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nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice · 4 years

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What would an Azula redemption arc look like?

First things first: I hear this thing a lot about how “Azula deserved a redemption arc” and while I don't think Azula was irredeemable, that’s not to say that she should have been redeemed nor was she in the right place to be redeemed during the series. Post-series, I think Azula could have gotten better, but I don’t think “redemption arc” is the right phrase for it.

Second, I hear a lot about how Zuko should have been the one to go on a “life-changing field” trip for her redemption arc and I don’t think it’s that simple, nor do I think Zuko would be the right person to help her become a better person. The fact of the matter is that even though they are siblings, they spent a good part of the series trying to kill each other. Azula shot lightning at Zuko in the first episode of season 2, they both almost killed each other in The Boiling Rock and The Southern Raiders, and Azula tried to kill Katara during their Agni Kai. They are siblings and I do think they care about each other deep down, but the fact of the matter is that their relationship was hostile and damaged. Repeated murder attempts aren’t a thing either of them is going to get over quickly and they aren’t the type of thing that’s going to make it possible for Zuko of all people to be the one to help Azula heal. There’s also the fact that he’s a teenage boy dealing with his own damage from his abuse and just because they had the same abuser doesn’t mean he’s going to be the right person to help her heal.

An Azula redemption arc would in no way be the same as a Zuko redemption arc, but let’s first examine why his redemption arc worked in the first place:

I’ve written more about Zuko’s redemption arc and why it works here. But in terms of him making amends, the big reason why his redemption arc worked was because it stemmed from him choosing Iroh over Ozai. It was his recognition that the unconditional love and support Iroh had shown him was right and the cruelty and conditional acceptance Ozai had shown him was wrong. And further, it was his realization that he was right all along in terms of being compassionate and his father was wrong when it came to the war. He recognized that all the war was needless suffering because he had seen the real human cost in season 2. And through that journey, he saw that the people of the Earth Kingdom didn't deserve the destruction the Fire Nation was bringing on them and realized they had been wrong the whole time. And his betrayal of Iroh was the catalyst for his redemption arc because Iroh realized that already and spent season 2 trying to get Zuko to embrace compassion and peace. He spends a lot of time after he joins the gaang wondering “what would Uncle do?” and tries his hardest to do the things that will make his Uncle proud. Even though Iroh showed him unconditional love upon their reunion, Zuko still put the work in to do right by Iroh in order to make up for his betrayal.

“He’s the one who’s been a real father to me.... It was cruel and it was wrong!”

Another thing that needs to be made clear: Zuko’s redemption arc worked because he spent time making amends with the people he hurt, but not just because he wanted to make amends, but because he genuinely related to and wanted to help them with their struggles. He was able to make amends with Aang, Sokka, and Katara by relating to their dilemmas and doing everything in his power to help them through their own emotional struggles he also struggled with. He helped Aang overcome a fear of firebending because he too struggled with finding a way to see his element beyond destruction and harm. He helped Sokka “regain his honor” by helping him at the Boiling Rock because he knew what it was like to fail at something and have a person he cared about bear the consequences of his actions (Sokka with Hakoda and Zuko with Iroh). And he helped Katara find the person who killed her mother because he understood what it was to have the Fire Nation take away his mother. Zuko understood their pain in these specific cases and leaned his hand not only to show them that he had changed, but because he had changed. It was because he genuinely understood and wanted them to overcome their problems. He wanted Aang to find his inner fire, he wanted Sokka to regain his honor, and he wanted Katara to be able to find closure because those were all things he wanted for himself. His acceptance into the gaang wasn’t ‘do X thing and then that made up for how he hurt them’ or ‘said he had changed and felt bad and that was enough’-- it was the combination of his genuine remorse, his ability to relate to them, and the actions that stemmed from that.

“You can do it, you’re a talented kid.”

“You need to regain your honor? Believe me I get it.”

“I know who killed your mother and I’m going to help you find him.”

So the main takeaway: Zuko had the capacity to be good all along but needed the right influence and before he made amends with the people he hurt. He needed to heal a little bit himself, confront the fact that he was hurt too, and change on his own before confronting the gaang.

So for Azula to have a redemption arc, she would need to do the same. She would need to address the people she had hurt and Zuko was one of the people she hurt the most. That’s why Zuko wouldn’t be the person to guide her on the path to redemption. She’s the one that needs to do the work to make amends with him (this isn’t to say that Zuko hadn’t hurt her in fights before, but she was the instigator of most of their fighting). But before she’s able to do that she would need to do some work on herself.

The thing that’s going to make it difficult for Azula to get ‘redeemed’ is that Zuko had a war to change sides on. There was a tangible conflict for him to help the ‘right’ side with. Post-war Azula doesn’t have that. She doesn’t have a Firelord to help Aang defeat or a war to help end.

But another thing that’s going to make it hard for her is that her actions were objectively more harmful than Zuko’s were. Zuko spent season 1 trying to capture Aang, but there were multiple instances where he chose to put others before his search: he chose not to leave the Southern Water Tribe alone, when Iroh was captured he chose to save him from the earthbenders rather than go after Aang, and during the Storm he chose to keep his ship safe rather than go after Aang. He never intended to hurt Aang, even though his actions were harmful. The worst things Zuko did were as follows: burning Kyoshi village, capturing Aang in the North Pole, betraying Iroh in Ba Sing Se, and sending the assassin after Aang. But in all these cases, there was either someone else with worse intentions or he did tangible things to make up for them or the actual consequences weren’t that bad in the end. Kyoshi village was fine, Aang escaped his capture, he committed treason for Iroh, and he risked his life to stop Combustion Man.

So what exactly does Azula need to redeem herself from?

1. Repeatedly trying to kill Zuko

2. Almost killing Aang in Ba Sing Se

3. Sending Mai and Ty Lee to prison

4. Conquering Ba Sing Se/wrecking havoc on the Earth Kingdom in general

5. Hitting Iroh with fire (The Chase) and sending him to prison

But again, she doesn’t have the outlet of war to tangibly show that she’s changed sides. And for most of these actions, it’s other people that dealt with the consequences. Katara healed Aang and Zuko after Azula shot them. Zuko helped Iroh after Azula shot him and Iroh busted himself out of prison. Mai and Ty Lee were released without her help. The Order of the White Lotus freed Ba Sing Se. She doesn’t have a clear way to make amends for the damage she caused.

So she’s not going to be able to make personal amends with the gaang. Mostly because there’s no reason for her to do so. Zuko was able to because they needed a firebending teacher for Aang and their goals were aligned. Azula doesn’t have that. That’s one of those things that’s just not going to happen because neither party has a reason to want to make amends.

I don’t think she’s going to be able to reconcile with Mai and Ty Lee after what she did to them. She was going to hurt the people they cared about and at the first instance of disloyalty, their childhood friend threw them in prison. At the Boiling Rock, Mai betrayed her because she was going to kill Zuko and Ty Lee betrayed her because she was going to hurt Mai. Neither one put Azula in danger, but she still tossed them aside when all they wanted to do was keep the people they loved safe. They move on from her after the series and find new people to surround themselves with. They were entirely justified in deciding to cut Azula out of their lives after how she treated them.

And in terms of Zuko, again, they spent a good part of the series trying to kill each other and I’ve written about the complexity of their relationship and Azula in general here, here, here, and here. But the point is that they spent most of their lives pitted against each other by Ozai and they have some serious resentment and hostility towards each other. This isn’t their fault, but it’s undeniable and that hostility is something that’s going to make it impossible for Zuko to be the right person to help Azula heal. He shouldn’t have to if we’re being honest because of how outwardly violent she was to him. But more on that later.

So because of these things, I think Azula’s redemption arc would have to parallel Iroh’s.

It’s talked about a little bit, but Iroh was at one point militaristic and destructive. When he was kidnapped in season 1, the earthbenders called him a war criminal. In the flashback of Zuko Alone, we saw him laugh about “burning [Ba Sing Se] to the ground”. In between Ozai’s coronation and Zuko’s banishment, Iroh let go of his need for military victory and learned to focus on spirituality and peace. This is when he joins the White Lotus and starts to see the faults in Fire Nation propaganda, especially after he lost his son in the process. But what I think is important to remember about Iroh is that he faced the dragons long before his son died. In The Firebending Masters, Zuko says that Iroh allegedly killed the last dragon “long before [he] was born” and they deemed him worthy anyway, despite the fact that he still went on to use his bending abilities to conquer the Earth Kingdom. This means that the dragons were able to see deep inside of him and that gave him a greater appreciation for firebending not as a weapon, but as an extension of the self. So if Iroh had that chance when he was younger, before he decided to live peacefully and help others, Azula might have that chance too.

And Azula is a prodigy at firebending, but the reason Zuko and Iroh are better than she is is that they recognize firebending as energy and life. They use it to keep them warm and they incorporate other bending techniques into it. We only see Azula use firebending as a weapon, never as a tool. She considers firebending something she has to conquer rather than something that’s a part of her. And she thinks this way because that’s what she was taught her whole life, but like Zuko, she needs to understand her element beyond its ability for destruction in order to accept that she herself has the capacity to be something more than a destructor. Azula determined her self worth and the worth of others by their strength and abilities. In order for her to move past this mentality, she would need to go to the dragons.

And this might be the place where Iroh can step in for her. I’ve written about the dynamic of Azula and Iroh’s relationship (or lackthereof) here. But during the series, Iroh’s priority was to protect Zuko and Azula just happened to be one of the people he had to protect Zuko from (see The Avatar State, The Chase, and The Guru.) If Azula were to face the dragons, she might want to kill them in order to prove herself as worthy since that was the mentality of the Fire Nation, but if Iroh were to connect with Azula in any way it would be though firebending. It would be in guiding her to the dragons and showing her the true meaning of the element.

Second, and again like Zuko, she would need to recognize how she was hurt by her parents. There’s that scene in The Beach where she mentions how she was hurt by how her mother treated her, but doesn’t actually talk about it. It would be beneficial for her to verbalize how her self image was warped by how Ursa viewed her. Azula seems to realize that how Ursa favored Zuko over her wasn’t right, but she doesn’t understand that the way Ozai treated her was wrong either. She relished the praise her father granted her and didn’t recognize how he used her for her abilities and didn’t value her as his daughter. So a big part of her learning to become better would be recognizing that the way Ozai treated her was wrong and that she has value beyond her ability to carry out his orders. Azula needed to have her own “it was cruel and it was wrong” moment now that Ozai’s in prison and she’s not beholden to him. And it would take her time to come to that conclusion, but she could get there eventually. Through all of this, Azula really just needs her mental health addresses over anything else.

And for her to truly be “redeemed” (for lack of a better word) she would need to do two things: she would need to prove to Zuko that she was remorseful for how she hurt him and she would need to prove to the world that she wasn’t seeking destruction anymore. Let’s parallel to Iroh’s redemption arc again. Iroh changed in small ways by helping those around him, mainly Zuko, but his redemption from his years as a general for the Fire Nation and his actions in that regard came in his freeing of Ba Sing Se in the finale. That was his moment of redemption. Azula, being the conquerer of Ba Sing Se, would need to have a moment where she proves to the world that she’s going to work for the greater good over personal glory or her father’s orders. There would need to be an opportunity for her to use her abilities to save people, most likely from Ozai’s supporters.

And in order for her to reconcile with Zuko, she would first need to be genuinely remorseful for how she hurt him and would need to recognize how Ozai hurt him. For most of the series she relishes in his suffering and if she’s going to truly be redeemed, she would need to first, be genuinely remorseful for how her brother was hurt and second, take steps to show him how she doesn’t want to hurt him anymore. In the finale, we see just how fractured their relationship is as she shoots him with lightning and Katara heals him. In season 3, Zuko learns to heal by letting go of the family that hurt him and finds a family that’s going to look out for him and protect him. If Azula is going to prove to Zuko that she’s changed, she would need to act as his protector. Maybe from an assassin or something along those lines, but she would need to put all her efforts into showing him how she’s changed, similar to how he risked his life in stopping Combustion Man to prove to the gaang how he changed.

And it’s very possible that they’ll never have a good relationship, but if what we’re looking for is an ‘Azula redemption arc,’ that’s what needs to happen. And Zuko isn’t required to forgive her or have her in his life. The fact of the matter is that Azula hurt him and the people he cared about repeatedly. And just because they were hurt by the same person doesn’t mean she didn’t hurt him too. They very well may never have a ‘good’ relationship, but that doesn’t mean Azula wouldn’t be able to get better on her own.

I think if anything, Azula might be able to immerse herself in firebending. That’s something she understands and that she’s good at. But in order for her to find peace within herself, to move past the mentality Ozai and Ursa instilled in her, and to become a better person, she would need to follow a spiritual path. She would need to go the route of Iroh. Azula doesn’t need to be any kind of military leader or fighter. What she needed was to recognize herself as something other than a weapon, because as long as she valued herself for her combat and military abilities, she was going to seek destruction. In order for her to heal, she needs to recognize that her ability as a prodigy doesn’t mean she was meant for power or destruction, but rather it’s a gift. Azula is an incredible bender, but she didn’t appreciate herself or the true meaning of the element. And if she’s going to move beyond ruthlessness and callousness, she needs to learn the beauty in her element.

In conclusion, an Azula “redemption arc” is easier said than done. Azula’s motivations are sympathetic and it’s obvious that she’s a victim of abuse and manipulation, but she did hurt people in major ways. She hurt people in ways she wasn’t able to make up for and that’s why if she were to become better, she would need to learn to let go of this image of herself as a force for destruction and recognize the beauty of firebending. She might never fully reconcile with Zuko and it’s improbable that she would develop meaningful relationships with Mai and Ty Lee, but the fact of the matter was that Azula was 14 and her actions stemmed from her abuse. Her path to becoming a better person wouldn’t focus on the people she hurt, because they had moved on and cut her from their lives, but rather it would focus on her individual path to growing past the propaganda of her nation and the emotional abuse under her parents.

Azula’s “redemption arc” would not be rooted in interpersonal relationships, but rather would entirely focus on interpersonal growth.

#this got long #went off a little bit #azula #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #iroh #ozai #ursa #hot leaf meta #the babes are asking #tw: abuse #spoiler alert: azula needs to meet the dragons #and get some therapy

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thelastspeecher · 4 years

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Spirit Touched - Chapter 5: Nephew

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 AO3

Whoops it took me longer to update this than I planned, but it turns out that moving states takes time and effort. Hopefully I’ll be able to update every other week for the last two chapters, but we’ll have to see. In the meantime, enjoy the crew fawning over sick Zuko and a sudden appearance from a certain beloved uncle.

Again, this fic is inspired by @muffinlance‘s fic Salvage and fanart that @agent-jaselin did of it.

——————————————————————————————

It started with a sneeze, the day after they fished Zuko out of the ocean for the second time.

“Aw, you sneeze like a raccoon-kitten,” Toklo cooed. Zuko glared at him. Then sneezed again, louder. A few sparks appeared with the second sneeze. “Uh, little firebenders sneeze fire?”

“I’m not little,” Zuko growled. “But…yes.” He sneezed again. Toklo hurriedly stomped out any sparks that landed on the deck.

“This won’t end well,” Panuk said quietly.

-----

The sneeze progressed to a full-body cough, one that was so obviously agonizing it made the crewmen wince in sympathy.

“We need to follow you around with a bucket,” Aake rumbled, watching Panuk and Toklo rush to put out yet another fire. It appeared that accidentally producing flames wasn’t something reserved for sneezing. Zuko sat down on the deck, even paler than usual. He coughed again.

“That might be a good idea,” Panuk agreed, hurrying to stomp out the new sparks. Zuko let out a low groan. Aake pressed the back of his hand against Zuko’s forehead. He quickly removed it.

“You’re sick, kiddo,” he said to Zuko. His voice had more affection in it than he’d realized he had for the boy. Zuko looked up at him, eyes already glazed over with fever. “Someone better take him to the healer right away. When someone this young gets sick, it can go bad fast.”

“Come on, little brother,” Toklo said, scooping Zuko into his arms. “Wow, you’re warm.”

“No, ‘m cold,” Zuko mumbled blearily. He let out another hacking cough. Toklo carried Zuko to the infirmary while Panuk stayed behind to put out the third accidental fire of the day.

-----

As Zuko’s condition worsened further, he became less and less willing to leave his pile of furs. Eventually, he could only leave the infirmary if carried out. The crewmen checked in near constantly. At first, it was just Toklo, Panuk, and Hakoda. Then Bato. When Aake began to stop by to inquire as to the toddler’s health, Kustaa knew it was official.

Zuko had wormed his way into the heart of every crewman.

“I’m surprised by how frequently you poke your head in,” Kustaa remarked to Aake. Aake stroked Zuko’s hair.

“He reminds me so much of Sitka, especially when he’s wearing blue,” Aake said, keeping his voice soft so as to not wake up the sleeping toddler.

“All Zuko had to do to win you over was be turned into a four-year-old.”

“Hmph.”

“And don’t think that I haven’t noticed you only stop by when he’s asleep.” Kustaa smirked at Aake. “You don’t want him to know how much you’ve come to like him.” Aake rolled his eyes. “Maybe once he’s better, you can be another uncle of his.” The door to the infirmary opened.

“Come on, Kustaa. Let a man miss his son in peace,” Bato said, entering. “Aake, you’re needed on deck.”

“On my way.” Aake’s hand lingered on the crown of Zuko’s head for a moment before he got up and left.

“How is he?” Bato asked Kustaa. Kustaa sighed.

“Sick and getting sicker.”

“Any idea what it is?”

“Not yet.” Kustaa looked at Zuko. “The kid should wake up soon, and once he does, I’m going to ask a few questions about his symptoms. I’m starting to wonder if it’s something only seen in the Fire Nation.” Bato frowned, concerned.

“If it’s a Fire Nation illness, would you be able to cure it?”

