#I may do a part 2 where I talk about yue mai and ty lee who are ALSO privileged individuals who contrast one another

[swan2swan]

The issue of bloodlines and their burdens is not limited solely to Star Wars. Another story that tackles the issue perhaps even better than the Original Six (and a heck of a lot better than the Sequel Trilogy) is Avatar: the Last Airbender.

I know you’re all thinking of the same character, but we’ll get to him in a bit, because first, we need to study our Original Three protagonists, starting with Aang.

1. Aang is the Last Airbender, but he’s not some Air Nomad Prince; we still have never met his parents, and their legacy is irrelevant because of the monastic order he was raised in, but his heritage is one far more significant than blood: he is the Avatar. He is a reincarnation gifted with the ability to push past the boundaries of those already deemed exceptional. He can bend all four elements, he can enter the Spirit World at will, and he is capable of communicating with his past lives for advice and counsel. This is power people would kill for...and the theme of his story is coming to grips with it. Throughout his story, he rejects it, embraces it, runs from it, succumbs to it, and finally finds a way to balance it with himself. He decides that he is both the Avatar and the Last Airbender, the protector of all four nations and the one responsible for preserving the culture of Air. During all of this, he also balances himself with his titles, retaining his connection to his friends and his love for his family. We learn in the next series that it was a struggle up until the day the died, but he managed to do it...this is what makes him an Epic Hero. From the day he was born, he was destined to save the world, but he did it his way, and never allowed his responsibilities to erase his identity, or his personal attachments to let the world fail. He trusted in those around him and was able to save the world by sharing the burden.

2. Said burden, of course, falls on the shoulders of Katara and Sokka--or rather, into their willing hands. They are, amusingly enough, royalty themselves: Sokka is the son and heir to the chief, and Katara (like Luke) is the last practitioner of a power she inherited from her deceased parent (of course, Kya wasn’t ruling the Fire Nation, but we’ll get to that later). What does this royal lineage get them?

Absolutely nothing. When the Fire Nation ship rolls in and the soldiers storm their village, Zuko doesn’t go around saying “I need to speak to the chief!” and then sit down in a tent with Sokka for a diplomatic discussion: he has the villagers all lined up and bullied  without regard for rank or status. It’s highly doubtful that Hakoda even had any royalty in his bloodline--he was probably just a big, strong man with a smart head on his shoulders who a lot of other villagers decided “hey, let’s follow him and listen to him and let him protect us,” and that’s how he became the chief. With some good strong genes and excellent parenting, he was able to raise his children to be strong, too...and that sums up what those two have going for them. The Northern Water Tribe doesn’t let Katara train because she’s a fellow princess; she fights and claws her way to the top (and then is trained anyway because Necklace Ex Machina, but the fact that it’s a Northern Water Tribe tradition and her grandmother’s migration are all well-done plot points makes it work), and her superpowered healing abilities are also something she masters with a lot of hard work...okay, so Katara’s a little OP, but she works hard, and she’s an example of someone who comes from nothing becoming a superhero.

Sokka, on the other hand, waltzes right into the first derelict island village he finds and says “Wassup, ladies, I’m the most powerful warrior among my people, feel free to ogle!” and is promptly trussed up and tossed to the floor...where he then returns to beg for forgiveness and training, because he learned that his rank, privilege, and power don’t mean a thing in the real world, and if he’s going to survive, he needs to be willing to humble himself and learn. And learn he does--studying hunting strategies, making traps, shadowing guerillas, infiltrating cities, protecting princesses, doing chin-touches, strumming guitars, faking diseases...all until he goes to train with a master swordsman, who does little more than help him to produce a weapon, because by this point Sokka’s seen so much action and drama that he’s a full-fledged warrior. Sokka’s journey is one of a boy earning his position as the heir to his father’s seat: he’s left with almost nothing, but keeps learning and adapting until he’s strong and clever enough to rescue his father from prison. Sokka began with the responsibility of having to inherit his father’s position, and he earned it. 

3. Toph and Suki, the other members of Team Avatar, are also special, but neither of them really has responsibilities; Toph is wealthy and privileged, but her privilege is a cage, and she chooses to reject it to pursue her own goals. She trains Aang, she fights for freedom, and eventually opens a school and forms a security group...and then dumps all that on her daughters and runs away to a swamp, but that is yet another essay. Suki, on the other hand, is very similar to Hakoda: she’s in charge of a bunch of fighting women on some shanty island off the coast of the Nowhere Peninsula, a place so worthless it was the final tidbit on some ancient conqueror’s wishlist, and then it just broke from the land and moved away so it didn’t have to be involved with any drama. Suki runs the gym there. That’s literally what she does. She’s a part-time fitness instructor, part-time policewoman, and eventually she decides that she’s going to go off and help police other parts of the world, because what the heck else is she going to do with her life? Then she hijacks an airship and rescues other heroes during the apocalypse or something. The point is, Toph and Suki could have both stayed home and done nothing the whole time if they’d wanted, but they chose to do more.

4. All right, now it’s time for the one you’ve all been waiting for: Azula! Oh, sorry, were you expecting Zuko? Nah, we’re starting with his sister. Because she is everything Lucasfilm wants a bloodline legacy to embody: wealthy and privileged, proud of her genes and her talents, taught by the best, raised to be the best, and completely ruthless and uncaring...even cruel. It’s Azula who delivers one of the greatest speeches in the show, the speech that sounds like it belongs anywhere besides a Nickelodeon Cartoon: “I can see your whole history in your eyes. You’ve always had to struggle, and claw, and connive your way to power. But true power? The divine right to rule? Is something you’re born with.” The creepiest thing about the speech is that it uproots the classic literary promise of “Anyone can be a hero!” while still maintaining the theme of the show. It can be argued that Azula is right. She’s a main character, one with her own design and color palette, with more than two outfits to her name; the world isn’t going to be saved by Chong the Nomad or the hapless cabbage merchant, and it’s not going to be destroyed by one of the Rough Rhinos or Fire Nation Soldier 13. She coldly delivers a smackdown and leaves not only the lesser villains, but the audience questioning everything: are there those born to lead, and those born to serve? The grim answer the show provides...is yes.

5. This is where Zuko comes in. Prince Zuko. Royalty. Strength. Discipl...disciplin...dis...hehehe...”Discipline”. Zuko. HA. *ahem* No, but really, when we meet Zuko, he’s a fantastic villain. He has a giant metal ship, glittering armor, rippling black hair...and a menacing, terrifying scar. Fire comes from his fingertips, he seethes with rage, and he is Prince Zuko of the mighty Fire Nation: all of the world will tremble at his coming. But for a moment, a soft moment, we see his armor hidden by a cloak in the middle of the night, as he quietly seethes to his uncle about finding the Avatar and restoring his honor, and we hear him muse about his father to Aang, and see hints of a person beneath that.

Everything becomes clear in the third episode. Prince Zuko’s ship, which dwarfed Sokka’s village, sits timidly in the shadow of a line of much larger vessels. Commander Zhao towers above Zuko and wears much fancier armor, and then outplays Zuko in a mindgame. We see suddenly that Zuko’s status as a prince is all but worthless...his own father has rejected him. The scar on his face is not some amazing battle scar, but a mark of shame from a duel he lost--a duel we later learn was lost to his own father. Zuko triumphs in a fresh duel, showing honor and restraint, and a glimmer of kindness and mercy...but he continues to try and defeat the Avatar throughout his journey. Time and again, we see Zuko, this privileged prince, try to overcome the heroes...and he loses it all. He barely escapes being collected by his smarter, deadlier sister, and spends a whole season on the run, forced to conceal his true identity from everyone he meets out of fear and shame. He bears witness to the crimes his people have committed: broken villages, scarred legs, starving refugees. He’s given a choice, then, to stay among them...or to betray them all and return home. In his fear and impatience, he chooses the latter: he rejects goodness and chooses the privilege and power. He returns home, he is a hero, he has his father’s respect, his girlfriend’s love, everything he ever wanted...and this is a story that could not be told if he were anyone else. 

Because then he realizes that this isn’t making him happy--he, too, has responsibilities. So he throws it all away, and marches to his father and tells him, straight-out, that he cannot live in safety and comfort while the rest of the world cowers in terror. He won’t turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. He leaves, flying off, and risks death time and time again, until finally he fights to win back the crown...and almost loses it to save the life of one of those peasants he’d tormented back in another life. Then, he stands tall and takes his place on the throne, and vows to use his privilege and power to better the world...and we see that he does. How? Because he’s royalty. The story is not about how “a good person can make a difference”, but that “people who can make a difference need to be taught how to be good”. Azula boasted about the “divine right to rule” giving power...yet Zuko’s mind was swayed by a peasant girl with a scarred leg, a boy who decided to fight soldiers with a knife, and a young rebel who couldn’t stand the sight of starving refugees. The core of power can be swayed by many who work together...and that’s the point of the show. Everyone has power. It’s how you use it that matters.

[princess-of-the-corner]

That but about Azula confronting Ozai has me curious about the Day of the Black Sun.

Okay okay okay I'm just. I'm gonna go over my notes for the whole ass episode so let's go!

This is mostly happening in Part 2 of the two-part episode but anyway!

The attack goes as they wanted, although thanks to Noriko having taken over Ba Sing Sae they knew in advance that there would be an attack so it isn't as much of a surprise.

But the Eclipse still happens and the Firebending goes out.

The Gaang knows that Ozai has to be /somewhere/ but they have no idea where. The Palace and its surrounding grounds are large, and that's before including underground or even nearby buildings.

So they split up in teams of two because, well. Sure the Avatars should be the ones to fight him, but really no one's gonna complain if anyone else kills the fucker right now.

Of course Aang and Ty Lee are the first group. And ofc nothing of interest happens with them.

Katara and Sokka are the second group, but when their father gets injured the two of them step up and lead the invasion troops in his place. They make a hell of a team together.

Mai and Toph pass by the dungeons and oh hey Iroh is escaping too! They're happy he's alive because tbh they had no idea if he was okay or not. They fight off the remaining guards together but Iroh is like 'Hey I'd love to come with you guys again, but in case things don't end today, I have something else set up so I need to go there instead'.

Suki and Jin get to run into Noriko. They get to chase her around the halls. She's mostly there to distract anyone who came looking for Ozai, and is just stalling until the Eclipse is over and for the guards to get their shit together.

Naturally, Zuko and Azula are the ones who actually find Ozai. And while they should just kill him, Ozai is a manipulative fucker who knows how to keep them talking.

