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mal3vol3nt · 5 months ago

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I think ZKs really exaggerated Zuko and Katara’s relationship, and this is coming from a guy who actually really likes Zuko and Katara’s relationship, just not a ship (it’s not as toxic as some say, by the end of the show at least).

Isaw this one post about how Zuko and Katara have the most intimate relationship of The Gaang. How he’s the only one who supports her, understands her and validates her anger. Whereas Zuko is the only one Katara doesn’t have to look after, the only one she can depend on emotionally, the only one who she’s sees as an equal and matches her maturity.

I question this, because when did we see this in the show? Besides like 3 instances. ZKs act like Katara was never supported by Aang (or the others). I’m sure that everything they say Zuko does for Katara, Aang does for her and more. Everything Katara supposedly has in Zuko, she already has in Aang. I could list all of this, but this is already running long as it is.

What do you think?

This the full post: https://www.tumblr.com/theotterpenguin/738115696097116160/thinking-about-how-katara-is-the-only-person-zuko?source=share

not only are they exaggerating the depth of katara and zuko’s relationship, but they’re underplaying the depth of her relationship with literally everyone else. like they undermine how much all her friends mean to her by saying the guy she was on good terms with for like 4 episodes immediately became her closest companion and confidant

the only time we see zuko offer her support of any kind is during the southern raiders episode where he’s encouraging her to go kill the guy who murdered her mother. and he’s not doing it because he genuinely wants to be a supportive figure for her, but because he thinks this is what’ll get her to finally forgive him and stop treating him so coldly. and then the episode ends with him admitting that he was wrong in terms of what she needed—not violent revenge but the chance to let her anger out without compromising her morals in blind rage. other than that, we don’t see him act as a shoulder for her to lean on, and the one instance we do see him act that way, he’s bad at it and ends up realizing there are ways other than violence to move on from internalized anger

and sure you can argue that zuko still gave her the chance to confront yon rha even if she chose not to kill him like he encouraged her to, and that inandof itself is an act of emotional support, but the reality is he did that to get on her good side rather than to be a genuine friend. had she already been friendly to him, would he have ever brought up that he knows who killed kya? would he have even asked sokka about the day their mom died to get that information? in the show he only does this because he can’t fathom why katara is still mad at him when everyone else has already forgiven him. he wanted to speed up her process of forgiving him, so had she already forgiven him and they were friends, i doubt the whole “i can help you avenge your mother” convo would have ever happened because it wouldn’t have served him to do so. and in my opinion, any support that has ulterior motives and an end goal isn’t genuine support

but compare this to aang and sokka. we see these two go out of their way for her countless times throughout the three books, which makes sense considering the three of them are the ogs and went through everything together (incoming really long list lmao)

aang offers to take katara to the northern water tribe so she can learn waterbending under a master after knowing her for only a few hours at most. he also does this after she expresses her upset at being the only southern waterbender left. “katara! we’re going to find you a master!”

aang gives himself over to zuko and his fire nation crew to save katara and sokka’s village

aang completes all of bumi’s challenges to save katara and sokka

aang credits katara for haru’s sudden bravery in saving that old man. “wow you must have really inspired him”

aang and sokka willingly (and eagerly) participate in her plan to get arrested for earthbending

sokka comes up with the plan to get coal to the earthbenders so they can find motivation again, something that katara is very passionate about, thus showing his support in her goal

aang and sokka help fight the fire nation guards that are keeping the earthbenders prisoner, aiding in katara’s goal of helping them help themselves

aang weaves katara a brand new necklace after she had her mother’s stolen. this makes her smile

aang is quick to reassure katara when she begins to show signs of self-doubt at aang’s natural waterbending talent. “well you had to learn all on your own. i’m lucky enough to have a great teacher”

aang refers to katara as a waterbender, something that clearly means so much to her after she spent the whole episode insecure of her abilities

sokka steals the waterbending scroll for katara and aang to learn from

aang travels alone in search of medicine for katara and sokka, all while an entire nation is hunting him down with the intent to torture him to the brink of death, thus risking his life for their safety

sokka tackles aang after hearing katara’s cries of pain when he accidentally burns her. despite knowing and caring for aang, sokka can’t stand the thought of someone hurting katara even if unintentionally, especially with fire

aang explicitly states he will never firebend again after accidentally hurting her. he too can’t stand the thought of her in pain and hates that he was the one who hurt her (this is also him taking ownership of his mistake and punishing himself—for those of you who think he is never held accountable for his mistakes)

aang refuses to learn under pakku when he rejects katara and only lets up when katara tells him he needs to take this chance to learn waterbending

sokka is the one to suggest that aang teach katara everything pakku is teaching him, and aang loves this idea

aang cheers for her when she fights pakku. “go katara!”

the general is only able to trigger aang into the avatar state after he is made to believe that katara was buried alive, showcasing once again how much he cares about her safety

aang pushes katara out of the way of falling rocks when the aftermath of appa getting burned causes the tunnel to cave in

aang refers to katara as ‘sifu’ after she made an offhand comment about him never calling her that. this makes her smile

aang turns away from cosmic power immediately after he sees a vision of katara in danger

aang lets her go so he can unlock all his chakras and save katara from impending doom against azula, zuko, and the dai li

aang eagerly participates in katara’s plan to perform ecoterrorism and calls her a hero

aang also eagerly participates in helping her scare off the fire nation general as the painted lady. sokka participates as well because “i would never turn my back on you”

sokka has a talk with toph after she blows up at katara for her motherly-attitude (and while i definitely have issues with this episode i still think it’s important that sokka sought out this conversation to sorta defend his sister and help toph see where katara is coming from)

aang and sokka hug and comfort her when she breaks down crying after becoming a bloodbender

after knowing her for so long (his whole life in sokka’s case—he’s her fucking brother) and witnessing the kind of reaction she had to bloodbending, aang and sokka both tried talking her down from killing a man. this is a 14-year-old girl in pain. the same 14-year-old girl who put her life and freedom at risk to save earthbenders from their metal prison and sobbed when she was forced to bloodbend to save her best friend from dying again and delayed their group’s traveling to relieve a fire nation village from fire nation pollution and control, was now demanding to kill a man in cold blood. aang and sokka were supporting her full on during this episode because they knew, more than fucking anyone, that killing yon rha would only hurt her once she came down from her blind rage. and to add even more proof of their unwavering trust in her to always do the right thing not just for others but for herself, aang allowed her to take appa to confront the man. appa, aang’s lifelong companion and animal guide, his only living reminder of his culture and pacifistic people, and who aang had suffered a painful separation from. aang trusted her with appa to go on this mission. because he trusts and supports her

———

now onto the claim that zuko is more mature than everyone else and therefore matches her in maturity. i just bust out laughing LMAO

for starters, let’s not act like katara is the epitome of maturity. yea, she’s the mom friend, but she’s still a kid and acts like one. yall just refuse to acknowledge the moments where she makes mistakes as her acting her age and being human. instead yall hold these mistakes over her more aggressively than the other characters or yall pretend they don’t exist in favor of idealizing her so she fits into your “she’s so mature and is a mother figure to everyone” role (her telling sokka “then you didn’t love her like i did”, blowing up at aang for picking up waterbending so quickly, antagonizing toph out of pettiness by making fun of her blindness—“too bad you can’t see them toph!”, etc.)

zuko is a whole other story lol. that boy wouldn’t know maturity if it hit him in the face, and when you compare his behavior to other characters in the gaang it becomes all the more obvious (incoming another—shorter—list)

aang when presented with his mistake in “bato of the water tribe” -> he accepts the consequences—katara and sokka leaving him—and admits he was wrong. he doesn’t blame anyone else nor does he beg for forgiveness or try convincing katara and sokka to stay. he accepts he was wrong and lets himself sit with the consequences of his actions. from then on, we never see aang selfishly hide information from his friends again

katara when presented with her mistake in “the waterbending scroll” after yelling at aang -> she apologizes immediately and punishes herself by handing the scroll over to him, claiming she wants nothing to do with it. she recognizes the mistake and quickly accepts a self-punishment to regulate her own behavior

sokka when presented with the issues of his sexism -> he gets on his knees in front of suki and respectfully asks that she train him, using the word ‘honor’ to communicate his sincerity. he admits his faults to her at the end of the episode and his behavior is different from then on. he reflects on a part of himself, deems that he needs to change, and then makes those changes without having to be forced into doing so or guided repeatedly into making the right choices along the way. he arrives there by himself after being presented with evidence that proves his original way of thinking wrong

now compare that with zuko’s journey of unlearning his prejudiced ways

when he is shown extreme kindness by song and her mother, he repays them by stealing from them

after having been on a good-streak while living in the earth kingdom, zuko sides with azula the moment his integrity is put to the test in front of the avatar, betraying his uncle in favor of “his honor”

when iroh stops talking to him, zuko screams at him and places blame on iroh for this change in their relationship

when mai is seen talking to another guy, zuko storms over and throws that guy across a room. she, understandably, breaks up with him

when katara gives him the cold shoulder, zuko demands “what’s your problem?!”, asking how it can be that she still hates him but everyone else has forgiven him, as if he hasn’t given her—and everyone else—plenty of reason to be distrustful of him for lifetimes to come

when aang is goofing off instead of training, zuko—instead of communicating—attacks him with blasts of fire, forcing aang to retaliate

the only reason why zuko is given this extreme maturity label is because his worldview was challenged and changed. whereas the other characters in the gaang already had correct worldviews and didn’t have to go through a series-long redemption arc to become good people. they were already good people, so their mistakes and shortcomings are held to higher standards than zuko’s because his are viewed as stepping stones to a pending redemption. never mind all the times in which he backtracked and hurt more people. those times were all “necessary” for his redemption to happen and be well-done. yall can excuse all of zuko’s flawed behavior by saying “but he was redeemed! that wasn’t really his true self!” and all that bullshit, so everything he does that’s good post-redemption gives yall this delusion that he was always this good person who is capable of making mature decisions (never mind the fact that he is still incredibly immature post-redemption and still has a long way to go in terms of unlearning his prejudices by the time the show ends)

in conclusion, yall have a weird obsession with isolating katara from all her relationships with the other characters in favor of making her zuko’s one and only, and yall have deluded yourselves into thinking either one of them are incredibly mature

that’s all i gotta say ✌️

#atla #avatar the last airbender #katara atla #katara #zuko #prince zuko #sokka atla #sokka #aang atla #aang #avatar aang #anti zutara #anti zutara stans #anti zutara fandom #kataang #pro kataang

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enchantedmyth · 3 months ago

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Zuko, What’s my name?