“Depends on what it is. I have the instructions for treatments of a few Fire Nation maladies,” Kustaa said. “Not as many as I’d like, though.” Faint stirring came from Zuko’s pile of furs, along with a weak groan. “Are you up, nephew?”

“I’m up,” Zuko mumbled, fighting his way free. He sat up and stretched. “Did you want something, Bato?”

“I just wanted to check in on the sick little pygmy puma,” Bato replied. He ruffled Zuko’s hair. “Feeling better?”

“I’m not feeling worse.” Zuko let out a hacking cough. “Never mind. I am.” Bato raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“No sparks?”

“He hasn’t produced fire on accident for a few days now,” Kustaa said, coming over. He put the back of his hand against Zuko’s forehead. “Hmm. Your fever’s getting worse.”

“Can he firebend on purpose?” Bato asked.

“He is right here,” Zuko grumbled.

“Zuko, would you mind trying to create a small flame?” Kustaa requested. Zuko held out his hands. His brow wrinkled in concentration. The only thing emitted, however, was a weak puff of smoke. “Hmm.” Kustaa stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Bato, could you get him something to eat?”

“Will do.” Bato gently lifted Zuko. “Candy and sea prunes, right?” Kustaa frowned at him.

“Tummy hurts too much,” Zuko said blearily. “Not hungry.”

“Broth it is,” Bato said. He carried Zuko out of the infirmary. Kustaa took down his most thorough book on illnesses.

He can’t firebend…maybe that’s the symptom that will allow me to finally diagnose him.

-----

Hakoda knocked gently on the door of the infirmary.

“Come in,” said Kustaa’s calm voice. Hakoda entered, closing the door softly behind him.

“Any luck?” Hakoda asked.

“Some,” Kustaa said from his spot by Zuko’s side. He gently draped a blanket over the sleeping boy. “I’ve figured out what he has. It’s called bender’s burnout. It’s an illness only firebenders can have, caused by the bender’s inner flame being stifled.” Kustaa got up and walked over to his desk. He pulled out a book. “According to this, hypothermia or a near-drowning are the primary means by which an inner flame is stifled enough to cause bender’s burnout.” Hakoda swore softly.

“This happened because he went overboard again?” he asked. Kustaa eyed Hakoda.

“Before I identified the illness, I knew that was the cause,” Kustaa said.

“Yes, but-” Hakoda shook his head. “He didn’t get this specific illness when we fished him out the first time. Why now?”

“Apparently, bender’s burnout is most common in the very young, because their inner flames tend to be weaker. As a teenager, Zuko’s inner flame was strong enough to hold his own in a firefight. As a child, well. You’ve seen how much effort it takes him to even make sparks.”

“What’s the cure?”

“I don’t know,” Kustaa said softly. His lips flattened into a thin line. “None of my texts have information on afflictions that only affect firebenders. I was lucky to stumble across what I did: symptoms and the cause.” Zuko coughed weakly from his pile of furs. Hakoda looked over at the boy. Zuko’s already pale skin was corpse-white, his forehead shone with a thin sheen of sweat, yet he was shivering intensely. “If we hope to cure him, we’ll need to find a healer who has expertise on firebenders.”

“Where would we find one of those?”

“We could try the next port,” Kustaa said with a shrug. “People believe us when we say Zuko is a war bastard for a reason. There’s a lot of them. And where there are firebenders, there are healers who know how to treat them.”

“There’s no other way to help Zuko?” Hakoda asked softly. A long moment passed. Kustaa shook his head.

“Bender’s burnout doesn’t go away on its own. It needs to be treated. And I don’t know how.” Zuko tossed fitfully in his sleep.

“How long does he have?”

“I’m not sure,” Kustaa admitted. “But my nephew is far more stubborn than anyone else I’ve met. As long as I can continue to manage his symptoms, he should hang on until we make port again.” Hakoda walked over to Zuko. He brushed sweat-drenched hair out of the boy’s face. Zuko leaned into the gesture with a faint smile. Hakoda’s heart ached. Zuko was so young, too young.

“I’ll tell everyone we’re changing course. We’ll head for the nearest port.”

-----

The Akhlut finally arrived at a bustling Earth Kingdom town. Hakoda carried Zuko, buried in furs, off the ship. Kustaa followed close behind. They approached the first person they saw.

“Excuse me, but we need a healer,” Hakoda said urgently.

“Ryo is-” the man started. Kustaa stepped forward.

“We need one specializing in firebender ailments,” he said softly. The man’s eyes widened.

“I hope we can trust you,” Hakoda said. He put as much weight into the words as he could.

“Of course,” the man said. “My son’s best friend is a war bastard. The boy goes to Healer Lee, on the outskirts of town.”

“Thank you,” Hakoda said gratefully. He reached into his pockets for money. The man shook his head.

“Save your money for your…”

“Nephew,” Kustaa said.

“Save the money for him.”

“Thank you,” Hakoda repeated. Zuko let out a weak cough. “Hang in there, Nuktuk.”

-----

This town was lovely. Iroh enjoyed the friendly townspeople. But he couldn’t help being disappointed. It was yet another dead end. He had yet to find any sign of his missing nephew anywhere.

In a sea of green and brown, there was a sudden burst of blue. Iroh looked curiously at the two Water Tribe men rushing through the crowded town square. His eyes widened. They were the same men he’d seen shortly before he arrived at the North Pole. Iroh’s heart sank as he realized that one man wasn’t just carrying furs; a young boy was hidden within them.

What was the boy’s name? Nuktuk? Nuktuk looked deathly ill. Concerned for the boy’s health, Iroh followed from a safe distance. They had just exited town when Nuktuk began to thrash in his father’s arms.

“Lemme down, lemme down!” Nuktuk whined loudly. “I gotta-” Nuktuk’s father (step-father, more likely – the boy seemed to be a war bastard) hurriedly set the boy on the ground. Nuktuk stumbled forward and vomited. His father knelt next to him, rubbing his back.

“Are you okay to be carried again, Zuko?” the man asked. Iroh’s breath caught in his throat. The boy straightened. Now close enough to see him well, there was no doubt as to who the child was. Iroh would recognize his nephew anywhere, with or without the horrid scar on his face.

What have the spirits done?

“Zuko, we need to go to the healer,” said the second man. Zuko nodded. “Can the chief pick you up again?”

“I…” Zuko trailed off. He had caught sight of Iroh. Their eyes met. “Uncle!” Zuko sprinted away from the men, directly for Iroh. Iroh dropped to his knees. He held his arms out. Zuko collided with him.

“Prince Zuko,” Iroh croaked, embracing his nephew as tightly as he could. He could feel Zuko’s fever through his clothes. “Nephew, what are you doing?”

“Seeing a healer,” Zuko replied. Iroh held him out at arm’s length. Zuko’s beautiful golden eyes, normally sharp like a hawk’s, were unfocused and cloudy with fever.

“You certainly need one.”

“Excuse me?” Iroh looked up. The tribesmen had walked over. Iroh stood. He kept a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “Are you really his uncle? General Iroh?”

“Yes, I am,” Iroh said. Zuko smiled at him. “I have many questions, but I think they can wait until my nephew has seen a healer.” The men looked relieved.

“That would be best, yes,” said one. “We got directions from someone in the village.” Iroh picked Zuko up. Zuko nestled against his chest.

“Lead the way,” Iroh said firmly.

-----

Iroh and the tribesmen sat outside the healer’s house. Zuko had been treated, but needed to rest for a while before the healer would let him leave.

“We should probably introduce ourselves,” one of the tribesmen said abruptly. “I am Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe. My companion is our healer, Kustaa.” Healer Kustaa bowed his head.

“Why did you need to bring Zuko to a different healer, if you had one?” Iroh asked.

“I’m not well-versed in firebender ailments,” Healer Kustaa replied. Iroh hummed softly.

“By the way, thank you, General, for not attacking when you saw Zuko,” Chief Hakoda said. Iroh leaned back.

“You don’t get to be my age as a soldier unless you learn to take stock of a situation fast,” Iroh said. “The immediate concern was my nephew’s health, not you.” He chuckled softly. “Not to offend you or anything.”

“No, I understand,” Chief Hakoda said. He leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees. “But I still appreciate it. To be frank, we wouldn’t have stood a chance against you.” Iroh chuckled again.

“I know. So, how did you come to have my nephew with you? I received a letter from a friend in the Northern Water Tribe telling me you had Zuko, but the letter didn’t provide many details.”

“We pulled him out of the ocean, half-dead,” Healer Kustaa said.

“Thankfully, the spirits stepped in, ensuring you rescued a young boy. If you had come across a Fire Nation teenager, you would have had a drastically different reaction.” The tribesmen looked at him, bemused. “I have seen firsthand the realities of war; I know what would have happened if you stumbled across someone old enough to be a soldier for the opposing side.”

“He wasn’t a toddler when we rescued him,” Chief Hakoda said slowly. “That particular…situation is more recent.”

“Then you are bigger men than I would have been in my days as a soldier,” Iroh said. The men exchanged a look. Clearly, they were holding something back. But Iroh knewit would be best to wait patiently for further information, rather than immediately pry. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

“Well, the kid’s more endearing than he realizes,” Healer Kustaa said. “Our youngest crewmen befriended him quickly. Once he had them on his side, it was all over.” Iroh beamed.

“I’m very glad to hear that he has been working on his social skills. My nephew tends to struggle to make friends.” Iroh adjusted his seat slightly. “How long has Prince Zuko been like this?”

“A handful of months. He’s actually spent more time with us as a toddler than as a teenager,” Chief Hakoda said. “And before you ask, we don’t know why the spirits did this to him.”

“Zuko might know,” Healer Kustaa said suddenly. Chief Hakoda and Iroh looked at him. “The incident that made him fall overboard, which caused him to get so sick? He’s been talking about it in his sleep. Most of what he says is nonsense, since he’s been so feverish. But every now and then, he mumbles something about talking to a young woman in the moon.”

“The young woman…” Iroh leaned forward. “Prince Zuko wouldn’t happen to be calling her by name, would he?” Healer Kustaa raised an eyebrow.

“He’s called her Yue.”

“A Water Tribe name,” Chief Hakoda remarked.

“Yes, but also the name of the new Moon Spirit,” Iroh said. Chief Hakoda and Healer Kustaa sobered immediately.

“We heard about that,” Chief Hakoda said. “Like everyone else, we saw the moon go dark. When we crossed paths with our sister tribe, they informed us of the tragedy that happened during the Siege of the North.”

“Yes. It was most distressing,” Iroh said solemnly. “I was there.” The door of the healer’s home opened.

“He’s awake now,” Healer Lee said. Zuko toddled out of the house. “Kustaa, come inside, I’ll go over the continuation of his treatment.” Healer Kustaa nodded. He got up and followed Healer Lee inside, ruffling Zuko’s hair on his way. Zuko sat between the two men. He beamed at Iroh.

“I thought I had only dreamed that you were back,” Zuko said happily. Iroh rested the back of his hand against his nephew’s forehead. The boy was still feverish, but whatever the healer had done clearly put him on the mend.

“No, Prince Zuko, I’ve found you,” Iroh said warmly. A strange look crossed Zuko’s face. He looked down at his adorably minute feet.

“Just Zuko, Uncle,” he mumbled. Iroh hid his surprise at the request.

“If you insist, nephew.” The enormous smile was back.

“Are you going to join the ship?” Zuko chirped. His grin broadened. “You could get a fake name, too!”

“I was hoping that the Water Tribe would be kind enough to let me accompany you, yes,” Iroh said with a nod. Chief Hakoda grimaced. “Chief Hakoda, I recognize that you would not be comfortable with two firebenders aboard your ship, but-” The chief was already shaking his head.

“You seem a sensible man, General. As such, you should understand that it’s not my comfort I need to think of, but the comfort of my men. They would not want the Dragon of the West on our ship.” Iroh’s heart sunk. He bowed his head.

“Yes, I understand.”

“What? But- Uncle!” Zuko whined. Iroh put a gentle hand on his nephew’s shoulder.

“Nephew, what is right may not be what I want to do. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do it. What is right is that the men who have helped you so much stay comfortable. I cannot be on the ship.” He squeezed Zuko’s shoulder, his heart heavy. “And what is right is that you continue to be treated for your illness. You need to stay with Chief Hakoda, so that Healer Kustaa can take care of you.”

“But-”

“Chief Hakoda,” Iroh said abruptly. “Is your ship headed for a specific destination?”

“Yes.” Chief Hakoda eyed Iroh. “Can I trust you with it?”

“Pakku trusts him,” Zuko piped up. “I trust him. Isn’t that enough?” Chief Hakoda wavered for a moment before sighing.

“Fine. We’re headed to Chameleon Bay, to help the Earth Kingdom Army protect Ba Sing Se.”

“I’ll meet you there.” Iroh smiled at Zuko. “Maybe during my travels, I’ll stumble across a way to return you to your appropriate age.” Zuko’s eyes widened. Healer Kustaa emerged from the house.

“Come on, nephew, you need to lay down for more rest,” Healer Kustaa said, taking Zuko’s hand. Iroh tensed. “Oh.” Healer Kustaa managed a wry smile. “When he was feverish and ill shortly after we brought him on board, he mistook me for you and called me ‘uncle’. Since then, I’ve called him my nephew.”

“…I see,” Iroh said slowly. He stood. “I should leave. It will take me longer to arrive at Chameleon Bay, given I won’t be traveling by ship.”

“Before you leave,” Chief Hakoda said, standing as well, “would you please tell me what happened at the North Pole? Our sister tribe didn’t inform us of any of the specifics, just that the Avatar had been involved in the battle and that the Moon Spirit was killed and revived.”

“It may have been too painful,” Iroh said. “I am more than willing to share with you what I witnessed. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to say goodbye to my nephew.” Chief Hakoda nodded. Iroh turned to Zuko. He knelt on the ground. “Nephew…” Zuko pulled free of Healer Kustaa’s hold and rushed forward to embrace Iroh.

“I don’t want you to leave, Uncle,” he whispered. Iroh rubbed Zuko’s back.

“I know, Zuko. But remember what I said. I can’t do what I want. I must do what is right.” Iroh removed something from his pocket, an item he had been holding on to since Zuko was lost at sea. “Here.” He handed the knife to Zuko. Zuko took it from him with awe in his eyes. “Do you remember this?”

“Never give up without a fight,” Zuko said softly. Iroh smiled.

“That’s right. You are waging many battles right now, young nephew. But keep fighting.”

“I will, Uncle,” Zuko said, holding the knife close to his chest. Iroh ruffled his hair.

“Good. Then I will see you soon.” Iroh stood and watched Healer Kustaa lead his nephew away. Once Zuko was out of sight, he turned to Chief Hakoda. “I am willing to share my stories, but I would like more information as to my nephew’s stay with you in return.” Chief Hakoda nodded.

“I expected as such.” The men began to walk together. “Where would you like me to start?” Iroh sighed, glad to ask the question he’d had since he saw Zuko.

“Why is my nephew dressed like a Water Tribe child?”

-----

“Hold that pose,” Toklo instructed. Zuko wobbled slightly. “C’mon, little brother, just a bit longer!” Zuko’s legs gave out. He collapsed to the deck, coughing. “Maybe we should go back to the basics.”

“No, those katas are for babies,” Zuko snapped. He coughed again. Hakoda, who had been observing Zuko’s practice, crouched next to him.

“You’re only four and recovering from an illness. Pushing yourself right now would do more harm than good,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “Once you’ve stopped coughing so much, you can move on to the more complicated forms. But for now, I agree with Toklo.” Zuko scowled.

Zuko’s treatment involved him actively practicing firebending. The healer had informed Kustaa that Zuko developed bender’s burnout in large part due to Zuko restricting his firebending to simple meditations.

“He said to me, ‘Water Tribe people might not be very educated, but that’s no excuse for making a young bender suppress his art. No matter the element, if they avoid bending, they’ll become ill,’” Kustaa vented angrily once Hakoda had returned to the ship. “I tried to tell him that the kid didn’t want to bend, but he wouldn’t hear it.”

“Zuko needs to practice firebending, then, to get better?” Hakoda asked. Kustaa nodded.

“And to stave off future bending-related illnesses. He gave me a scroll with forms for children Zuko’s age.” Kustaa handed Hakoda said scroll. “My nephew probably already knows most of these forms, but I guess we could use them as a reference to make sure he’s doing them right.”

Hakoda took the scroll from Toklo and looked over the forms for the easiest.

“Turtle-duck pose,” he instructed. Zuko scowled, but did as he was told. “Good work, kid.” Zuko’s scowl was replaced with a grin that stretched ear to ear.

Initially, Zuko had brushed off any compliments he got on his bending forms. Hakoda had a feeling that Zuko’s reaction was because he didn’t believe them. Thankfully, it only took a week for the boy to shift gears from doubt to exuberance at being told he had done a good job.

“Chief?” Bato called from his spot at the ship’s bow. Hakoda ruffled Zuko’s hair, handed the scroll back to Toklo, and walked to his second-in-command.

“What is it?” Hakoda asked. Bato handed him a spyglass silently. When Hakoda looked through it, he swore. “Fire Nation.”

“Yes.” Bato’s face darkened as he stared in the direction of the ship he’d spotted. “And they’ve definitely seen us. We won’t be able to avoid battle.”

“You’re right.” Hakoda swallowed. “Hopefully, Zuko will sleep through it.”

“He’s a light sleeper.”

“Not lately. Being sick can make you sleep like the dead.” Hakoda handed the spyglass back to Bato. “I’ll inform the crew to prepare for battle.” Hakoda looked back at Zuko. The toddler was unsteadily working through the basic firebending forms for Toklo. “And I’ll see if Kustaa can put him to bed earlier than usual, so that he misses the fight.”

