#Hakoda: ...It's not like I want him here

[muffinlance]

Break-a-Leg Salvage Outtakes

Miscellanous outtakes, from a quickly scrapped timeline where Hakoda did not, in fact, sell Zuko to the Earth Kingdom.

---

“My dad was evil, too,” Panuk said, as they sat with their legs dangling over the ship’s side. “He was a Fire Nation collaborator. They both were. My mom married into a trading tribe; who else were they going to trade with? And then some commander decided pelts weren’t worth the promotion from ‘subduing a dangerous coastal settlement,’ and. My mom’s old tribe said it was good they were dead. Shame about me surviving to be a burden.”

“I’m not a burden,” Zuko scowled. 

Panuk smirked. “No, you’re not.”

* * *

The bison landed on their deck.

“I’m not dealing with this,” the former prince had declared at the first sighting, and gone below.

* * *

“Uh, dad.” Sokka said, stopping rather abruptly on the walk to Hakoda’s cabin. 

The sickbay was open. Zuko was sitting on his bed, grinding something into a very cathartic looking paste. He picked up one of his crutches, and slammed the door shut.

“...I’m aware,” Hakoda said. And hugged his own children more tightly, as often as they’d let him.

[erisenyo]

"could you please come and get me?" I'm BEGGING🙏🙏🙏

For this prompt game! (And also this one!) (Andthis one too lol)

(Can be read as a follow-up to this)

“…and, like, everyone goes through phases!”

Hakoda hastily unfolds from his very undignified stretch at the muffled sound of Sokka’s voice, wincing at the protest of his sore back. Bato keeps saying he’s eventually going to value his posterior chain enough to stop taking red eyes no matter how cheap they are, and one day Hakoda is actually going to listen instead of making jokes about posteriors.

“—and sisters, you know? They never let go of anything no matter how old you all get, and they always take things too far—”

Hakoda glances again around the dim lit, tidy shop as if maybe the angle of the sunlight will have changed, vaguely pleased and surprised that Sokka is here so early as the faint jangle of the admittedly-huge keyring filters through the door.

It’s hours past when they usually open, of course, but judging by the timing of Sokka’s late-night-scarfing-down-dinner phone calls, he’s been working plenty past when they usually close.

“—not in a creepy way or anything, obviously. Just a joke. A bad one!”

Not that Hakoda was really worried. And he was right to now really worry! There’s nothing blown up, no scorch marks or tools missing because Sokka really needed a good shearing weapon for his robot-killing robot, no half-deconstructed engines and piling-up repairs because Sokka is sure he’s figured out a way to get more efficiency out of the whole system.

“—and that one is totally new, anyway. I had no idea it was even there! And so, um. High definition.”

Those this Audi sitting in the middle out of the shop, which is very out of place for Wolf Cove to begin with, let alone in Hakoda’s shop…

“And I mean, you know how sisters are!”

Hakoda does have some questions about that.

That Jesk kid better not be involved, or whatever his name was...

“Or—right?” Sokka’s voice is suddenly clear as he finally finds the right key to unlock the office door. “You—maybe? I mean—you—or—”

“Yeah,” a husky, raspy voice cuts in, faintly amused, and Hakoda pauses in surprise as he realizes Sokka isn’t on the phone. “I have a sister.”

Hakoda glances curiously through the office window as Sokka flicks the lights on, bright light illuminating the office and the break room and the car bays one by one, revealing his son—dressed for work, not starving, not injured, good—and the lean, black-on-black clad boy behind him, and Hakoda feels his eyebrow jump up in surprise.

Ah. He recognizes a pretentiously pre-worn designer leather jacket when he sees one. That would be where the car came from, then.

“And,” Sokka hurries on, darting nervously around the office as he wakes up the computer and sets down his coffee and Hakoda’s other eyebrow slides up to join the first. He can recognize Sokka’s cover-his-ass voice anywhere. “It’s not like I would recognize you out of context anyway without, you know. Or with, or—and so, like, it's not like I was being weird or anything, or like, trying to lock you in the basement or something, or—fuck.” Sokka scrubs his hands over his face before pasting on a bright, game smile and marching toward the car bays. “Yeah, I’m just going to stop talki—Dad!”  

“Sokka,” Hakoda greets him, giving the other boy—not a boy, Sokka hates being called a boy, he reminds himself—a curious look. “And…?”

“Oh,” the boy blinks, freezing a little. “Uh—”

“I didn’t realize you were coming back,” Sokka hops in, hurrying over. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to grab a few things from the house, see you and Katara a bit,” Hakoda assures him, reaching out to give Sokka’s shoulder a squeeze and offering a smile to the other boy as he trails Sokka after a moment across the shop floor. “Who’s this?”

“How’s Gran Gran?” Sokka asks as the boy hesitates, mouth half-open.

“She’s doing well, things are coming along,” Hakoda says, cocking his head to get a better look at the boy. He’s definitely familiar—not surprising, with those nearly-gold eyes and scar and the kind of cheekbones that Sokka loves to trip over—but Hakoda can’t quite place… “Are you one of Sokka’s college friends?” Shit, Hakoda should know those. He at least knows it isn’t…what was his name, Tamu? It’s definitely not him…

“Ah, no,” the boy says, shifting on his feet and flicking a quick look to Sokka. “Wh—"

“How long are you back for!” Sokka says over top of him, eyes wide with interest and that’s definitely his cover-his-ass voice again…

“Just a few days,” Hakoda says absently. Is it one of Sokka’s high school band buddies? They used to always be hanging around the basement and crowding into the kitchen. “I haven’t seen around town,” he says slowly, the sense that he knows this kid niggling at the edge of his thoughts.

“…No,” the kid agrees after a beat, equally slow.

“Yeah,” Sokka says quickly, voice coming out high. “He’s not from around here!”  

“This is your car?” Hakoda asks, because the kid might not look much like a trombone players but he does look like a speed demon.

“Uh, yeah,” the kid says, glancing at the sleek red lines where Sokka’s set the Audi out with pride of place dead center in the middle of the shop. “Sorry?”

“Sorry?” Hakoda blinks, momentarily distracted from the nagging familiarity of the kid.

“I broke down,” the kid shrugs, apologetic, and Hakoda can only give him a bemused look.

“It’s what we’re here for,” he says. And they’re certainly going to charge him for it, with a car like that—and Hakoda will be making sure he’s charged. He recognizes that look on Sokka’s face…

“Right!” Sokka says, overly bright. “Car repair!”

“A full-service operation,” the kid murmurs, cutting Sokka a sideways look.

“We strive to be,” Hakoda says proudly, giving Sokka his own curious look as his son chokes a little, blushing. Oh yeah. Hakoda is definitely making sure this kid gets charged.

“Car repairs!” Sokka says loudly, clearly powering through…whatever is going on. “We’ve had a lot of those! Want to—” he glances quickly around. “—the books! Want to see them? Or the—I can get you up to speed?” he suggests half-desperately. “On everything?”

Hakoda makes a vaguely affirming noise, listening with half an ear and mostly watching the kid who is in turn watching Sokka, looking faintly bemused by and more than a little curious about Sokka’s immediate, exhaustive, relieved, highly detailed account of the past month.

Maybe he’s a new teacher in one of Sokka’s art classes? He thought they were all old men by Sokka’s description, but this one seems like an artsy type. Though why he’d be here and not back in Republic City…

The kid gives Sokka another sidelong look through his lashes that really isn’t all that subtle to anyone other than Sokka, and ah, that could be a reason.

And he can tell Sokka likes his friend back from the fidgety, half-nervous, half-hyper way he’s shifting his weight and playing with his bracelets and rings and he better be fucking taking those off before work, Hakoda’s not trying to have anyone lose a damn body part inside an engine. At least the earrings are out…

Hakoda thinks, though, that he really would have heard of the kid if he’s following Sokka cross-country to keep him company. But then, maybe that’s why he has the persistent, nagging sense that he’s met or at least seen this kid befo—

“Oh!” Hakoda suddenly exclaims, snapping his fingers as realization hits. “I know you!”

“You—!” Sokka trips a little as the kid startles, giving Hakoda a half-surprised, half-cagey look. “You should really hear about theorderthatPakkutriedto—”

“You’re the boy from the poster over Sokka’s bed!” Hakoda says, triumphant and Sokka cuts off with a high, strangled noise, the kid opening his mouth and nothing coming out.

“The one where’s he’s all shirtless and oiled up?” Hakoda prompts when Sokka doesn’t say anything, pleased to have placed it. “Remember, you got that fancy photo editing program for it? So you could cut him out of the full shot and enlarge the size? And Bato took you to that special print shop in Whale Harbor to get it done out on the special poster paper?”

The kid slowly transfers his stare from Hakoda to Sokka, who is looking more and more like a deer trying to freeze to avoid the notice of an oncoming car.

“You know, for your eighteenth birthday?” Hakoda reminds him, concern fluttering in his chest when Sokka doesn’t immediately latch onto the topic like he always does. “Because you couldn’t find any magazines big enough to see from that far away?” He definitely isn't misremembering, he knows he isn't...right?

The kid slowly closes his mouth, eyebrow inching up higher and higher.

“And you’d filled up all your wall space, so you needed to move to other surfaces? And Katara said you weren’t allowed to put anything up in the shower?” No, he's definitely right. Hakoda had been quietly and intensely relieved by the shower edict enough to be sure.

“I,” Sokka finally says, mouth working, “I, uh.”

“Didn’t you recognize him?” Hakoda frowns, reaching out to feel Sokka’s forehead.

“Yeah, Sokka,” the kid—shit, Hakoda still doesn’t know his name though—says, pointed, “Didn’t you recognize me?”

“I…need to go now,” Sokka announces, suddenly fumbling in his pockets.

“What?” Hakoda blinks, confusion threading alongside his pleasure at finally placing the face.

“What?” the kid half-laughs, startled.

But Sokka just whips out his phone, already marching away, his face crimson and voice echoing off the high ceilings, “Katara? Yeah, I’m—yeah, I’m still in town. Yes, I know that you're on nights, I—yes, I—look, could you please come and get me?” A pause. “No, I—actually, yes. I need to go die now, please. Not here.”

Hakoda stares after Sokka as he finally shuts the office door behind him, bemused, scratching the back of his head and shifting his attention to the kid who looks like he doesn’t know whether to worry or laugh again.

“Well, I’m Hakoda,” he eventually offers, extending his hand and biting the bullet that it’s okay to not know this one’s name, they probably haven't actually met before, “I’m his father.”

“Zuko,” the kid says after a beat, accepting his handshake—strong grip, callouses, no eye contact but that’s okay considering he’s looking after Sokka. “I’m, uh. The guy from the ceiling?”

Hakoda huffs, half-amused and giving him another quick look—and then his hand a slightly harder squeeze. “Grown up a bit, have you?” A lot less oil, too. And a lot more clothes.

Same cheekbones, though.

“Uh—so has he? Since then?” Zuko hazards, glancing toward the office where Sokka is…screaming into a pillow, by the looks of it.

“One could say that," Hakoda says after a beat, thinking of Sokka’s last trip to Whale Harbor and the poster tube he’d come back with happily cradled in his arms. “But maybe not as much as you’d think.”