The initial conversation between Ozai and Zuko is very much like Canon. Ozai calling him a failure, saying that he was 'only trying to be a good parent' and 'teach respect'. Zuko calls that out for the bullshit it is. It was cruel and horrific and no one, especially not a child, should go through that. And that whatever he was attempting to make Zuko into, well, Zuko is fucking proud that he's not whatever that. He'd rather be the failure.

Since that didn't work, he turns his focus to Azula.

Telling her that he's 'oh so disappointed', that she 'let her brother drag her down'. He 'thought she was better than that'. He calls her weak for not sticking by him.

And Azula wants to scream at him. To prove that she's not weak. And in any other situation, she would. But this is her father. A man she's been terrified of her entire life. And right now, she can't Firebend. It makes her feel weak.

Ozai's final move is to make an offer. Azula can come back. Be Princess of the Fire Nation, be safe from all of this(be safe from him). It'd all be over.

All she has to do, is to kill Zuko.

For a moment, she hesitates. Because a childhood of doing everything in her power to please her father, to make sure that she was safe from her father, doesn't go away. And it would be easy! Because Zuko isn't even looking back at her! She could easily just....

That makes something click though. The fact that, even though he can hear her hesitating, Zuko doesn't turn. He trusts her. He knows that she won't give in.

She isn't alone. She isn't helpless. She can fight back and choose for herself. And even if she should fall, her brother and their friends are there to save her.

In the back of her mind, she hears what Yue had said when deciding to become the Moon Spirit. That she would rather die than let those she loves suffer.

So Azula glares back, stares Ozai down and tells him "I love them more than I fear you."

Yes I am using that line here because I love it and I can't use it later lmao

Unfortunately, Ozai's plan worked. He stalled them long enough. The Eclipse is over. Firebending is back. And Ozai is still an asshole who shoots lightning at his kids.

Zuko and Azula fight back. Honestly, if it were just them, they would have won. But they soon hear the soldiers coming to protect the Fire Lord.

Which means they decide to get the hell out of dodge.

[carbootsoul]

anyway no one asked but: yue joins the gaang instead of becoming the moon at the end of season 1 hcs!!

- instead of giving up her life to replace tui as the moon spirit, she gives up tui’s blessing to give them the final burst of strength to escape from zhao. basically yue gives up her blue eyes, pale hair, and waterbending. she never (?) waterbends on the show, and the loss of her bending isn’t too devestating to her.

- also sokka gets a friend who can’t bend either... he deserves it.

- when the gaang leaves after the battle is over, yue decides to come with them and it’s a HUGE thing with her father and begins her main character arc, which is about whether her responsibility to her tribe and the preservation of their culture is more important than her paving her own way and also how those two things can coexist!

- she leaves her betrothal necklace on her bedside table and the last shot of the episode is just of it, lying there. 

- this got rly long so there’s more under the cut

- her traveling clothes are a thing shawl and a tunic similar to sokka’s with pants. she keeps her usual haircut but it’s tied with leather instead of the fancy hair things she used as princess. also she uses a hunting knife as a weapon

- she and sokka continue their weird not-dating-but-kind-of-dating dance for a lot of episodes and it’s generally awkward and easy comic relief. also more shots of yue blushing because she’s just so cuteeee

- there’s a scene of them stargazing where yue tells sokka the story of a pair of lovers who died and then remained best friends in all their future lives (because avatar friendships enduring through lifetimes and also friendship being just as important as romantic relationships)

- yue becomes friends with EVERYONE they meet IMMEDIATELY and everyone falls in love with her because she’s sweet and pretty and has a nice laugh.

- there’s a filler episode that’s just sokka and yue going shopping together and trying on lots of jewlery but the running gag is that yue keeps getting distracted with talking to other people and definitely flirting with every girl she runs into and sokka is always distracted with a pair of earrings or a set of rings and doesn’t notice. finally some random guy is like ‘man your girlfriend has been flirting with my sister this whole time... are you aware.” and sokka is immeditaly like ShE’s NoT mY GiRLfRiEnD and then like wait what

- so maybe yue is a lesbian. sokka is very distressed that he’s been trying to court someone who’s not interested so he talks with katara while she’s sewing or something and he’s like is yue gay?? and katara is like oh i don’t know. lots of people we know are queer. sokka: WHO??? katara: well, zuko. suki. sokka: ZUKO??? SUKI??? and this is when katara realizes her brother’s gaydar is nonexistent. 

- yue tries being a vegetarian (to be nice to aang) but thinks nuts are gross so she and sokka go on hunting trips together. she’s Very Good at archery.

- also the episode where they watch toph wrestle?? she and sokka are SO on her side. it made me angry in the show that sokka wasn’t on her side but yue would convince him very quickly and they are very loud together.

- she also stays to talk to toph on the estate because she doesn’t look as suspect as the rest of the gaang so the guards don’t kick her out immediately (read: she’s good at conforming to elitist ideas of how people r meant to act and passes the rich kid test). she and toph sit in the garden and watch the moon (because the moon symbolizes yue’s perceived failure to sacrifice herself to save her tribe) and talk about how sometimes to live as yourself you have to skirt your responsibilities to your family. yue leaves a few hours later firmly friends with toph.

- she continues to be the one firmly on toph’s side in the toph/katara disputes that are in the first few episodes with toph. katara can’t hold it against her though because literally who could hold a grudge against yue she’s so incredible

- (ok we’re skipping a lot of time here bc i frankly do not remember everything that happened in book 2) her ba sing se tale is her uhhh going to the market to buy herself an iced tea because she’s gay and just having a good time being a no one. a girl she runs into at the cafe asks her to go on a walk around the city with her and it’s very sweet but yue does Not know this is a date so when the girl gives her a kiss she gets blushy and says something dumb

- also at the end of another episode we have a short scene of yue on the roof of their house in the upper ring, staring at the moon and touching the place on her neck where her betrothal necklace isn’t. then the camera switches to zuko, on the other side of the city, looking at the same moon and absently running his fingers through his hair where his topknot used to be

- yue and jet hate each other but yue still advocates for him because she sees how he’s been hurt and thinks that he deserves a second chance. i don’t know the funeral traditions for any of the nations but she does a quick northern water tribe blessing over his body before they run away.

- yue and mai are like.. yes we r gay..... yes we do flirt with each other while fighting sometimes.... yes we r the two knife fighters.. yes we are ALSO narrative foils

- yue looks SO GOOD in fire nation clothes but she keeps her usual hairdo because she deserves it. the fire nation propaganda makes her very angry, as does the institutionalized homophobia. she starts arguing with some guy over it and katara is ready to back her up and start fucking screaming and get arrested and sokka is like.. now. now is when i should talk to her. 

- he drags her away and she’s like fuck dude i can fight my own battles and he’s like no i just.. what you were talking about.... i have something i need to tell you..... and she’s like you’re bi!! good for you, sokka, thank you for telling me. and he’s like :bi shock: no?? you’re a lesbian. anyway yes she is a lesbian they are wlw mlm solidarity. 

- there’s a filler episode where toph and yue rob a bunch of fire nation soldiers and when they get caught (after a While of these robberies) they get out of it by playing the ‘dumb rich kids’ card and run away with jewelry like.. dripping off their hands. katara makes them sell all of it except a choker necklace yue keeps that looks like a betrothal necklace but instead has an etching of a bird flying away.

- skipping again bc this is getting rly long. when zuko joins the gaang he and yue have a tentative conversation about their relationships to their nations and he’s like.. idk sounds like you needed to leave? that wasn’t an environment that you can thrive in. and she’s like but i can change it! i need to be there to change it, and i left. and he’s like well no. some things are just toxic. i went back to my nation and it was terrible. and she’s like i have a responsibility to my PEOPLE and gets mad at him and she and katara r like angry at zuko team. 

- yue’s life changing field trip with zuko is just them leaving on appa to go to a market and be normal teenagers. they both viewed each other as Fire Prince and Water Tribe Princess, but this lets them open up and realize concretely that that’s not all that they are. 

- zuko apologizes for implying that the nwt was irreparable and explains that the fire palace wasn’t something he could fix and that trying just hurt him more. yue says that part of the reason she was angry with him was because he was right and that she felt so much more herself when she was away from her home. they finally reach the conclusion together that they have to become themselves before they can hope to change their cultures for the better.

- yue comes along to boiling rock but is v much background to zukka bromance. she hangs out with suki some (lots more yue blushing oc bc suki is BUFF) and does some dumb gay fighting with mai but they’re both bad at it because yue is busy mooning over suki and mai is busy protecting ty lee.

- ember island players still say she turned into the moon >:(

[hello-yue-here]

thank you @chiptrillino for tagging me in a wip game!

not quite sure what the rules are but based off of your AMAZING POST OF ART WIPS (check it out here yall chip is so talented) ive decided to just share some parts of my writing wips that i rlly like because i cannot draw whatsoever lmao

enjoy some lil snippets hehe

from heart don't stand a chance:

"Zuko couldn’t get over her eyes. She was looking past the camera towards the man who took it. Zuko could see clear as day the love she held for Sokka in her gaze.

It was a perfect moment that Sokka had captured. No wonder held it with him at all times. If someone had looked at Zuko like that, he’d never want to see anything again.

As he took in the photograph, Sokka sat next to him in silence. His hand was clutching the ring around his neck again in his fist, pressing it close to his mouth as he peered over Zuko’s shoulder to look. Zuko turned to him to compliment the picture and saw a sad fondness lingering in his eyes."

this is a scene i wrote a while ago thats gonna appear in a much later chapter. but yeah. more yue angst for you guys im so sorry.

from i love you (and that's all i really know):

"Mister Sokka," a little voice wishpered in his ear as he felt tiny pokes on his cheek, "Wake up Mister Sokka."

"Good morning to you too Izumi," Sokka responded wearily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked towards the little girl who was standing on her tippy toes to see over the edge of the bed and poke his face until he rose.

She smiled at him once she realized he was awake.

"Can we have pancakes?" She asked shyly, hiding her mouth just below the edge of the bed as she looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

That look was going to be dangerous for him later on, he could aready tell.

"Sure thing, Izumi, just let me sleep for five more minutes, mkay?" He asked as he shut his eyes again. He was exhausted from last nights events, and the sun had barely risen. How did Zuko do this?"

this is a scene from the next chapter of this fic. so much sokka and izumi bonding you guys are gonna explode hehehe.

from cherry (the mailee fic i wont shut up about that is now a whopping 19 pages):

"Mai never had to guess with Ty Lee. She always knew when Ty Lee was happy about something because she would use an obnoxious amount of exclamation points. She would send gifs of people or cartoons making outlandish expressions whenever she wanted to react to Mai’s text with a specific facial expression. Sometimes Ty Lee would even send voice memos whenever her thoughts became too long, or she got too excited about a story that her fingers couldn’t type as fast as she could speak."

hehe i love mailee.

from yours (the mailee sorority fic that i promise i did not forget about):

"Mai lifted her head off the pillow again and met Zuko’s eyes. She studied his impassive expression, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. He did seem like he missed Mai and Azula, so maybe he did really just want to catch up with them.

