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firelxdykatara · 3 years

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You’re doing a LoK rewrite, correct? Would be really interested in hearing how you plan on fixing Suyin’s character and the Lin-Suyin conflict because……. oh boy. Man there’s a lot to unpack there. This is what happens when we don’t let Toph just raise her fucking kids for the sake of pushing a stupid as hell narrative about working women and single motherhood.

I am indeed!

In... you know, the way I'm doing most of my big potential projects, in that I have a folder with some documents that have plot notes and... some day I may actually get full, finished fics out of them (h2o AU is in there, as is my voltron!atla fusion AU, and uhhhh my book 3 atla rewrite, and a few other things), so... but I will say that the docs I have for my LoK rewrite so far amount to roughly 4.2k words of just Plot and Character Notes, which may some day turn into words of Story, hopefully.

ANYWAY, POINT IS: yes, this exists, and I have Many Many Thoughts.

Including how the Gaang kids would shake out! Cause I know I'm doing Zutara, and maybe Tokka???? Although I don't wanna just leave Suki out either... maybe a throuple??? Or Sukka having an amicable breakup before Sokka and Toph get together--maybe she already has Lin by then, and Sokka helps support her through the grief of losing Kanto???? Idk honestly, I haven't actually figured any of that out definitively yet except that Aang was perfectly happy to settle down with an Air Acolyte from one of the rebuilt temples because he grew up and out of his crush on Katara pretty easily once he hit puberty and matured a bit.

UHHH none of which is actually an answer to your question, because it's a valid one! Which is why I've been sitting on this a while (10 days I'm so sorry) bc I haven't made any solid decisions but I've been letting it percolate around my head a bit. And the more I think about it, the more I really like the Sukka -> Tokka idea (and I don't want to kill off Suki since the kids all deserve their awesome Kyoshi warrior auntie in their lives, and also I want a Sukka kid to be besties with Iara [zuko and katara's youngest] so maybe she gets with someone else after she and Sokka split? I could be talked into Ty Lee/Suki actually, the more I think about it....), but obviously having a stable father figure and a Toph who is... not what LoK made her out to be will dramatically change the Beifong family dynamic.

That said, I think I actually have a solution. (I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do.) Toph has Lin with Kanto--and he passes away when Lin is two or three, which is why she has very few memories of her father. (Although none of this 'she doesn't even know his name until she's 50+ cause Toph didn't tell her daughters about their fathers' bullshit.) Sokka is there for her through it all (all of the gaang is, of course, but you know that it sometimes just hits different when it's someone you're also starting to fall in love with, especially when there are older and much more deeply buried feelings there that are now resurfacing, because at least in my version Toph was deeply in love with Sokka when they were teenagers, but he was in love with Suki and she also loved Suki so she didn't want to mess up anything about their family or the group dynamics by making her feelings anyone else's problem), they fall in love, get married and have Suyin.

(Sokka may jokingly refer to it as a shotgun wedding, but the truth is he wanted to propose well before he found out she was pregnant, his attempts just kept getting messed up in increasingly comedic fashion.)

Throughout all of this, Republic City has been established, Sokka is Chancellor, Toph is something of a defacto police chief--mostly because, at the time, no one else was willing to volunteer, and she jokingly offered to whip the law enforcement, but unfortunately everyone else at the meeting took her seriously. However, she is also the founder of the probending league, and basically her feelings about law enforcement are complicated and she actively discouraged her kids from joining the force which is part of why Lin did. How else do you have a teen rebel phase with a parent like Toph? (Which, in this instance, means tough and firm but fair, with a 'you break it, it's up to you to fix it' attitude and very little desire to actually control her daughters and their behavior.)

Ah, but here's the rub.

Suyin is ten years old when Sokka dies, and Lin is sixteen. I'm not sure how he's killed--maybe by Yakone, to tie it into my plans for Amon and book 1. (Note that I'm not sure when the Yakone bloodbending trial happened in canon, but it doesn't matter. The timeline I'm gonna build will be completely different post-comet, and I'll eventually write it all down so that I can keep things straight.) Which would incidentally provide excellent means of having Katara have a very personal stake in the Amon conflict, and perhaps color the fight between him and Iara, but I'm getting off track. And I think Sokka being killed by Yakone, and Toph being unable to protect or save him, or deliver her own brand of justice to avenge him (because Aang is there to stop her and.... shit probably got ugly, I suspect she didn't talk to Aang for at least twenty years after Sokka's death--and this isn't to say I think Toph is particularly violent or murderous, but in that moment, she absolutely wanted to kill the man with her bare hands, and however much she may have regretted it afterwards, she took a very long time to forgive Aang for stopping her in the first place), is what results in Toph stepping down as police chief.

She didn't withdraw from her daughters or fuck off into the swamp or anything (words cannot express how much I hate that part of her canon history), but she did grieve for a very long time. Lin, meanwhile, felt like it was up to her to keep her family together, while also feeling a desperate need to... prove herself, I think. And because her mother was so adamant that she not join the police force, that's exactly what she does. I think Lin completely misread Toph's intentions, too, and believed that the discouragement was because her mother didn't think she had what it takes, when in reality I think Toph was scared of Lin losing herself in the job like she herself had begun to, and eventually coming up on something she couldn't change or fix and making the same mistakes she had.

(I think Toph and Lin have communication issues largely because they are both headstrong and willful, but where Toph thought she was giving her daughters the room they would need to make their own way, what Lin desperately craved was direction and she felt like that was something her mother simply couldn't understand.)

Suyin, on the other hand, fell in with a bad crowd like in canon. I think that what she desperately needed was attention, similar to Lin craving direction, and Toph was trying so hard not to be her own parents that she went a little too far in the other direction and Suyin began to feel like it didn't matter what she did, her mom wouldn't care, or get angry, or discipline her, or anything. Lin and Suyin butted heads a lot growing up, too, especially after Sokka's death, because Lin tried to rein in her sister's behavior and this was met with resistance and derision because Suyin felt like Lin was trying to be both mom and dad and she was neither but her big sister would never admit to being just as lost as she was and it made her furious.

So when Suyin is sixteen, and Lin is twenty-two and new to the force, The Big Rift happens. Lin catches Suyin and her gang, tries to apprehend her, gets a scar on her face in the ensuing conflict. But instead of abusing her power and sending her problem child off to her mother before fucking off to the swamp to avoid the consequences of her actions, Toph tries to actually fix things. Suyin cools her heels in prison for a while, because she was paralyzed by guilt at the time when she hurt her sister (a few inches lower and she could have slit her throat), and was still there when Lin's backup arrived.

Uhhhhhhhhhhh..... I'm so sorry I rambled for so long, BUT THE UPSHOT IS: I think Suyin learned a bit about culpability and taking responsibility for her own actions, Toph realized that her daughters had different needs than she did at their age (and I think a lot of the problem was that grief clouded her own ability to connect with her daughters, and in trying to not be her own parents she lost sight of how to be the parent her own daughters needed), and Lin, I think, had to realize that she had never fully processed the loss of not one but two fathers and had turned to her job in order to avoid actually confronting the grief that had overshadowed her childhood.

However, she did not forgive Suyin, at least not right away--and she wasn't forced or expected to. Suyin understood that she crossed a serious line, she took her lumps and did her time, and no one shamed Lin for her anger. I think, as a result, she had less reason to hold onto that bitterness, and perhaps by the time the story actually begins, she and Suyin are on much better terms, though I haven't worked it out exactly yet.

UHHH yeah I went on for days lmao. All of this is subject to change, too, depending on the needs of the story whenever I get around to actually writing it all down, BUT these are my initial thoughts, at least.

#atla #lin beifong #toph beifong #suyin beifong #tokka #lok rewrite #lok rewrite notes #precious-metal-girl #asked

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army-of-mai-lovers · 4 years

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Jet and Yue’s Deaths: Were They Necessary?

Two of the most common ideas I see for aus in this fandom are the Jet lives au, and the Yue lives au. I’ve written both of these myself, and I’ve seen many others write them. And while yes, fanfiction can be a great way to explore ideas that didn’t necessarily have to be explored in canon (I’m mad at bryke for a lot of things, but not including a Toph and Bumi I friendship is not one of them, even though I wrote a fic about it), it seems to me that people are mad that Yue and Jet are dead, to varying degrees. There’s a lot to talk about regarding their deaths from a sociopolitical perspective (the fact that two of the darker-skinned characters in the show are the ones that died, and all the light-skinned characters lived, is ah... an interesting choice), but I don’t want to look at it that way, at least for right now. I want to look at it as a writer, and discuss whether these deaths were a) necessary for the plot and themes of ATLA in any way whatsoever and b) whether it was necessary for them to unfold in the way that they did, or if they would have been more impactful had they occurred in a different way.

(meta under the cut, this got really, really, really long)

Death in Children’s Media

When I first started thinking about this meta, I had this idea to compare Jet and Yue’s deaths to deaths in an animated children’s show that I found satisfying. And in theory, that was a great idea. Problem is: there aren’t very many permanent deaths in children’s animation, and the ones that do exist aren’t especially well-written. This may be an odd thing to say in what is ostensibly a piece of atla crit, but Yue’s death is probably the best written death in a piece of children’s animation that I can think of. That’s not a compliment. Rather, it’s a condemnation of the way other pieces of children’s animation featuring permanent character death have handled their storylines.

I’ve talked about this before, but my favorite show growing up was Young Justice, and my favorite character on that show was far and away Mr. Wally West. So when he died at the end of season 2, it broke me emotionally. Shortly thereafter, Cartoon Network canceled the show, and I started getting on fan forums to mourn. Everybody on these fan forums was convinced that had Cartoon Network not canceled the show, Wally would have been brought back. And that is a narrative that I internalized for years. Eventually, the show was brought back via DC’s new streaming service, and I tuned in, waiting for Wally to also be brought back, only to discover that that wasn’t in the cards. Wally was dead. Permanently.

So now that I know that, I can talk about why killing him off was fucking stupid. Wally’s death occurs at the end of season 2, after the main s2 conflict, the Reach, has been defeated, save for these pods that they set up all over the world to destroy Earth. Our heroes split up in teams of two to destroy the pods, and they destroy all of them, except for a secret one in Antartica. It can only be neutralized by speedsters, so Wally, Bart, and Barry team up to destroy it. It’s established in canon that Wally is slower than Bart and Barry, and it’s been played for laughs earlier in the season, but for reasons unexplained, the pod is better able to target Wally because he’s slower than Bart and Barry, and it kills him. After the emotional arc of the season has wrapped up, a literal main character dies. There’s some indication at the end of that season that his death is going to cause Artemis to spiral and become a villain, but when season 3 picks up, she’s doing the right thing, with seemingly no qualms about her position in life as a hero. In the comics, something like this happens to Wally, but then he goes into the Speed Force and becomes faster and stronger even than Barry, in which case, yes, this would have advanced the plot, but that’s probably not in the cards either.

In summary, Wally’s death doesn’t work as a story beat, not because it made me mad, but because it doesn’t advance the plot, nor does it develop character. Only including things that advance plot or develop character is one of the golden rules of writing. Like most golden rules of writing, however, it’s not absolute. There is a lot of fun to be had in jokey little one off adventures (in atla, Sokka’s haiku competition) or in fun worldbuilding threads that add depth to your setting but don’t really come up (in atla, the existence of Whaletail Island, which is described in really juicy ways, even though the characters never go there.) But in general, when it comes to things like character death, events should happen to develop the plot or advance character. Avatar, for all of its flaws, is really well structured, and a lot of its story beats advance plot and develop character at the same time. However, the show also bears the burden of being a show directed at children, and thus needing to be appropriate for children. And as we know, Nickelodeon and bryke butted heads over this: the death scene that we see for Jet is a compromise, one that implicitly confirms his death without explicitly showing it. So bryke tasked themselves with creating a show about imperialism and war that would do those themes justice while also being appropriate for American children and palatable to their parents.

The Themes of Avatar vs. Its Audience

So, Avatar is a show about a lone survivor of genocide stopping an imperialist patriarchal society from decimating the rest of the world. It’s also a show about found family and staying true to yourself and doing your best to improve the world. These don’t necessarily conflict with each other, and it is possible for children to understand and enjoy shows about complex themes. And in a lot of cases, bryke doesn’t hold back in showing what the costs of war against an imperialist nation are: losing loved ones, losing yourself, prison, etc. But when it comes to death, the show is incredibly hesitant. None of the main characters that we’ve spent a lot of time getting to know die (not even Iroh, even though he was old and it would have made sense and his VA died before the show was over--but that’s a topic for another day.) This makes sense. I can totally imagine a seven year-old watching Avatar as it was coming out and feeling really sad or scared if a major character died. I was six years older than that when Wally died, and it’s still sad and terrifying to me to this day. However, in a show about war, it would be unrealistic to have no one die. Bryke’s stated reason for killing off Jet is to show the costs of war. I’ve seen a lot of posts about Jet’s death that reiterate some version of this same point--that the great tragedy of his character is that he spent his life fighting the Fire Nation, only to die at the hands of his own country. Similarly, I’ve seen people argue in favor of Yue’s death by saying that it was a great tragedy, but it showed the sacrifices that must be made in a war effort.

Yue

When we first meet Yue, she is a somewhat reserved, kind individual held back by the rigid social structures of the NWT*. She and Sokka have an immediate attraction to one another, but Yue reveals that she is engaged to Hahn. The Fire Nation invasion happens, Zhao kills Tui, and Yue gives up her life to save her people and the world, and to restore balance. Since we didn’t have a lot of time to get to know Yue, this is framed less as Yue’s sacrifice and more as Sokka’s loss. Sokka is the one who cares for Yue, Sokka is the only one of the gaang who really interacts a lot with Yue on screen, and Sokka is the one we’ve spent a whole season getting to know. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call Yue a prop character (i.e. a character who could be replaced by an object with little change to the narrative), she is certainly underdeveloped. She exists to be unambiguously likable and good, so we can root for her and Sokka, and feel Sokka’s pain when she dies. In my opinion, this is probably also why a lot of fic that features Yue depicts her as a Mary Sue--because as she is depicted in the show, she kind of is. We don’t get to see her hidden depths because she is written to die.

In light of what we’ve established earlier in this meta, this makes sense. Killing off a fully-realized character whom the audience has really gotten to know and care about on their own terms, rather than through the eyes of another character, could be really sad and scary for the kids watching, but not killing anyone off would be an unrealistic depiction of war and imperialism. On the face of it, killing off an underdeveloped, unambiguously likable and good character, whom one of our MCs has a deep but short connection with, is the perfect compromise.