[sufferingsokkatash]

THAT famous zukka hug in the atla north and south comic : an essay you did not need, by me.

i was thinking about how, in writing, there should be no accidents or coincidences in how and why something is described, or the detail the writer chooses to use. for example, zuko tapping his hand on his desk would be used to show that he is impatient or anxious about something.

so THEN i decided to apply this to the zukka hug, because why not be delulu about these things idk.

first of all, here are the zukka hug pages for context:

disclaimer: i don’t really know how the fandom feels about the comics. personally i like them, so i will proceed with that bias in mind. also please take this with the humour that is intended, it’s more fun that way.

i go down a sabre tooth moose lion hole below the cut.

this whole scene to me is largely what we all love about atla - humour and good characterisation combined with serious subject matter. king kuei and bosco are the comic relief and oblivious party in the face of quite a complicated issue, as zuko himself acknowledges. this humour then extends to kuei offering zuko the chance to join in on his hug with bosco, which zuko politely refuses. obviously, there is the clear issue of zuko being afraid of being eaten by a bear, but we’ll pretend that ernest hemingway is grading our papers here, okay.

it is a very deliberate writing choice and contrast to have zuko refuse hugs from one person/animal and then immediately and happily accept one from sokka. (see also: sokka running excitedly with a big grin on his face at the bottom of page 17 to greet them, naming zuko first, but remembering that he is a good ambassador to the swt and using their proper titles despite his excitement. more silliness mixed with seriousness. see also, also: HE RAAAAAN!) zuko may be touch averse and not a huggy person, but screw that when it’s sokka who’s offering the hug.

remember there are no accidents in good writing. kuei happily says: hello friends! to which, in both that panel and the next, he is clearly ignored. sokka and zuko are so absorbed in hugging each other that sokka neglects his duties in welcoming them both properly. zuko : 2 swt ambassador role: 0. also ignored is the fact that kuei brought his bear, which would normally be subject to some kind of smartass comment from our boomerang boi, even if he knows he’s obsessed with his pet from the ba sing se episodes.

this could be an actual mistake, but sokka ran towards zuko, who was standing in front of kuei. but in the hug panel, sokka is between them. that means kuei walked all the way around them trying to get their attention, and it still didn’t work. sokka, nor zuko, say a further word to kuei. like exactly how much tunnel vision is there in this, my goddddd.

bosco is protecting kuei and sokka is protecting zuko. could be why they mirrored them and their positions in the hug panel, so not a mistake. a swt person says: protecting foreigners, sokka?! but that is exactly what he does by ignoring the protesters and telling zuko not to worry about them. despite wanting to do his duty to everyone sokka puts zuko first, basically, and doesn’t care about what they all think of him. that’s kind of huge for sokka.

yes, hakoda is injured at this time and yes he’s proud of sokka, but surely as chief he would have gone to meet the earth king and firelord? why did the writers go to so much effort making sure that sokka was there to meet zuko and have them hugging take up a third of an entire page when printing and space in the comics is such a consideration? it is clearly important, y’all.

their faces when they see each other. sokka can’t stop grinning and zuko closes his eyes in relief he’s so happy. enough said.

sokka says: thanks so much for coming! like he doesn’t already know zuko would travel the world just to make him happy or help in what’s important to him. have you forgotten boiling rock, sokka? because that dude you’re wrapped around, acting like he’s been starved of you, sure hasn’t.

this comic is all about nations coming together and traditions being upheld and shared. in other words, marry him sokka. it is in your diplomatic interests to do so.

in utterly insane conclusion:

i am always surprised at how much they made the effort in the writing for this one scene. i don’t see the comics as something that tease ships, they aren’t natla. what i do see is two guys who clearly care about each other, almost to the detriment of their roles and responsibilities, and their relationship was worth the effort taken in the writing and artwork to show that. it is super heckin sweet. does this mean i think zukka is canon or could be? no. maybe did i have fun pretending and overanalyzing every detail? yes.

ps in all seriousness, the answer is that this is about my fav boy and how far he has come in his character growth journey - exhibit a from ‘the avatar returns’ episode:

the end, i am getting blocked and going to jail but it’s okay because zukka is my bosco hug.

[late-draft]

I want to know all of the details of the scifi au like right now, I'm so hooked instantly

Okay let me set the stage!

This is a sci-fi AU, leaning onto (what I've read) the first idea of ATLA; however unlike how it had Aang be from an ancient technologically advanced civilization waking up in a technologically regressed world(?), here the tech that Air Nomads had was forgotten and new one was created and it proliferated.

An important thing to keep in mind is that I intended this AU to be literally made up of iconic, primeval tropes of young audience's shows. I'm currently in a phase where I test how well I'm able to incorporate tropes and make the best use of them, so for this AU, expect it to feel EXACTLY like the thrill of running at 10 PM up to your grandma's CRT TV to watch that amazing series on Jetix you can't get enough of!!!!

~~~

First thing to notice here, the world has a Key Holder for every bending type. Keys are your magical symbols. It's the standard trope in these types of shows, think of them as kids who represent the absolute core traits of their element. Because Aang has to find specific individuals now rather than arbitrarily choosing a teacher, we have a tighter narrative although more trope-y. Aang is the Key holder for Air - every Avatar is always a Key holder for their native element, but can be taught other bending types only by respective elements' Key holders.

As expected, the world is ruled by the Fire Nation's strongest corporation, led by Emperor Ozai. Most of the setting is skyscrapers, huge power cables and mazes of pipeworks. Hakoda is the leader of resistance but he had disappeared two years ago, leaving his two children with a warning to stay hidden and safe below ground. Their secret hideout is pretty safe and cozy. Of course Sokka and Katara would not sit idly forever! Wandering through the underground they discover an ancient cryo pod, the only active one left. When he comes to himself, Aang realizes that he's the last airbender in the world for the past 1000 years.

The Avatar is able to operate ancient spiritual machines that the Air Nomads tended to. Once he learns all bending types, he'll be able to return airbending to the world through a Harmonic Convergence event by activating a huge lionturtle machine. The problem is - nobody knows where this machine is, but the Avatar is able to "listen" for signs of keyholders and machines through an ancient leftover network. Katara and Sokka swear to aid Aang in achieving this goal and restoring balance to the world. Ever since airbenders disappeared, there had been heavy dissonance in the spirit world, creating terrible natural disasters that altered the face of the planet. They're having difficulty finding the Key holder for Water.... the first one they find is Toph for Earth! She joins the gaang in late season 1 :)

In this AU, there's a tradeoff where the element of kungfu fights is reduced in favour of high-speed chases through the metropolis. Aang (14) moves quickly through the city using only his airbending, by running or speeding on his air sphere. The only piece of new equipment he wears are clear plastic goggles that Sokka (18) gave him. And while you might expect Zuko (19) to be chasing them on a red motorbike, no! It's in fact Katara (17) who's a super-skilled bike driver while Zuko and his entourage are on ROLLERBLADES SKATING ACROSS WALLS AND PIPES. Propulsion via firebending! (same thing Azula does in canon, just elevated to skating). Iroh waits for his nephiew to fail each chase and offer him tea, he's just wearing black dress pants. XD Sokka is Katara's genius engineer brother who constantly grumbles and throws sarcastic remarks because he has to fix her bike after every. single. chase! In this setting, Ozai is specifically looking for the Avatar because he could, using unethical means and technology on a trapped Avatar, be able to grant all bending types to whoever he chooses. This would spell disasteeeer. However, it's also implied that in a similar way, he could "fix" anyone...

Some notes:

You can probably feel the conclusions of many things I left blank. This is on purpose.

Zuko absolutely must have to be motivated by a desire to win his father's approval and love, this must not change. I'll introduce Azula in a later post.

The lionturtle as a concept and its effects are made clear and setup from the get-go. The spiritual machines are just a background element that doesn't affect the plot, it's just a goal.

Aang still has a crush on Katara! And it would be brought up a bit more frequently, in order to serve the plot.

Ozai is doing something concrete that's directly related to Avatar's bending, tying him closer to the Avatar as his antagonist.

This AU's setting is as you may have sensed, more mellow at first. It doesn't have a currently active war.

The characters are older because that feels more fitting to me. (I was investigating W.I.T.C.H. show and saw they were basically all 13 and dating and I was like. "Yikes. No")

Help me dig out any VISUAL references you might remember, from shows of the similar vibe. The goal is not to mimic but to add to the characteristic genre.

These screenshots are from OBAN: STAR RACERS and are what I'd associate with the old Air Nomad technology!

Shape Da Future from Jet Set Radio is precisely what aligned perfectly with this AU.

I'll be sharing more details about this AU in future posts, and everyone is welcome to add their ideas and thoughts on it! I wonder what I forgot to mention here…

[melzula]

North and South

part one

pairing: zuko x princess!reader

notes: i’m so excited to finally be at the last comic storyline of the series. i do admit there are a lot of noticeable changes from the comic, but i still hope you guys enjoy. also i did make a series playlist if you guys want to give it a listen, it’s included on the masterlist!

summary: while doing her best to rebuild the tribe, the Chief struggles to determine what is really best for her people. however, she hopes that the return of her friends will allow her to see things in a clearer view

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

After a long day of teaching, you find yourself locked away in your office looking over proposals for the Reconstruction Project. Your head aches from the hours you’ve spent assessing paperwork and writing notes of your own about Hakoda’s new proposal. Things seem to be going well for the most part, your tribe is growing stronger with every passing day, but there’s still much to be done.

It’s been three months since you last visited the Fire Nation and helped Zuko find the missing children, and since returning home all of your attention has been focused on the needs of your people. You’re doing all you can to be the leader your father would want you to be and your tribe needs you to be, but the reconstruction process has made this a much more difficult task.

A gentle knock on your office door breaks you from your thoughts and brings you back to the present, refocusing your attention on the papers sprawled out before you. “Come in.”

“Chief y/n,” Hakoda greets you cordially before gently shutting the door behind him. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No, of course not, I was just reviewing the proposal you and Malina submitted.”

“And?” He asks with a hopeful glint in his eye. You simply sigh, carefully rubbing your temple in thought before grabbing the papers from your desk and handing them back to him.

“I don’t think I can approve the construction of these plans,” you admit guiltily. “I know there’s an oil deposit here that could be beneficial to the growth of our tribe if used correctly, but can you assure me that will be the case once it’s built? Can you assure me it won’t have any negative impact on our wildlife or our people or our way of life? Can you assure me that it won’t cause tension between us and our sister tribe?”

“I… I can’t promise you any of that,” Hakoda admits with a sigh. “But isn’t taking chances part of making change? This oil could help build machines and make our way of life easier.”

“I’ve heard how some of the Notherners speak of us. I gave Maliq an earful the last time I caught him talking down to my men, and I don’t believe his intentions with this project consider the South’s best interests. Our people don’t deserve just fancy machinery and modern technology, they deserve dignity and respect. At this moment in time I’m not comfortable moving forward with the oil rigs. My answer is no.”

“I understand,” your advisor relents with a disappointed sigh. “I’ll inform Malina and Maliq of your response, and I’ll work hard to make sure we can show you that this project will be worthwhile.”

“Thank you, Hakoda. Now, onto less serious matters,” you note with a faint smile. “Based on the letter I received Katara and Sokka should be arriving tomorrow, and in two days I’ll be hosting a celebration in honor of their return. I can count on you to be there?”

“Of course, but… you won’t mention anything of Malina will you?” He asks hesitantly. “I should be the one to tell them.”

“I don’t like keeping secrets from friends, but I also know that this is a family matter, so you have my word,” you assure him. He thanks you and bids you goodnight before departing from your office, and once again you are all alone.

“What am I going to do?” You sigh, eyes straining as you try looking over the plans again. Change has been necessary to keep your tribe growing and your people strong, but you worry that perhaps there’s been too much change. The only thing that’s really stayed the same is the palace, but even now it feels out of place amongst all the modern buildings and structures. The Southern Water Tribe feels too Northern, and you worry your people are beginning to lose their identity.

Nothing makes sense anymore, but you hope that with the arrival of your friends will come a clearer view on the future ahead.

You can only hope for the best.

