#Pakku: ...this is not the reunion I imagined | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

muffinlance · 15 days ago

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Oh. Oh man I forgot that Pakku and an entire delegation of dudes from the North arrive before the Gaang ever makes it back. Suffice it to say that that's worthy of an entire novel on it's own--no literally--and here's the start of chapter one that I forcibly stopped myself from writing because A) oh wow I do not have time for that right now, and B) Zuko wouldn't even be the A-plot, he'd be a B-plot to the women dealing with The Northern Men, which would very much be only right in such a story, where he's always been an insert in the women's lives

So here you go, have an unedited and unfleshed out mini-chapter-one:

---

“Your men are back,” Zuko said.

“No,” said Kanna, watching the same ships as him. “They're not.”

---

"Kanna."

"Pakku."

"Oh boy," said the woman who’d make him into a hot water heater

---

nice at first, to have hunting handled, to relax in the new communal lodge, like the ones the grandmothers missed, the mothers remembered, and the children had never seen

you don’t need to do that

I know, she said, because she thought he was saying the words she was hearing. Just want to stretch my legs, let someone else watch the kids for awhile.

you don’t need to do that, he said, and didn’t open the new ice wall the northern benders had put around them.

to be fair, she didn’t ask

(asking meant someone could say no)

yeah, she said, and went back to the kids. she took the spear with her.

it was nice, until it wasn’t

Hi ! prompt idea : What if Zuko was armed during the first episode and was stranded with the water tribe while the avatar left with Katara and Sokka, Iroh on his trail for white lotus reasons.

Oh we are going to have us some FUN with "stranded with the water tribe", say no more.

---

Zuko was dripping, and steaming, and staring down two dozen women and their gaggle of small children, plus that old not-the-Avatar crone from earlier. They were all cowering away from him. Which was--

Good. It was good. If they were cowering, then they hadn’t noticed how steam was not flames. He wasn’t sure he could make flames, not after the arctic water he’d landed in, with that last sight of the Avatar glowing; not after surfacing under the ice pack, after swimming, after kicking slamming breaking through and his ship was gone and there was only ocean all around and

and he’d made it back to this pathetic little camp of the Southern Water Tribe, because that was the only place he knew for sure would have shelter, and he wasn’t going to die just because they were all staring at him, even if felt like he would.

Even if the old not-the-Avatar woman could probably take him, right now. But she didn’t know that.

Zuko pulled himself up, taller than her by at least a few inches, and blew steam from his nose.

“I am commandeering one of your huts,” he said. And added, because Uncle said even a prince should be gracious: “You may choose which one.”

---

She choose her own.

...The only one without children that flames might scar, or younger women to catch a soldier’s interests.

Zuko sat by her fire and determinedly started struggling out of his wet clothes and she was still in here with him--

Zuko pulled one of her animal pelts over himself, and finished fighting off his clothes. When he stuck his head back out, cheeks still reddened from what was obviously the cold, she dropped a parka on his head.

“Dry clothes, Your Highness,” she said.

The parka was much bigger than he was. He fell asleep hoping that the camp’s men were on a long, long hunting trip.

---

He woke up again. Kanna tucked her favorite ulu knife away, newly sharpened, and stopped contemplating the alternative.

---

“I am commandeering a ship,” he said.

The crone led him across the village, all twenty paces of it, to a row of canoes.

“Take whichever one you want,” she said. “Will you need help getting it to the water?”

Zuko looked at the canoes. Looked at the ocean. Watched a leopard seal, easily the size of the largest canoe, dozing just past the ice his own ship had broken through the day before. It was frozen again, a great icy arrow pointing from the waves to the village, snow already starting to cover it over.

Beyond was blue sky and gray ocean and white ice, floating in blocks like stepping stones, like boulders, like cliffsides.

There wasn’t even a hint of gray steel, or smoke. Or any land, besides what they were standing on.

He looked down at the canoes again. Somehow, they seemed even smaller.

“I, uh,” Zuko cleared his throat. “I’ll require supplies. Before I go.”

---

They... did not have supplies. Not extra ones. This didn’t stop them from trying to give him supplies, food and blankets and anything else he could think to ask for. But each blanket was a pelt hunted by someone’s grandfather, had been inked with images and stories by someone’s mother, was the favorite of someone’s husband or brother or uncle or cousin--

They couldn’t go to the nearest market to replace things, here.

And when they talked about food, about what they could spare, they kept sneaking glances to their children, who were sneaking glances at Zuko from the huts, sticking their heads just over the snowy ledges like their fur-trimmed hoods would hide them. Their mothers and aunts shooed them away, and they crept back, like barnacle-crabs. Zuko glared, and they disappeared.

“When are your men coming back?” he asked. “They’re hunting, aren’t they?”

Oh. So that was what they looked like, when they weren’t trying to hide their hate.

---

Zuko wrapped himself up in the same blanket that night. It was printed inside with fine lines and images, telling a story he didn’t know. He wondered whose favorite it was.

---

Kanna wondered how quickly he’d wake—if he’d wake—if she built the fire up with wet driftwood and tundra grass, if she had one of the younger girls boost up a child to plug the air hole, if she let the smoke draw its own blanket down over this fire child.

---

It was hard to know when to wake up, because the sun never set. So everyone was up before him, and they all had spears and clubs and—and nets, and trap lines, and snow googles with their single slat to protect the eyes from snow blindness. Zuko had seen those once, at the Ember Island Museum of Ethnography, where they’d gone when it was too rainy for anything more exciting.

Oh. They were going hunting.

“Give me that,” Zuko said, and took a spear.

The women looked at him. One of them adjusted her googles.

“I can hunt,” he scowled.

He did not, in fact, know how to hunt.

---

“Give me that,” the Fire Prince said, and Kanna almost, almost gave him her ulu. Humans, like most animals, had an artery in their legs that would bleed them quick enough.

She kept skinning the rabbit-mink one of the women had snared.

“I can help,” he said, with less grace than most of their toddlers. Likely with the skinning skills of a toddler, too. She wasn’t going to let their unwanted visitor ruin a perfectly good pelt.

“Chop the meat,” she said, and gave him a different knife. “It’s dinner.”

“...This is really sharp,” he said a moment later, looking at the knife with some surprise.

“Is it,” said Kanna.

---

Things the Fire Prince was convinced he could do: hunt (until he realized he couldn’t tell the tracks of a rabbit-mink from a leopard-rabbit apart); spear fish (at least he could dry himself); pack snow for an igloo (frustrated princes ran hot); ice fish (the prince was a problem that kept coming close to solving itself).

Things the Fire Prince could actually do: mince meat, increasingly finely; gather berries and herbs, once he stopped trying to crush them; dig roots, under toddler supervision; mend nets, after the intermediary step of learning to braid hair loopies.

