#‘toph’s badass!’ you’re actually so right about that | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mohluskiepedard · 4 years ago

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Rating ATLA Characters literally only from what I’ve seen in fandom

or: posts that probably shouldn’t be on my writeblr except I don’t have a sideblog

the context here is it’s half midnight and I have never seen ATLA except I have opinions now apparently so here we go whoop de do-

I’m also not actually rating them like numerically that’s too much work i’m just stating opinions I know I’m a fraud

AANG

- A child? - A son? - he is Baby. but also. he has had It Rough - would make the updog joke - has unspeakable power or smth and everyone says he’s better than the Korra girl who comes after him but honestly tastes like sexism to me - doesn’t kill people because he’s like twelve, right? he’s like twelve so he refuses to kill people - I stan honestly - less twelve year olds should kill people - Some people say his name WRONG and they are BAD but i don’t actually know what the right way or the wrong way is so. have fun w that yall - lived in peace unTIL THE FIRE NATION ATTACKED

KATARA

- She is also like twelve??? - Is everyone here twelve - Cortana?? Katana?? Catbug?? - She has good hair, - Her mother is dead??? her mother is dead n she has a brother but she cares about her mother being dead WAY more than him (or apparently the entire fandom??) - Badass - She seems soft. good. sweet - she’s a water breather or whatever??? her brother is NOT but he is a meme - I love her

SOKKA

- NGL looks like a fuckboy - The meme brother! does not do the water things, but he has an aXe??? - dates BAMF lady - ngl until I talked to my ATLA watching friend I thought he canonically dated Zuko - kinda mad he doesn’t - I haven’t actually seen anything about him except like. in zuko ship posts and also Suki appreciation posts - joined the white lotus not-a-cult by accident??? - dark ATLA tumblr show me more Sokka posts - is his name prounounced the same way as Soccer or isn’t it I need to know - HIS FIRST GIRLFRIEND TURNED INTO THE MOON - (AND THAT’S ROUGH, BUDDY) - He and Suki are a good ship, but also, Sokka Has Two Hands

SUKI

- the BAMF herself - she says STOP in that photo but also to sexism - Rlly all I see of her in fanon is abt her teaching Sokka to drink his respect women juice and I appreciate her doing that but also it’s sad she never gets talked about outside of what she did for a man - I hope she has other badass moments w/o him it would suck if she didn’t - she is NOT the girlfriend who turned into the moon, she is the one who didn’t - I don’t know much else about her ATLA Fandom y’all should appreciate her more

ZUKO

- Look at him... my son... - He has a good redemption arc - he and his sister are evil lesbian and redeemed gay guy??? - has a straight canon ship but should’ve been with Sokka this boy is gay - I Want To Protect Him - That’s literally it - he has a cool uncle and his dad sucks - people ship him with Katara and I Do Not Get It that’s his sister in law except not really - “We don’t trust Zuko’s change of heart” [the next day] “so Zuko is my closest friend now,” - His dad was like “fuck up the avatar to prove your worth to me” and Aang was like “counter argument you already have worth and we should fuck up your dad” and I think that’s beautiful - he becomes the fire man and he’s very good at it - Zuko for President 2020 - in the words of myself, half an hour ago: “ I was like "that kid with the burn on his face seems like a sad but then happy mlm who needs found family" and I was RIGHT” - took too long to find a happy picture of him :( Zuko rights NOW please - His mother’s story got compared to an OC of mine and all I can say is oh no and they deserve better based on that alone - I have had Zuko for five minutes but if anything else happens to him I will kill everyone in this throne room and then myself

TOPH

- She is badass but like also will murder you while laughing maniacally? - for some reason reminds me of Nott from Critical Role, another show I Have Not Seen - Is blind but gets more out of making jokes abt being blind than she would from being able to see - “Sight is just a cheap tactic to make weak benders stronger!!!” - Literally the opposite of Aang and has killed many people?? - She Can Tell When You’re Lying. But I do not know how and Am simply mildly threatened by this - Therapist: Toph’s ability to know if you’re lying isn’t real and can’t hurt you. Toph’s ability to know if I’m lying: - She and Zuko.... buddies??? - if not they should be - tiny sad boy needs friends like toph

AZULA

- Evil Lesbian Culture - [BDG Voice] You committed a war crime! Oopsie! - took be gay do crime too literally - her and Zuko have accurate sibling writin except instead of “you ever want to murder your sibling for breathing in the same space as you,” being a Joke Azula took it seriously - okay but with a name like azula she should be the blue bender this ANNOYS me she should NOT be red bender - AZULa - AZUL - IT MEANS BLUE - She was half of y’alls gay awakenings and it SHOWS - Should have maybe been redeemed too??? Jury is out no one knows - Was she gay for Ty Lee or wasn’t she I can’t tell how much of that Audio is a joke - IS SHE ALSO TWELVE??? IS EVERYONE HERE TWELVE?? IS THIS TWELVE YEAR OLD COMITTING ATROCITIES?

UNCLE IROH

- A Good Man - Finally, Some Good Fucking [Adult Figures] - he has the tea. literally and figuratively - Ozai is like “and I will permanently disfigure my son and throw him out” and Iroh is like “What The Fuck, Ozai,” thus voicing the entire audience’s thoughts - Literally the only adult in this that I trust - I? I love him. this is all I have to say. my love for him is unending. Some1 protect this man from all harm - he’s Zuko’s uncle (and also Azula ig) but he does not seem related to Ozai. is it just a theme in this family that one sibling is chill and one sibling commits horrendous atrocities against your fellow human beings or - something happened to his son???? :((((( I Don’t Want Him To Have Suffered Like This

OZAI

- A BAD MAN - Uh Oh (stinky) - THE WORST OF THE MEN - I do not like him - Bastard man. nasty. committed war crimes and then went “but what if - get this - i also abused my son,” - I would like him to Not Be Like This - by Like This I mean present and alive - :/

TY LEE

- She’s NOT the There Is No War In Ba Sing Se lady and I don’t know why i thought she WAS but until I looked up her photo I thought that was her - She looks like a sweetheart tho - I hope nothing bad happens to her???? - talks about auras??? or smth??? let her vibe - She would talk animatedly to me about warrior cats if she was in my year seven class and I was sat alone and I would understand none of it but appreciate her anyway - if azula bullies her I’ll be :( at Azula and Azula will not care because she has Mommy Issues and therefore is slightly unhinged - She seems like that one kid with no trauma vibing at the edge of [every other kid having trauma] and not really getting it but trying her best - Is she also twelve?????? She maybe looks twelve

CABBAGE MAN

- HIS CABBAGES - fulfills my favourite trope: ordinary person repeatedly has life disrupted by the inconveniences of relying on actual children to save the world - probably has a campaign post canon for letting trained adults fix the worlds’ problems in the future - or sets up the Very First Cabbage Insurance Company - look at him. he loves his cabbages so much. you go you funky lil cabbage man

ALSO THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES MOMO

- LOOK AT HIM HE’S SO GOOD - small. fluffy. big ears - Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty: his Momoness - a Good Boy...

APPA

- he looks so soft... - he can fly but he just does it by??? vibing through the air?? motionless??? iconic - I saw that one post about mishearing it as Abba and thinking he was Aang’s dad and he looks like he would be a good stand in dad ngl - he’s so LORGE - a chonky boy - love him

that is everyone I have heard of it and if I left someone out it’s a sign that y’all should talk about em more bc I have no clue they exist put more ATLA On my Dash ig I’ll do Legend of Korra ig maybe apparently that one has canon wlw and i love me some canon wlw

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whentheynameyoujoy · 4 years ago

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Yup, Sure Was a Finale

I had an epiphany. The reason why I never re-watched the final two parts of Sozin’s Comet even though I’ve popped in episodes at random many times over the years isn’t that I can’t bear the sadness of seeing one of the best, most engaging narratives out there come to an end.

It’s simply that the finale isn’t all that good.

Some honorable mentions of what was enjoyable.

(+) This

Just this.

(+) The Church of Zutara has another convert

“Are you sure they don’t get together?” Hubster, 2020

(+) The tragedy of Azula

And the fact that it’s acknowledged as such. I hope Zuko will do his best to get her help and have a relationship with her…

(+) Sokka being a big bro

And the whole airship sequence in general. It’s wonderfully paced and plotted, with moments of humor, real stakes, Toph being both badass and a scared crying kid, Sokka strategizing and protecting, Suki saving the day, and non-benders being instrumental in thwarting the bad guy firebender’s plans. Would be shame if Bryke never portrayed them this capable ever again…

And now for the main course.

(-) Blink and its over

The wrap-up feels too quick (hashtag Needs More ROtK-style False Endings). A part of this is due to how fast the story goes from the thick of the action to hastily tying up a bunch of loose ends, but the larger issue is how Book 3’s uneven pacing comes home to roost. After spending half a season on filler episodes that at best subtly flesh out established characters while dancing around a huge lionturtle-shaped hole, and at worst contradict the theme of “no one is born bad” with “you’re a hot mess because your great-grandfathers didn’t get along too well”, the frantic “go go go” rush of the second half screeches to a halt with “they won and everyone was happy because now the right people have power and it will be all good from now on yup nothing more to deal with baiiiii”.

Yes, I know, it’s a kids’ show. But goddamn, this particular kids’ show has proven so many times it can do better than the expected tropiness. Showing the characters in their roles as builders of a new world was the least that could have been done.

Oh well!

(-) Ursa

We’ll never know. There will never be a story that delves into this. Yup. Shall forever remain but an intriguing mystery. Is good, though. Mystery is better than a story where Ursa shares her son’s penchant for forgetfulness. Imagine how embarrassing that would be. Speaking of which…

(-) What does Mai see in this jerkbender?

Look, I like to harp a lot on the mess of inconsistent writing that’s Mai but let’s unpack this scene from her perspective, shall we?

Zuko forgot about her! It totally slipped his mind that the one person who prioritized the safety of his dumb ass was rotting in the worst prison in the Fire Nation—because of him! And she was rotting there long enough after the final Agni Kai for the news of Zuko’s upcoming coronation to spread and her uncle to feel sufficiently secure to release her. But then the coronation scene is attended by every single member of Gaang & Friends that was imprisoned?

So what this tells me is that either a) the invasion force had the ability to break themselves out the whole time and for some reason decided not to exercise it until after the war was over, b) Zuko forgot about them as well and no one thought to remind him there were prisons full of POWs until Mai arrived, or, and that’s even better, c) Zuko took care to free every single resistance fighter while making sure Mai would be the one to stay behind bars.

Never thought I’d say this but Mai? Honey? You deserve so much better.

(-) “What does Katara want?”

Asked no one in the writers’ room ever, apparently.

This is not so much anti Cataang as anti romance stories that pay attention to the needs, opinions, and wants of only one partner in general. Over the previous 60 episodes, Katara actively expressed romantic interest in Aang exactly, wait for it,

Once.

And it got retconned out of relevance by the following two interactions where the possibility of a romantic relationship came up, making the Headband dance pretty easy to reclassify as just one of those examples where Aang “teaches” Katara to have fun (as if one of the main obstacles to her having fun wasn’t him constantly fooling around and offloading his duties). And because the writers not only didn’t succeed in portraying Katara’s internal state of mind, but also failed to root her reluctance to pursue a relationship in outside circumstances that could change, her sudden state of unconfused once Aang steps into the spotlight has a single canonical explanation that as much as approaches coherency.

The fact is, though, that trying to interpret canon Cataang from a Watsonian perspective is an exercise in foolishness. Because there is no Watsonian justification for the ship and never has been. Bryke simply conceived of Katara as nothing but a tropey prize for Aang, never saw her as anything beyond that, and were perfectly happy to go on and immortalize her as a passive broodmare for the rest of her life.

And I fully intend to die mad about it.

(-) Iroh dips

OK, it’s been long apparent that the show doesn’t intend to do anything about Iroh’s complicity in AzulOzai’s regime in any meaningful way, and that his sole motivation for doing anything whatsoever is Zuko whom he views as a replacement son which is supposed to be good for some reason. But the finale has him abandon even that, and instead turns him full-on YOLO, idgaf anymore. It really throws Iroh’s supposed love for Zuko into doubt when his last act in the entire show is to take a half-educated 16-year old with no political savvy or an heir to secure a dynastic continuity and plomp him on the throne of a war-mongering imperialist regime where the entirety of the militarist and ruling class is guaranteed to fight him tooth and nail for power.

(I sure hope Mai’s ready to start popping out babies by tea-time otherwise the whole country is fukd in about a week)

Christ, how hard would it be to have Iroh keep the throne warm for a few years while Zuko is getting ready to succeed him? Not only would it make the whole FN reformation bit quite likelier to occur, it would require Iroh’s hedonistic ass to actually sacrifice something for once. And not having Zuko ascend to power, instead spending some time bettering and educating himself first, would be a wonderful message that no matter what you endured and overcame, you never stop growing. A kids’ show, remember?

(-) The conquering of Ba Sing Se

Gee, I feel so blessed to have my attention diverted from battlefields which actually matter to an old dude vanity project I would have been perfectly happy to assume resolved itself off-screen.

The White Lotus in general just bugs me. I was fine with the individual characters and their overall passivity when they were portrayed as lone dissenters living under circumstances where it wasn’t really possible for any single person to mount a meaningful resistance. But as members of a far-reaching shadowy organization that’s left the real fight to a bunch of kids for 59 episodes straight and didn’t turn up until a perfect opportunity presented itself to take control of the largest city in the world and bask in the spotlight?