But let’s go back to the golden rule for a second. Does Yue’s death a) advance the plot, and/or b) develop character? The answer to the first is yes: Yue’s death prompts Aang to use the Avatar State to fight off the Fire navy, which has implications for his ability to control the Avatar State that form one of the major arcs of book 2. The answer to the second? A little more ambiguous. You would think that Yue’s death would have some lasting impact on Sokka that is explored as part of his character arc in book 2, that he may be more afraid to trust, more scared of losing the people he loves, but outside of a few episodes (really, just one I can think of, “The Swamp”) it doesn’t seem to affect him that much. He even asks about Suki in a way that is clearly romantically motivated in “Avatar Day.” I don’t know about you, but if someone I loved sacrificed herself to become the moon, I don’t think I would be seeking out another romantic entanglement a few weeks after her death. Of course, everybody processes grief differently, and one could argue that Sokka has already lost important people in his life, and thus would be accustomed to moving on from that loss and not letting himself dwell on it. But to that, I’d say that moving on by throwing himself into protecting others has already shown itself to be an unhealthy coping mechanism. Remember, Sokka’s misogyny at the beginning of b1 is in part motivated by the fact that his mother died at the hands of the Fire Nation and his father left shortly thereafter to fight the Fire Nation, and he responds to those things by throwing himself into the role of being the “man” of the village and protecting the people he loves who are still with him. Like with Yue, he doesn’t allow himself to dwell on his mother’s death. This could have been the beginning of a really interesting b2 arc for Sokka, in which he throws himself into being the Avatar’s companion to get away from the grief of losing Yue, but this time, through the events of the show, he’s forced to acknowledge that this is an unhealthy coping mechanism. And maybe this is what bryke was going for with “The Swamp”, but this confines his whole process of grief to one episode, where it could have been a season-long arc that really emphasized the effect Yue’s had on his life.

In the case of Yue, I do lean toward saying that her death was necessary for the story that they wanted to tell (although, I will never turn down a good old-fashioned Yue lives au that really gets into her dynamism as a character, those are awesome.) However, the way they wrote Sokka following Yue’s death reduced her significance. The fact that Yue seemed to have so little impact on Sokka is precisely what makes her death feel unnecessary, even if it isn’t.

Jet

Okay. Here we go.

If you know my blog, you know I love Jet. You know I love Jet lives aus. Perhaps you know that I’m in the process of writing a multichapter Jet fic in which he lives after Lake Laogai. So it’s reasonable to assume that, in a discussion of whether or not Jet’s death was necessary, I’m gonna be mega-biased. And yeah, that’s probably true. But up until recently, I wasn’t really all that mad about Jet dying, at least conceptually. As I said earlier, bryke says that in the case of Jet’s death, they wanted to kill a character off that people knew and would care about, so that they could further show the tragedies of war and imperialism. Okay. That is not, in and of itself, a bad idea.

My issue lies with the execution of said idea. First of all, the framing of Jet’s original episode is so bad. Jet is part of a long line of cartoon villains who resist imperialism and other forms of oppression through violence and are punished for it. This is actually a really common sort of villain for atla/lok, as we see this play out again with Hama, Amon, and the Red Lotus. To paraphrase hbomberguy’s description of this type of villain, basically liberal white creators are saying, “yeah, oppression is bad, but have you tried writing to your Congressman about it?” With Jet, since we have so little information about the village he’s trying to flood, there are a number of different angles that would explain his actions and give them more nuance. My preferred hc is that the citizens of Gaipan are a mix of Earth civilians, Fire citizens, and FN soldiers, and that the Earth citizens refused to feed or house Jet and the other Freedom Fighters because they were orphans and, as we see in the Kyoshi Novels, Earth families stick to their own. Thus, when Jet decides to flood Gaipan, he’s focused on ridding the valley of Fire Nation, but he doesn’t really care about what happens to the Earth citizens of Gaipan because they actively wronged him when he was a kid. That’s just one interpretation, and there have been others: Gaipan was fully Fire Nation, Gaipan was both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation but Jet decided that the benefits of flooding the valley and getting rid of the Fire Nation outweighed the costs of losing the EK families, etc, etc. There are ways to rewrite that scenario so that Jet is not framed as an unambiguously bloodthirsty monster. In the context of Jet’s death, this initial framing reduces the possible impact that his death could have. Where Yue was unambiguously good, Jet is at the very least morally gray when we see him again in the ferry. And where we are connected to Yue through Sokka, the gaang’s active hatred of Jet hinders our ability to connect with him. This isn’t impossible to overcome--the gaang hates Zuko, and yet to an extent the audience roots for him--but Jet’s lack of screentime and nuanced framing (both of which Zuko gets in all three seasons) makes overcoming his initially flawed framing really difficult.

So how much can it really be said, that by the time we get to Jet’s death, he’s a character that we know and care about? So much about him is still unknown (what happened to the Freedom Fighters? what prompted Jet’s offscreen redemption? who knows, fam, who knows.) Moreover, most of what we see of him in Ba Sing Se is him actively opposing Zuko and Iroh. These are both characters that at the very least the show wants us to care about. At this point, we know almost everything there is to know about them, we’ve been following them and to an extent rooting for them for two seasons, and who have had nuanced and often sympathetic framing a number of times. So much of the argument I’ve seen regarding Jet centers around the fact that he was right to expose Zuko and Iroh as Firebenders, but the reason we have to have that argument in the first place is because it’s not framed in Jet’s favor. In terms of who the audience cares about more, who the audience has more of an emotional attachment towards, Zuko and Iroh win every time. Whether Jet’s actually in the right or not is irrelevant, because emotionally speaking, we’re primed to root for Zuko and Iroh. In terms of who the framing is biased towards, Jet may as well be Zhao. So when he’s taken by the Dai Li and brainwashed, the audience isn’t necessarily going to see this as a bad thing, because it means Zuko and Iroh are safe.

The only real bit of sympathetic framing Jet gets are those initial moments on the ferry, and the moments after he and the gaang meet again. So about five, ten minutes of the show, total. And then, he sacrifices himself for the gaang. And just like Yue, his death has little to no impact on the characters in the episodes following. Katara is shown crying for four frames immediately following his death, and they bring him up once in “The Southern Raiders” to call him a monster, and once in “The Ember Island Players”, a joke episode in which his death is a joke.

So, let’s ask again. Does this a) advance the plot, and/or b) develop character? The answer to both is no. It shows that the Dai Li is super evil and cruel, which we already knew and which basically becomes irrelevant in book 3, and that is really the only plot-significant thing I can think of. As far as character, well, it could have been a really interesting moment in Katara’s development in forgiving someone who hurt her in the past, which could have foreshadowed her forgiving Zuko in b3, but considering she calls Jet a monster in TSR, that doesn’t track. There could have been something with Sokka realizing that his snap judgment of Jet in b1 was wrong, but considering that he brings up Jet to criticize Katara in TSR, that also does not track. And honestly, neither of these possible character arcs require Jet to die. What requires Jet to die is the ~themes~.

Let’s look at this theme again, shall we? The cost of war. We already covered it with Yue, but it’s clearly something that bryke wants to return to and shed new light on. The obvious angle they’re going for is that sometimes, you don’t know who your real enemy is. Jet thought that his enemy was the Fire Nation, but in the end, he was taken down by his own countryman. Wow. So deep. Except, while it’s clear that Jet was always fighting against the Fire Nation, I never got the sense that Jet was fighting for the Earth Kingdom. After all, isn’t the whole bad thing about him in the beginning is that he wants to kill civilians, some of whom we assume to be Earth Kingdom? Why would it matter then that he got killed by an EK leader, when he didn’t seem to ever be too hot on those dudes? But okay, maybe the angle is not that he was killed by someone from the Earth Kingdom, but that he wasn’t killed by someone from the Fire Nation. Okay, but we’ve already seen him be diametrically opposed to the only living Air Nomad and people from the Water Tribes. Jet fighting with and losing to people who aren’t Fire Nation is not a new and exciting development for him. Jet has been enemies with non-FN characters for most of the show’s run at this point. There is no thematic level on which the execution of this holds any water.

The reason I got to thinking about this, really analyzing what Jet’s death means (and doesn’t mean) for the show, was this conversation I was having with @the-hot-zone in discord dms. We were talking about book 2 and ways it could have been better, and Zone said that they thought that Jet would have been a stronger character to parallel with Zuko’s redemption than Iroh and that seeing more of the narrative from Jet’s perspective could have strengthened the show’s themes. And when it came to the question of Jet’s death, they said, “And if we are going with Jet dying, then I want it to hurt. I want it to hurt just as much as if a main character like Sokka had died. I want the viewer to see Jet's struggles, his triumphs, the facets of Jet that make him compelling and important to the show.” And all of that just hit me. Because we don’t get that, do we? Jet’s death barely leaves a mark. Jet himself barely leaves a mark. His death isn’t plot-significant, doesn’t inspire character growth in any of our MCs, and doesn’t even accomplish the thematic relevance that it claims to. So what was the point?

Conclusion

Much as I dislike it, Yue’s death actually added something to atla. It could have added much, much more, in the hands of writers who gave more of a shit about their Brown female characters and were less intent on seeing them suffer and knocking them down a peg, but, in my opinion, it did work for what it was trying to do. Jet? Jet? Nah, fam. Jet never got the chance to really develop into a likable character because he was always put at odds with characters we already liked, and the framing skewed their way, not his. The dude never really had a chance.

*multiple people have spoken about how the NWT as depicted in atla is not reminiscent of real life Inuit and Yupik people and culture. I am not the person to go into detail about this, but I encourage you to check out Native-run blogs for more info!

#jet #yue #bold text #italics #death tw #murder tw

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theotherace · 3 years

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ATLA for 1, taang for 2, and Azula for 3 (if you feel like answering that much, lol. feel free to pick what you want to answer)

ATLA

Favorite character: Absolutely no secret. Obviously Aang.

Least Favorite character: I like all the characters as characters. I despise Zhao as a person. Also, the old man who ratted out Haru and whoever snitched on Katara can go die in a fire.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Taang, Sukka, Teophaang, Sokaang aaand ... Songko.

Character I find most attractive: I'm having a crisis with this one, lmao. The main characters are too young for me to find attractive, and none of the older side characters that come to mind are terribly attractive to me. Kyoshi? Yeah, I'm gonna say Kyoshi.

Character I would marry: Grown-up Aang as he exists in my head. Otherwise, maybe Hakoda. He's a good man.

Character I would be best friends with: Six-year-old me wanted to be friends with the whole Gaang, and honestly, it would probably be them? Aang is Mr "I befriend everybody", and over him, I'd get in.

A random thought: I want Katara to open a school after getting back home. She'd be good at that, I think. And it would kind of bring her full circle; from setting out to find a teacher to coming back home to teach herself.

An unpopular opinion: I'm so isolated from mainstream fandom, I'm not sure what's even popular anymore. Uh. Zuko's soulmate is neither Katara nor Sokka. Toph and Aang are soulmates, though.

My Canon OTP: Easy. Sukka.

My Non-canon OTP: Even easier. Taang.

Most Badass Character: All of them! I said this in the Encanto ask already ... Uhm ... Toph. Choosing Toph.

Most Epic Villain: Azula, I'd say. The other villains I wouldn't necessarily call "epic".

Pairing I am not a fan of: Lots of them. Gonna say Kataang in canon (adore their friendship, though), and Tyzula in fandom.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): The main characters were all handled well, I think. Suki could've used more time, but since she originally was meant to be a one-off character, I'm fine with what we got for her. So ... Pathik. Yeah. We could've gotten so much more out of him.

Favourite Friendship: Aang and Katara. Best friends forever.

Character I most identify with: Thinking hard, probably Zuko.

Character I wish I could be: Baby Tom-Tom. Or Momo.

Azula

How I feel about this character: I like her fine. Not my favourite, not my least favourite, either.

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Maybe Katara in a Modern AU. Maizula is a good ship, too. Also, I read a fic once that had her getting together with Tom-Tom, which I guess makes my answer: Anybody, as long as you write it well.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: I think her relationship with Zuko is rather interesting and has a lot of potential, both during the show and post-war.

My unpopular opinion about this character: God, I don't know. What are popular takes one her? I don't headcanon her as a lesbian, but then, I see Sokkla more than any other Azula ship these days, so I don't know if this is unpopular. Either way, I don't mind the headcanon, either.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Working through her trauma. Building healthier relationships. I would say reconnect with Ursa to some extent, but we got that in the comics, and I didn't like it one bit, so ... uh. Still kinda that, but not in the way we got it.

Favorite friendship for this character: Her friendship with Mai and Ty Lee is very interesting, though obviously also quite toxic. Post-canon, I think her and Sokka could be hilarious together.

My crossover ship: No crossovers! So none.

And I got Taang in a separate ask, so I'm gonna answer that there!

#my asks #atla #azula #ask game

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hi-i-love-u-bitch · 4 years

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Azula the good sister AU (AKA the Fire siblings have a healthy relationship AU)

I’ve just finished binge watching Avatar the Last Airbender and I already have an AU ready in my head. Please enjoy my ridiculous rambling!

Azula is still really tough and intense but she isn’t a fucking psychopath like in the series

She’s still a bending prodigy and “daddy’s favorite” but the latter isn’t something she wanted or strived for

She shows affection by teasing people, but she is also fiercely loyal and protective over the people she cares about. Like she’s nice but she’ll still cut a bitch if they hurt her friends and brother.

As most siblings do Azula and Zuko like to playfully argue and insult each other:

Zuko: *having just woken up*

Azula: wow you look like shit

Zuko: big talk coming from a midget with rat nest hair

Azula: at least I only look like this in the morning, you willingly keep that rat tail on top of your head. No wonder you have no friends!

Zuko: oh yeah what’s your excuse then?

They’re the type of siblings that in a modern-day setting would send each other a picture of a toaster saying “I found you a new bath bomb”

She absolutely adores her older brother and Zuko took his role as older sibling in stride even if Azula could practically take care of herself

They’re great training partners

Their favorite memory as children was feeding turtle ducks with their mother, they still do so even now after she’s gone

When she overheard her grandfather ordering her father to kill Zuko she left to tell her mother immediately afterwards she snuck into Zuko’s room to cuddle with him in bed claiming that she’d had a nightmare.

Their mother came in to kiss them goodbye goodnight before disappearing into the night. Zuko had been half asleep so he had no idea what was going on but Azula did and she knew what her mother was about to do. She didn’t know what the outcome would be but she knew that it would be the last time she’d ever see her mother.

Azula never told Zuko what happened only that it was all their father’s fault

It was then they began mutually hating on their father

Of course, they had no choice but to respect him as he was still the Fire Lord and could possibly kill them. But as soon as he was out of ear shot the siblings were like:

Azula: Why the fuck did he think growing out his beard was a good idea???