“Can’t I take him ice fishing again?” asked one of the women, as she watched Prince Zuko put as much apparent concentration into braiding her daughter’s hair as his people had into exterminating hers.

“Wait,” said another woman, sitting up straight. “Wait wait wait. I just had an idea.”

---

Three words: Infinite. Hot. Water.

---

Summer was coming to an end. The sun actually set, now, and the night was getting longer, and colder. The salmon-otter nets were mended and ready. The smoking racks were still full of cod-lemmings. The children were all a little older, the women all a little more used to doing both halves of their tribes’ chores; a little more used to not watching the horizon, waiting for help to come.

The Fire Prince was staring at the canoes again.

“Are you actually going to try leaving in one of those?” Kanna asked.

“...No.”

“Come on, then; someone needs to watch the kids while the women are hunting.”

She didn’t leave him alone with them, of course. But she could have.

---

Elsewhere, the war continued.

The moon turned red, for a moment none could sleep through; they did not learn why.

The comet came and went, leaving their castaway prince laying on the beach, his breath fogging up into the night sky above him, as the energy crashed from his system as quickly as it had come. Above, lights began to dance in the sky; Zuko pulled his hood up, so none of those spirits—children, dead too soon—got any ideas about kicking his head off to be their ball.

The war had ended. The world didn’t feel any different; no one in the south would know until spring came again.

---

Suffice it to say, Sokka and Katara were not prepared for this particular homecoming.

#oh boy this story is on the list of If I Ever Get Infinite Free Time #because Zuko with the women? fun #Zuko with the women dealing with the northern men? CHEFS FUCKING KISS #the POLITICS #the CULTURE CLASH #because the north is not the same culture as the south #and they certainly aren't after a hundred years separation #and here descend these fully trained warriors on a village of women #who have no way of contacting their own men #and who've had three years to get used to not actually needing men at all #first impression: relief #second impression: oh no we're in a slow burn political horror #or if Kanna channels her inner Hama: oh dear we're in a quaint small town British murder mystery #with a new corpse every week #who could be making those <3<3<3 #Pakku: ...this is not the reunion I imagined #Kanna: *didn't go to the opposite end of the earth for her ex to be imagining any sort of reunions*#Meanwhile Zuko: *keeps getting elbowed in the chest by the women every time someone calls him a half-breed*#*and he tries to shout about being the Fire Lord's son*#keeping Zuko alive is basically just a running gag in the background of the actual drama

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neva-borne · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Mature Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Light Sukka - Relationship, Light Taang Characters: Katara (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Kya (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Original Female Character(s), Original Characters, Kanna (Avatar), Pakku (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Order Of The White Lotus (Avatar) Additional Tags: Zutara, Reunion, Healing, Bittersweet, Fire Lord Zuko, Mutual Pining, Flashbacks, Slow Burn, Angst, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Sequel, Vacation, Ember Island, Romance, Pining, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Uncovered Past, Secrets, reunited, Bittersweet Reunion, Southern Water Tribe, Death, Feelings, Zuko is still an awkward turtleduck, Necklaces, Scars, admission of feelings, Aged-Up Character(s), Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change Series: Part 2 of These Scars Summary:

She always planned on going back to the Fire Nation. Returning to the South Pole was just temporary. An escape. A chance to collect her thoughts and organize her emotions. Whether or not Zuko waited for her was irrelevant - she wanted to make a difference in the world, and joining him was the best way she could think to do that now that the war was over.

But life rarely follows a plan.

Circumstances force Katara to stay in the South Pole for longer than she expected, and her eventual reunion with Zuko is nothing like she imagined. The arrival of a familiar stranger brings back unpleasant memories she thought she was free of, as well as a revelation regarding her parents that threatens to tip her world upside down.

Beneath the starlit summer skies of Ember Island, Katara finds that the scars she bears might not be the barrier to her happiness that she thought they were, and Zuko is forced to make a choice regarding his future.

GUYS! It’s here! These Scars Will Fade is officially the sequel to These Scars of Ours and I am so excited that it’s here!

I have three other chapters written already and I am planning to post every other week as I keep writing so hopefully there will be more consistent updates this time around.

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crashingmeteorz · 4 years ago

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the moon, the ocean, and everything in between (a yuaangtara au)

a beautiful, wholesome, and all-consuming idea submitted by the ever big-brained @earringsokka for my 100 Followers Celebration!

yue lives, obviously, and escapes the north with the gaang. in this au she is a waterbender, as a sort of au of an au (the northern master).

nothing happens really, between the three of them during the war. aang has a crush on katara, yue has a crush on katara, and katara has a crush on both of them, so obviously it’s a little complicated for a trio of young teenagers to figure out. plus, the age difference between aang and yue is such that they wouldn’t really consider it until they’re older (similar to how i view zukaang).

but years pass, and hey, they’re older. katara is helping her father rebuild the southern water tribe, yue is traveling the world learning all about spiritual matters, and aang is doing his avatar thing. aang often visits the south pole, and katara often joins him on adventures, sometimes stopping and staying with yue. yue and aang will meet often and grow close over the years, discussing the spirit world and its intricacies. they rarely get to see each other all at the same time, but when a matter at the north pole calls the world’s attention, it’s only natural that all three of them should go.

yue is hesitant - she hasn’t been home in years, she had left her father only an apologetic letter in her stead, and doesn’t know how she’ll be received. but aang and katara tell her it’s the upcoming winter solstice that has them worried - the spirits have been restless and no one knows why. yue has become something of a master of spirits and their workings, and besides, no one would know the north pole spirits better than the girl chosen by the moon. yue agrees to go, once again willing to sacrifice her potential happiness to save her people.

the journey there, however is strange. they’re in the early to mid-20s, and, you know, beautiful. yue has a calmness and sense of purpose that makes her practically glow. katara is confident and joyous - another waterbender has been born to the south pole recently! and aang is pleased and content - much of the fire nation citizen unrest still exists, of course, but it’s been calmed considerably. things are looking up for these three. and they all can’t help but notice how lovely happiness looks on each other.

while katara sleeps, warm and content on appa’s back beneath a blanket, yue fiddles with her dress. she imagines a vicious return, the ghosts of her past no longer haunting her but becoming real, and angry, and hurt. aang notices her troubles and asks her what’s wrong.

“i left the north for such selfish reasons,” yue whispers. “do i even deserve to return?” aang watches her anxious expression, and it reminds him so much of the boy who ran away from his people years ago. he does not tell her not to worry, he does not tell her she is being silly, he does not invalidate her.

aang takes yue’s hand and says “where would you be if you stayed? miserable and trapped? what good would you have been to you people then?” he squeezes yue’s hand, and, impulsively, wipes her tears away with his free hand. she leans into the tenderness of the touch.

