#Aang is not small... Zuko is big

[gotticalavera]

Zuko: STAY. AWAY. FROM. MASTER. AANG!!!

Aang: Don't worry! He's very friendly☺️

[Edit with screenshots of the comics "Imbalance" and "Azula in the spirit temple"]

[ssokkasmoon]

THEIR LOVE LANGUAGE

ZUKO

Physical touch - Zuko is still learning to openly express emotion, but physical touch comes naturally to him as it means of connection. Expect casual affection like hand holding, cuddling with you on the couch, and lingering hugs whenever you're together. Making love is also his way of showing all the feelings he still struggles to put into words.

AANG

Acts of Service- Aang happily handles household chores you don't like so you have less things to care about. He remembers the small things that make your life easier like cooking your favorite meal ,Little pampering back rubs when you're stressed are his love language. His support is unfailing, he'll help you with anything, no request is too small or big.

SOKKA

Physical Touch- Sokka is always finding excuses to be near you, with an arm around your waist or holding your hand. Casual physical intimacy is how he shows his love. Cuddling and lazy morning kisses in bed are some of his favorite ways to bond with you. He gives the best hugs warm, comforting and making you feel completely cared.

KORRA

physical touch and Words of Affirmation - Korra regularly expresses how much she cares through compliments, words of encouragement, and expressing what she admires about you. She's generous with affectionate nicknames that make your heart melt. She also likes to be as close to you as possible, so physical intimacy is very important to her, resting her hand on your waist,holding hands, cuddling,she enjoys each if it's with you.

IROH II

Words of Affirmation- Iroh makes sure to tell you how beautiful, intelligent, and talented he thinks you are every day. Compliments come easily to him. After passionate moments together, he whispers words of adoration and care into your skin. Iroh writes you little cute letters expressing his feelings when he can't see you.

MAKO

physical touch - Mako is surprisingly very affectionate.He enjoys wrapping you in his arms, holding your hand, gentle caresses, kissing your lips/forehead, playing with your hair. Cuddling and intimacy are big for him. Physical touch helps him feel connected.

BOLIN

Acts of Service and physical touch- Bolin secretly enjoys doing thoughtful things to take the load off your shoulders. He'll tackle household chores without being asked or cook your favorite meal. Small gestures to showhe cares. He is naturally affectionate. He loves holding hands, giving you full-body hugs, stealing sweet kisses whenever possible, and finds simple pleasures in little acts like brushing your hair or massaging your shoulders after a long day. Physical intimacy between you is a must.

TAHNO

physical touch -Tahno is very physically affectionate, especially after becoming intimate. He loves holding hands, casual touches, kissing, cuddling, and of course more passionate embraces. Public PDA doesn't scare him,Physical touch is how he feels most connected and shows his deepest affection.

KATARA

Quality Time - Katara is a fantastic listener and gives you her full attention when you're together. Date nights in are romantic - just curled up together talking for hours means the world. She loves learning about your interests. the time you spend together is always meaningful.

ASAMI

Receiving Gifts - Gifts from Her always feel personal ,something she saw that made her think of you. She pays attention to little things you mention in passing just so she can surprise you later.

JET

Quality time - He tries to spend as much time with you as possible, Jet is an excellent listener and loves engaging in meaningful conversation. One on one dates, walks together, dancing, hanging out without distractions are quality time he cherishes.

© 2024 ssokkasmoon

[rifari2037]

They talked about cultural differences?? Really??? I laughed so hard 🤣

Do they realised that air and water are different too?? That their cultural are completely opposite???

Water tribe people killed animals for food, furniture, clothes, etc. That's their culture! Air nomads don't killed animals, even a fly, for any reasons, they're vegetarian. That's their culture!!

There's nothing wrong with both cultures, but if we think about it with sense, can two people with extreme cultural differences marry and accept each other's cultures easily?

No, it won't be easy. Katara and Aang got married without any problems about cultural differences because Bryke were the writers!

Do they know that Aang/Kataang stand was aware about it and wrote this???

Do they even realise that in canon Aang doesn't really like Water Tribe culture?? Yes, that's CANON!!

Katara : Bato, it looks like home! [Bato, Katara, Sokka, and Aang file inside.] Sokka : Everything's here, even the pelts! Aang : [Sarcastically.] Yeah, nothing's cozier than dead animal skins.

Katara : [Surprised and delighted.] No way! Stewed sea prunes! Bato : Help yourself! Sokka : Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things! Aang takes a bowl of stewed sea prunes and sniffs it, but looks away in disgust and sets it to the side.

Aang : Hey everyone! Sorry I was gone so long. Katara : [Turns to face him.] Hey, Aang, I didn't notice you left. Aang : Yup, but now I'm back. [Sitting down.] Sure could go for some delicious sea prunes! Aang quickly takes some bites of sea prunes, but chokes them back up, yet he pretends to enjoy them. Katara, Bato, and Sokka look at him strangely.

Hama : I wanted to surprise you! I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes if you stew them long enough. Aang : [Sticking his tongue out in disgust.] Great!

Aang : [Whispering to Toph.] I'd steer clear of the sea prunes. Toph : I thought they were ocean kumquats. Aang : Close enough.

Oh, btw, An ocean kumquat is a small, round fruit often consumed in the Fire Nation. That's close enough with sea prunes, water tribe cuisine.

When Aang doesn't like water tribe cuisine, I can imagine Zuko and Katara having dinner, sharing water tribe and fire nation dishes and they enjoying it because it taste similar. 😂

Fire and water are the opposite elements, that's why they are compliment each other.

Yin and Yang shows a balance between two opposites with a portion of the opposite element in each section.

Remember what Iroh said about the elements? Let's see if fire and water don't mix together, especially for Zuko and Katara.

"Fire is the element of power..."

"...The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."

"Water is the element of change..."

"...The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things..."

"...They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."

Young Zuko : [Zuko is shown standing up.] You can't sacrifice an entire division like that! Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?

Zuko and Katara would bicker and not get along well, they said?? Really??

Every time Katara is mad, Zuko just silent and listen to her. Even when they're still enemies!!

Oh, btw, Katara not 'always' threatened Zuko to kill him if he hurt Aang. It happened once. She is still mad at him not because of Aang, but because he betrayed her.

That's personal to her, she is mad not because he hurt someone else but he hurt her. I mean, if she really mad at him because of Aang, why is she connected her anger at Zuko to her mom, not Aang (again)?

And after this moment, after Katara by her own choice, forgives Zuko, do Zuko and Katara always bickering and not get along at all??? No, they're not!!

Zuko gives Katara advice, Katara listens. Katara gives Zuko advice, Zuko listens.

They reassure each other at a very important moment.

Lastly, I don't understand how Zuko and Katara, who they said would never get along, always save each other lives, even Zuko sacrifice his life to her?

[victorianbatman]

ATLA/LOK incorrect quotes

F, M & GN reader | every scenario without the readers gender being specified is Gender Neutral.

Bolin, on the phone with Mako: Mako, I need you to come pick me up.

Mako: Why?

Bolin: Y/n is busy passive-aggressively doing the dishes they asked me to do 6 hours ago.

Bolin: This house is not safe anymore.

-

Mako: Hey, whats for dinner?

Bolin: I cant tell you, its a soup-rise.

Mako: Is it soup?

Y/n: We soup-ose is could be.

Mako: Enough with the soup puns you two.

Bolin: Aww, you never soup-port our jokes.

[Five minutes later]

Mako: It was fucking tacos.

-

Mako: The stars look really pretty tonight.

Y/n: Yeah, they do.

Mako: You know who else looks pretty tonight?

Y/n: Asami.

Mako, at the same time: Korra.

Y/n: What?

Mako: What?

-

Toph: Do you do anything other than whine like a little bitch?

Y/n: Sometimes I whine like a BIG bitch.

-

Mako, not looking up from his book: What did she(Kuvira) do now?

Y/n: SHE SMILED!

Mako: At you?

Y/n: No, at her dumb friends, but she looks like an angel.

Mako: Go away, Y/n.

Y/n: Shut up, I watched you pine after Korra while in a relationship with Asami.

Mako: Go on.

-

Korra: We can bake these cookies at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or 4,000 degrees for 1 minute.

Lin: That’s not how you make cookies.

Y/n: FLOOR IT!

Bolin: How about 4,000,000 degrees for 1 second?

Lin: yOURE GONNA BURN THE HOUSE DOWN!!

Korra: IM GONNA HARVEST THE POWER OF THE FUCKING SUN TO MAKE COOKIES!!

Y/n&Bolin: DO IT!

Lin: NO-

-

Korra: I’m small, but knowing.

Tall!Y/n: You dont be knowing what the top of a shelf looks like though.

Korra: …

Tall!Y/n: …

Korra: Bitch.

-

Bolin and Mako watching Y/n from a distance chase a squirrel.

Bolin: Thats the person I see myself married to in the future.

Bolin: Thoughts?

Mako: …

Bolin: …

Mako: ..and prayers, bro.

-

Y/n: My autistic friend(book 1 zuko) is my favourite person on the planet. I asked if he would still be friends with me if I got a mullet and without looking up he said “we are not friends” like ok bestie.

-

Korra: Theres only one thing worse than losing.

[Tips over paper saying ‘losing Y/n’]

Y/n: Me.

Korra: No-

-

Y/n: Are you sure you’re ok?

Zuko, crying: Yeah, it’s just these onions, man.

Y/n: …

Zuko: …

Y/n: Those are potatoes.

-

[Asami, puts on chapstick]

Y/n: What flavour is that?

Asami: oh its [chapstick flavour].

Y/n: Lemme taste.

Asami: Sure.