~~~

The South is bustling with activity as you usher in your students for the day’s lesson. Your class is reasonably small, made up of only about ten attendees and only two of them being originally from the South. Those two were the most resistant to your lessons, but you did your best to be as understanding of their hesitancy as possible. You too understood the trauma and fear that came with being forced to hide your bending once the war broke out in the South, and some people were still getting used to the fact that there was no longer any danger to run from.

“Good morning my little koala otters,” you greet cheerfully. “I hope you all are well rested and ready for today’s lesson.”

“Excuse me,” a voice calls, bringing your attention to the doorway, “do you have room for another student?”

You nearly collapse from the excitement that fills you at the sight of your two friends standing in the doorway with Master Pakku in tow ready to take over classes for you. You almost trip over your own feet as you rush towards the siblings and throw your arms around them in the tightest hug imaginable.

“Sokka, Katara! I’m so happy to see you guys,” you exclaim with a tearful smile before pulling away. “I can’t believe you’re back already.”

“It’s great to see you again, y/n,” Katara agrees, a content look on her face, “and it’s good to be home, even though it does look… different.”

“I know, it is a bit much,” you admit with an uncomfortable laugh, “but the people seem to like it, and your father thinks a modern look is just what our tribe needs.“

“Is our dad a great advisor or what?” Sokka asks Katara, a prideful smile on his face.

“He certainly has been a great help. Thanks to him and the construction crew from the North I’ve been able to focus on my bending school and more of the social affairs around the South. Having more time to connect with my people helps me be the best Chief I can and make sure I’m making the right choices for them.”

“Speaking of the construction crew,” Katara interrupts with a sour look on her face. “I caught them trying to attack little kids who were playing near a construction site.”

“It was just a misunderstanding, Katara,” Sokka reasons with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Besides, you kicked their butts anyway!”

“That’s terrible,” you express with a worried frown. “I’ll have to have a word with Malina about her crew; they won’t be welcomed here any longer if they keep this sort of behavior up. I won’t have outsiders tormenting my people.”

“This Malina… do you trust her?”

“Why do you ask?” You say, trying to feign obliviousness. You certainly don’t want to get in the middle of anything, but it’s hard having to lie to someone who’s been there for you through thick and thin.

“Well, we’re supposed to have dinner tonight with my dad, and her and her brother Maliq will be joining us. But I’m not really sure if I trust her,” Katara admits sullenly. “Something doesn’t feel right about them.”

“You just have to give her a chance. Anyone who can come up with cool designs like that can’t be all that bad,” her brother argues much to her annoyance.

“You only like her because she’s feeding you,” she grumbles indignantly.

“Look, I think you should speak to your father. He spends more time with her than I do, and he’ll be able to explain things much better than I probably could. The only thing I can tell you both is to keep your schedules open because tomorrow night I’ll be hosting a celebration in your honor!”

“What? You don’t have to do that!” Katara exclaims in surprise.

“Of course I do. You’re Southern heroes, you saved the world by helping the Avatar and you saved our tribe when you helped me defeat Koa,” you explain adamantly. “We’re having the party, and as Chief I demand your presence.”

“You’ve let the power go to your head, haven’t you?” Sokka accuses jokingly. “Don’t worry, y/n, we’ll be there.”

“Good,” you smile, pleased at getting your way. “We’re all going to have a wonderful time and everything is going to work itself out. These things just take time.”

“I guess you’re right,” Katara murmurs, but you can still detect the uncertainty in her features.

“Listen, why don’t you both come by tomorrow after my lessons are over? I can give you a grand tour of the new and improved Southern Water Tribe!” You suggest eagerly. “Your opinions matter too, and I want as much input as possible about how to improve our home for everyone.”

“That sounds nice,” she admits with a meek smile. “Maybe that’s what we need, a chance to settle into life back home.”

“Perfect! I’m excited to show you our procgress!”

While Katara appreciates your enthusiasm, she still doesn’t feel right about Malina or the changes made in the South. It doesn’t really feel like home anymore; it’s so different from how life once was. For your sake she’ll try to give it a chance, but as of now it seems it’ll take a lot more than her father’s reassurance to convince her that these changes are for the best.

But she hopes that maybe you’re right, maybe these things just take time, and maybe once time has passed it’ll feel like normal again.

She can only hope.

~~~

“After we finished rebuilding the outer tribes, we began our work on the royal plaza. It’s now become the main center for commerce, diplomacy, and unity. The local businesses that have opened here have been massively successful, and the square is constantly bustling with activity.”

Katara feels overwhelmed by the whirlwind of information you throw at her as you guide her and Sokka through the brand new royal village. You’re right about it always being busy- people rush by your trio to start their work for the day or bargain for the latest deals at the merchant stands. They look happy, content, and out of place. The people don’t match the towering buildings around them, and they surely don’t look like the same people she’d left behind a few years ago.

“And everyone is happy with the changes?” She asks curiously.

“Well, some were resistant to the change, so I tried to be as accommodating as possible. Those who didn’t want new homes were allowed to keep their original huts, and I didn’t force the outer tribes to merge with the royal village. I gave them the autonomy to govern their own affairs so long as it doesn’t interfere with the overall success of the tribe, but they’re still required to report to me at least once a month about their progress and request aid if needed.”

“So it’s kind of like the Earth Kingdom in a way?” Sokka points out indeterminately. “You‘ve established cities while still keeping the palace as the center point of the tribe.”

“I guess that’s true,” you note thoughtfully at his observation. “Father said I’d gain the knowledge needed to lead by traveling the world, so I’m using the knowledge I’ve gained for the benefit of my people.”

“I hate to burst your burble, Princess, but I don’t think everything’s as perfect as you say it is,” the boy says with a frown. Faltering, you slow yourself to a stop and turn to face the siblings. Their features are riddled with apprehension, and you’re not sure what to make of it.

“What do you mean, Sokka? Is there something you don’t like about the changes? Is there something I should be doing better?” You ask, fretful over the idea of not living up to the expectations placed upon you as leader.

“No, no, I think you’re doing a great job, honest. It’s just… well, some people aren’t happy about the Northerners being here.”

“Last night Malina was attacked at dinner, and we were forced to chase after these kids that stole Maliq’s briefcase,” Katara begins to explain, lowering her voice to ensure no one can overhear your conversation. “We followed them to the abandoned Fire Nation shipwreck and discovered a series of tunnels underneath.”

“There was an entire group of Southerners down there led by Gilak, a warrior who fought alongside our fathers against the Fire Nation,” Sokka continues, and you can only hang on to every word. You feel ashamed to know that this has been going on without your knowledge, and it’s almost as if you’ve failed in a sense. You’re Chief, it’s your job to know of things like this, and yet you’re having to find out about it through your friends. “They’re not happy about our sister tribe’s presence here in the South.”

“I understand some of the Northerners can be a bit blunt and unpleasant at times, but I didn’t think it was this bad,” you admit with a disappointed frown. “What did they tell you?”

“He said he understood that at first it was necessary for you to bring in people from the North to help restore bending to our tribe because it would make us stronger,” Sokka explains as he recalls the awkward encounter. “But now he thinks my dad is going overboard with all the people he’s brought in to help us rebuild.”

“He says we’re becoming a cheap imitation of the North,” Katara murmurs thoughtfully, and by the look on her face it seems as if she agrees with the sentiment.

“What else did Galik say?”

“They want to eradicate the presence of foreigners and are prepared to go to war to do so,” Sokka says sullenly, not exactly enjoying having to break this news to you. “He says we have to get rid of the Northerners before they take advantage of you.”

“Of me?” You retort in bewilderment. You definitely didn’t expect that to come out Sokka’s mouth. Katara then places a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Galik and his followers believe that your relationship with Zuko- an outsider- has made you too trusting of foreigners. He thinks the Northerners are taking advantage of this trust to worm their way into the affairs of the South.”

“He compared our father to Koa,” Sokka spits irately, still fuming at the memory. “He thinks he’s abusing his position as advisor to go behind your back and make all these changes.”

“That’s not true at all!” You exclaim in disbelief. “Spirits, this has all gotten so out of hand. What am I to do?”

“Hey, don’t worry, we’re going to figure it out. Our dad is already investigating the matter as we speak,” your friend assures you, doing his best to alleviate your worry. “You’re doing great, Chief.”

You give him a meek smile at his encouragement, but his words do little to quell your anxieties. The last thing you want is a civil war to break out between your tribes, but at this point it’s starting to feel inevitable. You just hope Hakoda can put a stop to this before it gets too out of hand.

“Y/n, could I speak to you alone?” Katara asks suddenly much to the surprise of her brother.

“Of course. We’ll have to finish our tour another time, Sokka,” you tell the water tribe boy with an apologetic smile. Turning to his sister, you gesture for her to follow. “There’s something I want to show you.”

You weave your way through the village and back towards the palace square. The towering buildings slowly fade away the further you go, and the air here is more peaceful and serene with the absence of all the merchants and people. After a while you finally reach your stop, allowing Katara a moment to take in the building before her.

“What is this place?” She asks in awe, admiring the pristine marble work of the pillars lining the structure.

“Let’s go inside,” you suggest with a careful smile before ushering her toward. Immediately she’s greeted with a vast expanse of artifacts, artwork, literature, and more. Each section has its own label and scroll of information detailing the importance of the different exhibits, and Katara figures it would probably take hours to look through everything.

“This is incredible. Did you do all of this?”

“This was one of the first buildings I commissioned as Chief,” you recount with a proud smile. “The South lost so much because of the war, and I didn’t want anyone to forget all that we’d been through and all we’d done to survive. This museum holds every piece of history of the Southern Water Tribe, and I hope it can be used to educate others about our strength and resilience.”

“I want the South to grow, Katara. I want us to connect with others, to live in harmony with the other Nations. I want people from all over the world to visit the South and learn about our culture. Is it really so naive of me to have such hope?”

“No, I guess not,” Katara admits guiltily. “Y/n, the reason I wanted to speak to you alone was because I- well, because Malina and my father are together, and I’m not sure how to feel. She’s nothing like my mother, and I don’t think she’s good enough for my dad.”

“I know what it’s like to lose a parent,” you note faintly, absently brushing your fingers against your tiger shark tooth necklace. “I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel if my mother began to see someone else. But if it were to happen, I’d know that I’d just have to trust my mother’s judgement. Just like you have to trust your father’s.”

“It’s easier said than done,” Katara says with a huff. You merely give her a comforting smile and pull her figure into a hug.

“Just give it a chance. She doesn’t have to replace your mother, she never will, but it doesn’t hurt to get to know her. I think tonight’s festival would be the perfect opportunity, don’t you think?”

“Maybe you’re right,” she says with sigh, appreciating your comfort and wisdom. She’s glad to have you, and she knows you feel the same.

You part from your hug and give her a reassuring smile. “I have to head back to the palace now for a meeting with your father and the Northern siblings, but please feel free to stay in here as long as you’d like.”

She watches you depart from the room before turning her attention to the portrait before her. The image depicts a family from before the war, the mother and daughter brushing the animal pelts while the father and son cook freshly caught fish over the fire. They look happy, and Katara begins to feel her chest ache.