“you’re coming back now because it’s the right thing to do. you know that. they’ll be grateful for it, too,” aang tells her gently. yue feels relief pool over her, up her spine and down her limbs until her face is hot with it. she’s definitely not blushing at how strong aang’s arms are when he hugs her. that’s not a factor here, no way.

katara wakes up while they’re mid-hug, and, wanting hugs too, joins them without hesitation. she barely has her eyes open, just gravitates towards their warm bodies. yue’s pretty sure it’s not the relief anymore, that has her feeling so warm and fuzzy.

things are somehow stranger and yet more joyous after that. there’s a tension in the air but it isn’t uncomfortable. aang makes yue laugh like no one ever has - she can’t believe they spent so much time discussing spirits and world politics when he could’ve been doing impressions of master pakku instead. katara brushes yue’s hair out of nowhere, often producing a comb mid-sentence. there’s so much history between katara and aang, and yet yue feels like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be, fitting between them neatly, like a missing puzzle piece.

when they arrive in the north yue is welcomed with open arms, and her father is teary-eyed and apologetic. it’s better than she could have ever hoped. aang and katara watch the reunion a little ways away, and when yue catches their eyes, they look so proud of her. she thinks her heart will burst from how much love it’s holding.

(it doesn’t).

aang and yue work together to resolve the spirit business, aang escorting yue into the spirit world with him and katara keeping them both safe in the physical world. the spirits are restless because they are afraid, because zhao has left them feeling vulnerable. aang and yue reassure the spirits, and return to katara.

chief arnook asks yue to stay, and she agrees. she wants to continue her role as the moon spirit’s charge, she wants to protect and preserve the north while progressing it socially. “how does chief yue sound?” her father asks her after she gives a passionate speech about all her plans for their tribe. “it sounds wonderful,” yue says.

but leaving aang and katara feels like an impossible task. “well, i’m the avatar, and katara’s going to be chief of the south one day,” aang says (“aang, we haven’t voted on that yet.” “then how come everyone introduces me as chief katara’s boyfriend, huh?” “i think sokka started that to mess with you.” “oh. well, joke’s on him, i love it!”). “we’ll have to see each other. for diplomatic reasons, of course,” he argues.

“i suppose,” yue agrees wistfully, not quite catching aang’s drift. “aang’s right,” katara says, “what if we need your help at the air temples! they’re very spiritual places, you know, and they have lovely views.” “yeah,” aang says, “or what if we need your help restoring the spirituality of the fire nation! i mean, it’s hot in the summer but they have amazing beaches. really great, um, spirity beaches.”

“so, vacations?” yue asks in confusion. aang and katara try very hard not to look at their adorable girlfriend like she’s an idiot. “oh!” yue says realizing. “oh, ah, spirity. vacations. very important. yes, i agree. as, um, respective, representatives, of, our, uh-”

“you get the picture,” katara says, kissing yue on the cheek, causing her to blush furiously. “so, next spiritual meeting in a month?” aang asks, kissing her other cheek, and yue, future chief of the northern water tribe, spiritually enlightened princess, master waterbender, thinks she’s gonna die, right here, in the spirit oasis. she doesn’t even mind.

i focused more on yue and aang’s interactions, since i have two whole posts dedicated to yue and katara lol. i love this ship so. much. it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. yue and katara representing the moon and ocean is incredible, but then aang being the bridge between the worlds??? beautiful. perfection. ben, you’re a master of romance.

and that concludes my 100 Followers Celebration event! thank you again to those who participated, and to each of my lovely followers! i have had so much fun these past few months and i hope to bring you more content you’ll enjoy in the future.

love always, candy.

#the moon the ocean and everything in between #100 follower celebration #have i mentioned how much i love this?#because it’s so lovely and wholesome and i want it to be REAL #yue #katara #aang #arnook #yuaangtara #atla #avatar the last airbender #my stuff #my fanfic

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soopersara · 6 years ago

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You know what I would have loved to see in ATLA (or the comics, though I’m not a fan of them in general)? A reunion between Kanna and Yugoda.

I never really bought the whole Pakku-reunited-with-Kanna-and-now-they’re-suddenly-married thing. I know I’m not the first person to talk about this, but hey, Kanna literally ran to the opposite end of the world to get out of her engagement (oh, and the story of Kanna’s journey would have been EPIC to see), had no communication with her former fiance for sixty years, married someone else, had a family of her own, and then... what? I’m supposed to believe that she wanted to leap into marriage with Pakku right away? Factoring in the voyage to the South Pole and then back to Ba Sing Se in time for the comet, he couldn’t have been in the South Pole for more than 2-3 months. And even if I ignore the inherent weirdness of Kanna suddenly accepting this man whose sexism drove her to the far end of the world (and whose attitudes toward women don’t change much on screen--accepting Katara’s talent is the only real change we see), that seems fast. I know that she was apparently the love of Pakku’s life and all, but it certainly doesn’t seem like he was the love of her life. If he had been, I’m inclined to believe that Kanna would have been more sentimental about the betrothal necklace and held onto it as long as possible rather than passing it down to her daughter-in-law, then her granddaughter. But that’s just me, and that’s not my point.

In my opinion, Yugoda was criminally underutilized as a character, but from what little we do see, I think it’s safe to say that she and Kanna were close friends. I mean, this is pretty much all the dialogue we get from her:

Yugoda: I recognize this carving! I don't know why I didn't realize sooner; you're the spitting image of Kanna! Katara: Wait, how do you know my Gran-Gran's name? Yugoda: When I was about your age, I was friends with Kanna. She was born here in the Northern Tribe. Katara: She never told me. Yugoda: Your grandmother had an arranged marriage with a young waterbender. He carved that necklace for her. Katara: If Gran-Gran was engaged, why did she leave? Yugoda: I don't know. That's always been a mystery to me. She left without saying goodbye.

And it’s not much to go on, but I do notice something: Yugoda notices how much Katara resembles her grandmother after she recognizes the betrothal necklace. Why does that matter? Well, the fact that Yugoda still remembers that particular carving after sixty years after seeing hundreds of similar necklaces around the tribe in the years since must mean that this one left a pretty deep impression on her. I’m not gonna lie--I have a pretty good visual memory, but if you asked me to describe my own sister’s engagement ring (and she’s only been married for two years, so the memory should be fresh), there’s about a 0% chance I could do it. I imagine that betrothal necklaces are the same--at some point you’ve just seen so many that the details start to blur together UNLESS you have very deep personal reasons for remembering the specifics. So Kanna and Yugoda must have been really close for that memory to have lasted for sixty years.

And as much as I REALLY wanted to see Yugoda being a mentor figure for Katara (and maybe I’ll write more about that someday), I’d also love to see those two old ladies rekindling their friendship after sixty years apart. ATLA always did friendship better than it did romance, and bringing these two back together would have played to the series’ strengths much better than the Pakku-Kanna romance did.