[hands chapstick]

Y/n, kisses Asami

Y/n: Shit it does actually taste like [Chapstick flavour].

[Asami blushing like crazy]

-

Y/n: Aang, why do good people die young?

Aang: When you are in a garden full of flowers, which one do you pick?

Y/n: The ugly ones.

Aang: Exactly- wait wait what, why?

Y/n: Because ugly bitches dont belong in my garden.

-

Toph: Hi, im your doctor today, I’ll be drawing your blood as soon as I’m done with my capri sun.

[Misses the hole four times before finally getting the straw in]

[Y/n, sweats profusely]

-

Sokka: I have the sharpest memory, name one time I forgot something.

Y/n: You forgot me and Suki back in the fire nation 3 weeks ago.

Sokka: I did that on purpose, try again.

-

Y/n: Listen to me, love is a scam.

Bolin: You’re making a valentines card for Mako right now.

Y/n, points glue gun at him: You’re on thin fuckin ice.

-

Zuko: Whats with the napkin on the glass door?

Y/n: Aang keeps walking into the glass door, so I thought this might help.

Aang: Oh cool, a floating napkin!

[Walks into glass door]

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

The way Bryke treats Zutara shippers in general is just slightly disgusting. Making fun of them whenever the opportunity arises and using the ship as the butt of jokes too many times like… that’s a solid 70% of your fanbse you’re making fun of. They’re the reason you’re even on the map. Shut up Bryke. I don’t know about 70% of the fanbase, but even if it were only a small portion it’s still just…rude and unprofessional to mock your fans? I think about this a lot because I was 16 when the show ended and I know a lot of other Zutara shippers were also teenage girls, and Mike and Bryan were adults. Two grown men making fun of teenage girls who liked the show and the characters they had created. I don’t care how “obnoxious” some of the fans might have been to them - and I’m sure there were fans who were also out of line - but Mike and Bryan were the adults and they chose to act like children, and mean, spiteful children at that.

Ya telling me, and you know what else? They are a big reason why Zutara is so popular in the first place. Bryke are the primary showrunners, what they say goes, they are in charge of approving/allowing what scene goes in the series.

They didn't have to make Zuko say "I'll save you from the pirates" right before trying to uncharacteristically bargain with Katara with an uncharacteristically clam demeaner while unintentionally proposing to her, since the necklace reveals to be a betrothal necklace.

They didn't have to let Zuko and Katara be locked in a cave together with crystals that almost look similar to the crystals from the cave of two lovers. They could've been locked in two jail cells far away from each other.

Speaking of which, Oma and Shu didn't have to be colored red and and blue respectively in one of the flashback scenes (the red one even looked like Ozai) and have their respective nations be at war against each other. You could tell they really, really wanted that story to parallel to Kataang but did a piss poor job of it. For one, Aang and Katara's nations never fought each other, not like how the Fire Nation and Water Tribes were going at it.

Zuko didn't have to be vulnerable with Katara in that cave and briefly explain his banishment and still act calm around her. She didn't have to offer to heal her scar with the only spirit water she had. Jet's ghost be like. "Are you kidding me?! Thanks a lot!" Katara didn't have to be the very first person to touch his scar before bringing the water out and Zuko didn't have to let her touch it and neither of them had to stand their for 5 seconds as the music amps up.

Katara understandably threatened to waste Zuko if he looks even slightly suspicious, and yet she pays no mind with Zuko bringing both Aang and Sokka to life threatening side-quests beyond Katara's supervision, both of which end with Aang getting over his pyrophobia and Katara and Sokka being reunited with their father and Sokka reunited with his girlfriend. Bryke let all of this happen.

Zuko didn't have to be the one to give Katara the means to find emotional closure and finally overcome her trauma. Katara didn't have to open up to him about the much more grisly details about her mother's death and have Zuko compliment her mother's bravery, all before Katara finally decides to forgive Zuko.

They didn't have to have June tease about Katara and Zuko dating multiple times. They didn't have to allow Zuko and Katara share the "parental figure for the gaang" mantle. They didn't have to spend the last scene Aang and Katara have before making out with them having another heated argument while Zuko and Katara spent their time working together to usurp Zuko's way to the throne.

They also didn't have show parallels/symbolism, after parallels/symbolism, after parallels/symbolism.

It's Bryke's fault that Zutara caught so many people's attention and they have the nerve to mock and ridicule them for disagreeing with their personal self-insert fantasy that does not matter to the narrative. The whole thing with basing Kataang off of a little boy having it down bad for an older big-sister-like figure who doesn't feel the same way doesn't help Bryke's case at all either.

[thepublishingpress]

In The Midnight

It all started when Katara and Aang decided to play match maker.

“Hey, Sokka, why don’t you tell Zuko about your crush?” Aang said teasingly.

“Oh, yes,” Katara agreed, grinning, “We all know about him! At least let Zuko in on the secret.”

Sokka turned bright red. Zuko (aka said object of admiration) tilted his head curiously at Sokka. Oh, no. Absolutely not. “I-I do not have a crush on him!” Sokka instantly denied. “It’s just admiration for a capable fighter!”

Toph smirked. Dread instantly filled Sokka. “Oh, really, Snoozles? Your heart rate says something entirely different…”

“Shut up, Toph!” Sokka shrieked.

“Uh, you know,” Zuko said, “It’s kinda confusing not knowing what’s going on.”

Sokka coughed. “Uh, sorry, Zuko, but we’re talking about… er…” Oh, Yue save him, how is Sokka supposed to say they were talking about Zuko?

Toph rolled her eyes. “Since Sokka won’t say it, I’ll fill it in for him,” She offered. When Zuko nodded, she continued, much to Sokka’s horror. “Who we’re talking about is the Blue Spirit.”

“Who I most definitely do not have a crush on!” Sokka hastily added.

Zuko blinked, his cheeks reddening a little bit. Sokka wanted to scream. “O-oh…” He said. This just made the rest of team’s grins widen. 

Oh, how he regretted ever confiding in them about the Blue Spirit.

“So, Zuko, what do you think? Does Sokka have a shot?” Katara asked him, raising eyebrow. Sokka glared at her.

The Fire Lord glanced away, still blushing. “Well, he can like who he likes, I suppose. It's an… interesting crush…?”

“It's not a crush!” Sokka shrieked, though he definitely noted how Zuko didn't seem too disapproving about Sokka’s admiration (and only admiration!) for him. 

Toph scoffed at Sokka’s weak denial. “Yeah, we totally believe that.”

~×~

Sokka was writing in his diary, bemoaning his predicament to it, when he suddenly flinched from a knock on his window. He slowly stood up and walked over to the curtains.

And when he drew them back, he nearly screamed.

Right there in front of him was a blue mask with white accents, dao blades strapped to his back. Sokka had to proccess for a moment before realizing it was in fact the Blue Spirit.

Also known as Zuko.

Zuko knocked on the window again. Sokka hurriedly opened them, fumbling a little bit in his haste. 

“What are you doing here?” Sokka whispered, confused.

Zuko said nothing, simply extending his hand out to Sokka. Come with me, he seemed to say.

Sokka reached out and clasped his hand with Zuko’s.

~×~

It was exhilarating, jumping on rooftop to rooftop, air gushing against Sokka’s face. Also, he was still in shock that Zuko had got through all the trouble to get up in his costume and mask paired with the dao blades just to get Sokka on a da- NO. Sokka meant a trip. Yeah. Like the Boiling Rock.

“Where are you taking me?” Sokka asked Zuko. Zuko didn’t answer, stubbornly sticking to the “silent” bit of silent warrior, instead using one of his dao blades to point to a rooftop with some glowing lanterns.

Tui and La and all the other spirits, did Zuko set this all up?

Sokka was rather flattered.

Unfortunately, they had to make a big jump to reach it. (Sokka may or may not have yelped a little bit like a kicked seal-puppy.) He tried his best to not cling to Zuko too tightly.

They landed peacefully with a small thud.

Zuko sat down cross-legged on the roof, Sokka following suit. 

It was nice and quiet.

Sokka was feeling a bit more bold at this point. So, reaching his hand out, Sokka placed it on top of Zuko’s.

Zuko’s head turned to face Sokka, and Sokka smiled at him.

“You can talk, you know,” He told Zuko. “Or take off your mask. I know it’s you, Zuko.”

There was silence for a few moments. Sokka’s heart raced, wondering if he’d made the wrong move.

Then, Zuko said, “Okay.” His left hand reached up to take of the Blue Spirit’s mask off. “Have you–” Zuko paused. “Have you always known?”

“When you first tried to join our team,” Sokka said. “Aang told us you were the Blue Spirit.”

“And that– and that doesn't change anything?” Zuko asked in a small voice, as if Zuko being the Blue Spirit would ruin everything for Sokka. 

Cursing Ozai in his head, Sokka immediately said, “Oh, Zuko, it doesn't change anything– except for the fact that it might’ve made me like you more.”

Zuko managed a smile. “I got you to say it.” He said. 

Sokka looked at him questioningly. “Say what?” 

“That you like me.”

Sokka jokingly threw his hands up in defeat. “Curses! Foiled again!”

Zuko laughed. Sokka grinned, glad to be able to make him laugh, but there was one question on his mind and he had to ask it. “Do you like me too?”

Zuko stared and stared. Then he burst out laughing even harder. “I set up all of this for you, dress up as my abandoned persona, and you have the audacity to ask me if I like you?”

Sokka glowed red, but he managed to say, “So… we’re together now?”

Zuko nodded, and that was all the confirmation Sokka needed. 