But Mai wasn’t going to give up a golden opportunity like this.

“Tell us everything about the boy toy as well and you’ve got yourself a deal,” Mai said.

Zuko rolled his eyes and sighed, “Ugh, fine. And his name is Sokka by the way.”

“Nuance. You also have to wake up Azula.”

“No chance in hell,” Zuko scoffed, “You’re the roommate and her fellow ‘pong princess,’ wake-up duty is all yours.”

“If she murders me, it’s your fault. She’s a bitch when she’s hungover.”

“Whatever you say, Mai,” Zuko grinned before returning back to his phone."

i have decided that zuko is a little shit for this fic and no one can stop me.

from Where'd All the Time Go? (the yuekka fic that i have severe writers block with that i also promis i have not forgotten about):

"“Sokka I really think you need to take a moment and-”

“I am fine Aang, I don’t have time for a feelings talk right now. Right now I need to find the fucking chief of this damn place.” His words came out harsher than he meant, but he didn’t have the time to dwell on that.

Before Sokka could run off again to continue his search, a hand grabbed his arm. One of Arnook’s advisors, Malina, had started dragging him towards the podium.

“Do you not realize how late you are for this Sokka? The ceremony was supposed to begin with your speech nearly an hour ago-” she hissed at him as she pulled him along through the crowd.

“Malina I’m sorry but I really need to speak with Arnook it is urgent-”

“This damn speech of yours is what’s urgent right now Sokka, you can speak with Arnook later but the guests are getting antsy so you need to give your speech right. Now.”

“But-”

“Now.”

Maline shoved Sokka towards the podium and suddenly all eyes were on him. Every guest in attendance had their focus solely on Sokka."

homeboy is stressed in this scene. things are slowly going to shit in this chapter. i promise i will update this before the end of the year. i swear. im so sorry.

from a currently untitled jetko/sukka boiling rock fic:

"“Oh good, you survived after all,” She said in a mocking tone.

Jet didn’t answer. He knew anything he said would be used against him. He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know what was happening. But he would be damned if he showed that weakness in front of the fire nation.

“I was told you were more talkative than this,” the girl mused. There was something familiar about her, “my informants were very detailed when discussing your little teashop romance.”

I knew it. Jet snarled in his mind, That bastard betrayed me."

i want this fic to be a little darker but idk how good i am at writing darker fics because i love fluff and humor too much. this could be good angst practice for me.

from a toph and sokka fic that i wrote a while back to help me cope w some shit that i dont know if ill ever post:

"“Sokka? Are you still there?” Toph asked, the slightest hint of concern began to slip into their voice

“Tell me a story,” he was trembling. Despite all of his efforts to sound calm, he knew his voice came out trembling and scratchy and pathetic-

“Is everything okay? You don’t sound too hot,” Toph said through the phone.

Breathe, Sokka, breathe. You don’t want them to be worried, you just need to calm down.

“Please, Toph, I just,” he said through shaky breaths that weren’t nearly deep enough for him to be getting enough oxygen, “I just need a distraction. I just need to hear your voice okay?”"

nonbinary toph anyone?

from a 10 things i hate about you kataang and zukka au:

"“What? Something on my face?” the guy asked deadpanned. He rubbed at his scar as if he were wiping off a smudge of mustard, and Aang’s face went pale.

“Stop scaring the sophomores Zuko, this one’s new. He won’t get your… humor… just yet,” Ms. Wu said as she waved Aang off again.

“I’m hurt that you’d imply I’m not funny, Wu. I’m hilarious,” the senior, Zuko, said as he walked past Aang.

Aang let out a sigh of relief knowing that this Zuko guy didn’t seem all that offended by his awkwardness, and darted out of the room."

zuko is a little shit part 2. the amount of sarcasm i have dripping off of heath ledger zuko is glorious. let zuko be a little shit. i havent added to this in months but when i finish some of my other wips i cant wait to get back to this.

i have more wips and drafts saved but none of them have anything juicy or funny or interesting yet because all of them are like less than three pages so far

but yeah, heres a good chunk of sneaky peakys from my wips!

I hope you liked them!

anyone who wants to do this can totally go for it. imma tag @ambykinns @lumities and @flowers-inthepieshop (only if you all want too!!) because this was fun :)

[army-of-mai-lovers]

ATLA Fic Recs part 2!

part 1 (consider this link a re-rec of everything I recced in part 1, bc those fics are still amazing and at this point many of them that weren’t complete are finished now which is cool!) 

So I’m structuring this fic recs list a little differently than I did the first one. First one was just “fics I like” with no regard to how popular the fics were and a little bit of thought as to balancing gen fics with ship fics and trying to have a diversity of ships listed. This time, I am paying attention to how popular the fics are, and while I’m probably still going to rec popular fics/fic authors, I’m hoping to also expose people to some new authors with this list (as well as exposing people to work from their favorite authors that they may not have read)! Expanding your horizons is a really good thing, it’s how I’ve found basically every fic I love, and I hope y’all will love each of the fics I’m reccing as much as I do! In no particular order: 

1.  her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you by @aangsblush I said that I was going to rec this a couple days ago and here I am doing it because HOW ON EARTH IS THIS FIC AS BRILLIANT AS IT IS AND NOT LIGHTING THE FANDOM ON FIRE RIGHT NOW. I’ve genuinely never read a fic like this before. Never in my life. It’s a collection of vignettes, mostly dealing with Hakoda and Sokka’s various experiences of grief with Kya and Yue (and there’s a little bit of cute bakoda and sukka sprinkled in there as well). Like I said, the chapters were vignettes, some of them as short as two or three sentences, and yet somehow I was crying after every single chapter???? The author uses language so sparingly and so impactfully and I truly cannot get over how brilliant this is like bruh. who gave you the right. Who. Who. Tbh I could make a whole post about this fic (and I have!) but instead, I’m going to direct you to the fic, bc really, it speaks for itself. 

2. laughter lines by @bi-suki To be completely real, I tend not to read sad fics, or seek out sad media in general, but I read this fic and I’m so glad I did. It’s a modern au about Sokka and his family moving to Anchorage, separating him from his childhood best friend, Yue. Make sure you read the tags before you read this fic, please. It’s really sad. I started tearing up while writing out just that quick summary. Keep a box of tissues handy. I’ve read a lot of this author’s fics and they all have a habit of sticking in my head long after I’ve read them, but this one really packs a punch. Sokka’s grief and his friendship with Yue is written in such an intimate and beautiful way, and yes, I literally am crying right now thinking about it. I do think it’s hard to pull off writing yukka, especially in a modern au, while giving appropriate depth to both Sokka and Yue, but this fic really managed it so well. Even though this fic made me sad, I don’t regret reading it one bit.

3. call it fate by @bluberry-spicehead y’all are really converting me into a maiko shipper and honestly I’m so here for it. Mai’s one of my favorite characters in ATLA, and the care that the fic takes in portraying her perspective as well as her relationships with Zuko, Azula, and Ty Lee (despite the fact that Zuko isn’t even there when the fic takes place)--I mean, it’s honestly just incredible work. I’ve seen a lot of joke-y posts about “oh what if x happened with Aunt Wu instead of what happened in canon?” but never with Maiko and never quite the way this fic describes it. It’s really original and really carefully done, with all the complexity and nuance of their relationship infused into the details of the fic. And the way that Mai is written is both in character for her and expands on existing canon in a way that I really believe works for her. The writing is so immediate and really roots you in the world and in Mai’s head and I love it I love it I love it! 

4. i am your savior, your last serving daughter by @gays4korra *sokka voice* SUKI! Bruh. BRUH. The amount that I love both Suki and Kyoshi cannot be overstated, they’re both such fascinating and complex characters, and yet some people (*cough* the fandom *cough*) don’t want to see them in their full and complete brilliance. Enter this fic, which shows Suki and Kyoshi meeting, like someone saw my wildest dreams and was like “hey that’s a cool fic idea!” The TEARS I cried reading this fic (yes, I am aware that this is the fourth time I’ve mentioned crying over a fic in just this one post, these fic authors are incredibly talented and I have three planets in Cancer, fight me) Suki and Kyoshi, icons themselves, conversing across time???? iconic. simply iconic. And then the fact that Sokka orchestrated the whole thing because he wanted to make Suki happy? I love them, your honor. And Kyoshi being happy that Suki looks up to her because really Kyoshi’s a fluffy dork with self-esteem issues.... I’m crying again it’s so beautiful I’ve looked at it for five hours now. Gosh. read this fic. 

5. Balance My Heart in The Palm of Your Hands by @spookysukki ok while looking for this person’s tumblr I found out that this was their first work in the fandom and can I just say pal you POPPED OFF with this one fic and I hope that you write more because this was. This was awesome. Mailee is def in my top 5 (possibly top 2) ATLA ships but unfortunately I have a hard time finding content for it. Fortunately, every time I do find content for it it’s incredibly cute and this was absolutely no exception. It’s also the rare Mai & Sokka friendship fic which is not something I knew I needed in my life but is a concept that I am completely obsessed with having read this. Basically, Mai’s jealous of Sokka because Ty Lee keeps talking about Sokka being attractive, and shenanigans ensue. And you know me, I love shenanigans. This is also a Mai perspective fic which is awesome because as I said earlier, I love love LOVE Mai, and she’s so sweet and broody in this lsfjskdfjk I love her so much what an icon. 

5. earth system history by @pianjeong I have read this fic. So many times. I could honestly probably recite it from memory (jfdksjflsd ok that’s not true but at this rate I probably will be able to soon). It is an absolutely stunning fic. It’s like all my favorite parts of college condensed into one story (running around buildings you probably shouldn’t be in in the middle of the night with the person you have a crush on, coming out to your professor who is also gay, all iconic college moods). I’m simply obsessed with the way each character is written, and it’s so clear that the author knows what she’s talking about when it comes to geology, and that in general this fic was written with a lot of love for the characters of ATLA and also for rocks. It’s that love that keeps me coming back to this one. Cannot recommend it enough. 

