seyaryminamoto

[seyaryminamoto]

Preview: Gladiator Chapter 377

As the chaos in the city eases up and the sun rises, Sokka takes to sitting vigilant by Azula's bedside, waiting for her to wake up. Mai intervenes briefly, and Katara pays him a visit as well, intent on healing her brother.

Once Azula stirs, Sokka checks on her at once. The consequences of her new spiritual corruption have yet to fade entirely, but the Princess and her Gladiator will have their first opportunity to speak privately... until the time comes for Azula to introduce her two daughters to an emotional Sokka.

Read Gladiator HERE or HERE

For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!

[seyaryminamoto]

Scenes of a Peaceful World: Sokkla Saturdays 2024

Day Seven - Sudden Changes

Rated: M

On FF.net//On AO3

Sokka swallowed dryly, eyes wide. Azula challenged him in numerous ways across their lives, far more than he'd dare count… but she was taking it to a whole new level on that day, and without the faintest awareness of it, too.

"I'm not imagining things, am I? Just look at them!"

Oh, he was looking. He absolutely was looking. Nothing could possibly convince him to tear his eyes off Azula's perfectly exposed chest.

It had started that morning: she had said she felt uncomfortable, and she didn't particularly like the way her clothes had fit her on that day. She asked for his opinion a thousand times, and he reassured her that he found her as breathtaking as ever. In true Azula form, she had disregarded the compliment and obsessed over what was bothering her for most of the day.

Now, the day was out. Night had come. And now he sat at the foot of their bed, his shaft hardening quite effectively as his topless wife squeezed her breasts before his eager eyes, with absolutely no intent of seducing him, yet succeeding at it anyway.

"I swear they weren't this size last night. They weren't yesterday!" Azula huffed: she let go, and they bounced. Sokka suppressed a shiver as best he could… his manhood, however, twitched quite noticeably over the visual stimulation. "I've heard… well, it's obvious, isn't it? Women gain weight over life and that affects all their body parts… maybe my ass is like this too. M-maybe…!"

"Azula, y-you don't have to…!"

She shoved off her bottoms next, rushing to their full body mirror to inspect, wide-eyed, the size of her rear.

"It… doesn't look that big. I think. Not much more than I think it was, anyway," she concluded. "Which makes this… stranger. Doesn't it?"

She glanced at Sokka: his uncomfortable, pleading eyes were accompanied by an awkward smile quickly. Azula sighed, meeting his gaze with uncertainty.

"I'm not saying I'm sick or so, you don't have to worry…"

"You don't look sick to me, but if you do think there's a chance that… w-well, whatever you're feeling isn't normal, you can always ask Katara. Or Song," Sokka said, averting his gaze and closing his eyes: he could say responsible things if he didn't look at her, yes. She didn't need to know her very serious concerns over her body's sudden changes were pushing his basest needs to the forefront. Her peace of mind was the priority here, not that of his dick…

"I don't think it's… abnormal. But I'm not pregnant again, that's for sure," Azula pointed out, hands on her hips, glaring at her chest again. "This isn't the first symptom, I'd have been puking my innards out well before this happened, and I haven't been doing that. So… whatever this is, it isn't pregnancy. I'm certain."

"You've had the tea every day… so it shouldn't be," Sokka said, with a small voice.

"So why?" Azula growled. "Do I need more physical activity? That might really be it. Maybe working out more often would ensure I burn off enough energy and reduce them back to normal…"

"I'm not sure it works like…"

Sokka dared open his eyes again: Azula was cupping one of them again, still with that serious scowl… squeezing, no doubt looking for any anomalies, but finding nothing so far. The urge to offer to look in her stead choked in his throat. This was a cruel, beautiful spectacle, and he was to behave himself and hold back and…

"What do you think, though?" Azula asked, glancing at him. Sokka stiffened. "Are they… different? Bigger?"

Sokka swallowed dryly again: he needed so much water. That the woman he had been sleeping with for as good as twenty years would still produce this effect in him might be something to be grateful for, but right now, he wished he could blind himself to her sex appeal if that would make him a better husband…

"I… don't know for sure," Sokka said, slowly. "But they… look… fuck, they look amazing."

Azula froze. Sokka grimaced, burying his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry but you're driving me crazy here. They're… perfect. Always were. But if they're bigger right now, t-then that just means more perfection, and seeing you touch them like that and show them to me, I…! I'm just a man, Azula. Just a shameful, stupid, perverted man who's looking at perfection and blinded by it… more than I would be by the sun, surely, and… oh, this is too much. Have mercy on me, woman…"

Azula watched him for a moment, eyebrows raised. Sokka didn't dare look at her again, cheeks lit up with his fluster, waiting for her judgment to strike him down.

She stepped closer to him. Wearing nothing but her panties, she should have been anything but intimidating… but this was Azula. There was no chance a woman like her could stop being intimidating.

"The only bright side in all this… was the hope that you'd be pleased with the changes, if there were any."

Sokka tensed up. He jerked his head up, out of his hands, to find Azula towering over him, still with that unreadable expression across her golden eyes.

"W-well…" Sokka chortled. Azula smirked.

"Didn't know you'd be that affected by seeing me hold my own breasts, though. You do realize you're not the only person allowed to touch them?"

"I do, and… I just… didn't expect it to affect me this much either," Sokka said, eyeing her with uncertainty. "But you know you're hot as hell, Azula… and no, don't start, I'm not saying it because of your firebending, alright? Which, yes, is hot too, but still…!"

"If my husband still thinks so highly of me in my forties, why… I really should be grateful for it," Azula smiled. Sokka bit his lip and smiled a little too. "Not missing the old days when we were younger and more energetic, are you?"

"I feel quite energetic right now, I can tell you that much," Sokka admitted. Azula laughed.

"Who'd have thought that sudden changes would wind up proving that, in the end, you and I somehow just… stay the same?" she said, cupping his cheek and raising his head so she could lean over to kiss him.

Sokka responded gladly, letting Azula push him down over their bed: his hands couldn't help but move to her waist, caressing her ribcage, stroking her skin circularly with his thumbs…

But then her lips left his. Her body shifted further, and she smirked playfully at him as she held herself above him: her breasts dangled teasingly right over his wide, hungry eyes.

"I think… I need a more thorough second opinion, if you'd be so kind?" she teased him. Sokka's perverted smile brought a delighted blush to her face. "Now, please be gentle, they might just be more sensitive too…"

"I'll be… I'll be good. Just… get over here."

Azula burst out laughing once he pulled her down over him: he as good as smothered himself in the valley of her breasts, groaning with bliss and relief, his face squeezed between both mounds.

"Not the most orthodox testing method, mind you…" Azula chuckled, hugging him to her chest as they rolled on the mattress.

"Okay, okay. I'll be… professional now," Sokka teased her, hands rising to cup each of them: his wicked smirk already told her exactly what he meant to do…

And the truth was, she was ready for it, entirely.

She had spent most of the day feeling foolishly uncertain of herself. Sokka had never rejected those sorts of changes during pregnancy, but it was rather odd for it to happen without one along the way. Part of her dreaded that she could be imagining growth where there might just be sagging, instead… was she that old already? Was this around the point in life where such a thing would start happening to her?

It would happen eventually, she knew… but with Sokka eagerly devouring her nipples, testing her chest in a most inappropriate yet still quite helpful manner, she allowed herself to believe that, as the reach of old age did start to take its toll on them, the reckless, loving man atop her would never fail to see beauty where she might see flaws, just as he always had. She knew she'd be no better, no different, pertaining him and his own body's changes, should he go through any…

He'd said it many times: marriage was indeed a matter of spending their lives together, of basking in every spark of joy their bond would bring. Every smidge of affection her lover had offered her since the moment they'd started their relationship continued to nourish her, just as it did now… and she hugged him tightly, willfully giving herself to him, heart lightened by the love they shared, a love she had long known not to second-guess… for as many sudden changes as they might face, Sokka always found a way to surprise her even more wonderfully than life ever would.

[seyaryminamoto]

Preview: Gladiator Chapter 376

As the Palace is vacated urgently, Sokka and Azula take an essential detour to Xin Long's refuge: the dragon awaits them, eager for his freedom, more so now that all their lives are endangered by Seethus's final mission.

The Gladiator ponders how to limit the destruction, but the Princess comes up with a potential solution for their predicament: as Sokka lingers on the ground, leading allied and enemy troops alike to contain the damage, Princess Azula takes to the sky, in a final bid to defeat Seethus's spiritual corruption, whatever the cost...

Read Gladiator HERE or HERE

For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!

[seyaryminamoto]

All very valid points and ideas! And yeah, I actually relied a lot on the fact that Toph relished in her life as a fighter in underground rings when I built up her character in Gladiator (it was a core element of her identity all along). That this aspect of her life seemed to be that important in her first episode and then goes ignored the rest of the show is definitely... A Choice.

This is a pretty solid list of ideas for what more to do with her character, all could've given us great possibilities with Toph and absolutely could have expanded on her character within canon's constraints... it's really not necessary to go too far to find lots of things that can be done with Toph as she was in canon. Whether a long-term arc or occasional standalone episodes about some of these subjects, it would've been really satisfactory for her character to be exploed so much further than it was.

Any thought on Toph's writing and "arc" in ATLA? I personally think Toph was the most stunted and underdeveloped character. She never really develops at all and is mostly just a walking joke. It's clear that the writers loved her but also clear that they never did anything with her.

If you mean stunted and underdeveloped character in the main cast, definitely yes. A lot of minor characters were done a disservice by the show, given next to no complexity, so I wouldn't rank her as #1 altogether, but among the main cast, absolutely.