Fate hasn’t always been in the gang’s favor. Through their journey of finding Aang in the iceberg to meeting an awkward Zuko, they’ve had numerous ups and downs. So, it was wild when Zuko tried to convince them that he's on their side. No one saw it coming. Especially Sokka.

In general, Sokka was a very analytical person. Always bearing the responsibility for the safety of the group, for keeping them on track, and for coming up with innovative ideas to escape life-threatening situations. Of course, the most important thing, being the one who kept things light.

As far as his calculation went, Zuko could not be trusted even though he had surprisingly turned out to be useful. He’d been skeptical ever since Zuko first showed up. Neither Appa licking him with joy nor Toph’s feeling that he wasn’t lying could convince Sokka. Sure, Zuko had won his trust a teeny-tiny bit by helping them against Combustion Man, so Sokka gave in and decided to let Zuko teach Aang fire bending if it meant sending the plan into motion to defeat the Fire Lord. That was the only thing that mattered for Sokka.

Still, something was bugging him. Right after everyone had agreed to let Zuko stay, he realized something when they were having lunch, something weird.

Then, again during dinner, when they were sitting around the fire, he noticed the seemingly increasing weirdness of the situation. As soon as he had taken his last bite, he decided to speak up.

“Guys…” he started calmly. “I think we need to address the elephant in the room,” he declared, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“What elephant?” Aang asked.

“It’s called a Bison,” Toph commented.

“I KNOW WHAT A BISON LOOKS LIKE!” Sokka screeched, before he cleared his throat, “I’m talking about him!” Sokka pointed at Zuko.

Katara rolled her eyes.

Aang raised his eyebrow. “I think we have already established that he is part of the group now, Sok-”

“Stop!” Sokka shook his head. “No, no, no. Don’t say my name!”

“But So-”

“DON’T SAY MY NAME!” Sokka screamed.

“What’s with him?” Aang whispered in Toph's ears, feeling defeated, and Toph shrugged nonchalantly.

Sokka stood up to face Zuko. “So…Prince!”

“Uhh…” Zuko curled his upper lip. “Yeah?”

“What is my name?” Sokka squirted his eyes.

Toph laughed. “I think Combustion Man got to his head.”

But Sokka didn’t budge. “The fact of the matter is, I haven't heard him call any of us by our names. It's always The Avatar or The Bison.” He said, impersonating Zuko as he stepped closer to him. “What is my name, Zuko? See? I just said your name! It’s not that hard.”

Katara growled, growing impatient, but chose to stay silent, just like Haru, The Duke, and Teo, who were also witnessing the whole thing while eating their dinner.

Zuko let out an awkward laugh. “Lee?”

Everyone gasped.

“SEE!” Sokka pointed at him again. “I KNEW IT! THIS GUY DOESN’T KNOW OUR NAMES!”

Hearing this, Toph sat up. “Wait, really?”

“But you've been following us forever!” Aang added.

Zuko scratched his cheek. “Uhh…You guys never really told me your names.”

Aang slowly shook his head in disbelief, “And you decided to just roll with it?”

“It was very awkward this morning,” Zuko argued. “You know, with the assassin trying to kill everyone? Then you guys went to do your own things. I thought it was too late to ask.”

An awkward silence took over only to be broken when Sokka cracked up. “And to think he followed us around the world!” He snorted. Toph and Aang joined in while Haru, The Duke, and Teo softly chuckled.

“Who do you think Appa is?” Sokka hollered.

“Is that the Earth Bender or the Bison?”

Sokka laughed even more. “Holy waters!” He wiped away a tear. “Can you guess who Aang is?”

“Ugh…”

“Who…Oh Spirit! Who is Sokka?”

“The…Avatar?”

“Hahaha! Who are these extra people then?”

“I’m seeing them for the first time…”

“Okay, guess who is the grumpy girl with the hair loopies?”

“The waterbender…”

“Don’t drag me into this,” Katara spat.

And just like that everyone else laughed, breaking the ice. Maybe Sokka trusted Zuko a little more now.

..............

I wrote this a while ago in a sleepy state and thought I did something. Inspired by a post I can't seem to find. This is not exactly romantic but I see some zukka potential here idk man.

#zukka #zukka week 2024 #atla #atla fanfic #avatar the last airbender #zuko #sokka

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imagines--galore · 4 months ago

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||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-One

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: Another filler chapter! Hope you enjoy!

"Katara! Wait!"

Seeing the Water Tribe girl walk away as soon as lunch was finished, Orora was quick to dump her bowl on Sokka, who was on clean-up duty, and race after the girl. She finally caught up to her, the both standing a little ways away from the rest of the group.

"Look, I really am sorry about what happened. I should've tried more to stop the battles from happening." Orora stated, gesturing to the still partially destroyed rooms. In a way, Orora admitted that she was to blame for things getting a little out of hand.

Aang had made a new rule though: No bending battles in the Temple. At least no Earthbending. They could all go to the cliffs above for that.

The younger girl frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she gave Orora a disapproving look. "Yeah, you should have." She stated, her tone cold, prompting Orora to blink at the girl in surprise. "If you hadn't been so bent on showing off, maybe you could've avoided the entire thing altogether." Katara claimed, to which the other girl only stared at her.

"Show off? What're you....?" She trailed off, a crease appearing between her eyebrows as she tried to make sense of what Katara was trying to say. Though her fellow Waterbender even give her a chance to finish her statement. "But then I can't expect anything from you now. Not when he's here." The venom and utter hatred behind that one pronoun had Orora staring open-mouthed at her friend. That icy anger was still in Katara's eyes, and it seemed to project across her features as well.

It was strange, and slightly disconcerting, to have Katara look at her that way.

"What're you talking about, Katara? Is something wrong?" The older girl asked, a look of concern crossing her features.

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say.

"I'm talking about you deciding to forgive Zuko after what he did in Ba Sing Se."

The emotion behind her words was so strong that both her own and Katara's waterskins burst, water splashing to the floor, leaving the two girls with wet shoes. Orora's mouth fell open, her eyes widened. Slowly, she turned her head to glance behind her.

Just as she had thought.

Katara's voice had been loud enough to carry her words to the rest of their camp mates who were frozen in place. Teo with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth, the food slipping from between the wooden sticks and dropping back into the bowl. Toph and Haru, who had created rocks that were smoothed out, pausing in whatever game they'd been playing, with the latter staring at the both of them. Sokka with his arms elbow deep in soapy suds, not realizing he was cleaning the same bowl over and over as his nervous gaze flitted between the two Waterbenders. Aang looking just as nervous as Sokka, meeting Orora's gaze, before he turned to glance at Zuko.

Zuko.

The only person who hadn't looked up from his task of drying the bowls. Though he had stopped, and even from where she stood Orora knew he was listening and was tense about what was happening.

Turning back to look at Katara, and seeing that anger merging with a look of betrayal, the older girl sighed. "Katara, I know its hard for you to understand, but I've spent a long time thinking about my decision. It wasn't easy bu-"

"Oh but it was." Katara cut her off, pressing an accusing finger against Orora's chest as she continued. "It was easy for you, because you don't care about Aang's or anyone else's safety like I do."

A surge of anger flashed through her ice blue eyes as Orora's look of calm understanding shifted to one of fury. "Don't you dare question my desire for my family's safety Katara." She growled, her fingers flexing as she unknowingly pulled up small strands of water to coat the tips of her fingers.

In very sharp claws.

"I care about Aang's safety just as much as you do." The girl stated, her tone icy as she glared at Katara. The younger girl wasn't even deterred by Orora's shift in tone and body language. Instead, she seemed to grow even stronger in her resolve as the water on the floor trembled with the intensity of her emotions.

A sarcastic smile pulled at Katara's lips. "Oh really? Well it sure didn't look that way when you were cozying up to the enemy." This time Katara glanced over Orora's shoulder as she said the words, and despite her effort not to, the older girl followed her line of sight.

Only to see Zuko standing there with a look of resignation, acceptance and shame on his face.

Something inside Orora's chest splintered as she turned back to Katara. "Zuko is not the enemy." She hissed, her voice somehow echoing for the entire courtyard to hear. "He is the only chance we have of defeating the Fire Nation once and for all. And if I can get past what happened, then so can you."