~~~

It’s a peaceful day in the Fire Nation as Zuko sits in the gardens and enjoys a cup of tea with his Uncle. It’s certainly been a stressful past few years, so he’s learned to enjoy calm and quiet moments like these where he can finally stop to catch his breath.

A servant approaches the table and bows in respect before offering the Fire Lord a scroll. “This just arrived from the South, sir.”

“Thank you,” he says, taking the scroll before dismissing the servant.

“A letter from the Princess?” Iroh asks with a curious smile, and based on the longing look that plays upon Zuko’s features as he reads the letter, the general confirms his guess to be correct.

“My love, I hope things in the Fire Nation are running smoothly. As you know, Hakoda has invited you for a conference that is to occur in just a few days. However, I’m hosting a celebration tomorrow for Katara and Sokka’s return home, and I would love for you to arrive early and attend! I hope to see you soon, Zuko. Yours truly, y/n.”

Smiling faintly, Zuko tucks the scroll away before looking to his Uncle. “Would you be able to look after things for a few extra days while I’m gone? It appears I’ll be taking my leave to the South earlier than expected.”

“Of course, nephew,” Iroh smiles cordially. “I would like nothing more than to allow you the chance to relax and enjoy some time with your beloved. Please do give the Princess my best.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” the Fire Lord says before excusing himself from the table and heading inside to prepare for his departure.

After months of waiting, Zuko is finally going to be reunited with the one he loves most.

| atla tags: @sirkekselord @niktwazny303

| zuko tags: @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @taeeemin @lora21 @livelaughlovekuni @lovialy

| fire lilies tags: @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @xapham @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 @kiwihoee @freggietale @moon-spirit-yue @bubblegum-bee-otch @docackerman @rinalsword

[stardust948]

Would you like to stay forever?

Hakoda didn’t understand it.

Katara was first in her class and on track to graduating early. There was no underestimating her brilliance. So, Hakoda had no idea what she saw in that Kaji kid, especially after the whole Jet incident. Granted, Hakoda only met him once before, but the boy was quiet and aloof, answering questions with one word sentences and avoiding eye contact.

“It’s because he was nervous.” Katara defended. “You kind of sprung up on us.”

“I’m your dad. It’s my job to spring up on you.”

Nervous quietness Hakoda could excuse. But the dark clothes and scarred face was another thing. Still, Hakoda had no true reason besides self-admitted biases to distrust the kid. That was until he caught the boy in Katara’s room well after curfew. 

The kids were merely sitting on the bed surrounded by snack wrappers and nothing else suspicious, but Hakoda was angry and disappointed nonetheless. Katara’s explanation fell on deaf ears as he grounded her and kicked the Kaji kid out of the room. Hakoda crossed his arms and glared down at the boy who was trying desperately to sink into the couch.

“What’s your father’s number?”

“He’s not going to answer.” Zuko muttered.

“I still need to let him know where you are.”

Zuko sighed and told him. Hakoda walked into the kitchen and placed the call. The phone rang a couple of times before picking up.

“What is it?” a sharp voice answered.

“This this Mr. Kaji?”

“Speaking.”

“I’m Hakoda Imiq, Katara’s dad-“

“Who?”

“The father of the girl your son is dating.”

Hakoda heard a huff over the phone. “If he knocked her up, don’t expect a cent from me or my company.”

Hakoda was taken aback by the bluntness. “That is not why I am calling!”

“Then get to the point! I’m busy!”

Hakoda took a deep breath to calm himself. “Just wanted to let you know Zuko’s safe at my house.”

“That’s what you’re bothering me about?”  

“Weren’t you wondering where he was? It’s after midnight!”

“Then maybe he’ll learn how to return to the house before curfew!” Mr. Kaji snapped. “Do not call me again!"

The line went dead.

Hakoda stood there jaw dropped. He slowly lowered the phone as his mind spun. Did that really just happen?

Zuko lifted his head as Hakoda returned to the living room.

“He actually answered?” he asked in genuine surprise.

Hakoda sat down beside him. “Zuko, has your dad locked you out the house before?”

Zuko glanced away. “This is the first time.”

“Is it?”

Zuko fidgeted with his fingers.

“I’m not upset with you. I just need to know.” Hakoda said gentler. “Has he kicked you out before?”

Zuko fidgeted with his jacket. “Um… maybe twice or so…”

Hakoda’s heart sank.

“I-It was my fault. I didn’t listen.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to do that!” Zuko tensed and hunched his shoulders slightly. Hakoda took a deep breath to calm himself. “How long does he leave you out?”

“Um… all night. Sometimes longer. B-But it’s fine!” Zuko added the last part quickly. “I go to my uncle’s place in Ba Sing Se on weekends and breaks.”

“And school nights?” Hakoda asked lowly.

Zuko shrugged, still not meeting his eyes. “Just ride the subway till morning.”

Hakoda was taken aback. He was a fully grown man and wouldn’t dare get on the subway after a certain time. He couldn’t fathom a child doing such. There was no telling what Zuko endured! Everything started to make sense.

Hakoda grabbed an extra blanket and gave it to Zuko. The boy looked at him with shock all over his face.

“You’re not making me leave?”

“Only if I catch you in my daughter’s room. Understand?”

Zuko nodded fervently.

“Thank you Mr. Imiq. Uh, I apologize for earlier.”

Hakoda patted his shoulder. “I accept. If you ever need a place to stay, we’re right here.”

Zuko’s eyes became glassy. He quickly wiped them and nodded again.

“Thank you.”

[cienie-isengardu]

Sokka's sexism

Sokka’s sexism from the earliest episodes is an interesting case, because the Southern Water Tribe, at least from what was presented to us on screen, doesn’t seem to operate that much on gender roles? Especially when compared to the Northern Water Tribe?

I mean, yeah, warriors (men) went to war, while women, children and the elders stayed at home. But as Hama’s story shows, when Fire Nation attacked Southern Water Tribe, both female and male benders were fighting against invaders arm to arm and it seems like they were the actual first line of defense there, not the non-bender warriors.

In contrast, during siege of North Pole, in the final of Book 1: Water, we don’t see any female bender helping defend their home except Katara, who was involved in protecting Aang when he was in Spirit World.

Since all the waterbenders were captured from the Southern Tribe, it makes sense that non-bender warriors stepped in and got involved with war, while the kids and elders were left under women’s care.

Another example comes from “a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery and trust”, known as ice dodging. As Bato explained, it is a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members and in their village “done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs.” When a child turns 14, their father was supposed to take them to ice dodging, so they could earn their mark. Though the episode itself was focused on Sokka’s ceremony, Bato never specified it as something that boys alone should do and not only Katara (girl) but also Aang (outsider) is allowed to take part in the ritual. Once Sokka proved himself, everyone of their group got a mark, as a sign they passed the test. Interesting thing to note, since Bato did not specify it is a rite of passage for boys alone, it suggests girls were expected to know how to sail in boats of the Southern Water Tribe. Of course, again, war didn’t allow to continue this tradition as men (Hakoda, in case of Sokka & Katara) left to fight against Fire Nation.

Later, when Sokka and Katara reunited with their father, Hakoda did not try to send away Katara nor relegate her to just a medic job during the invasion. In Northern Water Tribe episodes, we learned that teaching for waterbenders there was defined by gender - women were allowed to learn only how to heal, while men how to use their bending in fight. Hakoda, nor Bato nor other of their warriors even for a moment questioned Katara’s presence on the battlefield nor the presence of women in the ranks of their allies like a blind, 12 years old Toph or the female water benders from Swamps or female(?) soldier from Earth Kingdom

And during battle, Katara did not fight in rank with other soldiers, she first alone secured Appa during submarine attack, then alongside her brother and father took down guardhouses - Hakoda himself told her and Sokka to attack one when he took down the other one

showing how much he trusted his 15 years old son and 14 years old daughter while ordering them attack on Fire Nation adult soldiers hidden in well guarder place.

Later, when Hakoda got seriously injured and Sokka temporary took the command of their forces, we could see that Hakoda relied on Katara to follow his troops and not ever once tried to send her back “to safety” or argued she should leave him behind, as often it happens with heroic (male) figures. Quite the opposite. When Katara offered him to “wait here if you want”, Hakoda firmly said “I want to press forward with the others”, which meant his daughter needed to come with him directly into an already ongoing fight (even if they stayed more at the rear of their army, they were still on battlefield).

She and her brother, alongside with the youngest members of Invasion, were forced to flee on Appa once the battle was lost, but no other adult woman was included. During Zuko’s coronation, when all war prisoners were released, in the background we could again see the female character(s) from Swamps.

And let's not forget how impressive Hakoda was by Suki when she single-handedly captured the warden at Boiling Rock prison and did not try to stop her from fighting against Ty Lee alongside Zuko and Sokka against Azula.

Understandably, we have no idea how the Southern Water Tribe and its culture looked like before the war, even arguably, the characters themselves may not have a clear idea due to growing up in dire times. But my point is, Hakoda and Bato, the two main adult Southern Water Tribe’s warriors that Avatar: The Last Airbender allowed us to know more about, have never shown any direct sexism toward Katara or other female characters. And though Sokka was the oldest boy at their village, there is no reason to think women did not hunt in absence of men, because one person would not be able to provide for a whole community 24/7. Also, as Hama proved, the Southern Water Tribe’s waterbenders were capable of fighting and their gender did not play any vital role the way it happened in their sister tribe at North Pole. 

Of course, Fire Nation’s repeated attacks affected residents of South Pole and their living conditions but from the little bits the show gave us, I think it is correct to assume if Sokka grew up with Hakoda around to guide him as he should, his behavior would be different from the sexism and dismissive attitude toward Katara or Kyoshi Warriors. For one, logically thinking Southern Water Tribe’s warriors need to do all the cooking, sewing and keeping their camp clean all on their own during war so it is not a “girly job” but a vital part of a warriors skills to survive and ensure their equipment is in the best condition. But Sokka doesn’t know it, because there is no one to teach him the importance of those skills. All Sokka had was father’s farewell words to cling to - and I’m not sure if Hakoda truly expected his son to be able to protect Katara and the village in his absence, or he just tried to make Sokka feel a bit less depressed about being left behind. You know, by giving him purpose and a Big Important Job to focus on and to feel needed and trusted. 

