN choose freedom for herself... and it makes her choosing duty in the end so much more meaningful? She could walk away. She was not born to be a prop and a sacrifice, no matter what even THE FUCKING MOON intended, she can be a whole person on her own. And ugh, the symbolism of taking up the mantle of the moonspirit so that KATARA can have her bending still!! The heartache of knowing now that everytime she bends, yue is RIGHT THERE. Literally to Moon and the OCEAN paralells FUCK.

Putting aside that korrasami crawled so that a lot of today's queer flavored kids media can even think about walking, I truly believe that if AtLA had been a product of the late 20teens or 2020’s that yuetara would have been THE ship. Anyway, sorry for the inbox blast, you're just the Katara conisuer and if you have thoughts I wanna hear em.

okay, to be clear, all of this is obvious to me. you make a compelling argument, but it’s hardly something I haven’t already considered when thinking about this ship.

however, there’s something very beautiful to me about yue’s story being a tragedy, and I think that while warping that narrative to be about feminist liberation through the power of lesbian love is obviously a noble goal, yue and sokka being two people who are confined and stifled by their respective obligations to patriarchal duty whose happiness is fundamentally impossible because neither of them can imagine a world beyond the bars of their cages is nonetheless far more interesting than a narrative wherein someone “rescues” yue from adhering to patriarchal standards and shows her a brand new world.

it’s actually very fascinating to me that sokka refuses to talk about himself, and whenever yue asks him questions about himself and his home, he is self-deprecating. besides his first attempt to claim that [by virtue of being the son of the chief] he is sort of like a prince himself, it’s clear that spending time in the nwt, who look down on their southern counterparts, wears on his self-esteem because he is predisposed to insecurity. you’re right in that katara is nothing like sokka. she wouldn’t be insecure, dismissive, cagey about her past, tacitly accepting of yue’s resigned obligation to her arranged marriage, or attempting to repress her feelings around yue. she would be bold, loud, confident, agentic, and willingly vulnerable, as she is with every potential love interest. perhaps their relationship would still end in tragedy, but it would be anything but quiet.

and if that kind of obvious bombast is what you want out of a romance, then fine, you do you. but personally, the beauty of yue’s role in the narrative to me is specifically how she foils sokka as someone who sacrifices, diminishes, and martyrs herself for the sake of her people. she literally has obligations to her tribe and to her father!!!!! she and sokka inform each other so beautifully because they are so similar and equally constrained by their perceived obligations and lack of agency.

the fact that sokka is who she gets close to whereas katara merely represents a sort of unattainable ideal to her is intentional, it’s part of the point. if yue is sokka’s moon, shining brightly above him but always out of reach, then katara is yue’s moon, kanna is yue’s moon, every woman who had the agency to liberate themselves from this system in which yue has no choice but to participate is her moon. and by becoming the moon, yue sacrifices herself, her humanity, her body, but she also liberates herself, frees herself from the contraints of being a woman in society. she kisses sokka to reclaim her agency, because kissing him as she had wanted to had been denied to her, and now that she is no longer bound to these earthly standards, she finally can.

yes, we are introduced to yue through sokka and not the other way around (i shouldn’t have to explain that that is how basic storytelling sequencing works), but yue is immediately interested in him, sees a kindred spirit in him, longs for him. maybe he is initially struck by her beauty, but he treats her with kindness and humanity, and he never asks for anything from her besides what she is willing to give him (which is the point. they’re at an impasse, and so their tragedy is inevitable. unlike suki, who is willing to take the lead and basically forces sokka into experiencing happiness lmfao). also, for the record, they already are a beautiful butch/femme couple. to me.

but yeah, if you really want to see a bold, courageous girl fight to liberate a repressed, abused girl from the clutches of patriarchal violence, you can just watch revolutionary girl utena free on youtube. in fact, you all should. it’s much better than atla.