&*&*&*&

honestly screw ozai i hate him

anyway i hate some of the changes natla made to avatar and it makes me mad just thinking about it and i think ive made my parents think ive gone insane

but do i still want a second season because i want to suffer through the changes just to see toph? yes, absolutely

[gascreates]

them :) dino refs finally complete, so now i can make all the joke comics i want

design thoughts under the cut

aang- second hardest design to ge through. at first i couldn't decide on a species, and then i couldn't get the colors to work. believe it or not, bright yellow right next to bright blue is painful to look at. so instead i opted for an all orange color pallette. does he look like a candy corn? yes. and we love him for it. puny lil candy corn avatar

katara- sweet baby so easy, love her, perfect design, no tears shed except for joy. also GIGANTIC. non negotiable part of her design tbh. and aquatic dino!! spinosaurus was the only choice. the sail is meant to look like her necklace! isnt that cool. im so cool and talented.

sokka- nanuqsaurus is! maybe a cold weather dino. possibly. so we did that. he's smaller than his sister and he's mad about it :) also, him face is warriors paint!! and i know that atla water tribes didn't really have anything to do with orcas, but I love orcas and i wanted to give sokka some recognizably hunter-y pattern. so, orca white markings.

toPH- i am ENDLESSLY SUGFERING. do you know how many times i flip flopped on toph's species. do you understand how many hours i spent debating over the benefits of triceratops vs protoceratops?? ankylosaurus vs. pachysephalosaurus???? my agony is unending. im still unsure. sacrificing the concept that toph could take down a t rex (trike) for the small n unassuming character theme (proto). also the badgermole looking markings are cool i guess

zuko- this is where you pretend that im bot playing favorites when it comes to dino species. why is he a deinonychus? cuz i like big raptors, that's why. go away. dont look at me. he's cute. he looks like a bird and i love that for him. also something something aang and zuko similar species that specialize differently based on how their environments changed them, zuko an echo of the potential of flight and aang an echo of the potential to hunt. flock bird vs pack hunter. same but different.

height chart:

i really cant say if it's accurate at all to the real dinos, but i was lazy and didnt want to do math, so it's just eyeballed heights. the important part is that we understand how tiny aang is and how massive katara is

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Reason season 3 kataang sucks compared to the first two season is cause they got less focus episodes.

All through season 1 and 2 there’s tons of hints and episodes where it’s obvious they’re setting up endgame they have crushes on each other, they care about each other a lot.

Come season 3 and the main focus is the war. They’re’s like three episodes which focuses on them and their feelings and that’s about it til the very end. It makes sense the whole point of the show is the war and final battle. They should’ve just had a lil bit more scenes and episodes focused on their relationship season 3.

Or technically speaking how it should’ve went woulda been.

1st two seasons they’re falling for each other.

3rd season they’ve officially together without actually being together

They set it up correctly then fumbled third season.

The main focus of THE WHOLE SHOW AND EVERY SINGLE SEASON is the war.

We have Kataang moments, both big and small, in episodes:

One, The Awakening (Aang looking at Katara in awe when he realizes she brought him back from the dead, Katara freaking out when Aang leaves to fight alone)

Two, The Headband (jealous Katara, iconic Kataang dance)

Three, The Painted Lady (Aang being into Katara without even realizing it's her, saying she's like a super hero for helping the village, and then them blowing up a factory together)

Eight, The Puppet Master (Katara using bloodbending against Hama to save Aang from getting a bad case of sword through the chest)

Nine, Nightmares and Daydreams ("You're my forever girl")

Ten, The Day Of Black Sun Part 1 (the kiss Katara clearly enjoyed)

Eleven, The Day Of Black Sun Part 2 (Katara cuddling up with Aang to make him feel better after the invasion fails)

Twelve, The Western Air Temple (Aang not allowing Zuko to join the group until Katara agrees to it, Katara only agreeing because she'll do whatever Aang thinks is best and then threatening to kill Zuko if he ever hurts him again)

Sixteen, The Southern Raiders (Aang letting Katara take Appa, one of his last connections to his pacifist culture, on a mission to kill a man because realizes this an important journey AND knows Katara well enough to understand she won't actually take a life)

Seventeen, Ember Island Players (Aang clearly being afraid that Katara might not like him back and Katara explicitly saying she doesn't think of him as a brother)

Twenty One, last part of the finale (Kataang kiss to make them officially endgame)

11 episodes out 21 (or 10 out of 17 if we consider the multi-part episodes as just one single entity) with about the same amount of focus on each half of the season. That's a fuckton of focus - way more focus than things like the mistery of what the hell happened to Ursa or Iroh's grief for his son got in the entire show, let alone in a single season.

And that's without mentioning that all the set up in the previous seasons means that the writers COULD have given Kataang a bit less focus on the final season if they wanted to because that's the thing with a good story: it tends to assume the viewer doesn't have amnesia and doesn't need to be beaten over the head with the same information every single episode.

Did the show REALLY fumble it, or are you just trying to force an issue where there is none?

[atla-confessions]

Hello, are you looking for a new atla ship? Sick of the ship wars? Consider with me, if you will, joining the zukaang fandom.

Do you like grump/sunshine trope? "I don't know why but I thought this thing would be a lot faster." "Appa's right Zuko, in our group, typically we start out our missions with a more upbeat attitude." "I can't believe this." - literally them.

Do you like the yin/yang trope? Zuko's flaw is literally his aggressive approach to his problems which is foiled by Aang's flaw of passive approach to his problems. They are the definition of yin and yang.

Do you like forbidden love? Even beyond the whole "Avatar and Firelord" thing, they both have to have bio children. They are tragic as hell if you want them to be.

Do you like excessive parallels and reading way too much into symbolism? The writers spent way too much effort in building the parallels between these two and there's always more to say about them.

Do you like shared trauma and similar backstories? They literally had an entire episode dedicated to showing how their backstories mirror eachother.

Do you like (lovingly) making jokes at Zuko's expense? What's better to tease him about than his absolute obsession with the avatar.

Do you like parallels to past lives? Zukaang has simularities with Sozin-Roku and Oma-Shu and there's even Kuzon.

Do you like m/m but never felt much connection for zukka? Zukaang is full of connection.

Do you like being canon but kataang just didn't do it for you? Zuko is literally quoted as being the person closest to Aang in his life and there's an official picture of them holding hands as adults and the culmination of the zukaang hug is iconic just like the kataang kiss. They're like an inch away from being canon.

Do you like enemies to lovers but zutara never caught your eye? Their inevitable friendship was built since book one when Aang asked if they could be friends.

Are you sick of antis? Zukaang has two (2) whole anti arguments: the age gap which is nothing between adults, and the idea that Aang is related to Zuko bc Roku was his great grandfather which doesn't make sense unless you consider Korra and Katara to be married. Beyond that people don't care.

Do you prefer small but active ship fandoms to the big name ship fandoms? Zukaang is right on the border, big enough to be plenty active but small enough to be free of drama and full of likeminded people.

Like talking about your ships but rather do it through group chats instead of tumblr? We have an active discord server.

If any of this appeals to you, feel free to join us, we'd love to have you! :D

X

[isthei]

atla small town modern au

it’s katara & sokka’s hometown in the southern water tribe, which is being taken over by ozai’s industrialist company as a factory town

their dad is the mayor but he’s gone missing so vice mayor bato has been handling the work and sokka is running his and katara’s household

(hakoda’s missing because ozai hated that he was enacting anti-firecorp policies)

bending is still a thing. katara is a starry-eyed soul who wants to leave her small town to learn waterbending in the big city

sokka is a total pragmatist who thinks the town would collapse without them (he MAY be right)

aang is an undocumented immigrant from the air temples who was sent on the run w gyatso towards the nwt with crucial info to bring to journalists to bust open the evils ceo ozai wrought upon the air nation (e.g. labor exploitation, chokehold on clean water sources)

he got this quest cos he’s still the avatar in this au

got waylaid and separated from gyatso (who might be dead?) and ended up in the swt town

now uses his bending in secret to stack shelves in the local supermarket while trying to figure out how to get to nwt

(he may or may not be putting it off because the responsibility terrifies him)

unbeknownst to aang (and most everyone), the situation in the air nation is getting worse—actual violence is starting to happen

the water damage siblings take him in because they figure it’s their responsibility as the mayor’s kids. but over time they find him so endearing he becomes practically family

zuko has been disowned from his father’s giant conglomerate and believes that by catching the runaway avatar he will be brought back into the family

he pushes iroh into moving into town. he thinks iroh doesn’t know it’s to catch the avatar

in the meantime he picks up a job at the local boba shop and accidentally becomes a vigilante

(sokka develops a huge crush on the mysterious blue spirit)

unfortunately for him the description of the runaway has been switched around, and he thinks toph (another runaway in the same town) is the avatar

toph is friends with aang and is gleefully misleading zuko

she and aang are both out of school youth. toph spends most of her time trouncing people in sports at the local courts but her spending money comes from a huge stash of cash she took out of her parents’ safe before running away

aang is a regular at the boba shop and befriends zuko. zuko thinks aang is just the avatar’s friend and aang thinks zuko is neat. they bond over being new to town

azula comes to town at some point and immediately realizes that toph is not the avatar

(iroh knew all along but doesn’t tell zuko because he a. it’s a good lesson for his nephew and b. he finds it funny)

BONUS:

azula enrolls in the local school trying to find the avatar, accidentally develops a homoerotic rivalry with katara instead

iroh takes her in and sets off her redemption arc

[mdhwrites]

What Were the Palismens' Point and Did They Succeed?