Zuko: He looks like a goat-pig

Uncle Iroh treats them both as his own children and helps them perfect their fire bending as well as teach them the art of tea brewing. Zuko still thinks it’s stupid but Azula becomes just as much of a tea fanatic as her uncle

Azula has had a giant crush on Ty Lee ever since they were children and everyone, but Ty Lee knows about it. On the flip side Ty Lee also has a giant crush on Azula ever since childhood and everyone but Azula knows about it.

Azula: That's a sharp outfit, Ty Lee. Careful. You could puncture the hull of an empire-class Fire Nation battleship, leaving thousands to drown at sea, because it's so sharp.

Ty Le: *confused but happy that her crush complemented her* Gee thanks Zula.

Azula: *later, screaming into her pillow* I’m such an idiot!

Zuko: *sitting beside her, sipping tea* Yeah, you really are.

The day Zuko was challenged to Agni Kai Azula told him that he was an idiot and that he better kick that loser general’s ass or it would be an embarrassment to both their training. It was her own way of telling him to be careful and that she was rooting for him.

When she found out that it was her father challenging Zuko to Agni Kai she had to be held back by Iroh to keep her from jumping into the arena to help her brother

Azula was determined to join her brother in his banishment but Zuko wouldn’t allow her, saying how it was his fault for speaking out of term and that his sister shouldn’t have to suffer from his mistakes.

They had a big fight after that because the siblings were nothing if not hotheaded and stubborn. Zuko didn’t want his sister to leave all she knew behind just because of him and Azula didn’t want to be stuck doing nothing while her brother suffers alone.

They parted there days later, regretful, angry, and sad. They didn’t necessarily apologies (let’s be honest what kind of siblings apologies to each other) but they did start writing letters to each other, which was their way of saying that they were cool now.

Zuko wrote to her about his journey to find the Avatar as well as Uncle Iroh’s ridiculous jokes and tea ramblings while Azula wrote to him about how things are back home as well as potential places where the Avatar could be located.

Both aren’t sure if the Avatar even exists anymore, but they keep hoping as it means that they will one day be reunited with each other.

The day Zuko found the Avatar he entrusted only his sister with the information as he knew that once word got out that the Avatar was still alive it would be an all-out man hunt.

Everything works out relatively the same as in the series except with Azula helping out her brother in the background. She’d secretly send her brother information about general Zhao’s whereabouts so as to avoid him as well as any resources he needed for his journey.

When Ozai ordered Azula to go retrieve her brother and uncle she was both delighted and terrified; she was happy to see her brother again, but she didn’t want to take him as her prisoner. So of course, she came up with a plan.

The first thing Azula said to her brother after two and a half years apart was: “Wow, you look like shit.”

He replied without missing a beat: “Big talk coming from a midget with rat nest hair.”

They hug for the longest time and in that moment, she quietly resights her plan to him: They had to pretend to escape from her and go into hiding. She’ll pretend to hunt him down and he’ll somehow manage to escape from her clutches every time. All the while they’ll work together in trying to capture the Avatar.

She enlists the help of Mai and Ty Lee telling them the minimal amount of information just in case things go south they can plead manipulation. Of course, Mai and Ty Lee are ready to go down with their captain/friend no matter what, but they don’t mind being out of the loop for the time being. They trust Azula and know that everything she does is to help her brother and uncle.

The events leading up to the battle of Ba Sing Se are pretty similar up until the part where Zuko makes a choice between helping the Avatar or his kingdom. He’s realized the pain and terror his ancestors have installed in the world; tearing away hope for a better future.

Just as Azula was about to strike Aang with a finishing blow Zuko stops her, telling her what they’ve been doing is wrong and if they want the world to prosper, they need to help the Avatar.

Azula was a bit annoyed seeing as she went through the trouble of sneaking into Ba Sing Se and taking over the earth kingdom from the inside out. But then again, her brother was right as she already knew of her father’s end game plan.

Azula: Zuzu, I love you, but couldn’t you have told me we were going to rebel against father sooner so I could have planned accordingly.

Just as there are loyalist to the Fire Lord there are also loyalist to the Princess as they see her as a more fit leader than the current ruler. And thus, that is how team Avatar was able to get a good portion of the fire nation army on their side.

Ba Sing Se has now been established as their main base with the entire city now having chosen the side of the Avatar.

At this point Azula still had Suki and the Kyoshi warriors held prisoner close by so she was able to bring them back without much fuss.

Azula: Er, sorry for imprisoning you and stuff. I just needed to save my stupid brother but we’re on your side now. Cool?

Suki: Only if I get to punch you in the face as hard as I can.

Azula: That seems fair.

Katara does NOT trust Azula and Zuko which is fine because Azula doesn’t trust her either but she knows they need to work together if they want to even have a slim chance of beating her father.

Katara: You might have everyone else here buying your ‘transformation,’ but you and I both know you’ve struggled with doing the right thing in the past. So, let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slipup, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won’t have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I’ll make sure your destiny ends right then and there. Permanently!

Azula: Right back attcha bitch!

Toph and Azula get along swimmingly which both amuses and terrifies Zuko because one: he’s glad that his sister is finally making somewhat normal friends but two: those two together is just chaos incarnate

Ty Lee also really bonds with the Kyoshi warriors who teach her some of their fighting techniques in exchanged for her teaching them some chi blocking moves.

Suki and Mai start getting cozy with each other with Suki liking Mai’s skills and straightforward attitude and Mai admiring Suki’s confidence and bravery. It’s easy to talk with each other.

Sokka, at one point: Why the hell don’t we just send the girls out to defeat the Fire Nation? We’re all completely useless compared to them.

Also after a few month working together Zuko can now join his sister in her gay screaming

Azula: Did you seriously fall for that Water Tribe boy?

Zuko: You’re one to talk!

Azula: Hey! Ty Lee is an angel and we’re all lucky to have her!

Zuko: She once ate a whole bowl of fire flakes by herself and had to get her stomach pumped.

Azula: Look, what Fire Nation teen hasn’t done that at least once

Zuko: She did it THREE times!

Once the siblings and Co finally bond well enough with team Avatar tension lessens and their attitude go from: “uhg, I guess we have to work together or whatever” to “you are my friend now and I would die for you! I would literally commit murder if you asked me to, no questions asked”

Aang is baby and the Fire squad has now joined in the “Aang protection army” and in a similar fashion team Avatar have also learned that Ty Lee is baby and have now joined the “Ty Lee protection squad”. Even though Aang and Ty Lee are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves one cannot help but want to protect and care for the literal ray of sun shines.

Zuko and Sokka still have their epic rescue adventure to the boiling rock, with the extra help of their team. They sneak into the facility with disguises, Azula and her crew walk in like they own the place (news of her betrayal to the Fire Lord has yet to reach certain places), while the rest of team Avatar keep watch from afar just in case things start going south.

You know that scene where Zuko gets put in the freezer and when Sokka goes to let him out Zuko breathes out a breath of fire with a smirk? It was then and there that Sokka realized that his teeny tiny crush on Zuko might actually be a giant massive crush.

In this AU it is actually Azula that helps Katara track down the man that killed her mother because let’s face it, no matter what universe she’s in Azula will always be down to beat a bitch is ass.

This is the first time Azula has ever witness somebody blood bending and unlike most people that would usually freak out she was actually really impress and kind of turned on.

Azula: You know if I weren’t already madly in love with Ty Lee, I’d ask you to marry me in a heartbeat.

Katara: And I would accept that offer if only for the pleasure of rubbing it in your dad’s face

Azula: Why didn’t we become friends sooner?!?!

It is then the Little Sister alliance was formed in which they teamed up to poke fun at their bumbling brothers who keep awkwardly dancing around each other.

Their friendship can be summed up to: “I will kill you where you stand but also I respect you”

Okay, Imma just say this right now: Sokka is a fucking badass and even after getting taught how to fight by the Kyoshi warriors and the Fire sibling + Co. he reached a whole new level of badassery once he learned the ways of the sword by Master Piandao. Zuko’s little gay heart could only take so much and Sokka being all cool and collected while wielding a sword made the former Fire Prince short-circuit.

Zuko, in his tent, face down screaming into his pillow: Uhg, I can’t with this boy anymore!

Suki, rolling her eyes at her best friend’s melodramatics: Pull yourself together man.

Ty Lee, patting his head reassuringly: Don’t worry, you’ll get through this.

Azula, sipping tea beside him: This wouldn’t be happening if you just asked him out already.

Zuko: Don’t you fucking start with me hypocritical bitch!

Azula: *nervous gay drinking*

The day of the final battle Azula and Katara lead Hakoda’s army plus the Kyoshi Warriors to reclaim the fire nation capital while Aang, Zuko, Sokka, and Toph chased after the Fire Lord and his war ships.

The battle to take back the capital was brutal as there was still an entire army keeping guard with one of the Fire Lord’s generals acting as temporary leader. Unfortunately for them Azula still had a reputation of fear amongst the Fire Nation army and a lot of soldiers surrendered once they realized it was her leading the invasion and not the Avatar. Those that didn’t surrendered were defeated in battle because let’s be honest with a team this fierce there is no way in hell they couldn’t not win.

There’s also a scene where Azula is fighting off the general and a bunch of soldiers and it seems like she’s not gunna make it but she does, bloody and bruised but victorious. I imagen in that moment Ty Lee goes running up to Azula, jumps into her arms, and kisses her right then and there, while they’re still in the middle of battle. It’s super cool and romantic and it seemed to give Azula more energy than Sozin’s comet ever could as she seemed now ready to defeat god.

Azula: Y’all bitches be fucked now! I ain’t afraid to die but now that I gotta girlfriend I’m not going nowhere fuckers!

With Aang and his team it goes about the same as it did in the show; take down the ships, battle the Fire Lord, almost die, etc. That scene where Sokka thinks that Suki died on the aircraft is now replaced with Zuko almost dying then coming back to save their asses at the late minute. They too also kiss once they see that the other is unharmed while Toph rolls her eyes and gags at the sight.

Again, Aang does not kill the Fire Lord and instead takes away his fire bending powers before locking him in prison to rot. The fire siblings come by sometimes to annoy the shit out of him by flicking fire flakes at his head for target practice or psychologically torture him with excruciating detail of how they’ve been thoroughly fucked by their significate others in is bed and on his thrown.

Zuko: How’s it feel knowing that not only are both your kids gay but they’re also bottoms?

Ozai: *screams*

Azula: Ty Lee also fucked me atop your war room table :)

Ozai: *screams intensify*

In the end Zuko really doesn’t want to be Fire Lord so he happily passes that torch on to Azula who only agrees to take the job so long as Zuko becomes her second in command. Everyone is happy and with a lot of hard work throughout the years there is finally peace amongst the four nations.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #avatar #atla #princess azula #azula is a good sister au #au #fire siblings

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sokkathebluewolf · 4 years

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I am chickened out from gladiator because it is this long and it keeps getting longer is it worth my time to read it ??

... Uh, well. I can’t help but wonder if you’re aware this blog is run by the actual author of the story in question? I don’t know if you expect me to give you a non-biased answer when I’ve considered the story was worth 8 years of my life xD as far as I’m concerned, it absolutely has been worth it, but I can’t speak for the whole wide world when it comes to that. If you want the opinions of readers, there’s probably other blogs run by people who have read the story and who might have critical opinions about it... that may be what you were looking for. If, however, you were deliberately hoping to get my opinion on my own story... well, yes, for me it’s clearly worth it xD Otherwise, I would’ve quit ages ago.

The story is indeed very long and it keeps getting longer, and it will keep getting longer because we’re not done yet and won’t be for a while :’D if you’re the type of reader who can’t stand it when they catch up to stories and have to wait for updates, well, feel free to give it a shot when I’m done writing it, I guess? It’ll be a while until then, but it’s up to you. If you don’t like reading really long stories, then it’s probably better for you if you don’t force yourself to read this one, I know not everyone is ready to dedicate that much time to reading something, especially if they have lots of things to do. Hence, if the length daunts you, that’s alright, it daunts me too and I’m responsible for it xD it’s fine if that deters you from reading it.

But as the way you phrased your question almost sounded like you’re challenging me to give you some sort of sales pitch to catch your attention, let’s see if I can pull it off:

Gladiator is a massive ATLA AU, not only in terms of story length but also scope: it’s a complete rewrite of the entirety of ATLA in a more mature setting, starting chapter 1 with the characters 5 years older than they were in canon. Aang’s adventures in saving the world did not take place here because of a simple enough reason: Katara didn’t accompany Sokka on his boat on the fateful day when they were meant to find Aang, which means the story as we’ve known it simply doesn’t take place. I’ve taken liberties here and there, added some changes from canon when I needed to do so, in order to ensure the story works, but the gist of the story is to set a stage where the Fire Nation marched onwards, practically unopposed, and conquered the Earth Kingdom with the power of Sozin’s Comet (just in case it needs to be clarified, without certain technological developments, Ozai’s wild plan to incinerate the whole world wouldn’t happen, and if Team Avatar isn’t assembled before the Comet shows up, said technological developments simply wouldn’t exist... :’D). I’ve had to figure out how many details would change, how much of the original story would or wouldn’t happen without Team Avatar’s involvement, I think most my choices have been solid, but it’ll be up to you to decide if you think they are or not if you read the story.

The worldbuilding of Gladiator, then, is preeeetty huge and complicated because of that starting point. There’s a lot of elements that are completely new (such as the Gladiator League and all its derivates), some OCs, some lore expansion, so you can definitely say it’s an ambitious project. In a sense, I’ve reset canon to zero, and at the same time I haven’t, which makes things complicated but, for me, really fun to develop. If you’re interested in seeing more of the Avatarverse explored, characters repurposed, with new dynamics and relationships, Gladiator may just be what you’ve been looking for :D

In my experience, the main reason why most people stumble into this fic (other than by sorting FF.net’s ATLA stories by review count and drawing blanks upon glimpsing a Sokkla story on the first page xD) is because they’ve been drawn into Sokkla, or they’re looking for stories centered around Azula or Sokka. Gladiator, evidently, features all three such elements because, obviously, those two are the protagonists and their relationship is the beating heart of the whole tale. I’ve been asked in the past who’s the real protagonist and I honestly still have no idea xD but anyways, if you’re interested in reading a story with a toooooon of Azula character development, even if it takes place across a long, long time, this story may just do the trick. I’ve done the best I could to keep her character as true to what I believed a young adult Azula might become, within the circumstances of this story. She has grown a LOT in 200 chapters, goes without saying (if she hadn’t, I’d be one heck of a failure of an author x’D), so if you’re interested in seeing a slow but effective growth arc for Azula, you’ll certainly find that in Gladiator. Same is true for Sokka, but I think most people who come to this fic for Sokka are interested in seeing him being a badass, which we have plenty of as well xD still, it’s also a long and slow process for Sokka to grow into a powerful warrior, neither him nor Azula start out in the story with all the answers, and they both bump into many hurdles as they navigate their complicated lives.