With that Orora stalked past Katara, leaving the younger girl to stare after her in utter fury and contempt.

————————–

Half an hour later, Aang found her sitting on an open balcony in one of the many upside down towers of the Temple.

"Woah, you really did want to get away from everyone." He stated as he landed next to her and snapped his glider shut. Orora didn't glance at him, opting to pick up a loose piece of rock and throwing it into the yawning abyss in front of her. The sun was beginning to set, casting hues of orange and red all around.

While the orange had reminded her of Aang's robes, the red had reminded her of Zuko's.

She sat with her legs hanging off the side of the balcony, since it didn't have a railing. A safety hazard really, but then again it was built for people who could fly at a moments notice. Aang came to sit next to her cross-legged, his hands folded in his lap. "Katara kind of stormed off after you did. Don't know where, but I'm sure she'll be back." Aang added, glancing at his older sister. "Sokka went after her, to try and talk. Though now that I think about it, he might say something that would make her even angrier." He pressed a finger to his chin as he thought over his decision, regretting it a little.

"Was she right?" Orora asked, cutting off whatever Aang had started to think about. The young Avatar turned to look at his friend, the concern evident in his wide grey eyes. "Was I really too quick in forgiving Zuko?" It wasn't that she regretted her choice or would go back on it. It was more reassurance that she needed. And while Sokka had helped provide that, it seemed like Katara's words had made her question if maybe people saw her to be too quick to forgive and let go.

The moment the words were out of her mouth, Aang shook his head. "No." He stated, his voice firm and stern, prompting her to look at him in surprise, not having expected his tone. "What happened in Ba Sing Se was......horrible, I admit." She tried hard not to glance at his back, where she knew the scar from the wound Azula had inflicted on him with her lightning still marred his skin. A small gust of wind had her inhaling deeply, bringing a semblance of calm about her troubled heart.

"But you and Zuko both paid for it for weeks after that." Seeing her frown of confusion, Aang continued. "You were both apart from one another, heartbroken and barely able to function. Zuko told me how he would have visions of you being at the Fire Palace with him. And lets not forget how you nearly went into a catatonic state because of the grief you felt."

The memory of those dull, lifeless days had an involuntary shiver running down her spine. Aang, sensing her discomfort, went on. "Even Zuko had his moments of heartbreak, he told me all about them." At her questioning look, he gave a sheepish grin. "We were trapped together for hours. Had to pass the time somehow." A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"My point is, you and Zuko have gone through enough and I guess, you thought the same since you finally decided to forgive him." His eyes dropped to her finger, where her string glowed a warm red. Of course, he couldn't see it. Though somehow, Orora had a suspicion that Aang knew it was glowing with color.

The Waterbender sighed, leaning back to lie flat on her back as she stared up at the passing clouds. "I was just so tired." She admitted, sensing Aang laying down next to her. "Tired of all that anger and sadness." A pause. "I just wanted to be happy again." She admitted, her voice breaking.

Didn't she deserve to be happy?

Couldn't she be a little selfish?

Didn't Zuko deserve to be happy?

Was it always going to be like this?

Someone disapproving of their bond just because he had been the enemy once.

Or someone disapproving of their bond because she was a Waterbender and he was a Firebender.

Or someone disapproving of their bond because she was a Noblewoman from the Water Tribe and he was the Prince of the Fire Nation.

So many obstacles.

So many hurdles.

"I get that." Aang said, his voice matching her tone, though his was low and soothing, while hers was heavy with the realization that Fate had really dealt her and Zuko a rather difficult hand of Pai Sho Tiles.

"When I found out what the Fire Nation had done to my people, I was so angry. I went into the Avatar State and nearly destroyed the Southern Air Temple and blasted Sokka and Katara off the side of the mountain." He admitted. Sensing the sadness in his tone, Orora reached down, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze of assurance, trying to comfort him in her own way.

He squeezed back, indicating his appreciation for her gesture.

"I realized that in order to keep my power under control, I had to let go of that anger." His voice trailed off, before picking up as he went on. "It wasn't easy, but I did it because letting all that anger fester in me for so long would start to effect me. Turning me into someone........else."

She turned her head, looking at him, trying to imagine him being someone else. Someone who wasn't bright and brilliant.

Someone who wasn't ready with a few wise words and a smile.

Someone who never failed to protect the people he loved, and fight for the good of the world.

And she found, she couldn't.

"You say you let go of your anger because you wanted to be happy again." Aang spoke after a brief moment of silence. He turned his head to meet her gaze, before pushing to sit up. "Letting go takes more strength then holding on, and I'm actually proud of you for doing that."

And seeing that pride in his eyes, an emotion she had only ever seen in her Master's eyes, Orora couldn't help the choked sob that escaped her as she launched to hug her little brother close. He returned the embrace with a small laugh and with just as much ferocity as she held her to him, the two teenagers drawing comfort and strength from one another.

"I understand Katara's anger." Her voice was soft as she sighed in his shoulder before slowly leaning back. "She blames Zuko for what happened because you nearly died." They both flinched at the memory. "Shes just afraid of loosing you again."

She pulled back, holding him by the shoulders at arm length.

Blue met grey.

"Maybe the two of you should sit down and talk about your bond? If you reassure her that nothing like that would happen again, she might not worry so much about you." Orora offered. Aang looked away, unable to meet her gaze as uncertainty crossed his features.

She waited patiently, knowing he would eventually answer her.

Though when he did, she wasn't exactly satisfied with it.

"I'll try."

But she didn't push it.

They both sat there in silent contemplation for a little while longer. "I should get back and talk to Zuko." Orora said, as always, unable to sit still for too long unless she was meditating. "He's probably blaming himself for Katara's behavior towards me." She was sure of it.

Why?

Because Orora knew her Soulmate well enough to know that he somehow found fault in things that didn't even involve him. Sure the situation between her and Katara did, but that wasn't the point. The sun was well on it's way to setting now as she glanced down at her string, following where it led her. She frowned. "I think Zuko walked off somewhere too." Came her observation as Aang stood as well, gripping his staff.

"Well if you act as the navigator, I can get you to him in no time." He stated with a grin, to which Orora gave him a confused look.

"How're you gonna do that?"

Aang grinned.

————————–

As soon as Aang had gone off to look for Orora, with Sokka following his sister's trail, Zuko had walked off as well. Though he had no destination in mind, and was content to being alone rather then have company with him. Not that he was bothered by his new friends, but because he wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a little while.

Not a good combination.

Him and his thoughts.

Alone.

Especially since he tended to stray into a rather dark part of his mind. A part he wanted to let go of, but was finding it hard to do because it had been hammered in him for so long that he wasn't good enough that it was hard to let go of it.

He walked until he physically couldn't go any further. The Temple came to an end in the form of natural rock wall, leaving him coming to a stop in a series of small courtyards that jutted out on top of the chasm that opened in front of him. Maybe this had been used as a landing point of sky bisons, he mused to himself, spying a series of, what looked like, stable-like structures a little further into the space.

Distracting himself with his exploring could only last so long. Though he did till near sunset, but it didn't matter. In the end his mind began to think those dark thoughts again and he allowed himself to.

He wasn't bothered by what Katara had said. What she said about him was true. Zuko was, or rather had been, the enemy. No one would have any reason to trust him. Least of all Orora.

Especially after what he had done.

And yet she had forgiven him. Had told him that there was a chance. A chance for the both of them to be with one another. To accept the bond they shared and become something..........more.

Though it seemed Katara was against Orora's choice to forgive him.

Zuko knew Orora well enough to know she would not go back on her decision, not after all that she had laid bare to him just last night. Not after the soul-searching she had done to come to her decision.

But would her choice result in loosing Katara?

He didn't want that. He didn't want her to loose part of her family. Not when she had been without one her whole life. Zuko had at least known his mother's love, as well as his Uncle's. And yes, there had been a time when his relationship with his father and Azula could be defined as normal.

Orora had never had that.

Like he had done with Aang, he had to make amends with Katara as well. It would be hard, but he wasn't one to give up easily. After all, Orora had claimed him to be the most stubborn person she had ever met.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" Came his Soulmate's voice, high pitched, terrified, distant and echoing.

Speaking of......

Zuko frowned, walking towards the edge of the very last landing area, surprised to see a rather familiar figure flying towards him on a glider. Though there was another addition to it.

That of Orora as she clung to Aang.

"We're almost there!" He heard Aang say, just as Orora let out a shriek. "Aang! I'm slipping."

"Just hang on!"

Feeling Orora's grip falter, Aang knew he had to act quickly lest she fall. Doing a quick loop in the air, which jostled Orora enough to loose her grip on him completely, Aang sent a burst of air aimed at Orora's back. The gust sent her flying through the air, her screams of terror echoing off the silent walls of the Temple.

Aang had targeted her towards the nearest landing area, which was also the one Zuko occupied.

It all happened so fast that he didn't even have time to think.

All he saw was Orora flying towards him, prompting him to throw his arms out to try and catch her. It was instinct really. However, Zuko failed to add in the strength of the air gust that was propelling Orora towards him.

Her body smacked into his, sending them both tumbling back in a tangle. They rolled at least seven times, though neither of them counted, before they came to a stop. For a moment all Zuko could do was try to focus his head which was still spinning, and his body that ached all over from being slammed into the hard ground over and over.