Yeah, no.

Similarly to the lionturtle-ex-machina, the White Lotus represents a huge missed opportunity for a season-long storytelling. Here’s just a brief list of what they could have been doing throughout Book 3:

orchestrating a Fire Nation uprising;

gathering those directly persecuted by AzulOzai’s regime to help Zuko keep his hold on power once he’s crowned;

establishing themselves as a viable alternative to Ozai;

sabotaging Fire Nation’s war efforts from the inside;

countering Fire Nation propaganda (Asha Greyjoy’s pinecones, anyone?);

running a supply network to alleviate the suffering of Earth Kingdom citizens.

Instead, they sit on their asses until the time comes to claim personal glory.

You know what, good on Bryke for making me conclude that in comparison, the Freedom Fighters were perfectly unproblematic, actually.

(-) Fire Lord Dead-by-Dawn

Yes, a kids’ show, I know! But ffs, this is the same kids’ show that came up with Long Feng and portrayed courtly intrigue, kingly puppets, secret police, spy networks, and information wars. Was it really too much of me to expect something other than “enlightened despot solves everything”? Especially if said enlightened despot has persisting anger issues, no personal support system, no base of followers, and no political experience whatsoever?

If Zuko’s actually serious about regaining the Fire Nation’s honor (i.e. by dismantling the country’s military machine, decolonizing the Earth Kingdom, paying reparations to everyone and their lemur, and funding any and all cultural restoration projects Aang and the SWT come up with), then there is no way, no way in the universe that he doesn’t face a civil war, deposing, and execution within a month.

One reason why his future as a Fire Lord seems rather bleak is that little’s been shown about the actual subjects of AzulOzai’s regime. While we get a vague reassurance that “no Toph, they’re not born bad” (le shockings), they largely remain a voiceless uniform mass of brainwashed clapping seals. What is their view on the Fire Nation’s crimes? Do they associate their condition with their country’s war-mongering? How will they react when Zuko starts dismantling the country piece by piece to rebuild it, bringing it to economic ruin? What will they do when noble Ozai loyalists come out of the woodwork and begin rounding them up under the banner of “Make the Fire Nation Great Again?”

I have no idea, and Zuko doesn’t either because he’s unironically more qualified to rule the Earth Kingdom than his own people.

You know what would have been better? Fire Lord Iroh, White Lotus pulling the strings to maintain the regime, and Crown Prince/People’s Champion Zuko travelling the Fire Nation with Aang and an army of tutors to promote the new boss, only to realize that absolute monarchy is kinda crap for the people he’s one day supposed to rule and gaining their support by ceding some power to them.

I’d laser holes into my TV due to how much I’d enjoy watching that.

(-) All hail Avatar Rock

Literally and metaphorically. Aang doesn’t sacrifice anything, gets everything, and the clever solution of going about getting said everything is handed to him on a silver platter, requiring no active participation on his part whatsoever.

He doesn’t work to unblock his chakras, spiritually or physically.

He only speaks to his past lives to get a pat on the back and a bow-tied solution he could mindlessly follow.

Energy-bending doesn’t require any sacrifice from him, leaves no lasting marks, and only serves for the narrative to praise him as the rare individual that’s unbendable and thus so very very special.

The most infuriating thing is, however, that Aang is clearly shown as being able to beat Ozai without either the Avatar state, or energy-bending.

And he chooses not to. From this moment on, Aang no longer fights to save the world. He fights to preserve his beliefs, going directly against the instructions of his past lives and effectively reneging on his duties as the Avatar.

Again.

It’s not like you can’t portray Aang’s faithfulness to his spiritual beliefs as the key to beating Ozai and saving the world. But that’s not what the show did. There is no link between Aang sparing Ozai and securing a better future, quite to the contrary—Ozai’s survival ends up being a massive problem for the continuation of Zuko’s rule, and consequently a threat to the world at large. His survival benefits Aang and no one else.

Aang’s spiritual purity and his status as a savior of the world are allowed to coexist only due to a deliberate stroke of a writer’s pen.

And I hate it.

Welp, nothing to do about it now except to bury myself up to my tits in fix-it fics I guess.

#atla #atla rewatch #meta #zutara #anti bryke #anti-kataang #anti-aang #anti-maiko

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stitch1830 · 3 years ago

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Glances

Hello! It has been briefly discussed how Zutara/Kantoph double dates would be fun and hilarious, so I decided to doodle it AND write it. Here's both lol.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! It was a fun challenge to write this :)

It was a beautiful night in Republic City. Not that something as trivial as the weather would stop them, but a lovely fall night out never dampened their spirits, especially when they didn’t have a long time to see their friends. They only had a weekend out with Toph and Kanto, and Zuko and Katara planned on spending as much time with them as possible.

Some called it a tradition, others called outings. Toph called Katara a nuisance for bothering her with date night activities, but they all agreed it was much simpler than that.

A double date.

There really wasn’t much on the agenda for that night’s date. All they planned on doing was walking through the developing city to find new places to eat while Toph and Kanto teased that it was an off duty patrol for them.

“I would love to run into some ruffians right about now.”

“Toph, why would you say that,” Katara groaned, feeling Zuko squeeze her hand a tad as they strolled through the streets.

“C’mon, are you telling me you don’t miss it, Sugar Queen?” Toph asked, her fingers intertwined with Kanto’s as it drooped over her shoulder. “We had some badass moments when we were kids!”

“We’re here to relax, to find some peace and quiet,” Zuko reminded them.

“Then you shouldn’t have called us to hang out,” Kanto teased. “Because I’m with the Chief. I would love a good fight right about now.”

Katara ignored their suggestion and glanced around the city for any options besides looking for trouble for the group to do. They stopped momentarily, and across the way, Katara saw a restaurant she hadn’t seen before. She pointed excitedly at the establishment and exclaimed, “Hey guys! Check out that place across the way, looks like some good food we should—”

The waterbender stopped talking and frowned when she noticed that her dear friends weren’t listening to a single word she was saying. Instead, Toph and Kanto found the pause in their stroll an opportune time to make out. They stood there, arms still tangled around one another while they weren’t moving and all that Zuko and Katara were capable of doing was just… stare at them. They tried getting their attention, to get them to actually respond, anything, but they just kept kissing. And it was odd, because Toph never seemed like the type to care for public displays of affection, and yet here she was, making out with her boyfriend in the middle of a public street.

And after practically a minute of those two sucking on each other’s faces, Katara rolled her eyes. Perhaps it was time for them to cool off.

After opening her waterskin pouch and a quick flick of her wrist, Toph and Kanto got a healthy splash of water in their faces. Both jumped at the disruption and Katara had to laugh.

“The fuck was that for, Katara?” Toph complained as she glared in Katara’s direction.

Katara shrugged. “No reason, just looked like you guys were getting hot is all. Thought I’d help out.”

Zuko coughed out a laugh while Kanto smiled and wiped his face off. “You’re not wrong, Katara. My next move was to take off my shirt,” Kanto joked.

“You’re taking Sugar Queen’s side??”

“Oh, c’mon Toph. We can’t stand here all day and make out. We’ve gotta double date it up!”

“Precisely,” Katara piped in. “Now, tell us. Is the restaurant over there any good?”

Kanto raised an eyebrow as he pondered the question. “The station has said good things about it, and it’s not very close so if people are taking the time to come out here for lunch, I’m guessing that’s a good sign.”

“That or it means our officers are taking longer lunch breaks than they should,” Toph muttered.

“Oh shush, we have no room to speak, Chief.”

“Because we’re their bosses!” she exclaimed.

“Okay…” Zuko interjected. “Let’s just go eat there, I’m hungry.”

“Aye aye, Fire Lord,” Kanto replied with a chuckle and a bow.

……

Dinner was… an event. Nothing unexpected, but it was still an entire spectacle that always shocked Katara and Zuko whenever they ate out with Toph and Kanto.

They spent part of the time actually conversing with their friends, updating them on their projects and work they had, and even went as far as asking how their jobs in the Republic City Police Department were faring.

The rest of the time, however, was spent watching in shock and perhaps some secondhand embarrassment at Toph and Kanto’s antics in the restaurant. They teased and bickered with one another like an old couple. They made a mess whenever they animated a story and emphasized parts with their elbows (Katara lost count with how many glasses were spilled and broken while they were there). And when dinner arrived, Toph and Kanto actually held hands the entire time they ate, and their stories never ceased even when their mouths were full of food.

Every once in a while, the two would pull Katara and Zuko into the conversation for a quick answer or perhaps to add fuel to the fire for their silly debates. Katara and Zuko just glanced at each other and silently chuckled at their friends.

Toph and Kanto were never the best candidates for double dates, mostly because those two were completely focused on one another. But Katara and Zuko always had the best time with them. They just radiated fun and it was nice that they didn’t have to be formal and make chit chat all the time. They could simply be young and fun and a little reckless, and Toph and Kanto were masters at that.

When dinner was over, the couples walked over to the park for a long, casual stroll. Or so they thought.

“We should race,” Toph proposed. “A couples race around the park. Kanto runs with me on his back, Zuko with Katara.”

“Can’t we just quietly walk around?” Zuko complained.

“No, Sparky, I wanna know how fast you are compared to Hotshot while you carry us.”

“I’d probably lose.”

“Won’t know unless you try! On the line!” Toph drew a line on the ground and gestured for the men to take their mark. Kanto did as he was told and beckoned for Zuko to join him on the line.

Zuko wrinkled his nose and looked wearily at Katara. Since it seemed unlikely they would get out of the challenge, Katara stood in the back, waiting for Zuko to get into place so she could hop on his back. With a sigh, Zuko obliged, and the ladies situated themselves on their respective partner’s backs.

“On your mark,” Toph began. “Get set… GO!”

Katara and Zuko were at a very disadvantaged position, because they did not know the course. They ran and followed Kanto as he zipped through the paths, and they were never able to get the upper hand. Toph and Kanto yelled and hollered as they ran around the park, and much to their chagrin, Katara and Zuko couldn’t help but laugh.

When the race was apparently over, the victors cheered, and Kanto dramatically twirled Toph in the air.

“Again!” Toph yelled. “Let’s switch teams, too.”

“Yeah,” Kanto agreed. “Katara and Kanto versus the pampered fussy britches.”

The comment earned Kanto a slap to the shoulder, but he was still adamant with the teams. Once again, the visiting couple were convinced to run again.

And again.

When their legs and arms were exhausted from overworking themselves, the couples proceeded to walk back home. Instead of being next to their partners, though, Katara walked with Toph and Zuko with Kanto. The men were ahead and talked with one another, while Katara did the same with Toph.

She gave a light shove to Toph’s shoulder. “You and Kanto seem to be doing well.”

Toph scoffed, but a hint of color filled her cheeks. “Yeah, we’re doing just fine. And you and Sparky are the same stoic lovey dovey as usual.”

“Oh please, you know we prefer to keep the public displays of affection quiet. We’ve got a lot of people on us about when we’re getting married and when I’ll be able to produce an heir. It’s annoying.”

“Yeah, apparently all the newspapers think I’m pregnant.”

Katara raised an eyebrow and glanced down at her friend. “Are you?”

A sharp and swift slug to the shoulder told Katara that no, Toph wasn’t pregnant, but her friend was gracious enough to verbalize it as well. “Fuck no! I think I would gag if I had a kid already.”

The waterbender laughed as she rubbed the sore spot on her arm. “Sokka already had two kids by the time he was your age.”

“And that’s fantastic for him. Me?” Toph shook her head vigorously. “No thank you.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, you two would make great parents.”

Toph said nothing, but the tiniest smile grew on her face as she dipped her head low and hid behind her bangs. Katara assumed she was done talking about her future, but then Toph spoke quietly. “I told him I love him.”

Katara’s eyes widened excitedly. “And? What did he say?”

“Just…” Toph paused as she smirked and bit her lip. “Among other things, many other things, he said it back.”

“Toph!” she whispered, shaking her friends shoulders at the confession. “This is huge! Wait. He’s telling the truth and everything, right? I mean, I know you’d know but… You know he’s serious, right?”

The earthbender laughed at Katara’s reaction, but nodded. “Yeah, Katara. I can tell he’s sincere.”

“Okay,” Katara replied in a relieved sigh. “Because if he wasn’t, well. You know what we’d do.”

“Don’t worry, Sugar Queen, he’s good. Now shush, before they hear you!”

Katara bit her lip to keep quiet, but she was still so delighted by the news. She adored Kanto; he gave Toph the attention she deserved, and while there was always the lingering question of how serious Toph and Kanto’s relationship was, Katara had a feeling it was the real deal.

It was the way he looked at Toph. Just a quick glance over to her whenever they walked together, whenever she talked, or even when he was looking for her in a crowd. The look that was subtle to most, but to those close to Kanto knew it was more than just stealing a glance at his partner. It was the look of love and undivided attention, the quick smile whenever she spoke, the tiniest pep in his step when he walked to her side. Sure the public make out sessions and the constant hand holding and the nose pokes they gave one another would’ve told most that Toph and Kanto were in love, but it was the little things Katara noticed first and what told her that they were really, truly in love.

Katara noticed all these things, because Zuko did the same for her. Subtle looks and gestures that said more about his feelings for Katara than a passionate kiss in the middle of a street. It wasn’t often she saw those looks, but when she did, her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. If Kanto’s glances were what Katara perceived them as, then Toph was in very good hands.

