#What would Toph and Katara have been like if they'd had actual training?

[questioningdragons]

Also, can we talk about how it took years for Hama to invent bloodbending, but Katara figured it out in a single evening, just by becoming aware it was possible and seeing a brief demonstration?

[forever--rain]

I wanted to create a separate post for this, @thebansheeandherboy, because it’s a topic that is near and dear to my heart as a little sister with an older brother. (And this got...LONG. So I've hidden part of it under the cut.)

My brother used to be very set in his patriarchal ways. Certain things were "a woman's job." He was absolutely convinced there was something wrong with every guy who miraculously took interest in me. For a long time, we had a very Sokka-and-Katara-Book-1 relationship. Antagonistic yet fond. Full of conflict yet protective.

As we grew up, he dated some girls who were very strong-willed and courageous. They didn't take his crap. They were my earliest feminist influences and I love them all for it. Without them, I may not have found my voice and become the person I am today. And they changed him, too.

He's very supportive of my independence now. He thinks I kick ass and is extremely proud of who I am, even if we don't always see eye to eye. And as the years have passed, he's learned that my judgement in regard to friends and significant others is pretty good. Sure, I made my youthful follies, but so did he.

Though I know he'll never admit it out loud because it would mean admitting that he likes someone whose views directly oppose his, he actually likes my S.O. and he's glad that we finally found our way to one another. And though I know I'll never hear the precise words, "I like him," I see it in a myriad of little ways which I won't delve into now because it's not pertinent.

"Ever," you may be asking. "What does any of this have to do with fictional characters?"

Well, Sokka learned from strong female influences as well. He shed his misogynistic views and embraced Katara, Suki, and Toph for who they were--strong women. He learned not to underestimate them. I've seen that in real life and I can relate to it.

It's my personal headcanon that Sokka and Zuko become lifelong best friends after everything that happened during the war. Zuko would come to admire Sokka's ingenuity and Sokka would appreciate Zuko's sense of duty and honor. They'd both respect each other's leadership skills and be in constant communication about inventions or laws or anything else under the sun. They'd be good sounding boards for one another. (And they'd also really grow to appreciate each other's senses of humor.)

(Truly, these two are my brotp.)

In a universe where Zuko and Katara get together, I actually see Sokka catching on long before either of them do. Maybe Suki would have to clue him in, but I don't think so. I think he'd catch on to their chemistry at the Western Air Temple during the war. And I think that he'd sit down with Zuko to talk to him after the war. Not in an "over protective big brother" kind of way or anything. He'd definitely just want to thank Zuko for saving Katara's life since she's always been the one to sacrifice for everyone else. He'd make sure to tell Zuko what that means to him and how much he respects him for it. He might even tell Zuko that he's like a brother to him.

That would be the beginning of it, though.

Sure, maybe a part of Sokka would find it weird because it's his little sister and his best friend (and, honestly? I'd find it weird at first if my best friend liked my sibling), but he'd kind of get it. Zuko and Katara push one another. They complement one another. They have a selfless and unconditional give and take that somehow always remains equal. Plus, Sokka knows Katara better than anyone. She's strong-willed and determined. Even if he hated the idea of her and Zuko getting together, that wouldn't stop her. He knows, too, that Zuko has always seen Katara for who she is. Zuko's not once underestimated her. He'll remember when Zuko and Katara went to track down Yon Rha and that memory will reinforce in his mind that Zuko is willing to provide Katara with unwavering support no matter the decision she makes.

And when he notices them looking at each other when the other has no clue, he'll realize he's seen that look before. Katara looks at Zuko the way Suki looks at him. And Zuko might be better at hiding his emotions than Sokka ever could be, but he can't completely disguise the way his eyes go soft when Katara walks into a room. (Don't forget: Sokka trained with Piandao. He has higher observational skills than most people give him credit for.)

And he'd just kind of watch over the years as Zuko and Katara sit in denial and dance around it. But he'd also definitely tease them both about it relentlessly, don't get me wrong! He'd make kissy faces at Zuko behind Katara's back. He'd walk around after Katara mimicking her voice as he says, "Oh, Zuko's so handsome. Zuko's such a powerful bender. Zuko has such nice, shiny hair." (Until Katara bends a snowball into his face, of course.)