There’s a lot of humor in Gladiator, perhaps more than expected with a story that has that sort of dark premise, but it’s, on great measure, because Sokka and Azula are inevitably given to banter xD if you want to read a lot of banter between those two, well, you may not be bored in 200 chapters because, while the nature of their exchanges does vary as they both develop, their conversations are usually pretty spirited and they love trying to outsmart each other all the time.

If you are already a Sokkla shipper and the main reason you’re here is because you want more Sokkla goodness in your life... I’ll just say Gladiator has become a bit of a dream come true for me as a Sokkla shipper as well, because it’s the perfect space for me to work with virtually every idea I’ve ever had for these two. Yes, there’s drama and conflict here and there, if you’re not too given to angst there’s a few parts of the story that won’t sit so well with you, though if you love angst you’ll probably enjoy them plenty... yet what I’m most proud of, with this story, is having developed their relationship not only as best I could, but I’ve also attempted to defy typical storytelling structures for romance stories, where the lead couple can’t seem to have a stable relationship because “that would be boring”. Screw that, man: these two have been in a serious relationship together in-story by now for well over half the published chapters, and I’ve had the time of my life writing their dynamics as a couple while the plot continues to develop around them. This, however, is not everyone’s cup of tea, so if you aren’t all that given to seeing such traditional romance storytelling structures dismissed because I wanted to write my favorite ship dealing with all their external struggles while finding strength in the bond they share, Gladiator may not hold your attention long enough for you to devote yourself to reading it beyond chapter 100-ish. On the other hand, if this subversion of romance structure is what you’ve been looking for all your life, or if it’s what you always wanted and never knew you wanted it, or if you’re simply curious as to whether it works or not, Gladiator may suit your interests fairly well. Again, Sokkla is the absolute center of this story, both together and independently, so if you want to see a rewrite of ATLA with them at the core of just... everything? xD that’s absolutely what you’ll find here.

That being said, there’s things I guess you should mind about Gladiator: I have some relatively controversial takes about certain things, including interpretations of fan-favorite characters that some people have been known to take offense over. I, personally, believe my interpretations of those characters don’t deviate that much from canon or that, when they do, the setting itself explains why the deviation works as it does, but due to the fact that I work with a protagonist who was in a villainous role back in ATLA, her relationships with some characters can be more complicated than a lot of people seem to believe they should be. Hence, if you’re not particularly adverse to reading content that brings up big questions about the motivations of certain characters, or how they’d react if the story from ATLA hadn’t happened exactly as it did, you’ll have enough fun in Gladiator. If, however, you don’t particularly care to see anything that shows beloved characters in a not-so-flattering light, this story may not be for you (though, if you’re willing to humor me and allow my story to question your perception of those characters, feel free to try the story as well).

There’s also a variety of dark themes and situations in Gladiator, something that any reader should be warned about in this day and age: I am 100% against violence for the sake of violence, to name one such subject, and I generally try to portray it with as much nuance as possible, but even if I feature my own characters criticizing their violent world and wanting to put an end to the strife caused by the Fire Nation, some of the violence in Gladiator may be a little too much for the readers who prefer the tone of the original ATLA. Hence, if that’s how it is for you, it’s another reason to approach the story with caution. I won’t pretend I’ve handled every theme and subject perfectly, but I’ve never wanted the darker moments to feel gratuitous in any way, so if you’re open to reading a darker take on the Avatarverse, this may work for you after all.

Alas! If you want to see Azula growing out of the toxic Fire Nation indoctrination, if you want to see Sokka gaining confidence and strength as a man and warrior, if you want to see a fleshed-out but still very much villainous Ozai, if you want to see Toph fulfilling her dreams of joining an all-out fighting league where she can beat people up for a living, if you want to see a myriad of secondary ATLA characters (like Song, or Shoji!) given new lives and even genuine protagonism, if you want to see Zuko discovering he’s allowed to just... be happy? xD Gladiator may prove interesting enough for you.

Furthermore, if you want to see Azula being true friends with Mai and Ty Lee, discovering a dragon, developing new firebending styles, confronting her misplaced beliefs about herself, rebelling subtly (and lately, not so subtly) against her father, growing into a great leader who could change the Fire Nation’s nefarious direction... aaand if you want to see Sokka fighting creatively (sometimes with TWO swords!), navigating the dangerous waters of interacting with Fire Lord Ozai, staying true to his beliefs while also learning that the world is not as black-and-white as he was raised to think it was, understanding himself better and making the most of his potential as a quick learner, writing embarrassing haiku and being an unapologetic rebel who goes toe-to-toe with Heads of State just because he can... yep. Probably read it? xD

Lastly... if you want to see Sokka and Azula grow through their mistakes, learning to understand each other, fighting side by side, training together, dancing to no music, learning the underrated pleasure of proper communication in a relationship, sassing each other left and right, flirting in ridiculous ways, taunting each other in many regards, laughing at each other’s terrible jokes, protecting each other fiercely, challenging each other to a spicy ramen eating contest, discovering indirect bending, being highly inappropriate at times and places where they shouldn’t be, making long, dangerous yet fun journeys together, sneaking around to meet up when they’re not supposed to, standing by each other in their darkest moments, watching over the other when they’re sick/injured, being ready to sacrifice virtually anything for each other, and even defying and defeating even death to save each other...? Well, I don’t know if there’s any other stories where you might find all of this, but I can guarantee you’ll find it in Gladiator :)

If none of this is convincing enough... that’s a shame, but I understand. If it convinced you to give it a shot, however... I guess I’ll just hope you enjoy it enough to stick around! :) thanks for taking my story into consideration regardless of whatever you decide. Have a nice day!

#anon #ask #gladiator #self-promotion I guess?

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atla-hcs-and-bakoda · 4 years

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AU 2: Soulmark

(Ships: Katara x Aang x Toph, Mai x Ty Lee, Zuko x Sokka x Suki, Hakoda x Bato x Kya, Ursa x Ikem)

Taking inspiration from @incorrectzukka, soulmarks in this au appear when you love someone, wether it be platonic, romantic, or otherwise, and go grey when the friendship/relationship/etc is broken. It doesn’t go grey if they die, it just goes a bit duller in color, to represent the person not being there, but them still loving you and you still loving them.

People tend to collect markings from their family first, eventually branching out to get markings from their friends, lovers, anyone and everyone they love. People with a lot of love for everyone get a lot of markings, people with no markings are likely sympathised with, as they never had family, friends, or lovers that loved them enough to leave a mark. but sometimes, people are wary of the unmarked, as it might be the person themself who didnt love the people in their life enough.

-Ozai has no colored markings. He has two generally, iroh’s greyed marking of tea from when he was a young child, and his mother’s dulled marking of a fire lily from when he was born. He refuses to show them, or let anyone know they even exist.

-Hakoda was born with his parents marks (an arctic flower, perhaps a pasque flower, on his shoulder from his mother, and the water tribe’s helmet on his back from his father. his father’s has been dull for a long time) and over time got a water droplet on his upper arm from katara, a betrothel necklace low on his neck near his collarbone from kya, the three eye-shapes of bato’s helmet on his upper arm (opposite to katara’s), and many more from his friends and tribe. (a lot of his friend-markings are dulled now, it keeps him up at night.)

-Sokka, by the time katara was 1, had a bright blue water droplet on his neck from his sister, a full moon side by side with two crescent moons on his forearm from his father, an arctic flower on his shoulder blade from his grandmother, a betrothel necklace on the hollow his throat (same place as hakoda’s mark from her) from his mother, and a trio of eyes on the back of his neck just above the necklace from Bato. He also has some from the older men in the tribe that got attached to him, a few of those markings are either dulled or greyed, and sokka struggles to keep the tears away every time he sees one of the dulled markings.

-Katara has most of the same markings, with some different friend ones, but she meets aang, she gains his blue arrow quite quickly. its on the ‘back’ of her forearm from the elbow to the wrist. Sokka gets one as well, but a tiny bit slower, it starts at the ball of his shoulder and goes right down to his elbow, on the same arm as katara’s arrow.

-Aang gets katara’s on his inner wrist, sokka’s crossed sword and boomerang on his back, toph’s rough pair of boulders diagnal-and-down from sokka’s, suki’s gold fan on his leg, all of his air nomad friends and family’s dulled markings on the side of his ribs and on his chest, and zuko’s burn scar with a golden glare on his shoulder. Katara swears he keeps getting more markings each day.

-Zuko, pre-gaang, had only four markings. A greyed theatre mask on the left side of his ribs from his mother, a dulled flame with a heart in it over his own heart for lu ten, a cup of tea on his upper arm from iroh, and lightning bolts spreading out against the middle of his chest from azula. one dulled, one greyed, but iroh and azula’s never did either.

-post-joining-the-gaang, Zuko has 12 markings now. Jet’s greyed crossed hook-swords on his back, Mai’s throwing knife on his inner wrist (pointing up to his palm), Ty Lee’s pink star on the back of his neck, Katara’s droplet on his other wrist, sokka’s sword and boomerang on his shoulder, aang’s arrow starting at the start of his leg down to his knee, toph’s boulders on his back below jet’s mark, and suki’s fan on his shoulder blade. (8 from the gaang + jet, the other four from iroh, lu ten, ursa, and azula)

more to come, probably!

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sol-tinyrayofsun · 4 years

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Zutara Week Day 7 - Rebirth: I´ll Save You From Forgetfulness

Title: I´ll Save You From Forgetfulness

Rating: G

Summary: Across multiple lifetimes, Zuko and Katara have always chased after each other. They’re destined to be together, but having a soulmate isn’t as easy as it might seem. Especially if every time they’re reincarnated one of them completely forgets everything about the other.

This time is Zuko’s turn to be the one who remembers. And he’s more than ecstatic when Katara finally comes waltzing into his life. The only thing left to do is find a way of telling her the truth.

Also on AO3!

--- I just couldn’t let Zutara Week go by without writing a Soulmates AU for it. They’re one of my favorite kinds of stories and I’m really happy with how mine turned out.

In all honesty, the writing process for it consisted of me loudly singing and getting overly emotional at my own darn words. I’m just too soft for these two, alright? Bear with me. I low-key refuse to believe this week is coming to an end.

I hope you like it just as much as I’ve grown to do. As always, thank you for reading! <3 --------- It was her. Zuko had no doubt. It was her voice that he was hearing. A rush of adrenaline flashed through his entire body. Twenty years, two-hundred and forty months, a thousand and forty-two weeks, and seven-thousand and three-hundred days. That’s how long he had waited for her this time.

But now, hearing her scandalous laugh all the way from behind the countertop of his Uncle’s tea shop, he felt alive. It was always like that, the moment when they found each other once again. So far, it was already the highlight of his current existence.

He quickly turned around, leaning his elbows on top of the counter and trying to look for her. The salon as crowded as usual during the afternoons but it didn’t take him long to find who he was searching for amidst the sea of strangers.

There she was. About to be seated with a group of friends in the table by the window. It was breathtaking to finally see her after so long. Zuko felt her heart skipping a beat - or a hundred, he wasn’t entirely sure - as she sat down on one of the comfy green chairs of the shop.

Anyone else would have probably thought it was too much of a coincide for Katara to come waltzing into the tea shop he worked at. But Zuko was already used to their little coincidences. The two of them have shared many different lives, and it had always started with fate bringing them together in the first place.

They had learned not to push it, even though it would be near impossible for them to find each other instead of letting destiny do its job. Because there was the extremely annoying detail of how only one of them remembered about their lives together. Each reincarnation, they would interchange places, taking turns regarding who would be the lonely memorious and who would score the blissful obliviousness. It was certainly unpractical, but they were both used to it. And now, they had found each other again.

The only problem was, Zuko hated to be the one who remembered. Not only it implied years of solitude and melancholy, but it came with the complicated burden of reminding the other one about their whole ordeal. And trying to explain to someone that they’re your soulmates and you’ve shared multiple life isn’t easy at all. In fact, it was the worst. She had always handled it far better than him. Though it was his turn now, he had to help her remember him. Remember them.

“Uncle!” Zuko exclaimed as he put down the rag he had been cleaning teacups with, heading to the back of the house. “You mind if I take care of the salon for some time? I could use a dynamic swap.”

His uncle looked at him from inside the kitchen, busy preparing an egg custard pie. “Sure, as long as the to-go counter isn’t too busy…. Lee should be able to handle it.”

“Perfect.” He couldn’t contain the energy that had taken over him. Even his voice sounded overly enthusiastic. “I’ll go wait the tables then.”

With that been said, Zuko sprinted to the salon. Not without making sure to check himself out in a small mirror that hung from the corridor’s wall. He looked decent enough. His scar was the only thing that could surprise her. Though, actually, it couldn’t surprise her since she wouldn’t even remember what he looked like without it. Taking a deep breath, he marched up to her table.

Oh Agni, how foolish of him had been to underestimate the moment his eyes met hers for the first time in years. It was her, Katara, with those ocean blue eyes and her ridiculously kind smile. He would’ve recognized his soulmate anywhere.

Alright, enough staring. Take their order once and for all.

Her friend group seemed nice, though perhaps a little loud. It consisted of two other girls and two other boys. The five of them looked like they were having a great time.

“Hello! My name is Zuko, and I will be taking care of your table this afternoon.” He made sure to put in his brightest, most charming smile. “Can I take your order or would you prefer to have a couple more minutes?”

“Guys!” Katara’s voice echoed in his ears. “Are you ready to order?”

Her four friends seemed to be caught off guard. Perhaps he had arrived a little to early at their table.

“Sist, give me a sec,” One of the boys said. “I’m helping Toph decide what to get.”

Zuko hadn’t noticed one of the girls was blind. She seemed to handle herself remarkably well. He also hadn’t even considered the possibility of meeting Katara’s family that soon. She had a brother, an older one from what he looked like, named Sokka. The guy seemed to be around his age, whether Katara was definitely one or two years younger in this new lifetime.

“I’m sorry,” Katara said to him, looking straight into his eyes. He felt his pulse racing like never before in his current life. “I swear they do this everywhere we go. It shouldn’t take more than a minute. We’ve just dropped our bags at the hotel next door, and they’re still jumpy from all that traveling.”

There’s nothing to be sorry for, Zuko thought, delighted at the fact that she was already addressing him, and sharing a bit of her life. Any progress was valid, no matter how little it seemed.