She looked up and ahead at the men, and saw both of them glancing back.

#kantoph #toph #toph beifong #kanto #zutara #zuko #katara #atla #lok #writing #my scribbles #fanart #sort of lol #double date #shenanigans #idk they're just being goofy #but also katara thinks it's fun the way Toph and Kanto interact with one another #also never drawn zuko and katara before so THAT was fun #fr tho it was lol

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slythergirlimagines · 4 years ago

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Well Why Don’t You?- Zuko x Reader

Summary: You and Zuko constantly dance around each other, and Sokka and Toph have had enough. Fluff, with a tiny bit of angst!! Masterlist

(GIF isn’t mine!) Words: 3,398 Request: yes

**** let me know if I you all want a masterlist!

Well Why Don’t You?

The first party Zuko hosts is a year after the war. It is a “welcome to Fire Nation” party, to honor the new members of one of Zuko’s outreach programs.

One year after the war, and everything is slowly starting to feel normal. Your parents had died before the war began, and having no where else to go, you ended up sticking close to Zuko, your best friend.

Zuko had brought up the idea first, claiming that he had no one left either, and it had really worked out quite well for the both of you. You gave Zuko advice and opinions with an honesty no one else would. Zuko offered you a place of belonging and a deep friendship.

Though you missed your parents and your friends, you had never felt quite so happy as you did with Zuko. You knew a lot of that happiness had to do with your feelings for him.

Zuko had joined your side and won you over first. You believed him before anyone else did, and as time progressed, you slowly started opening up to each other. You often teamed up in battle and just naturally gravitated towards each other. Toph and Sokka had teased you about it relentlessly. You had realized you loved him when Azula struck him with lightning, when you had almost lost him.

Then Zuko had healed and had become Firelord, and you hadn’t said a word to him about your feelings. Now you are really starting to regret it as you watch him dance with Mai. They had broken up a long time ago, but that didn’t make you feel better as you watch him pull her tighter to him and whisper in her ear. Angrily, you slam your finished drink on the table.

“Another.” You demand, and Sokka looks at you with troubled eyes.

“Y/n, you’ve been drinking a lot more than usual, are you sure you can handle another?” He asks you, brows furrowed. You must be really obvious if Sokka was noticing something wrong.

“Obviously it has everything to do with Lover Boy and Mai.” Toph says, inclining her head in the direction of the dance floor. For a blind girl, Toph really does see everything.

“No it doesn’t.” You hiss.

“Ooh you hit a nerve.” Sokka giggles, tipping his drink back. You aim a hard kick to his shin. Sokka chokes on his drink, and you take a little pleasure in his sputtering. Toph pats him a few times on the back, but she’s laughing too hard to really help.

“Ok, ok. I’m sorry. I won’t say anything else about your all encompassing love.” Sokka says.

“All encompassing love for who?” Zuko asks, head cocked to the side like a puppy. Mai is there, arm wound tightly through his. She smiles at you, but the expression looks forced on her usually bored face.

“For wine.” You cover smoothly. “I was just about to get another drink and Sokka was teasing me for being an alcoholic. I showed him though.”

You nod at Sokka, who now sits rubbing his shin.

“That’s my girl.” Zuko smiles. “Guys, you all remember Mai?”

Everyone at the table nods, and exchanges pleasantries. Zuko pulls out a chair at the table and seats Mai, and then takes the chair in between you both.

The wine is catching up with you, and your head is fuzzy, even fuzzier with Zuko so close. You want to kiss him, to hold his hand, to be with him. All of that is impossible with Mai next to him. Of course Mai is beautiful, and of course that’s who Zuko would go for. Mai is a badass and she’s controlled. She’d be the perfect match for Zuko and his mood swings.

You stand up too quickly suddenly desperate to get away, and knock over your empty wine glass. You wobble in place before regaining your balance.

“Y/n?” Zuko asks, concern etching his face. “Are you alright?”

“Fine!” You say in a voice that tells everyone you are absolutely not fine. “I’m just off to get some wine! Haha that rhymes.”

Your awkwardness combined with the alcohol has just made a painfully embarrassing moment that you’ll never expunge from your brain.

Sokka bursts into drunken laughter like a child, and Toph rolls her eyes. You barley manage to get yourself out of the party before you start crying.

————————————————-

The next party Zuko hosts, you are prepared to make a move. Toph has taken to giving you weekly pep talks, and she’s bolstered your confidence a lot.

You had picked out the perfect dress, a black gown with a plunging back. The bodice was tight against your figure, and emphasized your curves. You spent all day creating a dramatic makeup look and pinning up your hair. You knew you looked good, hopefully Zuko would see it too.

You take up your usual spot at the table with Toph and Sokka. Katara and Aang were hardly ever at these things, too busy running their academy or fixing the world. Toph and Sokka are a bit more like you, with no where to go.

Toph and Sokka are starting a drinking game, and you’re too zoned out to really listen to the rules. You’re eager to see Zuko, and even more eager to have him see you.

“With the rate she’s going, we’re going to die of alcohol poisoning.” You hear Toph say.

“What?” You ask. Toph smiles sheepishly, and looks to Sokka to say something.

“Well...” Sokka says, and his face says that he is absolutely trying every way to get out of this.

“Are you playing a drinking game about me?!” You demand. Their smiles give it all away, and suddenly you feel rather affronted.

“What are the rules??” You smack your hand down on the table.

“Obviously it has something to do with being the most beautiful girl in the room.” Zuko says, smiling at you. He places a kiss to your cheek, and then sits down. You could literally explode on the spot, but even in your high you don’t miss Sokka and Toph taking a synchronized drink.

So it was about you and Zuko then.

“Thank you.” You tell Zuko, and you can’t help the warmth that colors your tone. Who gave him the right to be so charming? You knew this was his normal diplomatic persona, the one he used to flatter his subjects. You could pretend it was real for a night.

Sokka and Toph drink again, and this time is not subtle at all. Zuko notices, and quirks his eyebrows at them.

“So what are the rules?” He asks, truly perplexed.

“Don’t have any.” Toph says. Zuko rolls his eyes, but leaves them to their own game.

You’re about to ask Zuko to dance, when an advisor comes up to him.

“Lord Zuko, I have someone who would really love to meet you.” The old man says. The person who wants to meet Zuko is clearly the beautiful young woman trying her best to pretend she isn’t watching the exchange.

Zuko notices this too, and smiles at his advisor.

“Of course, give me just a moment.” He says. You’re torn between two feelings. On one hand, you love Zuko’s devotion to his people, but on the other, jealousy is eating at you.

Zuko smiles at you softly.

“You really do look lovely.” He says. “Don’t go anywhere guys, I’ll be right back.”

You watch him walk away, with a heavy heart. It seemed like nothing would truly be enough to capture his attention.

“Drink!�� Sokka calls, indicating your wistful glances at Zuko. You drink until your glass is empty.

————————————————

You don’t go to the third party. Every inch of your body hurts, and your head is pounding. You think you might have a fever, but you don’t want to call anyone in to check. You absolutely despise being sick, and sometimes you like to just wallow in your sorrows.

Toph comes in to check on you before the party. She’s dressed in a lovely green gown, and a gold headpiece.

“Toph, you’re gorgeous.” You croak. “Stay away from me though, I’ll get you sick.”

Toph gives you a pitying look.

“You sound awful.” She says.

“I feel it.”

“Do you want me to send somebody in to check on you? No offense, y/n, but you actually look like you could be dying.”

“Thank you Toph, I really wanted to hear that.” You mutter into your pillow.

There is silence for a few seconds as Toph debates what to do.

“Seriously Toph, I’m ok. Go have fun.” Then sitting up, you tease her. “Tell me all about Sokka’s reaction when he sees you in that dress.”

Toph blushes, and hurries away like you expected her too. Content at your privacy, you fall back on your bed to get some sleep.

You had only just fallen into a fitful sleep, when you are awoken by someone stroking your face.

Zuko sits in your bed in his party robes, looking more concerned than you’d ever seen him.

“Zuko?” You croak. Maybe this is a fever dream or a hallucination. There’s no way that Zuko left his party to come sit with you.

“Hey.” He says softly. “Toph told me you were sick. I sent for a healer a few minutes ago.”

He brushes a few sweaty strands of hair out of your face and you groan internally. How could he ever want to be with you after seeing you like this?

“Get away from me, you’re going to get sick!” You protest when you realize that he’s sitting too close.

Zuko rolls his eyes, and moves closer just to spite you.

“I don’t care about any of that, y/n.” He says. He leaves his hand on the side of your face, and his thumb strokes your cheek bone. “You’re really hot.” He says.

You know he doesn’t mean it the way it sounds, but in your feverish state his words are funny.

“No you’re the hot one.” You say, giggling. Zuko smiles, but he also looks more concerned than before.

“You’re delirious.” He says. The healer knocks on the door, and Zuko hurries to let him in.

The healer makes him stand away from you, as he gets to work. Zuko paces, watching everything with his amber eyes.

You’ve never really noticed how beautiful his scar is, before right now.

“Thank you, y/n.” He says, and you blush.

You definitely hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“My lord, I think she’ll be ok after some rest. We just need to break the fever.” Zuko winces, and you think that he must be remembering the time he was sick in Ba Sing Se. He had told you about it long ago, about how painful it was.

“Alright.” Zuko says, “Thank you for seeing her. I’ll stay with her.”

“My lord, I am perfectly happy to stay...” the healer trails off at Zuko’s face.

“I’m not leaving her.” Zuko says, tone final. The healer bows his head, and starts instructing Zuko.

“Keep the cloth cold, and keep her under the blankets. I’ll come by to check every few hours. The best thing for her to do is sweat it out.”

You hear the door close, and then Zuko sits beside you on the bed again. You hadn’t realized that you had closed your eyes.

Zuko’s hands replace the healers, and he starts pressing the cold cloth against your forehead.

“What about your party?” You croak.

“More important things for me to be doing.” Zuko says. You are ill, quite possibly delirious, but you could swear you hear some deeper meaning in his words.

——————————————————

The fourth party Sokka and Toph are armwrestling, and you are keeping score. You all are by far the loudest table, and you know that if it wasn’t for your status as war heroes, you would have been kicked out long ago.

Zuko has been floating around tables all night, shaking hands and kissing babies. The people love him, and they see him for the great ruler he is. You’re happy for him, and you’re proud. But you also miss him.

Zuko finds his way over to you all during round 8. Sokka is only up by one point, and the narrow margin has really been a blow to his pride. You’ve decided to call a winner at round 9, so this victory really determines the outcome. You hate how into their stupid game you are.

Toph is just edging out Sokka when Zuko’s hand touches your back. He lets it trail slowly upwards and cup the back of your neck, thumb rubbing in slow circles.

“Who’s winning?” He asks lowly, to not disturb the serious concentration. You’ve never been more turned on in your whole life.

“It’s a toss up right now.” You say, obviously flustered. “If Sokka wins this round, he’s the winner, but if Toph wins we go into sudden death.”

“Mmm.” Zuko says close to your ear. Goosebumps explode down your body, and you fight a shiver. You glance over at him, and you lock eyes.

Is he looking at your lips? Is he leaning closer? Am I?

“Victory!” Toph cries, slamming Sokka’s arm into the table.

Your moment with Zuko is broken as you turn to them.

“That’s a tie. Round 9.” You say. You turn back to Zuko with a smile, and find one mirrored on his face. He looks happy, you think. More content than he has in a long while.

“Y/n?” A cocky voice asks you. You turn to find one of Zuko’s youngest advisors standing there. He is around your age and rather handsome. One of the types that knows it too.

“Dance with me?” He smirks, holding out a hand.

“Sorry.” Zuko says, with faux politeness. He drops his arm around your shoulders and curls you into his side. “We just can’t spare her. She’s our scorekeeper.”

His arm is holding you tight against him, possessively. Your whole body is fuzzy again as you smile at Zuko.

You turn back to his advisor and shrug.

“No one else can do it.” You say by way of explanation.

Zuko doesn’t move his arm the rest of the night, and neither do you.

————————————————-

Sokka and Toph are done with the games. You and Zuko had been dancing around each other for years now and it was really starting to get annoying. They couldn’t even enjoy getting drunk at parties anymore without one of you looking longingly at the other all night.

That’s why they were currently holed up in an unused advising room discussing plans.

“We’ve got to do something, Sokka. It’s not even fun to drink anymore.” Toph cries, slamming a fist on the table.

“Tell me about.” Sokka says. “All they do is drool over each other.”

“You’re the master strategy guy, let’s come up with a plan. There’s got to be something we can do.” Toph taps her foot rapidly against the ground.

Sokka sits in deep thought for a minute, hand rubbing his jaw. His blue eyes are far away as he considers several options.

“Well, jealousy didn’t work either time they were around other people. Zuko was still too chicken when y/n got all dolled up, and aside from locking them up together I just don’t know what will break their stubborn minds.” Sokka groans.

Suddenly, he and Toph both jump up.

“That’s it!” Toph says. “New mission, find a door that locks from the outside and lock those idiots up.”

————————————————

The fifth party Zuko hosts, you rewear the black gown. You liked it, and Zuko had called you beautiful when you wore it. Maybe tonight it could be your lucky charm.

It’s Zuko’s birthday, and you had managed to get Aang and Katara here as a surprise, and they were going to stay the entire weekend. Iroh was also going to come stay, and you had planned a smaller private party for tomorrow. You knew Zuko would be thrilled to spend some seeing his friends, and actually getting to spend some time with them.