Which leads me to think that Sokka’s sexism is not rooted in Southern Water Tribe’s culture itself, but in his own insecurity and pressure of being the oldest boy in the village. If girls could be warriors - and be better than him - it would put into question all his self-worth, purpose and the trust given by father. Once Sokka met Kyoshi Warriors and later all the skilled girls, it challenged him on a very personal level, but he accepted the truth and moved on and alongside, finally became a true warrior and a man. 

And I find it indeed an interesting case, as Sokka’s sexism and dismissal of girls is not necessarily stemming from the culture he is part of, but rather is the effect of not knowing said culture & pre-war history of his Tribe. And of course, from his own insecurity. 

[the-badger-mole]

Aang was a kid who was the sole survivor of a genocide. Why doesn't that factor in your opinion of him?

I've talked about this before, but his age and tragic backstory are irrelevant. ALL of the main characters are children with tragic backstories, and they are more empathetic, have more growth, and their tragic backstories...actually matter.

Listen, for all people whine about how often Katara talks about her mom (which isn't really that often), it's clear how her mother's death shaped her as a character. It's clear how witnessing her mother's death formed her worldview, and Kya sacrificing herself for Katara made a mark (she never turns her back on people who need her? COME ON! That is obviously her trying to save people the way she couldn't save her mother). Even her wanting to learn how to fight and not heal (which is an insane battle advantage, btw) speaks to her trauma around not being able to defend her mom.

Even Sokka's trauma around the loss of his father and not being deemed old enough (big enough/ strong enough/ smart enough) to go with Hakoda and the other warriors come through in his recurring need to prove himself (coming up with the big battle plan for DoBS, breaking his father out of prison, learning swordplay, etc.). It's woven so neatly into the narrative. His trauma matters to his story.

Toph is the least developed of the Gaang, and her issues with her parents have more impact on character than the destruction of the Air Nomads have on Aang. Heck, Zuko's entire arc hinges on compound traumas.

Meanwhile, Aang's trauma....? What trauma? Yes, the loss of the Air Nomads is a tragedy, but we, the audience, only know it's a tragedy because we have real world knowledge telling us so. Personally, I was in 3rd or 4th grade when I began learning about the Trail of Tears, and in kindergarten when I began learning about slavery (I was born in Harlem. The kindergarten I went to taught us accordingly). When I saw ATLA, I had a frame of reference for the genocide of the Air Nomads. But it didn't really seem to bother Aang all that much. Oh, sure, it did come up when it was convenient to the plot, but it mostly seemed to be a way for Aang to expound on the superiority of Air Nomad philosophy and society to whoever he's talking to. Aside from that, and his first rush of feeling when he found out what happened to them, the loss of the Air Nomads doesn't seem to effect Aang all that much. If he doesn't care about his tragic loss, why should I?

Aang is a fictional character. I don't have to extend the same pathos to him that I would to a real life person. It is the writers' duty to make me feel for him, and they did not. The way he's framed is the issue. And here is where I really start retreading things I've said before, but I think it needs to be repeated (again and again and again). Aang is not framed as someone who has a lot of growing up and learning to do. I could give him a pass on his worst traits because he's a child and still growing, but the show doesn't frame him that way. The show wants me to see him as a precocious imp who's wise-beyond-his-years but still has a cheeky lil' mischievous streak. It's not trying to frame his lying to the quarreling tribes in The Great Divide as a bump in his journey to becoming an effective leader bridging different people together. It wants the audience to laugh at him getting one over on the foolish tribes who absolutely went back to fighting as soon as Appa was out of sight. The show isn't framing his desperation to get the village in Avatar Day to like him as a foolish pursuit he needs to get over if he wants to be strong in the face of adversity. It wants us, the audience, to feel bad for him because his charm isn't immediately bringing the people over to his side. It wants us to be indignant that the villagers don't see how important Aang is and wont' support him. The show isn't framing Aang's non-con kisses with Katara as bad because it hurt her. It isn't making a point to that Aang needs to care about her feelings. It wants the audience to feel bad for Aang and hope for Katara to come around because he's A Nice Guy™️©️®️. Aang is never shown to be a particularly good friend to any of the Gaang, let alone him being kind to strangers just because that's his heart. All of that I would allow to be just him being a dumb kid with growing to do if the show hadn't made it clear that Aang was perfect and didn't have to change, and in fact the world should change for him.

Aang's age and tragic backstory are irrelevant because the show made them irrelevant. All they left us with was a Gary Stu character who hides his selfishness under a thin veneer of cheerfulness. It's not good enough.

[sokkastyles]

In a high school AU, Katara invites Zuko over to her house to study, and at first Hakoda is like, really suspicious of this kid. He's older, he has no respect for authority, he's clearly never opened a book in his life so the idea that his honor roll daughter wants him as a study partner doesn't make sense at all. Then one day when Zuko is over there, Hakoda calls Ozai to let him know where Zuko is, and then he's like. I get it. You can come here as much as you want. You can have the spare bedroom. Are you perhaps in the market for a new dad?

[arverst-aegnar]

Day 30: Time Loop/Time Travel

heck yeah, i completed two days this year!!

the ending is a bit more abrupt than i wanted, but it just was not cooperating with me, and i was afraid that if i left it too long with my other incomplete Zutara Month ideas it might get infected with "takes too long to finish -itis". so here it is.

The word spreads quickly, covering the entire Earth Kingdom in a matter of days and reaching the Northern Water Tribe’s court within a week. Even the remnant of the Southern Water Tribe, all but forgotten at the bottom of the world, hears about it before the new moon.

Fire Lord Ozai is dead. His successor, Fire Lord Iroh, has declared his intentions to put an end to his nation’s war of domination. Petitions for peace and offers of reparations are being extended to all world leaders.

The Southern Water Tribe elders suspect a trap of some kind. Some think the proposed Peace Conference is actually an opportunity for him to kill the other nations’ leadership, leaving them vulnerable to his armies. Others suspect a subtler scheme to conquer the rest of the world through diplomacy, or perhaps a combination of culture and technology. 

For Sokka and Katara, who only hear the news by listening intently outside the elders’ meeting tent, there are more pressing matters at hand.

“Dad’s going to need me with him at this Peace Conference,” Sokka declares. He pulls out his boomerang and takes aim at a snowman some of the little kids built last week. “Whatever the Fire Nation’s planning, it’s no match for Southern Water Tribe ingenuity!”

Katara worries her bottom lip with her teeth. “What happened to Fire Lord Ozai?”

Sokka scoffs. “Who cares? He was a big, fat jerkbender like all of them. Probably set his bed on fire ‘cause he was roasting the Earth King in his sleep.”

She says nothing as her brother goes to pull his boomerang out of the snowman’s head. Nor does she say anything when her father announces that he and his entire family will be attending the Peace Conference, along with several of his best warriors. 

On the ship, she delights in opportunities to use her waterbending to speed it on its way, or to play pranks on Sokka, but often she is found deep in thought, wearing a pensive look much too old for her.

“You’re strangely quiet,” Kya observes as they prepare to disembark. The voyage is over, but the journey to Omashu will take at least another day. “Something eating you, sealpup?” She pokes her daughter in the side, which provokes a giggle that quickly fades. Face unusually solemn, Katara shakes her head. Kya frowns, but leaves the matter be.

The entry into Omashu is packed like salted fish in a barrel, people from all over drawn to the Peace Conference, but an envoy from the king gives their delegation precedence over the rest. Sokka cranes his head back to take in the architecture. Kya’s gaze flits around, trying to take in the variety of clothing worn by native and visitor alike. Hakoda’s attention is on his family, but he makes sure he knows where all his warriors are at the same time. Kanna, riding an ostrich horse graciously provided by the king, seems mostly interested in staying upright, but her head turns every now and then when a familiar scent wafts in from one of the market stalls. Katara, kept at the center of her family unit, has no interest to spare for any of it.

When they reach the palace, they are immediately brought to the main hall, where King Bumi, Chief Arnook, and three of the Earth Kingdom’s Council of Five await them, as well as Fire Lord Iroh. No sooner are the official introductions made than Katara turns to Fire Lord Iroh and, with a hasty bow, demands, “Did Zuko come with you?” A half-second later, flustered, she stutters, “I - I mean Prince Zuko.”

In the chaos of the sudden trip, some things were left to the last minute, and that includes the talk Hakoda and Kya intended to give their children about how to behave in front of foreign royalty. The blood drains from Kya’s face. Hakoda, his face a storm of anger stirred up by fear, takes a step toward Katara, prepared to pull her back to safety. But before he can, to their astonishment a broad smile spreads across the Fire Lord’s face. With a shallow bow, he waves a hand toward a door behind them. “Prince Zuko is in the garden, but I am sure he would not mind the company, if your parents think it acceptable.”

Katara is running towards the door before he finishes speaking.

*****

Katara knows she’s going to get in trouble for this later. It’s her own fault, putting off the explanation for so long, acting like the little girl they believe her to be -- as much as she can, at least. But whatever punishment they think up is nothing compared to what’s waiting for her in that garden.

If he doesn’t remember, if she’s still all alone in this, then no punishment could be worse. If he does …

She’s never seen the garden in the Omashu palace before. It’s more ornamental than the ones she’s used to, and the main features seem to be rocks and crystals more than trees and flowers. But she can sense water -- a fair amount of it, too, like a small pond -- and she doesn’t have to follow it far before she sees him.

Zuko is next to the pond, his back to her. He’s smaller than she’s ever seen him, and not just because he’s sitting down. His hair is long enough to brush his shoulders, even pulled up into the traditional topknot. Like his uncle, he is dressed in Fire Nation red and gold, but the cut of his robes looks different to her untrained eyes -- Earth Kingdom style, perhaps? Surrounding him are half-a-dozen turtleducklings, and the wave of affection that sweeps over her freezes her in place.

“Hey now.” She recognizes that mildly scolding tone, even if his voice is a little different than the one in her memory. “You have to share with your sister. You’re not getting more seeds just because you’re bigger.”

Katara tries to say something, but it seems all the words she wants to say are trying to come out at once, and have jammed up in her throat. She stumbles back half a step.

The crunch of the gravel under her feet gets his attention. His head turns slightly in her direction, then he’s leaping to his feet, turning towards her -- 

Oh.

He doesn't have the scar.

For one moment, Zuko stares at her with wide eyes. Then in the next, he’s closed the gap between them, pulling her into the tightest hug she’s ever had. Katara wraps her arms around him and buries her face into his shoulder. “Katara,” he breathes, and a little sob escapes her at the familiarity and warmth in that single word.

“Zuko,” she manages. Her voice wobbles but does not break on the name like she thought it might. “Oh, Zuko.”

He pulls back too soon, but he cups her cheek with one hand while the other brushes her hair out of her eyes. Katara tries to smile at him, but it’s hard when every emotion of the past three years wants to pour out at once. Instead, she reaches up and gently touches his left cheek. The skin is smooth and whole under her fingers.