“Oh no, don’t apologize,” he replied, making a courteous smile. “I’ll happily take your order in the meantime. So you’re staying at the Ember Hotel, then?”

“Yeah, it’s got a nice central location, we want to explore the city all we can,” she replied. “Oh, and thanks, I’ll have a hibiscus tea and a blueberry muffin.”

Hibiscus tea? Katara must’ve been feeling adventurous because Zuko was certain chamomile and rose tea was her favorite one. But the news of her staying at the hotel right next door had been enough to have him almost jumping all over the place. What a marvelous coincidence. Just as always.

“Got it,” he said as he wrote it down on his notepad. “Anyone else ready to order?”

The girl whose name he didn’t know yet was the first to speak. “I’ll have a peppermint tea and a granola bar. Thanks.”

“And I would like a green tea and a portion of egg custard pie, please,” The other guy said.

Katara’s brother finally looked at him. “Sorry for the wait. I’ll have a ginger tea and a fruit cake.”

“And I’ll take the Puerh tea with a cheese roll, thank you very much,” Toph added.

“Alright, great, thank you. I’ll be sure to bring your order as soon as it’s ready.” He closed down his notepad and placed it into his apron’s pocket.

“Thank you, Zuko.” Katara’s voice was like music to him. “Sorry again for the delay.”

“Seriously, don’t worry about it.” He smiled at her as he started to walk away.

Not even ten minutes of finding her and she had already said his name, shared a bit about her plans and told him she was staying next door. Not bad at all. Zuko smiled, sprinting to get their order ready. He had a good feeling about this lifetime.

From what he was able to gather by their chatter as he brought their food and drinks to the table, the five of them were there as part of their summer road trip all the way from Omashu. The good news was they planned to stay for a few days at Ba Sing Se. But the downside was just how far away from him Omashu really was. He would have to hurry this time around and figure out a way to tell Katara the truth before she left.

The evening had fallen upon the city, with the sun going down on the horizon. Zuko looked at his soulmate from behind the counter, admiring her from the distance. She looked happy amongst her friends. Yet a couple of times her eyes wandered across the room, seemingly searching for something. He understood that feeling. Even when he had been the one who didn’t remember a thing, a sensation of loss was always there, creeping behind his back. That feeling was a constant reminder that there was something - someone - missing from their existence. That thing was each other.

Speeding up his pace, Zuko marched up to Katara’s table to bring her the credit card receipt. It hadn’t surprised him in the slightest that she had offered to pay for the entire group. Her kindness stayed intact no matter what lifetime. He was already scheming what his move could be to secure seeing her again soon.

“Alright guys, I have your receipt,” he said with a cheerful tone when he got there. “Was everything okay with your order?”

“Yeah, thank you,” the older girl said.

He smiled, trying not to stare at Katara. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Actually,” Sokka rushed to say. “My sister here was just wondering if you were open early during tomorrow’s morning.”

For her? I could come here at the crack of dawn.

“I have a meeting at 9:00 am not so far away,” Katara explained. “I would rather have breakfast here before leaving.”

That was perfect. Way better than his very awkward options on how to get her number. If she came to the shop the next morning, he would definitely see her again.

“We open at 8:00 am sharp. I’ll actually be working the morning shift tomorrow, so I can assure you, the business will run just as usual.”

Her face lightened up. “That’s perfect, thanks.”

“Here are the credit card receipts, if you could please sign this.” He handed her the restaurant’s copy of the receipt.

Katara complied. Her friends were talking about their plans for the next day.

“There you go,” she said with a smile. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He felt his heart skip a beat just by hearing her say those words. His eyes met hers, and he swore he sensed electricity in the air.

“Thank you,” he replied as he took back the bill folder. “See you tomorrow. I hope all of you enjoyed your meal.”

“It was very good, thank you,” the younger looking boy said.

“My pleasure. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” With that said, Zuko turned around and headed back to the counter.

He was seeing her again, in less than twenty-four hours. After twenty years of looking for her in every stranger, she had finally come to him.

————

Katara stood by the entrance of The Jasmine Dragon. It was an original name for a tea shop, she had to admit that. The entire structure of the place was beautiful. In comparison to the hotel she was staying at next door, whoever designed the place did a far superior job.

She checked the time on her face, 8:00 am sharp. Her habit of being early had extended even to breakfast with herself. A familiar face rushed to open the front door for her.

“Good morning,” Zuko greeted her. “Sorry if I kept you waiting, during the morning shift it’s only me and my uncle, at least until noon.”

A smile framed her face as she stepped into the shop. “It’s fine, really, it’s not even 8:01 yet.”

“Well, the good news is you can choose wherever you would like to sit at the most,” he said as he closed the door behind her.

She looked around the place for a minute. It would be a little too lonely to sit on one of the huge tables by the windows all by herself. The small ones weren’t too bad, but she still wasn’t feeling it. Then she set her eyes on the countertop, with a handful of stools to sit on right by it. Behind was the tea making station.

Staring for a split second at the guy who had welcomed her in, she knew where she wanted to sit. Something prompted her to make that choice.

“You mind if I sit by the counter? I could use a little company.” Her voice showed the considerable strain of nervousness that had suddenly taken over her.

But she was met with the warmest of smiles.

“How could I mind? Come in, please.” He guided her there, going behind the bar once she had comfortably sat on one of the stools.

Twirling around on the spot, she took a good look at the menu hanging from the wall.

“Anything you could recommend to me? I’m sure you’re familiar with the house’s specialties.”

“Mmm, let me see,” he made a playful smirk. “I have a feeling chamomile and rose tea is a good fit for you. And I would definitely eat a chocolate-strawberry macaroon if I were you.”

Hold up. Chamomile tea was actually her favorite. And Agni knew she loved anything that included chocolate and strawberries. His guess had been more than spot on.

“I love it! I feel like you’ve somehow read my mind,” she giggled. “Thanks, Zuko.”

“Who knows, maybe I did. You’re welcome…” the boy raised a brow, clearly waiting for her to tell him her name.

“Katara,” she rushed to say. “That’s my name.”

“Wonderful name if you let me say so,” he mumbled. “Well, Katara, your order is coming right up.”

Zuko got to work, meanwhile, she took out a small folder from her bag. She had to be ready for the orientation meeting at Ba Sing Se University. It wasn’t like every day one gets accepted to one of the most prestigious schools in the country. She went through her various notes that detailed every detail about the place. She was way too excited to start there in the fall.

Katara couldn’t help but shift her sight up from the pages and to Zuko. There was something a little too familiar about him. She wasn’t entirely sure of what but it was still there. His presence was reassuring, it made her feel safe, understood. Amidst the uncertainty of being weeks away from moving to a completely new city, alone, she felt enchanted to meet him.

“One chamomile and rose tea for the lady, with some chocolate-strawberry delight in the side.” His voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Getting ready for the meeting, huh?”

Perhaps if anyone else had asked her, she would’ve felt uncomfortable. But him? She felt like they’ve already had a million conversations like that before.

She moved her things to the side, leaving room for her breakfast. “Yeah, I have the orientation session at Ba Sing Se University, just a few blocks away. I’m starting there in the fall.”

She noticed his eyes lightening like a bonfire. He chuckled, smiling.

“No way, I go there! Congrats on your acceptance, you’re going to love it there.”

“You’re kidding, right? That’s great, I feel like I’ve already made a friend.” She felt herself blushing at the warmth of her words. “Is the school everything it advertises to be?”

“Well, food and dorms could use some improvements, but the classes are amazing. I’ve learned more in two years there than I did during all my high school career.”

Katara just wanted to know him better, now. The coincidence that had settled upon them was extraordinary.

“What’s your major?” she asked, taking a sip of her tea. It was the best one she’d ever had. “Oh, this is great by the way. I think I’m going to be a regular around here.”

His cheeks turned red as his eyes glowed with excitement. “You’re more than welcome to claim that stool as your own from now on. I’m double majoring in English Literature and Creative Writing.”

“That’s great! Can’t wait to say I knew you once you’re a renamed author.”

A part of her couldn’t believe the way she was talking to him. Like she already knew him. In all honestly, she felt like actually she did.

“Um, hopefully, you’ll still know me?” Zuko fought a stutter. “And what about you? You’ve got your major picked out?”

She blushed a little while hearing his statement. “Yeah, I’m on the pre-med track. For now, I think I’ll major in Health and Human sciences.”

“Pre-med? Whoa, you’re in for the long run.” He leaned his elbows on the countertop, looking thoroughly at her. “What about your friends, any of them coming with you?”

She took a moment to savor her macaroon before answering. “Not really, though my brother and his girlfriend go to the Polytechnic University at Chameleon Bay, it’s not that far away. But Aang and Toph still have one year left till college.”

Zuko let out a slight whistle. “Really? That’s a top school, cheers to them.”

And so their conversation carried on, in between tea and macaroons. Words flowed effortlessly through them, never running out of things to say. Katara wanted to know everything about, to listen to all about his hopes and dreams. There was an unspoken connection between them. It was something she had never felt with anyone before.

The sound of the doorbell ringing made Zuko straighten up on the spot, looking ready to greet in the new customers. She watched him as he excused himself and approached an old couple sitting by the window.

Once he returned to the counter, he gifted her with an apologetic smile.

“I would love to keep talking to you if you don’t mind me running all over the place while we’re at it,” he told her.

Katara was about to tell him she didn’t mind in the slightest when her eyes set on the clock hanging from the wall. 8:45 am. How did the time go by so quickly?

“Zuko, I’m really sorry but I’ve got to run! My orientation starts in fifteen minutes.”

His face practically fell to the floor. “Oh, I see. No problem, I wouldn’t want you to be late.”

“How much is it?” she asked, taking out her wallet.

“Don’t worry, it’s on the house.” He smiled. “Take it as a ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ kinda thing.”

“You’re sure? I feel like it’s unfair, I shouldn’t,” she mumbled in response.

“Nonsense,” he said. “It’s the least I can do.”

The least you can do, for what? Katara thought, still not moving from her - because she had already claimed it as her own - stool. But she didn’t think about it twice. What was really worrying was the prospect of not seeing Zuko again.

“Will you be here this afternoon?” she timidly asked.

“Yeah, I get off at six.” His eyes acquired a new spark to them. “If you’re free… I was wondering… um, well - I could show you around town. You know, all your stereotypical college hangout places.”

She felt her heart skipping a beat. There was nothing she wanted more.

“I would love that! Any particular spot in mind for tonight?”

The smile on his face was priceless. “Well, if you’re in the mood for a good laugh, there’s this karaoke bar my classmates and I go to when we’re feeling adventurous.”

She was feeling adventurous, more than expected. “Karaoke bar? Count me in. Meet you here at 6:30?”

“Your friends won’t hate me for stealing you away from them?” Zuko asked.

“They’ll survive a night without me,” she shrugged. “Alright, I really gotta run now. I’ll see you tonight, right?” She started to get up from the stool.

“See you at 6:30,” Zuko replied, a triumphal grin tattooed on his face.

With that being said, Katara sprinted towards the entrance of the shop. Running to her orientation session, she already couldn’t wait to see him again.

———

Momo’s Karaoke Bar was jam-packed like any other Friday night. But there was something very different in the atmosphere, Zuko could feel it with every fiber of his being. He was with her. It was as if all of a sudden he had started to feel things with more intensity. Nothing unusual once you’ve reincarnated a handful of times, but the thrill of those first few moments with her was always the sweetest.

The two soulmates were sitting down on a table by the corner, listening to all the brave singers and laughing at some of the most grandiloquent performances.

Katara was absolutely stunning that night - not that it surprised him - with a royal blue dress that exacerbated the ocean of her eyes. Her staple hair loops were also there, framing her face just in the way he loved so much. Lifetime after lifetime, her hairstyle was something he could always count on to be able to recognize the woman he loved.

“Oh Agni, I can’t believe they’re actually singing this song!” Katara laughed, slowly humming to the beat of the music.

“Pop! Goes My Heart” was playing, and the performance a bunch of pretty drunk guys was going lived up to the expectations of such tune.

“You’ve seen the movie?” he asked. “I’m always here for a cheerful Hugh Grant film.”

“I love that movie! It kind of makes me wish I could have the ability to write a somewhat decent song though.”

If only Katara knew she had actually been quite the amateur songwriter just two lifetimes ago. Zuko had to repress a laugh as he remembered the way she chased after him all over their quiet downtown home, singing to him every single lyric she could think of. That life was amongst his personal favorites.

“What are you smiling about?” she inquired, a playful smirk lightening up her face.

Darn, he must’ve been too obvious. Agni, he was dying to tell her. But he didn’t want to risk her thinking he was some kind of lunatic. He remembered the way she had almost called the cops on him during his first time being the one who remembered. Yikes, that had been an awkward reunion.

“Nothing, I’m just wondering if you’re going to get up there and sing something,” he said as he took a bite from the pizza they were sharing.

Katara let out a soft laugh. “Are you challenging me?”

“Maybe. I’m still on the fence about it.” He was not about to let her coerce him into climbing up the stage and singing a tune. There was no way he would do that alone.

She raised a brow. “What if I tell you I’ll go up there in exchange of you singing one song with me?”

“You’re not going to make me sing all by myself?”

“I have a feeling you’ll never do such a thing.”

Agni, she already knew him too well for having no clue of their past lives together. Perhaps this time her memories had somehow started manifesting - in the form of hunches or gut feelings - before he even got the chance to tell her about it.

“Look at you, already reading my mind,” he teased. “Alright, one song. But I’ll pick the tune and you can definitely go first.”

She stuck her tongue out to him. “Perfect. You ready to hear me sing something really cheesy?”

Zuko had been ready for two decades.

He chuckled, marveled at how easy things had turned out to be in the current lifetime. “Go ahead, dazzle me.”

Once it was finally their turn, he watched Katara climb up the stage, smiling timidly at him. He threw his thumbs up in the air, showing her his support.

Much to his surprise, she started singing “Everything Has Changed” by Taylor Swift. She seemed to have taken the cheesy part very seriously. Still, it was sweet. He could feel his heart melting on the spot as he eased into the sound of her voice.

“‘Cause all I know is we said ‘hello’ and your eyes look like coming home”

Those lyrics had really started to get into his head. The song was a little too relatable at the moment. What if…?

“Tell me why I’m feeling like I’ve missed you all this time. Meet me there tonight and let me know that it’s not all in my mind”

Alright, he was getting the memo. She couldn’t have possibly chosen that song by a sheer coincidence, right?

“All I know since yesterday… Is everything has changed.”

Perhaps Katara was ready to know the truth.