-----

Zuko did sleep through the entire battle. Better than that, however, was that no one on the ship had fallen. Any blood stains or scorch marks on the deck were hurriedly scrubbed away before Zuko could see, though he did get told the day after. Like before, Zuko sat watch with a small flame in his palms.

The rest of the trip passed by without incident. Not just Hakoda, but the crew as a whole felt a swell of pride as Zuko became more confident in his bending practice, progressing from the basic steps to the intermediate ones quickly. Well, the ones considered intermediate for his age. The boy was eager to begin the advanced movements, but Hakoda felt they were still beyond his ability. Not to mention, the advanced katas seemed more likely to accidentally set the boat on fire.

“Finally!” Zuko whooped as they landed at Chameleon Bay. “I miss dry land.” Scattered chuckles sounded among the crew. Bato stopped him from rushing down the gangplank after Hakoda.

“Hold on, little warrior. Before we come ashore, the Chief needs to meet with whoever’s in charge.” Zuko cocked his head curiously at Bato.

“Isn’t Chief Hakoda in charge? I thought he was the leader of the entire Southern Fleet.”

“He is, but it’s still important to announce ourselves to the person that has been running things. Once we’ve settled in, the Chief will take over.”

“The Chief also needs to let the other men know we’ve got a Fire Nation brat on board,” Aake added. Zuko frowned at him. “Otherwise, you might get a chilly welcome.”

“I guess,” Zuko muttered, crossing his arms. Bato ruffled his hair.

“Go help Kustaa take stock of the infirmary supplies while we figure things out, okay?” Bato said. Zuko sighed and toddled off. Bato shook his head, hiding a smile. “Damn kid really weaseled his way into all of our hearts.”

“I’m taking bets on how quickly he does the same to the tribesmen already here,” Panuk drawled. “So far, no one’s put anything down on it taking any longer than a month.”

“Well, yeah, those odds are too slim,” Toklo said. “My little brother’s gonna have everyone eating out of his hand in a couple weeks at most. Especially with his lingering cough.” According to Kustaa, Zuko was no longer ill. His occasional coughs were just the result of his sickness irritating his throat.

“I agree,” Bato said. “‘Nuktuk’ has a very endearing backstory.” He looked at Panuk. “Put me down for twelve days.”

#Spirit Touched #ATLA #Zuko #Hakoda #Bato #Uncle Iroh #my writing #my stuff #fanfiction #speecher speaks

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madsthewordclown · 4 years

Text

Fire Lily | Pt. 11

warnings: slight angst I guess?

a/n: this chapter is a bit shorter than the last two I believe. It’s mainly just Y/N having some bonding moments with the Gaang. I honestly feel like she’d vibe with all of them in different ways? Anyway, I’m excited. This is set during The Awakening.

Fire Lily Masterlist

Y/N almost wanting to cry with relief as she took off the Fire Nation armor. The ship had stopped in the port of a village and Toph and Sokka had invited her to come along to find dinner. Hakoda had said that the armor wouldn’t be necessary for the trip, so Y/N would get to put it away for the night.

Maybe she’d be able to find a shirt while they were in town. She had a small amount of money of her own—she had offered it to be used for the crew, but for whatever reason, Hakoda had declined. Y/N had a hard time figuring out Hakoda. If their roles were switched, she probably wouldn’t have trusted him. But he was treating her no differently than the others.

“Ready to go?” Katara asked, peeking her head in the doorway of the room they shared.

“Yeah.” Y/N eyed the hook swords that laid next to her cot. She made the difficult decision not to bring them. They were far enough into Fire Nation territory that her bending probably wouldn’t be questioned. Plus, they had Toph.

Y/N met Katara, Sokka, and Toph in the hallway outside of their shared room.

“Let’s see if Aang wants to go with us,” Katara suggested, her expression pained. Even though Aang was awake, Katara will still obviously worried about his condition. The kid seemed to have a tendency to overexert himself.

Y/N and the others followed Katara to one of the upper levels of the ship. Toph handed her a brown cloak on the way. “Better safe than sorry,” she explained.

Y/N tugged the cloak over her shoulders and secured the clasp. They finally came to a stop in front of a metal door similar to their own. Katara knocked softly before entering. Y/N and the others followed.

“Hey, Aang! We’re going into town to find some dinner if you want to come!” Toph smiled at Aang, who was leaning back on his own cot.

“I am pretty hungry.” Aang sat up, a hand on his stomach. He was obviously still a bit weak, and it made Y/N’s hands feel jittery.

Sokka stepped forward, holding out a piece of cloth to Aang.

“Here, put this on. It’ll cover your arrow.” The arrow was already mostly covered by Aang’s hair. Y/N didn’t think it looked right on him, although she had only seen him twice before the battle with Azula.

Aang looked affronted, flopping back down onto his mattress. “I’m not going out if I can’t wear my arrow proudly.” It made Y/N’s heart twinge. She couldn’t begin to understand what Aang was facing. It was enough to fight a war without having to let go of your own culture’s traditions.

“Aang, come on,” Sokka pushed. “Be practical.”

“Go ahead without us,” Katara said softly, putting a hand on Sokka’s shoulder before turning to Aang. “We’ll catch up.”

Y/N averted her eyes, feeling like an intrusion. Sokka nodded. Y/N was startled to feel Toph grab onto her hand to pull her from the room, the door shutting softly behind them.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Sokka announced. Y/N hummed in agreement. They hadn’t been able to stop yesterday, so they were living on leftovers. Plus, they weren’t able to eat regular meals. As it turned out, the Fire Nation didn’t respect their schedule.

The three made their way up to the deck of the ship, the port they’d landed in visible. There weren’t many people out and about, from what Y/N could tell.

“Is this a true Fire Nation island? Or a colony?” Y/N asked aloud.

“I think it’s a colony.” Sokka threw the hood of his own cloak up over his head. “We’re too close to Earth Kingdom mainland. The important thing is there are no soldiers.”

“Well, we’re here,” Toph pointed out. “All of the villagers must think we’re soldiers.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess you’re right.” Sokka led the way down the gangplank and onto the wooden dock. “C’mon, let’s find the market.”

They continued to walk into the streets of the village. While there weren’t many people around, Y/N noticed a few faces peeking from windows. They looked to be Earth Kingdom citizens. Y/N noticed a woman and child in the Fire Nation’s signature red walking down the street calmly.

“Have you ever been to the colonies before?” While Y/N hadn’t technically lived in the colonies, she had lived right on the outskirts. Her father’s estate was still Earth Kingdom territory, although they were still subject to the occasional visits from Fire Nation soldiers. But the village they went to for food, and where Bihun went to school, was Fire Nation territory.

“No. They seem like a bit of a drag,” Toph admitted, kicking a stray pebble in front of her.

“This one must be pretty new,” Y/N mumbled, looking around at the darkened houses.

“What makes you say that?” Sokka questioned.

“When I was little, the village near my house was a lot like this. Earth Kingdom citizens were afraid to leave their homes. The Fire Nation people, not just the soldiers, constantly belittled us. There was a Fire Nation boy that picked on me at the market once when I was little.

“But it’s not like that anymore. It took a while, but it became a lot more like everyone was coexisting. My older brother went to school with Fire Nation kids. Most kids stuck to their cliques, and it wasn’t always peaceful, but… it was getting better. Or at least, it was before I left. This is more like an occupation.”

“Huh. That’s… interesting,” Sokka hummed.

“The soldiers definitely caused more trouble than anything. But people are just people. Eventually, they’ll figure out how to coexist as long as someone isn’t pitting them against each other.”

“That’s an interesting perspective,” Toph observed.

“I hope I can go back once the war is over.” It was the first time Y/N really had an idea for what came after. “I want to find my brother and see my family again.” The dream Y/N had the night before came back to her. Boiling rock. She could tell that Sokka wanted to ask what she meant about her brother and was grateful when he kept it to himself.

“Look!” Toph pointed suddenly. In front of them, a man was rolling a cart full of bags of rice across the road.

“Yes!” Sokka punched the air in victory. “Food!”

“Finally.” Y/N smiled, feeling her heart flutter as she set off running alongside Sokka and Toph to catch up to the man.

---

The Avatar was gone. It was probably the worst-case scenario. They had pulled out of port and were on their way when Katara went to bring Aang a tray of food. The wind had picked up, and the weather seemed to be going bad. The added wind going west was helping the ship move along at a very quick pace. Sokka said that they’d probably officially be in the Fire Nation within hours.

Y/N watched the stormy skies with a furrowed brow. Aang had taken his glider. The added factor of the turbulent weather made it that much worse. It was already dark from the setting sun, covered by the dark clouds. Y/N remembered how weak he still appeared and shuddered. He hadn’t eaten anything before he left, either.

Y/N pulled her cloak tighter around her body to shield herself from the wind. The ship lurched in the water, and suddenly Y/N regretted eating so much rice. She could tell that Toph felt the same as the girl held her stomach.

“He can’t have gone far,” Y/N reasoned, approaching Katara, who was obviously beside herself. “I’m sure he must have found land not too far from here.”

“We have to find him,” Katara stated simply, her eyes severe. Y/N put a hand on the other girl’s shoulder in an attempt to be comforting.

“And we will. We just have to wait for the storm to die down. I’m sure your dad and Sokka have a pretty good idea of where we are.”

Katara’s face darkened more at the mention of her father. Y/N sighed.

“I don’t mean to intrude, but… why are you mad at him?”

“It’s just…” Katara bit her lip, glancing towards the floor. “After our mom died, Sokka and I were so lost. And then Dad had to leave, and I understand why, I really do, but… we needed him.”

“I think it’s okay to be a bit mad.” Y/N looked out at the dark water. “It isn’t really his fault, I guess. He had to leave. But you’re allowed to feel that way.”

“But I shouldn’t be mad at him,” Katara argued. “I know he had to leave.”

“That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt.” Y/N thought of her own father. He would have left, too, if he were asked to fight. “But he did leave for you. He probably hoped that you wouldn’t have to fight. My father never wanted my brother and I to have to fight.

“He tried to keep us away from it all for so long. I didn’t even go to school because he was worried about my bending being discovered. And he was doing what was best for us, and I see that now. But I never had friends, and despite everything he tried to help me, I’m still scared of what I am. And that hurts. But I still love him, and I forgive him for all of it, because now I understand that he just wanted my brother and I to be okay.”

Y/N had surprised herself with how much talking she had done. “I’m sorry,” Y/N backtracked. “That probably wasn’t super helpful.”

“No.” Katara smiled. “Thank you, for talking to me.”

Y/N looked up as the rain finally began to fall, pelting the hull of the ship as the vessel swayed on the sea.

“Come on,” Katara offered, lifting her hands and waterbending the droplets away from them. “Let’s go inside. We’ll find Aang as soon as it stops.”

---

“This is the only area he could have landed.” Sokka pointed at the spot on the map. Y/N lit another lantern as she, Katara, Toph, and Sokka sat in the captain’s room with Hakoda and Bato. “Any other spot is too far away.”

“That’s too big of an area,” Katara protested, the worry still evident on her face. Toph yawned. They had all been awoken as soon as the rain had stopped, which turned out to be right before the crack of dawn.

“The wind was blowing to the northwest,” Y/N piped up, eying the map as she lit another lantern. “And with his condition he probably couldn’t be far from the coastline. He probably landed somewhere in the center of that region, because we were about—” Y/N pointed to a spot on the map— “here when the storm started, and he would’ve had to slow down when the rain started. And with the possibility of lightning, he’d have to have been flying pretty low.”

The others stared at Y/N for a moment in shock. Y/N shrugged. “I spent a lot of time in the library.” Her mother had spent countless hours tutoring her, since she couldn’t go to school. Bihun was convinced Y/N learned more at home than he did at school.

“I’ve also done a lot of traveling recently,” Y/N added, feeling her cheeks warm slightly.

“Alright,” Hakoda coughed. “We’ll head in and drop you kids off there. You can find Aang and then lay low, and we’ll meet you again later for the invasion.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Sokka stood, pulling Hakoda and Katara into a hug. Y/N’s heart ached, suddenly feeling the strong absence of her own family. It had been so long since they’d all been under the same roof.

“Let’s go,” Katara said determinedly as Sokka and Hakoda let go.

Katara gave the ship fog cover just in case as they creeped closer to land. Y/N was in awe of the land in front of them. It was rocky, with jagged hills. Y/N thought she could see the orange glow of lava in the distance. They were definitely in the Fire Nation.

The ship moved as close to the land as possible, letting the gangplank fall down into the shallow water. Katara did the rest, parting a dry path across the sand.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Y/N checked with Hakoda one more time. She knew it was valuable having a firebender on the ship.

“Go,” Hakoda insisted. “We can handle it. And we don’t want people to come around asking too many questions about Captain Yai.” Hakoda smiled. “Besides, my kids seem to like you.”

“Thank you,” Y/N said gratefully, reaching to shake Hakoda’s hand. Before she could react, Hakoda was pulling her into a brief hug.

“Take care of them, and we’ll see you in a few weeks,” he said.

“I will,” Y/N promised. She would do her best. She’d already failed once before at taking care of her friends, and she wasn’t eager to fail again.

“Coming, Captain?” Toph called from down in the sand where she was waiting with Sokka and Katara.

“Yeah,” Y/N shouted back, walking down the gangplank. When she hit the sand, she turned to and waved goodbye to the others on the ship. “Let’s find Aang.”

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taglist: @kaylove12, @akariblue, @wolfiemichele, @aquatickanye, @sunflowerr-mami, @nadiblue

#atla fanfic #atla #eventual zuko x reader #zuko x reader #y/n x the gaang bonding time!#Hakoda is the best dad #book 3: fire #zuko x y/n #Firebender!y/n

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headcanonthings · 4 years

Text

Zukka + moonspirit!Sokka

So I love to write fics but I’m horrible at committing and finishing them out but here’s a rough outline/headcanon for prince zuko and moonspirit Sokka (this is gonna be long sorry)

To start Hakoda is chief of the Northern water tribe which obvs means that Sokka and Katara as well as Kya and Bato are all NWT (Kanna ran away from sexist Pakku and the southern tribe)

Aang is instead from the the Northern Air temple but still runs away and gets caught in a storm and freezes into an iceberg

The Northen Water Tribe gets attacked as the next expected place for the Avatar but thanks to the spirit oasis they’re a little more protected and are able to mostly withstand the numerous attacks; they still lose people but are not on the brink and still maintain a few waterbenders and Kya doesn’t die

Maybe a fire bender gets past their defenses and she gets burned idk but since there’s still water benders she’s healed up and lives (let the water tribe family be happy)

Sokka basically gets Yue’s backstory so that he can become moonspirit blessed

The war and fire nation all tracks with the show up (Sozin starts it, Iroh loses Lu Ten, Azulon order’s Zuko’s death and Ursa leaves, Ozai takes over) until Zuko’s Agni Kai

Iroh’s basically going through the motions after Lu Ten’s death, his depression made worse with the loss of his father and he pretty much doesn’t care that his birthright has been usurped by his little bro because he’d give it all up, live as the poorest person on earth, as long as it meant he had his son back

BUT THEN OZAI CHALLENGES HIS THIRTEEN YEAR OLD CHILD TO A SPIRITS DAMNED AGNI KAI

Iroh starts off with giving his brother the benefit of the doubt, like he knows the guys isn’t the greatest father but he’s not gonna HURT his kid right? Wrong. So the second Ozai cups his son’s face and Iroh sees the flames he snaps out of it and jumps into action

He literally jumps into the ring and pushes Ozai away, challenges him on the spot for the throne and Ozai might be the Fire Lord but Iroh is the MOTHER FUCKEN DRAGON OF THE WEST and kicks the guys ass

Ozai is thrown into the royal prison (and probably has some large burns because his brother can breathe fire??? And Iroh maybe vindictively made sure to burn the hand he hurt Zuko with so that everytime Ozai sees it he’ll remember why he’s there)

Zuko still has his scar but thanks to Iroh’s intervention it’s a little lighter, his sight and hearing on that sides a little fucked, and the outline of a handprint a little easier to discern but instead of the all encompassing shame and anger and pain when Zuko looks at his scar he’s reminded of how much his Uncle loves him and what he did to protect him (thinks of how much his mom loves him and probably Lu Ten because you can’t convince me that Iroh’s kid wasn’t like the best cousin ever)

He’s still a little self conscious of it because come on it’s a giant face scar from his father and he’s a teenager but it’s not as bad as in the show

Newly crowned Fire Lord Iroh declares the war over and since the 94 year or whatever war isn’t that catchy and Iroh wants it to be acknowledged that it was the fire nations fault it starts to be referred to as Sozin’s War

So fast forward three/four years and the world is slowly moving towards peace Fire Lord Iroh is hosting a small delegation of the leaders of the different nations to really start ironing out official peace treaties which means Hakoda and Fam come down from the North Pole and everyone finally meets!

BONUS

Lu Ten was a non-bender so became super skilled at a number of diff weapons and fighting styles

Zuko is understandablely freaked out by fire bending for awhile after the whole facing his father in a fire duel thing — Iroh remembers how Zuko seemed to like watching Lu Ten practice his swordsman skills so he calls on his good friend Master Piandao

Piandao takes one look at this little traumatized boy and goes ‘Bitch let’s get you some sword therapy’ and hands Zuko his first set of dao swords and during their training while Zuko’s too focused on getting his forms right he doesn’t realize that they’re not talking about swords anymore and instead he tells him about the Agni Kai and his scar and how he’s scared of his own fire

Piandao is the first person Zuko ever tells about how the Agni Kai wasn’t the first time his father hurt him; he’s also the first non family person Zuko’s ever cried in front of and gotten a hug from

Hakoda and Bato never leave to fight but make regular weeks long trips out to keep the defenses up so there’s still some worry that he won’t come back; Sokka’s not allowed to come along because his parents are a little over protective because of how he was born and only alive because the moonspirit blessed him but they still let him do some warrior training after Sokka convinced them about needing to know how to protect himself as son of the chief plus how kya was hurt

“If they got in once they can do it again!”