Now, I wouldn't say she had zero growth, it's just... not an arc. I also don't think she was only a joke, though they used her for comedy a lot. It's part of why it weirds me out when the fandom acts like Sokka, and only Sokka, was comic relief in ATLA. Toph, Aang, Iroh, even Zuko whenever the narrative wanted to poke fun at him, provided comic relief often, so it's kind of stupid to pretend it was only ever Sokka.

... But that ridiculous perception, then, caused the not-so-funny LOK phenomenon of "Bolin is the funny one", where basically all comedy was meant to be about/around this one character, which didn't work nearly as well as they expected it to, and did nothing for the team's synergy and bonding, but I digress...

What do I think about Toph's story and journey in ATLA?

Toph starts out as a girl who wants nothing more than to be independent and for people to stop underestimating her. When we consider that, in her final action scene in the show, she's clinging by her fingertips to someone else, and that her survival and life depend expressly on HIM, it suggests that she's learned that she doesn't have to go at everything alone, and also that she doesn't have all the answers to all situations. The first time we met her, it doesn't really feel like she wants to work alongside other people, as shown in her conflict with Katara in The Chase, where Toph felt absolutely no need to chip in and help out with anything but her personal needs.

I will say, in Toph's defense about that last thing, it's perfectly common for a child who has spent most her life being cared for, not having anyone expect a single thing out of her, to not understand why she needs to contribute ANYTHING to the team. It doesn't hurt that she's new, which implies that the others have been setting up camp, finding food, traveling across the world, without needing an earthbender's contributions. So it's fairly easy to see her side in this: why does she need to help at all? Why can't they handle things on their own when they always did?

But in her chance encounter with Iroh, Toph is given a chance to think on things and ponder that there's nothing wrong with relying on others. It's so effective that this scene concludes with Toph telling Iroh that maybe he should tell Zuko that he needs him too. This might even be one of Toph's strongest moments in the entire show, honestly. She has no idea who she's talking about, has never met Zuko or Iroh before, but what she tells Iroh doesn't sound like it comes only from having determined that IROH needs Zuko: it sounds like self-reflection, based on Toph realizing that maybe she can open up to needing her friends, too, and working alongside them isn't such a bad thing.

I think this is decent writing. Really!

The issue is... this is about as good as it gets with Toph.

I really like her character, she has a lot of good jokes, some interesting moments of vulnerability here and there, but this scene with Iroh is the only instance of the show I can think back on that actually features Toph questioning her strict ideas and reasoning with them, choosing a different path and abandoning something else she wasn't ready to forsake (complete and utter independence). What's more, this isn't even the kind of growth where Toph has COMPLETELY abandoned her individualistic mentality: she's adjusted it. She allows herself to consider she could be part of a team, to have friends, to work with others, but that doesn't mean she's tied down to them. It never stops feeling like Toph is more than ready to do things on her terms, in her own ways. No matter how much she bonds with the others, she will rely on them exclusively when she needs them (see how she clings to others when she has little to no visibility), or when they need her in combat and such, but outside of such spaces? It's unlikely that Toph will be the type of person who feels the need to be accompanied all the time, who feels better if someone is constantly watching over her. Her friends allow her to find some kind of balance between her need for independence and the comfort of having allies and friends to connect to... but that doesn't mean that she'll never break off on her own when the urge hits her, when the big battles are settled, when problems are resolved.

And I'm the last person to think Yang, of ALL PEOPLE, has any solid understanding of these characters, but whether it was his idea or Bryke's to feature Toph as a teacher, and to have the Gaang drop by to pick her up during The Promise? Ultimately, this just proves she doesn't feel the need to be with Aang, Sokka and Katara non-stop. If even someone like Yang thought she'd go do her own thing (... the quality of what he wrote is, of course, forever in question), down to even leaving her out of The Search entirely? It's clear that they're not trying to promote the idea that Toph is forever clinging to her friends now. She's still independent.

But like I said earlier... this balance Toph finds between her friends and her freedom isn't the product of multiple episodes and lots of hard work and bumping into obstacles to achieve. This... is literally just Toph's second episode. That's the last time the show actually challenged Toph on a PERSONAL level that doesn't involve "becoming a more powerful bender".

Take her relationship with her parents, for instance: the fandom is convinced they were abusive as fuck and that Toph would hate them forever. Ironically, the show DOESN'T promote this notion at all (which makes The Rift kind of insane when compared to the show's treatment of Toph's parents), for it features her parents as two idiots who underestimate Toph immensely and who simply want her to come home and stay out of danger. This could be deemed as abusive in some people's minds, as usual the word needs to be taken more seriously nowadays... they're not good parents, there's no denying that. They don't understand their daughter, outright. They allow their preconceptions of her disability to determine who they think their daughter is. There's nothing in the show that suggests otherwise.

So why, exactly, is it that every instance where Toph considers communicating with her parents or meeting them, she seems to be perfectly content with doing it?

Xin Fu's trap for Toph was completely cemented on the notion that Poppy Beifong had come to visit Ba Sing Se and that she finally accepted her daughter for who she was. Toph's reaction isn't some kind of jaded dismissal because there's noooo way her mom would ever accept her... she outright goes to see her. Which allows Xin Fu to trap her. Which then results in Toph discovering she can metalbend. But the thread that started this whole plotline? It... goes nowhere. Of course, Toph's parents AREN'T there, there's no real reason to assume they've changed, and this was just a trap... but we get no reaction from Toph when it comes to this. We see no conflict. She simply embraces her new abilities and runs back to Ba Sing Se. A quick glance through the transcript shows zero focus or interest in what she went through. Hell, there's not even any acknowledgement that she learned to metalbend. It's all about Aang's struggles with the Avatar State and Katara being in danger.

Next time? The Runaway. A very frustrating and annoying episode. What happens here? Katara decides to dig into Toph's old wounds regarding her parents, tries to psychoanalyze her and decides that all of Toph's rebelliousness against authority boil down to having a bad relationship with her parents. Which... maybe it's true? Doesn't really justify Katara trying to act like her mother anyway? And then the episode ends with Toph asking Katara to help her send a letter to her parents, which sounds like Toph has made her peace with them and like she's ready to accept that she would like them in her life too, and that she wants them to accept who she is. Yay.

... The issue here is there's no follow-up. This doesn't feel like development because nothing comes from it. Nothing really changed. It doesn't come from organic writing either: it comes from Katara's forced "mother friend" role that she didn't use to hold at all (as I said in the ask about why I think Katara loses her appeal as a character the deeper we go into ATLA), and it never actually confronts Toph with her parents again. It doesn't feature a deeper reflection from Toph regarding why she feels the way she does about her parents, nor does it feature Katara realizing that Toph's parents actually did fuck up a LOT with her and that she has every right to push back against them. It merely makes Katara calm down because she realizes the others care about her (while eavesdropping, ofc) and are ready to accept her for who she is... even though she, too, merits a LOT of reflection regarding this mom friend role and nobody else should be comfortable with that, let alone her :'D

Point being, the show really just holds this as the only thing about Toph that wasn't actually resolved, but it acts like it's fine because Toph sent a letter. What growth did we see in Toph that actually means this letter makes all the difference, though? We have no idea how it affected her parents -- as much as Yang acts like it didn't affect them at all, it could have made them rethink some things, or it could have made them mount an even more desperate search for their child, who knows? And it's a pretty solid thread to pull at, to tug loose, to TRULY challenge Toph's character... aaaaaaand they just don't do it at all.

The way I see it, that's really what it boils down to. The show doesn't challenge Toph in any significant way after her... second episode. This isn't the case for most main characters, and I'm not even asking for Toph's story to feature an intense, horrible, super harrowing and difficult plot...! Just, make some things complicated for her. Show her frustrations, show her difficulty to grasp things she hasn't experienced before. Confront her with realities that she, a sheltered girl from a pretty well-off city, has never really needed to face before. Her attitude towards Ba Sing Se is never questioned or challenged narratively: she's constantly proven right about the city being fucked up, and about her reads on all high society people. While all this makes Toph feel smart to a viewer, the issue really comes where this character basically only has her admittedly sizable charisma to win us over. She succeeds! But what does this show give her to work with besides a very quick "I don't wanna work in a team-I learned to work in a team" conflict that is resolved even faster than Sokka's sexism, which pretty much died out within 4 episodes?

There's definitely a component here were Toph is successful not only because of her personality, her abilities, her strength... but also because of the message she conveys regarding disabilities. A LOT of disabled people have clung to Toph as an example and inspiration to not allow whatever ails them to define them or hold them back. Whether the comparison between a blind girl with magical powers and a disabled person of our world without them is valid or not? The effect Toph has had on a lot of viewers who related to her struggles is undeniable. In a sense, it almost feels like the fandom's worship of Toph suggests that in not giving her further challenges on a personal level, they actually hit some kind of jackpot as far as social messages are concerned... but once you actually scope in and pay proper attention to her character, you might find she's got so much more potential that went ignored by this story in favor of presenting her as this unquestionably strong girl who relies on others when she really needs to but otherwise is independent and free from all of society's restraints on her.

Personally, I know this to be the case because of the pushback and reactions my version of Toph in Gladiator initially resulted in. She had no reason to think anything of Sokka and damn near killed him when they first clashed in the Gladiator League... and this horrified a LOT of people! They couldn't BELIEVE Toph could be like this! An older Toph, 7 years older to be precise, who broke free from her parents' hold, struck a bargain with her would-be-captor to get him MORE money than he'd find if he turned her in, and who wanted nothing but to measure her strength against other powerful fighters. If she doesn't have Aang's group's influence on her as early on as when she's 12-years-old, is it REALLY that crazy for Toph's problems with her parents and authority to fester, for her craving for independence to reach new heights, for her readiness to prove herself stronger than anyone to actually be a hazard for other people who stand in her way?