Maybe Katara would try dating other people. Sokka would say things like, "You know, this guy doesn't make you laugh. Even Zuko makes you laugh." Or, "This guy can't even sling a boomerang! At least Zuko can wield two swords at once. You should find someone like that." Or, "You should be with someone who's unafraid to give you autonomy and likes your political ideas."

And if Zuko looked like he was about to give in to an arranged marriage, Sokka might step in in a subtler way. "You know, you should find someone who challenges you and inspires you to be a better person. Someone with aspiration who isn't afraid to speak her mind. Especially if she's speaking up for the average person. And you should really try to find someone you love because leading a nation seems like a lonely thing and you don't deserve to be alone."

When they finally decided to try to be together, the two of them would keep it under wraps at first. People might suspect, but there'd be no concrete evidence. Toph would claim she's noticed a difference in the energy between them. And Suki might say Katara's letters suddenly contain a little too much Zuko. But Sokka, ever the skeptic, wouldn't buy into it because his best friend and his sister are dense.

Maybe Sokka stumbles across them snuggled under a tree by the turtleduck pond one day. Or maybe he catches them kissing during the winter solstice celebration in the Southern Water Tribe. And he definitely pulls something melodramatic because, let's face it, he's Sokka. Plus, he just wants to give them shit because he's still Katara's brother and Zuko's best friend and he's obligated.

Afterward, though, he'd track Zuko down. Zuko might try to explain in his usual fumbling manner, but Sokka would just look at him and say, "You know if you hurt her or leave her or if you don't find a way to make this last forever, she'll kill you, right?" And then he'd pull out a flask of Southern Water Tribe vodka, raise it in Zuko's direction and say, "Flameo, hotman. Flameo." And together they would toast to Zuko and Katara's relationship.

(But Sokka would still lovingly give them shit for the rest of their lives.)

[orangepanic]

Kya II for a character and if you want to fill out the fandom part for LoK I will happily read it.

Kya II

How I feel about this character: I'm kind of neutral on her. I like her in that I don't have much of a reason to dislike her?

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Suyin Beifong. I know, I'm like the only person who ships this. But I think they'd get along great.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: I like the bond she has with Katara.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I'm not super invested in her? She's half of the second most popular pairing in the fandom and I don't think I've ever written her into a fic, not even in the background. I kind of forget she's there.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I feel like she was kind of thrown in to give Kataang a waterbender. I could never figure out why she was on Air Temple Island or where she lived when she wasn't, or what she was doing with everyone else. I wished she'd had more motivations that I understood besides being mini-Katara.

Favorite friendship for this character: Does she have friends? I don't think we saw any in canon. But I really hope she got to meet Ty Lee.

My crossover ship: I don't have one

LOK

Favorite character: This is actually really hard. I'd say Asami in canon and Iroh in headcanon. I'm sure you're all shocked.

Least Favorite character: Wow, out of everyone? There are so many. This is gonna be really--- RAIKO. Yeah, fuck that guy.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): This isn't really fair. It's Irosami, a HUUUUUGE gap, and then I'm pretty much wide open to all the rarepairs. A few I've fallen for recently: Makuvira, Tahno/Wu, Makopal, Linzolt, Korvira.

Character I find most attractive: Iroh. That should also be obvious.

Character I would marry: Sorry, I'm taken. :-)

Character I would be best friends with: Jinora

A random thought: I'm fascinated by the idea of how one would train little firebenders not to burn the house down and have way too many headcanons about this.

An unpopular opinion: The show honestly probably should have ended after S1.

My Canon OTP: Is this a thing?

My Non-canon OTP: Oh gosh I have no idea...

Most Badass Character: I mean, it's still Toph, I don't care. It's Toph in every universe.

Most Epic Villain: I wouldn't consider any of them "epic" but I find Amon the most interesting.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Most of the canon and major ship pairings, really. Makorra can be cute. That's about it.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Killing Tarrlok and Amon. They were really interesting and the post-S1 politics would have been more complex with both of them still around.