I got a really long ask that started with asking me how I would have handled the Palisman. For a question like that, I believe there are two core tenants that need to answer. The TL:DR though for this is that despite the Palisman having presence since S1, their point in the story is only made clear in S2 and then their point is useless except for Luz, weakly, because of how TOH defies normal genre convention, in a way that is very counterproductive, when it comes to character climaxes.

Anyways: The questions.

What is the narrative concept of the element we're talking about?

What is the point of the narrative element?

For the Palisman, this isn't clear until Hunting Palisman. Before then, they are glorified broomsticks with one episode acknowledging their agency but at the end of the day in S1: They're just glorified broomsticks. Hunting Palisman very clearly and bluntly states what their point is.

They are a physical manifestation of the witch's will and desires. You can only obtain one with a clarity of purpose and conviction. This is also the point of them: They are essentially character statements. The grand thesis of whoever that palisman is connected to. Honestly, as far as creative uses of magical items to present the culmination of a character, the palisman are...

Exceptionally stock standard. Like painfully so. Anyone watched a season of Power Rangers? Yeah, the Palisman are just the battlizer. If you watched Winx Club like... AT ALL past the first season, maybe even requiring that long, it is ANY of their power ups because they always come with a big character growth moment that defines who they are as a person. It is maybe one of the basic fantasy tropes out there to have self actualization be a power up.

And this isn't just me being hyperbolic. Even from their first introduction, it is presented as a part of a witch growing up. That the school grants witches their palisman but that Luz will have to earn hers. Once she does, she has a loyal companion and the ability to fly. Even at Hexside, you still have to reach certain age to get a Palisman. They're not just giving them to kindergartners. The show itself, by all accounts, says this is explicitly what they are. It's even why Hunter can have Flapjack like he does because the two are their most at sync the closer Hunter is to being Cale- Being the good person he always was. -_- Before then, during moments like Eclipse Lake, they are out of sync, just like he says.

There's just a small, tiny, MINISCULE problem with this concept. Barely noticeable so I'm probably making a big deal out of no- HOW DO YOU HAVE TWO CHARACTER CLIMAXES LIKE THIS IN THE SAME MINUTE AND THEN ONE OFF SCREEN!?

TOH has this weird aversion to character climaxes, at least traditionally paced ones. This is any episode focused on the ending of an era for a character. When a hero falls to the darkside, with the entire episode, or episode after the fall happens at the end of one episode, being about his fall to the darkness. When the scoundrel decides that there are indeed things worth more than gold and has to grapple with that. The end of Book 2 of Avatar spends a lot of time in its last couple episodes grappling with what is a character built up over the entire season: Which side of Zuko wins out for his future? This is balanced with Aang's character climax with the guru with asking questions about how much Aang is willing to give up to the job of the Avatar instead of being the free spirited, loving kid he's always been. A LOT of time is given to this.

TOH hates giving time to ANYONE who isn't Luz. Very few people get real character climaxes of this sort of variety. Willow essentially never gets one and Gus never gets one. You could Watching and Dreaming and Labyrinth Runners specifically but those episodes aren't about self actualization. A VERY common thread with character climaxes is a choice the core character has to make in order to make things right. Meanwhile, in both episodes, HUNTER is the one to make the choice and actions to fix the problem. It is not about self actualization that then prompts a better, more refined character... It's honestly just one problem of the character amongst many like most kid's show episodic issues. This is ESPECIALLY true for these two because Gus' having this level of confidence issues has never been a thing. The closest to ever come to it is the Human Society episode and, well... That happened like a season before Labyrinth Runners with MAYBE one more hint at the S1 penultimate episode from the orb giving him a pep talk. Otherwise, he has confidence. Willow's is worse because she's NEVER taken on others burdens like they talk about. The stories they tell do not sound like Willow at all and Gus, her best friend, has NEVER called her 'Dependable Willow' before now. It has all the hallmark fingerprints of a long running kids show retconning elements to have a plotline this episode. You know, during the season that was SHORTENED.

And this is without recognizing that their palismans have NOTHING to do with either episode, at any time. They are absent from being a part of their self actualization and why shouldn't they be? They already bonded and obtained their power up back in Hunting Palisman. Both made declarations and received a palisman for it because... What the fuck?

This is the core of why when I saw the initial question, I kind of went "I can't do them better because they're pointless besides giving the fandom Patronus stand ins for OC creation." They don't do jack shit.

Amity gets this THE WORST. She makes her palisman off screen, before the shortening took effect, and we only get told what it was... As a part of comforting Luz. Her character thesis, the embodiment of who she is, her will made manifest and it's used narratively to try and comfort her girlfriend. The words actually don't matter because a character climax should not just be words. It should include action alongside it. A showing of their character alongside them telling you, if they tell you at all.

This is also why Luz's character climax blows on this front. Not only is it not well built up to (I despise Luz's character climax) but it also doesn't have action behind it. It's a big statement before she... Just shows off Stringbean to her friends and then gets ready to go fight the Collector? What does that have to do with Luz? What does that have to do with 'wanting to be understood'? It's not even like her goal is to show the Collector understanding now that she's figured this part of herself out. As far as we can tell, her goal was to kick the Collector's ass right up until the Collector tried to show he was an uwu baby, please ignore the murder stars and the fact that I actually know the consequences of my actions (he KNEW King would hate him for the dreams and so is shown to have understanding of his actions upsetting people) and yet did them anyways. Obtaining Stringbean is meaningless besides the meta context of "She just like me fo real" for the people who identify with her.

All of this because TOH won't commit an episode to just finishing a character's arc, or even part of it. I have LONG been complaining about how Escaping Expulsion IS a character climax for Amity but she's in like a collective four minutes of the episode. It is the complete refusal to continue to be who she was. To be willing to throw away even her family in the pursuit of her own happiness and desire to choose her own future. For her to be such a small part of it centers her motivation on Luz because she hasn't had enough time to explain or put focus on why she doesn't want to be who she has been. It's always just on "I wanna be with my friends." or "I want to protect Luz." or "Luz and her friends make me happy." As such, the motivating factor being Luz's life being in danger doesn't make it feel like Amity self actualizing, it makes it feel like a young lesbian throwing away everything for someone she has known for like two months. That what matters is not her character but just that this is another step towards Lumity for her. That's not exactly great, is it? Especially not with how much they want Odalia to shoulder the burden of the fact that Amity CHOSE to be pure evil to Willow for YEARS. For her to be cast off so easily... Well, it just doesn't hit right. Not like it should for a climax like this.

Almost every character climax in the show suffers from stuff like this. Eda's big farewell in Agony of a Witch? She's in like four minutes of it and barely spends time with Luz so we never get that deliberation before Eda chooses to lose her life. It can't even be said that the season built up to it because Luz and Eda haven't had a plotline together since Adventure in the Elements. At best? Grom. And Grom doesn't exactly help build up how deep their connection is, does it?

And so how would I do the Palisman better? I'd just remove them. They are not used for the purpose they were built for and the show doesn't do the elements they're connected to in a way that would ever work for them. They have no point besides being cute and marketable but otherwise? They're entirely superfluous.

Which is a pretty shitty thing to say about something that's meant to represent the best your character can ever be. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[unfriedough]

HIII

ok so I know it says you do fem but r u also able to do gender neutral? If not, it’s ok!!

Anyways

Hcs of Zuko w a S/O who’s like, blunt as hell, and doesn’t rlly express emotions a big majority of the time lmao

‘Taken’- Zuko x female!reader

Masterlist <3

An: JASMIN DISAPPEARING FOR ANOTHER FEW MONTH?? Why’re you surprised?

Also, this isn’t gender neutral. I know you asked for it but I said on the guidelines that I’m only writing female :( I didn’t wanna blow off the whole request tho

Summary: hc’s of zuko and you being falling for each other - but both of you such at love.

Warnings: reader was meant to be blunt but idk how to be blunt.

A shrug.

That was all Aang got when he asked for your opinion on Zuko’s joining of the team.

(“Couldn't care less,” you said when questioned about it later, on the soft beach of ember island)

Truly, it didn’t make a difference to you

Yes he was needed - firebender and all - but it’s not like he’ll be teaching you right?

Wrong.

Turns out you can learn loads from just different fighting styles and stuff, and you were intrigued in the foreign moves

Zuko would 100% get worse at what he was doing under your scrutinising gaze.

I mean that's how he interpreted it

Really there was no emotion

The firebender definitely asked you about why you were watching - took much courage though (poor boy)

“You’re good at what you do.” you paused, “Sometimes,”

“Sometimes?” he rubbed his neck, confused.

“Yeah, sometimes I’m surprised a twelve year old beat you that easily,”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” you shrugged.

“You think you’re better than me?”

You cocked your head to the side, furrowing your eyebrows, “I think we both know the answer to that,”

So that’s why you're now in this position.

Zuko’s pinned under you, arms immobile, heaving heavily

“Fine! I surrender!”

“No, I won,” you said, getting up and dusting your clothes.

“Whatever,” he walked away

That very night, Zuko laid awake in his hard bed space, thoughts of you plaguing his mind. He replayed the spar like a thrilling movie, his heartbeat soaring as he recalls just how close you were to him.

He didn’t like the feeling rising in his heart, it felt like it was bursting. He placed pale, slender fingers onto the centre of his chest sighing heavily to attempt to rid himself of this awful feeling.

“You’re breathing too loud,” you whispered, careful not to wake other people in the room.

“What do you want me to do?” he frowned, sitting up, and matching the intensity of your glare.

“Breath like a normal person, not like a fish just discovering oxygen,”

Nothing better to describe his face than this: ._.

“Was that supposed to be a joke?” he whispered back, confused.

“Good night Zuko,”

He grinned, “It was funny,”

“GOOD NIGHT ZUKO” you whisper shouted.

