#FIREBENDED OR FIREBENT!?!??!?!

[chaotic-tired-bastard]

screaming crying ripping out my hair like a beast

[discordiansamba]

"let's go on a field trip!"

zuko arches a brow, staring at the avatar incredulously. a field trip, he repeats. but all aang does is nod eagerly. just you and me! it'll be great! zuko points out that it wasn't that long ago that his mission in life was trying to capture aang, but the avatar just brushes it off with a laugh.

"yeah, but you're not doing that anymore, are you?" aang asks. "this'll be good for you, i promise!"

zuko glances over at jin, who just shrugs. he heaves a long sigh and realizes he's probably not getting out of this and reluctantly agrees. he makes sure to pack a lot of the medicinal tea that the palace doctors prescribed to him to help deal with his sleepwalking, since he doesn't know how long he's going to be gone. he makes sure to bring his dao, since with his firebending in the state it's in, they're the only thing he has to defend himself.

aang won't tell him where he's going.

he just leans back and glares a hole in the back of aang's head, but the avatar doesn't seem to mind. the whole group seems to view his moments of being surly and unpleasant as 'recovery' and zuko doesn't know how to feel about the fact that's what people seem to think about him. he can't disagree with it, but...

...he doesn't know. he wants to be better, he guesses.

...he also doesn't want to be like lee.

aang brings him to the sun warrior ruins. he glances over at him with an incredulous look, and the avatar just beams and says this'll help with his firebending problem! c'mon, let's go explore! at which point he grabs zuko by the arm and drags him all over the ruins. he'll begrudgingly admit it's not a terrible time, but he still has no idea why he's here.

then aang leads him into a temple.

he glances at the door as they pass. it looks like it works the same way the temple on crescent island did- which would explain why aang chose to take their field trip on the solstice. inside are massive golden statues of the sun warriors, and aang convinces him to give the poses a try with him. they're firebending forms, he says chipperly.

(he stops him from grabbing the golden egg that emerges when they're done. trust me, you don't want to do that.)

when they emerge, they're greeted by actual sun warriors. aang feigns surprise, but it's obvious he knew this would happen. the chief gives him a long look and asks if he's here to take the trial of the masters. aang gives him an encouraging double thumbs up, so zuko reluctantly agrees.

they give him a piece of the eternal flame.

unlike the tiny, weak flames zuko has been producing lately, he manages to keep this one strong and steady as he makes his way up the mountain path they indicate. he has no idea what's going on as he ascends the stairs, but he can't shake the crawling sensation of being watched. he arrives at the top, and the sun warriors blow into horns...

...there are dragons here.

for a long moment, zuko just stares at them. then slowly, he begins to move, performing the firebending form aang had shown him in the temple. he must have done so for a reason, zuko realizes. when he's done, he lets out a long breath and looks up at the dragons-

-the burst of colorful flame they encircle him with is incredible.

oh, he realizes, his firebending isn't weak because he was brainwashed. it's because the way he firebent before is wrong for him now- his time as lee has changed him. he's let go of all the anger and the hate that's been driving him since the agni kai, and hasn't found anything to replace it with.

the dragons disappear back within their caverns.

zuko summons a flame into his hands. it is still small- but it is also strong and steady. above all else, it carries a promise-

-he's not where he needs to be yet. he still doesn't entirely know who he is anymore. but he'll get there.

there's no need to rush.

[waterfire1848]

could you do a blind azula with sokkla au

Hello, anon!!!

1. Azula is born blind. No one knows why but she is. Ursa tries to argue that Azula will be a strong child and capable of bending to her full capacity but Ozai doesn’t believe her. Azula is still a strong bender but Ozai thinks that her blindness will keep her from being a real firebender. Ursa, desperately trying to keep her baby alive, gives her away in the hopes that someone else can protect her. Azula is bounced around for a while until she ends up in the South Pole and found by Kya and Hakoda, who take the infant in and decide to raise her.

2. Azula never let her blindness stop her from playing, doing chores or fighting with Sokka. She and him would constantly run around the village, chasing each other with snowballs, and try to out do each other in different chores. Hakoda tries to go easy on the girl when it comes to fishing or carving, etc but Azula doesn’t like it and demands to be treated the same as Sokka and Katara. By the time she’s six, Hakoda gave up on trying to go easy on Azula and gives her the same tasks as the other kids. Kya, for her part, never treated the kids differently except to tell Azula that she wasn’t from the Water Tribe. Since she can’t see, Azula would have no way of knowing Kya isn’t her mother but Kya makes it clear to Azula very early on that she isn’t and her real mother is probably in the Earth Kingdom somewhere (this isn’t done in a malicious way more-so in a way so that Azula knows the truth). Azula also learns to see by “seeing” heat. She can basically see heat sources and therefore knows when people are around her.

3. When Kya is killed, Azula swears off firebending. Mother or not, Azula loved Kya and her death really hits her hard. No matter what Hakoda says, Azula refuses to bend. She keeps that promise for years afterwards even when they find Aang, Azula introduces herself as a nonbender. She even refuses to teach Aang any firebending for a while because she’s dedicated herself to not bending (Actually turns out to be a blessing because Ozai doesn’t identify her as Azula until after the North Pole siege). Speaking of, Azula sees Sokka in trouble during the siege and uses her bending to protect him. (Azula: Sokka?! Are you okay?! Sokka: I’m okay. I’m okay. You…you firebent. Azula: I guess I did. Sokka: To help me. Azula: Oh, no. Sokka: You like me! Azula: No! No, I don’t! Sokka: Azula likes me! Azula likes me! Azula: Hey! Is there any other soldier who wants to kill him for me?!!)

4. Ozai changes Zuko’s mission to instead capturing Azula and the Avatar and gives him Mai and Ty Lee as support. Azula is now using her bending so it’s a bit easier to track her (a blind firebender has got to attract some attention) but they can’t capture her. And, since Azula left the palace when she was a baby, she has no idea who Mai and Ty Lee are and she and Zuko don’t know they’re related. (Of course Ozai twists the story when he tells Zuko and says Azula was stolen from them by the Water Tribe which is why he needs to get her back). Throughout this, the Gaang really doesn’t know any of that and instead are focused on finding Aang an earthbending teacher: enter Toph. Toph and Azula would make every blind joke known to man and are constantly helping each other out with little tricks. (Sokka: Spirits, there’s two of them). Just a Toph & Azula friendship. (Toph: So, anything you want to tell me. Azula: About what? Toph: About you and Snoozles? Azula: What-are you-no. No, there’s nothing to say. Toph: Really? Because if I didn’t know any better I’d say you have a massive crush on him. Azula: I do not! Toph: And you’re heartbeat increasing when you hear him voice, constantly going to his side, sitting right next to him at dinner and holding onto him when you can’t see is all…Azula: Shut up)