You were just finishing spraying yourself with perfume, when Toph comes barreling into your room.

“Y/n, quick it’s Zuko!” You are in instant worry mode as you follow her out.

“What’s happened Toph? Is he alright?” You question.

Toph leads you through the winding corridors, and into a back part of the palace.

“Toph!” You demand as you come to a stop in front of a door you’ve never seen.

Sokka stands there, dressed in his finest blue party outfit. Toph is in her usual green.

“You guys? What’s going on. Where’s Zuko? Is he alright?” You question.

“He will be.” Toph says from behind you. Sokka opens up the door, and before you can ask anything else, Toph shoves you inside and the door slams shut.

Instead of falling onto the ground, something warm and hard catches you. Arms wrap around you to steady you, and you can instantly tell it’s Zuko.

“Zuko? What’s going on?” You ask him. “Are you ok? Toph said-”

“They did the same to me.” He chuckles. Your eyes are adjusting to the darkness, and you can just make out his smile. “I think we’re being set up.”

“Oh.” You say, as calmly as possible.

“Yep! And you’re not coming out until you talk about your feelings.” Toph says. “Gonna be weird to have a birthday party with no birthday boy. So you better make it quick.”

Zuko still has his arms around you, and you find that you haven’t moved yours either. You’re so close that you can feel his body heat.

“Zuko.” You whisper, softly. “I’m sorry they’re ruining your birthday.”

You can’t say that you feel that badly about having some alone time with Zuko, but you feel the need to share it all the same.

“Don’t be.” He whispers back, head lowering. “This is exactly where I want to be anyways.”

Your face breaks out into a grin as you wrap your arms around his neck.

“Yeah?” You ask.

“Yeah.” His lips are on yours immediately after, and there’s no more time for talking.

Zuko pulls you as close as he can, pressing hot kisses down your neck and to your collarbone.

“This is my favorite dress.” He says, running a hand over it appreciatively. “I always thought about how I’d tear it off of you.” He growls and then brings his lips back to yours.

In between passionate kisses you manage to respond.

“Then why don’t you?”

The invitation seems to be all he needs, because his hands are suddenly everywhere. They leave warm tingling trails wherever they touch, and you think you might be in heaven. Zuko’s hands deftly find the zipper, and he’s got it halfway down when the door is thrown open.

You and Zuko blink guiltily into the bright light of the hallway, and you can just make out the horror on Toph and Sokka’s faces.

“I did not think it would work this well.” Toph says, thoughtfully.

Sokka simply looks disgusted at the whole thing, and shudders.

“This room is occupied.” Zuko says, winking at you. He closes the door with a well aimed kick and you all are alone again.

“Hi.” You whisper, smile too wide for your face.

“Hi.” Zuko says. He leans down and kisses you again, a little less hungry than before. He takes his time, really exploring your mouth with his tongue.

You’ve never loved him as much as you do right now, in this tiny closet.

“Zuko.” You say, pulling back from the kiss. “I love you.”

Zuko pulls your face up to look into his eyes.

“I love you too. So much.” He says, and then he kisses you again and again.

“We better go.” You say, almost sadly. “People are going to start missing you.”

“I don’t care.” He growls, nipping at your lips.

“I have a suggestion.” You say, coyly. You stand on your tip toes to whisper in his ear. “Why don’t we make an appearance, and if you’re really good, we’ll sneak away and finish what we started.”

Maybe Zuko hugs his friends and promises to see them tomorrow. Maybe you stay at the party for all of ten minutes. Maybe Zuko all but carries you away. And maybe, for years to come, you and Zuko find yourselves in the habit of getting stuck in tight spaces.

A/n: Wow two in one night! I hope you enjoyed reading this story! I’m going to try to get through as many requests as I can this weekend, so keep an eye out. If you want to request something, please do! My asks and inbox are always open! I hope I tagged everyone who asked, but if I didn’t, please let me know and I’ll add you! As always you can find my work under the tag slythergirlimagines!

Taglist: @galacticamidala @a-random-queer-kid @taeeemin @realimbo @samsmultifandomblogs

@fire1ordzuzu @shortmexicangirl

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leossmoonn · 4 years ago

Text

chemistry part tweleve

part eleven | part thirteen | masterlist

zuko x fem!reader

avatar: the last airbender

includes - you, zuko, suki, katara, toph, sokka, and aang

special appearences by - iron, azula, and appa (mini sky bison,,, he’s like the size of a shihi tzu)

warnings - language, little suggestive lol

you poured the chips onto the plate, putting all of the dips in the middle. you set it on the island table with the rest of snacks you and the girls had picked up for the christmas party. you were excited, but nervous for this year’s party. ever since you girls went to college, which was three years ago - well, toph just started this year - , you had made it a friend tradition to have holiday parties. you had friend-giving, friend-mas, friend year’s and galentine’s day.

you and the girls always had aang and sokka there. you usually were the one with no date. toph had a few guys come over sometime, but they never really stuck. since this was your first time having a boy over, one that was really hot, really smart, and seemed really into you, you were beyond nervous. you were terrified. sure, you had hung out with him before, but not when you were gonna drink a few glasses of champagne. so, you decided to just be light on the drinks tonight. otherwise, you would probably end up laying on zuko’s lap, either making out with him or telling embarrassing childhood stories.

“this looks great, guys! ooh, salsa,” sokka said, his mouth watering.

“yeah, i can’t wait to eat the nachos,” toph said.

both of their hands went to pick up a chip, but you slapped their hands away.

“no one eats until zuko, katara, and aang are here,” you said.

sokka frowned, “you suck. suki, tell y/n i can have one chip.”

suki chuckled, “no, y/n’s right.”

“can you let me have a chip? i’m your best friend! and i’m blind,” toph begged with a sweet smile.

suki rolled her eyes, “nice try.”

“i haven’t eaten since this morning!” toph exclaimed.

“get another snack then. these are for our guests,” you said.

toph scoffed, “yeah you mean for your boyfriend zuko.”

sokka smirked, “yeah, you wanna make sure everything is perfect for him.”

“no, i don’t! it’s just polite to wait,” you glared at them.

sokka smirked, “suuuuure, y/n. keep telling yourself that.”

you frowned, “i literally hate you.”

“love you, too! where are katara and aang, anyways?” sokka asked.

“they’re picking up some gingerbread house kits for us to make,” toph said.

“yeah, and that takes 45 minutes? i’m sure that’s what they’re doing,” sokka rolled his eyes.

“i’ll text katara and see if they’re coming back soon,” you said.

“good. text zuko and ask when he’s coming. make sure to tell him if he doesn't come in the next 15 minutes, i will start eating the counter,” sokka said.

you rolled your eyes. “what a baby.”

you went into the living room, pulling out your phone. you texted katara, hoping for a quick response. you then texted zuko, suddenly getting anxious again.

you set your phone down next to you. suki, toph, and sokka came over to sit down.

“so, when are they coming?” sokka asked.

“uh, zuko said 10 minutes and katara hasn’t responded yet,” you answered.

“ugh! next time, one of you go with katara for shopping,” sokka said.

“yeah, cause we are faster than them,” suki chuckled.

the front door opened and there revealed katara and aang. they had grocery bags in each hands.

“hey, guys!” katara smiled.

“god, finally! what took you guys so long?” sokka asked.

“we couldn’t find the special sprinkles you like, sokka,” aang said.

“oh,” sokka said.

“and we had to get appa,” aang said. appa flew out from behind aang, landing on your lap.

you squealed, “hi, appa!” you ruffled his hair softly, earning a lick on the nose from him.

“appa, come here boy!” sokka smiled at him. appa just looked at sokka, turning back to you.

“appa, come here!” toph said, patting her lap. appa walked across your lap to toph, licking her cheek.

“haha! that sucks,” you laughed at sokka’s frown.

“sokka, you can redeem yourself by helping me with these groceries,” katara said.

sokka sighed and got up from the couch, taking a few bags out of their hands and going over to the kitchen. as they set up the treats, you looked at the door, your leg bouncing up and down as you waited for a knock from zuko.

“you okay, y/n? i can feel your leg bouncing,” toph said.

“yeah, what’s wrong?” suki asked.

you kept your eyes on the door. “i’m fine,” you shrugged.

suki put her hand on your knee, stopping it. “take a deep breath, okay? zuko was so happy to receive an invitation. and isn’t he gonna wear a matching ugly sweater with you for the ugly sweater contest? it’ll be perfect.”

you sighed. “yeah, but what if i spill guac on him. or worse, i trip and fall over on him.” you shivered as you thought of the cringe that would come from those moments.

“if you fall, i will make sure to take a picture,” katara said as she walked into the living room.

you rolled your eyes. “really supportive, kat.”

katara smiled and sat down next to you. “you’ll be fine. like suki said, zuko wants to be here and plus, he really likes you. go and drink some water, take a deep breath, and go be the badass, hot girl i know.”

“yeah, and if he hurts you tonight, i’ll make sure to crush his bones,” toph smiled maliciously, cracking her knuckles.

you smiled at your best friends. “thanks guys, you guys are the best.”

“we know,” toph smiled.

you laughed at her comment, but fell silent once you heard a knock on the door.

oh, god. that’s him. that’s him that’s him

“are you gonna get that, or do i have to?” sokka asked, walking towards the door.

you jumped up off the couch, pushing sokka away. “i got it.”

“alright,” sokka said.

you took a deep breath, combing your fingers through your hair, and pulled your sweater down. you put your hand on the door, slowly opening it.

zuko appeared in front of you, a big grin appearing on your face.

“hey, zuko!” you said excitedly.

“hi, y/n,” he smiled at you.

“come in,” you said, stepping out of his way.

“thanks,” zuko said and stepped in. he took his shoes off and coat, revealing his matching christmas sweater.

you gasped, your eyes lighting up. “you actually wore it!”

“well yeah, it’d be lame not to,” zuko chuckled.

“true. we so have the best sweaters on,” you smiled.

appa flew over to zuko, licking zuko’s cheek while still in the air.

“hey, buddy,” zuko smiled. “i would pet you, but i have my hands full,” he said, gesturing to the gift bags he had.

“oh, let me take those for you,” you said. zuko handed the presents to you, you walking over to the christmas tree.

“thank you,” zuko said, walking over with appa cuddling in his arms.

“no problem,” you smiled.

“hey, man!” sokka exclaimed as he walked into the room.

“hey, sokka!” zuko smiled, giving sokka a hug.

“hey, zuko. long time, no see,” aang smiled.

“yeah, sorry, holiday times at the JD get busy,” zuko chuckled. “we can hang over break.”

“awesome! gram-gram bought katara and i a vr headset, we can all play on it when you come over!” sokka said.

“oh, cool! azula’s friend, ty lee, has one, too. i played on it a little,” zuko said.

“is it fun?” you asked.

“very. maybe you can come over to my place sometime and i’ll have ty lee bring it over,” zuko smiled.

“yeah, i’d like that,” you grinned.

you and zuko smiled at each other for what seemed like forever before toph coughed.

“i can feel the sexual tension between you two, please stop. can we eat now?” she asked.

you and zuko looked away from each other, pink tainted both of your cheeks.

“yeah, we can eat now,” you said.

“alright! let’s get this party on!” sokka exclaimed, running to the kitchen.

you chuckled, walking over to the kitchen.

“zuko, you want champagne or beer?” you asked.

“beer is fine, thank you,” zuko smiled.

you got out a bottle from the cooler, handing it to him. “you’re welcome. so, what’d you get everyone?”

“well, i got sokka a new wallet. i bought aang a new messenger bag, he mentioned he needed one since his old one is practically falling apart.” “yeah, he's had that thing since high school,” you chuckled.

“exactly. anyways, so i got suki a $50 gift card to sephora, katara a hoodie that says ‘riding the waves’. i got appa a little ball you can put hay in so he can exercise and eat. i got toph some airpods, and your present is a surprise,” zuko smiled.

“wow, you are an awesome gift giver. and i am very excited about my gift. i can’t wait to open the ones every gave me, not to be greedy or anything. i heard sokka got me my own personal smoothie maker,” you smiled.

“don’t you already have a nutri bullet?” zuko asked, pointing to the machine that was on the counter.

“yes, but apparently this one can make milkshakes, too. definitely gonna sell the nutri bullet on craigslist,” you smiled.

“wow, sounds cool. i wish i had one of those,” zuko said.

you scoffed, “you literally live above a tea shop, you don’t need a blender.”

“hm, true. it’s great being me,” zuko joked. “i bet it is,” you giggled.

“guys! wanna do the ginger bread house making contest now?” katara asked.

“yeah!” you nodded, going over to the kitchen table. you and zuko sat down across from each other, grabbing one of the kits.

“alright, we have an hour do to this. the judges are toph and appa. toph will judge taste, appa will judge construction and decor,” suki smiled.

“what? you trust a sky bison?” sokka asked.

appa grunted, slapping sokka with his tail. you laughed, “you deserved that.”

sokka rolled his eyes. “yeah, whatever.”

suki sat down next to sokka, pecking his cheek. you looked at zuko, wishing you could do that to him. zuko gave you a small smile, wishing the same thing.

toph held up the timer. “alright, ready… set.. go!”

you tore the box open, setting out the walls, roof, and decorations. you worked quickly, opening all your materials. you started to glue the walls to the bottom with icing. you looked up for a second to see zuko doing the same thing.

“ready to go down?” he asked, noticing your stare.