You assumed he would relent, but the sleep deprivation mixed with the high of having a small (huge) crush gave him the confidence to talk to you just a little longer.

“Do you wanna fight me?”

“With the intention to knock you out? Sure.”

And now you’re both outside, and I guess he had the upper hand. 

He wasn’t tired, and you were exhausted

Your muscles were fatigued, but you weren’t going to back down

After an embarrassingly short rematch, you’d found that Zuko had beat you, and you laid defenceless.

“I win,” he mocked, getting up.

“Did you really?”

He whipped his head back around, any faster would’ve given him whiplash, “Um? Yes?”

“Are you sure?” 

“YES!?”

“Okay then, whatever you say,”

You rolled onto the sandy area, spreading your limbs with a heavy sigh.

Zuko looked up slowly at the sky, hesitantly nearing your resting body.

“I don’t bite prince,” you rolled your eyes.

“I wouldn't take your word for it,” he giggled.

You simply looked at him, not a glare though, or a smile or smirk or scowl or anything.

You seemed to be thinking about something, an internal war. On one hand, you wanted to reach out to him, pull him closer to you, tell him how you felt. And on the other, you didn’t want to. It was too mushy and feely for your character, you felt embarrassed you even thought about it. You looked away promptly, unable to conceal the frown on your features.

“You okay?” he asked, worry laced in his words.

“Sand’s not comfortable, it’s gonna give me a headache,” that wasn't a lie, it was disgustingly hard to get comfortable when laying on bare sand.

Zuko gathered up whatever confidence he had left, and scooted so he was sat criss-cross above where your head rested.

He gave a dopey smile, before opening his mouth to say something. You looked upwards at him, his grin contagious, contaminating your annoyed features.

“You could lay your head on my lap?”

Your heart skipped a beat, and you scooted up, carefully rested your head onto his body, a look on your face.

And after a little more staring, he came to realise what it was,

You were shy

All the signs pointed to it; your averting gaze, fidgeting fingers, feet working antagonistically from point to flat (like when you point your feet and then like put them how you stand idk how to describe it ), and your quickened breathing.

He leaned down slightly, his nose practically touching yours.

“Hi,” you breathed out, fighting the urge to look at his lips.

Who gave him this confidence ??????????

Sleep deprivation that's what

“Hi,” 

You reached your fingers into his hair, slightly tugging down at him, trying to infer what your words failed to tell.

His eyes glistened with adoration, before fluttering shut as he contacted your lips.

The firebender’s lips were cut, you assumed maybe he did that, a stress coping mechanism you’d frequently told him to quit

When the kiss broke, neither of you moved.

You stayed on that beach the whole night - eventually even falling asleep.

You on his lap, and him lying down uncomfortable in order to keep your head comfy on his lap

Zuko woke up before you, rubbing his eyes as Katara came into view

She had been on a stroll, with the intention to swim, when she came across the scene

She’d never seen you look so soft, or Zuko look so tender

Her eyebrows flew up as she made eye contact with the boy, eyes snapping between your curled up figure and his sandy-hair covered face

Then furrowed again as she clocked in the scene

Zuko’s face glowed red as he realised Katara saw this, and even more so when he felt you shift, burying your head in his knee area to avoid the light of the scorching fire nation sun, a quiet groan leaving your lips.

A gentle smile tugged at the corners of the firebender’s mouth as he watched you intently, a blurry emotion behind his irises.

“Can I ask: what?” She whispered, eyes blown wide.

Her voice, albeit quiet, brought you out of your trance.

You yawned, spreading your limbs then covering your face from the sun.

Suddenly, you gained enough consciousness to acknowledge your surroundings, and you quickly opened your eyes, despite the blinding light.

A gasp left your lip as you sat up, making eye contact with the flushed fire bender.

“Good morning?”

“Hi.”

You said at the same time, an awkward silence over taking.

Your eyes suddenly followed a sound of shuffling - only to see katara standing there looking rather out of place.

“Hi.” She said.

“Hello,” you replied, embarrassed.

“I’m just gonna-“ she pointed off to the side, before basically running away.

You both watched her leave, then turned to look at eachother.

The fire bender was dazed in the view of you, the way your eyes twinkled, and your lips remained pouted.

But the way that your face was illuminated, despite not even facing the sun, you looked straight out of a movie.

He was so entranced, that zuko was convinced that if the moon was to see you - it would be jealous of your effortless beauty.

You, on the other hand, were about to slap him for staring.

You tilted your head to the side, so confused that a question mark could’ve popped up above your head.

Immediately he looked away, attempting to rid the feeling of his heart in his throat.

“Didn’t your parents ever tell you not to stare? 

Bye he was so embarrassed

“Shut up.”

You narrowed your eyes, pushing him onto the sand so that he was under you,

“And what if I don’t?” You leaned in, whispering.

His heart was running laps, his mind equally pacing.

“Hm? What would you do?”

He sat quietly, eyes wide, as he took in the proximity. Your lips just looked so…

Hey is it just you or is he about to kiss you?

It’s not just you because he did!

It was a sweet, long lasting, testing the waters type of kiss

And that’s basically how you started dating 

Did I or did I not get carried away?

Anyways now that you're dating !!!

Being his S/O was definitely something you could get used to

Zuko is absolutely the type of guy to give you constant princess treatment

He’d act like you’re already married - at this point you’re just missing the ring

He always made it a point to make sure you were fed and hydrated, warm too

Maybe he’d abuse that warmth power a little

You’d be lying in the same tent and he’d be like “Come closer you’re cold,”

“Zuko im room temperature im not cold,”

“No You’re cold come here,”

“Just say you want a hug,”

“Shut up,”

He tugged you closer so you laid against his chest unable to see his face - probably cuz he was redder than his tunic.

It was all the tiny things he did that get you really comfortable being affectionate

Even though he himself was shy, he knew he had to be the one initiating touch

Another instance is when you go eat - he'll ensure he sat closest to you, and always brush hands with you when passing you your bowl. Of course he thought he was slick when he would sit close enough so your knees touched - but you noticed.

You noticed but you didn’t tell him you noticed, you knew he’d be embarrassed if caught red handed.

As someone who felt like he was never enough, physical affection was something that really made an impact on him

Something as simple as tracing his scars with gentle fingers, or rubbing his arm soothingly after a particularly rough day

Although your words couldn’t convey how you felt, you weren’t raised to be touchy feely, you knew he understood what you meant

He could hear the words of affirmation even while you slept, he could feel the comfort radiating off of your curled body in his tent

He knew you felt comfortable around him, and that alone was a great achievement in his mind

Zuko was used to coming off as gruff and mean, but you know it was a facade - a coping mechanism

You knew he was the same thirteen year old mommy’s boy that he was years ago

These hc’s are so long 😨

You always made it a point to treat him gently - despite being such a blunt person

You found yourself holding your tongue more often, being nicer to people around you because you got used to only having compliments for Zuko.

Maybe, you’d even try to put your affections into words - and although not formulating like you wanted, with fumbling words and fidgeting hands - the thought was what counted

He knew being super fluffy was a struggle for you, and that you were trying your best to be your best for him

He could see your effort - and you could see his.

The gang definitely saw you as a weird pair at the start

They found out once they saw Zuko laughing, hiding his face and you smirked at him.

Your hands rested on his torso as you willed him to take you seriously

You just said he looked nice when he trained - you both know what you meant

His shirt was clinging to his skin and his hair stuck to his face - my man was just out of a movie scene.

After the gang had long dispersed, you spoke your mind.

This brought the shyness out 

Unfortunately, it was Aang who saw the interaction

“Zuko? YN? What’s so funny?”

When the rest of your friends heard Zuko, YN, AND FUNNY in the same sentence, they peeked.

“Nothing,” Zuko mumbled, his ears tinting.

You flinched your hand away from him, coughing awkwardly.

“Wait a minute,” Sokka narrowed his eyes at you.

“Why’re you guys on the floor?” Toph asked.

Zuko lifted his head, looking at you with panic, you returned just the same

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “I don’t know..”

The prince looked to you for help, only to find you trying to hold back a laugh. 

Your lips tucked inwards and eyes pointed downwards.

He looked forward again, side eyeing you so aggressively.

“What am I watching?” Sokka asked quietly.

“I wouldn’t know,” toph mumbled.

You were laughing as Katara seemed so puzzled, and yet so sure of what her discovery could mean.

“Wait a minute,”

“Well that’s my cue!” you got up abruptly, dusting your clothing before practically beelining to the house.

The group was left staring at Zuko, who was on the verge of burning you alive

Eventually they got it out of him

Jk they got it out of katara

“Wait, what were you gonna say?” Aang asked katara.

“I was just gonna ask about that one time  she was asleep on his lap,”

Zuko looked like he was contemplating drowning himself

“SHE WHAT”

“Yeah on the beach before… like two days ago,” she paused, “What was that about?”

“Umm, she was sleepy?”

“Why didn’t you sleep in a room then?”

“…Fresh air.”

“Fresh air?”

“Fresh air. Mhm”

“And what about when you kissed?” Toph added.

She was blind, but she knew how to sandbend.

It just so happened that that night seemed to be a sleepless night all around, the young earth bender was perched on a small chair, where her feet could touch natural ground so she could experience the surroundings.

(Or because she wanted to know what you and Zuko were doing, she’s blind not deaf)

“W H A T” sokka yelled, everyone staring blankly at Toph.

“Yeah, two days ago, this very beach, sparring in the middle of the night… ring a bell Zuko?”

“Not at all.” He stood his ground.

“Cut the crap,” Suki giggled, “it’s obvious!”

“What’s obvious?” He played stupid.