5. In BSS, Azula joins Zuko’s side (let me explain) and returns to the Fire Nation with him. She never mastered lightning but the Dai Li does being down a cave on Aang and Katara, believing them dead. The siblings, Mai and Ty Lee return to the Fire Nation and declare the Avatar and his friend dead. Unknown to them, but known to Azula, Toph was right behind them and kept them from being crushed. The Gaang now is able to travel with everyone thinking they’re dead and having Azula as a secret double agent (something Sokka isn’t too fond of but it was his and Azula’s idea). They’re reunited during the DOBS, a time when Zuko tries to tell Azula what Ozai told him and Hakoda, who is there, tells Zuko that some fishermen found Azula and dropped her off in the South Pole—they didn’t steal her—and he pokes a few holes in Ozai’s lie, but Zuko doesn’t want to doubt his father (since he spent most of his time under Ozai’s thumb and all). The invasion force is still captured, while the Gaang escape to the Western Air Temple, with Hakoda eventually being sent to the Boiling Rock. However, this time, he comes across a woman with a very familiar face who introduces herself as Ursa.

[blorboazula]

Toy

Prompt #078 of 100 Days of Azutara Drabbles Challenge | masterlist | post-canon, omegaverse AU, cw: implied past child abuse & mental health issues, minor mental breakdown I guess

Azula’s laughing like a maniac.

She knows she’s scaring Ilah, the girl clutches what was left of the turtleduck plushie that had caught fire just now. The first time she actually firebends, and she burns a toy, it’s painful. And Azula can’t stop laughing as Katara comes, probably attracted by the noise and by the smell of burning fabric. She can’t stop laughing as Katara puts off the fire, says something soothing and leaves, probably handing Ilah over to one of their visiting friends, more than probably leaving her to play with Kya. She doesn’t stop laughing until she’s sobbing on Katara’s lap.

It’s very humiliating, actually, she’d care if she was still trying to be the alpha her father wanted her to be.

They’ve known Ilah is a Firebender since she was born, even if she’s almost a perfect copy of Katara except for the bronze eyes, the test done in newborns was proof enough. The small cotton ball caught fire as soon as it was close to Ilah, not very different from how it had been when Azula was tested, she was told. And at six, she’s also as young as Azula was when she first actually firebent. 

A turtleduck toy, too.

It’s her earliest clear memory, Azula has told Katara about it one night, before they even decided to have a child. Playing alone with the wooden turtleduck – before she met Mai and Ty Lee, after Zuko had already decided she was his enemy. The servant keeping an eye on her ran to fetch her parents.

Ozai was absolutely ecstatic about it, Ursa reacted like she burned a real, living turtleduck.

(Azula never had a chance of not being a monster in Ursa’s eyes.)

“It’s fine, it’s fine, you’re safe. It’s fine,” Katara repeats like a mantra. Her hands warm as the go up and down Azula’s back, her voice, her scent, and her warmth sooth Azula more than anything.

It still takes a few long minutes for her to calm down, and she doesn’t want to move away from the comforting bubble that being on her mate’s lap provides. Like that, it’s easy to fully forget the unspoken expectations on her shoulders.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No,” feels bratty, feels whiny, but it’s just honesty.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry, Ilah won’t be scared of you.”

That’s a surprisingly unexpected fear, her children scared of her (maybe because she had been taught you are supposed to fear your parents). She nods, she hopes Katara is right.

For now, she avoids looking at what was left of the plushie, as to not remember of the ashes and broken pieces of wood that cemented her fate as anything but her mother’s daughter.

buy me a coffee?

[wholesomefluffdaddy]

Azula has made no progress since she was sent back to the asylum. Ty Lee believes she can help her, with proper disciple. Tyzula.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

CH19: Turtle Duck

"-and let go." Katara guided as she and Azula sat across from one another in the training room. Azula exhaled slowly as her chakra broke free. The three chakras flowed together, only stopping when they hit the fourth. "Very good." Katara remarked as she noticed the change. Azula shifted uncomfortably. She didn't want Katara praising her. "Now into the air chakra."

"Love." Azula whispered. "Blocked by grief." She grimaced.

"Do you want to continue or stop for the day?" Katara asked. Azula hesitated.

"I want to continue." She said, steeling herself.

"Lay all of your grief out before you." Katara said, inhaling. "And pick one." Azula swallowed, she didn't even know where to begin. Should she pick her grief that her mother never loved her like she did Zuko? How her father only used her as a tool? That her closest friends had once betrayed her? Or that multiple people since then had betrayed her? What about all the years she lost while couped up in the asylum? Everything felt too overwhelming. Katara watched Azula's face screw up as she struggled.

"What's a small one?" She offered.

"There are no small ones!" Azula snarled as she rubbed her eyes. Katara thought for a moment.

"Maybe one from when you were younger?" She prompted. Azula furrowed her brow. Then the memory floated to the surface. A little wooden toy turtle duck.

"It was the first time she looked at me like a monster." Azula whispered as she could clearly picture her mother's face. "I had firebent for the first time…" Katara watched her curiously. Azula balled her hands into fists as she furiously wiped the tears from her eyes. "My mom had never looked at me like that before. Like she was scared of me. Like she hated me."

"How old were you?" Katara asked as she thought about her first time waterbending.

"I don't know. Four? Five?" Azula shook her head.

She could see her younger self holding the toy and staring at it with wide eyed fascination as the little flame that erupted on its back grew and shrunk to her will. She heard a gasp and looked up. It was her mom.

"Azula, what are you doing?" She said sharply. Her expression was something she hadn't seen before. Was she mad? She quickly extinguished the flame and hugged the toy to her chest.

"You were firebending." Ursa said in a strained voice. Azula felt scared. Why did her mom sound like that?

"She was firebending!" Ozai exclaimed with delight as Ursa looked away. He squatted down and scooped Azula into his arms. "She's a prodigy to be bending at such a young age! This is wonderful, Azula!" He said proudly. Azula beamed and giggled. Dad was happy. He was hugging her. Everything was fine. She looked over at her mom again. She still had that strange look on her face. Her smile faltered and Ozai glanced back at his wife. "Tell your daughter how amazing she is, Ursa. Tell her how proud you are." Ursa said nothing but forced a weak smile.

"Mom?" Azula asked. Something was wrong but she didn't know what. Ozai kept his smile but his face hardened as he glared at Ursa. She closed her eyes for a moment.