“nah, i’m ready to win,” you smiled.

zuko mirrored your grin, going back to focusing on his house.

you quickly built the rest of the walls, everything surprisingly staying up.

“aw, damn it!” katara exclaimed. you looked over to see two of her walls falling down.

“it’s okay, baby, you can do it,” aang said.

katara groaned in frustration, “i held them together for 5 minutes! how are you and y/n’s walls staying on?”

“it’s called having ‘the magic touch’,” you snickered.

katara frowned, “shut up.”

“hey, mine is falling, too,” zuko said. you looked over to his, seeing one of the walls tipping over.

“well, not mine! i’m awesome!” sokka exclaimed. “and suki is, too!”

you looked over to suki, who already had her roof on.

“up top, babe!” sokka said, holding his hand up. suki high-fived him, “yep. we are legendary.” “nope,” you said, glueing on your roof.

“face it, y/n, you’re gonna lose. suki and i are gonna win,” sokka said.

“hey! no teaming!” katara exclaimed.

“oh, you’re teaming with aang. you can’t talk,” you remarked.

“you can team with zuko,” aang suggested.

you looked at zuko, seeing him already looking at you. he shrugged at you, “you want to?”

“yes,” you smiled.

“how do you all team if you all have your own houses?” toph asked.

“well, we can add our points up,” suki said.

“ah, okay. well, grading will be extra hard, then,” toph smiled.

“fair,” aang said.

“no, not fair!” sokka exclaimed. “yes, fair,” you said. “therefore, you will lose, and zuko and i will win.”

“nope, aang and i will win,” katara stated matter-of-factly.

“you sure, kat?” sokka smirked, looking at her gumdrops who were falling off of the front of the house.

katra glared, “you don’t even have any decorations on yet!”

sokka scowled, “yeah, well, suki does! and she’ll help us win all the points.”

“sokka! get to work,” suki ordered.

“yes, ma’am,” sokka said and started decorating his roof.

you turned to your own house again, resuming decorating the front of the house.

“yours looks really good,” zuko said.

you looked up and smiled. “thank you. yours do, too. i like the flowers on the side.”

“thanks. garden are very important for a nice house,” he said.

you chuckled, “i agree.”

“15 more minutes left!” toph exclaimed.

“what? how do you know that?” sokka asked.

“i set a 45 minute timer so i would know, genius,” toph rolled her eyes.

“right, right,” sokka said, turning to back to his house.

“ten more!” toph said.

“damn,” you muttered.

“what?” zuko asked.

“i haven’t finished my snowman,” you frowned and turned your house over so he could see the snow man you made out of marshmallows.

“i think he looks perfect,” zuko smiled.

you giggled, “thank you. i think we’re gonna win this.”

“me, too,” zuko smiled.

“3…2…1, stop!” toph shouted. you put your hands in your lap, waiting for the judging to begin.

“alright, first up is aang and katara. aka kataang. aang, give me a piece of your room, a wall, and a piece with candy. katara, do the same. appa, go ahead and judge,” toph instructed.

appa flew around the houses, looking at every inch, nook, and cranny.

“he can’t even talk! this isn’t fair!” sokka exclaimed.

“do not disrespect the sky bison,” you glared at him.

sokka scoffed, “he knows it’s true.”

appa grunted at sokka before going back to look at katara’s house.

“hm, a good amount of sweetness. nice use of the gummy worms. very good, aang,” toph said.

“thank you,” aang smiled widely.

toph then judged katara, going to appa to talk over the points.

“alright. we give you guys a 8.5 out of 10,” toph said.

“alright, that’s good!” katara high-fived aang.

“good job, babe,” aang smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“next up are suki and sokka,” toph said.

suki and sokka gave toph pieces of their houses, appa flying around to observe. after 10 minutes after judging, toph gave them the score.

“8 out of 10,” toph said.

“what! that’s like a low b!” sokka eclaimed.

“hey, it's higher than a c,” suki said, putting a hand over his.

sokka pouted, “fine. let’s see how team (you and zuko’s ship name) did.”

you cut pieces of your gingerbread and handed it to toph. zuko did the same. you bit your lip in anticipation. you knew it was a silly game, but the winner - or winners in this case - got a free dinner to the middle ring or a 2 free drinks at the JD. you wanted the JD coupon so bad. you loved the tea, but also, it gave you an excuse to see zuko randomly.

“hm, alright. i give you two 9 out of 10. you guys are the winners!” toph smiled.

you jumped up in excitement, going over to zuko and pulling him in a tight hug. zuko wrapped his arms around you, giving you the feeling of warmth and safety.

you pulled away, a bright smile on your face.

“which do you choose. free dinner at the middle ring, or two free drinks at the JD. one of you can get each since there’s enough for both of you,” toph said, holding out the coupons.

“i want the coupon to JD!” you said, but looked to zuko quickly. “unless you do.”

“you can take it,” zuko smiled.

“yay!” you squealed and plucked the ticket out of toph’s hand.

“alright, ugly sweater contest! the prize is money,” sokka grinned.

“alright, appa will be the judge again!” suki exclaimed, walking over and putting a $20 bill in appa’s mouth.

“okay, since zuko and y/n are wearing the same sweater, they can each have $10,” katara said.

“alright, fair,” you nodded.

“stand in a line,” aang instructed. you went in-between zuko and toph. you all watched in excitement, waiting for appa to hand one of you the bill.

after five minutes, appa went to toph.

“alright! you all suck!” toph pumped her fist up in the air.

“you have to be kidding me,” sokka said, face palming.

you chuckled, turning to zuko. “maybe next year.”

“yep. i don’t know why we didn’t win. all these sparkles and diamonds give me a headache,” zuko said, looking at his sweatshirt.

“same. you can change if you want,” you said.

“nah, i’m good. i wanna be matching,” zuko smiled.

you chuckled, “yay! i was hoping you said that.”

zuko’s smile widened at your excitement. you felt giddy inside and found yourself staring at his lips. you felt a sudden urge to lean up and kiss him, and go back into your room and make out. zuko must’ve noticed your stare, cause he licked his lips seductively. your face warmed up and you looked away quickly, coughing awkwardly and going to pour yourself another glass of champagne.

zuko smiled at your retreating figure, looking to your other friends.

“so, what's next on the agenda?” he asked.

“present opening!” aang exclaimed, running over to the tree.

you walked over to the living room, sitting down on the bean bag. zuko sat across from you.

“alright, i wanna go first!” aang exclaimed.

“alright. here’s mine,” katara said, picking up a big present and handing it to him.

aang opened it and pulled out new sneakers. “oh, this is awesome! thank you, babe. i love you.”

katara smiled. “you’re welcome. i got them custom-made so they’re your favourite colors and on the logo, it has appa and my name on it.”

“my two favourite things in the world. i love it,” aang smiled, leaning over to give katara a kiss.

suki then handed her his gift. he then opened one from sokka, toph, and zuko, then you. you ended up getting him a new gaming headset that has boosted sound system.

“thanks, guys. you are all awesome!” aang grinned.

“you're welcome, buddy,” sokka smiled. “my turn!”

“alright, here’s mine,” suki said, handing him a banana-shaped present.

sokka ripped it open, holding it up in all its glory, it was a dark blue boomerang that had a small heart on one end with suki’s name in it.

“this. is. AMAZING! oh, i love you! we are so doing it tonight!” sokka exclaimed, kissing suki.

you all groaned, telling sokka to shut up.

sokka opened everyone else’s present. you had got him a skateboard.

“thank you, guys. especially suki,” sokka smiled at his girlfriend. “you’re welcome, baby,” suki smiled, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“my turn!” katara exclaimed.

she opened her present from aang first, which was new makeup brushes, which apparently katara need a lot. suki got katara a humidifier, toph got her a new smoothie/coffee cup, sokka got her a $50 gift card to jc penny, zuko gave katara the sweatshirt, and you got her a polaroid camera.

“i love all these! thank you,” katara smiled at each of you.

“you're welcome,” you all spoke.

suki went next. sokka had gifted her a 365 day jar, katara gave her a new makeup pallet, toph gifted suki a new curling iron, aang gave her a new fluffy pillow, zuko gave her the gift card, and you had bought suki a new silk robe.

“oh, these are sick! definitely gonna have fun with these,” suki held up the jar and the robe.

“you’re welcome,” katara smiled. “alright, toph, it’s your turn.”

“alright, tell me what is it after i open it,” toph said. katara handed her a gift from her.

katara had given toph a new pair of hiking shoes, suki had given her new guitar picks and a new guitar strap, sokka had given her a new gaming chair, which obviously wasn't there, but he said he it would be delivered to the apartment tomorrow. aang gave her a 5 candle set, zuko had given her airpods, and you had given her a turtle duck stuffed animal where she could warm up in case of cramps or stress.

“these are awesome. thanks guys,” toph smiled.

“you’re welcome! alright, zuko’s turn!” suki exclaimed, handing him a gift.

“thanks,” zuko smiled.

suki had gifted him a sweatshirt with his favorite basketball team, katara had bought him a new phone case, aang gave him a new gaming headset, sokka had given him a new watch, and toph gave him new sneakers.

you nervously gave him your gift, which was pretty huge. zuko smiled while opening it, his eyes lighting up once he saw it.

“woah, this is awesome!” he exclaimed.

you had gotten him a new skateboard that had his name written on flames.

“i know you mentioned you hadn’t had a skateboard since you were in high school and you wanted to get back into it,” you said bashfully.

“thank you, i love it,” zuko smiled.

“you’re welcome,” you smiled. “alright, well, my turn!”

“open mine first!” katara exclaimed, handing you her gift.

you took it from her, opening it gently. she had gotten you a google home.

“oh, katara, do you know how much i adore you?” you said.

“i know, don’t worry,” katara giggled.

you had opened the next gift, which as from suki. she had gifted you crocs that said ‘super swag’ on each one.

“oh, you are feeding my narcism,” you chuckled.

“you deserve it,” suki smiled.

you then opened aang’s gift. he had gotten you a new hoodie from your favorite show. “this is like $70! thank you!”

“you’re welcome,” aang smiled.

you opened your gift from toph, which was a poster with all of the girls and you.

“how did you get this one made?” you asked, staring at it in astonishment.

“i know people,” toph grinned.

you chuckled, “thank you.”

“you’re welcome,” toph said.

sokka handed you his gift, which was the blender

“yes!” you squealed.

“i knew you would like it. no need to tell me, i already know i’m the best gift giver,” sokka smirked.

“hm, i can’t say that until i open zuko’s gift,” you said.

zuko had handed you his gift. “thank you,” you said.

“you’re welcome,” zuko said.

“i’m goanna go and order pizza,” katara said.

“yeah, me too!” sokka exclaimed, getting up.

you furrowed your brows. “what?”

“yeah, i need to make sure katara orders the right pizza,” toph said.

“i need to pee,” aang said. “i have to take appa out,” suki said.

they all got up and left the room, leaving you speechless.

“what just happened?” you asked, turning to zuko.

zuko was blushing hard, which made you even more confused.

“i don’t know. go ahead and open your gift,” he said.

“alright,” you said. you opened the gift, which was a small, black box. you took the top off, your eyes widening and your mouth agape. zuko had gotten you a silver charm bracelet. the charms were an otter-penguin, the first initial of your name, your zodiac sign with your zodiac gemstone, and a small circle.

“this is so beautiful, thank you,” you smiled.

“you're welcome. read the text on the small circle,” he said.

you looked at it, reading the words out loud. “will you… go on… a date… with me?”

you paused for a moment, lowering the bracelet and looking at zuko.

“so, what’s your answer?” zuko asked, nervously playing with his fingers.

“yes,” you nodded and smiled.

zuko’s worried expression went away immediately, and was replaced with glowing, big grin. “really?”

“yes!” laughed, leaning over and giving him a hug.

“YES!” you heard everyone shout from kitchen. they all came back into the room.

“you guys are gonna make an awesome couple!” sokka exclaimed.

you pulled away, blushing. “shut up.”

“alright, wanna watch ‘home alone’, now?” suki asked.

“yeah,” you nodded.

“zuko and y/n, you can sit on the love seat,” sokka smiled, wiggling his eye brows.

you rolled your eyes, “so immature.”

“i don’t mind,” zuko smiled and shrugged.

you smiled up at him, walking over to the couch with him. you sat down right next to him, putting your head on his shoulder with no hesitation. zuko wrapped his arm around you and rested his hand on your thigh. your heart pounded against your chest, and warmth shot down from your stomach to between your thighs.

“do you mind my hand being here?” zuko asked.

you took a deep, shaky breath. “nope.”

zuko moved his hand, “you sure?”

you grabbed his hand and shook your head. “i’m sure.”

zuko smirked a little, putting his hand back. you sighed contently and leaned into him more, enjoying the warmth he provided.

aang turned on the movie and you all watched it in silence. during the movie, you had moved over to zuko’s lap. you were stretching and ended up on him. you were going to move, but zuko grabbed your waist gently, setting you back down. the gesture had you grinning from ear-to-ear, snuggling into him.

the movie ended, which signalled the end of the party. everyone but zuko was staying, which made you sad, but you knew you weren’t ready for him to stay the night with you in your room. not just yet.

so, you just walked him up to the front door.

“thank you for the skateboard,” zuko smiled.

“you’re welcome. thank you for the charm bracelet. when is the date, again?” you asked.

“ah, right, sorry,” zuko chuckled. “are you free tomorrow?”