Favourite Friendship: Canon: Bosami Fanon: Asami & Ikki

Character I most identify with: Lin, maybe. She's just trying to do the right thing surrounded by idiots.

Character I wish I could be: Varrick. The stuff he gets away with is unbelievable.

[ifellintothestyx]

I'm going to fight the next person who says firebending is the weakest bending-

First of all, every firebender is built to be a fucking unit. Their power comes from their chi directly, so it's part of their training to be physically fit and strong. Remember Zuko "legs for days"? That's his firebending training coming out. Azula carrying her own weight over a boiling lake, with one hand? The one hand wasn't even holding the wire, she was just gripping a cloth to keep her hand from getting scratched.

Second of all, the only reason people view firebending as weak is because we rarely see it deal the actual damage it should, because we can't exactly show people getting burnt in a kid's TV show, right? The only times we see people getting burnt is when it's time for plot. Remember Aang starting out with firebending? He was just playing around with a little fire and- oh? That little bit of fire burned Katara's hands! Benders need their hands! What would have happened if she hadn't been able to heal? Her bending would've been affected for a long time, until the scars heal, and that would've been bad when they end up in combat situations half the show, right? Her bending would've been affected for a long while all because of a little practice fire!

"But water and earth can beat them any day-" seems like everyone's standards for bending is based on the literal fucking prodigies. Katara, Toph, and Azula are VASTLY different from the rest of the people in that world. You know why there are earthbender prisons? Because firebenders beat them. Why were the southern waterbenders taken? Because the firebenders fucking beat them. Why was it so easy for the GAang to just beat everyone then? 1) Plot 2) It's a team of prodigies 3) the Fire Nation got soft because of arrogance. They'd been on the winning side of a 100 year war. Their overconfidence and superiority complexes did them in.

"Azula is actually weaker than Katara and Toph tho" we don't see an actual battle between Azula and Toph so that's still debatable. The two battles between Azula and Katara had Katara in the more advantageous position every time. It's canon that lack of sun would cause firebending to peter out. Where were Katara and Azula fighting in Ba Sing Se? Ah yes. In a deep cave. With water. How about the last fight? Azula had been off her rocker but she still beat Zuko, then proceeded to chase Katara into a corner, and it's through pure luck and genius that Katara trapped her.

"if the water tribes or the earth kingdom started the war they wouldn't need 100 years" the Fire Nation was on the smaller side in terms of land, the Water Tribe was in a disadvantageous location for firebenders, and the Earth Kingdom is fucking huge when you don't have a sky bison or episodical skips. It took longer for the Fire Nation, yes, but the fact they managed to conquer so much land that they practically depowered the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe is a testament to how fucking good they are in terms of military might.

TLDR; Firebending is only viewed as weak because Nickelodeon couldn't exactly show children horrific burning up close and personal unless it's a necessary plot-point.

[myinterestsvary-writes]

Why do you have an issue with Katara not helping to rebuild TSW in the comics? She went home didn’t she and she didn’t like what was happening. It was already freakin’ rebuilt by the time she got there. Plus (and it’s very easy to tell because of the entire series) she loves going around to world helping people everywhere.

This is experimental and might be me parroting fandom discourse talking points surrounding Katara's portrayal post ATLA:

She may love going around the world helping people, but Katara also loves her heritage and home as well. She was nomadic by circumstances in her choice to aide Aang in stopping the war and now that the war is over and temperaments surely changes after said war, she can stay back at the Southern Water Tribe in its rebuilding by choice this time, not have primarily Pakku, Melina and her brother, and Hakoda do that instead (you know, the actual adults picking up the slack from where their kids left them; I'm actually totally fine with these people rebuilding SWT as well, anon, but Katara does need more things to do or to have been suggested she had done in The Legend of Korra for objectivity's sake).

She fell in love with Aang along the way and so of course she'd compromise her urges to return home sooner, but eventually she would have to return and ideally she'd stay behind for far longer than presented in the comics, honing her political skills further.