"You are your father's daughter, Azula." Ursa said, opening her eyes and looking past her. Azula started to frown. Mom didn't sound happy. She kissed her on the forehead but it wasn't like her usual kisses. It felt cold.

"Mom?" Azula asked, reaching out. Ursa avoided Ozai's eyes and walked away. "Mom!" Azula called as her eyes started to water.

"Now, now." Ozai said, bracingly. "None of that. You were firebending! This is something to celebrate!" He said, setting her down. Azula quickly wiped her eyes. "Show me what you did." He said, picking up the toy and handing it back to her. Azula nodded and concentrated on the turtle duck. Flame erupted on its shell again. "Wonderful!" Ozai clapped. Azula felt a surge of pride. "With this level of control we can start your training immediately."

"Training?" Azula asked. "Like Zuzu?" Ozai scowled and she shrunk back slightly.

"No, not like Zuko." He said disdainfully. "Because you're already better than him." Azula wasn't sure what to think. Dad looked mad now.

"She never treated me the same after that… She hated me. She feared me." Azula cursed and sniffed. "My mom hated me because I was a firebender." Katara looked at her pityingly. She couldn't imagine what it would have been like if her mother had distanced herself from her just because she discovered she was a waterbender. "It's not fair!" Azula shouted. "Zuko's a firebender too but she didn't stop loving him because of it!"

"What was your mom like before then? Before she knew you were a firebender?" Katara asked. Azula was taken aback by the question.

"She was my mom…" She said slowly. "She loved me. She hugged me. She read me and Zuko bedtime stories." She grit her teeth. "But after, after that, she didn't have time for me anymore. She only had time for precious Zuko. Her favorite child. She didn't give me attention anymore." Azula scowled. "She only gave me attention if I did something wrong. Like setting the roses on fire in the garden."

"When you and Zuko found her again, didn't she-?" Katara began. Azula opened her eyes to glare at Katara.

"Apologize?" Azula snorted. "Anyone can use words they don't mean. I used to do it all the time. No, she said she was sorry for not loving me enough but she didn't mean it. I could see the look of vindication in her eyes, like she was right not to love me." She wiped her nose. "She only said what she thought she needed to. To make me leave."

"Have you seen her since?" Katara asked.

"She visited me once. Once!" Azula said, grabbing her chest. "It was shortly after you recaptured me and placed me back into that dreadful asylum."

"And what happened?" Katara continued.

Azula started to hug herself. "We… talked." There was a pause.

"Why are you here?" Azula demanded in a low hiss as she glared at her mother while sitting slumped in her straitjacket.

"I came to apologize again." Ursa said somberly. "I-" Her lip trembled at the light that danced between her daughter's eyes for a split second before dying.

"How are you still so weak?" Azula spat. "The monster you bore into the world is restrained before you and no longer a threat."

"You're not a monster." Ursa said softly. She reached out to touch her cheek but hesitated. That was all the confirmation Azula needed. She lunged at her hand, snapping her jaws. Ursa withdrew quickly.

"Your actions don't match your words mother." Azula sneered. Ursa took a breath.

"When I was given my old face back-" Her eyes searched Azula's. They shared a striking resemblance that she couldn't deny. "-Kiyi withdrew from me."

"How terrible." Azula said in a bored tone.

"To her I wasn't her mother anymore." Ursa said, looking down at her hands. "She said my hands were cold."

"They always were." Azula said.

"She wanted nothing to do with me." Ursa said as her eyes began to water.

"Good for her." Azula said with a sense of bittersweet victory. Ursa let her tears fall openly.

"I felt the pain of a mother rejected by her child and it was too much to bear." She said, putting a hand to her heart. She shook her head. She had to face her daughter. She owed her that much. She looked up to see the years of pain etched across her daughter's face. Pain she had put there so carelessly.

"So?" Azula said as her voice began to shake. "What do you want from me? Sympathy for your own incompetence?"

"Azula, I never meant to hurt you like that!" Ursa said desperately.

"But you did!" Azula said as her eyes widened with rage. "I was a child!"

"It wasn't you, it was your father-" Ursa tried to explain.

"Do you know what it feels like to have your mother stop loving you one day?" Azula interrupted. "For her to turn cold?"

"Azula-"

"But you weren't cold to Zuko!" Azula yelled as she tensed up. Tears were already streaming down her face. "Do you know what it feels like? What it felt like to watch you keep loving Zuko when you hated me?"

"I never hated you." Ursa said honestly.

"Liar!" Azula yelled. "You hated father. And do you know what you said to me every time I tried to earn your love back? 'You are your father's daughter.' You could have just said you hated me to save your own breath!" Azula shouted.

"Azula I'm so sorry!" Ursa pleaded. "Please understand-!"

"How is a child supposed to understand that their own mother hates and fears them?" Azula demanded. Ursa buried her face in her hands. Azula huffed. Her heart was beating as if she were in the middle of an Agni Kai. She slumped back down into her seat and looked away. She had nothing left to say to the woman before her.

Azula's eyes widened in surprise and horror. Katara was hugging her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. Azula wanted to recoil, to lash out, to push her away and yet…

Ty Lee entered the training room as quietly as possible and was greeted by a strange sight before her. Azula was sobbing as Katara held her. They must have made it to the fourth chakra.

"Azula?" Ty Lee asked as she walked over. Azula sniffed and pulled back. Katara shared a look with Ty Lee.

"C-Camomile." Azula begged.

"Here or-?" Ty Lee started but could see the distress in her amber eyes. She sat down at once and pulled her into her arms. Azula clung to her and buried her face in her shoulder.

"Azula." Katara said seriously. "Now that you've accepted part of your grief we can move to the next step."

"Is this really the time?" Ty Lee snapped as she hugged Azula protectively.

"What's the next step?" Azula mumbled as she lifted her head slightly.

"Letting go." Katara said. Azula stared blankly ahead.

"How?" She whispered as Ty Lee petted the back of her head.

"Accept that you can't change the past. Accept that you never had the mother that you needed. Accept that your mother is flawed and limited. That you can't change her." Katara guided. Azula closed her eyes. She would never have the mom Zuko had. She had to let go. Her fourth chakra swirled around like sludge. It wasn't free but it wasn't stagnant any longer. It was progress.

"Thank you." Azula said quietly and closed her eyes again as she buried herself into Ty Lee. Katara nodded and smiled sadly. She got to her feet and exited the room.

"I'm so sorry Azula." Ty Lee said softly. There was a stretch of silence.

"Can I ask you something?" Azula said, getting comfortable.

"Of course." Ty Lee said before giving her a kiss.

"What did your parents do specifically to make you run away?" Azula asked. Ty Lee shifted uncomfortably.