Thus... a lot of the work I've done with this character has been deconstructing these flaws, building her into someone who understands herself better. It's in learning from the examples Sokka and Azula set for her that she starts to realize what kind of person, what kind of LEADER she wants to be. One of my favorite scenes to write about Toph is when she's setting her city free from Fire Nation control, extending her earthbending reach all across Gaoling, putting a stop to the FN army while focusing on creation rather than destruction. On building up her people, on leading her forces with the power of her seismic sense, on capturing the enemy leader, all of it without razing her home city to the ground. Early Gladiator Toph? She wouldn't have cared one bit to join the war to begin with, and if someone had told her that her city, the place she associated with rules, limitations and restraints would be razed to the ground? She might have even encouraged it. Yes, a part of her would have felt guilt over her parents... but she would have been so emotionally stunted that she would have forced herself to ignore any part of her that still cared about them.

And worth noting? One of the biggest personal issues Toph faced was actually nearly killing Azula and Sokka because of her absolute determination to win against them during an event. They were already friends, but they were also each other's biggest rivals in the League... neither side holds back when it comes to this particular competition, and Azula and Sokka had actually beaten Toph and Iroh on their previous encounter! Which meant Toph's desperation for victory was driving her a bit crazy. But once Toph takes it too far at one point, she freaks out. It triggers guilt that actually jumpstarts a much deeper and more complicated arc than anything she'd been through before. Her determination to win at all costs, her pride over her lifelong winning streak within the League... she's suddenly facing the possibility that all this shit she used to cling to, so damn hard, means NOTHING when she could lose two of the people she cares most about if she continues to privilege all that stuff over their wellbeing and safety.

And this doesn't mean that she didn't like fighting as a Gladiator anymore... it means she really came to terms with the fact that other things mattered more. Later on? She realized there are BIGGER fights out there, too, than what's going on in the League: she was the last line of defense against a brutal attack by a rogue waterbender who killed a lot of people and could have killed many more... and after the fact, she spends quite some time worrying about what could have happened if she had failed to protect everyone, if her strength had faltered when she needed it most.

Yes, touting my own horn a lot... but everything I've typed about my own story is exactly why it can even piss me off, at times, to see Toph's potential as a character squandered to the extent it is in canon. I've done so much more with her than they ever did, and granted it's a huge story, but Toph ISN'T the main focus on it and I still managed to give her more to work with than canon ever did. It makes no sense, does it?

I don't think she was given the respect she deserved, and partly, I feel this happened with a lot of female characters who straight-up don't have arcs at all. There's this latent fear that in questioning a character, showing they're flawed, they could become unlikeable... ironic how this is seldom a concern over male characters, but it is with female ones. And mind you: it DOES happen to male characters, because Aang himself is the most egregious example of a male character showcasing flaws and people spiraling over them, turning them into something they never were, all be it to pretend SOMEONE ELSE (*cough* Zuko *cough*) is that much better than him. But they WEREN'T scared of writing Aang into complicated situations that showcased his flaws and resulted in his growth, though. They are with Katara, Toph, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee... :') wonder why, huh?

Ultimately, Toph is a much better character, boiled down to basics, than many characters I tend to talk about and criticize openly. The issue with Toph, for me, isn't really that she fails as a character, or conveys wrong messages, or that the narrative is biased in her favor (though sometimes it is...).

The problem with Toph is she has no chances to truly grow into her own. That her biggest growth comes from a singular conversation with Iroh in episode 2x08 is incredibly unfair to a character who can provide SO MUCH if you simply give her a chance and let her be... human. Flawed. Complex. There's so much more that can be done with her, and if given a chance? She really could have been the best character of the entire show. Too bad they didn't have the guts to let that happen.

[seyaryminamoto]

Any thought on Toph's writing and "arc" in ATLA? I personally think Toph was the most stunted and underdeveloped character. She never really develops at all and is mostly just a walking joke. It's clear that the writers loved her but also clear that they never did anything with her.

If you mean stunted and underdeveloped character in the main cast, definitely yes. A lot of minor characters were done a disservice by the show, given next to no complexity, so I wouldn't rank her as #1 altogether, but among the main cast, absolutely.

Now, I wouldn't say she had zero growth, it's just... not an arc. I also don't think she was only a joke, though they used her for comedy a lot. It's part of why it weirds me out when the fandom acts like Sokka, and only Sokka, was comic relief in ATLA. Toph, Aang, Iroh, even Zuko whenever the narrative wanted to poke fun at him, provided comic relief often, so it's kind of stupid to pretend it was only ever Sokka.

... But that ridiculous perception, then, caused the not-so-funny LOK phenomenon of "Bolin is the funny one", where basically all comedy was meant to be about/around this one character, which didn't work nearly as well as they expected it to, and did nothing for the team's synergy and bonding, but I digress...

What do I think about Toph's story and journey in ATLA?

Toph starts out as a girl who wants nothing more than to be independent and for people to stop underestimating her. When we consider that, in her final action scene in the show, she's clinging by her fingertips to someone else, and that her survival and life depend expressly on HIM, it suggests that she's learned that she doesn't have to go at everything alone, and also that she doesn't have all the answers to all situations. The first time we met her, it doesn't really feel like she wants to work alongside other people, as shown in her conflict with Katara in The Chase, where Toph felt absolutely no need to chip in and help out with anything but her personal needs.

I will say, in Toph's defense about that last thing, it's perfectly common for a child who has spent most her life being cared for, not having anyone expect a single thing out of her, to not understand why she needs to contribute ANYTHING to the team. It doesn't hurt that she's new, which implies that the others have been setting up camp, finding food, traveling across the world, without needing an earthbender's contributions. So it's fairly easy to see her side in this: why does she need to help at all? Why can't they handle things on their own when they always did?

But in her chance encounter with Iroh, Toph is given a chance to think on things and ponder that there's nothing wrong with relying on others. It's so effective that this scene concludes with Toph telling Iroh that maybe he should tell Zuko that he needs him too. This might even be one of Toph's strongest moments in the entire show, honestly. She has no idea who she's talking about, has never met Zuko or Iroh before, but what she tells Iroh doesn't sound like it comes only from having determined that IROH needs Zuko: it sounds like self-reflection, based on Toph realizing that maybe she can open up to needing her friends, too, and working alongside them isn't such a bad thing.

I think this is decent writing. Really!

The issue is... this is about as good as it gets with Toph.

I really like her character, she has a lot of good jokes, some interesting moments of vulnerability here and there, but this scene with Iroh is the only instance of the show I can think back on that actually features Toph questioning her strict ideas and reasoning with them, choosing a different path and abandoning something else she wasn't ready to forsake (complete and utter independence). What's more, this isn't even the kind of growth where Toph has COMPLETELY abandoned her individualistic mentality: she's adjusted it. She allows herself to consider she could be part of a team, to have friends, to work with others, but that doesn't mean she's tied down to them. It never stops feeling like Toph is more than ready to do things on her terms, in her own ways. No matter how much she bonds with the others, she will rely on them exclusively when she needs them (see how she clings to others when she has little to no visibility), or when they need her in combat and such, but outside of such spaces? It's unlikely that Toph will be the type of person who feels the need to be accompanied all the time, who feels better if someone is constantly watching over her. Her friends allow her to find some kind of balance between her need for independence and the comfort of having allies and friends to connect to... but that doesn't mean that she'll never break off on her own when the urge hits her, when the big battles are settled, when problems are resolved.

And I'm the last person to think Yang, of ALL PEOPLE, has any solid understanding of these characters, but whether it was his idea or Bryke's to feature Toph as a teacher, and to have the Gaang drop by to pick her up during The Promise? Ultimately, this just proves she doesn't feel the need to be with Aang, Sokka and Katara non-stop. If even someone like Yang thought she'd go do her own thing (... the quality of what he wrote is, of course, forever in question), down to even leaving her out of The Search entirely? It's clear that they're not trying to promote the idea that Toph is forever clinging to her friends now. She's still independent.

But like I said earlier... this balance Toph finds between her friends and her freedom isn't the product of multiple episodes and lots of hard work and bumping into obstacles to achieve. This... is literally just Toph's second episode. That's the last time the show actually challenged Toph on a PERSONAL level that doesn't involve "becoming a more powerful bender".

Take her relationship with her parents, for instance: the fandom is convinced they were abusive as fuck and that Toph would hate them forever. Ironically, the show DOESN'T promote this notion at all (which makes The Rift kind of insane when compared to the show's treatment of Toph's parents), for it features her parents as two idiots who underestimate Toph immensely and who simply want her to come home and stay out of danger. This could be deemed as abusive in some people's minds, as usual the word needs to be taken more seriously nowadays... they're not good parents, there's no denying that. They don't understand their daughter, outright. They allow their preconceptions of her disability to determine who they think their daughter is. There's nothing in the show that suggests otherwise.

So why, exactly, is it that every instance where Toph considers communicating with her parents or meeting them, she seems to be perfectly content with doing it?