"You guys alright?" In the distance he heard Aang call out, prompting him to open his eyes with a groan. A heavy weight resting atop his abdomen kept him from getting up. Inclining his head, Zuko saw Orora, laying across him diagonally. She too groaned as she lifted her head where her face had been smushed into the dirt covered floor. "I prefer flying on Appa." The girl grumbled, slowly pushing herself off him so he could sit up.

Aang stopped a couple feet from them. "Well considering it was your first time flying on a glider, properly, it wasn't that bad. Though you gotta work on the landing."

That last part earned him a death glare from the Waterbender, prompting the young Airbender to gulp in fear. "I.....erm......oh whats that Sokka? I'm coming!" He held a hand to his ear as if he could actually hear Sokka calling for him from so far away. "Sokka's calling. So, I gotta......" He trailed off with a nervous laugh. "Bye!" And with that he ran off, propelling himself forward with a gust of air.

All to avoid the wrath of an annoyed older sister.

Orora sighed, shaking her head as she stood. "Honestly, its a Spirit send miracle that boy hasn't gotten himself or the others killed with the way his brain works." As she dusted off the front of her shirt, Zuko stood as well, straightening his clothes as he did. "Well he has come close, and I've witnessed it plenty of times." He said, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips at the dead-panned look Orora shot him.

"What're you doing all the way here?" She asked, pushing back the few pieces of hair that had escaped her comb, and turning to him with a frown. He shrugged. "I just thought everyone needed some space, so I walked off." Better walking away then staying and feeling their eyes at him whenever he turned away.

She sighed. "You don't have to go away just because someone has a fight Zuko. Doesn't matter if it involves you or not." Running a hand over her face, the girl grimaced at the obvious layer of dirt coating her. "You alright?" Zuko asked, his eyes looking her over, trying to see if she were hurt anywhere. She nodded, turning her head to give him a smile of reassurance. "I'm fine. What about you?"

Reaching up she brushed at his cheek, just under his scar, where a few tiny rocks were stuck to his skin. A silent nod was his only response, since he was still a little winded.

Though was it because of the tumble they'd both taken, or because she had her hand on his cheek, he wasn't sure.

Seeing the turmoil in his eyes, Orora sighed. "Don't let Katara get to you. She just needs a little more time to trust you again." She reassured him, her thumb gently stroking along his scar. The small act of comfort had him closing his eyes and leaning in her touch, savoring it just as he had done last night.

"I don't blame her. I did some pretty horrible stuff." He said, his voice low and full of shame, to which Orora bit her lower lip. "You only did it because you were misguided Zuko. You wanted to go back home and prove to your Father that you were worthy." Reaching up with her other hand, she cradled his face in her palms, smiling at him.

"Those actions, the person who did them, that's not you anymore." Sure he heard her words and he responded to them with a small nod, Zuko was more focused on her eyes. The shape and color so familiar, and yet he found he would never get tired of just looking at them. Looking into them.

"Now you're just a Prince who left his entire Nation to help a ragtag team of kids, with more issues, trauma and problems then you, save the world. Not exactly a great move but hey," She threw her arms out at her sides, grinning at him. "Welcome to the party!"

He blinked, staring at her as his brain tried to comprehended exactly what she had said.

And once it did, he burst out laughing.

He continued to laugh, the sound echoing against the empty walls of the courtyard. Her grin morphed into a tender smile as she watched him. Zuko rarely laughed. Orora could count the times he had on one hand, and that sent a pang of sadness through her heart.

He looked adorable when he laughed.

As the sound of his laugh tapered off, Orora found herself simply staring at him. And Zuko found himself doing the same. The smile on his lips, and the mirth in his warm gold eyes remained, as he reached up to flick at a loose tendril of hair that brushed against her cheek. Her beautiful blue eyes followed the movement of his fingers, before returning back to meet his gaze. He didn't look away, as he gently brushed the soft white piece of her hair behind her ear, his fingers gently grazing her temple and the shell of her ear.

As always, the intensity of his gaze was what had her shying away from him, a blush razing across her cheeks as a nervous smile formed on her lips.

"Well now that you're feeling better." She turned on her feet, already starting to walk away to begin the trek back to their camp. "We should head back. Dinner will be ready soon an-"

But Orora only got to walk a few paces before she came to a halt.

Because she suddenly found a pair of strong yet familiar arms wrapped around her waist from behind. They pulled her back against a firm chest, trapping her.

Her eyes widened, her lips parted as a gasp of surprise escaped her. "Zu-" She trailed off when she felt his head lean against her shoulder, before he turned to bury his face in her hair. Orora could now feel the blush burning across her face. Feel her heart thundering in her chest. She even felt his heartbeat as her back pressed even more to his chest. Her arms came up to lightly wrap around his, the colors of their skin a stark, yet poetic contrast. Her response prompted Zuko to smile against her hair. And even though she couldn't see it, she somehow felt it.

"Thank you." He whispered, his voice hoarse and barely audible as he memorized her scent all over again. The thickness of her hair prevented his skin from brushing against her own, but she did feel the warmth of his breath when he whispered.

And she tried very very hard not to ask him to do that again.

Instead, she held still, barely breathing. Zuko was no better. He held her to him in an embrace that was certainly not meant to be shared in public. He should walk away more often, he mused to himself, if it meant Orora coming after him, talking to him, making him laugh, touching his scar.

Anything to have her close. Anything to show her that he had changed and wanted to be with her more then anything. Though it had only been a day, Zuko was afraid that this was one of his dreams and he'd wake up any moment, back in his bed at the Fire Palace.

Alone and bereft.

"Do you want to stay for a bit?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, as if she felt that if she spoke any louder, the dream would shatter.

The tightening of his arms was his only response.

And she accepted it with a smile, her head tilting to rest atop his as the both of them simply stood there, drawing comfort from the other's presence.

A rather insignificant thing.

And yet for the both of them, after so many days apart, it felt like coming home.

————————–

The next morning was no different.

Orora had started her day by greeting Katara, but had been ignored. After that, every time she tried to include the other girl in any conversation, she would either be shut down, or Katara would snap at her with some rude comment.

Needless to say, by lunch time, Orora was beginning to loose patience, and Katara had reached the limit of her restraint from holding back and telling Orora to just back off.

The breaking point came when Katara made some snide comment about Zuko and Orora very nearly tackled her, only stopping because Toph held her back while Aang shot a look of warning in Katara's direction.

"Alright that's it!" Sokka exclaimed, standing up with soup spilled all over his front. Apparently when two Waterbenders got upset and allowed they emotions to run unchecked, anything containing some form of water broke. So far the victims had been, their waterskins, two jars of water, and several bowls of soup. Honestly Sokka was getting sick of the fighting, and loosing his meal only made him cranky.

"You two are coming with me!" He pointed towards the two Waterbenders, before walking off towards Appa. Glaring at one another briefly, both of them followed. "Where are we going?" Katara asked her brother as he climbed atop Appa. "Shush!" He commanded, prompting his sister to scowl at him.

Glancing back at the rest of the campers, which included Toph, Aang and Zuko, he gestured for them to climb as well. Haru, The Duke and Teo had gone off to forage for some fruits a little ways away from the cliffs.

Once everyone had settled, with Orora and Katara sitting at opposite ends of the saddle, Sokka guided Appa to fly away from the Temple and towards the nearest water source he had seen on a wall map of he Western Air Temple and its surroundings.

Not even five minutes later they were landing near a wide stream with enough room on the banks to house several sky bisons if need be. A wide yet small waterfall was the source of the stream, with several rocks jutting out of the surface of the water, an indication that if one were to stand even in the middle the water would only come to the waste.

And it was the perfect place.

"Excellent, this will do." Sokka seemed to think so as well as he slid down from Appa and looked around, his hands on his hips. "Er....what're we doing here Sokka?" Toph asked, sliding down next to him, her toes wiggling in the soft sand of the bank of the stream.

Turning around Sokka crossed his arms over his chest, glaring first at Orora, then Katara. "We're here, so that these two can work things out once and for all, and so I won't have food exploding in my face again." He stated in a serious tone, prompting Katara to roll her eyes at her brother.

"Sokka, you're being ridiculous." She said in that annoyed tone she adopted whenever her brother was being just that, annoying. Zuko climbed down from Appa as well, Orora landing next to him. Sokka held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just saying if you two let off a little steam, maybe you'll finally sit down and talk properly."

Aang, who had been a little skeptical about the idea gave a small nod. "You know, he's not wrong." Katara shot him a look of betrayal before turning and stubbornly refusing to get down from Appa. Orora rolled her eyes at the younger girl's behavior, sliding off her shoes and throwing them to the side as she walked towards the water, sighing in relief when the coolness of the liquid washed over her feet.

"Katara as your older brother I order you to fight Orora!" Sokka called out to his sister, glaring up at her, just as she glared down at him. Zuko, having followed Orora, placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should annoy her into fighting you?" He suggested, nodding towards the bickering siblings. Orora raised an eyebrow at him. "You're suggesting I take her on?" She asked, to which he shrugged. "Sometimes fighting physically helps resolve things. I mean it did got us to talk didn't it?"

Orora pursed her lips, squeezing her eyes shut before releasing a breath. Her shoulder drooped and she glanced at Katara. "But I don't want to fight my sister." She said in a low sad tone. Zuko nodded in understanding, reaching out to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I know, but trust me, fighting with your sister, tends to be life-altering."