"They didn't do anything terrible. They just didn't do anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Seven identical daughters." Ty Lee sighed. "We might as well have been just one." Azula frowned and tilted her head to the side. "Like I said before, I didn't feel like I was my own person. Just one of a matching set. My parents didn't bother to get to know me or my sisters. We were just a single unit. If something was good enough for one of us it was good enough for all of us."

"That would explain the shared naming conventions." Azula mused.

"But like I said, they weren't cruel or mean or anything, just…" Ty Lee tried to explain.

"Neglectful?" Azula offered.

"My sisters and I all tried so hard to be different, distinguishable from each other, because our parents always compared us to each other." Ty Lee said. "Anyway, I didn't think they'd even notice or care when I ran away. I mean, they had six other sets of me."

"Don't you dare suggest such a thing!" Azula growled suddenly. "There is only one Ty Lee." She said, straightening up and fixing her with a look. Ty Lee blinked in surprise.

"Azula…" She said, feeling touched.

"Had there truly been six of you, do you think I wouldn't have recruited them to join me?" Azula huffed and started to blush. The idea of six more Ty Lee's was making her feel hot. Ty Lee smiled and kissed her tenderly.

"You're so sweet." She said, pulling her closer.

"So your parents were negligent." Azula said, trying to pull her mind back from her wandering thoughts.

"Yes but I was wrong about them not caring. Turns out they had discovered that I ran away sooner than I expected. They sent my sisters to find me and bring me home." Ty Lee said. "But I had joined you by the time they found the circus."

"And after-? After everything, then what?" Azula asked uncomfortably.

"Well, I went back home and talked to them." Ty Lee said with a small smile. "I was able to say everything I needed to and they listened."

"And your sisters?" Azula asked.

"Oh, they joined the circus." Ty Lee said, as her eyebrow twitched. "I mean, it makes sense. The circus was really fun."

"Hmph." Azula snorted. "Clearly they were trying to emulate their superior sister." Ty Lee giggled.

"It's fine, really." She said, waving a hand. "We resolved all that. We can each be our own person and be part of a matched set too."

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Skin & Scale (Part 26)

They opt to travel on foot several miles from Ba Sing Se. If dragons are a sight to see in the Fire  Nation she can only imagine the sort of fuss seeing them in Earth Kingdom skies would cause. At any rate, she can’t seem to bring about the transformation anyways. 

Her legs feel terribly heavy. Her bones seem to hold the weight of shackles or stones. While the others pack up their tents she bunches herself up–still nestled within her blankets and father’s coiled tail. She shifts the blankets and holds her hand out in front of her, the dragon’s teeth stone glints in the early morning light as it filters through the canopy. The flame that comes to blaze in her open palm casts an orange glow, it is so terribly small and she aches keeping even that alight.

She grits her teeth. 

She really has overdone it, hasn’t she? 

She lets her hand flop back down and rests her head upon it. 

Mother’s head comes to loom over her. She extends a claw and strokes her cheek. “You won’t be transforming today.”

She is relieved to know that they are on the same page. Twice as much to know that, if it came down to it, they wouldn’t let Zuzu coax her into trying for the sake of efficacy. Granted, she is fairly certain that they are now past using her like that but she still can’t rid herself of the notion that it is a possibility. That, at the very least, they will be visibly disappointed in her ability. 

She uses mother’s hand to help pull herself upright and mother holds her steady while the dizziness passes and her muscles try to warm up to the prospect of moving about. 

“You’ll build up a tolerance for transforming.” Father promises. “The more you work with the stone the more you’ll be able to transform without depleting your chi.” 

In some sense it is a neglected muscle. 

By now, by this age, she imagines that she should be able to transform at least once per day without repercussion. Or every other day depending on how much she firebends in that timeframe. 

Her stomach sinks, she hadn’t really firebent at all these past few days save for getting the campfire going and making room in her schedule for her casual firebending routine. She should be further along than this. She should be capable of so much more. She swallows, a knot forming in her belly. She has never been behind on anything related to skill. 

Never. 

“It isn’t your fault.” Mother assures her. 

She knows that but it doesn’t help. Her fault or not she has been set back by more than fourteen years now. She can’t possibly make up that lost time. Not in a case like this; a case where it isn’t a matter of pushing herself to build strength. This is a matter of endurance built patiently over time, a process that needs to happen naturally and without any hint of over exertion. 

She is a patient person but she has her limits. 

Mother continues to stroke her cheek. Father, satisfied that she can move on her own, withdraws his hand. 

“Are you ready to go, Azula?” Aang asks. “We have everything all packed up.”

“I suppose I am.”

“Are you going to transform?” Toph asks.

“I can’t.”

“You can’t?” Zuko asks. 

“It requires a lot of chi. I’m…” she hesitates. “I’m tired.” 

“Can I see?” TyLee asks.

Azula extends her arm and lets TyLee feel along it. The girl’s lips purse. “Yeah, it feels like you’re pretty drained.” She pauses. “It isn’t so bad, as long is you don’t push yourself today and tomorrow you should be perfectly okay.”

“I can’t imagine that we will run into too much trouble.” Sokka says. “As long as we stick to our ‘walk the rest of the way’ plan.”

“Yes.” Azula stuffs her hands into her pockets. “I don’t think that we will have too much trouble.” No trouble aside from her feeling like she is a hinderance. Although at the same time as those tickles of shame work their way into her tummy, there is a lighter fluttering. They aren’t demanding that she just transforms anyhow. 

.oOo.

Sokka has to admit that he still isn’t used to seeing Azula so sluggish and slow. He isn’t used to seeing her lay down and close her eyes, not when there is work to be accomplished. What he is used to is logic and reasoning. And it does make sense for her to conserve her energy. He knows it so she must. Even if she resents it. 

Mostly he isn’t used to her being so openly vulnerable with them. Perhaps he owes that to a budding sense of trust and companionship. It could also be that she is well aware that she has two dragons that will protect her viciously. He likes to think that it has more to do with trust, with that he and Katara had helped her through her initial transformation. That has to mean something to her. 

Her hair and clothing flutters in the breeze. 

He can tell that she isn’t sleeping. Sometimes she opens her eyes and stares at the passing clouds. But he can tell that she isn’t in a talkative mood. 

“Mind if I sit here?” He asks. 

She gives him a lazy wave. He is fairly certain that it is a gesture meant to convey that she doesn’t care either which way so he scrambles his way over. It leaves him slightly dizzy–he hadn’t realized just how different it is to ride a dragon rather than a bison. 