6. the end is barely beginning by @katarahairloopies  gosh I don’t even know where to start with this one other than I cannot believe that it almost wasn’t posted and I’m so glad that it was because you truly can never have enough father/son moments between Hakoda and Sokka and I care them. I care them so much. Also can I just say Hakoda not remembering all of Sokka and Katara’s friends’ names and having to really think about it is such a dad mood. I can’t remember a single time in my life where my dad could remember all of my friends’ names (and there were points in my life where he would have only had to remember one name and yet. and yet.) I really love ATLA fics that are character studies because they tend to really retain the complexity of the characters as they’re depicted in the show (or make them more complex) and this one is no exception. There were so many lines of this that were just really poignant and beautiful. Again, cannot recommend it enough. 

[loverofallthingssmart]

gimme everything you got on mailee

ok sruthi ilysm for this and this is decidedly not everything because i love them so much and my brain is too small but this is EXTREMELY LONG so everything is under read more!

firstly in case you didn’t know, i just think that mailee is wonderful, amazing, awesome, and fantastic like

secondly, can we talk about how just compatible the ship is? 

like one its childhood best friends to lovers with always makes me go 🥰 

and two. ty lee being the only one who mai is really vulnerable to and the girl mai is soft for like ?? WOW i love them

mai being the one who knows ty lee’s strength and being the one ty lee doesnt have to pretend to be naive with?? i live for that

and three. these 2 girls being themselves with each other against azula who’s manipulated them and who they have to put on a cover to hide their true feelings with? i just love them..also mai being an abused child who’s had to hide her emotions and her thoughts under a blank and bored facade getting to smile with ty lee whos been part of a matched set her whole life and never gets to express her individuality because she’s insecure and can be who she wants to be knowing mai will understand that she’s her own person?? that?? yeah thats great..that’s the stuff i LIVE for

also ty lee is so lucky she gets a goth gf like mai whos awesome and wonderful and great like maybe i just really love mai who knows

thirdly i am going to talk about “the boiling rock” because that episode really went mailee rights and i love them for it (so did “the chase” so like)

ty lee’s betrayal came out of NOWHERE..it’s a surprise to the audience too and if you look at mai’s surprised face like she didnt even expect that?? mai was ready to die and always thought she would be second-best to azula according to ty lee BUT SHE ISN’T and her realization that maybe ty lee actually loves her in that moment seeing ty lee chi-block azula means everything to me 

(also ty lee and mai in “the chase” with ty lee hugging mai after mai reveals that she was paying attention to ty lee’s exclamations about the clumps of fur means everything to me because like..ty lee is sure she’s talking to herself since azula has already left and here is mai not only listening but contributing to the conversation? because she cares about making ty lee happy and making it known that she cares?? THAT makes me soft like 🥰) 

also, also that reunion is “return to omashu”?? where mai knew ty lee was going to the circus?? can you imagine how ty lee told her?? do you think mai knew the reason ty lee ran away and went to the circus?? the possibilities of their childhood love story are immense and i love that so much

last, i’m going to end it on some fic recs! because these are all so good and deserve recognition like

“promise” by @yues-girlfriend guys its so good and sweet and i love it so much theyre so cute omg..the confession..them as children?? ty lee leaving for the circus and their goodbye?? aAAAH..its just..SO GREAT i love it

“grand entertainment” by rainfall on ao3 (i dont know if the author has a tumblr) but like gd the character study and the emotion?? and then depth ty lee has in this?? its just so good like

“riverside confessions” by @ultralightdumbass this fic is so sweet omg? mai’s thoughts on ty lee is just SO cute and ty lee flirting with mai is everything like i just really love it so much

 “the rosyfingered moon (you and i)” by ariya167 on ao3 like god the writing is literally so gorgeous and the feelings and dialogue?? ugh im in love 

“tujh se main takrayaa (sarphira ho gaya)“ by @bi-kyoshis hi yes this is so amazing and i love this so much hi vidhya if you’re reading this i love this fic so much mai’s thoughts are so great and her and ty lee in this fic make me go GJSHJAKKJ its just so great

“tumhe jo maine dekha, tumhe jo maine jaana” by @loverofallthingssmart (which is me, yes i know this is shameless self-promo but 👀 read it maybe?)

“close your eyes, come with me” by @twinkwu this is SO good like holy omg the date?? ty lee’s circus excuse was SO great i love it and the ending makes me go :)))) so

“the language of flowers (aka- how you get the girl)” by @i-love-your-light​ its so amazing GOD i love the tumblr post it was inspired by and flowers?? amazing mailee?? great now put them together and you’ve got a banger like holy shit i love this

“stories”  by fadedorchids on ao3 (again, don’t know if the author has a tumblr so) y’all this is so amazing?? like the emotion and mai’s thoughts and feeling like ?? WOW

overall, this is very long because i love mai, i love ty lee, and i especially love mailee....just..them <3

[book-of-charlie]

Zukka Goes to a Ball

Hi, this was supposed to be a fluffy oneshot, but then i wrote out the bullet points, and if I write it later I will add a link to it here but for now it’s gonna be a bullet point fic lads, enjoy

(also I wrote this at like 2 am so I’m sorry for the inevitable spelling mistakes and slight rambling)

~~

AU where Iroh took the throne after Lu Ten died, Ozai was cast out for disrespecting Azulon, Zuko and Azula and Ursa had the option to stay and so they did and Zuko and Azula (especially) are better for it, and so Iroh did all the good shit, opening up trade routes and rebuilding the nations and removing the laws that outlawed homosexuality

Aang is still found when Katara and Sokka are out fishing, but the village is being rebuilt, the men are home, and with the Northern Water Tribe’s help, the two tribes have pooled their resources and customs together to preserve the customs they have/had, but also listened to people like Yue, Sokka, and Katara to see what should be done/changed to help make the future better

The customs mean that Sokka and Katara now have the labels of Prince and Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, just like Yue 

But the customs of arranged marriage and waterbending teachings are looser, so Katara is taught by Pakku, who marries their grandmother and they grow up with him as a grandfather

Kya is still dead, the last raid happened right before Iroh took the throne

Aang and Katara spent some time together, fell in love, have been together ever since

Yue and Sokka were engaged (and in love), until the moon thing happened; it happened bc Zhao was a follower of Ozai, and Ozai has gained a group of supporters who prefer Sozin’s, Azulon’s, and Ozai’s ways to that of Iroh’s - and Zhao snuck into the Northern Water Tribe and killed the fish, and Yue gave her life to save it

Sokka is devastated, and the Water Tribes are ready for war, but still hope for peace after so much devastation

Iroh, Hakoda, and Arnook meet to try and solve these things without war, and Iroh explains what happened in the past with Azulon and Ozai, and why the Northern Water Tribe was attacked

The three leaders decide that an all nations ball should be held, and that a union between the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes would be the best way to smooth things over, and to show solidarity

So its decided that either Katara or Sokka must marry Zuko or Azula

Katara is in love with Aang, and so Sokka knows he must be the one to marry into the Fire Nation Royal Family

He talks about this to katara, who thanks him like hell for not separating her and Aang (not that she expected him to, but it’s a relief)

Aang finds out and thanks him too, and tells him that as the Avatar and as the only representative for the Air Nation, hes been invited and that bc sokka is his family too he will smite Azula or Zuko if they hurt him

He knows Aang wouldn't hurt a fly (seriously, how is he a vegetarian in the freaking South Pole), but he appreciates that Aang and Katara will be there to watch his back

he’s not too upset about being the one to marry bc he knows his sister will be happy, but honestly hates that this is happening at all bc Yue is dead

katara and aang distract him from these thoughts by asking him wether he think’s he’ll be drawn to the prince or the princess (bc sokka is bi and both have known that for ages)

he’s not sure, say’s he’ll see

In the fire nation, Iroh talks to Ursa, and they both talk to Zuko and Azula

They dont know about Aang and Katara, so Zuko and Azula talk about both Katara and Sokka

Azula is still a bit manipulative, but is working on it, and Zuko trusts her enough to tell her that he hopes that he doesn’t have to marry the Southern Princess

Azula asks why, and Zuko admits he likes boys

Azula is silent for a bit, and then says that she hopes she wont have to marry either one of them because she, Ty Lee, and Mai are dating

Zuko swears that she won’t have to stop dating them, that he will be the one to marry

azula and ty lee and mai are v grateful and vow to back him up and kick water tribe ass if whichever one he marries hurts him

in other news, Suki is at the ball as Earth King Kuei’s plus one/bodyguard, and she and azula hit it off so Suki ends up eventually dating Mai and ty Lee and azula as well

back to our regularly scheduled program

Before the ball, Sokka is getting ready with Chief Arnook (Hakoda is getting ready with Bato bc they dating bc I said so)

Sokka says “i loved her, you know. And I will do this for our tribes, and even if I do learn to love whichever of them I’m to marry, I’m not sure I can ever stop loving her, and I want you to know that I did.”

And hes awkward about it, but Arnook hugs him, and says “She loved you so much, Sokka. And she would want you to be happy, as I’m sure you know.” Then he pulls back.

“I know we are technically two separate tribes, but I want you to know, I still consider you a son.” Sokka cries a little, and nods, happy that he has the blessing of the man who was supposed to be his father in law. Sokkas just happy that he can still have that, and smiles at Yue as she rises to look over the ball

Shes smiling cause she knows whats about to happen, and does indeed wish sokka to be happy as he can and will be

Hakoda and Bato come to wish Sokka good luck, bc Sokka and Katara and Aang already talked to them about how Katara and Aang intend to stay together, 

Hakoda mentions how proud he is and sokka has to wipe a few tears from his eyes

Iroh and Ursa know the same thing about Zuko and Azula and Mai and Ty Lee, and both wish Zuko luck as well

Iroh makes sure to say how proud he is, and that Zuko is an honorable man

zuko def isnt crying, nope, but he wipes his tears away and carries on 

So Azula and Katara are both planning on pushing Zuko and Sokka towards each other, but honestly there doesnt need to be any pushing

The ball attendees, excluding the royals of each Nation (and the Avatar), get to the ballroom, and the doors open for the royals (who are all announced by name), and of course everyone knows what the ball is for (security is quadrupled, from all the nations)

First comes Fire Lord Iroh, followed by Lady Ursa

Next comes in King Kuei

Next is Chief Arnook

Then Hakoda and Bato

Then Zuko and Azula

Then Aang

And lastly, Sokka and Katara

Zuko and Azula are standing by Iroh’s throne, and as the water tribe royals walk in, Sokka and Zuko make eye contact

And both are so smitten with each other

And at some point, it is asked that at least one of the young fire nation and water tribe royals dance together

And Zuko and Sokka look at each other and grasp each others hands and dance

its a slow waltz

And they just look so right together, the two princes

And they go out on the balcony and talk

Zuko says he wants to get to know sokka better, and sokka agrees

But is hesitant still, and asks zuko if he knows why the ball was happening

Zuko kinda shrugs, and says “there was an attack on the NWT, by firebenders loyal to my father, whos a huge asshole and im glad hes not on the throne. Uncle wanted to prove that hes not his brother, which leads to me having to marry, well, you.” 