The song ended, and Zuko was met by the tenderest of blue eyes. He started cheering and clapping, making sure everyone in the room knew just how much he cared for her. It was exhilarating to realize he could actually have a chance of explaining everything to her.

“Now I want to call up to the stage the person that made me come here in the first place. Get up here, Zuko! I hope you’ve got your song ready.” Katara’s voice worked like a charm.

He instantly knew what tune he wanted to sing. If her song had a hidden message to it, he might as well do the same. Climbing on the stage, he made sure to let the employee know “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters was his choice. Luckily for him, they had the duet version of the lyrics available.

“You ready?” Katara asked him.

“Always been,” he replied as he made a playful smirk.

The first riffs of the guitar started playing, and he started humming to the beat.

“Hello, I’ve waited here for you… Everlong.”

As Zuko sang those first words, he thought about how perfect that night was. Those lyrics would hopefully make Katara understand their connection was more than real.

“Tonight, I throw myself into and out of the red.”

Katara’s voice made his heart feel like it was about to explode. He wanted - no, he needed - to tell her the truth. They were ready.

“And I wonder when I sing along with you if anything could ever feel this real forever. If anything could ever be this good again…”

He needed her to understand. He needed to help her remember. They deserved better than the constant forgetfulness they had been doomed with.

“The only thing I’ll ever ask of you, you gotta promise not to stop when I say when…”

It was decided. Zuko was going to tell Katara they were soulmates. Tonight.

Walking down Primrose Park, Zuko was barely able to contain his excitement. Their date had been the greatest thing that had happened to him in all that lifetime. Well, but that wasn’t really a surprise.

The surprise was the way Katara seemed to be feeling the same way so easily. He remembered other times when things had turned out to be a little too complicated. But there, looking at the starry night sky, he felt like anything was possible.

Seeing they were approaching a bench, he decided to go for it.

“Hey, you mind if we sit down for a second?” he asked her. “There’s something I would like to talk to you about.”

Katara made a slight yet surprised frown. “Sure, what is it?”

They were sitting down, it seemed to be only the two of them at the park.

Zuko took one hell of a deep breath before speaking. “I know you’ve only known me for one day. Um, well.” He cursed himself for mumbling. “Don’t you feel like we’ve met before?”

“Well… Yes,” she hesitated. “I feel something like that. Crazy, right?”

“Katara, what if I tell you it’s not crazy at all? What if I tell you we’ve had this conversation before?”

“I would say there was something shady with that mocktail you drank,” she joked, yet the look in her eyes didn’t correlate with her words. “Why?”

“Because I think deep down you know we’ve talked about this before.” His heart was furiously racing on his chest.

“But how?” Katara whispered, looking concerned. “Zuko, that’s impossible.”

“It’s not impossible, not for us.” He brushed the back of her hands with his fingertips, trying to acquire the strength to tell her. “Are you familiar with the concept of soulmates?”

Her eyes showed that the word had rung a bell somewhere in the back of her mind. She looked mesmerized by his honesty. Still, she hadn’t moved her hand.

“Yes. Of course, I’m familiar with the concept, it’s all over pop culture.”

Oh, Katara, if you only remembered the adventures we’ve lived together… You would know I’m talking about something very different from that.

“Well… They are real… At least from our experience. And whenever soulmates are reborn into another life, they have a way of finding each other again. The only problem is, one of them doesn’t remember anything about the other.”

“Our experience?” Katara flinched. “Zuko, what are you even saying?”

He couldn’t keep running in circles, he had to tell her. There was no point in confusing her even more.

“We are soulmates, Katara,” he blurted out, gasping for air. “We’ve lived almost a dozen lives before, together. And each damn time we reincarnate one of us forgets everything. This life, that’s you.”

She stood up, looking preoccupied. “No, that’s insane. That’s impossible.” Despite her words, she didn’t walk away.

Zuko dragged himself to his feet, scared of having rushed into it. “Please, listen to me. I know you feel it too. How do you think I know your favorite kind of tea? How do you think you knew that I wouldn’t dare to sing by myself? We already know each other.”

He noticed the look of utter realization in her eyes. She knew.

“But…” Her voice was trembling. “How can I not remember? How could I forget about my own soulmate?”

He grasped her hand, softly caressing her skin. “It just happens, Kat, I’m sorry if I rushed to tell you. I thought you were ready.”

She interlaced her fingers into his, her eyes starting to turn a bit watery. “Zuko, I think I believe you. Don’t ask me why, but I believe you. Agni, this can't be happening.”

“Come on.” He tugged her hand. “Let’s sit down again.”

A moment of silence made its way around them. Fingers still intertwined and both of their hearts racing. Zuko wasn’t sure whether he should say something or not.

“Were we happy?” Katara’s voice cut through the night air like a blade.

“What?”

“In those past lives you´ve talked about…. Were we happy?”

“Oh.” He hesitated. “Yes, in most of them. Sometimes it took us longer to find each other, though we always managed. But yes, we were happy together. Two lives ago you were actually a songwriter like you mentioned earlier.”

Her cheeks turned red. “That’s what you were smiling about?”

“Well… Yes. That life was a great one. We lived down there at Gaoling, in a beautiful countryside house. We used to walk the kids to school every day.”

“... The kids?” She looked like she was about to cry. “We had a family together?”

“We’ve had many families together, Kat. And I’ve loved every one of them. I’ve loved you across many different lifetimes.”

A single tear ran down her face. “I hate not remembering anything,” she declared, with her voice trailing off.

“I promise you sometimes obliviousness is all I wish for. Though you’ve always preferred to be the one who remembers. But it’ll all come back to you eventually. Once I tell you, the memories seem to return.”

“Really?” She shook her head. “Even if I don’t remember what happened… I think I remember the feeling. How it feels to love you. How scared I was of losing you every single time.”

“So there you go,” he said, smiling. “We’re soulmates. I can’t believe this turned out so well. I mean, you’re going to move here in the fall. That’s a hell of a lot easier than the last time.”

Another beat of silence. Until Katara took his hand into hers.

“You said you’ve loved me across many lifetimes…”

He felt a lump on his throat. “And I did. I do, I love you, Katara.”

“I think I love you too, Zuko. Even if I don’t remember our past lives. I love you for who you are right now.”

His heart was pounding on his chest. It felt liberating to hear her say those words. Knowing he had done the right thing, Zuko allowed himself to just breathe.

They stared into each other’s eyes, sharing the bond between them with only the moon and stars as witnesses. They had grown increasingly closes, with their noses almost touching.

In a split second, Katara leaned forward and kissed him. Everything else inmediately stopped mattering to him.

————

She remembered.

Katara remembered everything.

In the middle of her kiss with Zuko, running her fingers through his hair, it had all come back to her.

The house by the countryside, their two kids, the way she chased after him all around their home to get him to listen to the newest lyrics she had written. One life they had spent at the South Pole together, living in a little hut and watching sunsets every single night. Another time - many decades ago - when they had met at the Fire Nation, where he was a crown king and she had been assigned as the ambassador for her village. Dozens of lives, dozens of first kisses, dozens of times they’ve had the conversation that had just taken place.

All of the sudden, Katara had remembered every last detail of their multiple existences together. Peace. That was all she felt. Utter and complete peace.

Yes, there were a million things she wanted to ask him about the current lifetime. But that could all wait. They had an entire life ahead of them.

“Zuko,” she exclaimed, breaking apart from their kiss. “I remember.”

“What?” He still had his arms around her waist.

“I remember everything.” Tears of joy started to stream down her cheeks. Still, a playful smirk lightened up her face. “I’m honored to be kissing you, Fire Lord.”

“Spirits, Katara!” He started kissing all over her face. “You remember.”

“I love you so much,” she cried. “Thank you for telling me sooner this time.”

“I’m not sure if I’m even going to let you go back to Omashu now. Twenty years without you were enough.”

“We can worry about the logistics later,” she said, smiling. “Now I think we deserve another kiss after managing to sort things out so quickly this time.”

“Yes, my lady,” Zuko complied, the warmest grin spread across his face. “I think we do.¨

With that being said, they went back to kissing each other. Just like they had done a dozen lifetimes before. Nothing felt sweeter or more regarding than being able to be in each other’s arms again.

------ “Everything Has Changed” accompanied me in every step of writing this story. When it came to deciding what to do for their date, I just knew I had to do the karaoke bar thing and include it on the narrative. I really hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Feel free to tell me what you think about it! <3

And thank you to everyone for joining me for Zutara Week! It was truly a pleasure to take part in such an amazing event. I can't believe it´s already over. I’m so happy I got to be a small part of it. Lots of love to everyone out there! @zutaraweek

#zutara #zutara week 2020 #zutara fanfiction #zuko x katara #every week is zutara week baby

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uwumessenger · 4 years

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Could you do the RFA and ofc V and Saeran in an ATLA universe? I love your stuff!

omg yes ofcofc ! sorry some are kinda short lol ;-; but i hope u enjoy B) i’m rewatching atla for the fourth time this quarantine wHEW

btw i feel like mc would be the avatar here...like imagine taking down rika and saving yoosung and shit lmao omg. if you reply/reblog with ur own headcanons for yourself or an oc that would be awesome sauce id love to see it although i highly doubt anyone would do that LOLOLOL IDK BUT IT’S AN OPTION

also SPOILERS for rika’s back story. if the name mika doesnt ring a bell, it’ll be a major spoiler!!!

btw i added rika as well. i was scratching my head @ how to make the plot similar while also staying as cannon as possible but i dont think that’d really work here? so sorry if the relationships are kinda confusing LMAO so saeran is not seven’s brother in this universe. mostly bc the sibling relationship between azula and zuko seemed more fitting for rika and saeran, not saeyoung and saeran, so saeran is rika’s broski here. rika and v had no romantic relationship here, too. lastly, mika is rika’s dad in this au, so she’s genderbent. will be referred to as mikah !

Yoosung

i cant imagine him living anywhere other than ba sing se

hes a pretty good earthbender but he doesnt participate in any underground fight clubs or anything

and he would definitely work in a tea shop

but he eventually joins the dai li UH OH

MC plz save this kid

Zen

um WATER TRIBE

but he cant bend </3

he definitely performs at a water tribe theater and carries every single show

helps MC find a waterbending teacher

hes kinda like sokka and is one of the reasons why MC’s team avatar can function well

honestly zen kinda reminds me of the cabbage guy too so when hes older he’d probably have a business but it’d constantly get destroyed HAHAHA

Jaehee

airbender type beat

jaehee is a MASTER and she trains avatar MC

kinda like avatar yangchen tbh

she is apart of the white lotus !! and an absolute boss at pai sho and teaches MC how to play as well

peaceful queen

would secretly watch zen’s plays on ember island before he joined team avatar and is super excited when he joins them

Jumin

jumin is a firebender

he’d be like piandao except he can bend as well. he’s the person that trains MC in firebending

invented wine in this timeline

and dont worry, elizabeth the third still exists here!! he enjoys tea with only her

part of the white lotus gang gang gang

secret fun fact: when MC was on a rest day, jumin asked zen if he wanted to train as a swordsman. zen agrees and jumin became zen’s master B)

Saeyoung/707

earthbender!!!

hes like toph; the most powerful and skilled earthbender out there

likes to make inventions in his downtime as well

and helps zen with strategizing for attack plans and whatnot

he joins team avatar and trains MC

was never really into tea and preferred inventing weird sugary drinks throughout team avatar’s journey

pop up note: the spoilers for rika’s backstory will be in rika’s hc (but is first mentioned in saeran’s) which is coming up!! scroll past or click off now if u dont want to read da spoilerz

v is lit rally just uncle iroh but younger

he does his best to get saeran back on the right path no matter what

he’d be a grand lotus in the white lotus

plays pai sho w/ jaehee every now and then

gives MC a lot of advice when they need it most. over a cup of tea ofc

yoosung’s therapist after ys leaves the dai li

also saeran’s full time therapist

and he always cares for saeran...but thinks rika is beyond repair and not worth trying to help

Saeran

literally zuko

BUT he cant firebend....considered weak and is easily manipulated by rika

eventually gets banished from the fire kingdom for embarrassing his family once so

also went into a coma after doing one (1) good thing

cant make good tea even if his life depended on it

is good by the end of the story and works with zen at his business as well as trains with jumin

wont admit it but he sees v as a father figure especially since mikah was such a shitty one lol

Rika

ok look i LOVE female villains but i do not like rika for some reason

rika is azula on crack

whoever her mom was, is long gone lol like ursa

fire lord mikah convinces rika that the fire nation is so organized and well structured that they deserve to take over the entire world but dies before their first attack

this is a nod to mika being the real brains behind mint eye and passing away before she could see it get carried out

rika believes that mikah died bc she is much more powerful than him and the universe would rather have her be the one to take over all the nations

by the end of everything no one knows what happens to rika. there’s an intense battle between her and the avatar but rika’s end is all dependent on what the MC decides.

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zuzuslastbraincell · 4 years

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Katara!

KATARA KATARA KATARA

why I like them

oh god where do i even start. katara just contains so many multitudes - she's sweet and feminine and caring and attentive but she's never reduced to just that, she's never just 'the girl', she's also allowed to get mad, to be petty, to laugh at her brother, to be headstrong and stubborn, to express vulnerability, to cry and to laugh, to make ridiculous facial expressions and *be* very expressive. she's dealing with a lot of trauma not simply from the loss of her mother but that loss represents also how her tribe have been decimated by the fire nation, how she's the last waterbender, how all this pressure exists on her shoulders (but also pride, but also determination, to bring it back) and that is expressed subtly throughout the series with the same depth and love that male characters are afforded with regard to their respective traumatic experiences. and despite all this she never tries to stop making the world good? She's always pushing for change, she's always wanting to make things better, she's relentless and doesn't give up when it comes to her vision for a better world... she has such a big heart. and that coexists with a deep anger in her, and deep hurt. Not to make an ocean metaphor so early on but she's as deadly and deep as the ocean but she chooses to be kind and warm and that's so powerful.

why i don't

honnestly while katara's instincts to mother people are a sad symptom of how she was forced to grow up to soon and automaically asigns herself a role of emotional responsibility she has mixed feelings about, i know that if katara tried to mother me, i would be annoyed. but that sounds more like a me problem.

favourite episode

oh it's either the episode where she beats the fucking shit out of pakku or it's the southern raiders. the first one because it's so gratifying to see how she's grown and developed as a bender and really come into her own. the second because... god i love how *messy* the southern raiders is, and it really taps into what i love about katara - she's flawed, she runs off on an ill-thought out revenge mission with zuko, she's got a great capability for darkness as she quite seriously considers murdering a man she has every right to loathe and to kill - but she chooses against it, in the end. it would not be right for her, if not him. she chooses what's right for her in the end.

favourite season

I'm gonna be a wee bit controversial and say book 1 had the best conception of katara's arc from student to master and really saw her grow and flourish, from someone yelling at her brother' oafish prejudice to a real master, that really solidified her as an idealist and presented that as the strength that is, that showed her struggling with petty jealousy of aang's progress and had her stumble in ways that made her character comeplling and interesting - like what an introduction to her character! book 2 had some fantastic moments but i can't think of anything particularly remarkable about hee character arc - largely because it tied into aang's romantic arc i think at this point. book 3 had some absolutely fantastic moments (scam queens katara and toph!! painted lady!! southern raiders!! the final agni kai) that really shone but also book 3 lays a lot of groundwork for fanon i hate (e.g. katara as the mom friend - wish that headcanon would die tbh)

favourite line

fuck there's a lot of good ones but my underrated fave is when sokka says he's kissed a girl before but she's never met her and katara says 'Who? Gran-gran? I've met gran-gran' and it's bruuutaaall

but my favourite serious line is 'I will never ever give up on people who need me'. powerful.

favourite outfit

water tribe anything!! and i actually think her book one/book two braids are her best hair. underrated katara hair. personally she looks just adorable in her parka in the flashback to when she was like. eight.