Xin Fu's trap for Toph was completely cemented on the notion that Poppy Beifong had come to visit Ba Sing Se and that she finally accepted her daughter for who she was. Toph's reaction isn't some kind of jaded dismissal because there's noooo way her mom would ever accept her... she outright goes to see her. Which allows Xin Fu to trap her. Which then results in Toph discovering she can metalbend. But the thread that started this whole plotline? It... goes nowhere. Of course, Toph's parents AREN'T there, there's no real reason to assume they've changed, and this was just a trap... but we get no reaction from Toph when it comes to this. We see no conflict. She simply embraces her new abilities and runs back to Ba Sing Se. A quick glance through the transcript shows zero focus or interest in what she went through. Hell, there's not even any acknowledgement that she learned to metalbend. It's all about Aang's struggles with the Avatar State and Katara being in danger.

Next time? The Runaway. A very frustrating and annoying episode. What happens here? Katara decides to dig into Toph's old wounds regarding her parents, tries to psychoanalyze her and decides that all of Toph's rebelliousness against authority boil down to having a bad relationship with her parents. Which... maybe it's true? Doesn't really justify Katara trying to act like her mother anyway? And then the episode ends with Toph asking Katara to help her send a letter to her parents, which sounds like Toph has made her peace with them and like she's ready to accept that she would like them in her life too, and that she wants them to accept who she is. Yay.

... The issue here is there's no follow-up. This doesn't feel like development because nothing comes from it. Nothing really changed. It doesn't come from organic writing either: it comes from Katara's forced "mother friend" role that she didn't use to hold at all (as I said in the ask about why I think Katara loses her appeal as a character the deeper we go into ATLA), and it never actually confronts Toph with her parents again. It doesn't feature a deeper reflection from Toph regarding why she feels the way she does about her parents, nor does it feature Katara realizing that Toph's parents actually did fuck up a LOT with her and that she has every right to push back against them. It merely makes Katara calm down because she realizes the others care about her (while eavesdropping, ofc) and are ready to accept her for who she is... even though she, too, merits a LOT of reflection regarding this mom friend role and nobody else should be comfortable with that, let alone her :'D

Point being, the show really just holds this as the only thing about Toph that wasn't actually resolved, but it acts like it's fine because Toph sent a letter. What growth did we see in Toph that actually means this letter makes all the difference, though? We have no idea how it affected her parents -- as much as Yang acts like it didn't affect them at all, it could have made them rethink some things, or it could have made them mount an even more desperate search for their child, who knows? And it's a pretty solid thread to pull at, to tug loose, to TRULY challenge Toph's character... aaaaaaand they just don't do it at all.

The way I see it, that's really what it boils down to. The show doesn't challenge Toph in any significant way after her... second episode. This isn't the case for most main characters, and I'm not even asking for Toph's story to feature an intense, horrible, super harrowing and difficult plot...! Just, make some things complicated for her. Show her frustrations, show her difficulty to grasp things she hasn't experienced before. Confront her with realities that she, a sheltered girl from a pretty well-off city, has never really needed to face before. Her attitude towards Ba Sing Se is never questioned or challenged narratively: she's constantly proven right about the city being fucked up, and about her reads on all high society people. While all this makes Toph feel smart to a viewer, the issue really comes where this character basically only has her admittedly sizable charisma to win us over. She succeeds! But what does this show give her to work with besides a very quick "I don't wanna work in a team-I learned to work in a team" conflict that is resolved even faster than Sokka's sexism, which pretty much died out within 4 episodes?

There's definitely a component here were Toph is successful not only because of her personality, her abilities, her strength... but also because of the message she conveys regarding disabilities. A LOT of disabled people have clung to Toph as an example and inspiration to not allow whatever ails them to define them or hold them back. Whether the comparison between a blind girl with magical powers and a disabled person of our world without them is valid or not? The effect Toph has had on a lot of viewers who related to her struggles is undeniable. In a sense, it almost feels like the fandom's worship of Toph suggests that in not giving her further challenges on a personal level, they actually hit some kind of jackpot as far as social messages are concerned... but once you actually scope in and pay proper attention to her character, you might find she's got so much more potential that went ignored by this story in favor of presenting her as this unquestionably strong girl who relies on others when she really needs to but otherwise is independent and free from all of society's restraints on her.

Personally, I know this to be the case because of the pushback and reactions my version of Toph in Gladiator initially resulted in. She had no reason to think anything of Sokka and damn near killed him when they first clashed in the Gladiator League... and this horrified a LOT of people! They couldn't BELIEVE Toph could be like this! An older Toph, 7 years older to be precise, who broke free from her parents' hold, struck a bargain with her would-be-captor to get him MORE money than he'd find if he turned her in, and who wanted nothing but to measure her strength against other powerful fighters. If she doesn't have Aang's group's influence on her as early on as when she's 12-years-old, is it REALLY that crazy for Toph's problems with her parents and authority to fester, for her craving for independence to reach new heights, for her readiness to prove herself stronger than anyone to actually be a hazard for other people who stand in her way?

Thus... a lot of the work I've done with this character has been deconstructing these flaws, building her into someone who understands herself better. It's in learning from the examples Sokka and Azula set for her that she starts to realize what kind of person, what kind of LEADER she wants to be. One of my favorite scenes to write about Toph is when she's setting her city free from Fire Nation control, extending her earthbending reach all across Gaoling, putting a stop to the FN army while focusing on creation rather than destruction. On building up her people, on leading her forces with the power of her seismic sense, on capturing the enemy leader, all of it without razing her home city to the ground. Early Gladiator Toph? She wouldn't have cared one bit to join the war to begin with, and if someone had told her that her city, the place she associated with rules, limitations and restraints would be razed to the ground? She might have even encouraged it. Yes, a part of her would have felt guilt over her parents... but she would have been so emotionally stunted that she would have forced herself to ignore any part of her that still cared about them.

And worth noting? One of the biggest personal issues Toph faced was actually nearly killing Azula and Sokka because of her absolute determination to win against them during an event. They were already friends, but they were also each other's biggest rivals in the League... neither side holds back when it comes to this particular competition, and Azula and Sokka had actually beaten Toph and Iroh on their previous encounter! Which meant Toph's desperation for victory was driving her a bit crazy. But once Toph takes it too far at one point, she freaks out. It triggers guilt that actually jumpstarts a much deeper and more complicated arc than anything she'd been through before. Her determination to win at all costs, her pride over her lifelong winning streak within the League... she's suddenly facing the possibility that all this shit she used to cling to, so damn hard, means NOTHING when she could lose two of the people she cares most about if she continues to privilege all that stuff over their wellbeing and safety.

And this doesn't mean that she didn't like fighting as a Gladiator anymore... it means she really came to terms with the fact that other things mattered more. Later on? She realized there are BIGGER fights out there, too, than what's going on in the League: she was the last line of defense against a brutal attack by a rogue waterbender who killed a lot of people and could have killed many more... and after the fact, she spends quite some time worrying about what could have happened if she had failed to protect everyone, if her strength had faltered when she needed it most.

Yes, touting my own horn a lot... but everything I've typed about my own story is exactly why it can even piss me off, at times, to see Toph's potential as a character squandered to the extent it is in canon. I've done so much more with her than they ever did, and granted it's a huge story, but Toph ISN'T the main focus on it and I still managed to give her more to work with than canon ever did. It makes no sense, does it?

I don't think she was given the respect she deserved, and partly, I feel this happened with a lot of female characters who straight-up don't have arcs at all. There's this latent fear that in questioning a character, showing they're flawed, they could become unlikeable... ironic how this is seldom a concern over male characters, but it is with female ones. And mind you: it DOES happen to male characters, because Aang himself is the most egregious example of a male character showcasing flaws and people spiraling over them, turning them into something they never were, all be it to pretend SOMEONE ELSE (*cough* Zuko *cough*) is that much better than him. But they WEREN'T scared of writing Aang into complicated situations that showcased his flaws and resulted in his growth, though. They are with Katara, Toph, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee... :') wonder why, huh?

Ultimately, Toph is a much better character, boiled down to basics, than many characters I tend to talk about and criticize openly. The issue with Toph, for me, isn't really that she fails as a character, or conveys wrong messages, or that the narrative is biased in her favor (though sometimes it is...).

The problem with Toph is she has no chances to truly grow into her own. That her biggest growth comes from a singular conversation with Iroh in episode 2x08 is incredibly unfair to a character who can provide SO MUCH if you simply give her a chance and let her be... human. Flawed. Complex. There's so much more that can be done with her, and if given a chance? She really could have been the best character of the entire show. Too bad they didn't have the guts to let that happen.

[seyaryminamoto]

You just did the impossible. You got me to shed a tear over a fanfiction of all things (Violently smashed down soapbox and jumps onto it then takes a deep breath) "I DEMAND YOU WRITE AN ALTERNATE HAPPY ENDING VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER, AND WITH MORE SHAOFENG BEATING UPPING TOO! YOUR GHOST KING COMMANDS YOU!"

Okay so in my defense I was left unsupervised...

IN MY DEFENSE...

I actually spent ages on the fence about how to handle... THAT. Like... I considered keeping him alive but comatose. Then, he could've been brought back, but powerless (politically) so that he wouldn't be much of a hazard to society and balance anymore :'D

... But then I wrote Part 2's final arc.

And I was so mad. He just made me so mad. I found myself so infuriated by what I was writing that I just... made up my mind. I thought maybe I'd change tunes eventually, but heck, if I managed to get this BASTARD to a point where I felt like MAYBE keeping him around would be okay...? That would be enough of an achievement on its own, if his death doesn't feel like a reward but like a low blow. Seriously, if after the DEEPEST LOWS he sank to, any of us still grieved for him when he kicked the bucket? Well...