Now, with Katara on track to becoming an Ambassador (btw, stole that idea, from guess who?), she'll have to stay a couple years away from Aang since he has obligations to places far beyond the SWT himself. Though he'd make sure to visit often, sometimes they'd rendezvous across certain places on the globe and meet there instead.

Suddenly, omg, Katara becomes pregnant with his babeh and now she's confused on what to do. She tells Aang via letter her condition, and it isn't until months later that he is able to make his way back to her, Katara five months along. The next time Aang has to leave, Katara comes with him and eventually she gives birth at Toph Beifong's metalbending school with Toph this time as the midwife.

First Name Bumi is born, and they're all happy and healthy. He turns out to be a nonbender, and all the inadequacy issues he will still have are explicitly presented as him projecting his own insecurities onto his father that do have some truth to it that Aang admits to and works on with him with encouragement from Katara and not necessarily because his father showed obvious favouritism for his younger brother First Name Tenzin Gyasto. If Aang must take only Tenzin on trips, Bumi understands and learns to cope with it in a healthy way since he would spend a lot of time with Katara who's extremely emotionally intelligent after all (which is learned and not only innate) and if he were to bring it up years later in his elderly years long after either parent's death, then he'll recognize that the least he can do is honour them in the best way he can having never gained airbending abilities.

It'll be easier to do that too with new Airbenders mysteriously being born at a rapid rate decades after the century long war, not envying his father and little brother painstakingly training them and inevitably becoming overwhelmed.

He becomes a major advocate for Air Acolytes and Air Nomad cultural restoration. He also helps the Southern Water Tribe in building their own navy alongside his uncle and grandfather, and especially with the help of the Northern Water Tribe with Katara, Kanna, and Pakku having helped tremendously in repairing the relationship between the North and South. The highest title he'll ever achieve and relish in is Admiral (not General lmao). Bumi has his first child around the time Aang passes at 189 or another appropriately old age, to where Bumi is around 60 at the time.

Tenzin is similar to his canon counterpart, but he has much more kids and is even more stressed out. Pema is a little bit older when they get together and since they continue to have babies well into her 40s, they end up having two sets of multiples. All of them airbenders, except two who are waterbenders.

I don't have much I want to change about Kya II. Even her name. I think Kya is so upset with Aang in TLOK mostly because she saw how it affected Bumi and Katara and probably even Tenzin (but if I'd change one thing about her, it'd be her realising that she blamed Aang a little bit too much and should try to understand him better and from there on give him more respect), not needing to see her father as much since she had such a close relationship with her mother and when she does see her father, he can easily secure her in his love and faith in her. She doesn't have children not only because she's sapphic but because she thinks carrying a man's seed will ruin her aura. Kya ironically becomes a councilwoman in Republic City or perhaps another place I can come up with Aang and Zuko create together.

I guess the reason I like them having three kids is because it pays homage to the initial trio from the original series. The reason why I changed Kya and Tenzin's birth order though is because Katara having a little baby all to herself to mold into a beautiful young lady like her while her big brothers and father do their own things is too cute to pass up. That's all. It's all for Katara to have a living, breathing human doll. No gender hierarchies in mind here, too complicated for my brain right now.

Inexplicably, Katara's life begins to revolve around her children after their births and also Aang from then on which she is content with. Aang and Katara never get married, breaking SWT tradition and Aang being primarily involved in his children's lives is something he didn't grow up with or expect and vaguely heard of other Air Nomads having hundreds of temporary sexual partners throughout their adult lives but ultimately concludes he's content with just Katara. Aang being a father is something he slowly adapted to (being a mediocre father actually in each of their teenage years which caused rifts in his union with Katara but yet they stayed devoted to one another wordlessly anyways from then on even with their relationship being an open one that Katara indulges in more than Aang does usually because they're most comfortable and secure with one another).

Now with Katara's kids grown and independent, Katara goes back to being an Ambassador and even explores other career opportunities, travelling the world once again with Aang and other loved ones who are down. She hones her healing and fighting skills simultaneously and eventually comes to find healing thrills her more than fighting used to. She becomes world renowned in her bending abilities and activism and lives the rest of her days in peace.

She gets a statue after she passes.