And he was speaking from experience.

Nodding, she pressed her lips together, a determined look on her face as she turned to walk further into the stream.

"Get down from the bison Katara!"

"No! I refuse to take part in-ARGH!"

The rest of her words were drowned out in a splash as a bubble of water dropped down from the sky and on top of her head. Everyone blinked in surprise, before all eyes turned towards Orora who stood knee deep in the water, one arm crossed over her chest, while the other held another bubble of water aloft.

Dripping, Katara finally slid down from Appa's back, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Sensing the impending battle ahead, Appa quickly lumbered to the side, while Aang, Toph, Sokka and Zuko stood on the grassy area of the clearing, watching the two Waterbender size one another up.

"You really think these two fighting is the answer?" Toph whispered to Sokka who shrugged. "Worked out for Zuko and Orora didn't it?" He reminded, to which Zuko just sighed, nodding in agreement. "Can't argue with that." He muttered under his breath.

"Did you just throw water at me?" Katara demanded, furiously swiping at her face to get rid of the water still trickling from her hair and into her eyes.

"I did." Orora stated in a matter of fact tone. No sooner had she done so when another bubble of water dropped on Katara's head, soaking her even more.

"And I did it again."

There was pure rage in Katara's eyes now. Raising her arm, she swiped it along the top of her head, gather whatever water was there and pulling it away to create a short water whip in her hand.

"Alright then." She said, finally stepping into the water as Orora shifted to bend her knees to balance herself properly. "Lets see who the real Master Waterbender is."

For a moment everything stood still. The birds quietened, the wind slowed, their friends on the bank of the stream froze. All either of the Waterbender focused on was the flowing water underneath, the rushing waterfall, and each other.

Katara moved first, lashing out with a water whip that caught Orora's ankle, throwing her a good few feet in the air. The older girl didn't miss a beat. Her arms pushed upwards, pulling a tunnel of water skywards. She landed in the center and slid down into the stream. Crouching there, Orora pushed herself up to the surface, arms flying out to send a wall of water towards Katara.

The other girl parted the wall like one would a curtain, pulling a bubble of water from it which she quickly shifted to ice daggers. The tips of it gleamed wickedly as Katara shot them through the air towards Orora. Without missing a beat, Orora created a shield, reminiscent of the ones Water Tribe Warriors used in battle. The daggers shattered on impact, and one the onslaught stopped, Orora threw the shield up in the air, watching as it shot down, only to jump and deliver a roundhouse kick that sent the solid shield through the air and towards Katara.

Though Katara brought up wall of ice to prevent being hit, Orora's shield still pierced the wall, shattering it on impact, and sending Katara flying back, where she landed in the water.

Anger flickering in her eyes, Katara didn't even bother to stand properly as she pushed herself to her knees and began to pump her arms in the air, creating wide circles, pushing multiple arcs of water towards Orora.

Each of them thinner and sharper then the last.

Her speed was remarkable, and Orora found herself a little winded as she dodged and swiped at each of the arc, while also trying to land a hit. Gaze shifting towards the waterfall, the older girl made a run for it. Katara followed, creating a small wave which she rode with a disc of ice under her feet. She raised her arm towards the sky, creating a wall of water in Orora's path, trying to cut her off. But Orora would swipe through the wall either using her arm or her leg. Her feet barely touched the water as she raced towards the waterfall.

Briefly, she turned, arms shooting out in front of her to send an arc of ice daggers towards Katara who merely surfed out of the way. The angle gave Katara enough momentum to swipe a stream of water towards Orora. Using the water from the waterfall. The pressure of the waterfall plus the force of Katara's bending slammed Orora in the chest, sending her flying back down the stream where she landed in the water with a loud splash.

Her teeth rattled and she was pretty sure she bit down on her tongue when she tasted blood in her mouth. The muffled sound of her name reached her ears, but she was barely bothered by it. Her body screamed with pain, and the back of her head probably needed to be looked at, but that didn't deter her. Rising on shaky legs, the girl glared at the approaching Katara, who was still surfing on her wave.

Spitting the blood out of her mouth, Orora raised her arms in front of her. She dug the heels of her feet into the gritty floor of the stream, before she clenched her fist and pulled. The ice board Katara had been using was swiped out from underneath her. Katara fell face first in the water, the surf she'd been riding dropping as she did. Not wanting to give her time to gather herself, Orora jumped, twirling in the air, a circle of water following her movement, before she dropped to her knees, her arms out. The circle of water flew straight through the air, colliding with Katara's chest where she had just sat up, sending the girl flying back just as she had done Orora.

Panting, Orora moved forward, still alert as she watched Katara's figure as she sat up. Though the minute she felt the temperature drop, the older girl knew she should've struck. Twin pillars of ice rose in the air, encompassing her hands, leaving her unable to use them for bending. She struggled, but Katara held on strong, her brow furrowed in concentration as she approached her older sister with a grim yet determined expression on her face.

"Had enough?" Katara asked, her tone mocking as she smirked at her. Orora stopped struggling, dropped her head briefly as she caught her breath.

"Nice move Little Sister. But you're forgetting one thing."

Katara frowned. "What?"

Orora looked up, smirking. "I can bend with my feet too."

So saying she kicked her leg out, creating a pillar of ice around Katara's lower body, pinning her in place. A cry of surprise left Katara's lips as she tried to get free. But just as she held on to Orora's hands, Orora held on to her lower body.

"Give up." The older girl grunted. She could feel her hands start to go numb. If that kept up, she might get frostbite. It would take awhile, since she had practiced enough to not let ice burn her, but she wasn't skilled enough yet. Then again neither was Katara. She would have to give up if she didn't want to have frostbitten toes and legs.

"No." Katara spat back, just as determined, stubborn and hard-headed as her sister.

Their battle came to a stalemate.

Aang seemed to think the same as he stepped forward. "Alright that's it you two. Give up before both of you loose a hand or a leg."

And when neither gave in, the Avatar scowled at them each in turn, quickly using his own Waterbending ability to drop their ice pillars and freeing them both.

Panting Orora raised her hands to her line of sight, wincing when she saw the tips of her fingers had gone slightly blue. Nothing too serious, but it would be awhile before they returned to her normal dark skin tone.

As the three of them walked out of the stream, she rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them. Though as soon as she stepped out of the water, she found her hands being enveloped by Zuko's.

Whose hands were amazingly warm against her cold shivering skin. He must've done something to his body temperature, since Firebenders could regulate it.

Whatever it was, as feeling began to return to her fingers, Orora let out a soft sound of relief. "Thank you." She whispered to Zuko, who smiled at her. Katara was inspecting her toes, surprised to see them unharmed.

"Why aren't your toes blue like Orora's fingers?" Sokka asked, a look of confusion on his face as the Waterbenders glanced at one another.

Inquiring eyes turned towards Orora who cleared her throat, looking back to where Zuko's hands covered her own, before speaking. "The pillar was mostly water and only a thin layer of ice. I used the pressure from the water to keep her from getting away." She revealed, not having had any intention to actually hurt Katara.

And yet somehow, that last part was heard loudly even though it wasn't even voiced.

"Boy, you sure have picked up on things haven't you Ice Princess?" Toph said, grinning. "I felt that stance you did before you stopped Katara. That was one of mine wasn't it?" Orora nodded. "Yeah, I figured it would help me keep my ground."

Aang, ever the peacemaker, stepped forward. "Maybe you could teach me and Katara that move some day?" Lifting her eyes blue eyes, Orora saw Katara purse her lips. The two girls looked at one another, before Katara's eyes dropped to where Zuko still held Orora's hands. The moment she felt his hands begin to slide away from her, Orora scowled, stopping his movement by turning her hands over so she could grip his palms.

And when Katara turned and walked away without another word, Orora let out a breath of relief.

"She's still upset." Sokka stated, hands on his hips. "But hey, not scowling at the two of you is a start right?" He asked, grinning. "And its all thanks to me. I should conduct these Bending Battles more often. I can call them, the Bending Rumbles - Bend your Anger and Stress Away."

He sounded way to excited about his little plan. Pulling her hand back, Orora flexed her fingers, getting them to move properly again as her skin took on its normal hue. Seeing Aang watch Katara as she walked away, the Waterbender came up next to him.

"Go, talk to her." She urged with a gentle push to his back. Aang shot her a slightly nervous look, which she returned with an encouraging smile of her own.

Rolling his shoulders, the boy took a deep breath, before following after his Soulmate.

Orora smiled, before turning her attention to where Toph was animatedly offering Sokka her services to helping people Bend their feelings away.

A therapist like Toph would certainly send people running for the hills.

"Hey Toph!" The girl called, a smile pulling at her lips as Toph turned in her direction.

"Time to hold up your end of the bargain."

Toph's shoulders dropped and she winced.

"Monkey feathers."

————————–

It took a little while, correction nearly the entire afternoon, for Orora to convince and reassure Toph. And now finally, she was ready.

"Do I have to?"

Aside from one last minute bout of nervousness.

"If you don't then I will. Would you rather I take charge?"

"You're as stubborn as Firebug."

"Oh trust me, I'm way more stubborn then Zuko. Now go!"

With that, Orora all but pushed Toph out from behind the pillar they'd both been whispering, and into the direction of The Duke who sat on a small stone, whittling something with his knife.