Pangs of discomfort and unrest settle into his mind seeing her like this. Even if it is far from the worst state that he has seen her in. With a soft hum she sits herself upright for the first time in about two hours. He hair, slightly disheveled, falls over her shoulders. It has gotten so long, he hadn’t realized how long it had gotten. She fixes her sleepy gaze on him. 

It comes to him why it makes his skin crawl to see those sleepy eyes and that burdened posture. Although she holds herself as proudly as ever and with as much poise and dignity as possible he can still sense her discomfort. He gets the feeling that, that is only because she lets him sense it. 

And it unsettles him because, in that posture he can still see the suffering and the overexertion from their last large adventure. 

“We’re almost there.”

He can’t tell if that had been a question or a statement. “Yeah. Shouldn’t be too long now. Are you able to walk?”

She nods. “I can walk just fine.” 

“If you need to take a break…”

“I can make it to the Jasmine Dragon. We’ll be using their train system, I can rest then.”

Her voice is soothing somehow. Calm and in a way that provides him with a sense of security. He just hopes that it isn’t false. That she isn’t just saying what everyone wants to hear. Just saying things that make her sound and feel stronger for the sake of that impeccable facade that she likes to wear. 

“Alright then.” He smiles as Shaw begins her descent. 

It's much more pleasant this way, he decides. To work with Azula rather than in direct opposition. He supposes that he has decided that a while back. She’s rather charming to talk to in between the banter. He gets the sense that the banter, that all of those jabs are to deflect feelings of discomfort and awkwardness. They are for him, anyhow. There is a sense of familiarity in those sassy little quips that offsets the discomforts of continuing to get used to each other. 

Toph does the same thing. Humor and snark, he supposes that the two are as critical as any other survival tool. And so he gives her a sly smile and mutters, “I wonder if having three real dragons at the Jasmine Dragon will bring in business. You can be a mascot!”

“You can be a smoldering pile of decorative ash.” She grumbles. 

.oOo.

Azula can't say that she has thought much of Ba Sing Se since taking it over. She hadn’t particularly had time to dwell on it. Now that she is here the city leaves her with an itch of longing.

Longing that makes no sense when the past she is yearning for is so dismal when juxtaposed with the present.

Maybe it is that she hasn't felt the same sense of victory and accomplishment since then, perhaps that is what she is longing for–a chance to feel glorious and powerful again. Especially now when she is feeling so utterly useless. 

Really there is no reason for her to feel useless and like deadweight. It isn’t as though they need her to firebend right now. They aren’t in combat at all. So long as she can walk and talk, she isn’t holding anyone back. 

And yet it chews at her in the back of her mind, knowing that she can’t bend effectively at the moment should the need arise. 

It shouldn’t affect her so. It isn’t as though she hasn’t lost her bending before. It isn’t as though she can’t be effective without it. When had she let her confidence slip so much? She hopes that it is just a matter of getting used to her new life, to people caring for her and letting her be weak when she needs to be weak. 

“You haven’t bickered with Zuko all day.” Mai notes. “Are you…”

“I’m fine, Mai. I just…I’ll be more comfortable when we get to the Jasmine Dragon.” More comfortable and less all at once. She’d be lying to herself if she said that the prospect of finally confronting uncle isn’t playing a part in her exhaustion. 

“Are you actually fine or are you just saying that?”

“I am actually fine.” She isn’t bleeding or dying. She has certainly dealt with much worse. “I should feel better tomorrow, after sleeping in a bed.” Not that mother and father aren’t comfortable to sleep by. They don’t seem to mind that she usually ends up clinging to one of their tails in her sleep. They don’t make a point of bringing it up either. She kicks a small rock and watches it skitter down the walkway. 

Most people don’t seem to pay her any mind, if anything they are taking curious peeks at the peculiar entourage as a whole; an Avatar, a Fire Lord, a Bei Fong, two dragons in disguise, and a princess with a strange stone embedded in her arm. Add two Water Tribe folks, a Kyoshi Warrior, and a darkly dressed fire noble and they do make quite the spectacle. Not one of them seems to outshine any of the others. And Azula is perfectly content with that, she can’t imagine that Ba Sing Se’s hostility towards her has been reduced. 

Regardless, she can’t imagine that they recognize her. Most people are still looking for a grown woman. Word of mouth and information gaps allow her the luxury to stay hidden in plain sight. She doesn’t plan on correcting them and she will go about her day.

“You ready?” Zuko asks.

Azula shrugs. 

“It isn’t so bad, uncle didn’t hold it against me when I betrayed him.”

“Uncle was angry at you because he loved you enough to feel betrayed.” 

“Are we still talking about Iroh?” Mai asks. 

“Mostly.” 

TyLee slings an arm over her shoulder and she gives a slight start. It has been so long. Long enough for her to forget about TyLee’s sudden and explosive displays of affection. She hadn’t realized how much she has missed them despite how annoying she found them to be. 

 “You must love us a lot then!” 

She doesn’t deny it. “Let’s go inside and get this over with.”

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

me: sees third panel

my brain: firebender maul firebender maul firebender maul fireb-

as a Sentinels Jedi, Maul was trained to fought with a variety of weapons in addition to his lightsaber and unarmed martial art, such as blasters, rocket launchers, mines, and grenades…so uncivilized.

[tragcdysewn]

@irresistiibles asked: describe your muse’s handwriting. do they prefer using pens or pencils? is their handwriting neat or messy? do they use all caps? (for kiyi)

kiyi is definitely a pencil person, because while they really want to have neat handwriting, they naturally write very fast and messy, and like to go back, erase what they wrote, and rewrite it much more slowly and neatly once their thoughts are put on the page once. they're definitely not an all caps person, because they think it looks very aggressive. (also they dot their i's with smiley faces without fail despite being a whole adult)

@softsliders19 asked: what’s the first major event they remember in their life? (Kiyi)

probably the first time they firebent (firebended? i honest to god do not know both look so wrong who cares i'm writing a meme answer about a two line comic only atla character not my fucking thesis) because that was something they'd had no clue they could do, and it was such a cool moment for them, being able to not only do this cool thing, but use it to help people.

[ellakomskaikru]

Do you think Azula ever firebent at Ursa?

Hello anon!

I don’t think so. There is no evidence that suggests that she did. Azula was always obedient towards Ursa. Every time Ursa told her to do something, she did it. For example, when Ursa told her, “Young lady, not another word.” Azula stopped talking and just ran away. Then when Ursa told her that “It’s time for a talk.” Azula looked a little angry but still didn’t fight Ursa grabbing her by the wrist and taking her out of Zuko’s bedroom. Despite her sometimes negative feelings towards her, Azula did respect her mother.