That whole “friendship transcends lifetimes” thing? Well, showing that a friendship can also outlast sixty years of separation would have been a nice tie-in.

The “illusion of separation”? Well, hey, that could have played into their relationship! Maybe their lives ended up running parallel to one another even though they spent most of their lives on opposite ends of the world. After all, Yugoda was the best healer in the Northern Tribe while Kanna was essentially a nonbending healer in the Southern Tribe.

The concept of forgiveness? I love “The Southern Raiders”, but saying that that episode is controversial is... a colossal understatement. Forgiveness could have been explored in a less divisive manner in a reunion story between Yugoda and Kanna. I’m sure there were plenty of bruised feelings to go around when Kanna left without a word to her friend, and some forgiveness would have been necessary for them to move on. Like I said, I love “The Southern Raiders”. It’s a beautiful episode with so many layers of nuance, but... ugh. Bryke have made it pretty clear that they saw Aang as the “angel on Katara’s shoulder”, and “violence is never the answer” was clearly the message they wanted to push. And y’know, as overarching messages in kids’ shows go, I’ve seen worse. I have problems with Aang-as-the-angel-on-Katara’s-shoulder, but advocating against violence in favor of forgiveness--I can get behind that. But I don’t think “The Southern Raiders” was the most appropriate place to put that message. Pushing forgiveness for the man who murdered Katara’s mother (even though the episode ended up being far more complex than that) was never a good decision. A story about two friends trying to rebuild their friendship after decades apart, on the other hand? That would be an appropriate place to push for forgiveness above all else.

Basically, though, I’d love to see some feisty-old-lady-shenanigans, and I think that Kanna and Yugoda could have delivered on that brilliantly. And it would have opened up possibilities for exploring Kanna’s backstory--and again, that would have been a truly epic story to tell. Like, what was Kanna’s life like before she left the North Pole? Did she have other motivations for fleeing? What was her journey like? Did she leave any family behind? Do Sokka and Katara have living relatives that they’ve never met?

Aughhhhh! I want all the answers. And at least one scene with Kanna and Yugoda giggling like teenagers (and making fun of Pakku) once they meet up again.

#atla #soopersara's scribbles

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araeph · 8 years ago

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How do you see relationships between the Gaang progressing throughout adulthood? Bryke obviously did a bad job portraying them in general, and seeing how the other avatar writers felt the same, I imagined so much more for our favorite characters than what Bryke lazily did. Any thoughts on other characters like June?

First of all, therewould be NO leaving Zuko completely on his own to govern the Fire Nation. Thatis just a stupid move politically, militarily,

Jack: Spiritually, ecumenically, dramatically …

You name it. Thismeans that Iroh stays in the Fire Nation with Zuko, so that rather thanbacksliding by chatting with Ozai, Zuko would gain ground in his mission toredeem himself and the Fire Nation. The first few years would be extremelyvolatile, and there would be a lot of challenges ahead. He would have to searchfor his mother and reconcile, somehow, with Azula. But you know who would havebeen there to help him?

Aang. No, not theAang who decided “A promise is a promise!” and went into the Avatar State twice to attack Zuko. No, this Aang hascomplete control of the Avatar State, as he shouldhave by the end of the show, since that was one of the main goals of hischaracter. Aang would have gone to the Fire Nation first, since he spent theleast amount of time there out in the open and would have major trustrebuilding to do after what happened with Ozai.

During his time inthe Fire Nation, he would have discovered Ty Lee as an untrained airbender.This would give him the impetus to start looking for other airbenders, whomight not even know about their gifts. He would have difficulty with awork-life balance, but he would eventually find a way with the help of:

Toph. Toph’smetalbending academy is something I wholeheartedly approve of. I think sheshould eventually become a businesswoman and use her family’s vast wealth tomake Gaoling (and their new ally, Omashu) alternate power centers, so Ba SingSe wouldn’t have such a stranglehold on the rest of the Earth Kingdom, with metalbenders initially acting as private security, and later, a police force in the city. But while I understand that Toph has the attitude of a beat cop, she hates the city,walls, and rules, and there would be a bunch of all three if she became Chiefof Police. (P.S. She would have many more tea times with Uncle, and get that life-changing field trip with Zuko we allwanted to see.)

Toph would alsohave issues to sort through with her parents, and she would probably never seeeye to eye with her family. But one person would help coach her through it:

Katara. At first,Katara would bury herself in her work at the South Pole, helping her father,brother, and Pakku rebuild the Southern Water Tribe. She would be at the heartof social justice issues, especially for Water Tribe women, and would challengemore than one antiquated idea that the Northerners would bring with them. Shewould get many marriage offers once she turned sixteen, and to take a breakfrom it, she would answer Zuko’s request help find his mother. This leads toher realizing how stifled she feels at home, where everyone expects her tocater to them, in addition to helping lead their tribe. She would apply for adiplomatic post to the Fire Nation and eventually create her own cross-bendingschool, adapting her school from Toph’s metalbending academy. At first, shewould worry about not being at home enough to help the women’s rights movementin the Water Tribe, but someone else has the situation under control:

Suki. Suki would bean asset as the head of the Kyoshi Warriors, and also as a partner for Sokka.Her island’s location and the fact that the villagers wear blue all point toWater Tribe influence on Kyoshi anyway, and once the war is over and tradebegins booming again, she would work to make Kyoshi less of a spectator in theworld and more of a participant. She would be an excellent role model forSouthern Water Tribe girls who don’t want to be pigeonholed into the homemakerideal, and could also play a part in Republic City eventually. As the leader ofan island that was neutral during the war, Suki would be an ideal person tohave on the Republic City Council. (P.S. Why it’s a Council of Five when thereare no nonbending representatives in LOK is a mystery to me. This would fixthat oversight.) But who would lead the Kyoshi Warriors if she took up such aposition?

Ty Lee. Ty Lee didn’tget a real explanation for why she joined the Kyoshi Warriors, especiallyconsidering her misgivings about spending the rest of her life as a matchedset. She could turn the tables on the idea, lending individuality to theWarriors and teaching them chi blocking techniques while learning some of theirfighting styles as well. These nonbenders could eventually form the Equalistmovement, but a different one than in LOK—a morally ambiguous movement, insteadof a villainous cadre led by a demagogue.