Zuko closes his eyes, but not before she catches a flash of pain. Immediately, she knows what must have happened. Why he has no scar. How Ozai must have died.

“I thought I was dreaming at first,” he says hoarsely. “I told him off. Yelled at him for being a terrible father and a worse Fire Lord. Then -”

Katara shakes her head and pulls him back to her. This time he’s the one to bury his head in her shoulder. “I know,” she tells him, her throat still choked. “I know. I did too.”

Later, she thinks, she’ll tell him about Yon Rha. About how in her determination not to relive the worst day of her life, she had pulled on his blood with a ferocity she had only seen herself use in nightmares. What his corpse had looked like, afterwards, and the look on her mother’s face. How what had once been a fantasy of power and relief had, if only for a little while, become a horrifying reality. Maybe she’ll finally find the words to describe the contradictory emotions that have been warring in her ever since, but even if she doesn’t, it will be okay, because now she has someone who will understand.

For the moment, she holds him close as they both succumb to tears.

[demaparbat-hp]

Even if zuko has a plan to end the war, making katara work amongst people who likely hold racism towards her and aided and supported the genocide of her people is still weird, especially since zuko benefits from the fire nations oppression of people throughout s1 when hunting the Avatar. Not good choices to make in a zutara au :/

Believe me, I've made these arguments against myself over and over again.

I know I'm putting Katara in an extremely difficult and unjust position in this AU with—from an outsider's point of view—little to no reason other than "I just wanted to see her in Fire Nation armor and kicking ass" and no consideration for the context. I'm not trying to somehow forgive nor redeem the Fire Nation's actions in war just because...well...just because. Not at all. People who've read Soundless (or any other of my wips, really) know that's not the case. On the contrary—I always do my best to see the war through a realistic, mature lense. And that includes everything that makes the Fire Nation so terrible in the first place.

That being said, there are some things I considered when deciding to make Katara side with them (even if her true motives lie elsewhere) in this AU. And they are not excuses. Just, different layers of context.

First of all, she was desperate. By this point in her life, her mother was dead, her father had left to fight the war, her brother followed behind a few years after, and she was left filling the empty spaces when, by all means, she wasn't ready for the responsibility. She had been feeling helpless and hopeless for years, and ached to do anything to help her people beyond doing chores and taking care for the children.

Let it be known that Aang's apparent betrayal comes from a place of trauma and misplaced anger on Katara's part. Much like how she put the Fire Nation's sins on Zuko's shoulders in S3. She is not on the right here, but this is her natural way to process and understand grief. There are many different aspects of her development as a child involved in how she views the Avatar—and, by extension, Aang—but more on this later.

Katara was young, and reckless, and she had just been "betrayed" by the first person who ever looked at her and saw more than the perfect caretaker she was forced to be. She was not in the right state of mind to make a decision like that and, to be honest, she couldn't have predicted the consequences. She saw a clear path to contribute to the end of the war, and by La she would take it.

On Zuko's end, you might argue that he should have known better than to let her join him and, well, you would be right. But there were many things about Katara's trauma response and state of mind that—unless he had known her for a long time—he couldn't have known. He will definitely blame himself later on, when the racism and cruelty towards Katara begins, and especially when word reaches her family at sea.

It's Katara's job to smack some sense into him from time to time and tell him that, yes, he should have tried harder to stop her (and she would probably be better off because of it) but what's done is done. And, by all means, the decision was hers to make. If anything, it's their fault, not his alone.

Now, Katara doesn't suffer the entire AU. That would just be cruel.

Zuko's crew was handpicked by Uncle Iroh, so you can expect dissidents, traitors and a few White Lotus agents who were smart enough to keep their true opinions quiet. There are...mixed opinions in that bunch, of course, but that's expected and, to be honest, rather easily dealt with. They are mostly honourable people just doing their best to end the war from the inside.

The real problem comes when they cross paths with, say, Zhao's fleet (or Hakoda's, let's be real).

And you may ask why Zuko is hunting down Aang, then, if he's secretly a goody-two-shoes himself... I'll explain that later in depth, so stay tuned.

In short, I know the decisions I've made, as a creator, are debatable at best, and downright blasfemous at worst. But they're deliberate.

I want the readers to feel conflicted about Katara's choices in this AU. I want people to have mixed opinions about the war, the (apparent lack of) morality, the characters, you name it!

I'm not trying to glorify a victim of war joining the side of the ones responsible for her people's genocide, even if it's just for show and she's actually set on destroying their government from within. Not at all.

Katara made a stupid, horrible decision, and she's going to suffer the consequences. But she's also going to fight to reach her goals, because she's stubborn like that.

I know most people may have a little trouble understanding where I'm coming from, because they don't have all the information necessary to make a full opinion.

I'm really thankful for these kind of asks. They let me explore these concepts and AUs in depth, and see what you think about them. I'm only human—my opinions are not infalible, nor The Right Ones, and this is a kind of discussion that I love to have.

So, keep the asks coming!!!

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Nichya, your post about the way Zutarians view Katara struck a huge chord in me. 1 month ago, I was a naive multishipper who had just finished ATLA and was looking for good fics to read. Went on A03 and saw there were a lot of Zutara fics, sorted them out by kudos to see what the 10 most top-rated fics were. Katara is my favourite character, so I was really excited to see her post-canon life.

And. Oh, man. The experience was so fucking weird. I expected a lot of happy Katara fics, because canonically she IS really happy -the war is over, her family is reunited, her best friends Aang and Toph are alive, she can go home now to rebuild her tribe. That's NOT what I got.

The top-rated one was about how invisible and marginalised she felt being Aang's gf, and how she escaped it to be a world changing politician...in the fire nation??? When canonically Aang supported every one of her ambitions and all she wanted to do is restore her tribe?? Don't get me started on how the fic had Sokka, Toph, even Gran Gran all villanised Aang and blamed him for Katara's oppression.

Another one was a typical forced-marriage with Zuko because of duty?? And she and Zuko had children and her kids found 12 year old Aang??? Not even going to touch that one.

The 3rd was that Zuko pointed out to Katara how she fussed and looked after Aang as a mom or older sister, and Katara agreed she "coddled him". (did they miss the part when Miss Katara was a trouble-maker and Aang had to save her everytime?? And she canonically thought of Aang as the leader in the group???)

Another one was how Kataang had broken up, but Aang was still waiting for her and "hoped to marry her one day" and she was so indignant she fell into Zuko's sexy arms. (I literally laughed out loud at this, because canonically Katara was incredibly jealous of Aang's fangirls from S1 and Aang never gave af about Jet)

One incredibly gross one when Katara marries Aang out of duty because "she cannot break his heart" but always loved Zuko. KATARA. The girl who was ready to abandon her tribe to learn waterbending in ep.1!

And 2 more forced marriages, one where Katara is Zuko's captive and pawn of war, and they have sex literally when she's still a prisoner of HIM.

Like. I cannot tell you how shocked I was. It really disgusted me. I promise I did not know anything about Zutara before that.

It was obviously my mistake, clearly Zutara isn't meant for me. People can write whatever they want, I'm not here to police anyone's fandom.

But I was just struck by how much Katara was unhappy and so cut off from her canon best friends (Aang, Toph) and loving family (her tribe, Sokka, Hakoda).

Either she was cut off through force (forced marriage, captivity). Or because she personally felt secretly resentful and jealous of Aang, "parentified" and burdened by Sokka, disgusyed by her misogynistic tribe...

And how no one understood her except for Zuko. No one could give her the tools to empower herself except for Zuko. Only in the Fire Nation can she be independent and free.

It just felt so wrong!!!! I gave up. I couldn't stand to see Katara so resentful, bitter, and sad with her canon life unless she marries Zuko.

Anyway. Thanks for the blog. And for writing such insightful posts. It really articulated my discomfort.

Once again: for people who claim to be "the TRUE Katara fans", Zutairans hate everything about her character and arc, especially how happy she ended up being. Half the misery they put her through almost feels like trying punish her for not jumping straight into Zuko's arms.

[lavndvrr]

Fic Rec Friday Week 3

(Yes Ik I posted this forever ago but I wanted to organize my fic recs)

ok im kinda obsessed with avatar rn (its just so good!!!) so here are some fic recs cause Im so nice <33333

Also all of them are Zuko centric because I have an obsession with angsty fireboys with issues

Salvage

Mid-Season-One Zuko is held for ransom by Chief Hakoda. Ozai's replies to the Water Tribe's demands are A+ Parenting. Hakoda is… deeply concerned, for this son that isn't his, and who might be safer among enemies than with his own father.

A Prison with no Bonds

A Prisoner Situation with a colonel who has some basic decency and compassion. Zuko’s trust lvl is -3 so it’s going great.

like rum on the fire

Katara unlocks Zuko's tragic backstory, finally gives him the hug he needs, and the rest is history.

The Path of Overcoming

Slave! Zuko au where he is giving to the gaang as a gift by king Bumi.

[wilcze-kudly]

On my latest rewatch of sozin's comet part 3 at the begining when zuko talks with katara about aang i noticed that once he mentions him katara's eyes from serious face are narrowing down to make a more sad face. Furthermore after reading your post about "katara's trauma why she waited" i noticed even more scrumbs that support your post. Other then changing her grimace, zuko asks katara 2 quastions. "What if he doesn't have guts to take out my father" And "What if he loses". The second question triggeres katara to respond in panic that "aang won't lose". Here's the most interesting thing i saw on rewatch. Katara while completly ignoring zuko's first question adds that "he is going to comeback, he has to" while looking infront herself with focused face. And im sorry but zuko didn't even mention that he is concerned about aang returning to fight ozai, so katara just adds another sentence to her belief that aang is going to comeback ALIVE. This further adds to desparete "he has to" like its an obligation on aang's or universes part to not lose life because of unfinished business or just praying that aang is gonna be fine. My point is that it shows how concerned katara really is about only if aang's gonna be fine. Which explains kinda her hesitancy on her part in ember island players. She really is afraid of losing him again and it makes sense too when we look at how many deaths of people close to her she saw. Also It would be stupid to not asume that her holding for a moment dead body of her friend/possibly a new love wouldn't influence her behaviour to make closer bonds.

[Post anon is referencing]

Yeah, references to Katara's fear of losing Aang are sprinkled in throughout the show, though the aren't addressed full on, which is why I assume most people don't catch onto it. Which is a shame, and I wish it was explored more explicitly in the show because if you watch without noticing this crucial element, you could draw some very misguided conclusions.

I think it's very interesting to watch Katara's perspective of Aang and her approach to him as the Avatar shift through the series. I don't think Katara ever idealised Aang as the Avatar perse. But I think a lot of her relationship with Aang was her realising the strain it put on Aang. In the Storm, she learns how it impacted Aang's life and basically alienated him from his peers.

Throughout B1, we see Aang's role as the Avatar become second to his role as Katara's friend. To the point where in the first episode of B2; The Avatar State, Katara is actively encouraging Aang to shirk his duties in order to protect his mental state.

But I think it's at the end of B2, when Katara cradles the body of her friend who was killed, struck from behind that she realises that Aang being the Avatar may cause her to lose him.