OTP

katara/personal fulfilment

katara/happiness

katara/fulfilling her goals and dreams

katara/loving minor background character who is never named

there's some ships i like in AU situations - yuetara is actually one i lov, especially with waterbender yue, i just love the whole sea/moon thing as well as katara and yue rebelling in loud/quiet ways, being girlfriends who refuse to have their lives defined by the expectations of older men, who have a great sense of duty towards their nations and won’t let gendered expectations stop them.

and most of you know i like the messy drama of katara/azula in a lighter AU situation where they're like, school or academic rivals, and the legacy of imperialism isn’t quite so personal (and azula makes better choices, obviously), but it’s not as much as i “ship” them as i just find the potential dynamic interesting, they’re both driven by a sense of duty for their home, it’s just that means *very* different things depending if you’re SWT or FN.

none of them are OTPs though - they’re more just fun thought experiments

brotp

katara & sokka - absolutely love their sibling dynamic its amazing. both have been impacted negatively by the shit in their lives and are not always dealing with it in functional ways but theyre there for each other, through thick and thin, always have each other's backs, they roast each other and bicker and sometimes make stupid decisions and sometimes lash out but at the end of the day their love pulls through, they’re able to work past those conflicts.

katara & aang - honestly while i feel kataang was just so poorly executed in the show (listen guys I just can’t after ember island players, i know that was a bad episode, but i can’t) & i cant imagine katara wanting to leave the south pole after the war for long spells (it would have to be long distance love, lots of profound and heartfelt letters and occasional visits, if anything, but i dont know if that’s what katara wants or needs? so maybe it wouldn’t pan out?), but regardless, i really do think these two had a life-changing friendship where each really represented hope for each other, that's at the core of it, they both truly believe in each other, and inspired each other. katara & aang good.

a headcanon

chief katara anyone?? chief katara?!?!

oh oh OH i also think that katara, while primarily a combat bender during the war, actually takes to healing a lot more after the show and gets proper healing training at some point with the help of a trained medical expert and maybe yugoda. tbh i feel like the show was a bit dismissive of healing as an ability - i feel like having that is *extremely* useful in any combat situation, you always have a medic on hand - but i understand why katara, who wanted to be recognised as powerful regardless of her gender, and wanted to hold herself in a fight alongside sokka & aang, pushed for combat waterbending training because that is what 'powerful' looks like to her in the moment. obviously katara is capable of incredible healing feats (see: saving aang) but i think given we see her as a healer in lok (not a decision i necessarily disagree with) would mean a shift in focus. i think katara actually comes to realise she likes healing a great deal, but really she excels in all aspects of waterbending and is the south’s most respected master who helped rejuvenate southern style waterbending

unpopular opinion

the main reason people think katara is straight is because we see her have very few meaningful interactions with other girls outside of toph. ATLA as a show is a bit romance obsessed, and very heteronormative in that regard, and so interactions with minor characters almost always line up with a potential crush for sokka or katara, and later, zuko (suki, haru, jet, yue, song, jin....). we rarely see katara build friendships with other girls and it’s such a damn shame.

(anyway bi katara for life)

a wish

the version of the puppetmaster we saw was actually fire nation propaganda, i feel like katara would have felt deep compassion for a prisoner of war and after maybe some clashes, would have agreed to help smuggle her out of the fire nation and secure passage home for hama, and tried to assure her that she still has a place there. the treatment of hama in that episode was awful (but also hama was written to be almost cartoonishly evil, very much an evil witch in her cottage in the spooky woods? like the whole horror movie / spooky story opening was such a big tell) and tbh i reject the thesis that we saw ‘katara’s dark potential’ in that episode completely, or that bloodbending as a power is inherently dark, or katara’s use of it to stop hama ‘corrupted’ her. I feel like katara might feel this way as a teenager perhaps but with time (she can be a little black and white at times), and especially with more training as a healer, i think she might realise that’s not the case, she’ll realise that she was right to try and oppose hama, her elder (she was lashing out rather than really trying to oppose the fire nation), and it wasn’t a betrayal of her or her beliefs, but also her use of bloodbending wasn’t wrong or evil inherently at all? and maybe she’d find ways to use it for healing purposes? anyway my wish is that, i like the idea that they meet again, speak about their differences, reconcile a little / come to an understanding, and katara learns more from hama again

an oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen

anything where katara’s character is reduced to a comforter or a healing device for a man and his trauma. particularly zuko. (they don’t have that dynamic in canon thankfully, zuko would never, zuko respects her too much)

5 words to describe them:

idealistic, hard-working, powerful, headstrong, kind

my nickname for them:

chief. or comrade. :^)

#katara

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merseysunset · 4 years

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Young!Linzin (my own version) and Older!Linzin for a series au that's much more interesting in my head. I like Pema I really do in LoK (Not to mention she could've been OP if the creator's had balls) but like give us an actual reason as to why this power couple wouldn't have killed it in the show instead.

Lin isn't an officer because that universe doesn't exist in my head. Toph instead stayed as a metalbending/earthbending teacher which Lin then followed (by the boar on her outfit, honouring her family roots though). Also, Bare Feet! Because ofc she would have that to better her siesmic senses. She protests for equal rights in Republic City because I think it would've been a better intro to Amon's agenda through a likable character (You know, if you want to pull the BS that he wasn't a loon still). Also, a sword! Because why the benders have no other weapons in the series when clearly they need them is a mystery. She still has her scars because Suyin still marks her.

***If you like Suyin, ignore this because I don't and think she deserves more ire for her actions in the series. In my head for this one, Suyin 180° on Toph by joining the police force (They are mainly corrupt and violent) and marks Lin during a protest forcing her to leave Republic City and start Zoafu to run from consequences (much more in fitting with the character personailty in my view).

Tenzin remains mostly the same but I gave him hair because why did he HAVE to be bald like Aang. Come on guys, personal choices for a new era of benders. I tried to give him darker skin so he looks like he sprouted from Katara as well because the show couldn't do that either. However, I'm not as well practised as I'd like to be so let me know if it might need changing. I like to think Tenzin wore water tribe outfits before he became the leader of the air nation, hence the blue all over Young!Tenzin. Also, Staff on hand! Because, again, really needed!!!

They either have kids or they don't, I don't care about that. Also, GOOD PARENTS, NO TRAUMA BECAUSE WHY DID WE NEED THAT. IT DIDN'T ADD ANYTHING

(Click for better quality)

Feel free to download

Like/reblog (with credit) if you use please!!!

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elrondsscribe · 5 years

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No ATLA shipping wars, please. There is room for ALL the ships.

So I’m sure anyone who’s been tracking me lately knows that I’ve been all up in Avatar: The Last Airbender ...

And I must say, after checking out the tags, I am TERRIFIED to speak my mind about ANY of the ships I like!! Like, I don’t want to be thought of as a poisonous Supporter Of That Which Is Toxic And Problematic because I did or didn’t gel with one ship or other. Spoilers under the cut.

See, I’m always the kind of fan that nobody likes: I’m the MCU fan that appreciates Steve and Tony; I’m the Star Wars fan that loved all nine Episodes. So when I say that I sail literally all of the ships because all of them hit me in different kinds of feels, well, y’all know to expect this from me.

(I should say at this point that the only thing I’m considering ‘canon’ for the purposes of this conversation is A:TLA; no LoK or comics is relevant here.)

(Also, can I just say what a wonderful change of pace it is to be in a property where, at least in the generation of our ‘mains,’ there seem to be more named, developed female characters??)

So I’m gonna start out with saying: I like the canon pairings as they stand! Kataang, Sukki, and Maiko being the main ones, obvs. However, I also like all kinds of AU pairings too!

Like Zutara - I mean, I can hardly say anything here that ten thousand others haven’t already said better, but their journeys do parallel each other in a lot of significant ways, and I think that, by the end of the show, they do legitimately share enough to have the foundations of a good relationship, if as a fanwriter you wanted to go there. You could make much of the poetry of their differences (”you rise with the moon, and I with the Sun”), and/or really develop their existing ability to safely be the ‘splash zone’ for each other’s turmoil. Besides, I think Katara’s mothering fussbudget energy would be a great thing for Zuko, and there’s a gentleness to her that he’d find healing.

{Now, I’ve seen a lot of comparisons between Zutara and Reylo, made by people who either want to demean or defend both ships. I’ve also seen these comparisons soundly trashed by people who like one, but not both, of these ships. As someone who never has had strong feelings either for or against Reylo, and as someone who loves Zutara but not exclusively, my response to all of that drama is a big old shrug of my shoulders. So don’t come at me screaming about Reylo, either to stan or cancel. Please just don’t.}

Also I don’t know a good way to say this, but you know how some people just can’t seem to resist reading Zuko and/or Sokka as gay? Well, I can’t stop reading Mai as lesbian; I don’t know why.

I don’t know which pairing Taang is. If it’s Aang/Ty Lee, omg yes!! Kill me with all the sparkles and rainbows! I already want to eat them both up. More seriously, I think Aang’s peaceable temperament would be a really welcome change in her life, after Zuko’s turmoil and Mai’s ice and Azula’s, well, Azula-ness. She’d probably just love Aang’s aura :)

If Taang is Aang/Toph, well, we’ve observed that our flighty lil’ Aangster could use a grouding influence :) I don’t know who on Tumblr pointed it out, but Toph is the last person in the world to fangirl over Aang, which seems to be very good for him, while also not clipping his wings. While I do believe they’d be the kind of couple to quarrel and, at times, drift apart from each other (she’s incredibly rooted while he’s the embodiment of a free-spirit), for some reason I can easily see them finding each other again. There’s a scene in my head, one where an adult Aang is faced with the necessity of a sacrifice play that he might not come back from, and instead of tearfully trying to convince him not to do it, Toph says, “Go get ‘em, Twinkletoes.”

[And if you ship Zutara alongside Aang/Toph, you could have a fanfic where you did a Parallel, with Two Ships Of Opposite-Power-Benders. I’d be a fan!]

Now I’ve seen Sokkla floating around too, and I must say that this intrigues me, especially the way that this ship is connected to ideas about the redemption of Azula. I’ve seen some people being really upset that Azula never got a redemption arc in the show, but c’mon guys. A redemption arc for Azula would have taken a long-ass time - it would’ve been awesome, but it would’ve taken a long-ass time, definitely longer than a fourth season, I think. But if you were going to go with a combination of a redemption arc and a ship for her, Sokka would be a great idea. I don’t think Azula knows what fun and merriment are, and who knows those things better than Sokka?

[Honestly, that’s the thing about shipping Sokka with anyone: he would bring them laughter.]

But enough about the het AU ships, let’s talk about the gay ones!

Zukka would be the most prominent example, of course. The rapport that Zuko develops with Sokka over ‘The Boiling Rock’ is beautiful to behold (jokes about ‘that’s rough, buddy’ aside), and heaven knows Zuko needs someone to teach him how to laugh.

And remember how I said that I somehow can’t see Mai as straight? Well, I also can’t stop shipping her with Azula (don’t know the ship name for this one, but I know it exists). Obviously this ship would have more than an edge of ownership and manipulation about it, but they’re so deadly radiant and it’s like I can’t look away from them.

And Ty Lee is just so adorable and sincere (even with all the buried sadness) that shipping her with almost any of the other girls just makes my heart melt. Especially Katara, who would just cuddle the hell out of her whenever she’s feeling down. Or even Azula, who would totally own and work her but also, like, dazzle her. Main exception being Suki - for some reason, my head goes all kinds of hot, dirty places when I imagine Suki and Ty Lee sparring.

However, all this being said, I still have love for the canon ships that we got.

For example, like I said, I do ship Kataang, and I think together they’re incredibly sweet, but I also think that Katara’s tendency to hover and Aang’s tendency to (literally and metaphorically) fly away from/float above problems would jointly become a not-inconsiderable hurdle in a long-term relationship. Now I’ve observed couples in real life with similar dynamics, and I’ll stick out my neck and say that I consider this a workable hurdle, especially if both Katara and Aang grow in maturity and interpersonal understanding as they get older.

Similarly with Maiko: we see that, where Zuko’s emotions tend to run fire-hot, Mai’s tend to run ice-cold; we saw a clear example of these tendencies really clashing with each other. And Mai’s way of showing Zuko affection does seem to have genuinely perplexed some people who watched the show, to the point that they didn’t read it as affection at all. But again, drawing on what I’be observed, some couples really do develop a ‘love code’ that they understand even if literally no one else does. I don’t see any indication of either Mai or Zuko actually ill-using the other; and I will always stan this line from Mai when she made her big choice: I love Zuko more than I fear you.

As for Sukki - well, you already know. Sokka definitely grew and healed a lot from it, but I don’t think the trauma of being unable to protect Yue is one that will ever truly leave him. And as much as Suki understands him, I do think Sokka’s protectiveness will sometimes grate on her. She’s a motherfucking warrior-chieftain. And yes, this can definitely shape into a relational problem, but not one that can’t be worked around.

So ... TLDR, I love all the ships, and refuse to be part of the anti drama.

#avatar: the last airbender #a:tla #ships #shipping drama #i love too many ships #zutara #kataang #sukki #mailee #sokkla #maiko #taang #Shippy Content

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jaxsteamblog · 4 years

Text

I started writing an outline for a non existent Flower Shop AU series but it just turned into Loving Avatar Thuy Hours.