Sokka nods. “So they didn't tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Zuko asked, confused

“The attack on the NWT. The mission was to kill the moon spirit.” Zuko gasped, quickly checking that the full moon was in the sky, which it was. He knew what it meant, what would have happened to the waterbenders.

“They didn’t succeed, though, clearly.” He says, trying for comforting. Sokka laughed, harshly, without humor.

“They did, actually. Zhao - former Commander, now Admiral of Ozai’s followers - he killed it. My fiance, Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe, had a little bit of life from the moon spirit in her. To save us all, she decided to, according to her father, give it back.”

Sokka looks over to Zuko, who’s horrified

“So they’re expecting you to marry me? That’s kinda fucked up, especially if you loved her as much as it sounds like you do.”

Sokka nods. “Look, Zuko, I like you. I can tell already, I do. But,” and here he looks up at the moon, at Yue, “I will never stop loving her.” Looks back to Zuko “She will always have a part of me, and I need you to understand that if we’re supposed to marry each other.”

Zuko nods, understanding entirely. “It wasnt fair, and I would never ask you to stop loving her. I also can tell that I like you too, Sokka, and I’m willing to follow your lead on this. You clearly did love her, and I completely understand that you will continue to. I’m not…” Zuko takes a deep breath.

“I’m not going to ask you to betray your customs, your family, or any past love. I don’t want you to stop loving her, especially not when you clearly love her so much. And I’m willing to wait as long as you need and/or want to.”

Zuko’s nearly out of breath and hes being so honest it hurts, and Sokka’s crying a little so Zuko freaks out and thinks he said the wrong thing but Sokka is quick to reassure him that he said and did everything right

And they go back inside, together, and everyone looks at them, clearly expecting some kind of announcement here

And Sokka steps up, no longer teary eyed (mostly) and says: “I, Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, with blessings from both Water Tribes, ask for permission from the Fire Lord to court Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.”

Hakoda, Bato, Arnook, Ursa, and Iroh are all by Iroh’s throne, and all of them step up. The guests had already parted the way. Katara and Azula are standing slightly to the side, but still nearby.  

“I, Fire Lord Iroh, give permission to Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe to court Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, but only if Prince Zuko agrees to it.”

Both sokka and Zuko sigh in relief, smile, and nod at each other in agreement. Its Zuko’s turn to step up.

“I, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, agree to be courted by Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, with blessings from Fire Lord Iroh. I ask for permission from the Chiefs of both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes to court Prince Sokka.”

Hakoda and Arnook step up. Arnook speaks first. “I give my permission for Prince Sokka to be courted by Prince Zuko.” Hakoda is next. “I also give my permission for Prince Sokka to be courted by Prince Zuko, as long as Prince Sokka agrees to it.” 

Sokka smiles at Zuko, and they hold hands to show solidarity between nations. And maybe bc they wanted to

Their sisters and (partners of said sisters) come up to them, smiling

Katara and Aang hug sokka, saying theyre proud of him, but also still thanking him

Azula punches sokka and says to be good to her big brother or else

Sokka says yes ma’am

Katara threatens Zuko, who also responds with a yes ma’am

Azula and Katara shake hands, which scares the ever living fuck out of everyone except Toph who laughs

Shes here bc shes a fuckin beifong 

Aang trained with Pakku already (and katara of course) but has been looking for an earthbending teacher, and so convinces Toph to teach him bc bumi gave him the same advice here as in the show

Her parents aren’t entirely convinced, but Iroh offers to have the Beifongs stay (for business reasons, of course, winking at Aang and Toph), and that Toph will be safe here and can make new friends and future alliances between nations, which convinces them enough to agree to stay for a while

Sokka and Katara had to stay anyway of course, and Aang stays with Katara (and hey, wouldnt it be good if he could learn earth and firebending while at the palace), but everyone else went home

Shenanigans ensue

Zuko and sokka get closer as friends

And still really, really, really like each other

And of course theyre courting each other but soon they start like, dating dating

And fall in love

And live happily

Maybe Ozai tries to ruin their happiness but Toph punches him in his stupid face so its all good

[seyaryminamoto]

Hi Seyary! First of all, I wanted to let you know that I am really enjoying Gladiator. And because I'm bored and a sucker for angst in ff, here's a hypothetical question - how would the following characters react to an (almost successful) assassination attempt on Azula - Sokka, Ozai, Zuko, Mai, ty lee and toph? (sorry if the list is too long lol, the first two reactions would be most interesting anyway I presume) thank you!

Hypothetical, huh...? <.<

*innocent whistling* *hides her future plans under her bed*

XD alright, nothing I have in mind is quite as literal as what you’ve described... but I will say there’s going to be a similar situation coming up in the final arcs of Part 2. So, um... if you’d like angst, stick around because we’ll have plenty in the future :’D

So! How would they react...:

Sokka: kills the culprit. Outright. Immediately. If he can do it before the assassin even reaches her, better yet! Still, Sokka would be willing to discard his “no killing” policy for Azula without the slightest hesitation. He has already gone quite far to protect her, as he did in Gladiator Brawl... after that arc, he has determined he won’t hold back and will do whatever is needed to save Azula. He’ll pay the price eventually, if there’s a price to be paid... but he won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes for her. Emotionally, however? Sokka would be absolutely devastated and panicking horribly if Azula is ever in mortal danger. He’ll most likely blame himself (even if it’s not his fault), he’ll be restless and desperate to do anything to help... basically spiraling just as badly as Azula was in 126 when she nearly lost him. It would take a long time for him to calm down, and even then, the latent fear of not being strong enough to protect her will probably never fade away. Even though he hasn’t had the well-known canon-based trauma caused by Yue’s death, Sokka won’t get over a potential near-death-experience of Azula’s easily, and he’ll be even more frantic about making sure she’s fine, healthy and happy than he already is, barely leaving her side because he feels anxious if he’s not close enough to protect her of any dangers, big or small or insigificant as they may be. He’s always been an instinctive protector of everyone he loves, so I imagine he’d train himself harder yet after this happens, hoping to polish his skills to the utmost, so nothing like this can ever happen again.

Ozai: we already saw a glimpse of this (if just a small one) in the White Lotus Attack arc, where he was completely blown away upon finding out his daughter had been in danger of kidnapping + was badly sick. The combination of factors triggered an unusually emotional response from Ozai... unusual because it wasn’t rage, of course. That’s basically the only emotion Ozai experienced for years, until that scene with sickly Azula happened. That his daughter was in such danger, that he didn’t know about it until it was too late... it actually worried him, badly. Enough that, despite his disbelief at Azula’s claims that Sokka saved her and fixed everything, he offered to repay Sokka for saving his daughter, and he actually followed through with Sokka’s requests. An assassination attempt, then, would see Ozai reacting similarly. Unlike Sokka, who would immediately kill the assassin, I think Ozai would prefer capturing it and then executing it as painfully as possible, probably after a severe torture session :’D he won’t let anyone who tries to harm his daughter get away with it unharmed, despite he doesn’t entirely understand the source of his wrath towards anyone who could hurt her. He would likely recommend Azula never lowers her guard again, perhaps even lightly scolding her for letting someone come that close to killing her... yet he’s more concerned for her than he wants to admit, and he’ll even ease up his pressures on her, frequently checking on Azula to ensure she’s recovering properly. If there’s one aspect in which Ozai displays any fatherly instincts, it’s when when Azula is in danger. Tbh, it’s probably the only aspect where he does, all things considered...  

Zuko: unlike the other two, I don’t think Zuko would have such a violent reaction to Azula being the victim of an assassination attempt. He would definitely be shocked, and he would worry about Azula, but he’d assume there’s no assassin or anything in the world strong enough to overcome his sister. So he’d probably calm himself down by basically trusting she’s too extraordinary to be beaten... and it’d allow him to stay level-headed, to a fault. If he’s around during the assassination attempt, Zuko would want to join in defending his sister (though I don’t think he’d likely go as far as killing the assassin unless he has no choice). If he only hears about it a long time afterwards, he’ll likely want to go see her, and he’ll worry about how bad the damage was. Still, not quite as passionate a reaction as either Sokka or Ozai’s. 

Mai: I think Mai would have an interesting reaction, actually? She probably takes Azula for granted just as much as Zuko does, in the sense of assuming Azula is unbeatable and no one would ever lay a finger on her... so that there’s a close call so close that someone actually nearly kills her? It’d probably mess her up quite a bit. Mai cares about her friends, even if she doesn’t show it overtly, so she’d likely focus on Azula rather than on weird pursuits of revenge against the culprit or anything like that. If there’s other people to watch over Azula, she’ll just visit her often as she recovers... if there were no one else, she’d likely stay by her bedside until Azula is all better. There’d be a lot of sass back and forth, too, which would likely help Azula’s mood a lot while she recovers. Still, Mai would likely be very shaken up by the notion of Azula being killed since she can’t really imagine Azula dying... like, altogether xD but she’d swallow her feelings and see to Azula’s recovery rather than letting her worries overwhelm her.

Ty Lee: ... I guess she’s the polar opposite of Mai in a thousand ways, so why not this one too? :’D Ty Lee probably reacts very explosively and panicky, wearing her feelings on her sleeve, as expected from her. I doubt she’d be much help while Azula recovers, but I’ll give her credit and say that, if she were present during the assassination attempt, canon suggests Ty Lee can hold her own in chaotic situations better than expected. She might help subdue the enemies, but once the danger is gone she’ll flip over to panic mode as she waits eagerly to know if Azula will recover.

Toph: Toph won’t want to believe it happened, tbh. She’d assume Azula is unbreakable too, and she’d be pissed as heck if anyone genuinely hurts her. I can see Toph taking a more vengeful approach to the problem, but she’ll be freaking out until she can talk to Azula herself and be sure she’s out of danger. She might take a playful approach to the matter later, messing with Azula such as offering her services as a bodyguard and such, with Azula rebuffing that she might end up being the one saving Toph’s butt instead, but deep down she’d be worried until Azula is out and about again. She’d be sure Azula won’t let that happen again, though... so I think, within this list, Toph might be the one who moves on the fastest. As long as Azula is okay, she’ll relax, to a fault.