Orora saw Toph pause, her foot in midair. The bling girl turned. "Maybe I shou-"

But her older sister wasn't having it. Gripping her sister by the shoulders, Orora all but pushed Toph halfway towards The Duke, and only retreated when she saw the boy look up from his knife and smile at the Earthbender.

"Hey Toph!"

The Waterbender darted back to the pillar, crouching behind it as she peaked out, hoping to see what was happening even if she could barely hear what was going on.

"Is she talking to him?" And impatient voice whispered from behind a rather large piece of rock. Orora rolled her eyes, not even glancing back. "I can't hear anything." She responded to Sokka, who peaked out as well, a little glum. "Ask Aang to use his Airbending to hear."

The round bald head of said Airbender popped up from where he had been hiding in an overgrown shrub. "Zuko's with me too." He whispered, prompting the Prince's head to appear beside his, leaves and twigs trapped in his hair. "Way to be discrete Aang." Zuko shot at him. Aang looked like he was about to make a comeback, but fell silent when he saw Katara, hiding in a corner near Sokka, gesturing for him to listen.

Sighing, the boy turned his head, calling on the wind to blow in his direction so he would be able to hear better.

Of course that all amounted to nothing when suddenly The Duke, jumped down from his perch and wrapped his arms around Toph in a hug.

Mouths fell open, shoulders dropped and eyes widened in disbelief.

"That was.....anti-climatic." Zuko stated, unable to comprehend just how easy it had been.

"That's it?" Came Sokka's voice, as he blinked in confusion.

"That has to be a record in our group." Aang glanced at each of them, scratching the back of his head as he did. Nothing was ever easy for any of them, and yet the Soulmate business had been so easy for Toph.

Toph of all people!

"How can we be sure they accepte-wait never mind, they're holding hands." Katara corrected herself, spying the two youngest members of their group with their fingers intertwined.

A sudden laugh from Orora had everyone looking at her in confusion.

"After all that," She said, her voice gentle, as she smiled from ear to ear watching Toph and The Duke walk away hand in hand. "In the end she had nothing to worry about."

————————–

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sapphic-agent · 7 months ago

Text

Rewriting the Gaang in LOK

Basically how I would have written the adult Gaang. Pretend the comics as they are don't exist.

Katara: Breaks up with Aang sometime post-finale to do some soul-searching. Travels the world on her own and sees how people are struggling after the war. After talking (beating) some sense into a few government officials, she realizes that the best way to help people post-war is through politics. She becomes an (unofficial) ambassador, helping and negotiating aid for small villages that tend to get overlooked and does this for a number of years. She joins up with Zuko and Aang after they found the United Republic of Nations and becomes Councilwoman Katara, representative of the Southern Water Tribe. She eventually gets voted chairwoman due to her passion to improve the lives of the citizens (and because her fellow council members are too scared to vote against her). She heals on the side when she needs to, but only out of obligation since she can't stand to see people suffer; she puts much more effort into getting raising funds for a hospital full of healers. A few years later, Haru moves to Republic City and is just as awestruck by her as he was the day they met (the pornstache has been removed by divine intervention). They meet up a couple of times; for drinks after work, walks around the city, and they even attend a few galas together. They eventually start dating and get married two years later. They have their first daughter Kya (who's an earthbender), a son- Tyro (who's a nonbender), and another daughter Suma (who's a waterbender). They live a happy, peaceful (if you could call Katara stopping the occasional criminal before the police peaceful) life together where their children are well-loved and as part of the Southern Water Tribe as they are the Earth Kingdom. Aang's death hits their family hard, but they all come together and support each other. Katara personally mentors Korra, even convincing her family move to Republic City so that the Avatar knows the people she's meant to protect (the White Lotus protests, they fail❤️). She teaches Korra Waterbending, but also teaches her empathy and appreciation for other cultures (and that sometimes, selfish world leaders need a good punch to the face, a lesson Korra took to heart even though she absolutely wasn't supposed to see it).

Aang: Is torn up after Katara breaks up with him. He's hurt and confused and doesn't know what to do with himself. He retreats to Ba Sing Se where he talks with Iroh and learns that he unfairly pushed his feelings onto Katara. Wracked with guilt at hurting someone he cares about so much, Aang realizes that he has a lot of growing up to do. He focuses on his job as the Avatar, working closely with Zuko, Kuei, and the other leaders to heal the world after the war. The first time he sees Katara again is when she arrives to help with the United Republic of Nations. He apologizes to her and Katara forgives him, promising they'll always be best friends. His role in Republic City is more or less the same, though at some point he develops feelings for Toph. But he fears doing to her what he had done to Katara, so he tries to ignore them. But Toph, never one to beat around the bush, point-blank asks him if he's ever gonna man-up and confess to her. They start dating, and Lin comes a few months later as a surprise. They have their hiccups- Aang especially needing to reconcile with the fact that there's a chance she might not be an Airbender- but they manage to resolve them. Lin is an Earthender, of course, but Aang loves his little girl to pieces (which is good, because Toph would kill him if she suspected otherwise). Tenzin is born three years later, an Airbender, and Su Yin is born two years after that as an Earthbender. Lastly there's Bumi, a nonbender. There's always the urge to favor Tenzin, but Aang knows he can't. They're all his children and they deserve to be treated as such. So he teaches them all about their culture, takes them all on trips. The kids fight, but Aang is always quick to help resolve it (as it turns out, getting Lin and Su to stop fighting is a lot harder than getting the four nations to get along, go figure). Aang loves his wife and kids and wouldn't trade any of them for the world. He dies peacefully at age 66, surrounded by his children and the love of his life.

Sokka: Fucking hates politics. He'll leave the negotiating and speeches to his sister, thank you very much. If the room of government officials isn't a war room, he wants no part in it. After the war, he spends most of his time in the Southern Water Tribe. He works with his father to rebuild and relearn their culture, and writes frequent letters to his sister. Though, something about his life in the south is unfulfilling. Maybe he misses Suki, but there's something about inventing that calls to him. He can't do much of that in the south pole, so he leaves for the Earth Kingdom, helping villages struggling with heat, agriculture, transportation, etc. In the United Republic of Nations, he becomes lead engineer of the city, utilizing bending to make quick technological advances. He and Suki reunite in Republic City where Suki becomes the police chief. They get back together and have a daughter, Lian. The three of them live a simple life together, until Suki gets gravely injured in the line of duty when Lian is twenty. They decide to retire to the Southern Water Tribe where Sokka takes over for Hakoda as chief and prepares Lian to take over for him.

Toph: When Toph hears that Twinkle Toes and Sparky finally started that fancy new city, she thinks it's the perfect opportunity to cause a little chaos. Closing her metalbending school, she decides to relive her days as the Blind Bandit by founding pro-bending (thanks @ecoterrorist-katara for the idea!). Zuko's a hater and tries to shut it down because "safety," but finds no help in Aang who really, really loves the idea. He goes to every one of her matches and Toph feels both smug pride and... Something else. But she tells herself it would never happen, Twinkle Toes likes girls like Sugar Queen and she was the furthest thing from that. But she isn't totally oblivious, she can feel his heartbeat pick up when he's around her and how he's started to stutter when he's talking to her. So she bites the bullet and they start happily dating. But the arrival of Lin uncovers issues she didn't even know were there. Lin cries loudly and for Toph who relies heavily on her sense of hearing, it's hell. She was also unprepared for how much her body would change. She finds herself not wanting to be around her daughter. But Aang realizes this and urges her to talk to someone. After some arguing, she does. Aang is attentive, so Toph can take breaks when she needs to and Katara and Suki are always ready to get her out of the house when she's overwhelmed. Things with Lin get better and when Tenzin comes around she doesn't suffer nearly as much. Su Yin is similar. It's hard with Bumi because she's older, but Aang and her friends are there to support her. Toph can be distant with her children- her closely monitored childhood always present in her mind- but sees how Aang can be doting and allow their kids freedom. She follows by his example, trying to find a balance between hovering and absence. Aang's death is the worst day of her life- she was there, she felt his heart stop- and she retreats into the swamp for a while to grieve. But she returns to Republic City when Katara begins to mentor the new Avatar. Not to be outdone by Sugar Queen, she becomes Korra's second teacher. It's hard to be around Korra sometimes, but she likes the girl's spunk and attitude, even if she is a brat.