Sokka and Katara sneak out one day because they feel the need to make sure the Fire Navy is really retreating and they end up in some SiblingFight TM and Katara might have some people to help train her water bending but she’s still a teen girl and when she gets worked up her control kind of gets iffy and she ends up cracking a giant iceberg and FINDS A WEIRD BOY

A WEIRD BOY WHO TURNS OUT TO BE THE LAST AIRBENDER AND THE AVATAR

with Fire Lord Iroh declaring the war over and everyone slowly starting to believe him there’s no rush to get Aang powered up so instead the Water Tribe Sibs take him home and focus on figuring out what happened to Aang and giving him a history lesson in a more relaxed manner

They still take him to the air temple which is hard but Aang won’t believe them about the war until he sees proof and well the Fire Navy is gone and there is no angsty teen hunting him

Hakoda more or less adopts the kid while Aang hangs around the north pole to train and become BFFs with Sokka and Katara

Toph gets tired of her overprotective parents and runs away after she hears them wailing about marriage prospects or something; she finds her way to Omashu where some weird old crazy guy finds her and he says he’s king which is kind of confusing but whatever he gives her a place to stay, doesn’t expect her to act like a lady or treat her like a porcelain doll, he’s kind of funny and is a freaking amazing earth bender (almost as good as her)

Aang comes with Hakoda as part of his fam for the Peace Summit while Toph accompanies Bumi as part of the Earth Kingdom delegation and so the Gaang comes together while the adults fix shit like they should

Zukka specific

Iroh and Zuko greet all the delegations personally so Zuko’s first sight of Sokka is in full Water Tribe regalia and he thinks the white haired boy is the prettiest person he’s ever seen in his life

Sokka has pretty much the same reaction seeing the Prince of The Fire Nation (he feels a little bad about it because it’s only been like three years since the war ended and a lot of people still view the Fire nation as the enemy)

Sokka can’t sleep one night, he’s a bit of a night owl because of his connection, so he’s wandering around about trying to find an open quiet spot so that he can talk to the moon (the spirit saved him so he likes to talk to it like it’s his friend) when he catches Zuko practicing his dao

Zuko has nightmares and going through his dao forms relaxes him along with spending time at his precious turtleduck pond

Sokka is full on smitten after that (there’s nothing more attractive than a boy competently handling two swords)

Sokka asks Zuko to show him how to use his swords

There’s shy flirting between the two and good natured teasing from the others

Mai and Ty Lee come up with little schemes to get Zuko and Sokka alone which clash with the schemes Aang and Katara come up with

Toph choas goddess she is bounces between the two groups throwing out comments that she’s knows will cause the two different schemes to clash

#okay this ended up being way longer than i expected #sorry #zukka #moonspirit sokka #zuko #sokka #a;tla #hakoda #katara #aang #toph #king bumi #uncle iroh #fire lord iroh #headcanon #long post

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rm4ever · 4 years

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The Legend of Avatar Katara:

Summary: Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, all of the nations lived together in harmony. But then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attcked. Only the Avatar, the master of all the elements, can stop them. But when the world needed him the most, he perished in a mysterious iceberg. A new Avatar, named Katara, a Southern Water Tribe member, has to master all of the elements and stop the war. But I believe, Katara can change the world.

This is an original story by me, and yes, I do also love Avatar. Probably one of the best shows I’ve watched. Sooo I hope you all like this Avatar fans :D

A/N: Timeline for now: The year is 1086 (This is my AU). Sokka is 2 yrs old, and Katara isn't born yet, but this is the year that she will be born. Hakoda and Kya are 38 yrs old in this, and Aang is 100 yrs old.

The 100 Year War in the show ends at the year 2000, and it started at the year 1000.

(I did so much fucking Math in this so now im tired af so if I have any mistakes pls tell me, I'm desperate.)

Summary: On a weirdly sunny day in the South Pole, a young couple discovered a mysterious object.

"Hakoda! Have you found any fish yet?" The woman asked.

"Yes..?" The man, Hakoda, answered.

"You're too busy looking at your muscles, are you?" The woman asked while doing air quotations.

"Kya, I don't think there is going to be any fish. It's so hot today, and plus, you're pregnant. You shouldn't be here anyways." Hakoda replied to his wife, ignoring what she just said.

The wife, Kya, made a pouty face, and looked to the distance, but she saw a humongous-spherical shaped iceberg. She tapped on Hakoda's shoulder, who was still listing reasons on why she was not supposed to be there with him.

"What is it?"

"What is that?!" She said while pointing to the iceberg.

Hakoda turned around and gasped a little. "Something we need to avoid. Come on, let's go back now, Kya."

"But I can see a person inside! It's really cold out here, so he or she can die!"

Hakoda sighed and said, "Then how do you suppose we can get them out?"

"Well, it is sunny today, so the ice will be weaker, and we can use your "mighty club" to destroy some pieces!"

"I can't argue with you, no?"

"A woman has her ways. Now, row faster so we can help them!"

"But-"

"No excuses."

Hakoda swerved through the chunks of ice that was on the water, and they finally arrived to where the 'thing' was. It was very clear that there was someone in there, as well as a big cow or something.

"Well? Start hitting it already!" Kya said.

"Okay, okay!"

After multiple hits and complaints, they finally penetrated some parts. A big blow of air rushed out of the iceberg, and a small boy with weird tattoos on his body appeared. He was wearing yellow and orange colored outfit that was way to thin for the weather. It may be sunny, but it was still very cold.

"Gah! What is a boy doing here? Wait, let me see his condition." Kya said while putting her hand on the boy's forehead.

"He's ice cold. He's going to die soon..."

"Being out here for so long with such thin clothes can do that to you. I wish we could've found him sooner. Plus, what are those weird blue tattoos he has?" Hakoda asked.

"Hakoda...I think he's an airbender."

"What?! Aren't they extinct?"

"Well, they are going to be soon. But yes, they are. The Fire Nation eradicated them, though they deny it and just say it was a fire that happened and burnt them all." Kya says sadly.

"Why would the Fire Nation do such a thing anyway? The Airbenders were pacifists, so they wouldn't attack them at anytime."

"I'm not sure, but their reason was because of the Avatar. The last Avatar, Avatar Roku, was a Firebender and the next Avatar was going to be an Airbender. They wanted to end the Avatar cycle so they killed every single Airbender, so that the Avatar would not get in their way. But apparently, one survived. This boy...could be the Avatar."

"FInally...after nearly a century of war, we have hope. We can defeat the Fire Nation." Hakoda says with a tinge of happiness in his voice.

"But...he's dying, Hakoda. This may be the last Avatar." Kya comments.

After a moment of silence, a new voice speaks.

"W-who...who are you? And where am I?"

"I am Hakoda, and this is my wife, Kya."

Suddenly, he sneezed and a large gust of wind came down.

Kya gasped and said, "Oh! You're an Airbender! What's your name?"

"My name is Aang. Anyways, where are the other Airbenders?"

After a look of sadness from the both of us, Hakoda broke the silence.

"The Airbenders all...died. I'm sorry."

"Hakoda!" Kya exclaimed.

"What? He has to know the truth!"

"..."

"O-oh. I'm the last one then?"

"Yes. We're sorry." Hakoda says sadly.

"It's fine...I'm just going to miss Monk Gyatso."

After another long silence, Kya continues the conversation.

"Are you the Avatar? You can trust us, I promise."

"Are you sure you aren't going to hurt me?" Aang said.

"Definitely." Hakoda says.

Aang takes a deep breath and starts explaining. "I ran away from my home because...because I was being sent away from my mentor and friends. And now, everyone is in danger because of me. I'm so so sorry."

"Well, if you didn't run away, the Avatar cycle would stop, and there wouldn't be anymore Avatar, and now, we have a chance to stop the war once and for all." Hakoda says.

"That's right! But, I don't really feel so good." Aang comments.

"I'm sure you're fine." Kya lies. We both know he's going to die soon. He looks so young too. "By the way, what is that giant cow-thing?" Kya finishes.

"Oh! That's my flying-bison, Appa! I don't really say he's my pet, because we're the best of friends. Isn't that right Appa?"

The bison licks Aang when he finishes, and then sniffs the both of us, and Appa also licks us. It's kind of disgusting, but cute at the same time.

"Well! I think we should go home now, right Kya? Let's let this little boy rest." Hakoda says excitedly.

——————————————————————————————————

The boy was getting paler when we arrived back at our village. We tried to help him to get better, but we aren't very skilled to treating people. We aren't used to this either. So, we put him in our hottest room, but it's not helping. I wish we could've helped this boy further, but there's not much we can do about it.

"I'm going to die soon, aren't I? I feel so sick too...I hope the next Avatar will be better than me." Aang says with a tinge of regret in his voice.

"You're doing the best you can, and I'm sure the next Avatar will appreciate that." Kya says.

"At least I can see Monk Gyatso now, as well as all my friends. I'm glad that I met you two!" Aang says and smiles brightly, before the light went away from his eyes. Kya put her hands on his eyelids and closed his eyes.

"I'm happy he had a peaceful death. I wonder who's the next Avatar is going to be." Hakoda says.

Then, a kick comes from Kya's baby, making Kya and Hakoda laugh.

"Whoever the next Avatar is going to be, I'm sure they'll be the ones to stop the war. And I have a feeling this little girl here in my belly will help with that cause." Kya comments.

"Girl? How are you so sure?" Hakoda asks while his eyebrow lifts up.

"Oh, call it a mother's sense." Kya answers happily.

"Dada! Dada!" A new voice that came from a toddler.

"Well, I hear a certain boy is going to play with you now, Hakoda." Kya exclaims.

"It is playtime now, after all. Have a nice rest sweetie."

Kya smiled at this as Hakoda left the tent to play with Sokka. The baby in the womb started kicking again.

"You're gonna be a real feisty one, aren't you?"

A/N: Ah, if only Kya knew. Anyways, thoughts for my story? I hope you guys are going to like it! I won't be updating consistenlty because I do have other stories, as well as (ugh) school.

Uh...bye?

(idk how to end these things okay-)

#avatar #avatar katara #atla #bruh idk why i love this concept #headcanon: kya is a badass #i choose to believe hakoda is like sokka #kya #hakoda #aang #katara #sokka

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evienyx · 5 years

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Fractures Prologue Outline

I was inspired by @muffinlance sending out an outline and so I grace you all with the original outline for the Prologue of Fractures. I managed to stay on it pretty much completely, except for when it comes to the word count.

Also, Google Docs is messing up for me, so instead of a Google Drive link, the outline is just below the cut.

Enjoy!

- - -

Outline:

EVIE I KNOW YOU’RE AN IDIOT BECAUSE I AM YOU SO DON’T FORGET: Zuko was imprisoned at 13, was there for 3 years, we don’t go into detail cause you don’t want it rated M now do you? You don’t. He was released two days after Sozin’s Comet.

Why is the Gaang not in the Fire Nation? Who knows. They’re not though. Ignore that Iroh would probably be smarter than that, I don’t care. You can figure it out, Future Evie. We are a master procrastinator, afterall.

Estimate for the Prologue’s length: Maybe 10000 words? Minimum: 8000 words, Maximum: 16000

Note: Keep OCs straight (not in the sexuality way dipshit). They are plentiful.

So here’s the deal: zuzu’s been hurt, tortured, traumatized, all the things and all of them are bad. Shyu (the only valid Fire Sage) comes down like “hey youre firelord now.” Zuko is understandably shocked but he’s not complaining i mean-

So there’s Keeli, who gave him food, and Ming and Lee, two of the guards at his cell. (other guards to be introduced later).

Zuko meets Pim and two irrelevant-yet-named servants. He is so kind. So good. There is much shock. What? A Royal treating servants like human beings??? Blasphemy.

So Zuko gets crowned and even tho his legs are jacked up he stands up and its very dramatic and very beautiful omg i cri evry tiem,,,

Then we have a royal party to attend but UH OH its boring so Zuko dips and goes to the commonfolk party (spoiler alert: he has more fun) (spoiler-spoiler alert: commmon ppl will LOVE HIM if he keeps this up (spoiler alert to spoiler alert: he keeps it up))

Zuko should probably take a bath somewhere in there.

Time skip to next morning after a night of nightmares (no need to go in depth for these just mention that they happen). Zuko’s got a meeting with the council and it doesnt go so hot and so he’s like ‘man our government sucks i gotta change that’ (wait is it a coup or revolution if youre the firelord? i dont know the school system has failed me).

Squeeze in meeting two new people who were also guards: Tyne and Anzo. They’re married, Tyne is Lee’s sister.

REMEMBER THAT TYNE AND LEE ARE FIREBENDERS.

On that note, Zuko’s firebending is messed up.

Reveal to ONLY THE READER that Lu Ten is alive and married to Keeli (and they have the MUNCHKINS).

Zuko goes to the Boiling Rock bc plot convenience, finds Mai and Ty Lee. Awkward reunion? Probably.

Zuko finds Suki and Hakoda in the Boiling Rock. Hakoda is cold, Suki is too. It’s not just because they were born in the southern half of the world (heh puns)

Zuko takes them back with him cause he’s a good boi and they are very obviosuly injured and he ONLY HAS PURE INTENTIONS WHY CANT THINGS JUST WORK OUT FOR HIM (i shouldnt be saying these things im the one writing this fucking outline).

Zuko has a panic attack for some reason because hes got t r a u m a .

Cut to Hakoda’s POV and like what he thinks about Zuko and stuff.

Ride back in the carriage, show zuko OBVIOSULY overworking himself. Pim being a badass and getting CHARCTER. Maybe she like punches someone.

Time skip again, get some bonding with Keeli in there if possible (better be possible). Zuko suspects a prison guy of embezzlement or some shit and goes to investigate HIMSELF because we need the plot to progress somehow. It’s an old waterbender prison.

SPOILER ALERT: HE FINDS KYAAAA

Kya is a badass tho and we love her and shes so strong and she sees RIGHT THRU zuko bc shes not an IDIOT (ahem hakoda).

Hakoda and Kya reunite and its beautiful and there better be tearsss.

Okay this might end up being around 25000 words instead.

Zuko works to like improve relations with the guests he has now, readers get a little inside look on a few different people.

IMPORTANT ENDING: ENDING IS AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT!!! I REPEAT: AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Make sure to end the prologue with a KNIFE IN ZUKO’S SHOULDER and nothing else because making readers feel pain is glorious.

End prologue.

- - -

#fractures atla #fractures prologue #fractures outline #outlines are so fun #this one is less self deprecating than usual #maybe the therapy sessions are working!!!#positive mindsets my peeps!!!#pma! -jacksepticeye

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setaripendragon · 5 years

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Ursakoda Soulmates - Part 2

So, predictably, this drabble I wrote for my ATLA soulmates series completely ran away with me, because Ursakoda is my OTP for Avatar and I love them so much I just couldn’t help myself. I don’t actually know how many parts there are going to be to this, but... a few more, at least.

Ursa has no idea what to do with this strange Water Tribe man who is, apparently, her soulmate. She can’t help the way her eyes are constantly drawn back to his fingers, now forever mottled with haphazard splotches of gold from her own fingers. With the celebration in full swing as dusk gives way to true night, there’s nowhere quiet enough for them to speak honestly, not that Ursa would have any idea what to say if there was. She had long ago given up on the idea of soulmates, so finding hers now, here, like this, feels a little like a smack in the face. There’s a tiny, wounded fragment of her soul that wants to hit him and demand to know where he was twenty years ago.

But she doesn’t. And she doesn’t ask how he knew, why he wasn’t surprised to find his fingers stained gold by her touch, because he wasn’t. And he walked up to her and asked if she was Fire Nation. Sure, he’d played it off as a joke, but he hadn’t been surprised at the soulmark her touch had caused, so it was clearly more than just a joke. She tries to remember if she ever learned how the Water Tribes identify their soulmates, but she doesn’t know, and she can’t ask. Not here, in front of all the village, her friends, who all think she’s Earth Kingdom, just like them.

Instead of doing or saying anything, Ursa finds herself just staring at him, holding his hands in hers, trying to put the pieces together herself. He knew who she was, probably knew right from the start, which is why he’d looked at her like that after she spilled the stew. He knew, which meant, at least, that this is unlikely to be a one-sided bond. Ursa hopes to Agni that this isn’t a one-sided bond. She’s seen first-hand how ugly those can turn.

Hakoda clears his throat, and Ursa abruptly realises she’s been staring for far too long. She gives herself a small shake, internally berating herself. She ought to know better than to get caught up in her own head and forget that she’s being watched. She goes to let go of Hakoda, because that is certainly going to get people talking – Ursa has generally done her best to avoid touching people for exactly this reason – but before she can, Hakoda turns his hands over under hers and catches hold of her in turn. He offers her a smile that she can read a dozen things in; understanding, comfort, hope, caution, amusement. Ursa abruptly realises that he has no idea what to make of her, either. It’s backhandedly comforting.

“Would you like to dance?” He asks, glancing over at where a small crowd of dancers have gathered. Ursa can’t help but smile, watching as the Water Tribe warriors show the more daring and romantic young women of the village their traditional paired dances, while others have gotten dragged into the local group dances. “If you can be spared, of course.” Hakoda adds, drawing Ursa’s attention back to him, and then on to where he’s looking over at Gen and Biyu, the elderly couple who own the local inn where Ursa works.

Gen snorts at them. “It’s about time Xia had a little fun. Go on.” He encourages.

Ursa gives him a quelling look that has absolutely no effect at all, so she relents and moves out towards the area the dancers have claimed, tugging Hakoda along with her. “You’ll have to show me how.” She tells Hakoda, looking back at him. “I’m afraid I don’t know any Water Tribe dances.”

“Perhaps you can show me some of the dances you have where you come from.” Hakoda counters lightly.