“i am,” you smiled, clasping your hands in excitement.

“great! i’ll take you out then. make sure to dress warmly,” he said.

“will do. see you tomorrow, zu,” you smiled.

“see you,” he smiled and went on his way.

you closed the door, looking down at your charm bracelet dreamily. you were falling hard for this boy.

note - hope you guys read and enjoy this as new parts are added! if you wanna be on the taglist, message me and/or reply to this post :))

taglist - @sorrythatspussynal @theblueslytherin @charlenasaxen@akiris @the-paintedlady @thatarthistorynerd @freckled-and-daydreaming @fi-chanwrites

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #prince zuko #zuko x reader #zuko smau #zuko x reader smau #atla smau #smau #fire lord zuko x reader #atla zuko x reader #atla sokka #atla aang #atla suki #atla katara #atla toph #atla appa

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rynliadon · 4 years ago

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some haru headcanons (what nooo I’m not projecting shh)

haru has some mommy issues on top of his daddy issues

of course he loves his mom, so much, but she can be controlling and patronizing at times and she just. doesn’t understand him.

in contrast, his dad is his BEST FRIEND. he understands haru perfectly, and while haru knows that you’re not supposed to have a favorite parent, his dad is his favorite.

his mom is there to parent him, to tell him what to do and to protect him. but he really feels like he can talk to his dad about anything. like he could do or feel anything and his dad would understand and help him through it.

he’s mildly popular in his village, he’s got a couple of friends he hangs out with when the work is done for the day. but one by one, they get taken by the fire nation for earthbending. he still knows people, but his best friends are gone.

then his dad gets taken. his mom doesn’t blame him (she never would), but she gets even stricter. more chores, less free time, no bending at all ever. without having earthbending, his friends, or his dad anymore, he goes a little crazy. much angst, talking back, etc.

one day he just can’t TAKE it anymore. he runs out to the woods near his village and smashes the rocks around just to get the turmoil in his head to stop. and it works.

he goes out as often as he can, and actually starts to practice his forms and get better. he’s no toph, but he’s better than your average earthbender. it makes the lonely days easier.

then one day the avatar and a pretty water tribe girl show up out of nowhere and his life changes for the better. (you know this part lol)

haru definitely had a crush on katara (or tried his hardest to; comphet is a bitch). badass revolution girl who brought his dad back? if he wasn't gay he'd be simping

he helps his dad and the other earthbenders rid their villages from the fire nation. and it feels right.

after that, he does whatever he can to stick it to the fire nation wherever he finds them. ruining their supplies, taking on soldiers, the works. he doesn’t stray too far from his village though, his mother (and father) didn’t want him to leave home at 15 (I hc him as 15 I have no idea how old he is canonically)

then he gets a letter from katara. well, maybe not katara PERSONALLY, but the letter said that it was from her dad.

he grew out that dumb mustache because one of his friends thought it would be funny to give him really bad fashion advice fkslfjkd

the first time suki sees him she gently breaks it to him that his mustache looks awful. and oh. oops.

he shaves it immediately

toph is his literal hero. he asks her to spar once and she beats him up. he learns as much as he possibly can from her before he has to be separated from the gaang

the reason toph thinks that haru and katara had a secret “thing” is that she notices the crush he has on her lol (or the crush he was trying so hard to have. haru ily). he tried to talk to toph about it a few times but she just went “ew feelings” and threw a rock at him

when they are separated, he goes with pipsqueak and the duke, and they keep doing what haru and freedom fighters were doing before: just generally sticking it to the fire nation

once the war is over, he goes back home. and it’s… okay. he writes to some friends he made (pipsqueak, the duke, katara, toph, teo) and misses having a purpose. his friends back home are great, of course, but they were never in the thick of things in the same way.

in one of toph’s letters (katara still writes for her in my mind it makes sense) she mentions that she’s opening up a metalbending school! and haru says YES SIGN ME UP

he’s one of the first people to learn metalbending from toph, and she trains him beyond that too, until he’s an earthbending master nearly as good as she is.

okay i didn’t go into this thinking of haru & toph friendship specifically but wow i love them

eventually he becomes one of the teachers at toph’s metalbending school! neither of them become cops tho bc i said so

basically just. haru is such a cool side character i’d love to see more from him

#my brand is becoming just a little too obsessed with side characters #haru #haru avatar #harutara #kind of #now i kind of want to write a fic where haru finds the freedom fighters after katara leaves and he and jet are friends too ugh #freedom fighter haru? yesss #haru rights #side character rights actually they're all great #yeah i only wrote this to give haru my mommy issues and what of it #i really said 'haru's parents are just like mine actually'#i'm going through my drafts and... why did i leave this masterpiece in here for so long #atla #avatar the last airbender #katara #toph #ryn dot text

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jaceyneedsabetterusername · 4 years ago

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I’ll Never Be The Moon

Pairings: Sokka x Reader

Summary: It’s hard to get someone to notice you when you’re competition is the moon but Aang’s always there to make you feel better.

Warnings: Talk of death, Aang says ass

Word Count: 2000

_________________________________________

Every night, there was always a little pocket of time when the camp was uncharacteristically silent and Sokka was sitting to the side, staring up at the night sky instead of cracking jokes and telling stories. It was your least favorite time of night because it was a constant reminder of what you’d never be. Katara, Aang, Toph, and you all usually talked amongst yourselves, used to this routine. Everyone knew why Sokka got like this, though, so nobody bothered him about it. Not even Toph. There were just some things that you didn't joke about and Yue’s death was one of them.

But on some nights, like tonight, it got to you. Every single night, you watched the man you’d been crazy about for so long stare up at the moon, yearning for a lost love. He looked up at the moon like it held all the love and beauty in the world. He looked at you like you had mud on your face.

You sighed and pushed yourself up from your seat by the fire amidst a story Toph was telling, “I’m getting warm. I’m gonna go get some air.” You excused yourself, ignoring the little comments of acknowledgement from the group.

The view was beautiful here in this little piece of the Earth Kingdom. Camp was set up on the edge of a large pristine lake that was surrounded by a thick luscious forest. The mountains on the opposite side of the lake were reflected perfectly on the still surface of the water through the moonlight.

Beauty always came back to the moon.

You spotted a fallen log on the edge of the shore and found a home on it, just far enough away from the group to be allowed to have your own thoughts. But from here, you could see Sokka sitting there on the ground, his arms wrapped around his knees as he gazed up at the celestial being, mesmerized by her beauty.

“I’ll never be the moon…” You mumbled to yourself sadly.

“Everything okay?” Aang’s voice asked from behind you. You spun around to see the boy walking up the path you took.

“Hm? Yeah, I’m alright.” You lied, tucking your knees in and resting your chin on it.

Aang walked around and moved to sit on the log beside you, “Are you sure? You said something about not being the moon?”

You chuckled sadly. That must have sounded either psychotic or pathetic to him. “It’s nothing. Just talking to myself.” Were you even trying to not sound crazy?

“About being the moon?” He questioned with a hint of humor in his tone. You didn’t know how to respond. All you’d done was make yourself sound dumb and you already felt inadequate tonight as it was. You weren’t exactly eager to continue that so you only responded with a shrug. “This is about Sokka, isn’t it?” Aang put the pieces together. But honestly, it wasn’t that hard to tell. Your crush wasn’t blatantly obvious or anything but if you paid attention, like Aang had found himself doing for the past few weeks, the signs weren’t difficult to see.

You looked over at Aang with pleading eyes, “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” He crossed his fist over his heart with a confident smile. But when he saw that you were still down, he shrunk down to match your demeanor, “So I’m guessing it’s Yue, since you’re talking about the moon, right?”

You nodded, cheeks squished up against the palms of your hands as you leaned over onto them, “I never had a chance compared to her. She was a princess! And she was absolutely beautiful and kind and selfless. I’d never seen Sokka so entranced by someone. I'm just me. A girl from a poor family in a small Earth Kingdom village. Sure, I can fling rocks but it’s nothing compared to being a beautiful princess. And who would want the Earth when you could have the moon?”

“Y/N, you are beautiful, kind, selfless and more! And I really don’t think Sokka liked her because she was a princess. Yue wasn’t better than you; you two are just different people and that’s not a bad thing.” Aang comforted in his honest way.

Crickets began to chirp around the two of you in the clearing. “I don’t know… I just… I know I’ll never be her.”

“Why would you want to be her?” Aang asked, “I like you as you.”

“Because she has Sokka,” You started before you chuckled and a small smile appeared on your face despite your down mood, “But thank you, Aang.”

Aang leaned back on his arms against the log, “Well, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but she doesn’t really have Sokka anymore. I mean, she’s the moon. It’s kind of hard to date the moon.” He pointed out the obvious observation.

“That’s what I don’t understand! I know how bad that sounds. But… she’s gone.” You finally allowed yourself to say that dark little point (well, honestly, it was a pretty big point). Gosh, why did you feel like such a monster for saying that? “I know how terrible that sounds but when it comes down to it, Yue is literally the moon now. They can’t be together unless Sokka pulls some stupid hero stunt and gets himself blasted into the spirit world too but that seems pretty unlikely. I completely understand that her dying doesn’t take away his feelings for her or the hurt that came with losing her but it just hurts. It hurts me to see him hurting but it also hurts me to see him pining for a girl he fell in love with after three days when I can’t get him to give me a second glance.”

Your gaze fell on where the moon was reflecting in ripples on the water and followed its light back up to its large celestial source with a small sigh, “Even in death she’s beautiful. No wonder he’ll always love her.”

Aang stood up with a sense of finality, “No,” He crossed his arms before grabbing your hand and forcing you to stand up, “I won’t allow this. You don’t get to think you’re worth less than someone else just because she was a princess or part moon spirit. Come here and look in the water.” He led you to the shore and leaned over the water with you until you saw both of your reflections. “Now what do you see?”

Your face twisted as you made eye contact with your reflection, “Me? You? Us?” You guessed, not sure what he was getting at.

“No, I want you to look at you and tell me what you see.” Aang insisted, pointing at your reflection.

This time, you really tried to see what Aang wanted you to see. Though the reflection was dark from the limited light, you could still make out enough of your image. You just looked like you. Your hair was actually in place for once, which you attributed to not flying on Appa for the last few hours. You did have a smudge of ash on your cheek that you must have accidentally swiped across your face after moving a burning piece of wood back into the fire pit earlier. A small splice at the tail of your eyebrow was healing up but still visible, a "trophy", as Toph called it, after a run in with some Fire Nation soldiers the other day. You wore a green top that covered your shoulders and crossed around the front, held together with a tan tie. The top of your dark brown pants were visible but those looked a little ragged too. The wrappings that started around your thumb and went around your forearms, up to your elbows were getting dirty as well, more tan than off white now. Coming from the outer villages that were run by Earth Kingdom "soldiers", if you could even call them that after all the extortion, it wasn't exactly like you joined the group with super nice clothing to begin with.

"I see a girl with a busted eyebrow, a dirty face, and clothes that she needs to wash tomorrow." You huffed a little, beginning to pull away before Aang pushed you back to stay where you were.

You rolled your eyes before he started talking, "I see someone who fights for what she believes in, someone who didn't come from much but is going to help change the world. Someone that doesn't need to be a princess to be awesome or beautiful. Sure, you got a little scuffed up and you got ash on your face but who cares? I know Sokka sure doesn't. Besides, Sokka needs to do his laundry tomorrow too… he’s starting to smell kind of bad." You snorted as you stifled a laugh. Aang wasn’t necessarily wrong though.

Before he continued, he looked over your shoulder to make sure you two were still alone. When he ensured it was still just the two of you in ear shot, he leaned in close, putting his arm around your shoulders and whispered, "And between you and me, Sokka was practically drooling over you when you took out those Fire Nation soldiers the other day. He thinks the badass thing you've got going on is super attractive."

You turned your head to him with a skeptical look on your face, unsure if he was just saying that to make you feel better but when you thought about it, you didn't think you'd ever actually heard Aang lie before. That probably meant he wasn't lying now, though. "Really?"

Aang nodded, "Yeah, but don't tell him I told you. He'll kill me."

You couldn't help but smile at your friend. All he ever did was try and help people, even it was just dumb stuff like making a friend feel better about a boy. "Thank you." You reached over and pulled him into a side hug.

When you pulled away, you looked back over to camp to see that Sokka had returned from his nightly mourn. He now sat on top of his sleeping bag, a stick in his hand, as if he'd been poking the fire, but instead of doing that, he was actually looking at you. It was only for a brief moment that your E/C eyes locked with his brilliant blue ones because he quickly looked down at fire, a tint of pink rising in his cheeks.

"Told you," Aang hummed, "He's been looking over at you for the last few minutes."

A small glimmer of hope rose up in your chest but it felt tainted somehow, "Maybe he just zoned out…" Defeat already laced your voice, "I mean, if he likes me, why doesn't he say anything? He's never been exactly subtle with girls he's liked in the past."

Aang stood up and walked around the log to the other side of you, "I think he just feels conflicted. A part of him still loves Yue even though he knows he can't have her, but he really likes you too." He put a hand on your shoulder, "I'm gonna head back to camp. But just give him a little more time, okay? I have a feeling that things are actually going to work out between you guys and my feelings are almost always right." He gave you a wink with childish confidence.