Zuko: Zuko struggles after the war. The obligations of the Fire Lord are crushing and daunting and the fear of turning into his father feels like it's constantly looming over his head. Mai doesn't understand why he's struggling so much and he can't figure out how to explain it to her, so they break up. She goes to Kyoshi Island to spend time with Ty Lee and figure out what she wants in life. Stressed, burnt-out, and heartbroken, Zuko asks Aang to kill him if he ever starts to act like Ozai, but Aang steadfastly refuses, berating him for even suggesting it. Aang assures him that he'll never turn into his father and that he has his friends to rely on. He follows after Aang to Ba Sing Se, working in his uncle's tea shop as a much needed break. He opens up to Iroh about his fears and Iroh affirms that even having these worries proves that he'll never be Ozai. He spends time in Ba Sing Se working in the tea shop and negotiating with the Earth King when he meets Jin again. She's as carefree as she was back then and Zuko is both envious and in awe of it. But he knows he can't have a relationship with her, he can't burden her with his problems. But Jin is gently persistent, lending an ear when he needs one and assuring him that he isn't burdening her. When she asks him if he wants to be with her, he confesses that he does- more than anything- but also admits that he has no idea how it'll work. She tells him that if they want to be together no one should stop them. A year later, they're married and she's crowned Fire Lady Jin. There are some protests to their relationship from traditionalists, but Ambassador Katara (Zuko is so sure that she was never actually given that title, but he can't prove it) is quick to shut them down citing that the Fire Lord marrying an Earth Kingdom girl is a sign of unity. They have their daughter, Izumi, and she's Zuko's entire world. Zuko's greatest fear is that his children will end up like him and Azula, so he refrains from having more kids. Jin respects this, but urges him to talk to Azula. So he does; his sister curses him out, but seems to enjoy his company in her own way. They'll never have a good relationship, but Zuko doesn't want her to feel alone so he makes time at least once a week. It's shortly after Aang's death that Zuko relinquishes the title of Fire Lord to Izumi, his grief over his lifetime friend far too painful. Eventually, though, Katara and Toph bully him into training the new Avatar. It's not a role for a retired Fire Lord, but Zuko knows that the world needs Korra to be strong and it's his responsibility to make that happen as much as he can. And so, he becomes Avatar Korra's third teacher (if you told him 60 years ago that he'd become the Avatar's most sane instructor, he'd think you were high on cactus juice. But with Katara punching dictators in the face and Toph breaking every rule ever written, someone has to be a good influence).

Occupations if you missed them:

Katara: (Unofficial/Self-proclaimed) Ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe, United Republic of Nations Councilwoman and later Chairwoman, Healer (on the side), Waterbending Master to the Avatar

Aang: Avatar, United Republic of Nations Councilman

Sokka: Engineer and Inventor, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe

Toph: Pro-Bender, Manager of the Pro-Bending Arena, Earthbending Master to the Avatar

Zuko: Fire Lord, Firebending Master to the Avatar

Suki: Police Chief of Republic City (I'm sorry I didn't make a detailed background for her I got lazy, I promise I don't love her any less😭)

Defending my ship choices:

Harutara: Come on, y'all know what I'm about at this point. They're my everything, how could I not have them together? Plus, there's something really poetic about Haru falling for her as an adult the way he did as a teenager: watching her inspire those around her. I headcanon that he's enamoured with the sound of her voice because it's the voice that liberated him and his people and he attends all her speeches

Taang: I actually wasn't sure about this one. I'm not an active Taang shipper, but I do think they'd really balance each other out. Toph is the hard ass Aang needs to challenge him and Aang would bring out the softer side in her. Toph would never let Aang favor one kid over the other and Aang wouldn't let Toph neglect their kids. So looking at it like that, I felt them being together would be best for the story

Sukka: It's not as perfect in canon as people make it out to be, but I still love them. I wouldn't want any different for them

Jinko: This one actually made more sense than I would have thought. Jin is very different from Mai, so I can really see her being what Zuko needs considering where he would be mentally. I like Mai, but I feel Maiko really made her way more one dimensional so her living with Ty Lee and finding herself feels like a better end for her (and if they start dating, that's no one's business). And we've already seen Zuko go out of his way to make Jin happy so it's not like we're getting another Kataang situation. I'm happy with this for them

The Kids:

Yes, I purposely made Kya an Earthbender. And yes, Katara still gives her her mother's necklace. Because that's her firstborn daughter no matter what element she does (or doesn't) bend. One thing I hate is that Bryke made the Kataang kids primarily part of the culture that they bend. That's such a slap in the face to biracial kids, not to mention poor Bumi who doesn't seem to belong to either for some reason until he ends up an Airbender. So yeah, all of the Harutara kids are part of the EK and SWT. Suma is a name I made up because it sounded pretty

I know it's weird to think of Lin and Tenzin as siblings, I felt so odd writing it. But I love them both so I couldn't just not write them. I made Bumi the youngest so he could be spoiled because he deserved better in canon. Su and Lin have a better relationship, but they still butt heads because they feel the need to one-up each other due to them both being Earthbenders (and later Metalbenders). Lin still becomes a cop, but their big fight never happened because Su was never neglected to the point of becoming a criminal. All four kids are taught Air Nomad culture and traditions and taken on trips because Aang is a decent father

I named Lian partly after Yue, since Yuèliàng means moon in Chinese. One of my gripes with LOK is that Katara and Sokka's family are meant to be the leaders of the SWT. Kya or Bumi should be the chief in canon, but Bryke just... Didn't do that for some reason. So fuck it, Sokka's daughter is chief now

Nothing really changes about Izumi, although I'd say she's a little friendlier. I contemplated giving Zuko more kids, but I actually think his decision not to have more kids was one of Bryke's better choices. It makes sense, so I didn't feel the need to change it

Other notes:

The Gaang teaching/helping raise baby Korra is something I live for

The Red Lotus is swiftly dealt with by Katara, Toph, Zuko, Suki, and Sokka when Korra is a kid. They never stood a chance. I was actually going to have Sokka still die during the attack in the SWT and Suki kill Zaheer in revenge, but eh I decided not to off Sokka

The Civil War still happens, but differently. I don't have the patience to go into that, just know that Katara is HEAVILY involved

Welp, that's everything in my brain

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shiftchii · 2 months ago

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MHA DR INTRO !

˗ˏˋ ABOUT ME

first name: Haruka 遙 "far, distant." last name: Kona 小楠 "small, little, tiny." "camphor tree." age: 15 birthday: January 30 gender: AFAB agender pronouns: she/they sexuality: asexual demi-panromantic MBTI: INTP blood type: O-

birth place: Near Shizuoka Prefecture current living place: Musutafu, Japan (the same building as Izuku) ethnicity: Japanese nationality: Japanese occupation: U.A. High School, Class 1-A

personality: Calm and inexpressive, yet caring. Silent nearly all the time. Gets louder when comfortable. Organized and clean. Very curious about everything.

main hobbies, skills & talents: - martial arts, combat - parkour - puzzles - programming and technology - sketching - biology and chemistry - guitar, piano, drums languages spoken: Japanese, English, Russian, Chinese, Italian, Spanish

˗ˏˋ APPEARANCE

height: 150 cm / 4'11" weight: 32 kg / 70.55 lb skin: ghostly pale, cool undertone, visible blue veins, scarred build: slender, bony, petite, fragile appearance. sleeper build eyes: downturned, lifeless with eyebags, right red, left green hair: mid-length, messy, jet black with white chunks piercings: right eyebrow, left ear: tragus, 3x upper Helix, industrial, 2x conch, 3x lobe, right ear: tragus, daith, 3x upper helix, flat, mid helix, conch, low helix, 3x Lobe tattoos: num. 13 on left upper arm voice claims: Rei Ayanami, fem voice num. 10 from code vein extra: vampire teeth

˗ˏˋ HERO

hero name: Haru quirk: blood manipulation I can control my own blood, whether inside or outside my body, manipulating it like waterbending. I can make it as fluid as water or as solid as metal, and I can alter its temperature and state at will. By increasing my blood pressure, I temporarily boost my strength and speed. To use my blood externally, I must first inflict a wound, but I can reabsorb and recycle it. I can only control another person’s blood through physical contact and up to 1 liter, but if I consume their blood, I can control it remotely and in larger amounts, mainly using this for blood clotting. I'll talk about my Quirk in depth in another post ^^

#cw: blood #shifting #reality shift #shifting realities #reality shifting #reality shifter #shifters #shifting community #shiftblr #mha shifting #mha dr #bnha shifting #bnha dr #shifting intro #shiftblr intro #shifting blog #desired reality

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wolfinshipclothing · 5 months ago

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Rewatching Avatar: the last Airbender (WITH MY MOM!)

Ok so i convinced my mom to watch ATLA with me. she's 68, but with the mind (and the looks mind you) of a 40y/o woman who loves cartoons, so it was quite the blast.

i'll go Book by Book and tell you guys her very amusing (and accurate) thoughts.

So here i go.

MY MOM WATCHES ATLA: BOOK I

-first coment is when she saw Zuko and it was like "ooh, he's hot!" and i was like "he's a teenager" and she was like "he's also not real" so point for her.

-IMMEDIATELY after learning the Avatar has to learn the four elements, she already knew Zuko was going to chance sides and teach Firebending to Aang.

-First episodes were a bit slow but she caught onto it because of the fantasy elements. she had a bit of a hard time picking the whole bending thing. not the bending itself, but the fact that not everyone who lives in the earth kingdom or wears green is an earthbender, but she catch it up quickly.

-she pointed out that Aang's airbending is not very consistent. "Why doesn't the Avatar just blow them away?! he did so in that other episode" and well, its kinda true.

-when it was Haru's episode i said "you're gonna like him". and when Haru showed up she was "ooooh i like him! not as much as the prince tho."

-"you realize its the brother (sokka) who things all the plans, right? he's the brains" she said, halfway through Book One. she's a smart one my mom.

-"when is the earth master going to appear?" "aang has to learn waterbending first" "well but he could appear!" "just wait, mom -.-"

-she is dumbfounded and amazed at the creatures of the Avatar World. "i don't know what the heck that is but is cute/ugly as fuck".

-"this girl Katara is gonna end up with the prince right? Fire and water, perfect match" oh mom. you're in for a dissapointment.

-in the fortune teller episode "but aang's too young for katara! he's twelve right? and she's, fifteen or something?" and i said "yeah, it was kind of a thing at the time" and she said "makes no sense. also, the Avatar is like a superhero. those people... belong to the world, you know? they cant be with anyone". she's pretty wise my mom.