It meant I would've done my job as the stubborn writer who always hoped she could take an irredeemable bastard like Ozai and actually flesh him out into a complex asshole whose death would not feel like a triumph.

😬

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't expect to see so much grief for him XD if anything, I've had the most uncanny situation going on lately. I'm hardly immune to hesitation and self-doubt... but it's been A WHILE since it hit me as hard as it has these days. I was sooo nervous about posting this arc, wondering if anyone but me would find it satisfactory...

This, after YEARS of being perfectly confident that I was headed to the ending I've been building up towards.

So. Ha. It's been an emotional rollercoaster.

But if the main point of agony for readers right now is wishing Ozai's downfall hadn't come around as it did? I think I can finally breathe easy again, haha.

Sooooo... yeah. The AU where he's not straight-up dead but comatose and got brought back years later did exist in my brain and maybe one day I can write out more of how it would've turned out, if I had stuck with that concept. But first I'd rather you guys see how things turn out this way, and then I'll explain things :'D

Also, maybe we can blame Ursa a lil for his death because she partially convinced me that this would work due to a future development involving her...

[seyaryminamoto]

Scenes of a Peaceful World: Sokkla Saturdays 2024

Day Six - Discipline

Rated: T

On FF.net//On AO3

The Preservers were a unique faction within the White Lotus. The group had been built, by Sokka's express demands, all training overseen by him, so that they could see to the protection of a unique location in their world.

The hardest part of such an endeavor, of course, was taking his leave from his family occasionally in order to see this enterprise succeed. If asked, of course, Sokka would always claim that the average period of time he could endure without them was five minutes, but where the world's progress and stability were concerned, both he and Azula were ready to make whatever sacrifices were necessary.

Now, the world reaped the benefits of such sacrifices… of the success of a venture many would have considered too dangerous, too worrisome to be carried out at all. Humanity could not be trusted with this kind of responsibility…

Truthfully, Sokka agreed with that notion: thus, Sokka ensured to set all kinds of boundaries and limitations around any visitors who sought to enter Wan Shi Tong's Library.

"It's amazing that this is even possible…" Aang laughed, standing in the grand, golden halls of the library, eyes glancing over the Preservers, standing guard by the Library's entrance and its main halls. Katara smiled, looping an arm around his. "But humans and spirits are actually working together."

"I might just be crazy, but… it almost sounds like there's greater balance between our nations, and worlds, than there ever was," Katara said. Aang smiled and nodded.

"It's not effortless… but the hard work is worth it. We can teach people better… show them the right path," he said, with a proud smile.

Wan Shi Tong had been persuaded to trust humanity one more time: the grand building rose out of the desert anew. The grand doors had spread open once again. Even now, however, there were limitations to the spirit's leniency: he still probed and tested newcomers, and whoever failed to earn his approval, whoever answered his questions poorly, would have to settle for waiting for another visitor to make a copy of whatever books they wanted to check or borrow.

It could be a complicated system, but one that worked fairly well: Sokka had come up with many of its solutions, including the rather obvious one of crafting safekeeping copies for every tome, for Wan Shi Tong's reassurance. The owl spirit seemed pleased with his support and cooperation… enough to allow what Sokka had never imagined he would, once he asked it of him:

A large family, either astride or walking beside dragons, crossed the Library's golden gates on the morning when the Preservers began serving in the Library.

"Wow… wow!" Shun gasped.

"This is… it's a miracle!" Rei gasped, tears in her eyes as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Where's the owl?" Yuuna pouted.

"So many books…!" Hotaru gasped. "N-no one would be able to read them all!"

"Fortunately, Wan Shi Tong's helpers will be around to ensure you find the ones you're interested in," Azula smiled, clapping her daughter's shoulder. "Now, then… keep your dragons in check. I'm afraid that when he turns up, they'll…"

On cue, all the dragons tensed up: a dark presence, lower down the hallway, caused Yuuna's nervous dragon to squeal, jolting back with the child riding on his back.

"Hey, hey…!" Sokka clasped the dragon's reins, ensuring he wouldn't topple backwards. "No need to worry. He's not going to dissect any of us: he promised."

"It's illegal," Yuuna said, firmly. "No one can dissect a dragon."

"Yeah, I'm sure Wan Shi Tong would feel bound by that law… right?" Sokka said, turning around with an awkward smile: the owl approached gloomily, eyeing their family with an unreadable expression. Xin Long, while also tense, appeared to reassure Hotaru and Shun's dragons, though they still shivered while hiding behind him.

"I see you have arrived. The Avatar and the Preservers said you would be here today, Sokka… and you brought your family, indeed."

"Hey there," Sokka smiled, waving at Wan Shi Tong. "Guess introductions are in…!"

"No need. I know who they are," Wan Shi Tong stated. "Rei, the eldest, a scholar. You are welcome to browse my collection."

"I… I am?" Rei gasped: Azula smiled as her daughter shivered with excitement. "Y-you'd let me…?"

"Provided you do not stay until after the doors close. Our service hours are much stricter nowadays," Wan Shi Tong declared.

Rei couldn't contain her excitement, hugging Azula eagerly at the thought of examining countless books she'd had no access to before. Wan Shi Tong turned to the next child, though:

"Hotaru. You may find our collection on firebending and swordsmanship to your liking… though I suspect you would prefer to read fantasy books, today."

"I…! W-well… maybe a few. I can… I can study and have fun, right?" she said, looking at her mother expectantly. Azula smiled and nodded.

"You're free to do as you wish, provided you follow the rules," Azula assured her.

"Shun. You may browse the firebending section with your sister," Wan Shi Tong continued: the boy blushed upon being addressed, shrinking in place. "It has expanded thanks to your parents' contributions. Ensure to thank them for it."

"I-I will. I… thank you," Shun said, bowing his head towards the owl.

"Yuuna… zoology section: third floor, fifth wing."

"Good."

The child didn't bother waiting to check with her parents: she spurred her dragon to take flight, and the whole family gasped as they took off through the floors of the Library, right towards her favorite subjects.

"Sorry about…! Oh, hell," Sokka groaned.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Rei laughed, clapping Sokka's shoulder before setting out to the third floor, too.

The children scattered, with Hotaru and Shun lingering not too far from the entrance, meeting up with Aang and Katara, while Rei chased down the restless Yuuna. Wan Shi Tong watched the two kids, though it seemed his attention lingered on their dragons.

"You fulfilled your many vows to me, in your last visit," he said, turning his head towards Azula. "I feared I shouldn't have risked trusting any of your nation anew… but I took a gamble with you, and you did not disappoint. Where I have seen much of the worst of humanity… I appear to have discovered the best of it, through the two of you."

"That might be too flattering," Azula smirked. "We're hardly upstanding in every sense…"

"Indeed. Ensure not to sully my Library with improper acts this time."

"H-hey!" Sokka squeaked. "We weren't doing anything that bad! I mean, well…!"

"He walked in on us getting slightly too comfortable in his planetarium room, Sokka: he's not going to forget that," Azula said, with a dry grin.

"Indeed," Wan Shi Tong confirmed. Sokka's cheeks flushed. "That being said, you have been rather successful across the years, building a family, bringing back the dragons, as you promised… you reclaimed peace in a world that seemed beyond all hope. While I remain vigilant, and the Preservers will continue to keep tabs on all who may enter the Library's premises, I find myself at new ease with your kind. History shall always remember what humanity owes to the both of you. I will make certain to make records of it."

"Thank you," Azula bowed her head. "And… for letting my family browse your collection. We told them what a great honor you had bestowed upon us by allowing this. I know they're hardly the most disciplined children…"

"We'll keep an eye on them anyway," Sokka smiled reassuringly. "Thanks, Wan Shi Tong!"

"It is I who thanks you. Truly."

Wan Shi Tong bowed towards them, stunning Azula with the gesture: he spread his wings after, taking flight across his Library anew.

The place truly was different compared to Azula's last visit: the whole place appeared brightened with knowledge, with renewal, with the promises fulfilled between the regal couple and the ancient spirit.

"So… what do you think?" Sokka smiled, throwing an arm around Azula's shoulders. Xin Long shook his head before pressing it against Sokka's chest, startling him. "H-hey! He's gone, no need to be scared anymore…"

"He's thanking you," Azula smiled, reaching over to stroke her dragon's fur. "For everything you've done for this place… and, of course, for successfully fending off the big owl, too."

"He'll never stop being unnerved by him, I'm sure," Sokka chuckled, hugging both Azula and Xin Long with each arm. "So… what section do you guys want to start with?"

"How about we find out if anyone has written stories about us yet?" Azula smirked. Sokka snorted. "I'm curious! There's bound to be so many outlandish tales about how on earth you and I wound up together…"

"I'm sure there's a lot of sordid, raunchy ones too…"

"Eh, well. Either we've already done those things, or it'll serve as useful research for the future, right?"

Sokka snorted and cackled: Azula's mischief never failed to delight him.

They took off together, meaning to explore the place on their terms, to enjoy themselves, keeping tabs on their kids while under the watchful supervision of the Preservers, who greeted Sokka respectfully: humanity had succeeded at reconnecting with its most ancient valuable knowledge, and they had finally learned the wisdom, as well as the discipline, to honor the vows that had finally built true peace between the imposing owl and humanity at large.

[seyaryminamoto]

Preview: Gladiator Chapter 375

Azula barges into the Throne Room just in time to prevent the dreaded showdown between Zuko and Ozai: with Sokka by her side once more, Azula risks much by standing up to her father... and even more by offering him a singular chance at survival and redemption.