“Tha-“ suki was cut off by the dramatic show Sokka was about to put on.

“Oh YN! You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met!” He twirled, “I just wanna-“ he made a loud kiss noise.

The gang erupted into laughter, mainly because of the poor fire boy's reaction. His face was not only red, no, his eyes were wide, his mouth agape.

He dropped his head into his hands and groaned.

“I think that’s enough teasing,” katara giggled.

Aang and her went off to go do- whatever they do.

Suki, sokka and toph remained. As they were busy laughing, 

You overheard what he said as you were just around the corner, and decided to take a jab at his previous theatrics.

You walked up to them from behind, kicking sokka’s knees inwards.

He yelped as he fell to the ground, immediately looking up to the source.

You towered over him, the ghost of a smile on your face.

You paused, a rare smirk making an appearance on your face.

“I’m flattered, but unfortunately I’m not single,” 

An: I’d like to imagine chaos would start here

[digitlivy]

5 am atla hc for tonight: gaang friendship bracelets (made by aang)

toph: textured beads that have different patterns engraved in each color so she remembers which bead is which color

katara: porous beads that can absorb a small amount of water in case of emergency

zuko: flint and steel beads so he doesn't need to be anxious about losing his bending again (he can work on holding fire like he did with aang before they performed the dragon dance form)

sokka: moonstone beads (he thinks it's actually made of the moon and makes him feel connected to yue) and leftover meteorite bits formed into beads

suki: clay beads made using the pigments used in the traditional kyoshi makeup to help her remember her warrior friends no matter how far she is from them

aang: he made the bracelets a bit too big for everyone because he didn't want them to be too small and have anyone feel left out because they couldn't wear it, so they each removed a few beads from their bracelets and formed aang's bracelet, leaving room for him to add any charms he wanted to from his adventures

[zukosdualdao]

a wound to close, the whole thing open

zutara month, day 2: journal/diary.

summary: when katara searches the attic of ember island, she comes across a journal, hidden away on an old bookshelf.

warnings: implied/referenced child abuse wrt ozai's treatment of zuko. what's referenced here is emotional abuse and i would say at show-canon levels.

other notes: title is from gracie abrams' "camden". also, this fic is very much 'picture taken moments before mild disaster', because i imagine after the end, katara still finds ozai's baby picture, thinking it's zuko, and her thought process is 'well that was sad but look at cute baby zuko!' oops!

Katara knows she’s wrong to snoop, but it’s just so hard to resist now they’re somewhere a young Zuko once lived for stolen weeks of golden summers at a time. For so long, she’d never wondered about him much at all—she’d had, after all, no reason to want to know the boy who chased them around the world in his pursuit of capturing Aang—but things are different now.

First, there had been the catacombs of Ba Sing Se, and she’d caught another glimpse of that boy, another side of him. Wearing Earth Kingdom robes two sizes too big for him, with grief and sympathy that matched hers shining in his eyes, saying strange things about destiny and curses and seeming so lost.

Katara had spent long weeks after the fact wondering whether any of it was true as she struggled to capture sleep on that stolen Fire Navy ship. 

Of course, that was far from the only anxiety on her mind. Wondering when Aang would wake up, if he would at all… Sokka’s growing plans for the invasion, and what it could mean for all of them… being with her father for the first time in years, how half of her wanted to light up at the comfort of it but the other couldn’t dare because he went away and what if it happened again?

And Zuko…

She would turn to her other side, her chin resting on a flat hand, and wonder about him. He’d seemed so sincere, but Katara had wondered often how that could be the case when just moments later, he was catapulting rage and fire in her direction. 

But then he’d come to them and begged for a chance to prove himself. 

And even before she wanted to, far before she felt ready for it, she’d started to come to know things about him. How he would get up at dawn every morning—rising with the sun, she’d thought bitterly—to practice his own firebending forms before his lessons with Aang. How he’d sometimes frown when making the first batch of tea for them around a campfire and then make a second and always seemed to light up when their meals had a little extra spice to them.

How he would sometimes squirm just a little and hesitate a beat and sometimes even bristle before smiling shyly when the others teased him, as though it took a moment to steady his footing and catch up to the fact that it was only teasing.

She had started to know him, to really know him, before she’d wanted to, before she’d forgiven him, before she decided it was safe to let the distance between them shrink.

But now they’re friends. And with the comet looming in the coming days, with things a little tense and strange between everyone since that disaster of the play, and with the vestiges of Zuko’s childhood right here, it’s hard not to be curious.

And, as she reasons to herself while setting the cooking pot of solid silver atop the bookshelf, at least she has deniability. 

The shelves are lined with old books, with gold thread traced through their spines, and old scrolls with white parchment coloring yellow, with shiny maps, and…

Katara’s brow scrunches as she catches sight of what seems to be an old journal, bound by leatherskins, poking out from behind one of the old tomes, clearly meant to be hidden away.

She reaches for it. It’s such a small, delicate thing, really, but it feels heavy in her hands.

When she flips to the first pages, she recognizes the symbols for Zuko’s name, written out in a long, intense, careful scrawl. She’s never seen his handwriting before, but it matches what she might’ve guessed it would look like, teetering between bold and delicate.

Katara flips past the first pages, which seem to mostly consist of Zuko practicing his letters, and comes across what seems to be a draft of a letter he’d written to Iroh, certain lines crossed out or words respelled after an ink-permanent error. He asks after when Iroh will return from the war—and she shudders to think that the kindly old man who'd helped them on more than one occasion had once been much different, the terrible Dragon of the West, laying siege to Ba Sing Se.

But in another line, Zuko writes to his uncle about a festival and paper dragons. Her heart swells to think he was once so young and even playful.

Atop the right corner of the page, there is a tiny, shaded-in sketch of a blooming fire lily. Katara smiles.

She flips through more pages, most of which are much the same as the first several, but then pauses. On this one, there are dark patches—the kind that she can tell came from water drying on the parchment, and it’s now wrinkled. Once, she might have been able to salvage the page with her bending, but the water has long-since dried up and left only deterioration in its wake.

It’s…

The page is tear-stained. He’d cried when writing this.

Gulping, Katara squints her eyes to read his small script, so much shakier than the previous pages had been. She can’t read most of it, for the smears and the wrinkling of the page, and she’s not sure she even wants to, anyway, because what she does manage to scan through makes her feel a little sick, her stomach clenching.

—don’t know what I can do, he had written, and it’s all too easy to imagine a much younger version of her friend with tears in his eyes, sobs wracking his shoulders, a lonely figure in a dark attic. — to better, to not so weak. 

There's a series of words Katara can’t make out, but she does catch Father and love.

And then, one shining beacon of hope:

But Mom says—

The writing stops there. She will never know what his mother used to say.

She flips through the rest of the journal, but the pages are hauntingly blank. There are no more entries after that. 

Katara places the journal back where it was tucked and has the vague sense that she’s back where she started.

A strange guilt gnaws at her. Somehow, she thinks she understands Zuko both better and worse than she did before.

[the-badger-mole]

Facultative

It seemed like every day of travel got longer. Even now with Katara and Zuko coming to a peaceful resolution to their issues, the tension hadn't broken over the group.

"Once we get to Ember Island, it'll get better," Suki promised them all. "My troop got antsy like this when we were on duty, too. We just need a break, that's all." This was met with grumbles of disbelief, but Aang was grateful that someone other than him was trying to be the voice of optimism. That role usually fell to Katara, but she had been quiet and withdrawn since she and Zuko had come back from finding Yon Rah. Oddly enough, only Zuko seemed to be able to get more than a few words from her at a time. When they stopped for rest, they would often end up slightly away from the group, falling into hushed conversations, broken up by Zuko occasionally running to get her a drink or a snack, or to handle a chore Katara usually did. She assured her friends she was fine, though. Just tired.

That was the over all sentiment of the rest of the group, too. Even Appa was showing signs of strain. Aang scratched his friend's neck with a concerned frown. They would have to rest that night. They'd all been hoping to make it to Ember Island by nightfall, but Aang knew he couldn't keep pushing his flying bison the he had been. He told the rest of his friends and was met with groans and complaints, and then grudging acceptance. Aang steered Appa toward a small island. It was barely big enough for the name, but there were shrubs and a grasses and small trees, hinting at fresh water nearby.

Once everyone had slid down from Appa's saddle, Aang set to making him more comfortable. He loosened the saddle, promising Appa that he would remove it completely once they made it to Ember Island and wouldn't have to leave for a while. Then, while the others set up camp, Aang wandered around with Appa, looking for a good place for him to graze. Appa stopped every so often to munch on some of the grass growing up from the greyish soil, but he didn't seem terribly interested in it. At one point, Appa stopped under a tree. It was a youngish tree, with tender green branches. This Appa eyed hungrily, but Aang gasped and nudged Appa gently.

"No, Appa," he said, pointing at one of the branches his friend had been eyeing. There was a bird's nest with new hatched chicks chirping loudly. The mother bird flew in and stood on the edge of the nest, trilling angrily at Appa. Aang chuckled and nudged Appa again, urging him gently to move on. But Appa didn't move to Aang's surprise. Then to Aang's horror, Appa leaned up, mouth opened wide, and chomped down on the branch, nest, chicks, and bird all. Before Aang could say another word, Appa began chewing, silencing the muffled tweets and chirps. Aang gagged at the sound of crunching, knowing that some of it was bones.

"Appa..." Aang gasped. Appa turned one large brown eye on his boy and kept chewing, thoroughly unbothered. Aang felt a flush creep up his neck and to his cheeks. He grabbed Appa's reins and tugged him back to camp. "That was bad, Appa! I can't believe you did that! Come on, we're going back to camp, and you can eat the grass where I can see you."