Sure, they've been pursued by Zuko, Zhao and Azula, but bear in mind, Katara is still a kid and while she may be aware on a surface level of the danger, nothing's technically happened yet, so she may not fully register it. But now she has had a free trial run of grieving Aang and she doesn't want to feel it again. So she builds up some walls.

And we have more hints for this throughout B3. Her breaking down when Aang leaves, drawing those parallels to Hakoda, for example. Her immediately shooting down any possibilty of Aang losing to Ozai or getting hurt. She's not blindly idolising him, she is terrified of the idea of losing him and deflecting it because she's a kid who can't think about things that scare her on an existential level.

Another good example of this being her reaction to Aang kissing her furing the Day of the Black Sun.

Analysing Katara's expression after Aang kissed her, she isn't upset with the kiss perse. If she were, she'd most likely be animated with more furrowed eyebrows. Ryebrows raised like the way they are in the show usually denominate surprise (which she is in the first few frames) or sadness. Which matches the context very well. The way she looks at Aang and then averts her gaze with a grim expression, as if she wants to say something, but is still angled to be seemingly glancing at him? That could very easily be ready as Katara wanting to respond to Aang, but holding herself back because making your relationship tangible before a big battle is a very good way to lose your boyfriend before you eben get your first date.

And since.... certain people insist that Katara being drawn in this scene with more childike proportions was a concious choice by the creators and not just an outcome of animation studios switching around and certain mixups, let's look at it this way: Katara being drawn more childlike in this scene could highlight the inherent tragism of the image of two child soldiers kissing before a battle in which one or both of them may die

She doesn't smile, not because she's not happy with the kiss, but because the boy who kissed her is off to war. Like I would not be smiling either.

Katara's trauma around loss is so pften boiled down only to her mother, which while valid, is only half the truth, and I wish this aspect of Kataang was more noticed because it does hide in the details of the show.

[prying-pandora666]

Do you ever think about the characters when they’re alone?

You know, the things the narrative pretty clearly communicates but which we never actually see?

Like how many nights Zuko must’ve laid on his cot in his ship and cried, missing his home, his family, his bed, his life… How many times he wrapped himself up in a blanket and pretended it was his mom holding him again. How many times he woke up from a dream where he’s back home and unburned only to wake up on a cold, hard metal ship, uncomfortable and shivering, hearing the groans of strained metal. Alone. You have no Nation. No place you could settle down. Everyone hates you but none more than your own homeland. What if Uncle dies? Or leaves too? What then? What will he do?

Or how many times Katara dreamed that her mother dying was just a nightmare! That it was all a dream and mom is still alive, dad is still home, her childhood didn’t get cut short. How many times Katara must’ve woken up and sat up looking for mom only to find she’s in the middle of nowhere, in a bedroll, surrounded by other kids she feels responsible for. How many times she cried by herself, wishing she had someone to “mom” her the way she does for everyone else. How often did Sokka have nightmares? How often he feared the Fire Nation showing up and killing them all. That he alone would have to stand up and fight them. How many nightmares of being burned alive, failing, and then watching his tribe suffer the same fate because he couldn’t protect them. How often did he cry out for Hakoda quietly, muffling his words into his pillow, wishing for dad to protect him again?

Surely Toph had her share of night terrors. They’d be dark because she doesn’t know sight, but surely there’d be sounds and a sensation of being trapped, locked in, like in a tiny metal cage. The kind where she discovered metalbending. How many times did she cower and flinch at night, dreaming that metalbending really wasn’t possible? That she’d spend the rest of her life trapped, forced to be an isolated, beautiful bobble, seen but not heard, never allowed out of her prison again?

How often did Aang wake up to the sound of Gyatso calling him, only to sit up and realize it was a dream? His people are dead. His entire way of life is dead. It’s never coming back. No, really. It seems too horrible to be true, but it is. They’re all dead. You are all that remains of your culture and you’re only 12. You can’t possibly know enough to preserve it. What are you going to do? You want to ask Gyatso. You can’t. He’s dead. He’s been dead for 100 years. He’s not even close to having been alive. And yet he feels like he was just here…

And then there’s Azula. Whether living in Ozai’s palace and forced to live every day in anxiety - forced to be perfect in every way - because you know that no one in this world loves you. The only thing keeping you from being the new Zuko is your usefulness. You keep father’s favor by performing, no matter how horrible or traumatic the task, hoping it’ll finally be enough to earn his love and you can finally know what it’s like to be cherished and held and wanted the way mom loved Zuko. Or… when she’s in the abusive asylum. Chi blocked so she’s immobile. Stuffed into a straitjacket. Mistreated and unable to defend yourself. You can’t even tell anyone because no one comes to visit until your brother needs something from you. You cry only in the dead of night, muffling your sobs into the mat you sleep on, brushing away your tears with its coarse fibers since you can’t even use your hands to move your bangs out of your eyes. Never show weakness. You know that much.

How often did they all dream of a warm and safe place where they’d be loved and protected? I hope they all got it in the end, LOK be damned. Every last one.

[melzula]

North and South

part two

pairing: zuko x princess!reader

notes: part two is here! again, there’s some notable changes from the comics to fit Princess into the story but i think it works! hope you guys enjoy :)

summary: team Avatar is together again, but Galik’s vendetta against the Northerners prevents them from enjoying their time at the festival

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

Hakoda and Malina are waiting outside the palace for you when you finally return from your talk with Katara. Both look eager to speak to you, and you’re not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad one. The trio had been vague when requesting your presence for an impromptu meeting, so you weren’t exactly sure what they wished to discuss with you, but if you had to guess you’d assume it has something to do with the oil refinery they wish to build.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us at such short notice,” Malina professes earnestly as the two escort you to your office. “I know how busy you must be what with the festival being tonight.”

“It’s not a problem at all. I always look forward to hearing new ideas for the improvement of our tribe,” you assure her with a shake of your head. “But I do have to ask, what exactly are you hoping to discuss with me?”

“You said you wanted proof that the construction of the oil refinery would be in the tribe’s best interest,” Hakoda notes thoughtfully as the three of you finally reach your office. “Well, Maliq and Malina managed to bring the proof to you.”

You furrow your brows in uncertainty at his words and open your mouth to ask just what exactly he means by that, but your is question answered when the doors of your office are finally opened. In the center of the room stands Maliq with a content smile on his face, and beside him stands none other than the Blind Bandit herself.

“Toph!” You exclaim in surprise before rushing forward to envelope her in a tight hug. “Oh, it’s so good to see you!”

“I’d say the same thing if I could see,” she notes with a humorous grin. “Nice to know you missed me, your highness.”

“Of course I did! It’s been much too long.”

“Wouldn’t have been so long if you’d told me about that assassination attempt,” she notes wryly before giving you a harsh punch to the arm. “I would have kicked that guy’s butt in an instant if you’d asked.”

“Yeah, my mistake,” you note sheepishly, rubbing the tender spot on your arm from her punch. “What brings you here now?”

“We thought it would be best if you heard from a representative of a successful oil refinery yourself to see just how impactful this project could be for the South,” Maliq answers on Toph’s behalf.

“Representative? I’m an executive partner now!” The girl corrects with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

“Miss Beifong here oversees Earthern Fire Industries and has offered to supply us with the materials needed to extract the oil and build the refinery,” Malina explains animatedly.

“Wait a minute, how are you being offered supplies for a project that doesn’t exist yet?” You retort with a raised brow, looking at the two siblings expectantly. Malina turns meek under your gaze, but Maliq doesn’t seem to have a care about being caught in the lie.

“We may have bent the truth to get Miss Beifong to come here today,” he admits with a shrug. “But does it really matter? Now that she’s here she can tell you all about the success her refinery has had and how important such a project will be here in the South! We figured if you wouldn’t listen to us, maybe you’d listen to a trusted friend.”

“Going behind my back for something like this is unacceptable,” you scold firmly, doing your best to keep your anger at bay. “You have no right to make these types of decisions without my approval. I am Chief, and you two are visitors. Don’t forget that.”

Maliq is stunned by your words, obviously not expecting this type of response from you. He thought you were smart enough to understand how big this project could be, how desperately your people needed something like this. Why were you being so naive?

“I’m sorry, y/n, I didn’t know this was an ambush,” Toph repents, awkwardly grasping at the back of her neck. “As much as I love Malina and Maliq’s work, I wouldn’t have come if I’d known you weren’t onboard.”

“You’re making a mistake!” Maliq tries to argue. “You need to stop seeing things through such a Southern lens and look at the bigger picture here!”

“Southern lens?” You retort in offense. Malina picks up on your displeased tone and quickly steps in for her brother.

“You’re right, we shouldn’t have overstepped,” she apologizes on his behalf. “We just want to do all we can to help lift up the South.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but if you keep going behind my back then I won’t be needing your help any longer,” you warn before turning your disappointed gaze to Hakoda. “I appreciate all you’ve done and all you’re doing as advisor, but this cannot happen again.

“Understood, Chief. We shouldn’t have lied to you,” he repents with a sigh. "Perhaps we just got a little carried away.”

“I don’t want to hear anymore about this oil refinery,” you say with finality before turning to Toph. “I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing, but I hope you’ll stay for the festivities taking place tonight in honor of Sokka and Katara’s return home.”

“Free food and games? I’m in,” the girl replies with a grin.

You’re able to say nothing more as a knock on the door interrupts your conversation. All heads turn to the doorway where your mother steps in, a sheepish smile on her face.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” she apologizes bashfully, “but Chief y/n is needed in the courtyard.”

“No, of course not, mother. Our conversation is over,” you tell her, giving the group a pointed look. “Hakoda, could you please take Toph to Sokka and Katara? They can get her situated while I’m gone.”

After giving your orders, you follow your mother out of the office and into palace hallways towards the front doors. “What needs my attention?”

“You have a visitor is all,” she notes with a giddy smile. “They requested your immediate presence.”

“It better not be another representative,” you grumble irately. You’re still frustrated over the fact that you were lied to by your advisor and that the siblings had tried to go behind your back with their project, but the feeling doesn’t last long when you see who’s standing outside the palace doors.

Bouquet of fire lilies in hand and a tender smile on his face, Zuko immediately opens his arms for you to throw yourself into his embrace. He’s impossibly warm and his hold on your figure is impossibly tight as he hugs you close to his chest.

“Zuko, you made it!” You exclaim, escaping his hold to cup his face in your hands and pull him down to meet your lips in a kiss.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” he replies breathlessly after breaking your kiss. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

“Definitely not as much as I’ve missed you,” you argue with a careful smile, your face growing warm as he hands you the bouquet of flowers before pressing a chaste kiss to your cheek.

“Thank you for hosting me and allowing me to stay in your home,” Zuko says to your mother, bowing in respect to the woman.

“After all you’ve done for my daughter? It’s the least I can do,” she smiles with a passive wave of her hand. Then, looking to you, she says, “I’m going back to the square to finish setting up for the festival. I’ll see you two there.”

Now alone, you eagerly take Zuko’s hand in your own and practically drag him back into the palace.

“Oh, I have the perfect outfit picked for you to wear to the festival tonight!” You exclaim elatedly while Zuko struggles to match your pace. With your back turned to him, you don’t see the way he looks at you as if you hang all the stars in the sky.