-"I LIKE JET!" then Jet tries to kill the old man "i dont like Jet" then Jet tries to blow up the dam "i hate Jet."

-She thinks Uncle Iroh is the best, specially after he was kidnapping. "He sure knows how to fight" she said. "he's a bit of a goof chummy guy but he gives good advice" (remember this is still Book One).

-she was mindblowed by "the storm". "poor prince. no wonder he's always so mad. still, i like his scar. it looks like a flame."

and i was like "what?" and i realized that, yes, zuko scar sometimes looks like a flame when looked from the side. my mom had to point that out to me T.T.

-"WHY IS KATARA PRACTICING WITH THE WATER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT-?! AND SHE SCREAMING TOO! SHE'S GONNA BE FOUND!" right you are, mom.

-after roku's episode "poor aang. he's gonna do all that, learn all the elements, fight that son of a bitch, and all that before summer? its too much" :(

-during Bato's episode "nah. nah, you can't do that Aang, come on." "he feels left out" "but that scrolls is important right? its about the guys father!" right she was. also she didn't stop laughing at Uncle Iroh flirting with the bounty hunter girl.

-she was having none of Master Pakku bullshit. when katara confronted him she was "hell yeah, show him whats good!" and when we found out master pakku was gran gran old 'boyfriend' "OH, now he's gonna teach her just because she's the grandaughter of his lost love. right. -.-" and i was laughing mad because dont we all know its the truth? XD

-when she saw the fire nation armada she was like "O.O HOW DO YOU EVEN BEAT THAT?"

-and when zuko ship exploded "noooooo! dont kill my princeee, he's so preety! :("

-she doesn't know why sokka felt in love so fast with Yue, and neither do I.

-she got repeatidely frustrated by Aang not taking serious the situations that should be serious, but she shrugged it as "he's twelve".

-at the end of the season, when we see Azula for the first time i told her "i cant BEGIN to tell you how long we had to wait to see how this turned out, because season two took forever to air (we live in latino america)". she was just as excited as i was and wanted to see more.

-as a personal note, i watched this series as a kid and its wild to rewatch it as an adult becase, like, you can apreaciate how well paced and well thought everything is, and how the characters actions NOW reflect what we will learn from them later.

All in all , my mom liked it Book I A LOT, and we waited little in watching book II.

its late so i'll talk more about the other books in other posts. let me know my thoughts so i can pass them onto my mom! :D

#atla #avatar the last airbender #aang #zuko #sokka #katara #rewatching atla

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kataraslove · 1 year ago

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I was just told a few days ago that they love momtara becauses it tragic that she has to do all the workd for people until of couse Zuko comes along to help out making it less tragic and that logic made zero sense. katara is not cinderella im not sure why her so called fans want her to be cinderella.. or a damsel in distress until zuko comes along its not very pro katara to me it feels the exact opposite.

there’s this really great thread made by my friend @rukihimehive on kataangthinker on twitter debunking momtara with evidence from the series. i highly suggest giving that a read if you’re as tired of the fandom adultifying katara as i am.

I’ve seen momtara enthusiasts say that anyone who is critical of the fandom trope is “taking away her maternal nature, which is associated with her trauma of having lost her mother from a young age.” in other words, “if you don’t support fandom’s insistence that katara is the gaang’s literal mother figure and interpret all her interactions with the gaang as motherly, you’re erasing her trauma.”

which is so ridiculous to me. in the episode the runaway, katara herself dislikes the label of motherly. she takes personal offence over the idea that the gaang would view her as their mother instead of their peer, and demands to know if it’s true that her behaviour comes across as too motherly, especially because “motherly” is associated with negative connotations such as “bossy,” and “overbearing.”

I’ve seen people state that the gaang’s treatment towards katara is unhealthy, that katara is forced to do all the emotional work and emotional labour and none of the gaang ever supports her in anything. which just isn’t even remotely true.

episodes like the desert - in which the gaang are under extenuating circumstances that forces katara to step up and take care of them - are the exception, not the standard. in bitter work, katara explains to toph on how they divide the chores amongst themselves. katara takes personal issue (and for good reason) when toph only wants to do her share.

there’s multiple episodes in which the gaang help pitch the tent and perform campsite duties. there’s a whole episode dedicated to how katara and sokka are both sick, resulting in aang having to run across the world to retrieve them medicine. there’s an entire episode dedicated to how the gaang cannot get anything done without sokka, who usually manages their schedules and itineraries and helps ensure that they’re on track. there’s plenty of moments in which aang and katara are goofing off, and sokka gets mad at them for not sticking to his carefully curated and meticulous schedule and for putting a wedge in their plans to save communities (see: imprisoned and the painted lady). there’s moments when toph assumes responsibility; there’s moments when aang assumes responsibility. and then there’s moments when none of them have any clue on what to do, when they literally act like children navigating a world that’s constantly trying to kill them.

and what about in katara-centric episodes? what about in the episodes dedicated to developing her character? surely the selfish gaang couldn’t possibly support and understand her goals and desires?

1. imprisoned - sokka and aang aide in katara’s plan to immediately get captured and free haru. aang takes her side when katara suggests to free the prisoners. aang and sokka aide katara in freeing the imprisoned earthbenders.

2. the waterbending master - aang rejects learning from a sexist because pakku refuses to teach katara. aang agrees to train katara everything he learns in the middle of the night. aang and sokka cheer katara on as she goes head-to-head with master pakku.

3. the puppetmaster - the gaang allows katara the opportunity to learn waterbending from hama, a southern water tribe bender, until they discover what hama’s been doing all along. sokka and aang rush to confront hama and to protect katara. later, they provide katara comfort after she breakdowns over learning how to bloodbend.

4. the painted lady - aang calls katara a secret hero for helping people in need, even though katara lied to the gaang and pretended that appa was sick. he later helps katara destroy the factory, and then aides in her plan to confront the fire nation soldiers as the painted lady.

sokka defends his sister’s actions:

“Maybe she is a waterbender, but she was just trying to help you. Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her!”

the southern raiders - this episode is so misconstrued by fandom that every reading of it has become so far detached by canon. no, sokka and aang were not demonizing katara for believing that revenge was the suitable option for her (we find out in the episode that it wasn’t). yes, katara wanted far more than just confrontation (she said it herself - maybe revenge was what he deserved). no, aang was not demonizing katara for stating that her words reminded him of jet’s, who had died a noble death and who katara had personally mourned for. no, jet is not a terrorist and/or a psychopath - he was a child indoctrinated by propaganda and motivated by the death of his parents at the hands of the fire nation. aang and sokka do not interfere in katara’s decision to pursue the man who killed her mother, even if they felt that katara might end up killing that man. no, if katara had killed that man, aang and sokka would not shut her out or ignore her or make her feel subhuman. aang himself had several instances in which he would have taken several lives (sandbenders) if katara hadn’t stopped him. that’s why he says, “I’m proud of you,” because katara arrived at that moral decision on her own, without the influence of external sources (reminder that in the desert, katara had to physically stop aang). at the end of the episode, katara discusses with aang that forgiveness was not the approach she would take towards yon rha, but it was the approach that she would take towards zuko, who had earned her forgiveness.

in each of the above katara-centric episodes (with the sole exception of tsr, which I had described in great detail) the gaang understands katara’s goals and desires and helps her accomplish them, and protects and defends her. to me, that does not come across as a dynamic in which katara is overwhelmingly at risk and treated like absolute dirt. it’s actually quite telling on the quality of a fictional ship (or lack thereof) when fans must demonize katara’s friends and family in order to prop up her fanon love interest.

and when her fanon love interest DOES join the group, nothing… really changes in terms of the dynamics. he serves them tea occasionally? he tells sokka to get out of a bison’s mouth? katara still performs the cooking duties. katara still asks if zuko’s okay and makes sure that he’s included in group activities. the gaang turn to zuko because he is sufficient at hunting down aang, but they all formulate a plan for the comet together. one throwaway line informing someone to get out of the bison’s mouth and him being a strict teacher towards aang does not make him a dad. especially when none of the gaang truly see him as a dad and would probably die of laughing before even considering him as such.

that’s not to even mention the point of zuko’s arc when joining the gaang is not for him to assume an authority, paternal role over a group of kids younger than him (but around his age). it’s for him to finally realize that he belongs to a group of children as traumatized as him, to a family for once in his life. so why should fandom enforce him into a pseudo dad role that isn’t even canon nor would his character even want?

going back to katara, at her core katara is a young, fourteen year old child who has been forced to assume a motherly role to compensate for the loss of her mother. episodes like the runaway delve into how this trauma has forced her to grow up and act older than her age, but at the end of the day, she is still a child and does not wants to be viewed by her peers as some form of motherly figure. which is why it’s so important that characters like aang and toph remind her that she still is a kid, like them.

dark-skinned female characters like katara suffer from the phenomenon of adultification and hypersexualization in fandom spaces. their characters are treated as pseudo mother figures, irregardless of what the narrative could or could not outline for the audience. momtara is a problematic trope because it erases the nuanced dynamics in katara’s relationship with her friends and family, assuming that all interactions with the gaang are of her being their mother. and that canonically, that’s all katara can be towards them. especially in the interest of a ship.

#this is my manifesto of why I can’t stand that trope #antizutara

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