Ursa looks down and away, but she’s smiling faintly. “We… didn’t have many. It’s not… It’s no longer a social thing, in my home. It’s more of a skill, occasionally a profession.” She explains, and then waits to see how he’ll respond.

“Losing a part of your culture like that seems… kind of tragic, to me.” Hakoda muses, and Ursa’s breath catches as she turns to stare at him, smile growing. He’s much sharper than his introduction would have led her to believe, to have understood so easily all that things she’d implied with her answer, and she thinks, maybe, she’s beginning to see why Agni picked him for her.

“Yes.” Ursa agrees.

They dance, with Hakoda showing her the steps, and her learning as they go. She’s a quick study, but that doesn’t stop her from stumbling and bruising his toes in the beginning. She hardly notices, though, because Hakoda never makes her feel clumsy, and she doesn’t think she’s laughed this much since she was a girl. She’s still conscious of the eyes on them, not just of the villagers but the tribesmen, too. They’re watching Hakoda with raised eyebrows, the same way the villagers look surprised to see her… well, flirting, like this. She’s always been so careful, before this, to discourage any of those with bare wrists – or those who don’t care to wait – from taking an interest in her. After her last marriage, she hasn’t wanted to risk so much again.

Until now.

They give up dancing when they’re both out of breath and then they find a tree to sit under and rest. There’s still far too many people about, but Ursa decides she has to try and get some answers out of Hakoda. It takes her a moment to decide on her best approach, but then she leans over and taps at Hakoda’s wrist. “You don’t have a name.” She says, in question.

It takes him a moment to catch up, but then it dawns on him what she’s talking about, and he looks around at all of the Earth Kingdom people around them, and the array of wristbands most of them are wearing. “No.” He agrees, glancing at her with a conspiratorial sort of grin. “It doesn’t work like that, in the Tribes.” He tells her, and then waits.

Ursa has to bite down on the smile threatening to spread across her face. “How does it work?” She asks obligingly.

Hakoda’s grin softens into a smile that Ursa struggles to read. Wistful, perhaps, a little bit wry, and very tender. “We can feel it.” He says, returning her gesture of a moment ago, and tracing his fingers over her sleeve where it covers her otherwise bare wrist. No, Ursa realises a beat later, he’s tracing the edges of the new – and thankfully very faint – stain on her dress. “When our soulmate is in pain.” His fingers tap one, two, three spots up near her elbow, and she remembers that, yes, she had splashed herself that far up. Then he taps the exact location on her other arm where she got her worst burn during fire-bending practice, foolishly distracted during a spar with a classmate. She still has the scar.

“Oh.” Ursa breathes, because that… that explains a lot. She’s not sure whether she feels relieved to discover that all those times she was hurting, someone knew and cared, or… horrified, that all those times she’d been hurting, someone had known. She feels at once both comforted and terribly exposed.

“What about you?” Hakoda asks, and Ursa blinks, drawn out of her whirling thoughts, before frowning when she realises she has no idea what he’s talking about. He raises his eyebrows at her, and taps the bare skin of her wrist, just beyond the hem of her sleeve. “You don’t have a name either.” He prompts, carefully.

He’s not asking about Fire Nation soulmarks, because he’s seen how those work, and he’s not asking about whether she has a soulmate, because he knows she does, because he is, so… Oh. Ursa can feel herself going pale. If he can feel it when she’s in pain… Well, he’d certainly know that she has children, and she couldn’t have very well done that on her own, but he probably also knows… Her hand jumps, protectively, to cover the mark on her upper arm. The first time Ozai had touched her, it hadn’t hurt. The last time, it had.

“No, I don’t.” She agrees coolly, lowering her hand and sitting straighter, unwilling to show any more weakness right now.

Hakoda is far sharper than his introduction would have suggested, Ursa thinks, because he only looks at her, his expression mild but touched with sorrow, before he says “I’m sorry. You deserve better.”

It makes Ursa want to laugh, because it’s a lovely thing to say, but she’s really not sure that she does. It also makes her angry, because he’s her soulmate, and she could read so much subtext in a statement like that from her soulmate. “And that better is you, is it?” She asks him, sweet and challenging, watching him from the corner of her eye.

Because the truth is, she wants him to be the better that she deserves. Wants him to be a hundred times better than what she’s known, and wants to deserve it. And she knows from painful, bitter experience that wanting is dangerous. Letting other people know that you want something? That’s like tying a collar around your neck and handing them the leash.

Hakoda looks startled by her sudden attitude change, but to Ursa’s surprise, he doesn’t take offence. Instead, he snorts a laugh. “It’d be a lie to say it couldn’t be worse, but I think I’d have to be trying pretty hard to make it worse.” He points out, darkly amused. Then he sobers, and glances at her. “And I wouldn’t.” He adds, with all the weight of an oath. “I’m not perfect, but I’d do my best to treat you well.”

Words are never a guarantee, but… Ursa finds it a lot easier to believe that promise than any sweeter, prettier words. She relaxes despite herself, and offers him a faintly apologetic smile. “Once burned, twice shy.” She murmurs, by way of an explanation. Hakoda just nods, understanding without struggle, without ego, and it helps Ursa relax further, enough to lean into him again, shoulder to shoulder.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #ATLA #Ursa #Hakoda #soulmates AU #soulmate identifying marks #hakoda/ursa #hakoda x ursa #ursakoda #ursa has some issues #I wish I was better at humour #I just can't seem to get that part of Hakoda's character right very often

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zuzuslastbraincell · 4 years

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while there are some fics that do 'hakoda finds zuko lost at sea, eventually unofficially adopts him' exceptionally well, i really *really* think people need to be more careful about how they write dad!hakoda particularly when he adopts zuko as a genre of writing.

a lot of people seem to want to ignore hakoda has two children already & he genuinely loves them. a lot of people also want to act like he'll just casually shower love on an enemy child prince like it's a given (in reality, adults do not generally adopt lost or hurt children and if anything these kids are more work, more intimidating for a parent, less likely to be adopted). a lot of people want to skip past the uncomfortable fact that zuko will be a prisoner of war, and treated as such. A lot of people want to skip past the ice cold atmosphere & the difficulty building trust.

like atla fanon *massively* privileges zuko's perspective, feelings, & general wellbeing. I get where that impetus comes from - a lot of people want to write an unloved kid finding familial love, & there's a lot of comfort in that for many. but i think people really want to overlook the colonialism at play too, that the fire nation are colonisers and that the water tribe are resisting imperialist raids. i akso think people generally don't put enough thought into the thoughts, feelings, perspectives, and general interiority of water tribe characters in general, *especially* when they interact with fire nation characters. writers will often do what is best for zuko or azula without thinking about what katara or sokka want or think or need, to the extent that the latter become passive, to the extent that trauma caused by the fire nation is overlooked. this too is a kind of racism: water tribe characters are brown and indigenous and actively resisting imperialism, and to privilege the perspective of a colonising character while writing indigenous characters as passive, self-inserts, or without nearly as much depth in your writing is very suspect.

like i dont think hakoda adopting zuko is an inherently racist narrative, but bending over backwards for zuko's wellbeing without considering hakoda's beliefs, ideology, role on the ship & in his community, personal history and trauma (his wife was killed!) or how colonialism affects that dynamic at all is not simply bad writing but it's racist writing.

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carnistcervine · 5 years

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The Storm AU

Last AU I’mma post for now. I think this is enough AU spam for now. :’D

(I still have dozens more lol)

*The Gaang gets caught up in a sudden freak storm while escaping Azula.

*While flying away from her royal evilness, they start coming upon a strange patch of ocean with what looks like bony-white hands sticking up from the water.

*Remembering hearing about the Sea of Lost Souls from his ship days and about how it was filled with the cursed spirits of drowning victims, Zuko warms the group to fly around.

*But Azula is closing in, so they have no choice but to fly over, and a freak storm starts.

*The storm blows Azula's ships back, but the gaang end up crashing into the ocean and wake up in an alternate universe where the war never happened.

*The group wakes up on a Fire Nation vessel, and at first they think they've been captured.

*Naturally they don't trust Captain Zura or her crew and assume that it's a Fire Nation trap or something.

*Nevertheless, Zura is horrified by the accusations the Gaang throws out, and the Gaang are utterly bewildered by the FIRE NATION of all people offering kindness and hospitality.

*In this world, there was no century old war. And by extension, no Air Nomad genocide.

*In fact, the Air Nomads are just fine and still very much around.

*The Fire Nation are not enemies of the Avatar, instead they are the Avatar's staunchest allies.

*Instead of trying to spread their influence by conquering the world, the Fire Nation uses their good fortune to give aid to nations in need.

*Not that other nations always accept the aid. Some leaders(particularly those in the Earth Kingdom) see themselves as being "too good" for handouts.

*Also, the Gaang have all been missing for quite awhile in this world. Aang has been missing for over a century, Zuko has been missing for three years, Sokka and Katara have been missing for over a year, Suki and Toph have been missing for months.

*Iroh is Fire Lord, Lu Ten is alive, and Azulon is still hanging in there(He old as fuck tho).

*Also, Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai aren't evil. Ozai's kind of a dick, but he actually loves his children and isn't vile enough to burn Zuko.

*The Gaang aren't sure what's going on, but they do eventually go to confront their parents.

*Sokka and Katara are beyond elated to see their mom alive. Hakoda and Kya are equally happy to have their kids come home safe and sound. Kya is horrified to find that her children thought SHE had died. She's also horrified by her children's stories of their prosperous tribe being raided and stripped away by the Fire Nation.

*The Kyoshi Warriors are quite happy to have their leader return in one piece. The Kyoshi Warriors are equally stunned and horrified by Suki's stories of refugees, and a line of genocidal, megalomaniac Fire Lords that wiped out the Air Nomads, stripped the South Pole, and raped the Earth Kingdom.

*Zuko is nervous about going home. When he ultimately makes the trip home, he's given a very warm welcome by his family, save for Azula. While Ursa and Ozai are happy to see their son alive, they're horrified by the disfiguring scar he's received. They press Zuko for answers, but he doesn't know what to say/isn't ready to talk about it. Fire Lord Iroh is outraged, someone hurt his beloved nephew. Azula takes the opportunity to completely mock and taunt her older brother over his new scar. Zuko ends up holing himself up in his room, self-conscious and unwilling to talk to anyone.

*Toph doesn't want to go home and avoids doing so for as long as possible. She has the distinct feeling that nothing will change. When she eventually does return to her family, she finds that she was correct. Toph doesn't say anything of her travels with the Gaang.

*Because Aang vanished when he was twelve, the Avatar was never revealed to the world, and all anyone knows is that he's been missing for about a century.

*When Aang returns to the Southern Air Temple, the only people who knew he was the Avatar have died long ago. Without that heaviness weighing on his shoulders, Aang quickly makes new friends. Being as Aang is already a mostly-realized avatar, and one that cannot access the avatar state, he "neglects" to mention that he's the Avatar and just lets everyone believe that he's a normal airbender. While the monks are quick to accept Aang back to the temple, they do have some serious questions about that nasty scar on his back, and why his chakra is blocked. Aang avoids the topic for a long a possible. However, one day he forgets that he's trying to be just an airbender and waterbends. He's pulled in front of the monks and comes clean about being the Avatar who vanished a century ago. When they start talking about training him, Aang is quick to say that he's already learned all four elements and even mastered the avatar state. ...Until his chakra was blocked after being killed by a lightning strike in the avatar state. The monks are horrified when Aang mentions being killed in the avatar state. Aang then goes on to explain, or over-explain his whole journey with the Gaang, the Air Nomad genocide, the Fire Nation's conquest, all that fun stuff to these poor horrified monks. They end up interrupting Aang, having heard enough of his nightmare-scenario and send him to his room to have some (drugged) tea as they try and figure out what to do with the poor boy.

*While Suki's life just goes back to normal, the rest of the Gaang find themselves trapped by newly overbearing parents/guardians. Although for Toph, they just double down on being overbearing.

*The monks keep making Aang drink "calming" tea, and insist on constant healers and meditation to try and unblock his chakra. Aang hates it every time they try, because it causes him to have flashbacks or suffer a panic attack. They mostly make him stay in his room, and only let him go outside with supervision. Aang hates this, as he really just wants to go see his friends, but the monks keep him trapped in his room and making him drink tea that makes him drowsy.

*Hakoda and Kya insist that they aren't punishing Sokka and Katara, but the two are no longer allowed outside of the South Pole, and they have body guards constantly watching over them. The water sibs are happy to be treated like celebs at first, but quickly grow tired of being treated like they're going to vanish if someone takes their eyes off of them for a moment.

*Toph's parents become so much worse. Now she's under constant surveillance and barely allowed outside of her room. She's not allowed outside the house, period. She's only allowed an earthbending tutor to go over with basics with her, because benders who don't use their bending go mad. Her parents often mumble amongst themselves about how they wish they could take that 'earthbending curse' away from her. The thought of losing her earthbending is the most terrifying thing Toph has ever considered and genuinely leaves her paralyzed with fear.

*Even though Zuko voluntarily hid inside of his room, it seems to have been decided that he's not allowed outside of the palace and must have guards accompany him at all times. His family constantly pressure him to explain what happened to his face, and Zuko just shuts down even further. When he finally comes out of his room, he's rather annoyed and upset to find that not only are guards following him everywhere, but also he's not allowed outside of the palace. His family now treats him like he's made of porcelain, and Zuko explodes in frustration, claiming that he's more than capable of defending himself. Because Zuko refuses to explain how he got his scar, his family starts to wonder if it was self-inflicted.

*Sick and tired of being treated like porcelain and smothered, the Gaang all run away from home and start a new life on the run from their parents.

#ATLA AU #Avatar AU #The Storm AU

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the-jade-cross · 4 years

Text

Love on Fire - Chapter 5

Shira stretched her arms above her head, sighing at the relaxing feeling. “I liked the temple and all, but it gave me a strange sense that we were being watched all the time!”

Toph chuckled. “We probably were being watched by the ghosts of those who lived there before us.”

This caused all the others to shiver at the prospect and Toph laughed, leaning back just like Shira was, “Don’t let it get to you.”

“Being on the run like this reminds me of old times,” Aang sighed, sipping on his soup.

“If you want it to be like old times, I could chase you around and try to capture you,” Zuko teased, smirking.

Sokka laughed, “Here’s to Zuko! Who, not long ago was hunting us down but today was our hero! You put Azula in her place!” “Also known as the side of a cliff?” Toph added.

Sokka rolled his eyes but the others noticed a smile on Zuko’s face, “Thanks. I don’t deserve this.” “Yeah, no kidding,” Katara hissed before getting up and walking off.

“What’s up with her?” Sokka asked in his high-pitched voice.

Zuko sighed as he got to his feet, “I wish I knew.” The boy walked off after Katara before Sokka whined again, “What’s up with him!?”

Aang’s grey eyes immediately glanced across the campfire to where Shira sat next to Toph…. And near where Zuko had sat a moment ago. A look of worry had crossed the girl’s face as she stared into the fireplace.

“I’m sure it’s nothing Shira,” the boy assured her. Shira smiled softly at Aang, but the smile didn’t erase the worry in her eyes, “It’s not Zuko and Katara I’m worried about. I know they’ll figure it out eventually.” “Then what is it?” Suki asked, biting into her bread.

Shira sighed and looked over at where Gau and Dagny were rolling around together a ways off. It had been a week since Sokka and Zuko had returned from the Boiling Rock with Katara and Sokka’s father, Suki and a third friend. About five days after they returned, Azula attacked the temple and they had to vacate but because Appa hated going underground, they split up. Shira had gone with Zuko, Aang, Katara, Toph, Suki and Sokka atop Appa, leaving Hakoda to lead all the others to safety through a back tunnel from the temple.

Of course, the dragons had come along, but Shira was beginning to wonder if they would attract attention since they were both now the size of small dogs now.

“As the Yin and Yang, Zuko and I were born for a reason,” Shira sighed. “Just like Aang was born to end this war and defeat the fire lord. The thing is… I almost wonder if because I am pregnant it will hinder whatever it is that I have to do.” All the kids present smiled and Toph placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “I am sure that whatever you have to do will not be something you cannot do in the state you are in. If you had a reason for being born, then there is a reason you are carrying a child right now.”

“Of course, there is a reason Toph,” Sokka groaned. “It’s called reproduction! It’s when two people….” Suki cut the boy off by slapping her hand over his mouth, “Do not finish that sentence Sokka.” Shira sighed, burying her face in her hands, “I am also worried about Zuko.” “Zuko?” Aang asked. “He would be the last person I would think you would worry about. I know you two have a bond and you love each other but look at how Zuko totally kicked Azula’s butt yesterday! He can easily take care of himself.” “I’m not worried about him in the sense that I worry that he will be injured,” Shira pointed out, a little impatiently. “I know that eventually Zuko will be injured again and there is little I can do to prevent that in the future, but I am worried that he is going to stop me.” Silence followed this announcement before Toph spoke again.

“You’re worried he is going to hold you back from helping, just like he did yesterday….”

Flashback

“Get back!” Aang cried as he whipped his staff around, shutting the gates of the temple, putting some barrier between them and the attacking balloons.

Shira felt Toph tense next to her and when she looked at Toph, the girl had glanced upward. Shira followed suit and saw that the ceiling was beginning to crumble, chunks of rock beginning to fall down.

“Look out!” Toph cried, creating a roof over her and Shira to block a boulder that would have struck them.

The young earth bender rushed over to the wall furthest from the balloons and created a deep tunnel, “We can get out this way!” Shira saw more rocks coming down near her and she quickly lifted her arms, beginning to create an ice wall over her but before she could, she felt two arms wrap around her from behind and pull her out of the way.

“Be careful!” Zuko cried to her.