Alright, I hope those answers were interesting enough for you xD (but you were right, I think the most important ones really are Sokka and Ozai’s...)

[goldlightsaber]

my top ten avatar: the last airbender episodes (in no particular order)

1. jet (season 1)

katara gets her first big crush. she learns appearances aren’t all that they seem. the audience learns that even people fighting on the “good side” aren’t always good people

2. siege of the north part ii (season 1 finale)

the high point of season 1! it’s so good -- from princess yue’s surprise transformation, to ko, the creepiest spirit from the spirit world to this day...it’s high-tension, full of drama. i love it. we also see zuko’s inner conflict really begin here. you can tell his attempts to capture aang are beginning to wear him down.

3. zuko alone (season 2)

prepare to cry. this episode goes away from the gaang entirely and it’s all about zuko. he’s reaching his turning point. he’s not ready yet. he won’t be for a while. but he’s struggling. he comes to a place where no one knows him until he’s forced to remember who he is.

4.  the swamp (season 2)

this one is...otherworldly. spiritual. we get some creepy parts, some heart wrenching parts, and a great lesson about everything and everyone being connected. it’s the kind of spiritual mystical stuff that i love about this show!

5. the crossroads of destiny (season 2 finale)

what a finale...aang, on the brink of death in katara’s arms? katara, hair unkempt and crying? we end on a very dramatic, devastating blow to the whole gaang. zuko, who for a moment, seemed to have just walked toward the light...retreated and aided azula in nearly murdering aang. the person he loves most, uncle iroh, stands between him and the avatar, telling the latter to flee. the stakes could not be higher. one of my favorites. 

6. the puppetmaster (season 3)

creepy, creepy, creepy. every element seems to have a dark side. waterbending’s dark side is arguably the creepiest. the idea of bloodbending just makes me skin crawl. hama is an excellent character. her backstory is grief-stricken and fascinating and her revenge-driven heart is terrifying. to see katara be subjected, against her will, to learning bloodbending is bone-chilling. such a good episode.

7. the beach (season 3)

ahhh yes, the individual humanities of the fire nation kids...we get insight into mai and zuko’s tumultuous relationship here. azula’s awkward social skills are given a spotlight. ty lee is not as happy-go-lucky as she seems. it’s a great episode. it’s funny and it’s interesting to see how in some ways, they are just like any group of friends. 

8. the boiling rock part i and ii (season 3) 

this heist-y episode is so well-executed. i love that, apart from zuko, it focuses on the work of sokka and suki’s genius and non-bending abilities. the worldbuilding is fantastic -- the prisoner within a dormant volcano is such a good idea. it’s action-packed and wonderfully paced. i love it. the stakes are high, and a huge turning point as far as allegiances -- mai’s “maybe you don’t know people as well as you think you do. you miscalculated. i love zuko more than i fear you” is arguably one of the best lines in the show (maybe i’ll do a ‘favorite quotes’ list, though 75% of it would be uncle iroh).

9. the southern raiders (season 3) 

ah, yes, no surprise that another field-trip-with-zuko episode is my favorite! this episode is so good for katara and zuko’s development both. he’s earning her forgiveness and giving her a chance for closure...katara learns that revenge is not worth it, and i think zuko does too. it’s epic -- katara and zuko look badass in their sneaky ninja outfits and work wonderfully as a team.

10. sozin’s comet, parts i, ii, and iii and avatar aang (season 3 finale) 

i’m sorry, there’s just no way to split this up -- it’s all one cohesive episode to me. this finale is fantastic, brilliant, wonderful, live-changing. we see the individual strengths of the whole gaang be put to the test. zuko’s resolve is stronger than ever, and him and katara in the final showdown against azula is breathtaking and heart-wrenching. first, we got unhinged azula...it’s heartbreaking. we’ve never seen this precise perfectionist move so sloppily before. the way she is alone because of her own actions is -- such a cautionary tale. it’s also just a beautiful battle with amazing music and choreography...don’t even need to talk about zuko’s self-sacrifice, katara’s epic waterbending, etc.

aang’s fully-realized strength as the avatar against ozai’s shirtless fire-y skills is...epic. it’s just a stunning product of fantastic animation. we can debate about whether he should’ve killed ozai for eternity, but this finale did not disappoint in terms of this fight being truly epic. 

it ends peacefully. a natural conclusion to the end of war. it’s so heartwarming to see the gaang and characters like iroh, mai and suki standing by their side.

honorable mentions:  the blue spirit (season 1), the city of walls and secrets (season 2), the tales of ba sing se (season 2), the firebending masters (season 3)

[laufire]

hellooo for fandom ask meme- atla?

Top 5 favourite characters: Sokka, Azula, Toph, Ty Lee, Mai.

Other characters you like: practically everyone. Aang, Zuko, Katara, Suki, Yue, Jet...

Least favourite characters: Ozai sucks, obviously xD. And frankly... though I love other parts of him, I have to say Iroh has not aged well in the rewatch. I hate how creepy he was with June, the bounty hunter. And I side-eye his attitude towards Azula vs. Zuko.

Otps: tbh nothing really makes it to OTP levels, BUT in this rewatch I’ve found myself appreciating Aang/Zuko and their dynamic and parallels all the more. I don’t ship them during show-time (I watched the show when I was 10-12 and it’s kind of hard to ship Aang at that time lol) but as adults I could tbh; their dynamic is just incredibly well-written. Other of my fave ships are Sokka/Suki/Zuko, Sokka/Yue, Azula/Sokka, Azula/Mai/Ty Lee, and Jet/Katara.

Notps: nothing gets to NOTP levels, though over the years I’ve decided to keep away from both Aang/Katara and Aang/Zuko discourse LOL.

Favourite friendships: Zuko & the Gaang, Toph & Aang.

Favourite family: Azula & Zuko. I love disfunction xD.

Favourite episodes: the Boiling Rock and Azula’s coup in Ba Sing Se.

Favourite season/book/movie: season 2 >>>>>>> (late s3 was... disappointing in some areas. AKA the Dangerous Ladies).

Favourite quotes: Aang talking to an asleep Zuko in the Blue Spirit episode vs. Zuko talking to an asleep Aang during the blizzard about Azula ( “She was born lucky. I was lucky to be born.” That whole speech is A Lot); “pride is not the opposite of shame, but rather its source”. And of course, “can your science explain why it rains?” “YES IT CAN”.

Best musical moment: the Avatar state theme always gets me.

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: the Dragons episode (I looooove dragons).

When it really disappointed you: the Dangerous Ladies’ endings (Azula’s is utterly undignified, Mai’s is dull, and Ty Lee’s is kinda heartbreaking but presented as triumphant aka what I hate the most xD).

Saddest moment: Zuko going back to his father in s2.

Most well done character death: Jet’s.

Favourite guest star: Jet I guess? I never know how to take “guest star” in shows like this.

Favourite cast member: didn’t Serena Williams voice someone? The guard that was nice to Iroh so he spared her? There you have it xD.

Character you wish was still alive: Jet, if only for The Drama LMAO.

One thing you hope really happens: ........ I just hope the live-action reboot doesn’t make concessions and they write what THEY want to write.

Most shocking twist: hmm. Can’t really remember anything.

When did you start watching/reading?: I watched the show more or less as it aired, the first time.

Best animal/creature: Appa, DUH.

Favourite location: Ba Sing Se. So damn creepy, such good plots.

Trope you wish they would stop using: tbh the thing that annoyed me the most is when they tried to ~recreate the... effect some of ATLA’s characters had with LOK’s and utterly failed ¬¬ (Bolin annoys me in particular. It’s a good thing I’ve never seen anyone in fandom explicitly compare him to Sokka LMFAO). And I want to clarify I don’t say this as a way to hate on LOK, because I love LOK (and Korra is my favourite character in the whole ‘verse). But that part annoyed me xD

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: it falls on that category of “children show that NEVER talks down to children” and I’ll always love it for that.

Funniest moments: Sokka was sincerely funny and enjoyable. And the show was great at visual/physical humor, especially with bending.

Couple you would like to see: Sokka/Zuko or Azula/Sokka, Just Because LOL (and I really hope the reboot doesn’t erase Jet/Katara tbh).

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: n/a. Well, actually, that’s wrong. I’d love to see Brandon Soo Hoo to join the cast as ANYONE, just because I want to see Brandon Soo Hoo on-screen again :P

Favourite outfit: Azula’s Ba Sing Se outfits. And the ones on the beach episode.

Favourite item: Sokka’s boomerang, OFC. And his meteorite sword.

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: nope.

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: I’d love to be an airbender (I just want to flyyyy).

Most boring plotline: n/a.

Most laughably bad moment: Ty Lee’s ending. A character that valued individuality so much she left a family because there was nothing differentiating her from her sisters ends in a uniformed order where every girl looks the same. O-fucking-kay.

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: Zuko’s banishment flashbacks *sniffs*

Most layered character: Aang and Zuko, IMO.

Most one dimensional character: cabbages man, but we love him so xD

Scariest moment: Zuko’s Agni Kai. Poor dear.

Grossest moment: that weird deformed panda spirit comes to mind.

Best looking male: I actually have some Issues(TM) about how they’re drawn as grown-ups LMAO. Hmm. Between Sokka and Zuko I guess.

Best looking female: 12-year-old me had a mini crush on the Dangerous Ladies LOL.

Who you’re crushing on (if any): see above.

Favourite cast moment: n/a.

Favourite transportation: Appa.

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): there’s a lot of great ones but I’m going with the dragon dance.

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: n/a. Though if we get into LOK I would have a few LOL.

Best promo: n/a.

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: I liked it from very early on, but I remember starting to Love It in Jet’s episode (Sokka and his ~instincts! Tragic ship with Betrayal(TM) and irreconcilable issues! My catnip).

[loopy777]

‘Traitor’s Face’ Planning Doc 1

Original outline, minus information on the final act. CONTAINS SPOILERS for Acts 1- 4. Note that the character descriptions were updated continuously as I developed the outline, so not all the info matches.

UPDATED: Info on Act 5 and the Epilogue, originally REDACTED, has been restored.

AANG/MAI AU EPIC

PREMISE The root of the whole story is a short story in which Mai is the one standing above Aang when he awakens from his hundred-year sleep. Instead of moving Aang's awakening to the Fire Nation like in most such Alternate Universes, this story will leave Aang where he was in the cartoon in Southern Water Tribe waters, and present a world in which Mai would conceivably be near the South Pole.