Azula is a prodigy firebender, and yes, she was only nine years old, but Ursa was a nonbender who as far as we know had no fighting abilities. If Azula were truly this horrid child who was born evil, she would have firebent at Ursa whenever Ursa scolded her or told her to do something she didn’t want to do, and she could have done some serious damage. Azula was clearly formidable even at nine years old. But as far as we saw, Azula respected Ursa as her mother. So no anon, I don’t think Azula firebent at her mother.

Thanks for the ask!

[backstage-autorin]

I will never not find it funny that although Zuko is the one I see mentioned the most often in discussions of autistic-coded characters, of the three who set off my "takes one to know one" sense on my first watchthrough of the series, he is also the one I picked up *last.*

I picked up on Iroh first when he firebent his tea while waiting to enter Ba Sing Se. The only way I can make that choice make sense is if he had some kind of sensory processing issue that prevented him from drinking tea at the wrong temperature, or if he was stressed from the trip, needed to stim, and playing around with flavors/scents/temperatures of tea was the only form of stimming he was allowed growing up, making it his default method of stimming as an adult. (If the school he attended as a child was anything like the school where Aang got in trouble for dancing in music class, it's not difficult to imagine autistic students getting in trouble for stimming). Over the years of using different scents/flavors/temperatures of tea as the one form of sensory input he was allowed to be in control of, he developed a special interest in tea. Adding the fact that caffeine is sometimes used to self-medicate ADHD, depending on the caffeine content of his teas it's possible that Iroh has inadvertently been self-medicating for undiagnosed ADHD (as far as I'm aware the vocabulary to get diagnosed doesn't exist in-universe). Overall, I headcannon Iroh as AuDHD.

Azula was the next one I picked up on, during the Beach episode. The moment that made the headcannon click was the "sharp outfit" monologue/flirtation attempt, but she also takes the "party from dusk till dawn" invitation literally and her observation about the volleyball opponent's childhood injury on the left side reminded me of my own (self-described) unhinged pattern recognition. She masks well but unfortunately for her the environment she built her mask for was extremely dysfunctional, which I think played a role in her eventual breakdown. (For a modern-day equivalent, it's not uncommon for autistic women to only get diagnosed after seeking treatment for mental health disorders.) Azula being praised/recognized as a firebending prodigy but struggling in other settings reminds me of the discourse around gifted education, the prevalence of undiagnosed neurodivergence in gifted programs, and the recognition of twice-exceptional students (students who qualify for special education and gifted education at the same time), and I would probably headcannon her as a technically twice-exceptional student whose autism went undiagnosed so on paper she's just considered "gifted" instead of "twice exceptional."

Zuko, on the other hand, flew under my radar until he practiced the "Hello, Zuko here" speech for that frog, vented to that same frog (or maybe the frog was just there while he was talking to himself) while analyzing his social interaction failure after he accidentally reveals that he hired Combustion Man, and then an episode or two later fails to make anyone laugh with the "leaf me alone, I'm bushed" joke. I sometimes rehearse social interactions beforehand, very frequently replay my conversation errors in my head, and have plenty of experience with messing up at telling jokes, so i guess seeing Zuko do the same is what it took for me to figure it out. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the reason it took me so long to pick up on Zuko being autistic is because he was masking to the best of his ability when he was trying to regain and/or maintain his father's approval and then once he switched sides he no longer felt the same need to try to pretend to be neurotypical.

There's probably a lot more I can say if I were to analyze the show through the lens of Iroh, Azula, and Zuko all being autistic but tbh those thoughts should probably be their own post instead of commentary on someone else's meme.

[kingwuko]

So I have a story that's been living rent-free in my mind f o r e v e r and that is Wu getting airbending once the war with Kuvira is over and he's settled down in Republic City with Mako. The reason he hasn't airbent before is A) obviously the war, B) living with the Earth Queen and having to repress it only for her to be killed by an airbender, and C) he had never tried nor focused to bend any element before, and when he does realize he's airbending, it's almost like a sleep walking thing that when he wakes up he only has a faint memory of bending. This terrifies him to discover that the same element that killed his great aunt and in turn caused Kuvira's reign over the Earth Kingdom is now the element he can control. And it makes Wu feel really fucking guilty so he hides it from everyone, not that he can focus enough when he's awake to bend. But it's a bit harder to hide from Mako because all of a sudden vases are starting to break and the cabinets shut in the middle of the night and in the morning Wu is laying half-on, half-off the couch dead tired. One day, the Krew is off at the market, none of them knowing about Wu's bending and spirituality being completely out of wack and hard to control even in day time, and something minor happens like a guy on a Satomobile speeding too fast by them and this triggers a protective air bubble around the Krew that Wu sets off on accident. Of course, everyone thinks it's Korra or Opal who set it off and Wu immediately panics because Korra's looking at him in shock because she knows it wasn't herself or Opal who set it off and she knows Asami can't bend and she knew something was off with Wu. She waits until he gathers himself to interrogate him: "Do you know what you just done?" "Umm... I honestly didn't know I could do that in day-time." And this leads to a whole explanation about how he got his bending after the war and how he thought he could only do it asleep and how Mako doesn't even know. When he mentions anything like the Earth Queen or Kuvira, tiny little bust of air push out of his hand and when it's over Korra looks at him and sets out a game plan for him. First, explain to Mako why all the good dishes at the house are broken. Second, talk to Tenzin or Jinora about this. Third, try not to set off a tornado. Admitting that Wu had hid a pivotal part of himself from his boyfriend was going to be hard, especially when he was trying to find out where this had come from in the first place anyway, but Mako was understanding and they had talked about his parents being killed by firebenders and how Mako was reminded of that everytime he firebent. Mako showed Wu he wasn't alone. Talking to Tenzin was hard because he's the son of Aang, a master airbender, and his daughter is a spiritual whiz kid. Although Tenzin wasn't as harsh as explaining airbending and though his "Be the leaf" slogan got old, he at least set down the bases of airbending. And part three is still under control.

I'm loving Airbender Wu headcanons. Maybe he got airbending from the new portal!

[whattheflameo]

idk if i just missed it but baby izumi 🥺

OH MY GOD IZUMI. I FORGOT MY LITERAL QUEEN OH MY GODDDDDDDD HOW COULD I?!?!? DISHONOR ON ME MY COW AND MY WHOLE FAMILY😭😭😭😭

You have never met a baby with a louder cry I promise

Very sassy little child. Talked back in baby babble. If you told her no, she’d adamantly say “Yes😠” face and all. Zuko always caved.

One of those super angelic-looking, pretty babies. Literally a perfect looking princess baby Zuko Mai how

Crawled for approximately five minutes before she got up and walked away

They did the kindling firebender test just to make sure the palace didn’t burn down, but the first time Izumi firebent on her own was when she sneezed at about a year old. Sneezed, lit her high chair tray on fire, and laughed maniacally. Mai has never been more proud.