Appa groaned in protest, tugging against his reins trying to get back to the tasty tree, but Aang was persistent, and Appa didn't want to hurt him. He allowed the boy to lead him back to camp where there was little to eat except the bland, dry grass. The others looked up in surprise when Aang arrived back, still scolding Appa.

"What happened?" Sokka asked. Aang, still fuming, tied Appa's reins to a boulder.

"He ate a nest of birds!" Aang told his friends, outraged. When they exchanged confused glances, Aang rolled his eyes. Of course, they wouldn't get it. Aang could smell the meat they'd begun roasting for dinner.

"Appa is a vegetarian," Aang said, by way of explanation. More glances went through the group, this time more uncomfortable than confused.

"Well, sure," Katara said hesitantly. "For the most part." Aang turned to her, stunned.

"What do you mean for the most part?" he demanded.

"Well..." Katara shrugged, looking at her friends for help. "Well, it's just that Appa has eaten meat before."

"No he hasn't!" Aang scoffed. "Appa's been a vegetarian for his whole life!"

"I've seen him eat meat before," Katara told Aang gently. "Many times."

"Appa's been sneaking meat and you didn't tell me?" Aang gaped at Katara in horror.

"He hasn't been sneaking it," Katara said. "Last week he ate a rock squirrel. He caught it right where I was setting up my tent."

"I saw him catch and eat a tree hare," Sokka offered helpfully. "He's actually a pretty good hunter for his size."

"He catches a lot of animals just grazing on grass," Toph said with a shrug. "I thought you knew."

"Of course, I didn't know!" Aang shouted. "If I knew, I would have put a stop to it!"

"Aang," Zuko spoke up. "You do know that most animals eat meat, at least occasionally, right? Even the ones that live off of plants eat meat sometimes."

"Not flying bison!" Aang insisted. "Not Appa." He turned to his friend, who was grazing lazily. Appa didn't seem to have a care at all. Not about eating meat, not about how betrayed Aang felt. Aang stood watching him in stunned silence. Then he felt a warm slender arm slip around his shoulders.

"Hey," Katara said gently. "Why don't you come sit and calm down. I made you lentils and wild rock tubers." Aang allowed her to steer him away from Appa. Toph went in behind him and freed Appa from the boulder. He grunted at her gratefully before lumbering over to a small, green bush to graze. Suki and Sokka stood behind Aang, as if to shield him from the sight while Katara and Zuko gave him his dinner and a cup of water.

"You want a blanket?" Katara asked. Aang shook his head, but Katara went over to find one just in case. Zuko patted his back in a way that was intended to be comforting, but just felt stiff and awkward.

"I know how you feel about eating meat," he said. "But you have to understand that you not eating meat is a choice, and animals don't have the ability to make that choice. When they eat, it's based on instinct.

"Appa's not just some animal," Aang held stubbornly.

"I know he's not," Zuko said. "He's your friend, and he's very smart compared to a lot of other animals. But he is still an animal. It's his nature to eat what he needs when he needs it. It doesn't change anything about him."

Aang disagreed, but he knew he'd find no support among his friends. The problem, he convinced himself, was that Appa was now living with meat eaters. Aang could admit to himself that he, too, got curious about meat from time to time. No wonder Appa had, too. All Aang needed to do was keep a closer eye on his friend and keep him from making poor choices. After all, the monks had told him that flying bison, like airbenders, got their abilities from keeping pure. He would keep Appa away from meat for his own good.

Across the clearing, Appa had moved onto a new bush. This one had the most deliciously tart berries. Appa paused midchew and nosed the ground beneath the bush. He could smell a seagrouse nest nearby. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd get another bird before they had to leave the island.

[linkspooky]

WIP WEDNESDAY

I wanted to try something new to interact with my followers more, so here's a big chunk of the next chapter of the Azulaang fic I'm working on.

Aang was suddenly forced to bear witness to a naked truth. Azula was a girl. A fleeting thought passed his mind, she was beautiful, and that was all it took there was no going back from that. Not only was she a girl, she was a beautiful girl. Until now, Azula was only an enemy soldier he gazed at across a battle field, hard and made of steel like a machine of war with a fire burning inside her. One small glance was all it took for him to notice she was flesh and bone. He should have realized it sooner, but he was stupid. 

More underneath the cut. Look forward to the finished chapter soon!

The full fic is located here, by the way. If you haven't read it you probably won't understand what's going on so go read it if you're curious.

Aang followed Li’s advice and went right to the Karazakov residence. Though he’d be lying if he said his rushed exit by jumping right out of the window was because he wanted to finish this avatar business as quickly as possible. No, he’d been unable to stand the tension in the room between Zuko, and Katara and Li. 

Aang knew the airbenders preached detachment, and he knew the avatar was supposed to remain neutral, but he sometimes hated those teachings. Then he felt guilty for disagreeing with the elders. The long dead elders of his long dead culture who’d done their best to raise him in the airbender ways. Then he felt more guilt because he was failing his duty as the avatar by wanting to pick sides. That he, a child not fit to be called the avatar, was letting his personal emotions get in the way. That he was being selfish and not thinking of everyone. Then, he hated himself for watching someone suffer and doing nothing about it. Why was he given all this power, if not to help? He didn’t want to deal with any of those feelings so he ran away. That’s what airbenders did, they ducked, they dodged, they avoided. He ran from place to place, and like Toph said he never stood his ground. 

(Aang’s friends were very smart, and Aang was quite dumb, which was why he trusted their judgement over his. He was nothing without them, he’d be just a boy floating in an iceberg). 

He ran all the way to the Karazakov manner, then tried to justify himself by saying his duty as the avatar came first. He was the only bridge between the world of spirits and humans. Of course, Aang didn’t believe the lies he was trying to tell himself at all. Whenever he made excuses like this, he didn’t feel any better, and he didn’t believe them, he just felt more ashamed of himself. Yet, when Aang arrived at the doorstep he smiled. There might be a storm brewing inside the airbender but he wasn’t going to let it show. The world’s problems were Aang’s problems, but his problems weren’t the world’s problems. 

He arrived at the mansion trying and failing to clear his head of doubts (they never went away, they never would no matter how many people he helped, no matter how powerful he became it wouldn’t be enough). Aang stopped looking within and looked right in front of him, seeing the main gate was shut tight. He knew Li’s family was nobility, but he was surprised to see just how massive this place was. The mansion sat on a high hill overlooking the city, giving the Karazakov a view of everything they controlled. The grounds alone rivaled the size of the Bei Fong estate. Including the forest behind it was nearly triple in size. Surrounding the perimeter was a wall of trees and a long fence preventing outsiders from peering inside.  

The entrance at the main gate was closed turning away those who would seek entry. So, Aang rode the wind and jumped right over it. Sometimes it was good to be an airbender. 

He made his way along a gently sloped path deeper into the grounds. The walkway was surrounded by tall trees. He recognized them, they were cherry peach blossom trees, but they were out of season. With winter fast approaching the trees were barren. He reached the Karazakov mansion, with great white walls standing at attention. They had rejected traditional fire nation architecture in favor of modernity. A sigh escaped his lips, a combination of wonder and resignation. In the end, it was just a big fancy house. As an airbender he found it hard to appreciate such an ostentatious display of wealth. He wondered briefly what it was like for Li and Lio growing up all alone in a house this big. Perhaps that was why their bond was so strong, they still clung to each other after years of separation. (He wished Azula and Zuko could get along like that. He wished they could both be happy, but in the end the love between siblings wasn’t something he could understand).

He knocked on the door. He was met with heavy silence for a few seconds, and then hurried footsteps from the other side of the doors. On the other side of the door was one of the strangest people Aang had ever seen. 

He had all white hair without a single strand of black. His skin was nearly colorless, but his eyes and clothing were pitch black, making his skin glow even more by contrast. That pale skin radiated an air of purity, but was stained in several places by burns. On his face. On his chest. On his upper arms. 

There was probably a story there, but Aang didn’t feel like he was allowed to ask. “Sorry,” the stranger spoke first, “My big sister said I’m not allowed to let anyone in. We’re hiding big brother Lio until big sister can convince Zuko to repeal his banishment.” 

“...Lio is here?” “Yes. Big sister said it would be fine. “Zuko’s just being stupid. I’m going to tell him how stupid he’s being. He’ll see that I’m right. Why do people think they can argue with me? I’m always right in the end’. That’s what she said.” 

That didn’t sound like the same girl who bowed her head in front of the man who broke her legs to beg for her brother’s forgiveness, but Aang guessed people were complex, and he was pretty stupid when it came to people. 

Aang explained that Li had sent him here to look at her family’s records of dealing with spirits in the past. The stumbling, fumbling boy in front of him suddenly gained a lot of self confidence. He explained that before his family could help Aang in dealing with spirits, he would need to purify himself at their hot springs. (This place was so massive it had a hot spring - ?)

Luckily as a monk, Aang was familiar with bathing to purify the body. The fact that the fire nation had a similar cultural idea of communal bathing, made him somewhat happy that their two cultures had something in common. The white haired boy pointed him in the direction of the hot springs, and then mumbled a few more things that Aang didn’t quite catch. (Brother…Lio… girl…) Lio was bathing right now, well communal bathing was fine, and Aang wanted to apologize to Lio if he had the chance. At the time he didn’t try to understand Lio’s perspective and he regretted that. Aang followed the little footpath of smooth, colorful pebbles under the luxuriant canopy of flowering wisteria blossoms until he found the entrance to the bath. A low shelf carved from the bluestone had been placed to hold the bather’s clothes. Aang took off his clothing, glad that monks chose to dress simply. He left his clothes in a wooden washtumb, and after lifting the thin hemp curtain with one hand strode inside. 