Your gaze followed Aang as he jogged back to the camp, ready to follow suit, figuring the gang would start pestering you about being moody if you didn't return soon. Though you started watching Aang, you couldn't help but allow your eyes to flick over to Sokka again, just out of curiosity (okay, fine, maybe just because you really liked to look at him). Sokka's bright blue eyes were already trained on your firm when you glanced over but this time, instead of pretending to be burning a stick, he made a big show of reaching behind him to grab his boomerang, trying just a little too hard to look 'natural (if you could call it that). A warm smile crept up on your face and you giggled to yourself as you finally stood up from the log to make your way back to camp. Maybe Aang's feeling could be right after all.

#sokka #sokka x reader #sokka imagine #sokka blurb #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #I'll never be the moon

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zutaralesbian · 4 years ago

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☕️ how legend of korra handled the characterization of the Gaang (probably the biggest gripe I have w the show imo)

Oooh yeah I could rant about this forever lmao. The only member of the Gaang that I think wasn’t disrespected in some way during LoK was Zuko. He wasn’t portrayed as a bad parent, despite being old he was still portrayed as 'badass' and was given a cool pet dragon. And while his role wasn't huge he had some sort of plot relevance in his own right. My only BIG gripe with Zuko's LoK portrayal is the fact that he wasn’t allowed to interact with Katara or Toph, despite the fact that the three of them ended up as friends at the end of atla and they were all still alive.

The rest of them however....

Aang:

You will never be able to convince me that Aang, someone who was famously known in the original series to have friends from all four nations, would neglect two of his children simply because they weren't airbenders lmao. Like, that's the most ooc thing I've ever heard and is in direct contrast to what we know about Aang as a character. It gives me major Luke Skywalker in the sequel trilogy vibes aka BAD. I could have bought him having some sort of special relationship with Tenzin due to the fact that they were probably the last two airbenders in existence during the time Tenzin was growing up but not to the point where his other two children felt neglected (which they canonically did). Also just because Kya and Bumi aren't technically airbenders doesn't mean they aren't connected to the Air Nomads by blood. Why wouldn't Aang want to teach all three of his kids about his nearly extinct culture? It makes no sense.

Katara:

Katara, while alive in LoK, was nearly unrecognizable from the character we knew in atla. Gone was the passionate girl who always wanted to fight for a better world, replaced with a character whose only role was to be a sad, mourning widow. And that really was her only role. Unlike the other members of the Gaang she gets no statue and no sign of leaving any sort of legacy. She's just the Avatar's widow. Which is such an insult to the Katara in atla who challenged the patriarchy of the northern Water Tribe and won. Many more people have better talked about the mistreatment of Katara's character in LoK so I'll stop here.

Toph:

Toph was disappointing because out of the three Gaang members who were still alive in LoK (Toph, Zuko, and Katara) she was the one who seemed the most like...well, herself lol. At least on the outside. LoK! Toph was pretty much exactly how I would have imagined Toph as an old woman in terms of mannerisms and personality. The problem was her whole backstory. You're telling me that Toph, who grew up with emotionally abusive parents, would abandon her own daughter? And that Toph, whose whole story in atla was largely about her finding a found family in the gaang would want to fuck off and live in a swamp alone in her old age? Again, it just directly contradicts what we knew of her original character. I get that writers want to show their characters as flawed but....it has to be flaws that actually makes sense and doesn't totally ruin their characters.

Sokka:

Dead and barely even mentioned throughout the run of LoK. I love how they did the whole mourning widow thing with Katara but barely let her remember that her BROTHER was dead too.

Suki:

I wouldn't be surprised if Bryke didn't even remember she existed while making lok.

Other than the individual problems, I think what makes me most sad about the portrayal of the Gaang in LoK is the lack of acknowledgement of how much they meant to each other. (Which is hilighted by the fact that Katara, Zuko, and Toph didn't have a single scene together). Like in ATLA, this was a group of traumatized kids who formed a found family dynamic and saved the world together. You can't tell me that they didn't all stay friends for the rest of their lives. And yet the only acknowledgement we get of that is that Katara/Aang were married and that Aang/Zuko were lifelong friends who built Republic City together. I get that LoK was meant to be the story of Korra but they still could have done better respecting the legacy of the original series and characters.

Thanks for the ask! :)

#anti lok #atla #kurapikalesbian #answered #long post /

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hella1975 · 4 years ago

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let me be honest, I deadass don't even care if the gaang is in the story anymore, much less Zukka- I got so attached to the crew of the Ulaakut (did I spell that right??) that I sort of forgot about the gaang until Zuko ran into Toph. Then I also totally forgot that Zukka was even going to be in it until I read the new tags and summary lmao. Even if there isn't a lot of Zukka, or if the story doesn't focus way too much on their relationship, I'm pretty sure everyone will be happy as long as Zi Se is a badass sword-weilding feral child and Zuko gets to reunite with Toph and the swt.

This is actually SO reassuring tysm for sending this in.

yeah psa i guess, but while taob is gonna have zukka and it is gonna be a BIG plot point throughout book 2, it’s still predominantly a Zuko Meets Mental Health fic that centres around the water tribe and found family. so if you’re here for zukka and you’ve waited through 19 chapters for it, please don’t expect this to suddenly turn around as a full on love story

(however if it does then that’s unintentional and i’ll be over the moon bc i love them idiots and the only reason im saying this is bc i don’t trust my ability to write romance. that is all)

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kristallioness · 5 years ago

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Here's a piece I started work on for pride month last June, in 2019, but left it unfinished since I was exhausted from my internship and barely had time for anything else.. And apparently, I forgot to post my notes / (short) review of "Ruins of the Empire: Part One" as well. TT_TT

BUT, I'm gonna make up for my mistake by posting them at once. I hope you like it! I really loved this trilogy (well, so much that I felt the need to draw these two gay lovebirds, as you can clearly see..). I mean, look at Korra's cute, excited face when Asami kisses her on the cheek in this panel:

She's soooo adorable and in love! (｡◕ヮ◕｡) (They both are.) This scene was practically begging for a redraw, I couldn't help myself. You can read my review under the cut.

Twitter | my art / sketches

Varrick has to schedule a date with his wife.

That subtle handholding between Korra and Asami when Zhu Li greets King Wu. I'm grinning like an idiot and my heart's bursting with joy. That's so sweet!

Please note that Mako's hand isn't in a sling anymore. Kya has done an amazing job. I'm so proud of my lesbian cloudbaby (and so is Katara).

Grandma Yin is still great, she has a portrait of Wu, too.

Wu getting nervous before breaking out in song is a relatable feeling when public speaking.

In the panel where Zhu Li takes over to answer the journalists' questions she seems so beautiful and elegant and intelligent. I love that this trope for women is represented in the Avatar world as being successful in life, especially since she's a rather quiet type of person and a.. conservatively dressing one.. and slightly nerdy-looking, if you will, but she's one badass President.

Besides Irene Koh, the previous author of the "Turf Wars" trilogy, I'd like to thank these authors for also drawing a character wearing a hijab in the background of the panel where Kuvira's war crimes are being read aloud.

I love the world map in President Zhu Li's office and the modest, but cosy interior design.

Korra looks forward to meetings with her, she's so sweet to say that.

How do Korra and Asami look so pretty in every single panel in this comic? (I'm talking about the one where Asami reminds Wu that Kuvira surrendered to Korra.)

Reading this comic reminds me how much I loved Book 4 and all the new characters like Wu and Kuvira and how much I loved this series in general. Gosh, I desperately need a rewatch, it's been 3 4 YEARS!

Aww, poor Bolin! I hope he finds his calling soon.

Korra and Asami are holding hands again, I'm squeeing.

Again.. the handholding when Korra comforts her.

Korra's freaking adorable face when Asami kisses her. I can't handle the cuteness in this panel!

"And let's not forget how she ruined my coronation!" Oh my gosh, Wu, not the best timing! Everyone's expressions / glares are hilarious.

"I promised I'd always have your back Korra. So I'm in." Mako is making me cry, that was his last line in the series. This is so nostalgic and heartwarming!

"We might be working together, but we are not teammates. If you step out of line, or do anything to harm my friends, I won't hesitate to take you down. Do we have an understanding?" This threat reminds me of Katara's talk with Zuko right after he joined them and began his redemption arc.

Republic City's silhouette / landscape is still breathtaking and beautiful.

"Let's go, Wu. It's starting to stink in here." "Sorry, I tooted." Okay, this was pretty funny.

Korra comforting Wu that the United Republic took time to iron out its political kinks. That's really cool she's talking about the history of the fifth nation and its origins. Katara must've taught her so much, being there together with Aang when it all began after all...

I freaking LOVE protective and fierce Asami defending herself and her girlfriend from Kuvira. I mean: "I'm exactly where I want to be-- protecting Korra from YOU. So whatever little game you're playing it's not going to work. You're not going to drive a wedge between me and Korra."

"I've seen what lies at the end of that path-- DEATH AND DESTRUCTION." This is such a powerful line.

Naga is growling as Commander Guan hands in his candidacy, good girl!

Korra's lit up face when she mentions Toph.

We all knew Toph was gonna come back, but we didn't know WHY and now we do and I'm excited!

All in all, I am thrilled to have read this book and to own a copy of it 'cause, exactly like with "Turf Wars", it felt like an actual episode of the series. It was just.. SO.. GOOOOD!

#Korrasami #Korra #Asami Sato #TLOK #Ruins of the Empire #my art #mine #shards of Kristal

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loverofallthingssmart · 4 years ago

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ok so i read this fic (yes it was a zukka fic) and one of the scenes in this fic mentions how Azula doesn’t take non-benders seriously and that line has stuck out to me for a very long time so i’ve decided to write a post about it

(i’m sorry in advance this is basically me, fueled by spite ranting at like 2 am about how wrong this one line in a fic is when i can’t remember anything else about it so yeah...sorry if its just a bunch of muddled, half-baked thoughts)

this is super like super super long and contains spoilers and i can’t put a keep reading on this so if you want to skip this post press j (if you’re on mobile i’m so sorry, just scroll super fast?)

first off let’s look at the evidence proving this wrong

example 1: Azula’s two best friends and right hand women are non-benders: Mai and Ty Lee

now if we were watching the same show, we would know that Azula doesn’t just choose anyone to become her friend and help her hunt the avatar/take over ba sing se/ all the other things they did. Azula herself knows how deadly they are and that is the reason she even asks them to accompany her on her mission.

I get that they’re her childhood friends but even at 8 years old, Azula is known as a cunning and intelligent girl (think the flashbacks in “Zuko Alone”) so yeah maybe their first meeting would be for political alliances and company but Azula would continue spending time with them only if she saw their potential and knew she could condition them into loyal followers/best friends (and maybe because deep deep down she actually cared about them) but this is just me spitballing here so let’s get to the concrete evidence

first we’ll talk about Mai (i love one (1) goth girl so much)

she is first introduced in the episode “Return to Omashu”and is the daughter of the fire nation governor of Omashu, which was newly coined as “New Ozai”

in that episode you see how skilled she is without any bending and instead excels throwing knives with deadly aim and accuracy (like really good you guys..she can throw them while running or moving and is like super good with them)

in “The Chase” Katara even explicitly mentions how much of a threat Mai’s flying daggers are to them (and if they didn’t have bending they’d be dead for sure) but it’s probably me reaching just a little bit

in fact at times, it’s almost second nature for her to use her throwing knives and seems bored and annoyed (especially in “Return to Omashu”) after she finishes throwing knives or when she has no reason to throw knives (she’s so badass i love her)

now let’s move on to Ty Lee (i could talk for days on her characterization but for right now we’re focusing on her abilities)

she is also introduced in the episode “Return to Omashu” and is first seen at a circus as an acrobat who is super agile and a pro (and also the only person we’ve seen at the moment who can do it) at chi blocking which literally STOPS YOU FROM BEING ABLE TO BEND or do anything else

she, because of her agility and time at the circus, can run on cable lines and tight ropes and is matched with Suki (who’s had multiple years of training/practice..right?) on hand to hand combat

in fact she even beats Azula, master prodigy at firebending and a iamazingly knowledgeable princess, through the element of surprise and her chi blocking

she is highly intelligent and observant and has Azula convinced that she is just a vapid, loyal follower that Azula can order around (she can easily manipulate Azula into thinking that she is just a pretty thing with abilities that Azula can exploit but many people have covered that and that is for another time)

in conclusion because this part is getting really long: Mai and Ty Lee are amazing and powerful and they are non-benders and Azula clearly thinks they’re worthy people for them to join her group so moving on

example 2: Azula’s respect for Sokka (as she should have)

in the “Day of the Black Sun” Sokka, Toph, and Aang go and confront Azula to make her reveal where the fire lord is hiding..