It’s good to be back.

~~~

Despite the celebration being held in honor of Sokka and Katara’s return home, you haven’t seen much of the siblings since the start of the festival. You remain glued to Zuko’s side as you stroll through the square and admire all the work that went into putting the festivities together.

“You certainly outdid yourself,” Zuko compliments with a faint smile as he watches a group of children play ring toss in hopes of winning the giant stuffed koala otter on display. The South is warm and full of life, so different from what Zuko was used to, but he enjoyed it all the same. It felt nice to finally spend time with you without having to worry about his sister or his father or any other nonsense that often got in the way of your peaceful life together.

“You don’t think it’s too much?” You ask with a sheepish laugh. “I wanted Sokka and Katara to feel appreciated, but I also just wanted to give my people the chance to have fun for a night and not have to worry about any of their troubles.”

“You’re a wonderful leader, and the South is lucky to have you,” Zuko compliments before giving you an affectionate kunik.

“Y/n!” A voice interrupts. Aang and Katara walk arm-in-arm towards you, and everything finally feels complete when the Avatar greets you with a hug.

“Aang, it’s so good to see you! I’m glad you could make it,” you express earnestly. “I was worried my invitation might have gotten lost before it could reach you.”

“It’s nice to be back in the South,” he sighs happily. “Everything looks great!”

“Everything tastes great, too!” Sokka adds as he and Toph join your group. He holds multiple skewers of meat and passes one off to you and Zuko while Toph trails behind holding a plethora of stuffed animals. “Isn’t this amazing?! Team Avatar back together again!”

“It certainly does feel like old times,” you note wistfully as you think back to your time during the war- how things have changed. “I want to thank you all again for being here, you have no idea how much this means to me.”

“We’ll always be here,” Katara says with a warm smile. “No matter what.”

“Y/n,” your mother calls from across the way, interrupting your little reunion. “It’s time for your speech!”

“Oh, of course. Sokka, Katara, come with me,” you tell the siblings, giving them no time to argue as you take each of their hands and escort them to the front.

Using your bending, you send a blast of ice into the air that erupts into a flurry of tiny snowflakes. The act catches the attention of your people, and they watch in awe as the snow begins to fall over the festival.

“People of the Southern Water Tribe, it is my great honor to have you here tonight to celebrate the return of our heroes Sokka and Katara!” You announce, earning an eruption of cheers and applause for your friends. “It is because of their bravery and sacrifice that I stand here before you today. Our tribe took a hard hit during the war, but we’ve persevered and come back even stronger! Every day that passes brings the Southern Water Tribe into a new era of strength and hope. At this time I’d like to take this moment to also thank our Reconstruction team Malina and Maliq for their help in our rebuilding process. I have great hope we can accomplish great things with the help of our sister tribe, and I’d just like to say that-“

“-Everybody needs to get out of here now!” Toph interrupts frantically as the ground begins to shake beneath you. Panicked gasps and murmurs spread throughout the crowd as you try to gain your bearings only to falter at the sight of the giant drill that emerges from beneath the ground. Your people have scattered away in search of safety, and you’re left standing horrified at the display.

At the top of the drill stands Galik, surrounded by fellow warriors with their battle regalia on and weapons at the ready. His features are angry, his eyes dead set on the Northern siblings as he begins his rant.

“Brothers and sisters, I am Galik of the Southern Water Tribe!” He proclaims. “I am your warrior, your blood, your true brother. So believe me when I say that those scoundrels from our so-called “sister tribe” are not here to help us! They are here to subjugate and humiliate us!”

“Galik, what is the meaning of this?!” You demand harshly as you approach the man despite Sokka’s warning voice begging you to stay put. Zuko watches on anxiously from the sidelines without making a move; he doesn’t want to interfere in water tribe business, but he’s prepared to do what he must to protect you if anyone so much as raises a hand towards you.

“I am sorry to ruin your celebration, Chief y/n. I know you had good intentions when inviting these outsiders into our home, but we can no longer stand by and watch them take advantage of your trusting nature. They tend to strip our land of its oil and destroy everything we’ve worked to build!”

“That oil will bring prosperity to your people!” Malina tries to argue. “These plans are for the benefit of the South!”

“Those plans,” you correct firmly, shooting a harsh glare at Malina, “no longer exist. I shut them down, Galik. No one is taking our oil.”

“So you think,” Galik corrects before producing Maliq’s missing briefcase. “Those foreigners plan to claim our oil for themselves! They plan to colonize our tribe, to have our Chief step down from her duties and allow the North to take control!”

“What? That can’t be true!” You cry indignantly before looking towards Malina. The woman doesn’t meet your eye, and slowly you feel the disappointment begin to rise within you. “Can it?”

“It was true,” she murmurs shamefully. “We never used the words colony or colonize, but we worried that the South wasn’t ready to handle such important resources. We worried that such a young girl wasn’t fit to rebuild an entire tribe.”

“And we were right,” Maliq butts in harshly much to his sister’s dismay.

“No we weren’t! We realized we were wrong and decided to abandon our original plans!”

“No, you decided! I never agreed to a change of plans!” Her brother lashes out before angrily pointing a finger at you. “Your Chief is too stuck in the past to move forward into the future! She can’t handle such a big responsibility, none of you can!”

“That is enough!” You try to interrupt only for his construction crew to block your path. Zuko is by your side in an instant, taking their transgression as his cue to step in.

“Watch it,” he warns them lowly, his eyes blazing with fierce protectiveness for his Princess.

“We’re building that refinery with or without your permission, and once that oil is out of the ground it will be under Northern control!” Maliq declares much to his sister’s trepidation.

“See how they disrespect our Chief?!” Galik counters to the group of onlookers that watch the scene unfold. “Our blood and sacrifice kept them safe during the war, and as if that wasn’t enough, now they want our oil! They want our home! They’ve wormed their way into our affairs like parasites, feeding off of our land for their own benefit! Hakoda has abused his position as advisor and led us astray. I’m sure he’s conspiring with them to take the throne for himself much like that traitor Koa tried to do!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Sokka cries angrily from the crowd. “Our father would never approve of this!”

“Hakoda is too much of a coward to stand up to his own Chief!” Maliq asserts before turning his critical eyes back to you. “But I’m not. I expected better from a Princess, a girl who’s traveled the world and seen for herself the success of other nations, but I guess you really are just a Southerner after all. You can’t be trusted to know what’s best for anyone, and that’s why the South needs the oversight of an actual civilization!”

“The South needs you to leave! Immediately,” you proclaim harshly, staring down the man until he finally backs off. The air is thick with tension after Maliq’s outburst, and no one knows just what to do or say. Finally, Galik interrupts the silence.

“Your kind heart fails you again, y/n,” he says with a shake of his head and a menacing tone. “After all they’ve done, they don’t just get to leave.”

“For the tribe!” He and his warriors cry before charging at the siblings.

“Quick, we have to help them!” You urge Zuko before discarding your parka to allow you a greater range of motion to bend.

“After everything they’ve done?! He completely disrespected you!” The Fire Lord adduces.

“That doesn’t mean they deserve to be killed!”

You quickly use your bending to procure a wall of ice to block the group from reaching the siblings. You catch Aang and Katara in your peripheral fighting off Galik’s men while Sokka and Toph attempt to crowd control, and beside you Zuko shoots blasts of flames to ward off the attackers.

Suddenly, a heap of rock knocks your feet out from under you and sends you sprawling into the snow after colliding into your figure. You’d been so engrossed in warding off Galik’s men that you hadn’t even noticed Maliq and Malina’s crew sneaking up behind you.

“Don’t hurt her!” Malina protests only for one of them to dismiss her concerns.

“If she was such a “big and powerful” Chief she would have been able to defend herself,” the earth bender argues. “She’s nothing but a Southern bender.”

A ball of fire is suddenly shot in his direction and the quickly man ducks to the ground in fear. Peering up from the snow, Zuko towers over the man menacingly with his hand ready to strike. “Want to say that again?”

“H-Hey, it was just a joke! Honest! She’s a really good water bender!” The man splutters. He screams in terror when another blast is shot his way, but it only lands on the side of him and narrowly misses his head.

“Don’t you forget it.”

While the wind was momentarily knocked out of you from the impact of the rock, you’re quick to recover and get back on your feet to fight. However, you falter at the sight of Galik standing before you. He holds a hand up in surrender to signal he has no intentions of fighting you, and so you do the same.

“This has gotten out of hand, Galik. You need to call off your troops,” you plead breathlessly. “We shouldn’t be fighting.”

“I’ve tried to be patient with you, y/n, but I can only do so much,” the older man admits with a sigh. “They deserve what’s coming to them.”

“I’m just as upset as you are about Maliq’s plan, but this isn’t the way to go. At the end of the day we’re all a family.”

“Family?! Did the Northern scum care when our water benders were desecrated by the raiders? Did they care when our Princess was taken from us by the Fire Nation? Did they care when your father lost his life in battle while their Chief got to hide behind a wall of ice? They are not our family, and you need to realize this before it’s too late.”

“If we continue on this way we’ll be proving them right!” You argue desperately. “We’ll only show them that we can’t handle our own affairs! Just stop this and I’ll make it right!”

“It’s much too late for that now, Princess. The situation has gotten out of hand and needs correction. You’ve done all you can to rectify the problem, but your judgement is clouded by your love for the Fire Lord. The ash maker has brainwashed you.”

“How dare you call him that?!” You yell fiercely, your blood boiling at the insult and your patience just about worn thin. “You’re the one that’s brainwashed if you truly believe such crazy conspiracies!”

“It’s not a conspiracy, it’s the truth! How many times have you let foreigners take advantage of you?! You risked your life to save Zuko’s and yet you are the one that carries the scars on your hands! You opened our home to the Northern scum and yet they wish to take the throne away from you! You’ve had your chance to do things your way, but it’s time for me to take over now, Chief.”

You notice his eyes are no longer focused on you but on something behind you, and you immediately react by whirling around and using a water whip to disable your approaching attacker before they can reach you. Your move sends them flying across the courtyard and into a nearby food stand. Guiltily, you make a mental note to pay the owner for the damages your attack has caused.

“Y/n!” Zuko calls as he rushes towards you. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but Galik got away,” you huff in disappointment. Surveying the area, you notice that both the Northern siblings and your friends are missing from the square. “Where are the others?”

“I’m not sure, but they must have run after him.”

“I’m sorry things always seem to get out of hand when you visit the South,” you say with a demeaned frown. “I promise it’s not always like this.”

“Hey, it’s much better than the stuff I put you through when you visit the Fire Nation,” Zuko jokes in an attempt to lighten the situation. “You handle the stress of being a leader far better than I ever could.”

Smiling faintly, you give his hand a comforting squeeze before urging him out of the square. “Let’s go find Gilak.”

“Chief y/n, you have to come quick!” A guard calls from the distance, alerting you of her presence and interrupting your conversation with Zuko. The next words to come out of her moth are the last words you ever expected to hear, and they fill your stomach with dread when she shouts, “Hakoda’s been stabbed.”

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