“I was fine,” Shira assured him. “I can take care of myself.” “I know that but not in your condition,” Zuko called back before he began to run for an opening in the wall. “Aang! Get them out of here! I’ll hold them off! Toph, watch over Shira!” Before Shira could argue with the boy, he had leapt through the whole in a flurry of flame. Shira felt a hand grip hers and she looked down to see Toph there.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Toph said, “I can sense it. I won’t protect you if you don’t want me to.”

Shira smiled, “I’ve got myself covered. You help get everyone out.” Toph nodded and hurried back to her work.

“He won’t budge!” Aang yelled. “Appa hates tunnels!” “We’ll have to fly him out,” Katara called, climbing up onto the saddle.

The others followed suit and Shira skipped herself up using an ice staircase before dissolving it. She sat down directly behind Aang who was steering Appa while the others climbed in the back. They flew out of the crumbling temple only to see Zuko and Azula standing on two separate ships, battling each other from that distance.

“Get in as close as you can!” Shira yelled over the wind to Aang.

The boy obeyed and swung Appa around as close as he could to Azula without getting too dangerously close to the balloons. Shira quickly climbed onto Appa’s head in front of Aang and began to concentrate her power on the balloon that Azula was on. A blast of pale blue light appeared from her fingers and struck the soft material of the balloon, ripping a hole in it.

“Swing around and get Zuko!” she called back to Aang.

The boy obeyed and Shira watched as they flew right beneath where Zuko and Azula were both falling. Katara reached out a hand and pulled Zuko into the saddle while Azula kept falling before she blasted herself closer to the cliff and clung to the rocks using her hair pin.

Shira sighed as Aang flew the bison out of range of the balloons. Shira turned around and began to climb back toward the saddle. She had just plopped in when Zuko spoke up.

“What. Were. You. Thinking!?”

Shira jumped at his stern voice. “I was helping!” “You could have gotten hurt!” Zuko snapped. “You told Aang to fly close enough to Azula for you to hit the balloon, but you were within her lightning range! Not only that, you were standing on Appa’s head! You could have fallen!” “I’m not a klutz Zuko!” Shira snapped back, getting angry. “Aang sits on Appa’s head all the time and he still hasn’t fallen to this day!” “He’s the avatar!” Zuko snapped. “He is an Airbender, so it won’t hurt him if he falls off! In your condition….” “IN MY CONDITION!?” Shira yelled, interrupting Zuko and making all the others jump at her tone. “In case you didn’t know Zuko, my condition happens to not be one where I am a set of breakable china! If anyone knows how to take care of myself, it would be me! I was thirteen freaking years old when I was thrown into a hell hole and I came out alive, the first person ever to survive that place! I lived on my own after that, I survived Azula’s lightning protecting you and I managed to not go insane in fire nation prison!”

“It is not the same,” Zuko said, his voice trying to remain calm but failing. “You’re pregnant and not only does it hinder your ability to protect yourself, but you are also vulnerable while trying to protect the child more than you. I know you Shira; you would rather put your life on the line than anyone else’s.” “In case you didn’t know genius,” Shira hissed. “If I die, so does the baby! Do you think I am trying to put myself in mortal danger!? I am trying to keep myself alive in order to keep OUR baby alive!? In case you didn’t know Zuko, but when you happen to be the guy to do the deed, the child that comes after just so happens to be YOUR CHILD!”

Zuko froze and the silence that followed was so dense that one could hear Sokka’s jaw making contact with the saddle. “You don’t think I know that?” Zuko asked, his voice soft but hurt.

Shira gritted her teeth, “No, I know for a fact that you know it. You just don’t seem to understand that the child is also mine. I am the one who is to carry this child for nine months on my own. I am the one who has to eat twice as much and take twice as many bathroom breaks to care for this child. I am the one who is being treated like a china doll because you think I’m breakable. I am the one who has to protect this child with my own flesh and blood. I am the one who was in prison for almost four months with this child growing in my womb. I am the one who kept myself from becoming insane or hysteric so as to prevent losing this child to a miscarriage. I am the one who is going to feel the pain of labor and the one who will be nursing this child almost until it is three years old. Don’t you ever question my ability to protect myself and our child again.”

Flashback end

Aang cringed at the memory, “Yeah…. That wasn’t the most pleasant debate that I have ever heard.”

“You both were pretty much jerks,” Sokka replied lazily but Suki slapped him over the head.

“Both of them were right though in their own way. Zuko is worried about Shira because that is just natural. He is going to be a father and because that is also on his conscience, he is double worried about Shira. This is his first time ever becoming a father and it is only natural that he wants to protect Shira but because of her condition, he is incredibly handsy and protective because he knows that while Shira has no problem protecting herself, he knows that she has put herself in dire situations before. The time when she protected him at the Agni Kai and the time, she got electrocuted by Azula. Because he knows that she has purposely placed herself in danger for others, he is trying to keep her from doing that because he knows that if anything happens to her, he will not only lose Shira but also lose the baby.” “What about Shira?” Toph argued. “She had a very valid point. She knows just as much as Zuko her vulnerable state, but she hasn’t put herself in danger so far, she has just protected herself if she happens to be in danger. She didn’t put herself beneath that rock in the temple but tried to avoid it… but Zuko intervened. She didn’t put herself in danger by protecting Zuko when he was fighting Azula, she was doing the most natural thing to her. She could have jumped down there and taking a blast for Zuko which would have been stupid and been fatal but instead she managed to protect him without hurting anyone.”

Shira sighed, getting to her feet, “I am going to go walk.”

Once she was gone, Sokka opened his mouth to ask what was up with her but Suki elbowed him before he could.

Shira had only been walking for about ten minutes before she sensed a presence behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

“I’m sorry about what happened yesterday,” Shira said calmly. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“I started it,” Zuko replied, his voice indicating that he was about ten feet behind her. “I shouldn’t have questioned you or your judgement. Out of the two of us, you always knew the right thing to do.”

Shira relaxed her shoulders and the two were swallowed into silence. Suddenly Shira heard Zuko’s footsteps nearing until she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck as he stood directly behind her.

“I just…I know you want to feel responsible for protecting our child, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to protect it too… and it’s not because it is my child…. but because it is ours.” Zuko sighed and Shira felt the warm breath fan over her neck, and she felt her heartbeat quicken.

“Whenever I see you in danger or hurt, the first thing that comes to mind is how to fix it…. but the thing that follows directly afterwards is…. What am I going to do if fixing you won’t work? When you got hit by Azula back then, the first thing I thought was to give you to my uncle to try and fix you…. I knew he had more experience with lightning and burns than even I did…. But the moment he sent me away while he treated your injuries, I thought of what would happen if he wasn’t able to fix you…. If you never opened your eyes again. Back then, I hadn’t even told you how I felt for you… I hadn’t told you that I liked you even as Raven and even if you didn’t remember your past. I knew that if you didn’t survive that blow, I would have things unsaid for the rest of my life.” Shira bit her lip to try and keep tears from flowing but she knew she had failed when she felt one trickle down her cheek.

“But when I saw you on Appa…. Blowing up that balloon…. just close enough to where Azula could take you down in seconds… the first thing I thought of was that I hoped Katara’s healing would be enough to save you if you got hurt…. But almost immediately I thought of the baby. If you didn’t survive, would the baby survive? If it did, I would have something to remember you by, something to remember the love we share and the times we have had together. But if that baby didn’t survive as well as you, I know that I wouldn’t have been able to go on. I can’t lose you both Shira. I know it will hurt if we lose the baby and I know it will hurt like hell if I lose you…. But if I lose both of you, I feel like I’ll not only lose you…. But I’ll let you down.”

Shira felt Zuko slip his arms around her waist, hugging her to his chest while he buried his face in her shoulder, his body shaking from unshed tears.

“Don’t ask me to do that.” Shira gently peeled his arms from her before turning around to face him. She saw tears glistening in his eyes and she knew that he could see the tears trickling down her face. Reaching up, she cupped his face in her hands and pressed her forehead to his.

“Do you think I want you to lose either of us? I promise I will try harder to understand your protectiveness, but you have to trust that I am not doing things because I am disregarding my situation and our child. Believe me when I tell you that my situation and our child are the first things I think of when I choose to do something.” Zuko slowly nodded against her forehead before pressing a warm kiss to her lips. When they pulled away, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before drawing her head to his chest, cradling it there while he peppered kisses all over her hair.

“Don’t scare me like that again.”

Shira smiled and nodded but the smile faded when deep in her gut, she knew that she would have to make a choice that may or may not deeply wound the boy. A choice that she wished she didn’t have to make but she had no choice.

***************

“We’ll be back in a few days,” Zuko assured Shira. “it won’t be long.” Shira smiled, coming over to hug the boy, “I know you will. Just don’t do anything stupid, be safe and keep your ears warm.” “Now you’re starting to sound like my uncle,” Zuko teased, hugging the girl back and kissing her head.

Shira shrugged as she pulled away, “What can I say? He’s rubbed off on me.” Zuko chuckled before he got down on one knee in front of Shira and gently placed his forehead against her rounded belly.

“Take care of her while I’m gone, yeah?” he whispered, “I know you cannot do much now, just don’t give her a hard time especially at night. She likes to sleep you know.” Shira smiled fondly down at Zuko as he pressed a kiss to her belly before getting to his feet. Leaning down, he planted a warm kiss on her lips and one more on her forehead before he climbed up into the saddle with Katara.

Shira knew that there was no way she would be able to leave the camp even with Katara and Zuko gone. With Zuko having agreed to go with Katara to hunt down the man who killed her mother, Shira felt a little hopeful that her departure would be a breeze but of course she failed to remember that they had a blind earth bender in their midst who could hear things that people couldn’t even see.

“What are you doing?” Toph whispered, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Shira sighed as she stuffed her other spare shirt into her bag, “I don’t have a choice Toph. I need to do this.”

“Is it that you need to do this, or you want to do this?” Toph inquired. “You forget that it was just yesterday evening that you and Zuko finally came to an agreement to not be overly protective and not overly picky about his being protective. Is it that you want to do this to prove that you are not fragile?” Shira paused, lacing up her boots. “No. I need to do this. I am already six months along Toph. I only have three months and if I know anything about my people is their uncanny characteristic to have their children sometimes even five months early. Of course, that is something I failed to mention to Zuko when we spoke of our people as kids…. Though I’m glad I did.” “Because he would have refused to leave with Katara if he had known that you could very well go into labor tonight.” Shira nodded, “I need answers Toph. I need to know before this baby is born what it is that I have to do. I need to know what my past lives did in order to fulfill their duties. I need to find out who was the last Yin and Yang.” “I thought it was the coyfish,” Toph pointed out.

“They were the last Yin and Yang recorded. The Yin and Yang of the generation between them and Zuko and I are still unknown.” “Couldn’t they be your parents?” Toph inquired.

“Then why was Zuko chose as the Yang?” Shira pointed out. “None of his ancestors were Yin and Yang but Yin and Yang are my past. They were my great-grandparents and grandparents. For all I know, they could be my parents but I need to know why Zuko was chosen, who were the Yin and Yang of the last generation and what it is I must do.” Toph sighed, sensing that Shira had finished packing and had slung her bag onto her back.

“You are leaving?” a soft voice asked and the two turned to find Aang standing there.

Shira nodded, “I have to.” “I would give you a ride on Appa to wherever you are going but Katara and Zuko happen to have him.” Shira smiled and shook her head, “I already have a ride.”

Almost immediately, Toph’s ear twitched and she turned to the forest nearby just as two figures emerged, one riding the other. A huge black horse trotted softly out of the woods with an all too familiar blond boy on his back.

Mitsuru and Hirako pulled to a stop in front of the three kids before Hirako dismounted and Mitsuru shifted to his human self.

“Sorry, but I had to bring Mitsuru along,” Hirako told his sister. “Nighttime is the one time I have trouble.” “Why?” Toph inquired.

“It’s dark and it makes it harder for me to see. I cannot very well hear,” Hirako replied. “So Azula was right when she said you were deaf,” the girl muttered.

Hirako grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah. Anyway, we had better go sis.” Shira nodded and turned to Aang and Toph. Quickly she gave them a hug before calling over Gau and Dagny. Mitsuru approached Aang and Toph, bowing his head to them.

“Thank you for taking care of our sister.”

The two kids nodded back before Mitsuru shifted. Hirako climbed onto him and held out his hand to his sister. Shira climbed up carefully to sit behind her brother, holding onto his shoulders while the dragons lifted to the skies.

“When Zuko comes back….” Shira muttered. “Please tell him…. You know…. I’m sorry and…. I’ll be alright.” Aang smiled and nodded, “I will.” With that, the three Trusang’s rode off into the night. Toph turned to Aang and tilted her head, “You do realize that Zuko isn’t going to take the news as easily as we did.” Aang sighed, rubbing his head, “That’s what I’m worried about.”

***********

Aang, Katara and Zuko climbed up the hill to where the camp was. Suki, Sokka and Toph had been preparing dinner when they saw them approaching and they all rushed over to say hi.

“How was the trip?” Sokka inquired, hugging his sister.

“Great,” Katara replied. “I needed it.” Suki walked over and hugged the girl as well while Sokka walked over and clapped Zuko on the shoulder, “Thanks for keeping an eye on my sister.” Zuko smiled and nodded, “Don’t worry about it. I hope you kept an eye on Shira for me.” Immediately, the whole group was swallowed into silence and Zuko looked around the group in confusion.

“What? Why do you guys look at me like you have just gone and murdered someone?” Katara looked around the camp, “Is it just me or is Shira not around?” Zuko suddenly looked around too, his face paling and worry working its way into his features. Turning to Sokka, he frowned, “Where is Shira?” “Uh…..well……I mean…… I don’t….. I have to rebuff in responding that inquiry as it is outside my capacity of audacity.”

“Wha….” Katara and Zuko both muttered.

“Zuko,” Aang sighed. “There is something I need to tell you.” Zuko turned to the boy, furrowing his brow, “What is it?” “Shira is not here,” the boy sighed. “She left the day you and Katara left… she left with her brothers.” “But why?!” Zuko insisted. “Why didn’t she even tell me!?” “She said she needed to find answers,” Toph replied. “She had to dig deep into her past to find some answers…. And she didn’t want you to worry about her or try to talk her out of it which is why she didn’t tell you.” Zuko scanned the camp, his lip beginning to tremble, “The dragons went with her?” The kids nodded and Zuko sighed, “That’s good…… wait….” Striding across the camp, Zuko stormed over to Shira’s tent and picked up her sword which was laying in front of the tent, “She left her sword…..” “She said she doesn’t need it where she is going,” Toph sighed.

“And where exactly is she going?” Zuko insisted.

The kids all shook their heads, none of them knowing. Zuko didn’t wait longer and stormed into Shira’s tent, closing the flap behind him.

Toph looked over at Aang and sighed, “You have a suspicion of where she is going don’t you?” Aang nodded, “The past.”

**************

“Psst,” Hirako whispered back to his sister. “Shira, wake up!” The girl whimpered as she slowly came to consciousness to see that over the course of the journey, she had changed places with Hirako so that she sat in front and she had dozed off in the safety of her younger brother’s arms.

From what she could see, they were standing on the edge of a small river that traveled straight to the right through what looked like a curtain of trees and leaves.

“What is it?” Shira asked. “Are we there yet?” Hirako smiled, “We’re almost home Yuyu. You need to change.” Shira frowned as she sat up fully to see that Hirako had lifted her from Mitsuru who had changed back human and was now pulling out a bag that he had hidden beneath a bush. He dumped the contents in front of Shira to reveal three pairs of clothes, one for Shira and the others for the two of them.

“Why didn’t you wear these when you came to get me all those times?” Shira asked as she went through her outfit and began to figure it out.

“They stand out because we are Nova, people of the stars.” Hirako explained, pulling off his old shirt and putting on his new one.

Soon Shira finished dressing and came out from behind the bushes to find that her outfit was identical to Mitsuru and Hirako’s, but feminine. The two boys smiled at their sister.

“I hope you’re up for a splash,” Hirako teased.

Taking his sister by the hand, Hirako led her to the edge of the river while Mitsuru took her other hand. Shira placed her foot on the water, and it froze, allowing them to walk across and down the river. When they reached the curtain of branches, Hirako lifted his hand and the branches moved for them.

Shira felt a gasp escape her as she looked upon her home…. The home she had left when she was a baby to hide in the North Pole…. The home of her people: Novah. Hundreds of trees the size of towers grew in a cluster, their thick leaves creating the world beneath them to be shrouded in semi darkness like the pale darkness that covers the world at dusk just before the sun fails and leaves it swallowed in darkness.

Around the base of each giant tree rose clusters of pointy roofed houses, tall triangle shaped windows making up most of the walls and each swallowed in pale golden light like fireflies in the dark. Weaving between all the trees was a massive river, bridges crossing over them every hundred meters, waterfalls crashing down beneath every few bridges.

“Welcome home sis,” Mitsuru whispered.

Her two brothers led her down the hill to the valley and onto the front porch of one of the houses. It was triangle shaped and the huge front window made up for the lack of walls and gentle golden light poured down on the front porch from the window.

The front door opened and out step the familiar tall, slender figure that Shira recognized immediately.

“KANAME!”

The girl rushed over to her brother and wrapped her arms around his abdomen (Which was as far as she could reach what with her rounding belly and short stature). Kaname chuckled and hugged the girl gently to him.

“We were expecting you,” Kaname said.

Shira paused before pulling away to look at her brother quizzically, “We?” Kaname nodded and turned to the side to reveal two characters standing in the doorway, their features shadowed by the light behind them. Shira squinted and as the figures stepped forward, her eyes widened.

“Mei! Ty Lee! But…. Zuko said….” “That Azula locked us up,” Mei finished. “Yeah he did but it seems that the fire nation has an increasing disability in keeping certain black cats from slipping in.” With that, the girl gave a deadpan glare over the girl’s shoulder and Shira knew that was where Mitsuru was standing.