In the end, though,Ty Lee is a wanderer, and I’m inclined to believe that she is, in fact, anuntrained Air Nomad. Eventually she would discover this, and that not only isshe not part of a matched set; she is possibly one of the rarest human beingsin the world. This would interfere with her “aura” for sure, because she’s notnecessarily cut out for the ascetic Air Nomad lifestyle. So while she would behappy for Aang to train her, she might also butt heads with him about how tobest secure the Air Nomad legacy for the future. Of course, since the AirAcolytes in Korra treated Kya andBumi so abysmally, in my opinion this could only be a good thing. Through itall, she would still keep in touch with:

Mai. I have adifferent character path planned for Mai than what other fans might suggest. Maibecoming a bounty hunter is a popular fanon idea, which makes sense, since shedid seem to enjoy tracking down Zuko and Iroh so that Azula could imprisonthem for life, as anyone would enjoy doing to a person they supposedly had acrush on. To me, Mai’s poker face and cool-under-fire attitude screams“White Lotus”, of which there are no female members that we know at the endof A:TLA. The main obstacle to inducting her into the Order would be that theWhite Lotus is based on principles of interconnection and understanding othercultures, which Mai categorically does not have. But this is one of the placesshe could thus grow the most, without having such character development tied toa specific person. The fact that she fooled the Fire Princess means she canplay both sides skillfully, which she’ll need to, considering a rival to theidea of a balanced world is going to be:

Azula. With Ozaiimprisoned and without his bending, Azula is the most creditable foe thefranchise still has. Patchy though her sanity might be, she is still extremelydangerous (as we saw during the Agni Kai). In an ideal world, she would use heralmost preternatural instincts for personal weakness and manipulation to be aruler, but the very confidence she exudes is based on her rigid mindset and afalse sense of Fire Nation superiority. As natural as leadership might be forher, she burned all her bridges when she banished or imprisoned every followershe had. I like the idea of her relearning the meaning of firebending from thedragons and bringing the Sun Warriors into the modern era, but it would be avery painful character path for her when just being mentally stable is a hugehurdle. I think she would need to stay in the Fire Nation for several years,slowly healing with Zuko’s help, before even attempting it.

There is one otherpath that I would consider for Azula, and that is: the Spirit World. Azula isnot a terribly spiritual person, but a spiritual journey such as Iroh underwentmight actually help her. It could train her mind to separate illusion and self-deceptionfrom reality, and give her a better sense of where she belongs in the world.Not to mention, the Spirit World is dangerous and full of tricksters such asKoh; I think she would enjoy the challenge.

And what about Sokka?

Well, Sokka’s character got shoved to the side in the comics, but honestly, him being on the Republic City council, helping the White Lotus, and likely being chief one day is just fine! Legend of Korra didn’t really do him the disservice that it did the other characters. However, there is one thing that he will never, EVER be, and that is the possible deadbeat dad of Suyin. For my reasons why, please look at this post.

I don’t have ideasfor anyone else, really, but we can’t leave out our most important character:

The GAang. In thecomics and LOK, the GAang all seem to have gone their separate ways, especiallywith Zuko being so isolated from everyone except Aang. Katara, too, seemsvery cut off from current events, which is unacceptable. The GAang remainedlifelong friends, regardless of any romantic relationships or lack thereof.Busy and hazardous as their lives might have been, they would always make thetime to write, visit, plan projects, and attend reunions together.

(P.S. I don’t knowthat June needs to develop as a character; she’s one of those tertiarypersonalities that’s just fine with the amount of screentime she has.)

#a:tla #avatar the last aibender #gaang #anti-bryke #anti atla comics #long post

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chaoticfoxx · 6 years ago

Text

ATLA Highlights

Okay so things I really feel are underappreciated in ATLA are as follows:

{[(This is a long post so read under the cut)]}

Season One

-When Sokka implies that being an optimist makes you a liar (as a cynic/realist I found this hilarious)

-When Sokka gets his ass handed to him by the Kyoshi warriors and is super sexist but then realizes he’s wrong and apologizes all in one episode (that's growth and we love to see it)

-Zuko breaking into a fortress undetected (sneaking back out not so much but kudos for trying lol)

-Katara being a thief (seriously though stealing from pirates is cool)

-Katara fighting Master Pakku (seriously he’s a master and she’s been bending for how long? like two weeks? fucking amazing)

-Zuko diving in after the turtle seals because obviously they have to come up for air somewhere (but dude, how long can they hold their breath for? you’re working under the assumption that you can hold your breath as long as they can? in freezing cold water? in something that doesn’t help keep out the water or the cold? while moving? he, in this moment establishes that he is a bad ass (and persistent) motherfucker)

-Zuko dragging all of Aang’s dead weight a couple of miles through a blizzard (presumably while still soaking wet from his trip through ice cold fucker water)

-Zhao being killed by a vindictive La is everything honestly (why Zuko tried to save him is beyond me (I suppose that this established that he is a compassionate person despite his intentions and words))

Season Two

-The hippie nomads were funny (and very irritating)

-King Bumi (everything about him)

-Toph (enough said)

-The entire Zuko Alone episode (my poor angry baby)

-Foo Foo Cuddlypoops

-Wan Shi Tong’s library is what I imagine The Library of Alexandria to look like in this world

-Sokka continues to impress with his strategist mentality in The Drill

-The City of Walls and Secrets is a horrifying episode that I somehow manage to forget every time and very much regret rediscovering

-The entire Tales of Ba Sing Se episode

-Katara and Toph having a spa day is so wholesome (and the fact that they put those snobby noble girls in their place is just an added bonus)

-Iroh coaching those boys on how to face consequences like an upstanding citizen (and how to run away from the consequences when the consequence can crush you like a soda can) | Iroh teaching the would-be-robber how to properly mug someone is hilarious (also good on him for wanting to pursue a career as a masseur | Iroh being knowledgeable on flowers and spreading that knowledge to others, and singing to the fussy baby is sweet | Lu Ten’s birthday segment always make me cry (and if you tell me you don’t cry at that scene I will call you a liar, don’t at me)

-Sokka being surprisingly good at Haiku poems (yay for bonus character depth)

-Aang letting wild animals loose in the city is fucking hilarious (the fact that all the domestic animals ended up in his makeshift zoo just adds to that)

-Zuko’s (valid if not somewhat awful) attempt at dating (Iroh why did you do that to his hair, why?!)

-Momo bonding with the pygmy pumas after freeing them is so wholesome (and the pygmy pumas leading Momo to Appa’s footprint was amazing too)

-Zuko freeing Appa

-(yay for the Earth King finding a spine)

-(of all the godforsaken food combinations why banana and onion juice, that sounds like a pregnancy craving if I ever heard one)

-The catacomb scene with Katara and Zuko (was the beginning of my descent into shipper hell)

-You were this 👌 close Zuko, why did you do that? (what happened to Azula always lies)

Season Three

-Aang going to school like a normal twelve year old (why would you make up words to an anthem you don’t know? instead of just not talking which is far less noticeable that getting it wrong? (also getting into fights on your second day is bad Aang (but Katara and Sokka pretending to be his parents is funny, I wonder if it was awkward for them? I imagine it was)))

-Katara continuing to be a bad ass motherfucker in The Painted Lady

-Sokka in Sokka’s Master was monumental for Sokka’s character growth, I really don’t feel the need to add anything to it, the episode speaks for itself

-The Beach is (for me at least) the cringiest fucking episode like jfc how did this get past everyone (the writers had to get this past editing, producers, directors, animation department, and the sound department, and for some reason no one saw anything wrong with any of it (”I don’t hate you”, “I don’t hate you too” and then they kiss, like for fuck’s sake man how?!))