Azula clearly lies and then baits Aang and Toph into following her on what would have been a wild goose chase if it wasn’t for Sokka. Sokka, realizing she’s leading them on, stops Toph and Aang and basically thwarts Azula, the mastermind (as we’ve seen so far) of literally everything she’s ever done

and (while you can’t really see it on her face), it’s clear that she didn’t expect that realization coming so fast and from Sokka, so she then realizes who is the actual leader and mastermind behind everything in their group, redirects her concentration and targets him instead of the others by using something personal she knows about him (while with the others she didn’t even try manipulating them)

her confident smile (smirk??) means she knows she’s finally gotten through to him and successfully kept them there during the eclipse (which she never doesn’t have (like have you seen her when she wasn’t aware of how good her own abilities are)which (this is probably me reaching) basically means she wasn’t sure if she could actually keep them there because Sokka found out her plan

and again (well not again seeing as this one is before the eclipse but shhh..it’s late and i’m sleep-deprived) in “The Chase”

you can see while the others used their bending, Sokka throws a boomerang at Azula and if you play close attention you can see that she deals with the boomerang FIRST and then with the other bursts of elements the gaang sends toward her..(she knocks the boomerang away and THEN only do you see her make a force field to protect herself)

you wanna know why? because the boomerang would have actually done some damage BEFORE any of the other elements actually hit her. (i’m pretty sure it’s aimed at her solar plexus and would have at least made her keel over in pain or shock or something)

this is before she knows their names but it is clear that she knows Sokka is also a threat if not on the same level as the other 3 (4 if you include Zuko)

again in conclusion of this part, Azula respects Sokka and understand that he is the leader and mastermind of the gaang even though (and maybe because of the fact that) he has no bending and relies on his brain and athletic abilities (and boomerang of course)

so yeah..that’s basically it..i’m not going to summarize this whole post because it’s late and you either skipped it or read the whole thing and it’s maybe a mess of random, not-pieced together thoughts so hope you enjoyed me proving one line from a fanfic i don’t even remember, wrong...thank you and good night!

(if you’ve gotten this far omg thank you? and i’m sorry for the absurdly long post)

#avatar the last airbender #atla #azula #mai #ty lee #azula meta #i think #i dont know if this counts as meta or not actually #2 am ramblings #my post #i'm sorry if this is basically indecipherable #sokka #in this house we drink our respect sokka juice #zuko is mentioned once so #day of the black sun #the chase #return to omashu #i actually worked hard on this post though so like

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princepondincherry · 4 years ago

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Wish RWBY was better? Try ATLA

To start: Yes, I’m aware ATLA and even LoK probably have much larger fandoms than RWBY already. I think they also have more content and were produced with a larger budget, which means we have to give RWBY some slack. It doesn’t mean criticism isn’t valid.

Since Avatar came out on Netflix, I watched both shows, and I can’t help drawing parallels with RWBY since they’re both animated shows I’ve loved about badass kids/teens with magic powers. And Avatar is SO MUCH better. For instance, inter-party conflict. The Gaang argue ALL THE TIME, and it’s just presented as the normal state of affairs, not some dramatic, crazy detail when one sibling has a slight disagreement with the other sibling. And as much flak as the Mako relationship drama gets in Legend of Korra, at least it had substance to it. We still don’t really know what the problem is with Ren and Nora. Oh, and The Last Airbender handled an unwanted kiss forced on someone who didn’t think it was the right time for romance SO MUCH better, with an immediate, “I SAID I was confused!” and the instigator having a scene right after where they called themselves an idiot, instead of the Renora kiss being presented as romantic or something.

Now I kinda want to write a list of things I feel Avatar does better. There’s a poorly-argued word vomit below the cut:

- The dead mother thing--Salem mentions Summer once with no details, and Ruby completely breaks down? What? Like, grief is fine, but this has literally no foreshadowing since the songs don’t count as full canon, and it made no sense given Ruby’s established (ha) character and the situation. Katara would have flown into a rage, and it would have been so much better.

- Arguments with adults on your side--Pakku was set up as an asshole teacher from the start, and he when confronted with the consequences of his misogyny, he changed his ways for the better. Zuko arguing with Iroh is never intended to have Zuko be in the right. Korra argues with Tenzin all the time, and usually they’re both right, but have to come to a better understanding of each other’s perspective that helps them grow as people. In fact, this conflict drives a lot of the story for the first two books of LoK. Unfortunately, RWBY seems incapable of this sort of nuance. Qrow is just drunk until he isn’t, but then later gets Clover killed, and Ozpin is supposedly just awful.

- Arguments with adults who should be on your side but aren’t--Long Feng SHOULD be on the same side as the heroes, defending the Earth Kingdom, but he isn’t for pretty stupid reasons. But, unlike Ironwood shooting people like a maniac, Long Feng is against the heroes for stupid reasons that (mostly) make sense in-universe: he wants to remain in power. (I still don’t understand why he didn’t just quietly explain that he had the real power in the city, not the king, and shuffle the kids off to whoever was running the military defenses that allowed him to pretend there was no war. I guess he thought if he just gave them the cold shoulder long enough, they’d go away?) Whatever problems there were with Long Feng’s storyline, at least he was consistently written as a bad guy. In contrast, Ironwood is inconsistently written as a good guy who has all the trappings of a tyrant but doesn’t act like it AT ALL, except when he occasionally does something extreme like shoot Oscar. He’s written (I guess unintentionally?) as a subversion of the military tyrant, except when he suddenly acts like one again. It’s like they were shooting for a Tarrlok (sketchy government official who’s both bad for the obvious reasons AND worse than he appears beneath the surface, even though he often works for the side of good) but actually wrote Suyin (someone who could easily be a totalitarian dictator, but decided not to be because of her moral principles, and is actually nice), except occasionally she attacks her allies for disagreeing with her.

- Costume design--I loved Ruby’s, Weiss’s, Ozpin’s, Qrow’s, and a few other original costumes, and Ruby’s had some very solid costumes. However, Volume 7 was terrible. The animation looked weird on Weiss’s braid, Jaune’s hair was awful, and a bunch of them weren’t really dressed for the weather. In contrast, the Avatar characters change outfits whenever it’s appropriate. You know, like real people. (If this is a “3D animation makes outfit changes harder than 2D animation” thing, then maybe 2D animation is just a superior art form when you’re on a budget.)

- Consistent power levels--Katara starts weak and gets stronger. Aang starts as only an airbender and consistently gets better at everything else. Toph invents metalbending and gradually gets more proficient with it. In contrast, RWBY’s Volume 1-3 feats are often better than their later feats, and Aura strength blatantly depends on plot. Yang’s gotten *slightly* better at fighting, Weiss learned a new skill and promptly got her butt kicked by focusing on it too much, Ruby supposedly learned hand-to-hand combat but really just did a headbutt, and RWBY SOMEHOW beat the most premiere team in Atlas after training with them for a few weeks. Sure, Toph, Katara, Azula, Aang, and Sokka are all ridiculous prodigies, but they’re established as such from the beginning. Katara still loses soundly to Pakku before he trains her. (Despite the memes about her kicking the ass of the patriarchy, he’s obviously going easy on her and still crushes her.) Aang gets beaten by Ozai without his OP special ability. Azula gets beaten easily the one time we see her go up against an adult (Iroh, on the ship in the beginning of book 2). And Toph is more like Pyrrha than anyone on Team RWBY. Honestly, this is one of my weaker points, but I still stand by the fact that the Avatar kids’ victories felt much more earned.

- Bad Fights--Yes, I know, heresy. I actually think the best of RWBY’s fights (RWBY vs. Torchwick’s mech, Ozpin vs. Cinder, Pyrrha vs. Cinder, RWBY vs. the Nevermore, Qrow vs. Tyrian) are somewhat more exciting, visually interesting, and (sometimes) emotionally charged than even the best of Avatar’s fights (Aang vs. Ozai, Zuko vs. Azula, Kya vs. Zaheer, Korra vs. Zaheer, Tenzin and his siblings vs. Red Lotus, Suyin vs. Kuvira). But my actual point is that RWBY’s bad fights are BAD, whereas I can’t even think of what the worst Avatar fights are. Sokka vs. Zuko in episode 1 was pretty bad, but that was more of a gag than a fight. Umm...Big Glowy Korra vs. Unavaatu was kinda cheesy, but I still liked it. Meelo fartbending vs. the Equalists? Idk. Meanwhile, RWBY has the Scuffle of Haven, that time Ilia seriously hurt Sun somehow, Qrow vs. Tyrian vs. Clover (visually impressive, but made NO FUCKING SENSE), Oscar landing a massively-telegraphed blow on Neo...well, okay. Maybe there weren’t that many awful fights. I still think I came away from more RWBY fights disappointed, but I can’t really argue my case very well.

- LGBT representation, normalized to the time period--Yes, Korrasami never got past handholding in the finale, but somehow Yang and Blake haven’t either? Even though it’s 2020? Actually, this is a symptom of a larger problem:

- Romantic relationships being ignored--Why won’t RWBY explicitly confirm anything? The RWBY cast are closer in age to the LoK cast than the ATLA cast, but it feels the other way around. Kataang was both heavily present in ATLA the whole time and by no means taking over the plot. And, okay, there was Jaune/Pyrrha, but she’s dead now, so the most-developed ship is Renora. Who held hands, then didn’t talk about their relationship at all for a full volume, and then had a nonconsensual kiss handled worse than the Kataang kiss in Ember Island Players. I’m glad there haven’t been any Romantic Plot Tumors in RWBY, but something would be nice. Or just don’t bring it up at all if you’re never going to develop the relationships.

- Sibling relationships--Yang and Ruby were great as sisters in the early volumes, but lately it’s just been Yang deciding to yoke herself to Ruby’s judgement, until suddenly she’s not anymore. I feel like they barely talked in Volume 7.

- Villains--If Salem wants to kill everyone and collect the Relics, why hasn’t she? She’s invincible! Ozai at least was still human, but he left to handle things himself as soon as he got a power-up. More vaguely, I just find Avatar’s villains more interesting than RWBY’s most of the time.

I’m aware that some/most of these are unfair. It’s more intended as an incoherent rambling to get my views out of my head than as any sort of persuasive argument.

#rwby #atla #rwde #TLOK

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 4 years ago

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I’m curious. How is your bully like Zuko? BTW this isn’t to dismiss you’re experience - I used to be bullied in Middle School and the bullies reminded my of Azula which made it hard for me to like her (also like the bullies from Carrie). So I’m intrigued to see the POV of someone thats bullied by someone thats like a character that isn’t a bully. BTW I’m not a Zuko fan girl

So little warning here for some mentions of violence and abuse.

Actually that's a fair question. There was this kid in my class who was prone to angry outbursts. My most vivid memory of him was when I was in a home ec class (for those who don't know its a cooking and sewing class that everyone was required to take). I sat at across from him. One day we were working with irons and ironing boards and this kid looked at myself, the girl next to me and the person next to him and told us that if any of us accidentally burned his finger that he'd smash the hot iron into our faces. I had to sit across from him the whole year.

I did feel bad for him because it was known that he did have problems at home and that he was a victim. But he was still terrifying to be around because 1. he raised his voice a lot (something I already had a problem with but that's a different story) 2. anything could set him off at any time and 3. he was prone to getting into physical altercations with classmates.

Zuko prior to redemption was very easy to set off, constantly yelled and snapped, and would physically lash out. Like if pre-redemption Zuko was a real person he'd scare the hell out of me. I absolutely can't stand raised voices because my dad (though he never got physical) would get really loud with me. Raised voice don't send me into panic attacks or anything but they make me very uncomfortable and tense.

Also going to note that my dad got the help he needed and we've been in good standing for years now. Tbh now that I think about it, I think that Zuko reminds me more of my dad than said bully. And this is why I can't call Zuko evil or irredeemable. Because my dad was't evil and irredeemable. Like how I can't call Azula irredeemable because my sister wasn't. Basically I come from a family that struggles with mental illness and so I have trouble saying that Azula (and even pre-redemption Zuko) were evil. They were both just messed up kids from a messed up situation. Just like my dad was and just like my sister was. Frankly I very well could have been in my sister's place.

That's the other thing about bullies; they come in all forms. I've seen people with personalities like Toph's (badass, sarcastic, tough girl) act as bullies. I've seen people like Katara (motherly, political, and fierce) act like bullies--think of those people who think that their opinions are the only right one. One of my other bullies was sort of like Sokka. This kid was the class clown and everyone though he was hilarious (even I did at times) but then he would make jokes at my expense. Sokka and Jet can also represent those guys who did the 'hur hur, my friend thinks you're pretty/wants to date you' crap. I firmly believe that anyone can be a bully. Any personality type can be used for good and evil so to speak. You can be like Sokka and use humor to be funny or you can use it to hurt someone. You can be like Katara, strong-willed and opinionated and direct that to positive change or you can use it to perpetrate bigotry. You can have a personality like Azula's (sharp, clever, and charismatic) and you can use that to be cleverness to hurt people or you can use it to problem solve and make changes.

And one more note. I can see how my last two posts can be dismissive of people who were bullied by people like Azula. I know that you didn't say that, but I feel like this should be noted anyhow. That's not my intent because stories like yours are should be considered just as much as stories like mind. I can definitely understand why you and others would be off put by a character like Azula. What I was trying to get at with my other two posts was that there are other perspectives out there and that it is very possible that someone associates the character you (well not you specifically, just in general) stan with someone who bullied them. I just don't think that it's fair to assume that someone hasn't experienced bullying or abuse because their experience isn't like one's own. It's less fair to assume that someone is an abuse apologist because they favor antagonists. The way a lot of antis talk makes it sound like Azula fans condone bullying and abuse when the truth is that most of us understand that she has done messed up shit that we don’t condone, we just believe that she can still be helped. I have heard several stories now about people who used to be like Azula but changed for the better. These people feel demoralized or awful because many antis talk as though there is no room for growth not just for Azula but for real people who relate to her and have made mistakes like hers in the past. That was a bit longer than intended.

I hope all of that answers your question and makes sense. Thank you for the ask and for being respectful about it!

Also wasn’t sure if I should tag Zuko in this or not because I don’t feel like it’s hate. If you want me to remove Zuko from the tags let me know because I don’t want to be a hypocrite lol.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Zuko #fandom discussion

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