As such, the "nail" of the story is Fire Lord Azulon's focus. Instead of merely being content with depopulating the Waterbenders of the South Pole and bottling up the Northern Water Tribe into a single walled city, Azulon continued to prosecute the war against the Tribes until they had both been conquered. This was foolish, as it allowed the Earth Kingdom to muster and unite to keep the Fire Nation from conquering any more territory. The Fire Nation managed to hold on to its oldest colonies, but could not press forward. The Earth Kingdom eventually raised a Wall, bisecting the whole Kingdom, separating the Fire Nation colonies from the rest of the land-mass.

Scrambling to keep that captured territory hurt the Fire Nation's campaign against the Water Tribes. The South eventually fell to a new generation of Fire Nation technology, and the people were consolidated into new cities under tyrannical Fire Nation rule. The Northern Water Tribe lasted longer than that in its walled city, and it wouldn't be until General Iroh- Azulon's crown prince- took over the campaign that it fell to the Fire Nation.

As the story opens, a new governor is on his way down to the South Pole to take over administration of the settlement of New Ozai, so named because it was established the same year as the birth of Azulon's second son. Hours from his destination, the governor's ship hits an iceberg, and his daughter is present to witness a boy with arrow tattoos emerge from within...

Episode order and description:

*Act I: The Hunt for Katara* 1. The Avatar and the Fire Heiress- Mai, teenage Fire Nation heiress and part-time ninja, discovers the long lost Avatar in an iceberg, while traveling to her father's new posting in the South Pole. With an evil plan in mind, she teams up with the young Water Tribe warrior Sokka to help the young Avatar Aang find a Waterbending teacher. (Azula is introduced by Piandao to June, and hires her to find Zuko.)

2. The Southern Air Temple- Aang, Mai, and Sokka check the young Avatar's home for surviving Air Nomads. But what can they do when Aang discovers the horrible truth? (June finds Zuko, and tells him that she's been hired to get him to the Avatar and get him in fighting shape.)

3. Warriors of Kyoshi- The Avatar gang needs access to the Fire Navy's intelligence records in order to find out where the Southern Waterbenders have been imprisoned for the past few years. They infiltrate the prisoner processing center on Kyoshi Island for answers, and find Captain Zhao hunting for them. Will a local rebellion blow their cover? (Zuko is training and travling under June's supervision.)

4. Something light-hearted. Aang, Mai, and Sokka bond. Mai starts to feel sympathy for Aang. Ooh, let's go to Chin. What's it like under Fire Nation rule? (Zuko has an adventure with June. This is really Zuko's moment to shine. Perhaps he's the progatonist of this 'episode?')

5. The Blue Spirit- The Fire nation is now fully aware of the Avatar's return, and the gang is feeling the heat. It's not just enemies who are looking for them, though, as a mysterious rebel makes contact with the Avatar. Meanwhile, Zhao continues his hunt, but he finds that someone back in the Fire Nation is trying to control him.

6. The Banished Prince- As Aang, Mai, and Sokka approach Fire Nation waters, with the mysterious Crescent Island as their destination, they encounter trouble from Commander Zhao's fleet, and a banished prince who Mai knows too well.

7. The Winter Solstice- Aang has been abandoned by his friends. While Sokka throws himself into a hopeless quest to free his sister from the magma caverns, Aang faces off against the double threat of his traitorous crush Mai, and her ally Zuko.

8. The Waterbending Master- Reunited with his friends in the Earth Kingdom, Aang begins his training with his Waterbending teacher, Katara. Meanwhile, Mai deals with the fallout of her betrayal. Zuko deals with his failure, and meets up with his sister, the dreaded Azula! (Zhao realizes that he's being sabotaged in favor of Zuko, and resolves to cheat.)

*Act II: Rise of the Spirits* 9. The Fortuneteller- The group encounters a Fortuneteller at a festival, and to Aang's dismay, his predicted lover is not Mai, but Katara! Meanwhile, Sokka uses the downtime to try to reconnect with his sister. But the forces called upon by the Fortuneteller become restless and attack... (Meanwhile, Zuko and Azula 'bond.' Or rather, find a way to work together.)

10. The Festival- Investigating the increased Spirit activity in the Earth Kingdom, the gAang attends one of the new Spirit Festivals being established by a wandering group of supposed experts. As Aang basks in the peaceful spiritual energies, Katara shows signs of trouble. (The gAang uncover a huckster posing as a Ghostbuster, and after they expose him, the encounter Long Feng and his Dai Li. No Zuko or Azula in this one.)

11: The Spirit Hunters- Aang and company tag along with Long Feng and his Spirit-hunting Dai Li. They offer knowledge and the chance to do good work, but not all is what it seems with this mysterious order. (Long Feng sells the gAang out to Zuko and Azula, then betrays them all.)

12: Darkness of the Crypt- Long Feng has trapped the gAang and Royal Fire Siblings in his crypt vault, intending to use them all in a ceremony to give him power (or purify the Earth Kingdom, or something). They are forced to work together to beat the Spirits and Dai Li agents, but the pressure may be too much for Katara.

13: Houses of Healing- Seeking to get Katara help, the gAang comes to a healing institute where they are said to be able to heal damage to the mind. While Katara gets treatment, Mai encounters her old friend, Ty Lee, and a community of Airbenders.

14: Something lighthearted- Separated from Katara again, Sokka is down in the dumps, so the gAang heads to one of the surviving big Earth Kingdom cities for some relaxation and shopping. While there, they finally make contact with an agent of the organized Earth rebellion.

15: The Seer- The gAang tries to meet up with a Seer who is advising the various Earth Kingdom rebellion leaders, but the Fire Nation is also targeting this person. Big battle between rebels, Fire Nation, gAang, and Zuko with Blue Spirits.

16: The Siege- The gAang are holed up in the ruins of Omashu while the Fire Nation lays siege and prepares to invade the city. Zuko makes an attempt against Aang, and calls Mai out on her betrayals. (In the end, something happens to send everyone to the North Pole to meet Iroh.)

*Act IV: The North Pole*

25: The Northern Water Tribe

26: The Princess of Water

27: Warlord of the North

28: Secret in the Ice

*Act III: Fall of the House of Fire* 17: The Chase- Sokka and Mai chase Zuko and Azula into the Fire Nation in hopes of freeing Aang. But will they be able to catch up before the Royal Fire Siblings arrive within Piandao the Slicer's domain of influence?

18: The Beach- Everyone hangs out at the beach, and Zuko and Aang come to an agreement.

19: In the Hall of the Fire Sages

20: something with platinum?

21:

22:

23:

24:

*Act V: The World Tree and the death of Aang and Mai*

CAST

THE GAANG Mai: The emotionally detached Fire Nation Heiress who serves Evil because of a lack of ambition or will power. She finds the Avatar, and realizes that he represents an opportunity for the people close to her. She chooses to serve Azula and Zuko, and so frees Aang on Azula's orders so that Zuko can catch him and come home again. In traveling with Aang as a spy, though, she comes to care for him and Sokka, and sides with them to help them.

Aang: The Avatar, the Hero on a Journey. Pops out of his iceberg and instantly falls in love with the first girl he meets- Mai. There's a part of him that senses her hunger for light, for a cause, and for love, and he's drawn to provide that for her. He sets out optimistically, expecting to fix the world and win Mai's heart, and her first betrayal leaves him realizing that both of these may not be possible. Rather than following the Avatar Elemental cycle as a path to growth, he grows as the Bridge Between the Worlds and saves the world with Spirit stuff. In the end, he wins Mai's heart; distant epilogue?

Sokka: The warrior from the South who feels guilty for all his failures in life. His mother is dead, his sister has been taken away to a fate worse than death, and his tribe are the slaves of the Fire Nation. He seizes on the possibilities offered by the Avatar to rescue his sister, and try to restore hope to his people, and the world. Sokka doesn't believe himself capable of leading or bringing that hope himself, and he's fatalistic about his life and significance. He craves love and new family, but can't bring himself to accept them, hence why he does not act on his temporary attractions to Mai, Suki, or Yue. Sokka's story ends when he dies in Mai's arms, and Aang is the one who comforts Mai and talks about how Sokka didn't fight hard enough.

EXTENDED GAANG Katara: Sokka's little sister. She was taken away as a child and grew up in a Waterbender prison. She was secretly trained by Hama as a Bloodbender, and once she gets out of the prison is able to quickly pick up Waterbending and teach it to Aang. Katara has a vengeful streak, which doesn't come out at first. She's ruthless and hates all Fire Nation, like Jet. Her corruption is what leads to the first exploration of the Spirits and how the supernatural corruption is leaking into the world. Katara is initially in awe of and sweet on Aang, but eventually they realize that their values are too different.

Zuko: Zuko was pushed out into the world without Iroh. His crew mutinies quickly and strands Zuko in the Earth Kingdom. He loses his eye to infection.

Ty Lee: Spiritual guru (studying under the remnants of the Air Nomads) and love interest to Sokka

FIRE NATION Azula: Her father's loyal servant, but increasingly disturbed by signs that all is not what it seems in her life and family

Ozai (Ursa): Wants Zuko home, and wants to murder the rest of the royal family. Has good reasons, but has utterly gone off the deep end of ruthlessness

Azulon: Vague presence, going to die off-screen, murdered by Ozai (Ursa)

NORTH POLE Iroh: Warlord of the North. He was an affable but dedicated Fire Nation conqueror, but then his son died during the conquest of the North Pole. Iroh used arcane arts to turn Lu Ten into a zombie, and now is dedicated to mastering the arts that will bring his son back to true life.

Lu Ten: Tortured zombie, it's like he has two personalities, the guilty prince and the zombie demon.

Yue: Hostage of Iroh. Somehow tied to Lu Ten's survival.

Pakku: ??

ACTS

Act I: The Hunt for Katara * Plot A: The gAang hunts for Katara. * Plot B: June whips Zuko into shape and gets him to the prison on time. * Resolution: Mai saves Aang from Zuko. As the sun sets on the solstice, something spirity happens; Aang realize he needs to get smart on that, and heads for the Earth Kingdom's order of sages.

Act II: Rise of the Spirits * Plot A: The gAang investigates the Spirit troubles in the Earth Kingdom, learning about how the Fire Nation's devastation has created a Ghostbusters situation. Katara has trouble coping with the outside world, and is taken to healers (including Ty Lee). They discover that the Fire Nation needs platinum to fight the Spirits, but supplies are being diverted. * Plot B: Zuko is recruited by the Blue Spirit (Jet) and joins up with them in order to track Aang. Zuko gets in one more good fight against Aang and Mai, then discovers who the order's leader is (Iroh), and decides that his father needs this information. Suki is also recruited. * Ty Lee * Long Feng and the remnants of the Dai Li are now Ghostbusters.