-(also Zuko, jealousy is an ugly look on everyone, you’re not exempt from that)

-(sparky sparky boom man, really Sokka, that’s what you’re going with?)

-The Puppetmaster was another horrifying episode (cool but horrifying, like thanks I hate it)

-(I’m going to reiterate the point that all of us having been making for years... why the fuck are the adults letting children fight their battles? who does that? like ‘oh I’m fourteen and ready to fight in a war that I am wholly unprepared for’ like I don’t fucking think so, go sit your ass down in a corner somewhere and color or something)

-(Aang kissing people when you think you might die is cliche)

-(Zuko breaking up with someone in a letter is the modern equivalent of breaking up over text (which is a shitty thing to do))

-Toph inventing metal bending is the most bad ass thing I’ve ever seen

-(hooray Zuko, for standing up for yourself to your father though, I’m proud of you)

-(Iroh breaking out of a max security prison is fucking bad ass)

-Zuko making that speech to the frog was priceless honestly (he’s so awkward it’s adorable)

-Toph being the only pragmatic person in the group

-(”why am I so bad at being good?!”)

-(pettiness isn’t a good look on anyone Katara (says the pettiest person on the planet))

-The Firebending Masters was a very cool (du du tssss) episode (like visually speaking)

-(you should probably plan things out a little more than that Sokka)

-Sokka and Zuko being awkward turtle ducklings

-(that scene with Zuko in the cooler, when he looks up and exhales fire and smirks? I was dead, big sexy)

-Suki being a bad ass motherfucker

-(Shout out to Mai and Ty Lee for standing up to Azula, but being imprisoned doesn’t sound fun)

-The Southern Raiders episode (my shipper heart melts a little every time I watch it)

-The Ember Island Players (*side eye* *cringe* yikes)

-(Aang, kissing people when they don't give you explicit permission or when they say they're confused is... wait for it... shitty (I'm gonna be nice and not call it r@pist behavior even though I could))

-Everyone (except for Aang) being realistic about what it is they’re doing (or about to be doing rather)

-(glue bending? really Aang? also thanks for fucking off to nowhere in the middle of a war Aang, that’s super helpful)

-June and her shirshu Nyla are fucking amazing (also June, among a few others, should have tipped me off to the fact that I wasn’t straight, but small me was super oblivious)

-The Order of the White Lotus (enough said)

-(time for you to grow the fuck up Aang, even your past lives agree)

-Iroh and Zuko’s tearful reunion is so heartwarming

-Lion Turtles are fucking amazing and I want like eight of them

-Azula’s descent into madness is both revealing and sad

-Sokka, Suki, and Toph on the airship is amazing (airship slice!)

-The Agni Kai between Azula and Zuko is one of the greatest fucking scenes in cinematographic history, the graphics are truly awe inspiring (no I will not be taking any criticism at this time nor is this open to debate)

-The scene on the airship with Sokka and Toph is honestly so gut wrenching | like when they fall and Sokka breaks his leg and he catches Toph with one arm while on his back looks so painful | and when he throws his boomerang and sword but then more fire benders come rushing out and Toph starts slipping and they’re both crying (like goddamn it would be less painful to just rip my heart out and stomp on it)

-Aang in the avatar state is (visually speaking) really awesome

-When Zuko dives in front of the lightning to save Katara (him shouting no like that kills me) | The fact that Katara immediately tries to rush to Zuko (even though Azula was standing right there also kills me)

-Katara defeating Azula (who is at her most powerful, along with every other fire bender) proves that she truly is a master and in a league all her own

-Azula after her defeat was heart wrenching to watch (what did Ozai do to you Azula?)

-(Katara crying over Zuko as she heals him)

-Aang defeating Ozai by taking his bending away is amazing (seriously, spirit bending is cool)

Honorable Mentions:

-Aang and his dedication to mastering earth bending and also him learning spirit bending

-Katara learning to stand up for what she believes is right | Katara learning to forgive (those who deserve it) | Katara mastering her element in less than a year | Katara being a beacon of hope to everyone around her | Katara allowing herself to be human and make mistakes

-(Katara and character growth)

-Sokka unlearning his misogynistic bullshit | Sokka becoming a humble and thoughtful young man, but never losing his sense of humor | Sokka learning to apologize and forgive

-(Sokka and character growth)

-Toph inventing metal bending (it’s worth mentioning twice) | Toph learning when to apologize | Toph learning it’s okay to be vulnerable

-(Toph and character growth)

-Zuko learning to stand up for himself (to his father and Azula) | Zuko unlearning his biases | Zuko learning to own up to misdeeds and apologize | Zuko learning to forgive (himself) | Zuko learning to accept help from others | Zuko learning it’s okay to be vulnerable | Zuko learning how to love people again (starting with his uncle and the small group of kids he helped end the war with)

-(Zuko and character growth across the whole fucking board)

-(Mai and Ty Lee for learning to stand up to Azula, and for what they believe in)

-(Ty Lee joining the Kyoshi Warriors)

Dishonorable Mentions:

-Azula for being a monster (even if I really (heavily) blame Ozai)

-Ozai for being the shittiest dad in the whole world (though admittedly his father was worse for wanting him kill his own son (then again the fact that he was absolutely and without hesitation willing to do so makes him even worse so never mind))

-(Zuko what on earth made you pick Mai as someone you wanted to date? who told you that was a good idea? cause they lied)

-Aang, when someone says they’re confused that is not the time to kiss them, I don’t care that he’s only twelve that is a shitty move (and you’re not allowed to be upset when you’re rejected either (that makes you even shittier))

-Also Aang had absolutely no character growth or development whatsoever in this series (don’t at me, I love Aang, but he didn’t grow as a person, like at all) | Aang on a consistent basis runs away from things that are difficult or that upset him | Aang thinks he’s entitled to people (no, just because you’re the avatar doesn’t mean anyone owes you their affection, attention, or their time) | Aang never learned how to face his demons head on (him learning spirit bending was just a cop out so Aang could stay this “perfect and pure child” with all his innocence and naiveté in tact), but that’s not how the real world works (sometimes you have to do hard things that you don’t like or agree with, life isn’t always fair.)