Ozai faces his reckoning at last: will his ambitions continue to drive him, or will his daughter's words get through to him, for once? Any missteps by the Fire Lord will yield dark consequences for the Fire Nation's Royal Family, and Ozai's final plan, involving Seethus, is ready to be enacted if ever the Fire Lord draws his last breath...

Read Gladiator HERE or HERE

For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!

[seyaryminamoto]

Scenes of a Peaceful World: Sokkla Saturdays 2024

Day Five - Growth

Rated: T

On FF.net//On AO3

The birds chirped outside. The sun drifted through the room's windows. Breeze blew softly, a promise of bliss made by the first weeks of spring…

"Well, then… congratulations?" Katara concluded, with an awkward smile.

Azula sat frozen on her seat. Her eyes didn't focus on Sokka's sister at all…

She was pregnant for the third time.

"I, uh… I'm sure Shun and Hotaru will be great big siblings," Katara said, eyeing Sokka warily, hoping to find a better reaction from him…

But he, however, seemed contained, rather than shocked. There was a burst of emotion, plain across his eyes… that he held back, for his wife's sake. He exchanged glances with his sister: yes, he was happy, but…

They hadn't planned this. They hadn't talked about this, not really. Carelessness was never all that uncommon for them, they'd certainly been chaotic and easygoing about their birth control more times than was worth recounting now…

But it wasn't all that frequent. They weren't reckless nearly as often as some might expect, considering their track record throughout their relationship. If Azula forgot her tea, it likely happened around once every three months, not much more often than that…

And now she sat in place, frigid, eyes wide.

"A-Azula…?" Sokka called her, softly. "You okay, love?"

She blinked once. Then twice. Then she turned towards her husband.

"We're… having another baby. W-we… we're having a third baby? I-I mean, ours, because, well…"

"You didn't give birth to Rei, no, but…"

"She's still our child, so… four. Three pregnancies. Three childbirths…" Azula said, blinking blankly. "How… how the hell did we wind up here three times?"

"Well, considering you got yourselves knocked up that many times, I don't think I need to spell out the 'how' for you," Katara smirked. Azula shot her a dirty glare, and Katara chuckled for it. "Come on! Cheer up! This isn't so bad, is it?"

"You… might think about it some more once you have your own. You've been… quite careful, I'm sure," Azula said. Katara smiled and shrugged.

"Aang says we can take our time, so… I'll get to it once I decide we're ready to stop traveling as much. But… anyway, talk about it! It's not that bad, I think, that you'd have another one…"

"Bad? I… wouldn't say bad, it's just… a lot of strain on my body. And I'm definitely insufferable when I'm pregnant. And… the birth is painful, and difficult, and…"

She fell silent then: her expression was unreadable. Katara bit her lip, and Sokka smiled.

"Okay… I think we should just talk about this," he decided, taking his wife's hand and nodding at Katara. "Thanks for checking…"

"Not a problem. Have… a fun talk?" Katara said, with an awkward smile. Sokka chuckled and nodded, roping an arm around Azula's shoulders and leading her out of the room.

The long corridors saw them pacing silently for a moment: both their minds raced with countless thoughts, but Sokka didn't bring up what was on his mind just yet, uncertain that Azula would be ready to hear it.

The chirping birds in the gardens seemed to beckon Azula in that direction: Sokka followed, eyeing her with uncertainty until she stood underneath the shade, watching the sunlight drift through the branches and leaves, arms folded over her chest.

"If we have another, then… the curse really will be broken."

Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"The… curse?" he repeated. "Uh… what's that supposed to mean?"

"It's… my family. The… the whole thing with sets of two siblings who end up being lifelong rivals?" Azula said, turning towards Sokka. He smiled slightly. "I mean, I already thought it was broken because of Shun, since, counting Rei, that makes them three already… but Rei isn't exactly part of the succession line anyway, and I didn't birth her, and…"

"And that meant there was a risk, so… with this one, the risk goes away?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged slightly.

"I… hope so. I don't know. I… but this is it, though."

"You mean…"

"No more pregnancies," she said, eyeing him reproachfully. Sokka snorted and chuckled, shoulders shaking as she eyed him skeptically. "I'll drink that tea obsessively, without fail, until… until menopause turns up, I guess. But… do you really think we can handle it? Three children? Rei's already grown up, so…"

"Well, I'll just say, people with a lot less resources than us have handled bigger families than ours," Sokka said. Azula nodded. "So… I think it's doable. Difficult, maybe, but… we can pull this off. I think we can."

"Right. Then… okay. W-well… we'll try," Azula said, nervously. Sokka smiled, cupping her cheeks and raising her head towards him. "You want this, right? I didn't ask, but…"

"It's more important if you want it. You're the one carrying the baby," Sokka smiled, a hand moving to her womb. "Though, since it seems you've made your choice now… hi there! Doubt you know I'm talking to you yet, you're really small… mommy doesn't even have a big belly yet!"

"Sokka…" Azula smiled, shaking her head. Sokka snickered, kneeling before her.

"You'll be in the best place to grow up in, you know, for nine months. Bet it's all warm and toasty because your mom's a firebender. The best one, too," Sokka said, speaking to her womb still. "So… grow up in there, kid, and we'll be thrilled to meet you when you're ready to join us."

He kissed her flat abdomen: Azula swallowed hard, emotion surging inside her at his unnecessarily sweet gesture…

"Sokka, I'm not supposed to get mood swings yet, so stop trying to trigger them…"

Sokka laughed, rising back to his feet, taking his wife into his arms: just as when he had learned of her previous pregnancy, he hoisted her off her feet, twirling with her. Azula laughed, burying her face in his neck as Sokka set her down again, kissing her promptly.

"We can do this. We've done it before…" he said.

"And we've learned from it, every time," Azula reasoned. "What's one more, huh?"

"Well… I'd dare say one more means more happiness, most likely," Sokka chuckled, kissing her lips softly once again.

Nine months would go by in a blur at times, too slowly at others. But nestling in bed, with two older kids who languished carelessly by their parents' legs, Sokka and Azula could only be grateful that the wait to meet their youngest was over: the dark-skinned, yawning baby opened her blue eyes for the first time, stirring excitement in both her parents at the sight of her.

"Yuuna… there you are. Little Yuuna…" Sokka chuckled, leaning close and kissing the child's brow. "You… you take after your mother."

"S-Sokka, you… you say that about all of them," Azula said. Sokka snickered, and she smiled and shook her head as he hugged her, and their new baby, with the warmth and gentleness she had grown used to receiving from the man she loved.

The first challenge was over… raising the child, seeing to her growth, would come next. But just as they had faced every difficulty together, they would look after their youngest daughter as they had with her older siblings: she would be a happy, energetic child full of wonderment, with blissful hopes and dreams she would be able to fulfill in the peaceful world she had been born to.

[seyaryminamoto]

Trick or treat

[seyaryminamoto]

[seyaryminamoto]

I try not to get too rambly lately because I am indeed busy (trying to finish a Patreon piece rn!), but... I'd say this moment warrants it.

I have spent over a decade building up to this chapter and its developments. It's very much the climax of the entire story. The journey we've been on was always meant to lead us to this, for all emotions to come to a head, for all threads to converge right where they shall.

To make it clear just how long ago I intended for this particular plot point, I hereby present all evidence needed:

This is a scanned old artwork from a long time ago. I've kept it quiet for ages, showing it only to a few people, because I didn't want to give away too much pertaining how Gladiator would unfold.

This piece was scanned on November 11th, 2014, according to the properties of the file. While of course I was nowhere near the level of quality I am at now, this piece, at the time, was one of my unquestionable best. In fact, I remember @jordanalane straight up asking me if I had asked someone else to draw this, because it seemed sooooooooo beyond my style back in those days... I was pretty flattered by that, even if maybe I should have been proud and said OF COURSE it was me! 🤣But the point still stands, it was a rarity for me to do something of this quality 10 years ago, even if I absolutely could remake it and outdo it now.

What I'm saying is simply that I've spent a long, long time working towards this endgame. Once I realized where we were headed, the direction of Gladiator became kind of immutable in my head. It was the ending that made sense. The development that would bring everything together properly:

Our story started with these two clashing, as enemies, and altering their lives forever by what appeared to be a mere coincidence.

In that instance, Sokka was completely overwhelmed. He wasn't strong enough to fight one-on-one against Azula. She had the upper hand at every point in time. That was the starting point of Sokka's gradual power climb: he faced an unbeatable foe who then became his greatest ally, helping him become so much stronger than he ever knew he could be...

... Leading up to this: once again, they face each other as enemies, after what feels like a lifetime of bonding and sharing incredible adventures, growing together and becoming better people by each other's side. Both grew stronger across time... but Sokka, undoubtedly, had the steeper power climb. Thus, the outcome this time is nowhere near as straight-forward as it was back when the story began.

Sokka's growth was meant to bring him here, to face his worst possible enemy, and this time, actually have a chance to prevail. What most people surely didn't expect all along was for this worst-enemy to be Azula, of all people, after everything they've been through. But what exactly will he choose when he finally has a chance at victory against her? Can he stay true to who he is... or will the pressures destroy him?

Near the start of the story, Piandao warned Azula to be careful, for if she broke Sokka to the point where he no longer knew who he was, Sokka would lose his greatest strength. He warned her not to turn him into someone he was not. It's a thread that has been dangling all throughout the story, sometimes easily forgotten, but ever-present nonetheless: in pushing matters to the extent Azula has, is Sokka's true self lost now? Or will he cling to it still, even in the face of likely death, all be it to make an unthinkable choice that might just change the fate of the world...?