Act III: Fall of the House of Fire * Fire Nation travels. Culture and worldbuilding and stuff. * Sun Warriors. * Aang and Mai dance a Fire Blade dance (Agni Budokai): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCNyHprEZK8 * Revelations about Zuko's history, scar, and banishment. * Massive battle between the Weapons of the Fire Nation * Ozai and Azulon die. * Azula disgraced? * Ursa turns out to be alive in the Fire Palace, and somehow working for the badguys. She kills herself Hamlet-style with poison. * Ursa thought she was doing right by Roku, wiping out the Royal Family but uniting the world. Discovering the truth, and that she's no different from Azulon, has her drinking poison wine out of a golden goblet. * Shakespearean Tragedy * No rhyming or iambic pentameter * Suki helps Zuko pick up the pieces of his life, but the age of Fire Lords is over.

Act IV: Sokka Dies * Sokka dies. * Mai gives him proper rites so that he doesn't become a ghost or zombie. * Katara is given the impetuous to become a true hero, and a new master in the form of Pakku. * Mai is given the impetuous to sacrifice for love. * She also hears the legend of Avatar Kuruk and discovers the secret of Koh's. * Piandao is given reason to turn on Azula? * Oh, yeah, this takes place in the North Pole. And it's the big revelation of Lu Ten and why Iroh is doing what he's doing. * But mainly, Sokka dies. * Move to before Fire Nation arc?

Act V: The World Tree * The entire "Foggy Swamp" is a lionturtle, sleeping nestled beneath the swamp. The tree grows on its shell, and has become one with the lionturtle. Iroh somehow uses the tree to Energybend. * Good guys win. * Bad guys defeated. * Sorry, no, Sokka is still dead, and his ghost doesn't appear to smile at anyone. Nice try, though. * Never mind, Sokka doesn't die. Mai gives her face to Koh in exchange for the power to destroy Iroh's Spirit form, and Aang dies passing on his life force to heal the World Tree. Sokka is the survivor. * Aang leads his allies down after Iroh, except for Mai, who goes into the Spirit World to find Koh. She plans to give her face to him, so that she can destroy whatever Iroh is doing. Creating a dark lionturtle, perhaps? Altering time? Whatever, it has to be something that would beat her if she had a face/identity, so she wants Koh's help. He agrees, and takes her face, turning her into The Destroyer. As part of his promise to Kuruk, though, Koh kills Mai so that she can reincarnate, whereas most of his victims are trapped forever in the Spirit World without a face. * Aang fights Iroh, and nearly loses, but Mai saves him. Aang realizes that she has sacrificed her life, but saves the day and destroys Iroh. The World Tree is fatally wounded, though (perhaps by Mai's actions?) and Aang gives his life force to restore it so that the world won't unravel or something like that. He reincarnates. * A pregnant swampbender, who witnessed the whole spectacle, gives birth three days later. (Get it, three days?)

Epilogue: Ty Lee visits Sokka and Katara at the the Swamp, where the next Avatar has been discovered. Ty Lee sees that the Avatar has a close, quasi-romantic friend the same age, and somehow can tell that it's Mai's reincarnation. Somehow she contrives to drop the line, "Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes."

[zutaraverse]

Chapter 1 Part 1: A Pair Of Shoes and Mango Skins

“Me and Katara are going to travel the world and rebuild the air nation!!” cried an excited Aang.

The group of friends were sitting in the gardens of the fire palace discussing the future. A year had passed since defeating Fire Lord Ozai and they had travelled together to start the new alliances; they opened negotiations with the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes, educating the new ambassadors to carry on their work. They had started talk of reparations, of long term relinquishment of the more recent colonies (the first ones had been Fire Nation for so long that they chose to remain that way), and had helped rebuild parts of various cities.

They had convinced Uncle Iroh to take up the role of Fire Lord, and he had promised that when things settled he would leave the position for Zuko. The last thing the nation needed was somebody as inexperienced as the Prince in all fire nation matters. Zuko would stay, observe, help, and slowly the responsibility and power would shift to him - when he was ready. Iroh still wanted his tea shop and was determined to break the family tradition and not ‘die as Fire Lord’.

“I… I don’t think we are Aang…” started a hesitant Katara. She chewed on her bottom lip and her bright blue eyes looked away from the young avatar. “I know you want to rebuild the air nation but I … thats not what I want to do.”

There was a moment of silence as Aang processed this.

“But Katara!! You know how important it is for balance in the world! You know we have to do this!” Aang looked put out and he was whining like a child. Then again, he was only thirteen.

“No, Aang, you need to do this. I don’t. I have my own life to live.” There was another complete silence where the young avatar blinked several times in confusion. “Alone Aang. Not you and me. You on your own, and me on mine…” she added quietly, her whole face turning red and desperately trying to stop herself shaking. Somehow letting down her friend was one of the hardest things she had had to do. Because thats exactly how she saw him; a friend. More of a son than anything else. Sure, they had kissed a few times but that did not mean that they were together. And if anything, those kisses were motivated by a happy confusion on her part. Besides, he was still so young! And she was now fifteen knowing far more about the world than most people, including Aang - she couldn’t spend her life waiting for him to grow up holding on to the hope that she might eventually fall madly in love with him. Because that is what she wanted; when she eventually finds somebody she wanted it to be like fire, she wanted to fall madly in love - they type old folks sing about. She knew she was not ready for that right now, and neither was he.

“But… I love you.” He said, a deadness in his tone. The others had realised something significant was going on and they stood slightly to the side, ready to intervene.

“I know Aang. I’m sorry.” Katara hung her head, hoping to Yue that it was enough for him to understand.

“NO! YOU DON’T KNOW! I saved the world Katara! I saved it for you! And this is how you repay me?! That’s not fair!!” he shouted, making the whole group jump. Katara started to cry.

“Right Twinkletoes! That’s enough!” said Toph in her stern voice. Stepping between them.

“Move Toph, this has nothing to do with you!” growled Aang, trying to look past her to Katara

“Actually yes it fucking does. You can’t go around spreading bullshit like that - and whats worse, you can’t actually be serious about thinking that shit!” she growled back. She was still as small as she had been a year ago, but had grown more fierce than ever.

“Toph! Don’t swear!” Aang said, shocked by the language she was using and actually focusing on her and not Katara. Toph smirked; step one accomplished.

“Why not Twinkletoes? Does that offend you? I’ll let you in on a secret; I’m not a little girl anymore - I can use whatever language I like.” She stood, arms folded across her chest waiting for his next move.

“Toph you don’t understand, this is between me and her! And I’m sorry but you are going to have to get out of the way…” He went to swipe at her with his glider but she preempted it; with a flick of her toe a rock jumped up from the ground and knocked the glider out of his hands. With a stamp of her foot he was covered to the head in stone, unable to move his arms or legs. He had no choice but to listen.

“Right you are going to listen now, and you are going to listen hard. Tell me, Aang, you saved the world - you seem to think that thats a reason for Katara to fall in love with you. But we also live in the world - surely we should all be head over fucking heels for you by that logic. Let me tell you sweet cheeks, that is not the case. Secondly, Don’t you ever fucking say you saved the world. You couldn’t have done it without us - especially without Katara who babied you when you had nobody. She is the greatest water bender there ever was and she taught you and cooked and cleaned and organised and picked you up when you were down - She mothered you Aang! Where is the romance in that! Why would she commit to being with a kid who she sees as her own son? Thirdly, you can’t earn people’s love like that - they either are in love with you or they aren’t. Fucking deal with it, that shit hurts. And lastly Katara has spent the best part of the last two years doing what you needed to do. She isn’t Air Nation - she is her own person and quite frankly its insulting to her that you just assume she will drop everything that makes her Katara so she can follow you around on your missions being nothing more than ‘The Avatar’s Girlfriend’.” Toph finished, glaring at Aang who was now in tears. She whipped around to face Katara.

“And you! You fucking pressured Master Pakku to teach you, you travelled the world, you beat Zuko at the North Pole, you brought both Aang and Zuko back from death and you are incapable of standing your ground? What is the world coming to!!” Toph threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. Katara sobbed louder but threw herself onto Toph in a tight hug as a thank you.

In the meantime, Aang was pleading with Sokka, Suki and Zuko to make her see sense.

“Sorry man,” muttered Sokka, coming closer to the avatar, “I’d prefer she be with you rather than on her own but she deserves her own life… she’s spent it so far looking after me and then us… thats not really fair.”

“Aang, try to understand,” added Suki gently, “We are not the kind of people who are easily pushed over - we need to find our own path, we are all strong… and from what I understand, thats part of the reason you love her in the first place - how can you deny her freedom?”

“Zuko! You think this too?” pleaded Aang, as if Zuko held the answer he needed.

“You can’t earn love. Believe me, I tried to earn my father’s my whole life. Besides, Katara deserves her freedom, she’s fought her whole life for it. Remember that Mai turned out to prefer Ty Lee to me - it hurts but it also passes.” Zuko didn’t move from where he was standing, arms crossed over his chest and leaning back against a pillar that surrounded the garden. He was trying to lighten the atmosphere and to calm himself down - he had suddenly realised how much more he respected Katara for standing up for herself. Staying with Aang was the easy option, the one they all thought she would take. But she was stronger than merely doing what people wanted her to do. She was, after all, one of them. It was the one trait that brought them together. Toph didn’t want to be cooped up in her home treated like a dirty secret, Sokka didn’t want to stay in a village without helping out in the war, Suki didn’t want to be helpless and powerless in her island’s struggle, and he… he didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps and destroy the world.  They had all fought for their freedom, they all knew how important it was.

Aang dropped his head so his forehead rested on the rim of the stone prison. Toph released him. He slowly bent to pick up his glider and looked at his friends, avoiding Katara completely.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye then.” He nodded to himself and leaped up into the air, opening his glider and losing himself in the clouds.

The group stood, stunned at his immediate disappearance into the skies.

—————

Night fell and Aang still had not returned. It dawned on them that maybe he meant it, that he really had gone off to start his missions immediately. Appa was gone when they checked in the stables that had been especially built for him.

Toph declared that Aang was a ’twat who didn’t even say thank you’. Sokka and Suki were unnaturally sombre and Katara would silently brush away quiet tears. Zuko was the only one who was holding it together. He tried to explain to the others that it would take Aang some time to grow up, that he was still only thirteen - he was, after all, thirteen when he was banished. Plus, Aang was the avatar! He could take care of himself.

They all knew he was making sense but still they felt slightly betrayed at his extreme reaction. They all went to bed with heavy hearts.

Continued in Chapter 1 Part 2, posted soon!