TL;DR

Avatar: The Last Airbender was a staple of my childhood that I love dearly. And though there are faults (personally for me they were faults, this won’t be the case for everyone obviously), it was a key foundation of my sense of self, like I’m sure it was for so many others.

0 notes

lbibliophile-atla · 4 days ago

Note

#oh boy this story is on the list of If I Ever Get Infinite Free Time

#because Zuko with the women? fun #Zuko with the women dealing with the northern men? CHEFS FUCKING KISS

#the POLITICS #the CULTURE CLASH

#because the north is not the same culture as the south #and they certainly aren't after a hundred years separation

#and here descend these fully trained warriors on a village of women #who have no way of contacting their own men #and who've had three years to get used to not actually needing men at all

#first impression: relief #second impression: oh no we're in a slow burn political horror

#or if Kanna channels her inner Hama: oh dear we're in a quaint small town British murder mystery #with a new corpse every week #who could be making those <3<3<3

#Pakku: ...this is not the reunion I imagined #Kanna: *didn't go to the opposite end of the earth for her ex to be imagining any sort of reunions*

#Meanwhile Zuko: *keeps getting elbowed in the chest by the women every time someone calls him a half-breed* #*and he tries to shout about being the Fire Lord's son* #keeping Zuko alive is basically just a running gag in the background of the actual drama

-via @ muffinlance

Hi ! prompt idea : What if Zuko was armed during the first episode and was stranded with the water tribe while the avatar left with Katara and Sokka, Iroh on his trail for white lotus reasons.

Oh we are going to have us some FUN with "stranded with the water tribe", say no more.

---

Even if the old not-the-Avatar woman could probably take him, right now. But she didn’t know that.

Zuko pulled himself up, taller than her by at least a few inches, and blew steam from his nose.

“I am commandeering one of your huts,” he said. And added, because Uncle said even a prince should be gracious: “You may choose which one.”

---

She choose her own.

...The only one without children that flames might scar, or younger women to catch a soldier’s interests.

Zuko sat by her fire and determinedly started struggling out of his wet clothes and she was still in here with him--

“Dry clothes, Your Highness,” she said.

The parka was much bigger than he was. He fell asleep hoping that the camp’s men were on a long, long hunting trip.

---

He woke up again. Kanna tucked her favorite ulu knife away, newly sharpened, and stopped contemplating the alternative.

---

“I am commandeering a ship,” he said.

The crone led him across the village, all twenty paces of it, to a row of canoes.

“Take whichever one you want,” she said. “Will you need help getting it to the water?”

Beyond was blue sky and gray ocean and white ice, floating in blocks like stepping stones, like boulders, like cliffsides.

There wasn’t even a hint of gray steel, or smoke. Or any land, besides what they were standing on.

He looked down at the canoes again. Somehow, they seemed even smaller.

“I, uh,” Zuko cleared his throat. “I’ll require supplies. Before I go.”

---

They couldn’t go to the nearest market to replace things, here.

“When are your men coming back?” he asked. “They’re hunting, aren’t they?”

Oh. So that was what they looked like, when they weren’t trying to hide their hate.

---

Zuko wrapped himself up in the same blanket that night. It was printed inside with fine lines and images, telling a story he didn’t know. He wondered whose favorite it was.

---

Oh. They were going hunting.

“Give me that,” Zuko said, and took a spear.

The women looked at him. One of them adjusted her googles.

“I can hunt,” he scowled.

He did not, in fact, know how to hunt.

---

“Give me that,” the Fire Prince said, and Kanna almost, almost gave him her ulu. Humans, like most animals, had an artery in their legs that would bleed them quick enough.

She kept skinning the rabbit-mink one of the women had snared.

“I can help,” he said, with less grace than most of their toddlers. Likely with the skinning skills of a toddler, too. She wasn’t going to let their unwanted visitor ruin a perfectly good pelt.

“Chop the meat,” she said, and gave him a different knife. “It’s dinner.”

“...This is really sharp,” he said a moment later, looking at the knife with some surprise.

“Is it,” said Kanna.

---

“Wait,” said another woman, sitting up straight. “Wait wait wait. I just had an idea.”

---

Three words: Infinite. Hot. Water.

---

The Fire Prince was staring at the canoes again.

“Are you actually going to try leaving in one of those?” Kanna asked.

“...No.”

“Come on, then; someone needs to watch the kids while the women are hunting.”

She didn’t leave him alone with them, of course. But she could have.

---

Elsewhere, the war continued.

The moon turned red, for a moment none could sleep through; they did not learn why.

The war had ended. The world didn’t feel any different; no one in the south would know until spring came again.

---

Suffice it to say, Sokka and Katara were not prepared for this particular homecoming.

#long post

3K notes · View notes

bayofalgecirascranes · 15 days ago

Note

#oh boy this story is on the list of If I Ever Get Infinite Free Time#because Zuko with the women? fun#Zuko with the women dealing with the northern men? CHEFS FUCKING KISS#the POLITICS#the CULTURE CLASH#because the north is not the same culture as the south#and they certainly aren't after a hundred years separation#and here descend these fully trained warriors on a village of women#who have no way of contacting their own men#and who've had three years to get used to not actually needing men at all#first impression: relief#second impression: oh no we're in a slow burn political horror#or if Kanna channels her inner Hama: oh dear we're in a quaint small town British murder mystery#with a new corpse every week#who could be making those <3<3<3#Pakku: ...this is not the reunion I imagined#Kanna: *didn't go to the opposite end of the earth for her ex to be imagining any sort of reunions*#Meanwhile Zuko: *keeps getting elbowed in the chest by the women every time someone calls him a half-breed*#*and he tries to shout about being the Fire Lord's son*#keeping Zuko alive is basically just a running gag in the background of the actual drama

Hi ! prompt idea : What if Zuko was armed during the first episode and was stranded with the water tribe while the avatar left with Katara and Sokka, Iroh on his trail for white lotus reasons.

Oh we are going to have us some FUN with "stranded with the water tribe", say no more.

---

Even if the old not-the-Avatar woman could probably take him, right now. But she didn’t know that.

Zuko pulled himself up, taller than her by at least a few inches, and blew steam from his nose.

“I am commandeering one of your huts,” he said. And added, because Uncle said even a prince should be gracious: “You may choose which one.”

---

She choose her own.

...The only one without children that flames might scar, or younger women to catch a soldier’s interests.

Zuko sat by her fire and determinedly started struggling out of his wet clothes and she was still in here with him--

“Dry clothes, Your Highness,” she said.

The parka was much bigger than he was. He fell asleep hoping that the camp’s men were on a long, long hunting trip.

---

He woke up again. Kanna tucked her favorite ulu knife away, newly sharpened, and stopped contemplating the alternative.