:')

Guess you'll find out on Friday! :'D

Preview: Gladiator Chapter 374

As memories of better times rush through their minds and hearts, Sokka and Azula collide on a battlefield, as enemies, for the first time since their fateful encounter in the South Pole. The armies around them remain at a standstill, waiting for the outcome of the duel between Princess and Gladiator.

One will hesitate. The other will demand for no mercy. As steel and flames clash furiously, the fate of the world shall hinge on the choice the victor shall make, upon facing a defeated foe: will the blade strike down...?

Or will they surrender?

Read Gladiator HERE or HERE

For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!

[seyaryminamoto]

Scenes of a Peaceful World: Sokkla Saturdays 2024

Day Four - Action

Rated: T

On FF.net//On AO3

"Your house is amazing, Hotaru…" Shihan whispered, eyes wide.

"It is!" Liuwen exclaimed, beaming. "I always wanted to come here!"

"I'm glad you guys like it," Hotaru said, with a gentle smile.

She hadn't invited friends over before. She didn't dare do it when her little sister was too young, and too unlikely to regulate her temper… distressing her friends with the loud, crying voice of little Yuuna didn't sound like a good idea.

But Hotaru had also been nervous of so much as asking for permission. It felt like a great change… a big risk, too. If anyone did anything foolish, it would be her responsibility… whether the foolishness came from her family or from her friends. Either thing was entirely possible.

She gathered her courage a week earlier. She approached her mother and father right before dinner time, and she made certain to do it when neither of her siblings were around, to avoid distractions and unnecessary comments…

"C-can my friends Liuwen and Shihan visit us after school in a week?"

Sokka and Azula were surprised by the request. Perhaps more so by their daughter's nervousness, by how she fidgeted, by how she appeared to be terrified of a negative answer…

"I… think so?" Sokka had said, glancing at his wife. "Do we have any big things scheduled for that date?"

"Not that it would be a problem if we did… Hotaru can host her friends, it's not like she'd want us to be their guides, right?"

"N-no! No need! I… just wanted to ask for permission," Hotaru said, lowering her head. Azula smiled.

"Permission granted. Now… lighten up, will you?" Azula stepped closer, pressing a kiss to the top of the princess's head. "I feared you'd announce you meant to run off with singing nomads…"

"It's all good, kid!" Sokka grinned, patting Hotaru's shoulder: their daughter giggled now. "You can bring as many friends as you like."

Hotaru didn't mean to go overboard: two friends would suffice for starters. If that didn't go poorly, more might follow… but for now, she brought the two she hoped would be the least likely to cause a ruckus, and who hopefully would behave themselves in the presence of her illustrious parents.

"Are your little brother and sister around?" Liuwen asked.

"I'm sure they're off somewhere. Same as my parents…" Hotaru said: both Shihan and Liuwen gaped at her with wide eyes. "What? You already know them…"

"W-well, sure, but we'll see them in their home now!" exclaimed Shihan, gleefully. Liuwen clasped her arm, squealing happily. "They're so dreamy!"

"The perfect couple!"

"Y-yeah… well, they love each other lots, but I don't know about perfect…" Hotaru laughed.

"That's because you don't know what other parents are like," Shihan sighed. "My dad is always moody, and ugly, and he's barely around, and…!"

"My mom always screams at me to do things I don't wanna do," Liuwen pouted. "She keeps saying no boy will marry me if I don't square up, but I'm twelve! Boys won't marry me until I'm… well, I don't know. How old will I be before they want to marry me?"

"I have no idea," Hotaru laughed. "But my mom and dad… well, they're nicer than that, yeah, but they're… normal. I think."

"Hotaru, there's nothing normal about your parents!" exclaimed Shihan, flabbergasted.

"Their love story is legendary!" Liuwen said, with a dreamy smile. "And your dad is so handsome, and your mom is so pretty…!"

"They're the best couple!"

Hotaru sighed: it wasn't the first time she heard people idolizing her parents, let alone her friends… these two were the tamest of the bunch when it came to that, and they still grew this excited over them …

Hotaru didn't realize that matters were about to take a turn for the worse, as they reached one of the main halls through a side corridor. She didn't realize her friends' excitement might just be bolstered if they witnessed anything impressive or surprising… and fate would have it that one such thing would take place right then and there.

Heavy footsteps on one end of the corridor revealed that a rather overwhelmed, busy Azula was making her way across the grand hall just then, accompanied by Song, for purposes beyond Hotaru's understanding: her two friends gasped in amazement at the sight of their hero, even if Azula didn't appear to notice them.

But just as Hotaru was about to speak up, to greet her mother, other footsteps echoed at the other end of the hall: this time, Sokka marched with one of the younger non-bending guards, who appeared to be reporting something noteworthy to him, much like Song did with Azula.

"Oh!" Shihan gasped, covering her mouth with her hands: neither Sokka nor Azula appeared to realize they were in collision course so far… something that surprised Hotaru. Was their respective business as serious as that?

Even their eldest child, who knew them as well as she did, could not anticipate their next move.

On busy days, Sokka and Azula would not be too likely to meet often. The action, the hectic chaos in their respective lines of work, would interfere during time they would prefer to spend together.

Thus, when they raised their gazes briefly to find they were about to cross paths, for the first time in hours, the urgency of their respective business took a backseat. however briefly.

Song and the guard didn't stop: both offered quick greetings to Sokka and to Azula, respectively, and then walked past them… but the pair in question didn't follow their example.

Sokka's hand moved to Azula's waist at once. Hers rose to his neck, without losing a beat.

Their lips pressed together, powerfully and passionately, without a single word spoken between the pair.

They swayed in place, with Sokka tilting Azula down, his passion overflowing as best it could in such limited time: Azula gripped his tunic tightly, unafraid of being dipped, merely determined to enjoy the moment they had stolen as boldly as that…

But it couldn't last for an instant longer. They had work to do.

They pulled back remorsefully as Sokka stood upright again. Still holding each other closely, they spoke in unison:

"I love you."

Their synchronized actions, words and desires brought proud smiles to their faces: that allowed them to part ways again, revitalized by each other, ready to focus regardless of their respective companions' amusement: both Song and the guard had merely stopped further down the corridor, to wait for Sokka and Azula's shared moment to end.

Just as fast as they turned up, they were gone. And neither one noticed that they had been seen, in that rather intimate and affectionate moment, by three pre-teen girls standing by a side corridor.

"Eh… heh. W-well…" Hotaru smiled awkwardly, looking at her friends with uncertainty…

Shihan and Liuwen stood in place, eyes wide as plate, jaws dropped. Hotaru's cheeks flushed: she was used to her parents and their reckless bursts of affection, but perhaps that had been too forward, too bold, for her friends to witness…?

She confirmed as much when the two girls screamed loudly enough to puncture her eardrums, holding hands and jumping in place, squealing about what they had just witnessed.

"THEY KISSED!"

"WE SAW IT! WE SAW IT!"

"THEY'RE THE PERFECT COUPLE!"

Hotaru gritted her teeth, covering her face with a hand, even if she smiled to herself. Her parents never failed to make an impression on whoever crossed their path, that was for sure…

[seyaryminamoto]

Preview: Gladiator Chapter 373

Zuko's team's progress through the tunnels seems to lead in the right direction... but a decoy awaits, instead of the Fire Lord. A confrontation with Shaofeng will force their group to flee into the Palace from the General's traps, intent on making towards the Throne Room, unaware that it won't be empty...

Sokka leads his troops after a painful loss: making use of all his resources, the Gladiator ensures that his army can charge into the Capital, battling against every last line of Fire Nation defense until he reaches the Palace, where the culmination of his journey awaits him:

At last, Sokka returns to Princess Azula.

Read Gladiator HERE or HERE

For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!

[seyaryminamoto]

Scenes of a Peaceful World: Sokkla Saturdays 2024

Day Three - Stability

Rated: T

On FF.net//On AO3

"Do have to?" Shun groaned, his posture slanted: his small boomerang failed to hold his interest.

"Of course!" Sokka exclaimed. "You can't sort out all hardships in life with bending, kid."

"And I can sort them out with a boomerang?" Shun asked, blinking blankly. His father huffed.

"You might! Oh, you'll see what it can do soon enough, you grump!" Sokka exclaimed, dismissing his skeptical son's glare. "Take up your positions!"

Shun sighed, though Yuuna seemed excited, instead. Hotaru smiled, raising her boomerang as well: unlike her siblings, she held it the right way, for Shun clasped it dismissively, whereas Yuuna was holding hers on the wrong end by accident, something Sokka was quick to correct upon noticing it.

Their training session in the garden was witnessed by a curious Azula from afar. She smiled from the garden's roofed corridor as Sokka instructed the children: Hotaru, unsurprisingly, was the only one who managed a decent first throw, but she failed to catch the boomerang on its way back. Yuuna and Shun had theirs bouncing on the ground – they scrambled after each of their assigned weapons at once, and it seemed that chasing down the boomerangs was more fun for them than learning how to throw them properly.

"Quite the spectacle they're putting on for you," a familiar, deep voice spoke near Azula. She smiled.

"It's serious, proper training. My entertainment is a secondary matter, Mom," Azula declared. Her mother laughed.

"No doubt," Ursa said. "You should join them. They'd listen to your instruction far more than to Sokka's…"

"Theoretically, yes, but… I don't know how to throw a boomerang," Azula said, simply.

"Truly? He never taught you?" Ursa asked. Azula shrugged and smiled.