[shrinkthisviolet]

Izumi headcanons? :)

A lot, yes! A bunch of these tie directly into the time travel AU, but they can still be true in canon:

-She started firebending late (between 6 and 8)

-Zuko calls her “Turtleduck”

-Izumi learned to throw knives and some VERY basic swordfighting when she was little, but relied much more on her firebending until her teenage years/adulthood when she realizes their value (in the time travel AU, she learns their value the hard way)

-She and Bumi took forever to get together because they both thought she had to marry a firebender of high status (and managed to convince themselves that they’d grown out of their childhood crushes. Spoiler: they didn’t)

-When she first firebent, Bumi was the first person she wrote to, ecstatic that they’d soon be “bending buddies.” This led to Bumi being jealous of her and caused a small fight (but they talked things over and made up not long after)

-Her and Bumi’s youngest daughter is named Mizuki

-When Bumi got his airbending, she said, “see, I knew we’d be bending buddies!” and helped him process the weight of him being an airbender, something he always wanted, at a time when he no longer wanted it

-She’s fiercely protective over the ones she loves, a trait she learned from her parents and brother, Druk

-She loves her Aunt Kiyi and Uncle Tom-Tom a lot 🥰

-She and Kya are best friends, almost like sisters

-She sees Aang in Korra (and Korra is also her niece in a sense, since I hc Senna as Sokka and Suki’s daughter, making Senna and Izumi cousin-sisters when Izumi marries Bumi. But Izumi was close with the Gaang kids even before she married Bumi anyway 😂)

-In the time travel AU, this “seeing Aang in Korra” thing manifests in Izumi and Bumi being VERY protective of Korra

-Izumi’s friends and Bumi’s friends team up to get these two idiots together and befriend each other over the whole thing

And a whole bunch more, but these are the ones off the top of my head 😂

[animusbell]

hi ginny i still really like this and i've been rewatching so now i have More Thoughts

first, waterbenders as the oppressive war state is objectively more terrifying. fire might be more aesthetically aggressive and scary, but waterbending has the potential for a lot more Horrors. also if they've still got the industrial edge, it probably leans on steam power instead of coal, and they've got submarines in addition to all the warships.

azula gleefully uses bloodbending instead of lightning; her father and iroh are both capable of the same, but zuko can never quite get the hang of it. he does, however, learn a technique iroh developed to resist it: stances based on earthbending, holding firm to your self. katara, meanwhile, learns to bend lightning.

now here's a question: would we swap the order of the elements? if the order is instead air -> fire -> earth -> water, it minimizes the changes needed to the story: it keeps roku as part of the water nation, and allows katara and aang to learn firebending together at the start.

but what if you don't swap them? what if roku was a firebender, say, from the northern tribe? what if aang tries his best to learn firebending along with katara, but it just won't do anything for him because he hasn't mastered water and earth?

you could have zuko soften up earlier, or even have aang start learning from him while they're still enemies: waterbending style involves following your enemy's flow, redirecting and returning their attacks. aang gets better while zuko gets madder.

(and would they even still go to the northern fire tribe first? if they went early on, katara gets good at firebending quicker, and she can teach aang quick once he's ready. alternately, they don't go first, she sorta picks up better techniques as she goes, and in the third season it turns out the northern fire tribe has been Conquered As Hell by the water nation, so she (and maybe sokka) go to help them out while aang has to go start out water nation stuff alone with toph. halfway through the season katara comes back like "guess who drove out zhao and is ready to teach you fireb--what the FUCK is zuko doing here")

also it'd be cool if zuko was a healer... but he doesn't discover this until wayyy later, when he's already been in a ton of scrapes where that would've been useful. instead of redemption killing his inner fire, it awakens this cool new ability that might've once made him marginally more valuable in his father's eyes. yikes

it wouldn’t make a very good fic bc i would want literally everything else to remain the same as canon, like sozin and his family still start the war, but i think it is fun to think about an atla au where u swap the elements of the water tribes and fire nation

like at the south pole, southern tribe remains the same, but katara as a firebender… something something family and the hearth, fire cooks your food and keeps you alive in the cold, etc. and then maybe a greater focus on the ocean as a fair/ uncaring (depending on your pov) but relentless force something something azula’s speech about the tides

bc while it does make sense for waterbenders to live near an abundance of ice i feel like u could also make the reverse argument, that the people who can keep themselves warm with the *literal fire of their souls* are the people best suited to living in below freezing temperatures. u kno

and if waterbenders can thrive as long as they are near their element (see: the foggy swamp tribe) it would also make sense for them to settle down on a chain of islands, even if the climate there is really warm. they can keep cool using the ice they make with their minds

u kno… is this anything……… 

[trrickytickle]

✿ aang + zuko hcs !! ✿

happy birthday @token-lee​ !! ur so poggers and cool and i love u so much so i made u headcanons,, 15 for each character bc ur 15 now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  🌪️ ☁️  🌻 ❀ sO like most hcs i believe aang had a lot of experience with twords,,, growing up at the air temple, he has been both the lee and the ler. although he refused to admit it at first, after finding out his status and prior to the unfreezing, he missed tickles sm lmao,, and katara and sokka were happy to help with that >:3 !! (he thoroughly regrets ever telling them)

❀ squeals like a mf. oh and he KICKS. just he tries to defend himself in the most ridiculous ways and always fails,, toph and katara are often enlisted to hold him down. 

❀ ler leaning switch. loves the game, not the sensation but he still likes it!! the other gaang members primarily tword him as a “punishment” or if theyre feeling a lil wrestly,, aaa he mostly gets got by katara bc shes da gf, sokka, and toph

❀ when zuko was introduced into the group, he wasn’t used to physical touch and a caring family, so when aang tried to start a tickle fight, he lost to an incredibly yell-y, rough and sadistic ler!zuko who apologized profusely. (”that’s how azula used to do it, and, um, she wasn’t the best, not at tickling, but at being a sister, well anyways, uh,,, -scar boy 2kxx) 

❀ when the sky bison and winged lemurs repopulated aang was incredibly ecstatic to see that the furry friends he grew up with were still alive, resulting in a swarm of baby sky bison and winged lemurs snuggling up against him and nuzzling against him with their fluff,, a lethal attack >:00 ❀ LER WISE hes so mean and playful!! like teasing, jumpin around, bending, and giggling along its SO CUTE,, he makes his lees- especially zuko- start giggling in anticipation and aang knows and takes pride in it, especially with the poopoo not poggers jerk prince zuko/j

❀ giant air raspberries thats the post.