Stream drifted through the air, it gently unfurled out from the pool, drifting slowly, filling every corner and crevice  blurring her vision. With that and the dim moonlight a person needed to get very close to one another to see their face. Flowers bloomed along the borders of the pool, flower petals floated on the surface, and there was a small waterfall at the end of the pond for rinsing. 

It was pleasantly warm. Aang ouldn’t help the soft sigh of content that escaped him. Heloose for a moment), extending his slender limbs and swimming all the way to the waterfall with a splash. 

He had only just risen from the water and wiped his face, when she suddenly noticed someone very close to her, showering in the surging waterfall with their back turned.

Lio seemed to be speaking, but the waterfall was so loud it drowned out the noise. Aang knew he should announce his presence, but something had arrested his gaze and he could not look away. 

They stopped to watch Lio’s back as if possessed by some kind of spell. Their back was held tall and straight, the contours sharp and defined. But, under the illumination of the stars, Aang saw their back was covered in whip marks, scars, and patches of discolored burns, it was almost impossible to find a piece of untouched flesh. There was no need to mention how much those wounds should hurt. 

The water cascaded over their body, rivulets gathering into the stream down the wide expansive of their powerful muscular back. Some of the spring water splashed off, but more seemed infatuated with their body, clinging to them in a light stream loathe to part. 

Lio turned halfway, their eyes meeting Aang’s. Aang’s face had turned red, but he’d like to think it was from the rising steam, not from seeing another man/woman naked. His culture taught him that nudity wasn’t inherently sexual after all. “Hey, Aangie, have you come to do some naked male bonding?” 

Lio greeted Aang like they were old friends. The smoothness of their voice was unbelievable. They didn’t seem to notice the tension in the atmosphere. Why would they notice the tension, communal bathing was completely normal in the fire nation. 

“Your back…” 

“Ah, it’s nice and shapely isn’t it? I think my back and my buttocks are tied with my breasts for my most handsome feature. My body’s pretty good, as long as you don’t look at my face.” 

Lio was avoiding talking about the scars. To think, they’d always been this scarred, but they didn’t complain about the pain. They were broken almost as badly as Li. 

“I mean yes, you are very traditionally attractive. I am looking at you respectfully though, because I don’t want to make this weird. Communal bathing is normal in your culture, and I respect other people’s cultures, and I respect you so I’m definitely not ogling you like a sex object.” Aang noticed he was rambling, “But uh… what happened toy our back?” 

“Oh, I was naughty boy, so I was whipped as soon as I came home.” “What?” “Why are you so worried? It’s not like we’re friends. Oh, let me guess you saw my naked body and fell in love with me at first sight.” Lio smiled, but their smile didn’t reach their eyes. Their eyes told a different story, those black eyes were like a pair of open wounds on their face, from which darkness was seeping out. “It’s nothing… compared to the pain Li and my family went through it’s absolutely nothing.” 

“Your pain isn’t nothing.” “Haha, what pretty words. Did the airbenders teach you to talk that way, or are you just that cheesy naturally?” 

Aang was taken aback, Lio was like Katara in a way, soft and soothing in one moment, and in the next they surged like a river. 

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m a bad, rude man, I just don’t like the way you’re looking at me like some poor ugly pathetic thing.” Lio’ s shoulder’s rose and fell, as they heaved a sigh. Aang suddenly found that he couldn’t breathe. He could see the perfect curve of Lio’s shoulders, the lean strength in those lines, of a bow pulled taut, tension ready to be unleashed. He could see Lio’s shoulder blades, strong and massive, moving beneath the scarred skin. “I might be ugly on the inside, but I’d like to think my good looks make up for my bad personality.” They didn’t have a bad personality at all, Aang thought. He didn’t like how easily Lio insulted themselves, but if he said anything, Lio would suffer pity from him like acid flung on his skin. 

Lio suddenly stumbled and nearly lost their balance. Did they slip on the smooth stones underneath their feet. “I’m sorry, Aangie can we continue this conversation later? I thought we could bond in our nakedness but human relationships are really complicated and…” 

The entire time Lio had been standing with their back turned to Aang both hands pressed against the wall. At first Aang thought they were too shy to talk face to face, but nothing about Lio was shy. Now that he thought about it, Lio was unnaturally tall, over six shuka despite only being younger than Zuko, and with a broad back. It would be easy to hide someone behind that shapely back - Lio was suddenly pushed back into the water. Aang caught sight of a feminine figure through the steam, who hastily turned to leave. OH.

Li mentioned that Lio wanted to return home and introduce their new bride to their family. Had Aang walked in on Lio bathing together with his betrothed? 

Aang considered just sticking his head underneath the water and drowning himself, because he’d never recover from his embarrassment. 

That feminine figure only made it a few steps though. Because under normal circumstances, that girl would never do something as ungraceful as stumbling and falling face first into the pool, sending a spray of water into the air. 

When she didn’t surface right away Aang became worried she was actually going to drown. However, Lio moved faster than Aang as usual. That person never hesitated to help, and they weren’t even the avatar. They weren’t cosmically chosen to help save the world. 

“Cough, cough.” Azula inadvertently swallowed a mouthful of water in her panic. When she remembered that it was technically bathwater, she became so indignant and disgusted that she discarded all appearance of calm composure, scrambling and flailing as she tried to find her footing. 

Caught in her panic, and with no dignity left to speak of, suddenly a strong, shapely hand pulled her from the streaming water.  WAIT A SECOND.

Aang had recognized her right away, but his brain refused to process the image until he was exposed to a full frontal view of her, coughing and leaning against Lio for support. 

Aang was suddenly forced to bear witness to a naked truth. Azula was a girl.

A fleeting thought passed his mind, she was beautiful, and that was all it took there was no going back from that.

Not only was she a girl, she was a beautiful girl.

Until now, Azula was only an enemy soldier he gazed at across a battle field, hard and made of steel like a machine of war with a fire burning inside her. One small glance was all it took for him to notice she was flesh and bone. He should have realized it sooner, but he was stupid.  She wasn’t physically attractive like Lio. In fact, if he wasn’t so caught off guard by the realization of her beauty he would be concerned. Her skin was discolored and bruised in several places (training scars), where it wasn’t bruised it was pale. There was almost no fat on her body, the princess looked like a pauper begging for food in the streets. That all combined to make her look easily breakable, the same girl who had once terrified him more than her father. People used ‘beautiful’ to describe so many things it was practically meaningless, which was why Aang used it sparingly. The monks had taught him the impernanece of life when he was young. When he was a little older, he saw the rotted corpses the fire nation had left behind. After that, it was hard to easily call things beautiful, when he saw how easily beauty faded. In fact he hadn’t even meant to say it, it just slipped out of his mouth, “You’re beautiful.”  It was an incredibly stupid thing to say.  He should not have said it. He should not have acknowledged that feeling. A simple skipped heartbeat, and now there were feelings he couldn’t take back. Feelings he shouldn’t feel, because Azula was… well, Azula. 

He expected to hear her laugh, to be embarrassed, to call him out for not averting her eyes and giving her the dignity she was owed, as a woman, as a princess, for ogling her like an object, but Azula just crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

“What is it…? Speak clearly, don’t mumble, and look into the eyes of the person you’re talking to.” “You… you… beautiful…” “Is your mouth broken? Oh no, I believe I broke the avatar. Again.” He confessed again. To his clumsy confession, You’re beautiful she responded. “You’re right, I am beautiful. I guess your eyes aren’t broken.” She was… She was definitely still Azula. Whatever had happened in the three months since he last saw her hadn’t changed her fundamental “Azula-Ness.” “Lazuli, watch your step.” One hand around Azula’s arm, Lio supported her from behind. The difference in their heights was such that their breath puffed against Azula’s ear as they lowered their head to speak, “If you’re not careful you might just fall for me.” They smoothly positioned themselves once again so their back was obstructing most of Aang’s view of Azula. Unlike Aang, they didn’t seem to notice or even be bothered by the closeness of their bodies. The easy intimacy both of them shared bothered him for some reason. 

Aang had been completely caught off guard of the sight of Azula, it didn’t click until just now that Azula shouldn’t be here. Yes, Azula and Lio had disappeared together that day in the forest, but she was supposed to be lost and all alone somewhere cold and dark and lonely not bathing in a hot spring in the middle of the fire nation. Of course, it was Azula, so if she wanted to return home she’d think of some way. 

“Why are you here with Lio? Not that it’s any of my business. I’m definitely not having dirty thoughts right now. My heart is pure, I promise, I was just curious really…” “It’s fine. Mixed bathing is normal in our culture, and besides I’m also a woman so Lazuli is totally safe bathing with me.” 

That’s right, mixed bathing was normal in fire nation culture Aang reminded himself for the thousandth time. 

Bathing under the stars. Girls and boys together. No tension there whatsoever. Nope, not at all. 

“Stop staring, Avatar. I’m flattered, really, but it just wouldn’t work between us.” Aang really hoped she was joking, because she was entering dangerous territory. “Really, there’s nothing untoward about bathing with my betrothed.” “...Your betrothed.” “Yes.” “You’re getting married?” “Yes.” “To who?” “To Lio.” “You’re getting married to Lio.” “You don’t seem to be hearing me right, is there something wrong with those big ears of yours?”

“Are my ears too big? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Were they just trying to be nice?” He was suddenly, very self conscious about the size of his ears but that was besides the point. “Why are you getting married to Lio?” “I fail to see how it’s any business of yours.” That’s right it wasn’t any business of his. 

So, why did he care?