[zuko-always-lies]

Zuko Doesn’t Get Why Katara Doesn’t Like Him

“The Southern Raiders” features Zuko whining about how it isn’t fair that Katara doesn’t like or trust him:

Zuko: This isn't fair. (puts both arms out) Everyone else seems to trust me now. What is it with you? (swipes one arm to the side).

Eventually, he comes to the conclusion that the only reason anyone would dislike him or not trust him is because they, for Freudian reasons, blame him for something that isn’t really his fault at all:

Zuko: (interrupts) Stop. Okay, listen. I know this may seem out of no where, (Cut to a serious Zuko as the camera slowly zooms in) but I want you to tell me what happened to your Mother. Sokka: (Cut to a stunned Sokka) What? Why would you want to know that? Zuko: Katara mentioned it before when we were imprisoned together in Ba Sing Se and again just now when she was yelling at me. I think somehow... she's connected her anger about that to her anger at me. Sokka: (looks to the side sadly) It's not a day I like to remember.

But, in fact, Katara continually laid out very clear and reasonable reasons why she doesn’t like or trust Zuko, all of which have to do with his bad behavior and none of which have anything to do with her mother.

“The Western Air Temple”:

Sokka: Yeah, all you've ever done is try to hunt us down (Cut to a sideview shot of Zuko) and capture Aang.

Katara: You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?

and

Zuko: (Cut to a remorseful Zuko with Appa licking its lips in the background) I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes (looks to the side in shame) in the past. Sokka: (off screen) Like when you attacked our village? Katara: (off screen) Or when you stole my mother's necklace (Cut to a sideview of the siblings) and used it to track us down (she takes a step forward with her fists clenched) and capture us?

and

Katara: This is just like when we were in prison together in Ba Sing Se. (Cut to a sideview of the 3 to show the siblings each holding a sleeping bag while Aang holds a jar) He starts talking about his mother, (Aang proceeds to walk off screen) and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings. Sokka: He wants you (Katara turns towards him) to trust him and feel sorry for him, so you let your guard down, then he strikes. (punches his fist out) Katara: (Cut to a back view of Sokka with his sister still in sight) The thing is, it worked. (kneels and sets the sleeping bag down) I did feel sorry for him. I felt like he was really confused and hurt. (looks around) But obviously when the time came, (stands up) he made his choice, and we paid the price. (Cut to a close up of Katara as she turns angry) We can't trust him.

and

Katara: (standing her ground) Easy for you to say, you weren't there (takes a step forward and points to the side) when he had us attacked by pirates. Sokka: (clenches his fist) Or when he burned down Kyoshi Island.

and   

Katara: (venomously) You might have everyone else here buying your "transformation". But you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past. (walks up to Zuko and leans forward threateningly) So let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang... and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there... permanently.

“The Southern Raiders”:

Zuko: This isn't fair. (puts both arms out) Everyone else seems to trust me now. What is it with you? (swipes one arm to the side) Katara: (Cut to Katara's back as she turns around and snaps) Oh, everyone trust you now? (places hand on chest) I was the first person to trust you, remember Back in Ba Sing Se. (points to the ocean) And you turned (Cut to Zuko who looks down guiltily) around and betrayed me. Betrayed all of us. Zuko: (raises head) What can I do to make it up to you? Katara: You really want to know? (walks towards Zuko) Hmm, maybe you could re-conquer (Cut to Zuko's unscarred side who looks on speechlessly) Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, (Zuko steps back as Katara's head pops into screen) I know. You could bring my mother back.

Again, Katara repeatedly lays out simple, sensible reasons why she doesn’t like or trust Zuko:

1. He has done many, many awful things to her and the people she cares about, in addition to doing awful, imperialist things more generally like helping conquer Ba Sing Se.

2. He more or less deliberately solicited her trust and sympathy in the past, only to betray her at the first possible opportunity, which led to Aang almost dying.