“You should be thankful that I didn’t leave you there!” the boy pointed out angrily.

While the two began to growl at each other, Ty Lee hurried over to wrap her arms around the petite girl.

“I’m so glad that you managed to get out of prison Shira!” The girl squealed. “I was so worried about the baby….” “Wait….” Mitsuru spoke up, both he and Mei freezing in their argument. “You never told us that you knew about Shira being pregnant.”

“Ty Lee knows the human body,” Mei replied seriously. “Besides, all the signs were there and Shira also happened to tell us when we visited her in prison. How did you happen to know?”

Mitsuru shrugged, “You would be surprised how many things a wolf can tell just by smelling someone.” “EW!” The three girls cried and Kaname covered his mouth to hide his laugh.

“Alright, that is enough everyone. Let’s head inside before Mei’s soup goes cold.” “Like we would even eat it,” Mitsuru muttered under his breath and Mei slapped him over the head.

Hirako was already running inside, the smell of dinner having caught his attention before Kaname’s words. While Shira walked in behind Mei and Mitsuru who were still bickering, she glanced back to see Kaname offer his arm to Ty Lee who blushed deeply before shyly taking it.

*********

“I doubt there is much reason to ask why you are here,” Kaname said. “It is rather evident.” The group was sitting in the cozy living room. Four brown leather couches sat in a square pattern, so they were all sitting facing each other. Shira was sitting on a couch by herself, Ty Lee and Mei having propped her all over with pillows and covered her in a blanket, putting a cup of cocoa in her hands. Mei and Mitsuru happened to be sitting on the same couch surprisingly, poking at each other whenever the other wasn’t looking. Kaname was sitting across from Shira, still looking elegant even when sitting back on the couch, his arms folded in his lap. Hirako sat on the empty couch, still stuffing his mouth with dessert.

“I need answers… and I don’t know if there is any other way of finding them out unless I know the full history of the Yin and Yang.” “I thought you went to the spirit world,” Mitsuru spoke up. “Didn’t you see the whole history? You know… you said something about statues…” Shira nodded, “But the generation between Zuko and I and the coyfish Yin and Yang was missing.” “Missing?” Mitsuru spoke up. “Last Generation huh?”

Shira glanced over at her little brother, “What is it?” Mitsuru shrugged, sitting up straight, “I was just thinking about how if Shira wanted to know facts about the last generation, the Time Turning would help.” “YEAH!” Hirako cried, jumping to a sitting position. “The Time Turner!” Shira looked over at Kaname, “Time Turning?” Kaname nodded, “It was something created by the first Yin and Yang and mother knew about it. After you were placed in the Fire Nation and before mother died, she discovered the origin of the Time Turner. It gave the Yin and Yang the ability to visit and experience their past lives if it ever came to their need of knowledge from their past lives.” “Well that sounds like exactly what I need,” Shira said, sitting up but Mei quickly pushed her back down, covering her back up with another blanket.

“There is an itsy, bitsy problem though,” Hirako pointed out. “We have been unable to enter the Time Turner since mum found it.” “Duh,” Mitsuru groaned. “Because only the Yin or Yang can enter.” Silence followed before Hirako shrugged, “Oh, that makes sense.” Shira chuckled, pushing the blankets off her and sitting up straight. “So, where do I find this thing?” Mitsuru chuckled, getting up from the couch and walking to the front door, opening it and pointing directly out. “Walk through that wall of trees and you’ll find it.” Shira nodded, getting from the couch and walking over.

“Wait,” Mei remarked as Mitsuru walked back over to the couch and leant against the back of it, “You aren’t planning on going, now are you?” “I have to,” Shira replied. “Any day now Aang is going to prepare to take out the fire lord and knowing Zuko, he is going to look for Iroh and try to take out Azula. I need to know what it is that I have to do before then. I’ll be fine.” Mitsuru shrugged, “Just go already. We won’t miss you if you die!” Even though the boy was teasing, Mei punched him in the cheek and the two began arguing again. Shira looked over her shoulder at her brothers, Hirako having returned to his eating while Kaname had sneakily slipped an arm to lay on the back of the couch behind Ty Lee who was blushing so much she looked ready to pop.

Kaname gave her a thumbs up and Shira smiled.

“Go get em sis.”

#zuko #avatar #avatar the last airbender #zuko x oc

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snake-house · 7 years

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Sokka X Male!Reader - adventure.

Sokka X Male!Reader warnings: none really he/him pronouns used for reader *no i am still not over avatar **set after the series aye ___ When Suki left to go back to Kyoshi Island, Sokka was left to himself. He wasn’t sure what the future held, where he was going or what he was going to do from this day forward. The easiest thing to do would be to follow his sister and her new avatar-boyfriend, but was that really what he wanted? To follow his baby sister wherever she went? No, not really.

He knew Katara wanted to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe to it's former glory, but she also knew that Aang had a duty to travel the nations and bring harmony back to the world that only knew chaos and destruction. She knew this chaos had to be tamed, and she was willing to set back her want to reclaim her homeland to travel with Aang. Sokka could go with Toph, to that metal bending school she had started up, but then again, he would be in her shadow as well. Maybe it was time for him to make something for himself? He was confused and a little scared of what his future held, but, he would push forward. He decided to set corse for home. The Southern Water Tribe. His dad was down there, so he knew that there was something there for him. Plus not only would his dad need some help, but his tribe needed help, and that’s all the motivation he needed to go back to the snowy landscape of his childhood. The moment Sokka stepped off the boat he was engulfed by his father's arms in a crushing hug which he immediately returned. “I'm so happy to see you,” Hakoda beamed at his son, letting go of him and clapping him on the shoulder, "It will be good to have you back." “Thanks, I'm excited to be back,” He replied, a smile sprawled across his face. Since his father was the chief of the tribe, he wanted to throw Sokka into some work, but ultimately let Sokka take a break for the rest of the day. Sokka put his stuff into his father’s tent before he started really taking in the differences of his childhood home to what it had become. He wandered around, looking at the new buildings coming to life, as well as the growing port he had just come off of. The tribe had grown in the time the Avatar had defeated the Fire Lord. The village was at least two, maybe three times as large as it was before. Hadoka said that many people from their sister tribe have moved down here to help in the rebuilding process, so that was the main cause of the influx of people, but still. It was a start. That also meant there were finally benders down here besides his sister, there was more life to his home. Sokka smiled and took in a deep breath, the sent of fires and roasting fish filled his nostrils, filling him with warmth. But his happiness was cut short when something ran into him, hard. The brunet stumbled a little from the impact, he was ready to give a snarky remark, but the person who ran into him started spurting apologies, “I’m so so so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going, I was so careless! I’m sorry! Please forgive me!” And the person bowed their head towards him. Sokka could only stare at your deep blue parka in slight confusion as you apologized so fiercely, you would have thought you injured him with how regretful you sounded. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at your bowed head, “Hey, uh, it’s alright, honest mistake. Right?” He tried to sound lighthearted so you would stand up. When you finally stood up to your full height to face him, he was shocked. You were maybe two inches shorter than him, same height as Katara, but you were breath taking. Your soft [color] hair laid against your [skin tone] skin perfectly, framing your face to bring out those beautiful [color] eyes that were looking at him with worry. He didn’t know what to say, and he couldn’t help but take in every detail of your being. From the way you twisted and fidgeted with your glove-clad hands, and how soft your pink-tinted lips looked, and your long eyelashes, you were beautiful. Wait, when did he think guys were beautiful again? In a brief panic, Sokka's eyes widened at his own thoughts. He was 100 percent sure he was straight... Right? “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Your voice had the same worry your eyes held. The question brought him out of his thoughts, “No, I’m fine. Are you ok?” You smiled at his slight concern, making Sokka’s cheeks tinge pink. “I’m fine thank you.” He smiled at you and nodded, “Um, do you happen to know where Chief Hadoka is? I’ve just arrived from the Northern Water Tribe, my brothers are benders, and are here to help get things up and running again.” You stated with a bright smile that could melt Sokka right there if he let himself. Great, again with the girlish thoughts. “Yeah, I know where he is, follow me?” He suggested, to which you nodded, and the two of you started walking, “I just arrived myself, I didn’t see you on the boat.” He commented. You easily matched his pace as he lead the way, “Oh, well, I get sea sick easily. So I was mainly vomiting my guts out the whole trip,” you admitted sheepishly. “Funny thing to say as a Water Tribe native, thankfully I have the excuse of being a non-bender.” You said with a smile. You were never envious of your siblings for being benders and you being the only non-bender out of them, you actually liked your simple life. While they had hours of bending practice, you had hours of lessons you personally picked and enjoyed. “Non-bender you say?” You nod, “Well I’m on the same boat, my younger sis is a bender, a master water bender,” Sokka loved his sister, but there was always a small hint of jealously there because of how amazing she was at waterbending. “That’s amazing!” You commented, "You must be very proud," He looked around your age, and his younger sister was a master bender? That must have been quite the feat. “Yeah, she’s quite something,” he looked over at you to see your bright smile, “Mind if I get your name?” You blushed at your forgetfulness of simple introductions, “Right!” You stuck your hand out to him, “I’m [Name], nice to meet you.” Sokka shook your hand gently, surprised by the strong grip you had as you shook his hand, he expected it to be soft, like your face, “I’m Sokka, nice to meet you too.” “Wait, your the Chief’s son?” You asked slowly, and he nodded just as slowly, unsure by your comment, “I’m so sorry for my actions!” You apologized again, once again stopping to bow your head regretfully. The horror on your face made him laugh lightly, “Like I said, don’t worry about it. And you really don’t need to worry. The Southern Tribe isn’t as formal as our sister tribe, so no need to bow or anything [Name].” He teased, taking note of how he liked the way your name rolled of his tongue. Ok, he was 90 percent sure he was straight. With a crooked smile you nodded, “If you say so.” Sokka smiled back at you and lead you to his and his father’s tent. Hadoka was sitting by the fire he had going and was talking to two other men which looked like layout plans. He heard a sigh come from you, “What’s a matter?” A smile still on your face despite your dejected sigh, “My brothers beat me to it.” You pointed at the men, “I was going to try and get to the chief first so that they would notice me, but I have fallen short again.” You weren’t being serious when you said that. Your brothers noticed you plenty, but they mainly just teased and messed with you. They also had a habit of taking you for advantage because of the pushover you could often be, you just wanted to prove you could do more than be the butt of the joke all the time. There was no doubt you loved them, but you just wanted something more from the one-sided relationship. Sokka stared at your pouting face as you gazed at your siblings that had yet to notice the two of you. He nudged your arm slightly, gesturing to follow him back outside. “Since your brothers seem busy, want me to show you around a little? I mean, there isn’t much to show yet, and I haven't been here long to but-” you cut him off with a laugh. “I’d like that Sokka, thank you,” You replied with your sweet and happy smile back on your face. So that’s exactly what he did. He showed you all the different places you could go, as well as promising you that he would take you penguin sledding sometime in the near future. Sokka was even proud enough to show you the watch tower he built a while back, the same one Aang destroyed when he signaled the Fire nation by accident. It was skill slightly caved in, but still standing nonetheless! As the two of you just walked and talked, for the first time in a while, he didn’t feel the pressure of being someone or something he wasn’t, he didn’t feel like he needed to impress anyone. It was nice. Your heartfelt smiles and sweet voice made his whole body want to melt, if only you knew you already had the pour boy wrapped around your finger. Now it was 80 percent sure he was mostly straight. As the sun started to set, Sokka and you headed back to his tent to see if your brothers were still there or not. And just as the two of you approached, your siblings as well as his father stepped out of the tent. “[Name]?” One of them called with a slight smirk on his face when he saw Sokka, “What have you been up to?” You smiled at your older brothers, “Oh, well Sokka was just showing me around since you both were busy.” The older boy pursed his lips, he and his brother looked around maybe 20 years old? Maybe even younger, but they were for sure older than Sokka and yourself. “Ah yes, Sokka, this is my son,” Hadoka cut in, coming up beside Sokka to clap him on the soldier yet again, “I’m glad to see you’re being kind and showing [Name] here around, I hope you treated him right.” You smiled at his words while a pink stained Sokka’s cheeks. Both of your brothers knew what was up with Sokka, and they knew how dense you were, it was quite amusing for them. The two had smirks plastered on their faces. They knew their little brother was breathtaking. In the Northern Tribe you already had suitors of both men and women lined up at your door at just 16 years old. At the look in Sokka’s face they knew he was smitten by you. “Well, we better get going [Name],” your eldest brother started, “It’s getting late.” You nodded. “Right,” you turned to Sokka, “Thank you for showing me around and I again apologize for literally running into you,” you beamed a bright smile at him before bidding a goodbye to Chief Hadoka and running to catch up with your brothers. Sokka watched you walk away with your siblings, a goofy smile on his face, but there was still a pang of sadness for missing his own sister. “He’s a strange choice for you, but I can see why you like him,” his dad butted into his thoughts, “Not that I disapprove or anything. His parents are the advisors to the chief in the Northern Water Tribe.” Does that mean you knew Yue? Sokka didn’t want to think about it. So Sokka just nodded, "H-He is something, I don't why but.. uh I guess I do kind of like him?” He stated his words as a question more for himself than anything. "Where are his parents?" “They stayed behind, they had a job there, but [Name] and his siblings came here to help anyways.” Hadoka responded. “Oh, that’s cool, I guess.” Sokka replied nonchalantly. He was trying to maintain a cool front, but really, he was really curious about you, as well as freaking out inside that his father was alright with him having a thing for another guy. It was all too weird for him. -- Over the next few weeks, you and Sokka had become close. He always found a reason to be around you, not that you minded, and suddenly the two of you became inseparable. Your brothers thought it was funny as hell by how oblivious you were to Sokka’s feelings towards you, and Hadoka was already secretly planning your wedding despite his son not completely understanding his own sexuality. From the outside, it was all very amusing. Your brothers bent an igloo for your home, much like everyone else, and very similar to the way the homes were built before the Fire Nation attacked all that time ago. All the tents were being turned into these igloos, even his own home was replaced with one, not that he minded, it was good change seeing as it was better for the weather they usually got. Sokka and you have become so familiar with each other, neither on of you bothered to knock when you went over to one another’s home, but when he was about to walk into yours your eldest brother walked out, followed by the younger one, “Is [Name] home?” He asked, only because he was there and it would be the polite thing to do. “Yeah he is, he said he wasn’t feeling well though, maybe you could cheer him up. He’s in his room.” He stated before walking off. Sokka walked in and went straight to your room. You were bundled up under various hides and blankets, your back facing him, “Hey [Name]? It’s me, Sokka, how are you feeling?” He asked gently as he approached your bed side. You turned towards him when you heard his voice, “Hey Sokka.” Your voice cracked slightly with the simple greeting A frown took over the boy’s face, you looked and sounded sick. Your face was pale, eyes were puffy, he felt an ache of sadness for you in this state, “Oh man, you’re sick.” He said as he knelt beside you. You smiled weakly, “I like to think of it like my body is getting rid of all the negative energy.” He smiled at the sweet words, “Will you keep me company?” You asked. “Of course I will,” With a smile he crossed his legs and took off the boomerang that was attached to his back and set it aside, as well as shedding off his huge parka to make himself comfortable. The two of you talked for what seemed like forever, not really about anything. You both learned more about one another. Sokka told you about his adventures with the Avatar, about his travels, and you found it to be the most interesting thing in the world. You could listen to him talk all day if he wanted to. After a long while of talking though, your eyes started to droop with the sleep that was signaling you to fall into dreamland. Sokka stopped talking when he noticed you drifting into sleep, “n…no keep going.” You urged him with a sleepy smile, which made a small one tug at his lips. “No, you need sleep to get better.” He urged. A pout settled on your face, “Sooookkaaaaaa,” you drawled out, jutting your bottom lip out at him. “Nope, not happening, you’re going to sleep and get better, and when that happens, you’ll hear the end of the story.” He reasoned with you, trying to strike a deal, "I'll even bring you some soup when you wake." There was a pause of silence from you, not sure if you should listen or not, “…on one condition,” you said slowly. Sokka raised and eyebrow, “What is that?” You reached your arms out from under the blankets towards him like a child, “Lay with me please.” His face was immediately taken over with a blush. Being the hormonal teenager he was, his mind dropped down into the gutter. You looked so innocent right now, pouting and waiting for you to join him, he didn’t know what to do, “I-I can’t do that [Name], your brothers would kill me.” He said awkwardly before rubbing the back of his head and looking away from you. “Please, I’m cold.” You mumbled, crossing your arms lightly over your chest. You were staring at him with those puppy dog eyes that always won your brother's favor, and his, waiting for him to look back at you instead of at the opposite end of the room. When he did finally decide to look back at you, he was sucked into those deep [color] irises of yours like the first day he met you, and he knew he was in for it. With a sigh, he lazily took off his boots and pulled back the covers of you bed before climbing in with you, “Better?” You smiled and nodded, “Very much, thank you.” A sigh left his mouth as well as his eyes shutting for a moment. Sokka’s eyes shot open with a sharp intake of breath when you curled up beside him, putting his arm around you, laying your head against his chest, “W-What are y-you doing?” He sputtered out, now believe he was never going to get rid of his blush. A sleepy giggle left you, “You’re warm, I’m cold.” You replied like it was obvious what you were doing. His face was still a deep shade of red as he laid there, your form laying against him. He was also vaguely afraid his body would react to you and you would figure it out and freak and he would never see you again. Yeah, he was panicking again. You were oblivious at first with Sokka’s feelings, but, the constant out of character blushing and stuttering started to hint to you about them as of recent. Oh, and you were going to use your ignorant facade to your advantage. You were innocent for the most part, but you were still a teenager just like him and had the same hormones as the next guy, and truth be told, you sorta felt the same way about Sokka. Except you were sure about your sexuality and he wasn't. It took a while, but as soon as you felt Sokka starting to relax, you spoke up, even though you were half asleep, “Sokka, would you take me on an adventure one day? Like the ones you were telling me about?” His heart melted at your words, “Of course I will, I couldn’t think of anything better.” He replied, absently stroking your hair. “Thank you.” You said with a sleepy tone, and before you and Sokka knew it, you were out like a light. Sokka knew he could be facing a beating from your brothers by being in the same bed as you, but right now, he could care less about it. You were content and happy about it, and that’s all that mattered, you were all that mattered to him. Even if the next week he was as sick as you were right now. It would be worth it.