Here are some great things about Avatar Thuy (SUPER long post because I love Thuy):

She tells her folks that she’s a girl around the same time she tells them about the bald man who taught her to sling mud. Because there’s not a lot of gendered differences in the Swamp Tribe, the trans thing wasn’t a big deal. Finding out their daughter was the Avatar, on the other hand, REALLY WAS.

The concept of “kin” (FOLKLORE TERM) and the connection of all life in the swamp via the root system has a profound spiritual effect on Thuy. She can perfectly call up any Avatar and, as she gets older, can channel them easily when in the Avatar State. For the on-screen Avatars, here’s Thuy’s hot takes:

Wan- She is Not A Fan. Doesn’t like how he shifts between being super cocky and super insecure. Wishes he had not closed off the Spirit Realm. (Not like it worked, as she gestures angrily around the swamp)

Yangchen- When Thuy learned about Fairy Godmothers from a book of Fairy Tales someone brought into the Swamp, this is immediately who Thuy thought of. Yangchen was always calming and patient, and listened every time Thuy would rant about her cousins stealing a toy or when someone pushed her into the swamp. Family is big in the Swamp and Yangchen became another mother.

Kuruk- He can’t handle kids. He also cannot handle the concept of hick Waterbenders. He is a North Pole Waterbender and (SPOILERS) fell for a high class Fire Nation Lady so, he does not like the Swamp. The Swamp is not a fan of his either.

Kyoshi- TBH Thuy was intimidated by her at first. However, when puberty hit, they talked a lot about body dysmorphia and what it means to be a woman. Thuy was able to accept her body with the continued help of Kyoshi.

Roku- Roku is a story-teller. He told Thuy about the start of the war, and his time with Sozin. He talked about Azulon and what the royal family used to be like. Thuy was fascinated by the Fire Nation, wondering how such a mythological sounding people could do something so human like wage war.It allowed her to think of the Fire Nation as something more than just The Enemy.

Aang- The first Avatar to greet her. He was her confidante and like a very fun grandpa. He taught her to meditate and throw mud pies (breaking the rules by tiptoeing into Earthbender territory). He talked about the war as it was happening, and explained to her how important it was that she grow up safe. He talked about his kids and asked her about the Swamp. He explained how important it was to understand how all things, all nations, were connected and to make friends in every nation. He told her about Zuko, and about his grandkids. Especially Rohan, who might know a thing or two about pronouns.

Sometimes, catgators are tame enough to keep near the residents. However, this is similar to things we see in the news when people keep exotic pets. Tame does NOT equal domestic, and bad things happen. So when Thuy shows up with Mister Whiskers, Everyone Is Quite Alarmed.

Catgators, like real life catfish, are also borderline cryptids. No one knows how old they get. Or how big.

I imagine catgators move like alligators and can be surprisingly fast for their flat, fat bodies. Remember kids, run in a zig zag because they WILL get you.

I am from Florida. I live in Florida once again. My family has lived in Florida since we came to this country. I was “poor white trash” and had an accent. I am NOT indigenous (see above comment about coming to this country). I give Thuy a lot of traits from what I remember about growing up, things I know about the rural south via my family, and throw in the pieces I like from canon. I also want to explore topics that are indigenous specific like what’s happening to the Amazon and the continued sins my country commits on native and/or sacred land. As a sensitivity point: I do not wish to ever write about the trials and tribulations of these issues. That is for native people, as they are the ones who truly understand the generational trauma surrounding it. What I would hope to do is bring awareness to real world situations where we as non-indigenous people can assist.

Don’t let them cut down the Amazon y’all for real. And blowing up Mount Rushmore is RIDICULOUS.

Thuy loves people. Because she’s so used to being around a supportive community, and being a teenager, she doesn’t understand when adults are rude or mocking at first.

However, she is VERY secure about who she is as a person. Her family and tribe has always supported her, so she has a very strong foundation. It takes a lot to rock her. Mostly, she gets embarrassed when people call her out or make fun of her for being loud and overly excited.

She is scared to meet Katara at first, because she learns a little about what Katara did in the war. What and who she lost. She feels bad that she wasn’t there. Thuy doesn’t know how to start a conversation with her, which is bad because Thuy not so secretly wants to replace Kuruk with Katara as her Water Tribe connection. She doesn’t want to go to Arnook, who lost his daughter, or Hakoda, who lost his wife, and Sokka is in the same category as Katara, obviously.

Suki finds her freaking out. And remember, Thuy is a close friend of Kyoshi. They talk and Suki relaxes Thuy by putting the Avatar in Kyoshi robes. Sokka finds them with Thuy thoroughly disguised and, I might actually write this scene so you’ll have to wait.

Thuy likes Azula at first because she is oddly fascinated by the performative femininity of the Fire Nation. Azula is powerful, confident, and very feminine, and that intrigues Thuy. But Azula is Azula and has very little interest in some backwater peasant, even if she is the Avatar.

Toph embraces everything about the Swamp Tribe, as does Rohan, so they are the ones Thuy is the closest to. Toph, as a more destructive Gyatso, figures out how to rig a pressurized device that launches mud projectiles and the two of them wreck havoc at fancy Beifong dinner parties. Rohan takes the technology up a notch and they all terrorize the Air Temples. Doesn’t have the same impact, because they all survived Aang. Toph teaches Thuy to take no shit and give no fucks.

Thuy is insecure about her inability to communicate with the Spirits. Having grown up in the swamp, she could see them and heard how other people ran into them. Especially the refugees that were allowed in. The Spirits seemed to guide certain people to Thuy, which meant they didn’t hate her, but they never seemed to engage. The only thing she could think of was Wan and blamed him unfairly for a long time.

Thuy does a traditional education as the Avatar. She works for a few years with Toph, having a basis in earthbending already from Aang. Crystalbending is her special talent and Toph dismisses it as playing with jewelry (but never discourages her pupil ofc).

Jinora is Thuy’s airbending teacher and spiritual advisor. She is very good about calming Thuy when she continues to have this disconnect with the Spirits, but is unable to help her overcome it.

Tenzin deems Rohan too irresponsible but allows them to ferry Thuy around so they still teach the Avatar new things. Plus, in this world, there’s a secular sect of Airbending that Bumi - Aang’s son and an Airbender since apparently all Air Nomads are Benders?? - started during the war. They have a very loose relationship with the Air Nomad commitment to non-violence and can live in permanent residences. They are required to do their initial training at the temples, but many go back to their homes, don’t shave their heads, don’t live a monastic life, etc. Rohan goes back and forth about their place, but ultimately takes over as the head of the secular branch. It appeals to Thuy more and they take their role very seriously because of the responsibility.

Zuko teaches Thuy firebending. His adaptations to include other styles makes it easier for Thuy to pick up, though she still learns the basics at the Royal Academy for Girls (where she meets Suzu and Zula).

Katara is Thuy’s “master.” She helps Thuy navigate the political world and they work together on the Water Tribe restoration and re-unification plans. Katara oversees the training schedules, the visitations, the summits, the tributes, and every other bit of minutiae. She also gives Thuy a break and they hang out doing Waterbender stuff.

Sokka and Suki teach Thuy non-bending martial arts. Thuy can kick your ass in a multitude of ways basically.

Thuy gets her Avatar Companions at very different stages. You’d think they wouldn’t get along, but Thuy has collected them and they like her, so they make it work.

Suzu and Zula (those are their names, not nicknames) are twins. They are Firebenders and are not related to the royal family at all. They grew up near the palace, went to the Royal Academy for Girls, and were sent to the palace to keep Thuy company and it was supposed to be very formal and politically advantageous for their parents. Except they actually became friends with Thuy and escaped the Fire Nation to go on adventures, which their parents did not like.

Suzu is a blend of Azula and Ty Lee in my mind. She is named in honor of Fire Lord Sozin. (Her family is SUPER into Fire Nation superiority) She is cheerful and enjoys playing around. She and Thuy get overly excited about things together instead of being “mature” and “above such things” as many noble girls tell them repeatedly. Her “Azula” traits come out when someone insults her family or Thuy. She ends up learning chi blocking from Ty Lee. Suzu is not to be left unsupervised.

Zula is a blend of Azula and Mai. She is “the eldest” and does everything her parents tell her to do, even if she hates it. She is named in honor of Fire Lord Azulon (and I guess Azula?). She ends up becoming an instructor at the Royal Academy for Girls until Thuy whisks her away to go adventuring. Zula hates the rigid society among the nobles and very happily dashes off. Can’t say no to the Avatar right??? Her firebending skill is in marksmanship. She can and will singe the sleeve of some snotty little noble from across the room if they irk her. She learns to bend lightning from Iroh and even Thuy is a little scared.

When Thuy moved from her earthbending lessons and onto air, Toph opened up her metalbending academy to have something to do between professional bending competitions. Jae-hwan was a late addition because he couldn’t afford the fees. Then he found out that the fees were arbitrary because Toph is a Beifong and she gave him a room to stay in. Thuy met him when she visited her Sifu and he, not knowing she was the Avatar, stole her purse as a joke. When he did find out, instead of freaking out, started to make fun of her because some lowly Earthbender orphan was able to steal the Avatar’s wallet. He never lets her forget that or any other embarrassing thing he witnesses.

Tashi is very quiet. He surprised everyone by choosing to join Urban Dust, the secular branch of the Air Nomads, instead of continuing on at the temples. People thought he would become a great sage and possibly live old enough to see the next Air Nomad Avatar. But Tashi is a true child of the sky and would live on his Sky Bison Dawa if he could. He does not like being on the ground for long and frequently disappears to go flying. Tashi specifically asked that Rohan be his mentor, again shocking everyone, but Rohan understood. Getting older, Rohan calms down and becomes very philosophical. Tashi finds them to be very wise and they contemplate the nature of things together. Thuy appreciates the one friend of hers that would never end up in jail with her. Tashi brings the bail money. Tashi also hides the body. Tashi can keep secrets.

Aktuk was born and raised in the North Pole. His father is a waterbending master and his mother is a waterbending healer. His older sister is a waterbending prodigy. He lost his leg during his ice dodging ceremony when the boat crashed. As a non-Bender, he had almost drowned and has a fear of the open sea. He makes his own prosthesis and is very into mechanics. When Thuy attended a festival in the North Pole, they had collided because Aktuk was carrying a bunch of parts and material for a project and didn’t see her. Freaking out, Aktuk tried to scurry away as quickly as possible but Thuy kept asking him questions. When she asked how he kept his leg from freezing, Aktuk immediately started to infodump and forgot about being scared. Thuy had to drag him around for awhile, because Aktuk had been basically taught to defer to Benders, but they refused to let him. Suzu and Zula hated the reminder of Fire Nation propriety, Tashi accepted everyone, and Jae-hwan only cared if people were paying attention to him. Thuy and Aktuk date for awhile, but part amicably after they grow into different people.

Thuy saves the world and I steal Korra’s ending for her own. She balances the Spirit World and the Physical World, opening up the portals. She brings back DRAGONS.

Zuko and Katara ultimately retire. Their daughter Izumi becomes Fire Lord. Sokka and Suki’s daughter Kya surprises everyone when they find out she’s a Waterbender and sits on the Water Tribe triumvirate as the chief of the South Pole. Kya and Izumi, having been born on the same day, terrify the rest of the world with their closeness. They consider themselves more like sisters than cousins and have to be repeatedly talked back from their plans to rule the world. They aren’t killing machines, more that they think they know what’s best and only listen to each other. Sometimes Lu Ten. But ALWAYS Suzu.

Rohan becomes the head sage of the Urban Dust and creates a flying society that freaks everyone out for awhile. Tashi goes to the Spirit World for a long time and comes back, a little weird. IDK, I have stuff to explore with him. It’s not bad, just very different.

Suzu marries a nice, minor Fire Nation lord and settles down to teach firebending in his rural home. She adores the royal children and they adore her. When Suzu shows up at either the Fire Nation palace or the South Pole, other people know it’s because either Izumi or Kya were planning something.

Zula never leaves Thuy and they travel together forever. Are they together? IDK, it might just be my attempt to fix (what I think is wrong with) k*rr*sami tbh.

Toph DOES end up going to the Swamp, but her family knows about it and visits her often. Toph does not become a cop ffs, she becomes Willy Wonka but without the candy and slave labor. Lin tries to head the Beifong family after her mother just leaves one day, but she is much more suited to being a metalbending instructor. Once Suyin settles down, she gently pries the Beifong stuff from her sister’s terrified hands and does a really good job at managing Gaoling. They both studied under the Avatar for a little bit, and their rivalry came about with Suyin getting along better with Thuy.

Sokka, pulling an Iroh, never leaves his flower shop. People ask him if he’s THE Sokka, brother of the Queen of the Water Tribes, brother-in-law to the Fire Lord, friend of the Avatar, then the father of the South Pole chief and he always goes “No, I just look like him and we have the same name.”

He often says this while Zuko is sitting with him behind the counter, drinking tea.

Aktuk helps rebuild the South Pole and the Water Tribe navy is reborn. The Earth Kingdom is shook. Toph introduces him to another Swamp Tribe member and he marries her. He loves the Swamp. The Swamp Tribe gains a lot more replacement limbs that were lost to catgators.

Jae-hwan has a hard time letting go of the metalbending academy. He basically grew up there, and spent every free moment there if he wasn’t travelling with Thuy. When Toph has kids, he realizes he had thought of her as his mom and freaks out. She assures him that it’ll be okay. Before she runs off to the Swamp, she legally adopts him, making him a Beifong. He opens more metalbending academies but runs the one in Gaoling because of familial pride. He encourages Lin to take up pro-bending, and becomes a coach when the mixed bending circuit opens. Rohan is OBSESSED with mixed bending matches.

Ultimately, Thuy gets to relax in a way Avatars had been unable to for many cycles. The Water Tribe navy keeps the coastal city-kingdoms in the Earth Kingdom in check, while also reinforcing the United Republic. With the Swamp Tribe literally in the Earth Kingdom, the city-kingdoms become more firmly established and the Earth King becomes the Earth Emperor, but has to manage all of the city-kingdoms and it’s just a lot you guys he is so tired. The Fire Nation goes through an artistic renaissance under Zuko’s rule and the former colonies turn into industrial powerhouses. They are an economic force unto themselves and protect the Fire Nation from Earth Kingdom advances.

With the world in relative harmony, Thuy travels often, since her friends and family have settled all over the world. Mister Whiskers grows to ENORMOUS size and they put him in a wagon when they go around. He does not eat people (anymore) but the wagon still warns others not to get too close.

Zula is always there, with her RBF and scary fast bending. Thuy is still prone to gleeful outbursts and Zula smiles lovingly. They like to read together and will fall asleep resting on Mister Whiskers as they all bask in the same sunny spot.

Aw crap, they are together.

#fanfic meta #avatar thuy #long post

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