"I suppose it was kind of… his thing? I never thought about… huh," Azula raised an eyebrow. Her mother's wrongful assumption had some merit…

"Well…" Ursa smiled, squeezing her shoulder gently: the kids had scattered, with Yuuna and Shun running off, arguing over something again while Hotaru promised her father that she'd reel them in. "If you'd like that to change, this is your chance."

Azula smiled too. She squeezed Ursa's hand gently before taking the plunge, stepping into the garden.

Sokka sighed in resignation as he picked up his children's dropped boomerangs when Azula stopped beside him.

"Oh, what can you do? Kids are too unruly to learn useful skills in life," Sokka said, dramatically. Azula smiled.

"Kids might be, yes. But… have you considered changing your target audience?" she asked. Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"Have I?"

He understood her intent right away. He smiled in grateful surprise, and Azula shrugged.

"My mom's idea. Frankly, I'm not sure why it never crossed our minds sooner," Azula laughed. "But, if you want an obedient pupil…"

"You? An obedient pupil?" Sokka smirked. Azula laughed again.

"Now, now! I can be, until I feel bold enough to challenge you at whatever skill you're teaching me," she said. "At least I can promise to take this more seriously than our kids. How about it?"

Sokka smiled: he stretched his hand towards Azula. Once she clasped it, he pulled her towards himself, making her twirl until she wound up with her back against his chest.

"No takebacks now. I will be… a ruthless, relentless teacher," he teased her. Azula laughed and nodded. "How does that sound?"

"Fascinating, clearly," Azula smiled. "I've always admired your most ruthless sides, love. Now, then, should I use one of theirs, or…?"

Sokka shook his head: he raised a hand to his shoulder, unsheathing his own boomerang. Azula hummed in surprise.

"For you, the very best," Sokka smirked. "I'm sure you can handle it."

She clasped it firmly with her left hand: Sokka nodded approvingly, placing his right over hers.

"Better grip than the kids. You're a natural," he teased her.

"I've had years of… well, seeing you hold it. You pick up a thing or two, if unintentionally," Azula reasoned. Sokka chuckled.

"Well, that's a good start. But now… flex your legs slightly, yes. You need stability, to stay grounded in order to do this…"

"Right, right…"

Their training, naturally, was more of a flirting session. Ursa smiled as she watched them from afar, ever relieved to see her daughter's face brightening whenever she was with her husband.

The older woman was of half a mind to leave when an unsurprising scream reached her ears.

"Yuuna! Stop! Mom, she's trying to stick a squirrel-toad down my shirt! Moooom!"

Ursa froze on the spot: Sokka sighed and dropped his head on Azula's shoulder. The kids chased each other – Yuuna, indeed, had a squirrel-toad perched at the end of a long stick, and she ran after her terrified brother, a delighted grin across her face. Hotaru chased after them, too, calling their names, failing to stop them.

"Oh, these kids…" Sokka groaned, glancing back towards them… only to glimpse, instead, as Ursa stepped into the garden, raising her hand, urging him to stay put.

"I'll handle them this time. You two… carry on. Boomerang training is very important," Ursa said. Sokka smirked.

"You know it. Thanks, Ursa!"

Azula bit her lip and smiled: Sokka wrapped his arms tighter around her, swaying in place briefly as Ursa took to calling the children, who knew better than to be too reckless around their grandmother.

"Sokka! This… is not stability. Nor do I feel grounded," Azula laughed: Sokka kissed her cheek, hugging her tightly before taking her hand in his once more. He ensured that she'd stand firmly, the boomerang gripped properly between their hands.

"Okay, okay… let's get serious. Aim, and…!"

Azula smiled as, for the first time, she threw Sokka's boomerang: he smiled at her as he caught it when it spun back towards them.

"My best student," he smiled.

"The best teacher," Azula decided, leaning in to kiss him fully, disregarding the noise behind them: her hand met his over the boomerang, once more.

[seyaryminamoto]

Preview: Gladiator Chapter 372

Ursa recalls her last mistakes regarding her daughter, as well as the error of judgment that condemned her and Ozai on the night of Azulon's death. The ominous feeling of what takes place in the Fire Nation plagues her mind: something will change irremediably before the sun rises in her homeland.

Zuko sails into the secret river, but the strategic resistance he finds there will split him from the bulk of his forces. Above ground, Sokka's allied gladiators reach land, rushing against Aonu's defenses: Renzhi himself will take the initiative to destroy the volatile bombs his former sponsor and friend is using to stop the Gladiator Army...

Read Gladiator HERE or HERE

For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!

[seyaryminamoto]

Scenes of a Peaceful World: Sokkla Saturdays 2024

Day Two - Pleasure

Rated: M

On FF.net//On AO3

The fire that burned in Sokka's throat would ease up in time… for now, though, it served as a painful but welcome reminder of what he had succeeded at doing on that momentous day.

Ten full courses of ramen were more than any normal person could handle. Spicy ramen? It was madness, but madness they had jumped into eagerly, with eyes wide open.

There was also the fact that, with the dragons' appearance, the whole matter had evolved into a full-blown festival in the streets of Firelight Town instead of a mere visit to the Dragon's Casserole – Jiare's restaurant. The name, naturally, pleased Xin Long: he and his draconic siblings basked in even more spicy ramen than Sokka or Azula had…

The kids had eaten recklessly as well, if not the spicy variety of ramen. They had gone to sleep already, in the room the three of them would share, while Sokka and Azula had their own quarters at the inn. Their social station merited the very best rooms for their family's use – and the parents certainly wanted privacy in case matters between them took the turn they often did…

It happened rather quickly after the mandatory nap resulting from eating in excess: Azula had woken Sokka upon leaving their bed to head to the bathroom. An attempt to cuddle and fall asleep again resulted in conversation, which then spiraled into far more intimacy than they'd meant to go for, just yet.

"I… I'm quite ready now," Azula laughed, legs spread, as her husband lapped at her folds greedily.

"You sure? I can go on for longer…"

"You've eaten a lot today, love… and I'd like some fun with another of your best assets now."

"Heh. One of my best assets, is it?" he smirked against her groin. Azula laughed. "My wife's a pervert."

"You're pleased that I am… don't pretend otherwise."

Sokka chuckled, rising over his wife on the bed, kissing her heartily. Their round of lovemaking took place once it was dark outside, with the voices and sounds of rambunctious laughter and song drifting upstairs from the inn's tavern and the town's streets. It only happened, too, because the children were fast asleep, and most likely would not wake until morning. Thus, hidden away within the room they had locked up, for good measure, they were free to indulge in their intimacy with abandon, with Sokka sitting with his back against the bed's headrest, the pillow cushioning his lower back, his legs flexed so Azula could sit on his lap, grinding against him as she rode his shaft.

She moved slowly, indulging in every blissful sensation, eyes half-lidded, lips parted and often engaged with his in long, lazy, deep kisses. Their motions, slow and smooth, starkly contrasted with those of their earlier years: quick bursts of energy, impulse, chasing a release as soon as possible, for who knew when would be the next time they could get away with their wild escapades?

No such troubles plagued them anymore. They could take their time now. They could savor the pleasure, beat by beat, without worrying about what the future might bring.

Sokka's hands roamed over her flanks, settling on her hips at times, dropping to her rear later, rising back to her breasts and fondling them mischievously, too. She swayed against him, arms locked around his neck, breathing deep as her sultry moans spilled out into their kisses.

"The more we do it this way… the more it grows on me…" Sokka chuckled, brushing his lips against her neck, sucking on it teasingly. Azula moaned and sighed, eyes fluttering closed as she leaned into his touch fully.

"Maybe we're getting… old…?" Azula suggested, with a teasing smirk. Sokka chuckled.

"Good. That was the point," he smiled. "Growing old with you… spending our lives together."

"Ah… we did promise each other that, didn't we?" Azula chuckled, brushing his hair with her fingers before kissing him long and deep.

Pleasure rushed between them, coursing and rising, ebbing as their arousal built and soared. Sokka's hips thrusted upwards eagerly once he felt his release approaching, and Azula's panting, accompanied by her erotic moans, triggered his climax mere instants after she found her own.

They didn't stop kissing even so. Their closeness didn't cease, didn't diminish, as Azula slowed the thrusting to a halt gradually, pressing her body fully against his. Their lips hardly had parted when they smirked mischievously, at the same time.

"Always the best reward for finishing the Spicy Ramen Challenge," Azula decided. Sokka chuckled.

"Agreed," he said. "Though… I still finished first."

"While crying because the spice in the final bowl was too intense, yes…"

"Hey, now, Jiare amped it up just to give you an edge, I know she did…"

"You accuse our esteemed ramen connoisseur of being biased?" Azula gasped, feigning outrage. Sokka chuckled. "How dare you…!"

"She's biased, just as much as I am," Sokka smiled fondly, cupping Azula's cheek. "I love you."

"And I love you," Azula smiled. "I love picking unnecessary fights with you, too."

"I'm aware. Always have been," Sokka kissed her softly, pulling her close for a tight hug. "Just saying… if she's biased in your favor, it's something she and I have in common."

"Does that mean you relinquish the victory to me? Are you biased still, when it means you'd lose…?" Azula asked, amused. Sokka snorted.

"Hey, now. There are limits to my generosity…"

"No doubt," Azula laughed. Sokka chuckled, hoisting her off himself only to press her on her back against the mattress.

"I won't give up… but I know you won't, either," he said. "Meaning… we'll have to come back here next year to settle who won."

"Ah, next year, then?" Azula smirked. "I look forward to it."

Sokka dove in, as enticed by her smiles as ever: they were ready to seal that new deal in the most pleasant way, succumbing to each other one more time.