#atla #Avatar The Last Airbender #avatar #sokka #sokka x reader #male reader insert #male reader #x male reader #x male reader insert #the last airbender

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shampoo153 · 7 years

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North and South

Give me a Katara who struggles with being the only Southern waterbender. Give us something that shows that Northern and Southern bending was different (even within the same element, bending styles could be different - the most obvious example here is Toph vs. every other earhbender we see) and Katara struggles with the fact that she learned Northern bending and does that mean the Southern style is lost forever? Was she not able to preserve that important piece of her people’s history and culture? (Recall she pulls up culture within episode one).

Give us Hakoda, who is struggling to keep the peace between the Northerners (who look down on the Southerners and see themselves as their saviors) and the Southerners (who are proud and hurt because why did you never help us? why are you trying to replace us?) because they might not make it through the next winter without the Northerners (and doesn’t that just burn).

Give us Sokka, who is learning diplomacy at his father’s side and finally show us how good a hunter he is, back in his element. Who doesn’t find much fun with the Northern warriors because they have no experience and it shows, while he and the men of his tribe were at the front line of battles; yet they are the ones talked down to.

Give us Kanna, who maybe loves Pakku (but of course she loved her former husband, Hakoda’s father, don’t try to erase him) and backs her son because Northern ways are different from Southern ways and it is the Southern way of life that she chose (although maybe add some conflict among the tribe because Kanna was originally from the North and isn’t she choosing sides by choosing Pakku?). Show us how important she is to the villagers, as an elder of the tribe and mother of the chief.

Give us Pakku, who is (although low key) trying to impress his new son-in-law, Hakoda and is somewhat offended by Hakoda’s ambivalence towards him.

Give us a Fire Lord Zuko who can’t just leave the Fire Nation - because he’s the only ruler now and he has no heirs, he can just go gallivanting around anymore. Someone who understands that the Fire Nation’s damage to the Southern Water Tribe was deep in more than resources - who would never just show up bearing the Fire Nation Insignia because he respects boundaries and maybe opens a line of communication - agreeing not to even pass Kiyoshi Island, who would serve as a middle ground for negotiation between Fire and Water.

Show us that the gender divide wasn’t suddenly gone because of Katara - because that’s not how it works. In their minds, Katara is just an exception to the rule (’well, you know, she’s just not like other girls’).

Don’t try to imply that Katara and Sokka didn’t want to immediately go home - that’s their home and the war is won, oh my gosh do you think Gran Gran and the kids are okay? Did they gather enough food for the winter? Are they being treated well? They grew up being told to be responsible for the tribe.

World build - maybe there was one village (and isn't that horrifying - that they could have come so close to just dying out, build on that desperation and hopelessness) - maybe there were several scattered villages and they only came together to get through winter. Maybe the Northerners never realized that having a little bit of land available to them and being so close to the Spirit Oasis would affect things so much and are struggling just to pull things together. Maybe the Northerners feel really guilty, seeing how much their sister tribe had fallen. Show us the waterbenders trying to build houses for everyone and the village is looking like a town, now (’cause no way a city goes up that fast).

#avatar: the last airbender #atla #north and south #story prompt #fanfic idea

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headquartersforlievmuses · 7 years

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► Sooka

Sokka was a Water Tribe warrior of the Southern Water Tribe and the son of Chief Hakoda and Kya. Following the death of his mother and his father's leave for war, Sokka was raised by his grandmother Kanna along with his younger sister Katara.

Hakoda left along with all of the other men in his tribe to fight the Fire Nation when Sokka was a young boy. Despite his desire to join his father, Sokka was not permitted to accompany the men on the mission and was left behind.[8] As there were no other teenage boys in the tribe, Sokka was the oldest male in the South Pole and, therefore, left as the leader of the tribe. He assumed responsibility for the tribe, haplessly training children to be future warriors, until his sister discovered an Air Nomad named Aang frozen in an iceberg.[8] When he learned that Aang was the Avatar,[9] he was at first skeptical that a child could really save the world. As he and his sister helped Aang on his quest, he began to believe that Aang really was the only hope for peace in the world.

Despite his inability to bend, Sokka became the strategist of the group, constantly trying to prove himself to be a great warrior like his father. He attempted to train the younger children of the Southern Water Tribe in fighting. Sokka was also the "matter of fact" guy in the group and did not believe in spirit magic, as he openly mocked it. His leadership skills improved during his travels with the Avatar, culminating with his masterminding the plan for the invasion of the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun. His humor and his ability to organize and plan became imperative to the group on their travels. By the conclusion of the Hundred Year War, Sokka became a master swordsman and a great warrior like his father.

After Aang and Zuko formed the United Republic of Nations, Sokka became the representative for the Southern Water Tribe and he also became the United Republic Council chairman.

Sokka was born at the South Pole to Chief Hakoda and Kya in 84 AG. Growing up as part of a minor tribe that lived in the remains of the Southern Water Tribe's ruined capital, Sokka was raised from a young age to be a warrior and possessed much knowledge of Water Tribe weapons and tactics. When he was ten, Sokka witnessed one of the last major Fire Nation raids on his tribe, during which his mother was targeted and killed, leaving him with great hatred for the Fire Nation.

When his father left with the other men of the tribe to fight in the Hundred Year War, Sokka was put under his Gran Gran's care and became his tribe's last defense. He took the task seriously, building a number of snow watchtowers around the village and even "training" the young children of the village as soldiers. Although Sokka had the spirit of a warrior and the courage to stand up to any enemy, he initially lacked the skills and techniques that would make him a formidable opponent. That would not stop him from trying, though, especially if his friends needed help. He was protective of his younger sister[8][16] and treasured the boomerang given to him by his father.

During his travels with Aang, Sokka improved his skills significantly, and had evolved into a skilled fighter with a sword forged from meteorite, a true leader, and a cunning strategic planner.

During the year immediately subsequent to the Hundred Year War, Sokka joined Katara and Aang in the "Harmony Restoration Movement" to disassemble the Fire Nation colonies in service of Earth King Kuei.

When Sokka was heading to Ba Sing Se with Team Avatar to inform Earth King Kuei about Yu Dao's situation, he decided to leave with Toph to her metalbending academy in order to avoid his "oogies" at Aang and Katara's relationship. The earthbender grabbed Sokka and jumped from Appa as they both made their way to the academy. Sokka inquired Toph about her initiative to start the school, getting a response he identified as a lie and proceeded to guess her real motive. When they caught the metalbending students leaving the academy, Toph stopped them and introduced them to Sokka. The students informed their sifu that they had been kicked out of the school by Kunyo, whom Toph went to face and demand her school back. However, Sokka interrupted before they could fight, stating that it would be a better idea to give the place to the most effective school thus letting the students fight. He made everyone agree to a "match to the sit", which consisted in the win of the team who could force the other one sit down first, and start it in three days.

When Sokka noticed Toph's students still were unable to metalbend, he offered to help them by being a "motivational bender". He began giving them a speech about metal and trying to make them bend metal coins, but unsuccessfully. After another disastrous attempt to inspire the three pupils by making them get emotional and scaring them with a metal monster Sokka made Toph bend, the earthbending instructor told her friend about her feeling of failure as she was expecting her students to become something they were not. The day of the battle, Sokka observed how Toph was surrendering at Kunyo and his students' arrival but was stopped by Ho Tun, Penga, and The Dark One, who demonstrated their ability to metalbend and defeated the firebending team with metal coins thrown by the Water Tribe warrior. He, impressed, congratulated the team for their successful result that lead to their final consolidation as metalbending students.

Sokka stayed with Toph at the metalbending academy until the day of the battle for Yu Dao, when Suki arrived in a hot air balloon. She greeted Toph and Sokka, telling them that she had found them through a complaint from Kunyo about a "dirt girl" and a "snow savage" taking over his school. Suki climbed back into her balloon, explaining that she needed their help with preventing Zuko from starting another war. Landing the balloon near the Fire Nation battle procession, Sokka began to formulate their plan of action. On his command, Toph earthbent a tunnel that led to one of the tundra tanks. With the aid of the girl's metalbending abilities, the trio hijacked one of the tanks. Inside, Sokka decided upon their next move. He ordered Suki to pull up alongside as many tanks as she could, so Toph could loosen the screws on the tank's wheels with metalbending. When the Fire Nation Army reached Yu Dao, Suki drove their tundra tank to Aang and Katara, who were standing with the Avatar's Yu Dao fan club members outside the walls.

Aang and his fans prepared to attack the tank, but stopped when Toph and Sokka clambered out of the machine. Sokka expressed his frustration at Katara and Aang for not coming back to get him like they had promised, and Toph explained that they had been trying to slow the Fire Nation Army down. When Katara questioned this, as the army had still reached Yu Dao, Sokka commanded Toph to put the next phase of their plan into action. The earthbender struck the ground, creating tremors that rendered the tundra tanks useless by causing the screws in the wheels to pop out. While the tanks had been disabled, Zuko ordered the rest of his soldiers to attack General How's. Aang and Katara retreated to the top of the wall, and Toph, Suki, and Sokka followed suit with the aid of Toph's bending, where they decided to split up. Sokka agreed to deal with Smellerbee and the rest of the protesters. After the battle was over, he was seen running back to Aang and Katara, rejoining Team Avatar.[

Some time after the battle for Yu Dao, Sokka attended a meeting together with his friends and several government officials at the home of the governor of Yu Dao to discuss the future of the city. A professor gave a lecture on ancient Earth Kingdom philosophies regarding the four nations, though it was of little interest to him. Sokka was complaining about it to Aang, who also could not be captivated by the professor. The two friends were soon shushed by Katara who did want to pay attention. Sokka retorted however, that he was not surprised that his "boring sister" liked "boring lecture guy", earning him a waterbending-generated snowball to the face from Katara.

Meanwhile, Zuko had snapped back to attention when the professor had made a comparison between how one treats their family and how one rules. He took the comment seriously, thus Sokka tried to lighten his mood by stating that the professor was a "blowhard", who was only liked by people like Katara, earning himself another snowball to the face.

A week later, Sokka traveled to the Fire Nation Royal Palace together with Aang and Katara upon Zuko's inquiry. Upon arrival, they were delightfully surprised when they discovered Iroh there as well. Zuko explained that Iroh was there to act as interim Fire Lord while he would be gone, looking for Ursa, a journey on which he invited them all to accompany him. However, the amicable atmosphere quickly changed when Azula emerged from behind Zuko. Katara attacked the princess, with Aang and Sokka preparing to do the same. While Aang warned Azula to stay back as he did not want to hurt her, Sokka made it clear that he did not share the same sentiment, though his threat was met with laughter, as Azula did not perceive his boomerang as a danger. Before the conflict could escalate any further, they were halted by Suki and Ty Lee, who implored them to let Zuko explain the situation. While the Fire Lord did so, Sokka passionately reunited with Suki. As Zuko mentioned, however, that Azula was to come with them, Sokka called him out to be a "bad decision lord", though later complied regardless.

The following day, Sokka readily volunteered to take the first watch over Azula, much to Zuko's worry. He confidently walked over to the Fire Nation princess and threatened her again with his boomerang, though Azula shot the weapon out of his hands with a small lightning bolt, knocking him on his behind. As the princess was quickly overpowered by his friends and tensions calmed down again, he casually stated that it was perhaps better that someone else took the first watch instead of him.

Airborne, Sokka commented how the adventure felt like "old times", though much to his annoyance, Aang stated that it was better than old times since he could now kiss Katara whenever, something he deftly demonstrated. Aang suddenly had a gruesome expression on his face, caused by the presence of a spirit, causing Sokka to exclaim that it was already by enough that they had one passenger who stared "with crazy eyes" at them, referring to Azula who had a minor psychotic breakdown moments before. The Water Tribe warrior continued to mock the Avatar's expression, only to be stopped when Katara waterbent a snowball to his face. Their playful antics suddenly became serious when Azula dived off Appa and set fire to Aang's glider, who had swooped down to save her from plummeting to her death, subsequently sending him crashing down on the ground. As they landed, Sokka and Katara quickly jumped off to tend to the downed airbender, while Zuko went after his sister.

Sokka, Katara, and Aang caught up with the two firebenders at a nearby river, right when they were about to fight one another. Katara cut the battle short, encasing Azula in ice. The princess subsequently insulted Katara, though froze in horror mid-sentence as the wolf spirit appeared behind an unknowing Sokka, as he thought Azula's fearful look was caused by his boomerang. Sokka nearly evaded getting his head bitten off by the spirit and ran to safety. When the spirit snapped at Aang who was trying to reason with it, Sokka threw his boomerang at the creature, though the full hit on its head did not even faze it. He was taken aback by the spirit's ability to swallow Zuko's fire blast, burp, and eventually throw up moth wasps, deeming the creature to be the "grossest spirit ever". The spirit insects attacked the group, covering Sokka's arm in such density that he could not even see it anymore. They were eventually saved when Azula shot a lightning bolt away from them all, drawing the moths and the wolf spirit with it.

After the arrival of the Mother of Faces, he tried to prevent Azula's escape after she learned about her mother's new identity. He went after her, along with Zuko, taking a shortcut back to Noren's home. While Zuko went inside he stayed outside to defend the home. Eventually he ended up crashing through the roof of the home while battling Azula. After the battle he reunited with Katara and Aang, questioning Azula's motives for leaving the letter behind.

Sometime later, Sokka and Suki visited Seashell San's House of Shells in a Fire Nation marketplace, telling Suki that he had wanted to collect seashells since he was a little boy. He compared the sounds in the shells to a "teeny-tiny" Aang airbending and asked San how much they were worth. Being told they were worth fifteen ban for one but at a special of two for thirty, he grew excited, but quickly realized what the vendor was doing and grew annoyed. Suki called the warrior a goof, but he asked if she meant "handsome warrior with formidable biceps". After a girl, Giya, entered the store and San discouraged her from buying shells because she appeared to be a fake collector, Suki confronted him and his assistant, Jojan. Sokka tried to warn the men to not put their hands on her, unfazed by the vendor's order for the couple to leave. As Suki began taking down the men, Sokka asked if she needed help; he was told sweetly she did not though was thanked for the offer and kissed on the cheek. After the men were defeated, the couple left, with Sokka warning them their shells had been set on fire by San's firebending because of the lacquer that was on them.

When the peace talks in Yu Dao came to an end, Sokka and the rest of Team Avatar returned there to witness the introduction of the city's new coalition government. Although having witnessed a historic moment, he was more excited about the subsequent celebration banquet, during which he raved about the turtle duck dish, trying to get the vegetarian Yee-Li to try it too. When Toph informed everyone that her metalbending academy was doing so well that she was in need of expansion but lacked the necessary funds, Sokka suggested to charge her students tuition, figuring that she would end up being richer than the Earth King, though she rejected the idea. When Aang joined their table and announced that they were all going on a field trip the following day, Sokka was not immediately fond of the idea as he had hoped to peruse the local markets for a new bag.

Team Avatar later traveled to Ba Sing Se, but soon after, as Sokka and Katara prepared to return to the South Pole for the first time since the end of the Hundred Year War, Aang received a summons from Zuko, who requested his aid against dark spirit attacks in the Fire Nation. Agreeing to meet up with Aang later, Sokka and Katara took a ship back home.

When their ship finally arrived at the Southern Water Tribe, Sokka woke Katara from her bittersweet dream. Upon disembarking, they spotted a bunch of kids sliding down a slope on otter penguins, reminding Katara of when they first met Aang, to which Sokka claimed she thought him to be a Fire Nation spy. Soon after, they went penguin sledding themselves, only to slide right into a construction site. After conversing with a group of kids who snowballed Sokka in the face, they are accosted by a trio of construction workers who admonished the children for trespassing. The two waterbenders refused Katara's suggestion of peace and attacked but were defeated by her superior waterbending, much to Sokka's amusement.

Sokka and Katara soon arrived home and were shocked to see that their village had been transformed into a bustling city. Spotted by Aunt Ashuna, Sokka got to taste her seal jerky once more before being hailed as heroes by the entire tribe. Kanna appeared soon after, prompting her grandchildren to embrace her, before learning that she and Pakku had married. Upon learning that Pakku had started a school for waterbenders, Sokka offered to provide his so-called "motivational bending".

Verses

tba

#Avatar: The Last Airbender #Avatar: The Last Airbender [Sooka]#Male Character #non mutuals #face claim: Tyler James Williams

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setaripendragon · 5 years

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Ursakoda Soulmates - Part 2

So, predictably, this little one-shot that I wrote for my ATLA soulmates series ran away with me completely, because Ursakoda is my OTP for Avatar and I love them so much that I just couldn’t help myself. I don’t actually know how many parts there are going to be, but... a few more, at least.

Gen snorts at them. “It’s about time Xia had a little fun. Go on.” He encourages.

“Perhaps you can show me some of the dances you have where you come from.” Hakoda counters lightly.

“Yes.” Ursa agrees.

Until now.

Ursa has to bite down on the smile threatening to spread across her face. “How does it work?” She asks obligingly.

“No, I don’t.” She agrees coolly, lowering her hand and sitting straighter, unwilling to show any more weakness right now.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #ATLA #Ursa #Hakoda #Ursakoda #Soulmates AU #soulmate identifying marks #hakoda/ursa #hakoda x ursa

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