❀ octopus technique that’s the post.

❀ buckling the lee down with earthbending when they move too much that’s the post.

❀ fireb- NO NO THAT’S NOT THE POST

 ❀ post tickle symptoms include earth shattering hiccups, which are fun for a group of travelling teenagers who sleep outdoors, mainly on mountains or caves. f u n!!!!

❀ aang and toph mud-wrestle during training and one more than one occassion, it’s turned into a tk free for all. 

❀ kataang smooches with tickles. they do be wholesome,, also neck raspberry. brrt. 

❀ sokka messes with him a lot, and you bet your ass this involves him being Mega Ler. like hes the epitome of ler with him. SUKI ON THE OTHER HAND

❀ suki and sokka helped him get into the avatar kyoshi getup again. the face paint ended in suki wrecking tf out of him for the duration of time it took.

❀ light on his feet = t,, tword,, is, h,, 

❀ bro tumby. him tumby. 

🧨  🔥  🎇

❀ blushy lee asf. the gaang wouldn’t let it slide and aang would try everything to fluster him, but only mai/sokka/whoeverthefuckyoushiphimwith knows how to TRULY fluster him- being slooow and gentle!! he gets all huffy and muffles his mouth to prevent his cute lil flustered giggles.

❀ the one to change his opinions on tickles and help him get comfortable was toph- she made sure to stop when it got too far for him- she always knew, thanks to her seismic sense abilities. he’d never admit it, but he kind of liked when toph tworded him, it was an oportunity to be closer to his friend in a comfortable way. he thought toph felt that way as well, but really toph is just an incrediblly stubborn lee who just wanted him to gib the tickl. now. firebender? more like firebendLER. please ler me big brother who gives me a sense of companionship.

❀ snorting. squealing. wheezing. giggling. any noise in the book, he definetly makes. so fuckin cute and precious HSDBAH

❀ chile anyways he pouts when he cant think of a clever rebuttal to the gaang’s teases (*leans in and whispers* sokka’s are the hardest) because they’re. so. MEAN

❀ textbook definition of lee, this man is. but ler, he can be. he was the latest in the group to find out THEY were twordish too bc hes a dum. chile anyways he goes after aang and toph the most.

❀ zuko and katara are practically toph’s parents so she craves tickles from them the most, but she doesn’t know how to ask. zuko is very oblivious to toph’s lee moods, but katara knows all. 

❀ ra- *gets mauled* pentapus bites- this mans biggest weakness. will yell-laugh, attempt to kick his lee off,, 

❀ the gaang helping him change his mind about tickles bc azula and ty lee used to destroy him. (mai was too busy bi panicing over teasy ty lee and giggly zuko.) i imagine they like to do it softly, not like some writers out there (glares at kyoko pfp and slow writer with god level fics  ) 

❀ chile anyways so teasing. they each have their own brand when it comes to making zuko redder than his non poggers scar. toph’s is more like taunting, aang is super silly and just,, cute, katara likes making little comments, sokka sucks at it but that’s what makes it good, and suki’s suki. like, you know, casual comments?

❀ it’s the face covering for me. think you can hide your lee? miss girl no. 

❀ ah yes the rare occurance. zuko squeaking. mostly happens when his neck or shoulderblades are attacked because the light touches kill him. 

❀ curling up into a ball like an armadillo-whatever because this is the atla world and h, hybrids,,, and wait actually curling up + covering his face. adorable out of this world i am LIVING for it. he looks smaller when he’s in a ball because of the flustered zuko shrinking theory.

❀ back to the theory. when you fluster a zuko enough he turns into a constantly shrinking pile of blushy mush which tries to surpress a big smile. 

❀ this was only recently discovered because azula never flustered him or made him feel safe or happy. she bullied him. tortured him and made him bitter about even the sheer thought of tickling. but now that he has his friends family, his opinion changed, knowing that they were people he could trust and talk to about just about anything.  ❀ the gaang never does anything intrusive or kinda mean. (again, GLARING at a major writer.) just nice :D things. no straddling him down and continuously doing hard stuff for hours on end. (glares at another human.) thank you and sorry for all the glaring. 

[attackfish]

I've got a wacky one. Five headcannons where Ursa is Azulon's disfavored daughter and Ozai is the Avatar's grandson that Azulon forced her to marry.

I already have an Ursa-Ozai swap, although it dies not fit these exact parameters. However, I feel one is enough to be getting on with. Continued from: [Link], [Link], [Link], and [Link].

1. Aang's parents are being housed at the Royal Fire Nation Institute for Reeducation and Rehabilitation. It's located in a warren of underground tunnels built under a remote and previously uninhabited Fire Nation island. The prison was built by earthbender prisoners of war at great expense, as they had to be guarded by two firebending soldiers each to prevent a prison revolt. As the warden likes to say to all new inmates, the punishment for being part of the airbender underground is to be airbenders underground! He thinks this is really witty. Iroh does not.

2. He comes to the prison under false papers, as the same jolly old clerk he has been pretending to be for the entirety of this little excursion, only now he is a clerk and inspector. He puffs out his chest pompously and tells the warden he is there to inspect the facility. The warden nods and says yessir, happy to help, sir. He explains in loving and grotesque detail to the supposed inspector how the prisoners are separated by gender, and while women sew Fire Nation military uniforms, the men break down rags into pulp and make some of the vast quantities of paper needed for the Fire Nation bureaucracy. Iroh makes all of the proper impressed noises as he searches out Amrita and Sangye, parents of the young Aang. This is of course made harder by that petty cruelty of not allowing spouses and families to stay together. But fortunately, part of his duties as inspector is to inspect the working conditions of all inmates.

3. He finds Amrita hard at work at her peddle powered sewing machine. It's a wonder of modern Fire Nation technology, he remarks to the warden, that these inmates are privileged to use. Amrita hides her scowl well. As soon as the warden leaves to his normal business, Iroh circles back around to her. Amrita is of course perturbed. There is no good reason an official inspector wants to speak to a prisoner. What could he want? But when he tells her he knows her son, that Aang is safe in the Southern Air Temple, she stares at him. "How do you know my son?" she asks.

4. And so Iroh explains. He explains about being Sozin's grandson and about Aang being the new air Avatar, and about how he firebent. Amrita is horrified. After all, the last Avatar was Sozin, who did such horrific damage to their people, and to the whole world. Iroh tries to assure her that Sozin was an aberration, and that he wishes to help Aang put the world back in balance, but unsurprisingly none of this reassures her in any way whatsoever.

5. So Iroh asks her what she thinks about prison breaks. And well, that's a different story all together.