---

“I am commandeering a ship,” he said.

The crone led him across the village, all twenty paces of it, to a row of canoes.

“Take whichever one you want,” she said. “Will you need help getting it to the water?”

Beyond was blue sky and gray ocean and white ice, floating in blocks like stepping stones, like boulders, like cliffsides.

There wasn’t even a hint of gray steel, or smoke. Or any land, besides what they were standing on.

He looked down at the canoes again. Somehow, they seemed even smaller.

“I, uh,” Zuko cleared his throat. “I’ll require supplies. Before I go.”

---

They couldn’t go to the nearest market to replace things, here.

“When are your men coming back?” he asked. “They’re hunting, aren’t they?”

Oh. So that was what they looked like, when they weren’t trying to hide their hate.

---

Zuko wrapped himself up in the same blanket that night. It was printed inside with fine lines and images, telling a story he didn’t know. He wondered whose favorite it was.

---

Oh. They were going hunting.

“Give me that,” Zuko said, and took a spear.

The women looked at him. One of them adjusted her googles.

“I can hunt,” he scowled.

He did not, in fact, know how to hunt.

---

“Give me that,” the Fire Prince said, and Kanna almost, almost gave him her ulu. Humans, like most animals, had an artery in their legs that would bleed them quick enough.

She kept skinning the rabbit-mink one of the women had snared.

“I can help,” he said, with less grace than most of their toddlers. Likely with the skinning skills of a toddler, too. She wasn’t going to let their unwanted visitor ruin a perfectly good pelt.

“Chop the meat,” she said, and gave him a different knife. “It’s dinner.”

“...This is really sharp,” he said a moment later, looking at the knife with some surprise.

“Is it,” said Kanna.

---

“Wait,” said another woman, sitting up straight. “Wait wait wait. I just had an idea.”

---

Three words: Infinite. Hot. Water.

---

The Fire Prince was staring at the canoes again.

“Are you actually going to try leaving in one of those?” Kanna asked.

“...No.”

“Come on, then; someone needs to watch the kids while the women are hunting.”

She didn’t leave him alone with them, of course. But she could have.

---

Elsewhere, the war continued.

The moon turned red, for a moment none could sleep through; they did not learn why.

The war had ended. The world didn’t feel any different; no one in the south would know until spring came again.

---

Suffice it to say, Sokka and Katara were not prepared for this particular homecoming.

3K notes · View notes

esmeralda-anistasia · 15 days ago

Note

#oh boy this story is on the list of If I Ever Get Infinite Free Time#because Zuko with the women? fun#Zuko with the women dealing with the northern men? CHEFS FUCKING KISS#the POLITICS#the CULTURE CLASH#because the north is not the same culture as the south#and they certainly aren't after a hundred years separation#and here descend these fully trained warriors on a village of women#who have no way of contacting their own men#and who've had three years to get used to not actually needing men at all#first impression: relief#second impression: oh no we're in a slow burn political horror#or if Kanna channels her inner Hama: oh dear we're in a quaint small town British murder mystery#with a new corpse every week#who could be making those <3<3<3#Pakku: ...this is not the reunion I imagined#Kanna: *didn't go to the opposite end of the earth for her ex to be imagining any sort of reunions*#Meanwhile Zuko: *keeps getting elbowed in the chest by the women every time someone calls him a half-breed*#*and he tries to shout about being the Fire Lord's son*#keeping Zuko alive is basically just a running gag in the background of the actual drama

Hi ! prompt idea : What if Zuko was armed during the first episode and was stranded with the water tribe while the avatar left with Katara and Sokka, Iroh on his trail for white lotus reasons.

Oh we are going to have us some FUN with "stranded with the water tribe", say no more.

---

Even if the old not-the-Avatar woman could probably take him, right now. But she didn’t know that.

Zuko pulled himself up, taller than her by at least a few inches, and blew steam from his nose.

“I am commandeering one of your huts,” he said. And added, because Uncle said even a prince should be gracious: “You may choose which one.”

---

She choose her own.

...The only one without children that flames might scar, or younger women to catch a soldier’s interests.

Zuko sat by her fire and determinedly started struggling out of his wet clothes and she was still in here with him--

“Dry clothes, Your Highness,” she said.

The parka was much bigger than he was. He fell asleep hoping that the camp’s men were on a long, long hunting trip.

---

He woke up again. Kanna tucked her favorite ulu knife away, newly sharpened, and stopped contemplating the alternative.

---

“I am commandeering a ship,” he said.

The crone led him across the village, all twenty paces of it, to a row of canoes.

“Take whichever one you want,” she said. “Will you need help getting it to the water?”

Beyond was blue sky and gray ocean and white ice, floating in blocks like stepping stones, like boulders, like cliffsides.

There wasn’t even a hint of gray steel, or smoke. Or any land, besides what they were standing on.

He looked down at the canoes again. Somehow, they seemed even smaller.

“I, uh,” Zuko cleared his throat. “I’ll require supplies. Before I go.”

---

They couldn’t go to the nearest market to replace things, here.

“When are your men coming back?” he asked. “They’re hunting, aren’t they?”

Oh. So that was what they looked like, when they weren’t trying to hide their hate.

---

Zuko wrapped himself up in the same blanket that night. It was printed inside with fine lines and images, telling a story he didn’t know. He wondered whose favorite it was.

---

Oh. They were going hunting.

“Give me that,” Zuko said, and took a spear.

The women looked at him. One of them adjusted her googles.

“I can hunt,” he scowled.

He did not, in fact, know how to hunt.

---

“Give me that,” the Fire Prince said, and Kanna almost, almost gave him her ulu. Humans, like most animals, had an artery in their legs that would bleed them quick enough.

She kept skinning the rabbit-mink one of the women had snared.

“I can help,” he said, with less grace than most of their toddlers. Likely with the skinning skills of a toddler, too. She wasn’t going to let their unwanted visitor ruin a perfectly good pelt.

“Chop the meat,” she said, and gave him a different knife. “It’s dinner.”

“...This is really sharp,” he said a moment later, looking at the knife with some surprise.

“Is it,” said Kanna.

---

“Wait,” said another woman, sitting up straight. “Wait wait wait. I just had an idea.”

---

Three words: Infinite. Hot. Water.

---

The Fire Prince was staring at the canoes again.

“Are you actually going to try leaving in one of those?” Kanna asked.

“...No.”

“Come on, then; someone needs to watch the kids while the women are hunting.”

She didn’t leave him alone with them, of course. But she could have.

---

Elsewhere, the war continued.

The moon turned red, for a moment none could sleep through; they did not learn why.

The war had ended. The world didn’t feel any different; no one in the south would know until spring came again.

---

Suffice it to say, Sokka and Katara were not prepared for this particular homecoming.

#atla

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