Again, this is all very reasonable. And in fact Zuko’s long pattern of betrayals in the series of just about everyone he significantly interacts with suggests that Katara is right to be cautious and distrustful toward him.*

But Zuko’s brain somehow translates Katara’s very clear statements on disliking him due to his actions to “she must hate me because she associates me with her mother’s death, since there’s no other reason anyone could possibly dislike me.”

*Note: I’m basically building off of this meta here.

[sokkastyles]

Let’s Read ATLA: The Search pp210-End

Of course Zuko tells her she doesn’t have to give up the kind of life that he would have wanted for himself if he could. But of course, now that Ursa knows the truth, she doesn’t actually have a choice, does she?

For a moment I thought my digital copy skipped a few pages because we don’t actually get to see the moment Ursa gets her face back or the other character’s reactions, but no, this is actually the next page. This comic and its pacing, I swear.

Also lol at this entire frame. Aang is out her channeling tumblr Azula apologists. Did I say already that these comics change Aang’s endearing optimism in the show to being stupidly naive and childish? Because they do. Also Katara being like “that’s what I love about you” is so out of character especially in the context of Azula. Katara is idealistic and empathetic but she wouldn’t be like “well, I’m sure Azula meant well, lol,” especially after all Azula put her through, in particular, and ESPECIALLY in the context of her relationship with Aang. The real Katara would probably scold Aang for not recognizing how much of a threat Azula is, especially with knowledge that could put into question Zuko’s claim to the throne and start another war.

The thing is, if Ursa has all her memories back in addition to her old face, shouldn’t she be in more emotional turmoil than this? I mean, the reason she chose to forget in the first place was because she couldn’t handle the pain, and suddenly having all of those memories back should be even more painful. It means she remembers leaving to spare Zuko’s life, right? And here he is in front of her with a big fucking scar on his face, are we gonna talk about that? That Ursa left to protect her son from her husband and he hurt him anyway? That’s AWFUL. That’s NOT okay.

It also breaks my heart that Zuko has this brief moment where he considers that maybe Ozai isn’t his father, that he doesn’t have to be cursed with this horrible legacy, and Ursa’s like, “yeah, that was a lie.”

So Ursa tells Ozai that she lied about Zuko’s parentage because she wanted to see if Ozai was reading her letters (he was) and because she wished Zuko was not Ozai’s son (she did) and Ozai blames her for his mistreatment of Zuko, saying that if Ursa wants him not to be his son, then that is how he will treat him. And I know Ursa gets a lot of criticism for this, but you also have to consider that she’s in a situation where no matter what she does, she will be blamed. Ozai also wouldn’t say this to her about Zuko if he didn’t already want to hurt Zuko, and if Zuko had been a prodigy and taken after his father, Ozai probably would have used that to hurt Ursa, too. because that’s what manipulative emotional abusers do. None of this is Ursa’s fault. And like I said before, I think she also hoped that there was some chance the letter WOULD reach Ikem, and that he would try to help her if he thought that Zuko was his son.

Not that I think the comic actually recognizes any of this. Ursa says Ozai was wrong to treat Zuko like that to get back at her, but it was wrong regardless. It doesn’t matter what the reason is, and Zuko deserves to be told that.

Wait, that’s the end?

All that, and like, almost no emotional reconciliation? I know there are more comics but like...I had to read this whole comic about Zuko finding his mom and I get almost NO Ursa and Zuko bonding moments? Really?

Also, the main problem with Ursa’s story is that she has no agency throughout the entirety of it. She has almost no voice and the few things she does have a say in are things she’s forced to apologize for, like the lie about Zuko’s parentage and apologizing to her children for “not loving them enough.” She doesn’t ask Zuko any questions about why he’s there or how he became Fire Lord or what happened to Ozai. What does she even know about how the war ended? When she got her old memories back, did she just forget about being Noriko? I have so many questions and I don’t really want to hear the answers because I know they’re probably dumb.